The Soul of a Dragon

Chapter 39

Hiccup

She's fast.

That's all I can think about as the harsh and ruthless wind hits my naked face like a thousand whiplashes.

Correction, the light fury female is fast. Toothless is trying his hardest to catch up to the two women. And he's one of the fastest dragons alive. The gang has long since drifted off to New Berk – after their chief ordered them too, at least. I intend to approach Vara on my own. I have a feeling she doesn't want anyone around her right now. But I was just as surprised to see her flying to the south instead of to our new island.

Right on cue, Toohtless croons softly. I pat the side of his head. "We'll find them, buddy."

I press my upper body against his back to allow for less wind hindrance. "That reminds me, bud. We need to find a name for that light fury."

Vara

I shouldn't feel anything. I shouldn't care.

But I do. And I hate it.

The moment I told my fa-....Grimmel to leave me alone forever, I felt something tug in my chest. Something broke inside of me. Perhaps it was the child in me; the naïve hope to finally find my family – to belong somewhere. But the broken pieces of hope give way to an empty space now, nothing but vacancy to mask the hurt and loss.

That moment keeps replaying in my head, no matter what I do and try to stop it. Not even the biting wind distracts me from the pain I could recognise in Grimmel's darkened eyes.

I did it. I tore loose from my past. I found answers to my questions.

My very own father is a dragon killer. He stands for everything I detest. I didn't tell anyone – even if I wanted to, I couldn't because my own mind made me forget it – but the fresh pain of letting go suddenly triggers the memory.

On the third night that I stayed on his island, I got frustrated and bored. When Malcom told me he had to be somewhere and he made me swear to not step outside, I crossed my fingers behind my back. After he left, I made sure no one was looking and went out to explore. Everything seemed normal and the people were, still to my surprise, friendly. But at the very edge of that island, near the border of the dark pine forest, there laid a small mountain. It seemed out of place – the stone too brightly grey and too polished but at the same time the edges looked too rough and broken. To me, the mountain appeared to be trying too hard to be natural. And I found that suspicious, so, naturally, I went there. I climbed that mountain. And I came across a trap door by accident because, suddenly, one of my steps made a screechy and woody sound. The door, well disguised but not completely inconspicuous, was open and I remember that I huffed a laugh and thought "idiots".

But now that I think back to that day, I wonder about that fact. Maybe Grimmel wanted me to find it. I doubt that, though. It must be someone else. Or they were stupid enough to forget to lock it.

My opening the door revealed a narrow, spiralling stone staircase. Chiselled into the walls, there were torches but none were lit. I remember contemplating to go back to get some fire but then I noticed a small flickering light at the base of the stairs. I let the trapdoor silently fall shut and carefully went my way down, down, down.

Finally, the narrow stairwell opened up to a slightly broader hallway. Everything was drenched in the dark but I could now see the light coming from behind a corner further ahead of me. It was silent in the way that caves are silent: the hollow sounds of the cold wind, the tiny drip-drip of water somewhere, and the echoing of my breath and steps. I kept my right hand on the wall and let it slide over its rough surface, let the cold bite into its bones, until I reached the corner. Listening, I made sure that no one was following me, and that no one was awaiting me either.