Mysteries Beyond (Dragons RTTE Fanfic - Sequel to Deception)

Chapter 13

You continued to survey the island from the misty peak of the mountain, where you could ensure you would remain out of sight. From where you were, you couldn't hear what was going on down below but, from what you could see, it looked like there were people shouting orders, as well as the construction of new ships, weaponry and dragon traps. It wasn't long before you glimpsed a fleet of familiar-looking ships break through the fog-bank in the distance, and sail swiftly through the icy waters, towards the shore of the island you watched from.

"Look!" you nudged Viggo with your elbow, not glancing away from the ship for a second.

"Any ideas?" he asked, for once sounding completely stumped.

"One," you replied quickly, "but we'll need Cloudjumper for it to work." At the mention of his name, you heard the four-wings of the dragon unfurl behind you, clearly ready for whatever you had in mind.

By the time you and Viggo had scrambled to the foot of the mountain, keeping out of sight behind a large boulder, the lead ship (which you assumed Amethyst and Sclera were being kept on) had released its anchor right at the edge of the shore. Good - the closer the ship, the easier your job would be. You watched carefully, as planks were thrown over the the side of the ship, and a group of men, their leader at the front, walked off, and across the ice, towards a strange figure which had now revealed itself at the arrival of the convoy.

 As the men left the ship, and walked across the ice, a high-pitched sound shrieked across the sky, as Cloudjumper soared through the air, skimming over their heads. Loud gasps and shouts rippled through the crowd, as the trappers saw the huge Stormcutter hurtling towards them, swoop back up into the air, and dive back down towards them again, the gusts of wings from his wings causing them to have to steady themselves on the ice. All heads seemed drawn to Cloudjumper, as you heard the mysterious figure shout:

"Take that dragon down! Now!" in a deep voice. Now that the trappers had their aim fixed on Cloudjumper, it was your chance to move. You nodded quickly to Viggo, as you darted from the boulder, skirting round the edges of where the crowd of trappers gaped at the formidable dragon tearing across the sky. Keeping low, and staying behind traps as much as possible, you made for the ship. Thankfully, the plank still seemed to be leaning against the side of the hull, all the way up to the deck. 

As you clambered up the plank and onto the deck of the ship, you heard the foreboding clang of metal, and a loud shriek, as two of Cloudjumpers' wings were clamped in a steel trap. You scrunched up your face, in anger. Of course, this part of the plan was inevitable, but the idea of hunting dragons still made you blood run cold. Now, time really was of the essence - you needed to get to Amethyst and Sclera now. Running across the deck, Viggo helped you lift the heavy, metal hatch to access the deck below. As you climbed down the ladder to the lower deck, you heard another painful clang of a metal trap, followed by a loud thudding sound, as Cloudjumper hit the icy ground. You didn't have time to look. You knew Cloudjumper would keep struggling, to buy you time - and you had to make use of that time.

Viggo ignited his sword as you ventured below. You heard excited grunts and growls sound from the darkness ahead, before seeing two familiar dragons in the glow of the flame - Amethyst and Sclera. There was only one problem - they were behind metal bars - metal bars made of the same metal that was able to resist Changewing acid. A part of you couldn't help admiring the scientific genius (resistant to Changewing acid!) but right now, you really could have done with some ordinary dragon hunter metal...

"Great!" you muttered sarcastically.  You were all too aware that the dragon trappers would soon come back to the ship to offload your dragons, only to find you and Viggo just standing there, and then it would all be over for all of you!  It really shouldn't have been surprising to you - of course the dragons were bound to be locked up in dragon-proof cells! But Amethyst being in danger made you angry - really angry. It made you not even think straight you were so angry. In a rage, you punched the metal bar as hard as you could, making your hand burn in crippling agony. You saw Amethyst's frightened eyes glistening in the darkness, as she  instantly drew back from the bars you'd punched. Willing yourself to keep a hold on your anger, you softened your voice.

"I'm sorry, Amethyst." you tried beckoning her quietly, and she took a step towards you again. Through all your outrage, you had forgotten how terrified the dragons must have been - locked in a ship by dragon trappers, with no idea whether you would ever be able to find them, let alone rescue them. Right now, you had to be strong for Amethyst's sake.  You heard a gentle snort from the cage beside Amethyst, as Scerla pressed his snout through the bars into Amethyst's cell, a comforting sound escaping his nostrils. At once, you saw Amethyst's frightened, unblinking stare soften, as she pressed her snout beside his. Was this-?

Your thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Viggo clearing his throat behind you.

"You like to over-think things, don't you?" he asked, a tone of amusement in his voice. You were about to turn around, and tell him how ridiculous his mockery was in such a dire situation, when you heard the jingle of keys, and turned to see him waving them in front of you. Feeling really stupid, you blushed.

"Just an idea." he continued. Yep, Amethyst being in danger really did make you forget about the obvious - of course the cells had keys...

"Not bad." you replied, taking the keys from his hand, and quickly unlocking both cages. Amethyst leapt out of the cage the second she heard the lock click, pressing her head against your arm in relief. You patted her head, as she stood up boldly, her freedom giving her newfound courage. Now, on with the plan...

You jumped on Amethyst's back, and shot out of the hatch, and vertically up towards the clouds, perfectly camouflaged with the sky as you did so. Once you had reached the cloud cover, you hovered directly above where Cloudjumper lay on the icy floor, his wings clamped together in two metal traps. Judging by the look of the traps, you wouldn't need to break the metal, only prize it open, using Amethyst's precise talons. Adrenaline rising within you, you continued to hover in the clouds, waiting for the signal. And then it came - a huge explosion from the ship - the Zippleback gas in Viggo's sword ignited by a spark from Sclera. The smoke from the huge explosion gave Viggo and Sclera just enough cover to escape to the clouds, before trappers came flooding towards the burning ship. Now was your chance - as most of the trappers turned their attention away from Cloudjumper, you raced to the ground, and landed beside one of the metal clamps, which held one pair of Cloudjumper's wings together. Amethyst fiercely spat acid in rage at the few trappers who still surrounded Cloudjumper, making them scatter, before grasping one half of the clamp with her talons. Scerla  landed nearby, Viggo upon his back, clasped the other half of the clamp between his long talons. Both dragons pulled furiously, using their wings for extra force, to inch each side of the clamp far enough apart for Cloudjumper to slip his wings out.

 Of course, by now, your actions had not gone unnoticed, and trappers came rushing towards you from all around. One pair of Cloudjumper's wings was still trapped. However, pushing to his feet and surging off the ground with one enormous effort, he seemed to just about be able to fly with just one mobile pair of wings, trying desperately to gain altitude, so that the air currents could support his vast weight. From behind, Amethyst and Scerla fired at the trappers aiming their catapults and bolas at Cloudjumper, who seemed to be making for the mountain at the heart of the island.

The enraged shouts of hunters gradually grew fainter, as you managed to just about escape the range of their weaponry. The strong winds surrounding the mountain made it too difficult for them to fire at you, anyway. Ahead of you, you saw Cloudjumper collapse on a plateau on the mountain, breathing heavily from the enormous effort it had taken to fly with only half the power he was accustomed to. The last thing you heard, before the swirling wind rendered you out of earshot, was:

"Let them go!" from the mysterious man you had glimpsed before, followed by: "It won't be long until they have no choice but to join us."

A/N: I know this time it really has been  - AGES. I'm sorry, life's been really busy lately... Anyway, hopefully I'll be able to go back to updating a little more regularly...Hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway, and thanks for your patience! :)