Page 27 of Ava's Legacy of the Dragons
Her unease grew. "Lilly, I'm too big. Do you know of a door with a lock you can pick for me?"
"At least try. You're slim, after all."
Ava shook her head decisively, her voice still low. "Even the thinnest adult woman wouldn't fit through there. No, I have to?—"
Suddenly, she heard loud barking.
Ava turned chalk-white. As her pulse shot up and her body tensed, she spun around. The moon was merciful, illuminating the estate. Because of this, she could make out the two dogs racing towards her. They were large, with long canines, and didn't look at all like they wanted to play. Ava had less than twenty seconds before they would reach her.
"Hurry, Ava, hurry!"
She frantically looked around and spotted a barrel, not ten steps away, standing right next to the fence. She ran to it, jumped on top, and stretched out her arms. On tiptoe, she reached the top of the enclosure. There was no chance she could swing herself over. She lifted her feet and tried to find a grip on the fence bars, but the thin horizontal braces didn't offer enough surface for her to push herself up.
The barking grew louder. The guard dogs drew closer, and their aggression electrified the air.
"Quick, Ava, they're about to jump on the barrel." Lilly's scream pierced the night, lights came on in the main house, and someone flung open the front door.
"Damn riffraff!"
Ava acted on instinct. She stretched her arms upward, grasped the bars, and in the next moment felt herself flying over the fence and falling down on the opposite side. The fall seemed to last forever. When she hit the ground, she caught herself as if she'd been training for it her entire life, then grabbed Lilly and took off running.
"Cursed thieving scum, I'll catch you yet!" The owner shook his fist threateningly as they ran across afield that stretched out before them. It offered nowhere to hide. But night had fallen, so they soon escaped the homeowner's watchful eyes. Yet the barking pursued them. Had the owner let the dogs loose?
As Ava and Lilly ran, they panted hard, as if trying to outdo one another. Only now did Ava feel the dragon egg again, constantly bumping against her side in her bag. The little one hadn't made a sound for hours. Hopefully it was alright.
They reached a river, and Lilly slid down the shallow slope to the water. "We have to get to the other side." The little one was already balancing on the slippery stones that were surrounded by the rushing water. "Watch out with your boots. Those heels aren't exactly made for this."
Pshaw. Nothing could stop Ava now. Her body was flooded with adrenaline, and she jumped from stone to stone, crossed the river without slipping, and continued running on the other side with Lilly. There were scattered deciduous trees casting their shadows, the first larger boulders appeared, and after a while, a broad mountain range came into view.
Behind them, it remained quiet. Apart from their panting and footsteps, there was nothing to be heard. They came out of survival mode and slowed down. When they reached the rock formation, they stopped. Ava put her hands on her knees and breathed heavily, while Lilly simply fell to the ground and stretched out her arms and legs.
Ava gasped. "Heavens... that was... close."
"I really thought... you'd fit... through the fence." Lilly sounded subdued, with not a trace of her usual bravado. She looked up at her guiltily.
Shaking her head, Ava waved it off. "It's... alright. It... turned out... fine."
"Amazing how you jumped over the fence. How did you manage that?"
"Must have been the adrenaline. It turns everyone into Superman."
"Who's Superman?"
"Someone with supernatural abilities."
"Someone with magic?"
Ava straightened up and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "Something like that."
Lilly sat cross-legged. "So in your world, magic isn't evil? Magic-born people aren't persecuted?" The hope in the girl's voice made Ava perk up.
"We don't have magic in our world, as far as I know. Why do you ask?"
The little one waved it off. "Just curious." She jumped to her feet, turned to the mountains, and pointed up the rock face. "The grotto is in this direction. We need to climb over these boulders, then we'll be there."
Was it a coincidence that she changed the subject so quickly? Certainly not. Bit by bit, Lilly's stories were coming together like puzzle pieces to form a picture. Her parents had been killed because they had been magically gifted. Did that mean Lilly also had magic within her? Were supernatural powers hereditary?
The girl started climbing as if she wanted at all costs to keep Ava from continuing the conversation. So she said nothing. She didn't want to scare the little one. But if what she suspected was true, Lilly wasn't just in danger because of the dragon egg and occasional thefts. There was more to it than that. And so the king's soldiers must never find out what she was capable of.
