Battle For The Thundering Twister

The Firecomb Of Bad Fortune

Chapter 30:The Firecomb Of Bad Fortune

P.S. Fireworms and Fireworm Queen and Fireworm Island does not belong to me.Belongs to Dreamworks Dragons.

We reached Berk and flew straight to the Academy.I ran to check on Castaway."He isn't getting any better.You all gotta hurry,"Fishlegs reported worriedly.I hugged Castaway's head quickly and stowed the Nightroot plant and the Snaptrapper saliva away in a chest in the Academy."Where's Snotlout?"I asked."Probably sleeping or helping to get the ingredients that can be found on Berk,"Fishlegs rolled his eyes.I thanked him for caring for Castaway before stroking Castaway's head and preparing to leave.Hiccup was busy shoving a couple of Fireworms into a glass lantern hung on a long wooden rod."As Ruff and Tuff found out some years ago,Fireworms glow brighter the closer they get to each other,so we're going to use this Fireworm lantern to get to Fireworm Island,even if Toothless roughly knows the way.Just to be on the safe side,"Hiccup explained to me as I watched.I grabbed a spare satchel lying atop a barrel,since mine had broken.

"Let's set off,"Hiccup decided,closing the glass lantern and getting on Toothless.I petted Castaway one last time before mounting Frostbite,who seemed really sad still at the death of his sister.I stroked his head and let Cassie get on.Then,we turned and flew off,Hiccup in the lead.He held the lantern before him,watching it carefully.He would keep shouting out the directions,whether it was right or left.Once or twice,he almost dropped the lantern,I could see.

We skimmed the sea until Hiccup finally said those words I had been waiting for,"I SEE IT!FIREWORM ISLAND!".I craned my neck to look over Cassie's shoulder and saw the island looming in the distance.We touched down on the island and dismounted our dragons.Hiccup knelt down the ground and released the Fireworms.They squeaked and suddenly scuttled away."Follow them!"Astrid urged.Toothless bounded quickly after them while us riders ran after him on foot.Our dragons tagged along behind.

We followed the Fireworms to a cave set in a huge stone hill."Whisper now,"Hiccup warned."Fireworms have skin that burns hotter than the sun,so don't touch them.They live with their mother,the Fireworm Queen.She is clever,over-protective and deadly.Her tongue contains venom that is fatal to vikings but can revive a Stoker class dragon's fire if it ever goes out.She also watches over firecombs,little hexagon-shaped things that contain gel that the Fireworms live off.The gel provides Fireworms with their burning body temperature,"Astrid whispered the information to the rest of us.We crept after the Fireworms,occasionally tripping over rocks or bumping into each other.

After a minute of stumbling around,a warm glow appeared round a corner.I hurried forward and gaped.A huge sort of room opened up.Firecombs plastered the walls.And the Fireworm Queen lay fast asleep across the room.Fireworms were everywhere:on the walls,lying on the floor or huddled close to the Fireworm Queen."Be extremely quiet,silent if you can,"Hiccup hissed."Now we just have to silently slice off a firecomb,"Hiccup murmured,getting a sharp blade from his belt.He crept over to a wall of firecombs and dug his knife sharply into a firecomb.I went over to see if I could help."It's...it's stuck too firmly to the other firecombs,"he grunted as he tried prying apart the firecomb.I grasped it and tugged it,trying to pull it off.Toothless poked his head under my arm and bit down on the firecomb before attempting to wrench it off from the other firecombs.Astrid went to the extreme and brought her battleaxe she always carried around with her.She brought it down upon the firecomb we needed and used all her strength to cut it away from the rest.Nevaeh came over to help Astrid.Still,the firecomb remained glued to the other firecombs."I don't remember these being so hard to pull out,"I panted,forgetting to whisper.

Suddenly,a loud hissing noise and the sound of tiny feet pattering on the ground made everyone turn around.The Fireworm Queen was eyeing us with fury in her eyes.Opening her mouth,she roared until the walls of the cave shook.The Fireworms scuttled behind her.She whipped out her long tail and wrapped it round Nevaeh.Nevaeh screamed and thrashed the Fireworm Queen's tail with her fists.

"Hey!"somebody barked.A stone whizzed across the room and hit the Fireworm Queen right in the head.She turned around.I looked at who threw the stone.It was Zack!"Leave my sister alone!"he hollered.The Fireworm Queen released Nevaeh,but her tail reached for Zack.But he was quicker.He mounted Deathroar and made him shoot a magnesium blast at the Fireworm Queen.She snarled viciously and snapped at Deathroar."You guys,quick!Get the firecomb!"Zack called as Deathroar jumped up to avoid being bitten in half.They began flying round the cave,distracting the Fireworm Queen."Toothless,bite!"Hiccup pointed urgently at the firecomb.Toothless bared his teeth and sank them into the firecomb.Death and Skull closed their mouths over Toothless' tail and tugged too.Fireproof pulled at Death and Skull's tails.Frostbite followed.Soon,all four dragons were using their strength to pull away the firecomb.Astrid hacked at the sticky substance connecting the firecomb to the other firecombs.I punched it repeatedly,trying to hit it out of place.Hiccup was urging everybody on.

"GAH!"Zack came swooping down out of nowhere,chased by the Fireworm Queen,who was now flying round trying to bite Deathroar."One,two,three,PULL!"Hiccup yelled.I punched the firecomb as hard as I could,my knuckles turning redder by the second.Astrid began digging at the firecomb with a tail spike from Stormfly.Out of nowhere,Zack came flying down,without Deathroar.His shoulder slammed straight into the firecomb.It popped right off.The four dragons pulling at the firecomb went reeling back and tumbled over each other.Astrid fell onto the ground."GRAB THE FIRECOMB!"I shrieked.Hiccup pounced on it."NOW LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!"he howled.Everyone scrambled to get onto their dragons.Deathroar skilfully swept down,grabbed Zack's collar and tossed him on his back before zooming off to escape the Fireworm Queen.We flew out in a mad rush.I glanced back.The Fireworm Queen was roaring and screeching non-stop."CLOUDS!"someone commanded.

We shot up into the sky.I grabbed onto Cassie's shoulders,afraid that I would fall off at any moment.I shut my eyes and held on tight."Whoa,loosen your grip there,Yannied!"Cassie turned around and said.I released her shoulders and opened my eyes.Everyone was high above the clouds.Hiccup held up the firecomb."We got it!"he cheered before throwing it to me.I dropped it into my satchel."It's getting late.We should be heading back to Berk,"Jessica piped up."Nope,we're going to get every ingredient by tomorrow.If we don't,Castaway might get too sick to cure,"I interrupted.Jessica stared at me,then understood.When I said 'too sick to cure',I meant die,and I knew Jessica would understand since Shiverwind had died not long ago.

"Yannied,your hands!"Cassie suddenly gasped.I stared at them.My knuckles were oozing with blood.Then I felt the pain shoot through my hands."It's fine,just a scratch,"I muttered,wiping off the blood on my shirt."Just a scratch?!Are you insane?It's a serious injury!"she fussed.In the end,I had to wrap my hands in some torn-up fabric."Honestly,do you ever think about what you're doing at all?"she frowned at me."You'll understand,Cassie.One day you'll be willing to risk anything to save your dragon,"I simply mumbled.

"Next stop,Breakneck Bog!"someone called.Breakneck Bog was a dangerous island,full of dangerous things...