Whispers of Another World

Chapter 47: Defenders of the Edge

   Alaya stepped into the clubhouse.  A heavy, thick silence hung in the air like those massive blankets you put over your desk to create an artificial cave.

   Alaya hesitated.  She knew she should talk to her brother before getting dragged off on another mission, but she knew the information she had should be shared immediately.

   She glanced around.  Hiccup was staring down at the wall in the corner with Astrid rubbing his shoulder comfortingly.  Fishlegs was nervously shuffling through some cards and the Book of Dragons, staring at the Dragon Eye from time to time.  Snotlout was boredly glancing around, but she could tell he was bothered, too, and the twins were whispering loudly and poking each other about this and that.

   Alaya inhaled sharply, then let it all out with a loud sigh.  "Good morning."  She said, trying not to sound too tense.

   Snotlout waved.

   Alaya glanced nervously over at Hiccup, teeth gritted.  Her gaze then flickered to Astrid.  She wasn't too sure about her relationship with Dagur's brother, but from what she'd gathered, they were friends.

   "Er..."  Alaya walked over to them tensely.  She tapped Astrid's shoulder.  Astrid glanced back at her.  "I...have some maybe good news, and some bad news."

   Hiccup sighed exasperatedly.  "And the hits just keep on coming.  Fine.  What is it?"

   "Good news, bad news, or mildly unsettling news first?"  Alaya asked.

   "Bad news, then good news, then unsettling news,"  Ruffnut said. 

   Alaya sighed, glancing back as the other Riders perked up, listening in more.

   Alaya inhaled sharply.  "Heather's dead."  She blurted.  She didn't want to make them wait in torturous silence.

   "What?"  Astrid gasped.  The other Riders gasped, eyes wide in shock.  Astrid glanced away, cheeks red.

   "But Paradise might be alive,"  Alaya said, trying to quickly move on from the topic.

   Amber's head lifted in the corner, but she didn't seem hopeful.  Dewdrop, on the other hand, immediately darted up.  "Then why aren't we going?  Come on, let's go!"

   "Wait wait wait!"  Alaya said, quickly putting a gentle hand on Dewdrop's back.  "But...apparently there's a traitor.  Now, the letter might have been referring to Johann, but...it seemed pretty dated, so we should be careful."

   The Riders seemed to be in varying states, from sad and furious to confused to jarred to excited to unnerved to downright sleeping.  Yes, that last one was Snotlout.

   "If there's a chance of Paradise being alive we have to search for him.  At the moment we need all the help we can get."  Hiccup looked at Alaya, and she caught the hidden message.  She had to talk to Allen.  But did she want to?  No, no she did not, but she had to.

   "We can't leave the Edge unguarded, Hiccup,"  Fishlegs said.  "Especially not with what happened to Dagur."

   "I know, Fishlegs."  Hiccup said.  "And we won't.  Dewdrop, you and Amber can go find Paradise."

   Amber's head dropped.  "I don't believe Paradise is alive.  If you want to go on a wild goose chase based on hope, go ahead, my Dew.  But I won't be coming with you."

   Dewdrop's wings and ruff lower slightly, but she turned back to Alaya, determined regardless.  "Who cares?  I'm ready.  Just give me the directions!"

   "Wait, Dewdrop will need a person with her.  All I know is that he's somewhere further north and that the main Hunter operations around there will know exactly where."  Alaya said quickly.  "And Amber doesn't want to come."