Page 29 of Ava’s Love of the Dragons (Of Dragons, Love, and Destiny #2)

In the next days of training, Ava heeded the master's advice and focused on herself.

Instead of trying to fight like Magg, she challenged herself daily, and finally saw progress.

Although she was still inferior to the cadet, she managed to land hits more often and dodge blows without being checkmated and constantly ending up in the sand.

In the evenings, Lynn would sit with her, applying tinctures to her wounds and engaging her in conversations, allowing her to avoid Kilian.

Afterward, Ava would retire to her room.

She didn't see the dragon leader as long as she didn't look in his direction, and then she could concentrate on her training.

This helped her better control her emotions as well as her daggers, which now felt natural in her hands.

By the end of the week, she was convinced she had found the right weapons.

The master rarely showed himself, which could only mean that he was also satisfied with her.

Magg continued to keep her distance but stopped making derogatory remarks and no longer groaned when Ava entered the arena or they fought against each other, which was definitely progress.

In between, Ava regularly took rides on Draco's back, since she should avoid close combat with the mages anyway. For that reason, flight training played an important role in her education.

She always carried the Isip stone that the unknown mage had given her during Elora's captivity. In the event that she encountered a mage and had to face them alone, she needed to be able to defend herself.

On Kilian's orders, she was supposed to practice jumping from Draco's back during low-altitude flights. But it was so damn high, and Draco flew incredibly fast even when he tried to glide as slowly as possible.

"Now."

Ava couldn't do it. "Fly slower!"

"If I fly any slower, we'll fall!"

It was so frustrating she wanted to pull her hair out. Ava simply didn't have the nerve.

To help her, Allan demonstrated it several times, but even his stunts couldn't convince Ava to attempt the jump.

It looked like child's play when he did it, but she knew it wasn't. There was a reason why dragon fighters only practiced the jump in their second year of training, as Lilly regularly reported.

That afternoon, she again had let every opportunity to jump from Draco pass, instead crouching on his back and admiring Allan, who had just demonstrated his tenth jump from his fire dragon. When she again failed to imitate him, he flew over to Draco and made an encouraging gesture.

"Come on, Ava! Dragons are like trampolines, just with scales and sulfur breath."

She shook her head, feeling paralyzed as soon as she looked down. "It's too high. I'll never survive that!"

"Yes, you will, trust me. The dragons use their magic to slow our fall, making it slower than a snail crawling uphill."

"That's what I've been saying all along!" Draco snorted.

But Ava couldn't bring herself to do it. "It looks effortless when you do it."

"Well, I am the unparalleled prodigy of dragon jumping. But don't worry, even legends like me started small—though I never trembled as much as you." He winked with a grin and pointed at Magg, who was training in the arena but kept casting furtive glances at her. "Magg would have dared by now."

Laughing, Ava shook her head. "That doesn't work. I realized when I first arrived that she's an exceptional fighter."

Allan leaned forward, an amused twinkle in his brown eyes. "Who says you can't be one too?" With those words, he winked at her and flew over to Kilian, who was circling above the arena.

"You heard him. I'll slow your fall."

"But you've never done this before. If it goes wrong, I can't try again. I'll be dead!"

"You won't die just because it doesn't work the first time."

"Oh yes, I will. Do you have any idea how fragile a human body is?

I don't have a thick layer of scales protecting me.

Though Elora would probably be thrilled about that.

I can already see the headline in the newspapers: Prophesied Dragon Guardian Dies Falling from Dragon before She Can Challenge the Sorceress. "

Draco just snorted and, unprompted, began another descent. As the sandy ground loomed threateningly close, he shouted: "Now!" but Ava clung to his back.

"I can't do this!"

And that was true. Her fear was too great, which was why she didn't take the risk.

She had gotten used to the feeling of flying on Draco, even enjoying it in particularly idyllic moments, but as soon as he went into a dive, she was paralyzed.

And that didn't change, no matter how often he encouraged her or how frequently Allan demonstrated the jump exuberantly.

"Don't pressure yourself," Allan had unexpectedly said days ago. He'd really meant it. "Just fly as much and as long as possible on your dragon, it strengthens your bond and eventually the moment will come when you dare to do it."

