Captain Fury: Pirate of Berk

41: The Plan

The Plan

"YOU!" Dagur recognised the pirate immediately and his face twisted into a sadistic expression of triumph. "Arrest that man! He's an escaped slave!"

Hiccup stepped backwards instinctively, finding himself hard against the growling dragon, his arms wrapped protectively around his son and trembling hard. The dragon growled and nudged him as he felt his spine turn to ice. This was what he had feared, the encounter that he wrestled with in his nightmares...especially that horrific vision he had endured that night they had found out they would have to go to Berserk. Every muscle tensed but he sensed that the dragon would protect his son. Cautiously, he put the boy down and pushed him behind him, next to the dragon. Trembling hard, he took a tiny step forward, dropping his hands to his swords.

"No, I am Captain Fury, pirate," he growled. "And I suggest you back up if you ever want to see your sister again!" Dagur's eyes widened in shock and horror before hatred replaced everything.

"I am going to take you and torture you to death," he growled, a heavy sabre clenched in his fist. "And there will be condemned men who will pity you for your suffering because I will take months and years to end you. Hand me my sister and I will make your death merciful." Hiccup drew his swords and raised them, his emerald eyes hard.

"I've tasted your mercy," he said bitterly, shifting his weight and readying himself for battle. "I have scars all over my back from your mercy. I have nightmares from your mercy. And I will never forgive your mercy, Dagur. So if you attack me, if you kill me-and my crew slits your sister's throat!"

"Who'll know when you're taken and screaming and begging me for death?" Dagur snarled. "Or maybe I'll torture the boy. Your son? Maybe his screams will persuade you to be a bit more helpful!" The warmth and light left Hiccup's eyes, replaced by cold fury. His knuckles whitened and he leaned forward.

"Harm him and I will exterminate your entire tribe," he breathed. Dagur laughed, the crazed sound loud in the sudden silence. And then his men charged the pirate.

The first guard didn't even see him move, merely feeling the blade of the sword slide between his ribs. He was still staring stupidly as the the blade that had killed him was tugged back, slicing round and slitting a pair of throats before impaling the man standing behind them. The guard hit the floor as the pirate danced over him, swords carving out and round, stabbing and slashing with fearsome precision and utter abandon. Blood sprayed as the pirate dropped to a knee to avoid a wild slash before impaling the man who tried to cut at him, disembowelling another and hamstringing a third.

Dagur gazed in utter shock. As a slave, in chains and condemned to die in the galley, Fury had been sarcastic, quietly brave though scared and very, very brutalised by the Governor but he had never imagined the man was a walking battalion. Yet he had scythed down half his squad in a little under a minute, protecting the boy and driving Dagur's men back. The Berserker Governor waved his sword in a rage. "CHARGE HIM!" he roared. "I want the boy. AND I WANT MY DRAGON!"

Arild pressed against the dragon, shocked and astonished at the pirate's sudden ferocity. The others had told him how fiercely his Dad had fought after he had fallen on Drago's ship, how furiously he had responded to the thought he had lost the boy but Arild hadn't really believed it...until now. He had seen the fear in his father's face and heard the sudden cold fury in his voice, especially when his son was threatened. The horrible red-haired man was still glaring at Arild and seemed to want to get his hands on the dragon. And while his Dad was really fighting his way scarily through the armed guards, the red-haired man was edging around the battle towards the small, black-haired boy, his sword raised. Trembling, he pressed harder against the dragon and felt the Skrill rumble and warning at the aggressor.