Legends of Darkstalkers and Nightriders

Chapter 23: How About A Trade?

Emma’s POV:

I stopped as I heard Sadie’s voice, a whisper in my ear, carried on the wind. “Take care of Stardancer for me.”

“I will,” I said softly, unsure if she could even hear it. I glanced back at everyone before continuing walking.

“Thank you,” the whisper came again and then the wind died down and it was still.

I paused again, only for a moment and then I made my way back into the treeline where my brother was waiting for me.

“Emma,” he breathed, pulling me into a hug.

I winced at the pain in my shoulder and he pulled away slightly. “They hurt you?”

“A little. I’ll be fine. But Sadie…. We have to get her out. What’s to say Alvin doesn’t double cross her once she’s rewritten the Book for him? And even if he doesn’t, how many people is he going to hurt with the information he gets from the Book of Dragons? How many lives will be taken because of us?”

Blaze sighed. “But Emma, with our luck, they’d probably just capture all of us and then what good would that do?”

I sighed, frustrated. “We have to do something.”

“Like what?” Blaze asked.

“What if we bluff and offer him something better?”

“Such as?”

“I don't know… What if we offer him Hiccup? And get Hiccup in on it?”

“But he told us never to go back,” Blaze reminded me. “Remember?”

“I don't care. This is important, and it could work. We have to at least try. Come on,” I said.

He sighed. “You're sure?”

“Positive. We have to try. Let's go. You can ride Stardancer.”

He stopped. “Uh….are you sure that's a good idea?”

I sighed. “Nevermind then. She can just fly beside us on Nova.”

He nodded and followed as we mounted. We took to the skies and I whistled for Stardancer to follow as we made our way toward Berk.

We landed in the cove where Hiccup was training with Toothless. “I need your help,” I said as I dismounted, unsure of how he would react.

He turned. “I thought I told you to stay away from Berk,” he said coldly.

“Please,” I said, “Alvin has Sadie. And she's copying the Book of Dragons for him. I don't trust that he-”

“Wait, what?! She's copying it?! How did he get it?!”

“She has a photographic memory, she only had to look at it once to remember everything in it. Would you let me finish?”

“But she never saw it,” he says. “I made sure! She only ever saw one page!”

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes, really! I may have trusted her, but I wasn't stupid enough to show her everything.”

“Okay, calm down. That's even worse… She copied one page for him to prove she could. If that's the only page she's seen, it'll be obvious to Alvin really quickly and then who knows what he'll do.” I raked a hand through my hair. “Please, Hiccup,” I pleaded. “Help me.”

He sighed. “I can't believe I'm doing this. Fine, let's go grab the others. I suppose I can't very well let her get herself killed.”

I sighed in relief. “Thank you,” I said emphatically.