Finally, some advice to her liking. And she referred to it every time Draco wanted to encourage her to jump from his back again. Instead, they went on longer flights, allowing Ava to see more and more of the surroundings every day.

To strengthen the bond, of course.

There were no villages or cities in the area, but vast fields and meadows, pristine forests, rivers, and small lakes.

The landscape seemed boundless. The only thing missing were the numerous dragons flying through the sky.

From a distance, they could see the mountains where the mountain dragons hid, but rarely caught sight of one. They were masters of camouflage.

Ava enjoyed the long flights more with each ride, feeling how Draco's and her connection grew closer and closer, although she had hardly been able to imagine it.

One afternoon, they returned from an especially long tour of the grounds. Her legs were shaking from hours of flight, and her fingers were cramped around his scales from having not moved them for so long. That was why she was glad to land.

"I thought you loved riding me by now!"

Smiling, she stroked Draco's purple scales. They still weren't fire-red like those of Kilian's and Allan's dragons, which according to the others was due to his age. "I love flying with you, but I still have to get used to sitting still for hours. Plus, it's freezing cold up there."

"Should I give you more warmth?"

"Is that possible?"

"Of course. I just wasn't sure if you wanted it because it might remind you of the dragon rider's heat."

She nudged him in the side. "Don't you start about Kilian too."

Everyone gave her unsolicited advice, and they all agreed that she had to stay away from him. Which she did! All the dragon gods were her witnesses! Even during training, they rarely saw each other.

Draco stiffened, which made her sigh.

"I know you mean well, but—"

"That's not it, Ava."

Suddenly, she felt his heartbeat quickening. "What's wrong?"

"Mages."

Immediately, her gaze swept over the area. "Are they sneaking up?"

Draco fell silent for a moment before his unambiguous answer wandered through her thoughts. "No, they're already here."

On high alert, her eyes darted across the grounds, but she saw no intruders. "How is that possible? You and the other dragons should have sensed them long ago!"

"They're using a powerful protection spell. I'm not sure if anyone has noticed it yet."

Horrified, she looked down at the competition arena.

The scene before her was like any other afternoon: Magg was working the punching bag, Ralph and a cadet were guarding the gate, the two other combat students were training on the backs of the mountain dragons, and behind the stands, the man who had never spoken a word to her was sweeping.

There was no sign of the dragon fighters or their dragons.

"Where are Kilian and Allan?"

"On their way. They know, but we can't wait for their return."

Heavens, now it was getting serious.

"Where are the mages? I can't see them."

"In the stands."

Stunned, her eyes widened. "Why can't I see them?"

"Protection spell. And they're preparing for an attack."

"But they want me, and I'm not even there."

"Maybe they're taking hostages to use as leverage."

She couldn't allow that!

"What do you suggest? You can hardly take all the students on your back. Not to mention Lilly, Lynn, and Marcus would still be in danger."

"They're in the classroom, and the mages aren't paying attention to them. Master Clark has shielded it."

Ava didn't ask how he managed that. Instead, she noticed a blurred movement, as if something transparent like water was gliding over the stands. That must be their opponents.

"I can see them!"

"Good, then you can help me aim!" Draco let out a battle cry in her head, and Ava joined her mental cry to his. Lightning-fast, he raced towards the spectator stands and struck the transparent mass with his tail.

The mages became visible but were unharmed.

"Beware, mages!" Ava shouted from the back of her dragon, who shot back into the air to avoid injuring his wide wings on the structures.

The two mountain dragons quickly threw the combat students off their backs and fled into the mountains.

"Why are they running away?"

"They fear magic."

The cadets, on the other hand, showed no fear. Magg looked up at her questioningly. Ava pointed to the stands, whereupon all the students gathered and drew their weapons. Undoubtedly, there were advantages to being in a training facility for future dragon fighters.

But the mages didn't wait for the cadets to confront them. They were already forming hissing lightning bolts between their hands and throwing them at Magg and the others. The attacks hit the students unimpeded, causing the first one to fall to the ground and lie motionless.

