Page 23 of Ava's Legacy of the Dragons
Ava froze, but Lilly waved frantically at her, prompting her to hoist herself onto the windowsill andtry to squeeze through the hole. Her wide hoop skirt got stuck. Damn it! She jumped back into the shed, took off the hoop skirt, and climbed onto the sill again. She fit through the tiny opening with difficulty, and not a second too soon—for just as she landed next to Lilly on the ground, there was a crash, and the soldiers stormed into the shed.
"Quick." Lilly grabbed her hand, Ava scrambled to her feet, and ran with her.
"Not so fast!" A servant stood in their way, hands raised. At least he didn't have a weapon.
Lilly grabbed a broom leaning against the wall and promptly hit the servant with it, causing him to jump aside so they could run past him. They crossed the courtyard, startling chickens and passing maids who were rolling up the beaten carpets. Now Ava remembered where they were. She wanted to hurry with the girl to the small gate, but Lilly had a different path in mind. She pulled Ava towards a corner where there stood countless cleaning buckets and tubs full of water. In the wind fluttered fresh laundry, which a maid was taking down. Nowhere did Ava see a door. And time was pressing, for the soldiers were close on their heels.
"Stop them!"
Lilly raced around another corner, and when Ava followed her, the girl was crouching on the ground, tugging at a grate.
"What are you going to do?"
"We need to get into the sewers. It's our only chance."
The prospect wasn't appealing, but the shouts of the soldiers were even less appealing.
"You search the passage between the castle walls,you search the entire courtyard. And woe to anyone who helps them! You'll be hanged with them!"
They finally got the grate open, and Lilly jumped in. A muffled splash sounded as she landed on the bottom. Ava waited until the girl stepped aside and then she squeezed through the narrow opening. She landed in ankle-deep water that was definitely not suitable for drinking. She reached up to close the grate, but the tunnel was too high.
"Come on, Ava, we have to go. Or they'll catch us!" The girl stormed away, and Ava followed. Thankfully, she was wearing her boots and not delicate dancing shoes, like the other ladies at the ball. She lifted her dress and ran after Lilly. The little one knew her way around, but because the light was so dim, they weren't moving as quickly as they'd hoped.
"The grate is open! They're in the sewers!"
Ava startled, even though she had seen it coming. Who else could have pried open the grate? As the soldiers landed in the tunnel, the sound echoed like thunderclaps through the sewers.
"You run that way, you there! Move it!" The guards stormed forward loudly, their heavy footsteps reverberating through the tunnel. Shouts rang out and orders were barked. Grimly, the men continued the pursuit, staying close on their heels. They surely had torches or other light sources to follow their trail.
They ran even faster, racing through the sewers. The footsteps behind them didn't fade, no matter how far they went. And as they ran down an especially long corridor, a faint light appeared behind them.
"Lilly!" Ava pointed behind her.
The girl's eyes widened, but she quickly regainedher composure and focused. "I know where we need to go."
They reached a junction and turned left, then shortly after that left again, and then it was straight ahead for what felt like forever. The fact that Lilly had been navigating these underground passages for years saved their lives, as the footsteps faded away and the light didn't reach them again.
When they felt safe for the moment, they stopped and gasped for breath. Although the soldiers could no longer be heard, Ava didn't dare speak at a normal volume.
"Are we going back to Ernesto?"
Lilly shook her head, as Ava guessed from the soft rustle of her cloak. "They saw your dress and know we got it from somewhere. They're probably watching every tailor. No, we'd better lay low. Where are the snacks?"
Panting, Ava pulled the slightly squashed pastries from the leather bag and handed them over. Lilly bit into them eagerly. "So delicious! How did it go at the ball with Kilian?"
Fortunately, it was dark, otherwise the little one would have seen the blush that crept into Ava's cheeks. "He wants to meet us an hour before midnight at the old grotto. Do you know where that is?"
"Of course. If he wants to meet us there, he must have noticed."
"Noticed what?"
"What you're carrying." She crunched on the last pastry. "Are there any more?"
"Next time I'll pack more." Lost in thought, Ava remembered their encounter. He had placed his hand on hers tokeep her leather bag hidden in the folds of her skirt and had examined the bag intently. But surely, he couldn't have seen through fabric. Or had the soft glow shone through?
"Does he have any superpowers?"
The girl laughed. "I knew he'd make an impression on you."
