Riders of B E R K

Part 60: Pray to Thor

Sixty: Pray to Thor

Stormfly peered down through the thin wisps of cloud. The rain had died down as the pitch black night had enfolded the mountain and she had roosted with the Night Terrors clustered around her. They had taken station, as asked, over the main garage entrance, invisible high above the rocks.

The stench was almost overwhelming.

The lights trundled up the road, the growl of powerful engines loud in the muffled darkness of the damp night. The whiff of diesel couldn't overpower the scents she had been detecting for hours. With a screech of brakes, the vehicles stopped and the enemy emerged.

Stormfly leaned forward and gave a tiny chirp. Smidvarg chittered back and the Night Terrors began to flutter in response. It was time...

oOo

I raced down the corridor towards the roar of the dragon feeling it was horribly familiar. A sudden moment of clarity struck me: why was I running towards the roar of some mythical monster that I suspected was insane, untrainable and very, very dangerous when a sensible person would be running in the opposite direction. But I was a soldier, a Hofferson and a Dragon Rider so I accelerated towards the roar...and the cry.

As I rounded the corner, I saw two things I really didn't want to see: Dagur's Skrill and Colonel Throk. Skidding to a halt, I ducked down and slammed against the wall as the dragon roared again, electricity crackling along its wings. The lack of power running through the Base seemed to be dampening down the creature's offensive abilities somewhat...but it still came armed with a mouthful of serrated teeth and talons and it was advancing steadily towards the officer.

"Back away towards me," I said evenly. Throk paused and glared at me.

"Lieutenant-what..." he began.

"Back away and get behind me!" I repeated through gritted teeth. "That dragon-the Skrill-fires electricity and my suit is insulated." Throk paused then obeyed as I stepped forward, my gloved hand extended towards the Skrill. It roared at me and I backed up a half-step.

"Can't you just train it?" he asked shortly.

"Had you familiarised yourself with the situation in the base, sir, you would be aware that there are two dragons you avoid at all costs!" I told him sharply. "Donald Harrigan's Changewing, which has gone insane since his death and the Skrill, which only responded to Dagur."

"Who is dead," Throk said coldly.

"Shot in the head by Hiccup when the traitor tried to kill me," I confirmed, watching the large dragon advance on us. "Keep backing up, sir." And then my little protectors raced between me and the Skrill, chittering angrily, their blood-red eyes slitted as they hissed. The Skrill roared but they were undeterred, racing forward, their stinger tails slashing at the dragon's legs as they raced by. I watched the big dragon slash at them in its rage but they were simply far too speedy, racing by and slashing at its legs again. I grabbed the Colonel's arm and pulled him further back, to the corner of the corridor.

Suddenly, electricity coiled around the Skrill and arched across the corridor, flicking along the steel-plated floor. I snatched Throk's hand from the wall a millisecond before he could be electrocuted and shoved him further back, snatching the trank gun from its holster.

"Shoot it!" he shouted at me.

"The darts don't get through its electric field-they burn up," I told him tightly, keeping the weapon aimed at it. "I would have to use the whole clip and one may get through-and that wouldn't drop that thing!" The Speed Stingers both raced through twice more, stinging the Skrill's left back leg over and over until the leg crumpled under it. But one got too close and a wing swatted the much smaller dragon hard against the wall. I gasped as George hit with a crack and slumped limply to the floor. Furious, I fired a handful of times that had it backing up-but the darts exploded before they impacted and I caught Throk's frown as he realised what I was talking about.-and that I knew more than he did about this Hastily, I darted forward and grabbed the fallen dragon, slinging him over my shoulder like a snoozing toddler before dashing back and shoving the Colonel back. Zippy stood between us and the advancing Skrill, roaring furiously and hissing, his tail flicking and poised to strike.