Page 34 of Ava’s Love of the Dragons (Of Dragons, Love, and Destiny #2)

They flew at breakneck speed over the dense pine forest and landed behind the trees, where Kilian and Allan were already waiting on their dragons.

Draco landed between the two, and Ava didn't hesitate for a second.

"The mages have kidnapped Lilly. We need to go to the old castle where they held me captive. "

Kilian's face was barely discernible in the darkness, yet he was clearly tense. "Are you sure they took her there?"

She didn't understand why this was still under discussion—if they didn't take off soon, she would go crazy. Her thoughts threatened to run wild, and her fear for Lilly fueled her panic. "Where else?"

The dragon leader's voice, however, sounded calm. "The mages have numerous hideouts, and we only know of a handful of them. Moreover, they attacked Talus in the afternoon. Countless were injured."

Allan shifted forward on his dragon to better join the conversation. "That's why I'm repeating, Kilian, that you absolutely need to fly there. I'll help Ava rescue the girl."

"No, I won't risk her life!" He didn't look at Ava, so she didn't know if he meant her or Lilly. "You need to fly to Talus for me and take over the high command."

Overwhelmed, Allan shook his head. "But that was normally Rob's job. I'm a legendary tracker, but in the position of strategist? The king will ask questions."

What had happened to Rob? Since he wasn't taking over the high command, he was probably sitting in a dark cell. Ava immediately pushed the thought of him aside as Kilian refused to hear any of Allan's objections.

"I'll deal with King Eldric as soon as we're back."

"Kilian, you know he's grown suspicious. Someone has talked!" Allan glanced at Ava too casually for it to be coincidental. But she understood.

"That wasn't a question, it was an order!"

Allan snorted loudly but nodded. When Kilian then looked at Ava, his expression was impenetrable. But she was unfazed.

"Don't ask me how, but I'm sure Lilly is in the castle.

Elora has her by her side to lure me to her because, after all, she wants to kill me.

" If the mage knew what Lilly was capable of, she might not harm her at all.

Nevertheless, Ava had to get the child back as quickly as possible.

"Tell me how to get to the castle, and then fly to Talus to do your job.

I'm the last person who wants the dragons to die.

So I'll get Lilly with Magg's help and disappear. "

The last word hung between them, and its echo reverberated with the addition: "We won't see each other again."

Kilian shook his head. "I won't let you fly to the mages alone. I don't care what the king says, that's not important to me!"

"But the dragons..." Allan chimed in once more.

"Our entire realm..." He took a deep breath and his shoulders sagged.

The guilt was written all over his face, and the mischief disappeared from his eyes.

"I think it's terrible, the responsibility you have to bear, buddy, and I would take it off your hands in a heartbeat, but unfortunately, that's not possible. "

Magg snorted, causing everyone to look at her. "Can't you sort this out later? A little girl is in danger!"

Kilian ran his hand through his hair, every muscle tense.

When he looked up, wild determination was etched on his face.

"You fly to Talus, Allan, and take over the high command.

I'll come to you as soon as we've freed Lilly.

I'll deal with the king afterward." His dragon shot straight up into the air like lightning, Draco following immediately, and Allan was left behind alone.

In the darkness, he quickly merged with the forest, yet Ava thought she saw him shaking his head once more.

She tore her gaze away from him, leaned forward to counter the sharp headwind, and patted Magg on the thigh. "Thank you."

"Don't think I approve of your affair."

"We don't have an affair."

"But you will soon if you're not careful. And then you'll stand forever in his shadow, because his sense of duty is more pronounced than any other dragon fighter's. He will marry the princess, no matter what he feels for you."

Lynn had used similar words. Ava wanted to push the warning aside; she wouldn't start a relationship with Kilian anyway, but the flight was long and Magg was silent, so she was constantly bombarded with thoughts.

The mages were getting stronger, the king suspected something, and everyone seemed to know.

Shame brought a flush to her cheeks as she stared straight ahead.

Draco followed Thalara, who was flying at a slight curve.

His muscles worked under Ava's legs, making her acutely aware of his presence.

