Page 16 of Ava's Legacy of the Dragons
Ava held her breath and believed she could feel this new warmth in her heart waning. "What did he do?"
Visibly emotional, Lilly turned her face away. "He betrayed the dragons. He killed almost all of them. Shortly after, the Magic Wars broke out and our entire world was on the brink. Although only a few mages sided with him, society was split into two parts: those with magic and those without. This had fatal consequences for those born with magic. Even though the state of war officially ended decades ago, war is still being waged against them."
With a sense of foreboding, Ava grasped Lilly's hands. "Were your parents magic-born?"
Lilly nodded. Tears shimmered in her eyes, but she choked them back and lifted her chin. "The king had them killed, just as he has all mages killed without trial. He claims the dragons won't mate anymore because there are still mages hiding and rebelling against the king. I don't believe that! It's the fight against magic that keeps the dragons on edge. They are filled with magic themselves, their magic once created our world and their magic keeps it alive. How could they have anything against those born with these powers?"
Ava asked gently, "How old were you when they were killed?"
The girl stared fixedly at her worn leather boots. "It's been almost three years."
"Have you been living alone in the underground passages since then?"
She shrugged casually, yet the weight of the world seemed to rest on her shoulders. "I had a choice: Either Ilet myself be caught and killed too, or I take care of myself. And I've managed so far."
Ava stroked Lilly's hands and squeezed them, even though the little one didn't want any sympathy. But she had to support her somehow, even if they had only met a few hours ago. "You're a strong, remarkable girl, Lilly. You're something special."
The little one smiled almost imperceptibly, emerged from her gloomy thoughts, and wriggled out of Ava's hands. Once again, she devoted herself to Ava's hair, as if they hadn't been talking about terrible things. "The chestnut brown is so beautiful. It has a reddish shine and the length is good for putting it up, but I only know one hairstyle."
Glad to see the girl carefree, Ava turned around again and let the girl comb her hair. "What does the hairstyle look like?"
Lilly's voice became unexpectedly quiet. "My mother used to do it for me often."
Her heart clenched as she smiled at her over her shoulder. "I'd be happy if you did it for me."
"Okay." Lilly gave a half smile and dedicated herself to Ava's hair. She furrowed her high forehead and concentrated.
In the meantime, the girl's words resonated in Ava's mind. It wasn't easy to understand the political situation, but one thing was clear: She had to protect the dragon egg from the king and his men. However, she didn't yet know how to manage that at the ball.
She looked at the egg peeking out of her bag, which lay on the chair next to her. Its purple shimmer flooded the room and bathed all the fabrics in a reddish light. Moreover, it gave off a pleasant warmth that Ava felt in her heart.
One option, of course, would be to hide the egg in a safe place and go to the ball without it. But she couldn't do that. She was unable to leave it behind.
The voice had been silent for a while. Maybe it was because Ava—and therefore the egg itself—was in good hands. If this was a dragon egg, did that mean it was the dragon youngling whose voice she heard? Why was it talking to her, of all people? Probably because she had found it.
But how had it come into her world? A dragon could hardly have brought it there. And if dragons hadn't reproduced for centuries, that meant...
"Tell me, Lilly, how long does a dragon baby stay in its egg?"
"I don't know. Only the dragon guardians knew that, and they don't exist anymore."
"Could this dragon egg be from the time before the Magic Wars?"
She secured a clip to the back of Ava's head. "It's possible. That's why we need to go to Kilian. The dragons respect him. Why else would the most powerful one bond with him? He'll know what to do."
Ava wanted to question the little one again about the dragon fighter, but Ernesto returned, carrying the purple dress in his arms. It looked breathtakingly beautiful. As promised, he had added ribbons at the waist and sewn fine organza over the upper part of the skirt. He had also shortened and taken it in to fit Ava.
"We should hurry. The ball has already started, and as we know, dear Lilly, Kilian will only stay there as long as absolutely necessary."
"Sure thing. By the way, I'm done. I think you look amazing." She handed Ava a hand mirror so she couldadmire the hairstyle. Almost shyly, the girl raised her shoulders and watched every one of Ava's reactions.
Ava decided to praise the hairstyle, no matter how it looked, just to make Lilly happy. In any case, she wouldn't be able to quickly create one that could compete with those of the female ball attendees. But when she saw her appearance in the mirror, she gasped in surprise.
Lilly had given her an updo that would have been right at home in any fashion magazine. Two braided strands wound around her temples and wrapped around a large bun at the back of her head. She had left two strands loose from the hairstyle, framing Ava's face. It wasn't particularly elaborate or complicated, yet the hairstyle looked elegant.
Lilly looked at her worn-out boots. "I know it's nothing special, but..."
"It looks fantastic." Beaming, Ava turned around and hugged her. Surprised, Lilly stiffened, but after two or three breaths, Ava could feel the small hands on her back, gently squeezing her.