"They don't have Isip stones?"

"They're so rare that you're lucky to have one. The mages have destroyed almost all of them."

She didn't need to ask why. Quickly, she took the stone from her pocket and wrapped it around the handle of a dagger.

"I need to get down to them!"

"No! The mages came for you. Your protection is the most important thing!"

"But the others can't defend themselves!"

"You are the prophesied guardian!"

"Let me down, or I'll jump!"

"You want to attempt your first jump from this height?"

"If I have to!"

Draco roared, causing all eyes to turn to him. Once again, he struck their opponents with his tail, but two of them quickly formed a shield that it bounced off of. A vibration went through his body that almost threw Ava off his back, but she caught her balance at the last moment.

Meanwhile, the remaining mages were forming their next attacks and hurling them at the combat students. Magg and Ralph jumped aside at the last moment, causing the lightning to strike the sand. But the next one followed immediately and hit a cadet before he could duck.

"Fly lower!"

"I can't risk losing you, Ava!"

"We can't let them die!"

Draco roared again, but he began to descend. He tilted one wing to the side so that Ava could slide down it instead of jumping. He flew lower than during their practice maneuvers, making it as easy as possible for her, and Ava looked down. She had to do this.

Heavens, it was still terribly high. What had she been thinking, wanting to jump from Draco?

When the next cadet screamed, she blocked out her fear.

Quickly, she swung one leg over to the other side and slid down Draco's wing.

It wasn't a proper jump, but she made it to her fellow students, and that was what mattered.

Draco immediately shot back up before he could injure his wings on the buildings.

Ava landed in the arena, immediately turned to face the mages, and raised her daggers ready for combat. The Isip stone was attached to one of them. This allowed her to deflect the mages' attacks.

Her opponents were already firing the next volley. There were ten hooded figures. Three attacked Draco, who immediately struck back at the intruders with his tail, while the rest hurled one magic orb after another at the cadets.

Ava deflected them with her dagger. Highly focused, she whirled the blade around in front of her fellow students.

But the incantations hissed closer and closer, faster and faster, until a magical lightning bolt made it past her.

It missed Magg by millimeters. While Ava followed it with her eyes, the mages bombarded her with countless more projectiles.

There were too many to deflect with a single weapon and a single Isip stone.

Master Clark appeared as if out of nowhere, twirling his staff and leaping through the arena as if he were not ninety years old, but rather a young fighter in his prime.

He threw dust that glittered golden and spread like a protective layer over the battlefield.

The golden particles formed into a hemisphere that expanded and pushed back the mages.

At the same time, their attacks bounced off the dome.

"The dragon rider is coming back!" Ralph shouted.

The sky darkened as Kilian and Allan flew in with their enormous dragons.

Together with Draco, the dragons swept their tails over the mages, who immediately focused on the aerial attacks.

Although they fired powerful lightning bolts towards the sky, Draco swept aside one magical attack after another with his purple tail.

Meter by meter, the opponents were pushed back by the dragons and Master Clark's golden dome, until Kilian dropped a net on them. At the last moment, they jumped aside, disappeared under another shield, and were no longer visible.

"Where did they go?" Ava shouted. She had been ready in case an attack did fly through the golden dome, but Master Clark's protective spell withstood the attacks until they suddenly ceased.

No one answered.

She remained vigilant, standing in front of the others and holding the dagger with the Isip stone defensively in front of her while Kilian, Allan, and the dragons practically swept the stands to make sure the mages weren't sneaking closer through a back door.

"They're gone."

As if Master Clark had also heard Draco's words, he lowered his hands and the golden glittering dome disappeared.

His gaze was directed behind Ava, where not only the cadets were, but also Marcus.

Who stood as if petrified. But not because of the mages' attack, since he wasn't looking at the stands.

He was looking at Master Clark and staring at him wide-eyed.

Ava looked at her friend with a furrowed brow. The other combat students also weren't looking at the spectator stands where the enemy had just disappeared, but instead at the old man, just like Marcus was. Ava followed their gazes to their trainer, and it clicked.

The rumor was true.

Master Clark was a mage.

And yet he had just saved their lives.