Page 74 of Ava's Legacy of the Dragons
He nodded, and she looked at him in disbelief.
"Drink."
The gesture choked her up, which was why she couldn't get a word out. She slowly took a sip. It tasted bitter and refreshing. She didn't know the flavor, but the tea did her good. Immediately her body leaned towards the warm liquid. For a moment she closed her eyes, only to open them again vigilantly. But the guard made no move to hurt her. No, he had come to... help her?
"I've got something else for you." He pulled a pendant from his pocket that looked like an ordinary small pebble attached to a leather strap. It had a grayish shimmer.
Ava frowned. "How do you know I collect stones?" Itwas a nice gesture, but seemed as useless to her as if he had brought her a bikini for a beach vacation.
The stranger lowered his voice. "This is no ordinary stone. It's an Isip. It's capable of weakening spells."
If the guard was doing what she thought he was doing, he hadn't just come to save her from freezing to death. He wanted to give her a chance in the upcoming fight. Could this be true or was it just another trick by the sorceress to finish her off?
Cautiously, she took the stone. As it lay in her hand, she thought she could feel a fine tingling, but perhaps it was because her limbs were waking up from their cold stupor. When she looked up, she met his gaze. He didn't look the least bit sneaky or dishonest, for there was compassion in his eyes.
"I've got this for you too." He handed her a dagger that didn't have any decorations and didn't look special in any other way, but at that moment it meant the world to Ava. It meant having a real chance. It meant hope.
"Tie the stone around the handle, then you won't be defenseless later."
She looked at the stranger in disbelief. "Who are you?"
"Doesn't matter."
"Why are you helping me?"
He looked at her, a sad shimmer in his light eyes. "Because I too hope that times will get better."
Her chest tightened. "You believe in the prophecy."
He nodded. "But unlike Elora, I believe you will help us."
Ava pressed her lips together. "I don't know if it's wise to pin your hopes on me just because someone prophesied something that might apply to me—or perhaps to someone else entirely."
"Didn't you find the first dragon egg in over two hundred years?"
"Well, yes."
"And don't you come from another world?"
"Yes, but I'm completely overwhelmed. Believe me, most of the time I'm just reacting to what happens to me."
His gaze became intense. "Then you should change that."
Perplexed, she raised her free hand. "How? I'm sitting in this cage and I'm about to fight who knows what. Unless you can give me the keys, how am I supposed to actively change anything? I have no idea what expectations you've all built up about the woman from the prophecy, but I'm nothing special. Trust me."
"Everyone is special."
"Oh yeah? Then why did my parents abandon me when I was nine years old?" Tears sprang to her eyes as the old wound reopened. It must have been due to her exhaustion, because normally she would never have voluntarily brought up the subject.
His gaze grew more intense, as if trying to conjure something in her. "Probably because that was the only way they could protect you."
Ava looked at him, her breath coming faster and faster, his words stirring so much up within her. It wasn't as if this thought hadn't occurred to her a thousand times as a child, but in this world, it took on a completely new meaning. In a world where magic, dragons, and ancient prophecies existed, it could be real.
He leaned forward, his voice lowered. "Be proactive. Accept the prophecy. It's your destiny."
The words sounded familiar. Warily, she looked around. "Did Lilly send you?"
He frowned but shook his head. "I don't know anyone by that name, but I do know that our hope rests in you. Not just mine, but that of many others, be they mages or common folk. Didn't you get a little dragon to hatch from its egg?"