She was endangering his existence as well as that of his kind, putting her happiness above his life—how selfish could she be?

She clamped her thighs tightly against his scales and rubbed her face, which was burning hot.

Magg nudged Ava's foot with her own. "Don't judge yourself, after all, he's damned hot and has been constantly making eyes at you."

A smile involuntarily crossed her lips, but the feeling of having taken on a heavy burden didn't go away. She gratefully accepted the distraction, however. "How come I suddenly have you as a friend?"

"We've allied for a higher cause."

Ava nodded. "Mission Save Lilly."

"She's a great girl, and I can't stand it when someone drags children into wars!" There was a bitterness in her voice that made Ava prick up her ears.

"Did that happen to you as a child?"

Magg didn't reply, but perhaps the silence was answer enough.

They continued flying until Magg finally spoke up.

"My mother wanted to make me a princess, she had big goals and succeeded.

I was the best friend of Princess Amelia, Kilian's future bride.

That's how I caught the attention of the powerful.

Since my hair looks very similar to the queen's, the mages mistook me for her and kidnapped me. They wanted to blackmail the king."

Ava swallowed. No child should experience such a thing. "That sounds terrible. Did the king give in?"

Magg snorted. "He didn't lift a finger. For weeks I sat in a dungeon, and my fine silk dress, jewelry, and makeup did me no good. I was helpless. That's when I vowed never to feel that way again."

Ava could relate to that feeling, and the thought of being stuck in a prison as a child stirred her sympathy. But she knew Magg wasn't looking for pity. She was probably telling her this on Draco's back so she didn't have to see compassion on Ava's face.

"How did you escape?"

"The dragon fighters rescued me, without the king's orders. They stormed a mage's hideout and found me. It was pure chance, otherwise I'd still be there or already dead."

"That's why you want to be a dragon fighter. But why aren't you one already? You fight better than all the other cadets combined."

Magg snorted. "As soon as the king looks at me, he feels like a failure. Amelia supposedly still reproaches him for it to this day, but he just wants to forget the whole unpleasant story—which he can't if I become a successful dragon fighter. And I will!"

Ava didn't doubt that for a second. "Are you still friends with the princess?"

"No." That one word sounded so final that Ava didn't press further. Besides, she wasn't keen on talking about the princess anyway.

"Have you tried to bond with a dragon yet?"

Magg shook her head. "The king controls the bonds. All bondings only take place with his consent and in the official camps."

Ava understood. "That's why he was so agitated this morning, because not only did I hide the dragon egg from him, but Draco bonded with me without his permission."

"You've never been more likable to me than in this moment."

Smirking, Ava turned around to her and saw a barely visible grin on the cadet's face. But it disappeared as she focused her attention forward.

"We're entering the mages' realm of power."

Ava followed her gesture and held her breath. The air shimmered darkly, as if there was a giant soap bubble whose walls glowed black with a hint of red.

Thalara turned and lined up next to Draco while Kilian shouted against the wind, "As soon as we break through the barrier, they'll know we're here."

"Is there any way to prevent that?"

Kilian shook his head, making Ava focus on the magical boundary. "Then let's not waste a minute. Lilly needs us!"

Magg raised a fist to the sky combatively. "Attack!"

Draco let out a roar, which Thalara joined, and in a synchronized flight, the dragons targeted the protective film and broke through it simultaneously.

A jolt went through Ava's body, the feeling similar to what she experienced the moment she had crossed the border from the human world into that of the dragons.

Magic.

But the feeling passed immediately, leaving behind a barren rocky landscape that spiraled up into a mountain range they hadn't seen outside the barrier.

Several powerful wing beats later, Ava recognized the terrain.

Recognized the mountain ridges, the chains of hills and.

.. She swallowed. As if the dragons wanted to remind her of her misconduct, they landed on the rocky plateau where Kilian and she had kissed.

As she dismounted from Draco, she kept her gaze lowered, the blush of shame burning in her cheeks. Fortunately, it was so dark that the others wouldn't notice. A hissing sound was heard and Thalara set the tip of a stick Kilian was holding aflame.

So much for her hope that her discomfort would go unnoticed.

