Riders of B E R K

Part 63: Treasure Hunt

Sixty-Three: Treasure Hunt

The soft but quick beep of Hiccup's heart monitor was the only sound in the side room as we all stared at General Zakhysnyk, considering her cold words. And then I slowly smiled.

"Fish-I've heard of Yellow Oleander but never Blue," I told the husky Rider over the com. "Have you looked it up on the World Botany Database?"

"On it now," the familiar voice echoed back. "Hmm...Yellow Oleander-Mediterranean plant, tender to frost, will tolerate UK climate if brought in from frost..."

"And Blue...?" I prompted. There was an embarrassed pause.

"Sorry-Blue Oleander, Nexium oleander nordica...found in Eastern Baltic region all the way down to the Black Sea. Can survive as far north as mid-Finland. Wow."

"Well, we certainly haven't got enough time to go to Finland so please tell me we can find it closer to home," I said, my tone a little impatient. This time the pause was hurt.

"Of course...it says here there's some as a permanent exhibit in the Palm House of the Royal Botanic Gardens..."

"...at Kew," I sighed. "Okay, Fish-you're definitely our expert on botany...I know that for a fact," I said thoughtfully. That had been a moderately uninteresting evening-though Hiccup and I politely listened to his excitement at tramping all over the local mountains and moors to locate the elusive local flora. "We'll need to fly you from Glasgow to London Airport and get you to Kew. General-you will need to have the flights organised and get dispensation from the Curator of the Collection to take a sample of the Blue Oleander for Gothi." I paused, frowning. "Take the twins. They are smarter than they look and I think they will both be determined to help Hiccup." The General frowned.

"Lieutenant?" she asked me coolly.

"Fish-can you let Gothi know what herbs you mean?" I asked the other Rider before I looked up at the General. "Ma'am-I can see how to obtain the ingredients for the anti-venom to save Hiccup-and how to deploy our forces to do this."

"But the records indicate that we do not have any Scauldrons in our collection," Zakhysnyk said with a puzzled look. "One hatched but it did not survive. Records suggest it underwent necropsy and samples were kept for anatomical, physiological, biochemical and toxicological information. Do we not have any saved venom?"

"It deteriorates," Gothi told her in her eerie voice. "We could compare the chemical structures-which was why we were able to definitely identify it...but we have none left."

"But I know where there are two juveniles," I interrupted. They all looked at me. "When Hiccup and I liberated the baby dragons and eggs from the nest, we found three Tidal class dragons and..."

"Tidal Class?" the General asked.

"Obligate Aquatic dragons," I explained. "They usually don't fly and don't breathe fire either. For example, Thunderdrums have a sonic roar while Scauldrons fire superheated scalding water. Anyway, we left two baby Scauldrons and a newly-hatched Bewiderbeast in a suitable location where they can be observed..." And then I stared her straight in the eye. "And this is where you have to get the First Minister of Scotland to cordon off an area using the army to keep the public well away-say you have detected an unexploded World War 2 mine...because we need to go find them and get the venom off the juvenile Scauldrons for Hiccup." There was a pause.

"Where are they?" she demanded.

"Loch Ness."

"Loch Ness?"

"You know-the large freshwater lake that stretches southwest of Inverness? 22 miles long, over 700 feet deep at its deepest, surface area over twenty square miles, famed for its monster? That Loch Ness? Not any of the other hundreds of Loch Nesses all over the place?" My tone had turned sarcastic and my hand instinctively stroked Hiccup's hot arm. The General gave a small scowl.