Left In The Night

Chapter 32

Zyrah's heart-wrenching scream echoed into the woods, alerting the riders and their dragons. Something went wrong, horribly wrong.

Without hesitation, the gang flew to her aid, finding her cradled by Konall and Rurik with their dragons near the trees. Practically stumbling out of their saddles, the gang scrambled to understand what had happened.

"Rurik!" Hiccup called. The teenager was in a state of shock but still acknowledged the rider's presence.

"Rurik! What happened?" Rurik wordlessly pointed to the bloody sword that now rested on the grass next to Zyrah and Konall, the former being cradled tightly as he tried his best to soothe her. Blueheart had made her way to her rider, giving her a soft nudge, assuring her that she was there.

"Gods..." Ana breathed out.

"She's gone." Rurik finally said.

"What?"

"Ragnhild took her life..." He explained, and Hiccup was surprised by his lack of emotion. Then again, the boy had just witnessed something horrific, and he didn't blame him. Processing something like that wasn't easy.

"Oh... Zyrah..." Ana softly uttered, bringing her hands to her mouth.

"Is... she gonna be okay?" Ruffnut asked. But no answer came, as no one was sure.

Konall wanted to help Zyrah at least stand, but she was seemingly frozen in place. The shock of Ragnhild's death was too much for her to process.

"Zyrah..." He whispered to her, hoping his voice could break her out of it. She blinked slowly as if breaking free from a trance. She sniffed, raising a hand to wipe her eyes, squeezing more tears out. She said nothing but acknowledged Konall's comforting presence. She leaned into him, resting her head in the crook of his neck.

His eyes then scanned down to her hands, both of which were covered in now dry blood, and her right hand still clutched onto the talisman as if her life depended on it. It wasn't worth prying it from her, but she needed to be cleaned up.

"Blueheart, give me a hand here." He asked. Blueheart lowered her head, allowing Konall to place Zyrah on the saddle. The teen made her necessary adjustments but still said nothing, and her silence was eerie.

The flight back to camp was silent, too. No one dared say a word. And neither knew the right words to say. When they landed at camp, Konall got to work, lighting a fire, grabbing a blanket from his bag, and slinging it around Zyrah after he helped her down from Blueheart's saddle.

Astrid, Ana, and Ruffnut were impressed with Konall's commitment, not just to bringing Zyrah comfort in any way possible, but just to her overall. He was dedicated.

"They just started dating, but they make a wonderful match," Ana remarked quietly. Astrid and Ruff both agreed with her.

"He's marriage material, for sure!"

Off to the side, Rurik caught that last comment and smiled, mostly to himself. As he'd told Konall before, it'd been evident to Rurik for years at Konall and Zyrah's crushes on each other. He already approved well before they knew it themselves, and he was certain their brothers would as well. But for now, it was a matter of figuring out the next steps in confronting the troubles they faced on the island.

Blueheart's father was dead, Einar was most definitely dead, and now Ragnhild was as well. All in the span of a few hours.

It felt like an eternity as the riders regrouped, taking seats around the campfire. It was silent save for the sounds of the forest, crackling fire, and waves lapping on the shore.