Page 31 of Ava's Legacy of the Dragons
"Could it be that you're trying to stall for time?"
Lilly poked her in the hip with her finger. "She is, which is really mean, because I can't wait to finally ride on a dragon. I've dreamed of this my whole life!" She smiled at the fire dragon, got a running start, then swung up onto its back.
Kilian leaned forward so that his breath brushed her neck. "Your turn now, or are there any other important questions burning in your soul?"
"Actually, yes." Her voice sounded far too shaky. But he shouldn't think that she was about to faint just because he was standing behind her. Because she wasn't. It was the excitement that made her nervous, and, above all, the prospect of flying high through the sky on this monstrous dragon. What if she fell?
"Then you should save your remaining questions for later, because the king's soldiers will be here soon."
What could she say to that? Nothing. Damn, damn, damn! She had no choice. As she looked at the scaly skin, her heart pounded harder than when she'd escaped the dogs.
"Is there anything I need to watch out for?"
"Don't step on the spikes on her side, she doesn't like that."
"Spikes on the side?" Why couldn't she see them?
But Kilian pushed her towards the dragon, so she had no choice but to tuck the egg under her arm and climb the massive body with her free hand. The scaly skin felt hard and rough. By the soft shimmer of the dragon egg, she could search the surface for spikes, but didn't discover any. Kilian had probably just been teasing her. She sat down behind Lilly, one arm tightly wrapped around the egg, the other around the girl's waist.
With a grin so wide it seemed to reach past her face, Lilly turned to her. "You don't need to hold onto me."
"I can see that, but I need support."
Kilian swung himself up onto the dragon's back behind her as if the creature were a horse. His immediate proximity intensified her nervousness, distracting her for a moment, making her fear recede into the background. He was significantly taller than her and his body emanated a heat that enveloped her. For a moment, she forgot where she was.
That changed when the dragon launched itself into the air with a quick leap. She screamed loudly. She held onto Lilly as the sensation of being on a roller coaster rushed through her stomach. The ground beneath her grew smaller and smaller, the mountains shrank to a tiny pile of rocks, and the vast night transformed into a boundless landscape bathed in the silver light of the celestial bodies.
The firmament looked endless and all the stars seemed within reach, as if anything was possible up there. The cool wind brushed against their noses. Every tiny movement of the dragon's body was full of energy and power. It was indescribable!
A feeling of happiness shot through her body and she burst out laughing. Lilly joined in and waved her arms through the air. "This is absolutely insane!"
Kilian moved closer, his chest touching her back as he placed a hand on her side. She'd be damned if she'd admit it to him or Lilly, but she enjoyed the feeling and closed her eyes blissfully.
Chapter 12
They reached Talus before sunrise. The night was cool, with temperatures dropping noticeably in the early morning hours, but both the dragon egg and the fire dragon gave off a pleasant warmth, so they didn't feel cold. Not to mention Kilian's heat.
From above, the city looked small, but as they got closer, Ava became more aware of just how enormous it was. A high wall with watchtowers at each corner enclosed the city area, where narrow houses were crowded wall to wall. In the center rose a large building that wasn't a castle but must have served as the king's residence when he visited. Not far from there extended a marketplace with small stalls, and to the south was a theater. Yet the abundance of leaves on the bleachers suggested that no performance had taken place for quite some time.
They landed in a field directly adjacent to the city walls, in front of the city gates. It was probably the landing strip for dragons, since Kilian's fire dragon wasn't the only one there. Four others were waiting in the half light, their hunched postures indicating theywere ready for their riders. Thanks to the torches burning on the battlements and in the towers, Ava could observe them despite the time of night it was. They were smaller than Kilian's dragon. Two of them had red scales, one was white-blue, and one was brown. The brown one was by far the smallest.
"The brown one is a mountain dragon, right Lilly?" She had to lean forward and shout into the girl's ear to be understood, as they were already descending and the wind was whistling mercilessly.
"Exactly. The red ones are fire dragons and the white-blue one is an air dragon. Aren't they beautiful?"
Yes, they were, although quite different adjectives came to Ava's mind: powerful, majestic, awe-inspiring. She would keep several meters away from each of them, even the smaller mountain dragon, because it could easily crush her with the spikes on its tail.
Inevitably, her gaze fell on the dragon she had been riding for the last few hours and that she had only been able to see by the weak light of the stars and the soft glow of the dragon egg. Its red scales looked hard and solid, possibly even impervious to bullets shot from a firearm. She stroked them absently and shuddered. "Is she the leader of the dragons?"
But Lilly didn't hear her, as she threw up her arms and laughed loudly, probably enjoying the feeling rushing through her stomach. Ava wished her stomach could handle the ups and downs just as well .
Kilian leaned forward and answered instead. "She's been the leader since the largest fire dragon died fifty years ago."
"Did his death have anything to do with the Magic Wars?"
"Officially, it's said it was because of old age, but I don't believe that."
She turned to face him. "What do you believe, then?"
