In The Archipelago's Secret Service

16: Flight to Bugla

Sixteen: Flight to Bugla

The flight had been surprisingly uneventful-well, once Toothless had peeled off and chased off the two Hunter planes that had tried to intercept them. Hiccup's hands remained clamped to the harness and Toothless had calmly maintained a constant dialogue with the young agent as they had headed for Bog Isle. But as they grew closer and the grey landmass came into sight, the wind picked up and the rain started. Hiccup glanced at Astrid, who was chewing her lip. She voiced what they were both thinking.

"How do we land this thing?"

In the Seashocker flying boat, Toothless was having the same thoughts. A water landing was tricky enough for a novice with an instructor in perfect conditions, but the wind was gusting and the little seaplane was starting to drift.

"How is your fuel situation?" he asked, glancing at Fishlegs.

"Under a quarter...well under," Hiccup reported as the harness pulled in response to a strong gust. Beneath them, the sea was growing choppy and white caps were appearing while a wide bay yawned ahead with Bugla, the capitol of Bog, at its head. Astrid glanced across at him: he was looking exhausted.

"That craft is designed to land on flat water," Toothless told him swiftly, his voice sounding strained. "And you have negligible piloting ability."

"Accepted," Hiccup said shortly. The harness was really pulling.

"And that little Night Terror can't land on a conventional runway," Toothless added, flicking a couple of switches in his cockpit.

"Okay."

"The only option is to ditch," the Dragon decided. There was a pause.

"You mean crash," Astrid said sharply.

"Yes and no," Toothless admitted.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Astrid snapped. "We'll be killed!"

"That's the 'no' part," Toothless explained. "You will need to jump from the aircraft before it ditches."

"So jumping from a moving plane-without a parachute?" Astrid checked.

"This day keeps getting better and better," Hiccup muttered, his knuckles white as he hung onto the harness. The little seaplane was juddering quite badly and rain was starting to flick over the windshield.

"Jumping at that speed is going to break several bones!" Astrid argued.

"Wow. Wanna put that on my 'to do' list," Hiccup murmured sarcastically.

"You slow to just above stall speed and jump from thirty feet," Toothless told them firmly. "Begin a gentle descent and keep your wings level. Banking increases your stall speed..."

"Gottit," Hiccup murmured.

"Slow your flight gradually and when we get to the longest axis of the bay, drop it to sixty mph and steady at thirty feet-and then jump the hell out of there!"

"Can I vote that this is a seriously insane move?" Hiccup murmured.

"And crashing isn't?" Astrid asked him, seeing him sigh.

"Okay-but if I break my neck, I'll blame you..." he began and then wrenched the harness sideways. "That is if I can even get outta here. I may need to stay here to let you get away..." And then she looked at him, seeing his pallor and the bruises on his face and recalling how badly he had been treated. She gently grasped his wrist.

"That would ruin the mission," she reminded him.

"I thought we'd already accomplished mission Rescue Hiccup and Get Hiccup and Astrid Off The Island!" he shot back, gradually slowing the little plane and dropping them down, aiming directly at the distant lights of Bugla.