Symphony of Shadows

58. Shadows

A/N: Hi everyone, here's an early chapter since I won't be able to post later on in the day. Next one will be up on Wednesday at 8pm Eastern European Standard Time:)

Hiccup was almost to Berk when he saw another hallucination. The sun had set already, so he had to squint to make out the figures in the distance. This time, it was Stormfly and a Gronckle flying towards him. Riding the Gronckle was his least favorite dragon trapper. Gods, he needed some sleep. Stormfly flew frantically towards him and almost crashed into Toothless, who dodged her talons.

This is not a dream.

Hiccup shook himself awake and called out to the distressed Nadder. Panic began to build in his chest as he realized something must've gone terribly wrong.

"Hey girl, what are you doing here? Where's Astrid??"

Stormfly squawked loudly and looked back in the direction of Berk. She tossed her head at him and flew to the island.

Oh no.

Eret looked nervous as Dreadash hovered next to Toothless.

"Where is she, Eret?"

Hiccup's tone was completely dark, absent of any pleasantries. If he didn't find Astrid, it'd be this imbecile's fault. And he'd kill him.

"She told us to wait in the forest for her signal, but she never came back—"

He didn't get to finish his sentence before Hiccup took off after Stormfly. She would know where Astrid was. He just hoped he wasn't too late. The darkness covered them as the Nadder landed in the northwest part of Berk's dense forest. He signaled Toothless to follow, and they found an opening made in the thick tree cover. It didn't take long to find the squawking Nadder, and she led them to a group of bushes. Stormfly sniffed them incessantly, and Hiccup knew she was trying to show them something.

He rifled through the thorny brush until his hands made contact with a familiar material and something hard. Pulling the items out, his stomach dropped.

Astrid's suit and her axe.

Don't panic. This was a smart move. She wouldn't want anything that could be used to tie her to the Svikari.

Still, Hiccup couldn't shake the bad feeling he had and stowed her things away in his saddlebag. She might need them later if they had to fight their way out.

He strapped on all of his weapons and switched out Toothless's tail for his solo one in case they needed a swift getaway or someone came lurking in the woods.

"Alright, Stormfly, stay put until I call you over. If you hear anyone coming, hide or fly. Just don't let them see you."

Toothless cooed, and Stormfly nearly shoved Hiccup away. Point taken. He slid into his saddle, and his dragon took to the sky. The village was quiet and nearly empty except for a small group huddled around a fire near the Great Hall.

"Near them, bud."

Toothless swooped down through the surrounding area like a whisper in the night and landed quietly behind one of the houses. Hiccup motioned for Toothless to stay hidden in the shadows while he eavesdropped on the group's conversation. They might be discussing something to do with Astrid, and he didn't like going in blind. There were only about eight Vikings in total, and most of them seemed young. Hiccup only recognized one of them as Tuffnut, while the rest had probably been born a few years before he faked his death. They were roasting a leg of lamb over the firepit, and Tuffnut looked like he was telling some story.

"And that's when we heard the whistle of death. That was our only warning before...BOOM! Our fire torch exploded and came crashing down. I looked around trying to find where the blast came from but saw pitch black. It was invisible."