But the two paid no attention to her, instead looking in the direction of the castle, which made Ava focus on their goal again. Lilly. Even if the girl acted tough, she must be terribly afraid.

Magg clenched her hands, which she had bandaged during the flight. "I say we fly in, get Lilly out of the dungeon, and burn everything to the ground!"

Without taking her eyes off the fortress, Ava stood next to her. "I'd be up for it, but they know we're coming."

"That's why we need a merciless, quick attack."

The dragon leader shook his head. "We need to approach this smartly. Elora has Lilly, and she knows Ava is coming to free her. Plus, she felt us break through the protective spell."

"How did you manage that, by the way?" Magg looked at him with interest, but Kilian just pointed to the dragons. "They are the key."

The cadet nodded. "Of course."

Ava was getting restless. "What do you suggest, Kilian?"

"We split up. You two start an attack with Draco, but stay on him and distract them. They're expecting you to come, Ava—they don't know I'm here."

"But they'll recognize Thalara for sure from several kilometers away!"

Magg nodded. "They might have even sensed that two dragons flew through the barrier. Remember, no mage has been as powerful as Elora since Thalgor."

"That's why it's perfect that there are three of us. Two dragons—two fighters. That's what they'll assume, and that's what they'll get."

Ava narrowed her eyes skeptically. "What are you trying to say?"

Kilian emphasized his plan with concise gestures. "Magg flies on Thalara, and I sneak into the castle on foot."

The cadet opened her lips but didn't say a word, while Ava's eyes widened. "Never! That's insane! If Elora catches you, she'll kill you instantly."

He grinned as if it were an everyday challenge. "Then I guess I'd better not get caught."

"No, Kilian. You fly, and I'll sneak in. I'm their target anyway. I don't want you putting yourself in danger."

He shook his head; his decision was unshakeable, but it was driving Ava nearly mad. How was she supposed to concentrate on saving Lilly if he was putting his life in danger, perhaps never to come out of the mages' castle alive again?

Magg looked meaningfully from her to him and crossed her arms over her chest. That was all it took for Ava to turn away and look at the mountain range.

She couldn't let her feelings control her.

She cleared her throat and drew herself up, even though she felt like doing something entirely different.

"How will we know when you have Lilly and where to meet you? "

"I'll communicate with Thalara through our thoughts, and she can tell Draco where I am."

It made sense that he had the same mental connection with his dragon as she did with Draco.

Still, the idea made Ava sick. But her feelings had no place right now.

"I was held captive inside the castle, not underground.

There were no windows, and we went down three flights of stairs to reach Elora in the throne room. "

Nodding, he looked at Magg. "My dragon accepts you as long as you stick to the plan."

She stiffened almost imperceptibly but nodded to him, whereupon he disappeared into the darkness without another glance at Ava.

Ava wanted to watch him go, but she couldn't even make out his silhouette anymore, so she turned to Magg. "What did he mean by that?"

Her new friend snorted. "Master Clark regularly criticized me for not being a good team player."

"It's not surprising, given that you trained alone, ate alone, and didn't make any friends.

But now we're pursuing a common goal. Lilly is counting on us.

" She nodded to her and swung back onto Draco, but Magg hesitated and took a deep breath.

Puzzled, Ava studied her until she noticed where Magg was looking.

She was staring at Kilian's huge fire dragon.

She only had to think of her first ride on the temperamental dragon lady to imagine what was going through Magg's mind. "I heard she doesn't like it when you step on her spikes."

"Don't make me even more nervous."

"You, nervous? I didn't think that was possible."

"Oh, shut up!" She took a deep breath, got a running start, and jumped onto the back of the gigantic fire dragon. Once on top, she settled down and didn't move. Tensely, she looked at Ava. "Does she look angry?"

Ava leaned forward but only saw Thalara's narrowed eyes and her huge mouth—which was at least closed. "No idea. But she's not breathing fire, so that's something."

Draco snorted in her thoughts. "She's impatient, and so am I."

"Then let's show the mages what two rookie fighters and two dragons can do!" Ava pointed towards the mountain range. "On to Lilly!"