Heir and Pride

Chapter 46

Forty-Six:

Hiccup spent the entire flight back bent forward over Stormfly's neck, feeling the wings pumping hard as the brave Nadder sped as fast as she could back to their island. The icy wind in his eyes had them stinging and he concentrated hard on the feel of flying, the wind in his face and the stinging of his eyes...because it was better by far than allowing the hollow guilt in his stomach to overwhelm him. And even though Astrid had shouted at him to go, he knew she was in terrible danger.

Veurr hadn't said a single word on the flight back, for which Hiccup was grateful. He was feeling horribly as if he would scream at the woman for talking him into returning with the Loki tree bark but without Astrid. Because though obtaining the bark been the point of the whole mission, he didn't need to be told he had made the right decision. Astrid had saved him, over and over-Berk, Snori, Berserk..and he had repaid her by abandoning her to her fate.

Eventually the island appeared out of the twilight gloom, the jagged mountain gilded gold and purple in the last light of sunset and Hiccup dived Stormfly down into the entrance. The Nadder gave a welcoming squawk as they swooped into the cave system but there was no answering roar from the Night Fury: Hiccup felt his stomach tighten with fear at the silence. They flapped to a halt as they made their way into the main chamber, so find Toothless lying unconscious by a small fire tended by Henryk. The boy was talking quietly to the dragon...though his eyes widened in shock and relief as they returned...until he realised who was missing. He scrambled up.

"Where's Astrid?" he demanded. Hiccup ignored him.

"Toothless? Bud?" he called, scrambling from the saddle the moment Stormfly touched down. The Nadder gave a sad caw as her head bowed and the younger boy ran forward to rub her nose-horn.

"Stormfly-where's Astrid?" Henryk whispered. The dragon gave a sad chirp as Veurr jumped down from the Stormcutter, the owl-faced dragon leaning close to the sad Nadder and giving her a little nudge.

"She was captured," she said, pulling her mask off. "We had to leave her to get back here and cure Toothless..."

"You left her?" Henryk shouted, turning to Hiccup, who was on his knees, stroking the barely-rousable Toothless. "How could you?" The auburn-haired boy lifted his head and turned his forest green gaze on the younger boy, the self-recrimination bright in his face.

"Because we both knew that we had to get this back to Toothless to save his life," he said softly. "Astrid shouted at me to go. We both know the whole thing is a waste of time if we don't get the bark to Toothless." Hiccup stared up at the woman. "Can you make that potion now?"

Staring at him calculatingly, Veurr fished out Starberries, yak foot leaves and golden grass from her packs and went to the stream running through the mountain to pick some fresh spring water. Hiccup remained looking steadfastly at Toothless, refusing to answer the scowling Henryk. The younger boy remained by Stormfly, watching as the woman ground up the absolutely foul smelling bark and stirred it into the brew. It bubbled for an inordinately long time, the stench filling the gloom before Veurr finally deemed it ready for use. Staring up into the green eyes, Hiccup looked uncertain but the woman offered a thin smile before lifting the bowl. Toothless barely stirred, even though the boy knew Night Furies had an excellent sense of smell and it would have detected the stink with ease.

"Come on, bud," he begged softly. "I know it smells kinda bad but really, you do need to drink this. It's make you feel heaps better." Toothless gave a small sigh, not even a croon. "Toothless...please...for me...you gotta fight, bud. You-you can't give up. Please don't leave me now we're finally away from Dagur. Please..." He felt his eyes burning with tears and the dragon smelled the salty scent. He could hear the hitch in his little Viking's voice and though everything hurt and his mind was foggy and dull, he wanted to stay. And if his viking wanted him to drink the horrible liquid, he would try.