Mysteries Beyond (Dragons RTTE Fanfic - Sequel to Deception)

Chapter 17

Sitting on the familiar leather saddle, as Amethyst sailed above the up-drafts, you read through the letter once again. You needed to break down this riddle, you thought to yourself, as read through the first four lines again:

The truth is the crest,

In the lands to the west,

Seek a heart of fire,

The first step of your quest,

All that you could cohesively gather from that was that you should be heading west, which you were. But, what next? For all you knew, you could head west until you ended up back where you'd started (you remembered Snotlout insisting that the world wasn't round, but you knew better than to believe a word that came out of that guy's mouth). You struggled with your thoughts for a moment, eventually pushing Viggo to the back of your mind so you could concentrate your attention on the problem at hand. Assuming this letter was indeed meant for you, and had been given to Valka, you concluded that it must mean west from roughly where Valka's mountain was. Scanning through the succeeding lines, your eyes came to rest on:

Remember the art of the runes

You cast your mind back to the ancient runes you'd found in the cave near Valka's mountain. Could this possibly be a reference to the cave? Furthermore, could the riddle reveal the meaning behind the strange markings you had found?

It took a lot of working out and occasional back-tracking, but you eventually found your way back to the latitude of the island containing the cavern you'd found the engravings in (you had Amethyst to thank for her accurate navigation skills, that saved you a lot of frustrated searching and frantic circling). To be honest, you weren't entirely sure what to expect, and a part of you seemed almost convinced that the whole expedition would amount to nothing. Still, you couldn't help feeling slightly abandoned by Viggo. He had seemed so understanding when you had told him about your past, yet he had dismissed the letter almost instantly. It was difficult to explain the instinctive urge you felt to follow the riddle, wherever it might lead you, mingled with the scepticism the world had taught you to adopt to such situations.

The ocean was vast. You hadn't come across a single island since you began venturing west. But, for now, the weather conditions seemed favorable to flying, so you didn't dare complain. You had noticed Amethyst seemed a little more uptight than usual, which was strange considering how much she usual enjoyed flying, especially in new environments. You supposed it was the reluctance she had had in leaving Sclera behind - the two dragons really had formed a powerful attachment to each other. It hurt to separate them, but if Viggo wanted to be stubborn, that was his problem. Your mind kept straying back to Viggo, a pang of anger igniting when you remembered what he had said. But, after that initial vexation, there came a more potent sadness and loneliness at the sense of his absence. Over the last few months that you had spent almost entirely in his company, you had somewhat forgotten what it felt like to be alone. And, you supposed, so had he.

'At least he has Sclera.' you reminded yourself.

Looking around, you noticed it was getting mistier. They weren't clouds that surrounded you now, but instead fog-banks, like at the edge of the Archipelago. You found the fact that you could hardly see ten meters ahead of you disconcerting, and you could tell Amethyst didn't like it either. Having said that, something about the foreboding atmosphere convinced you that you might have finally reached your destination. Ominous surroundings usually meant you were going the right way. Was that normal? No. But then, you didn't lead a very normal life you supposed. You knew the life of a dragon-riding viking would always bring its adventures, but you seemed to have taken that to the extreme. It was a comfort, though - you hated even contemplating the idea of being bored.

  You could tell Amethyst was completely focused on each and every tiny sound all around her, as she glided silently through the thick mist. As you proceeded, you couldn't help but notice that the air around you seemed to be growing hotter, and not just due to your rising anticipation. The source of the heart revealed itself soon enough. More suddenly than it had appeared, the mist vanished, to reveal a rocky island beneath it and, towering before you, a volcano. You weren't sure how active it was but, judging by the heat, it certainly wasn't extinct.

"Let's take a look at this from the ground, Amethyst" you said, directing her towards the island. Stepping onto the gravelly rocks, you looked out across the barren, ashen landscape. Apart from the volcano, there didn't seem to be anything on the island. The lava flows had destroyed everything else. The volcano didn't look like it had erupted in years, but no life had yet emerged from its last plague of lava, it seemed. Your eyes traced over the swirled patterns of where the lava flows had devoured the land like a giant serpent.

Seek a heart of fire

Well, it wasn't exactly fire, but there was definitely lava on the island.

'Heart? Did that mean inside the volcano?' The word 'dangerous' came to mind, but that didn't quite do justice to what your ambitious side was now planning.

You tried to imagine what Viggo would say if you had suggested delving into an active volcano to him.

'No! This isn't about Viggo - this is about you! Now, focus before you get smothered in lava from an erupting volcano!' You realized you were willing to put everything on the line to get answers -  there was something incredibly breathtaking about that, and you couldn't decide whether it was a good thing or not. Looking up at the volcano, you eyes burned, and you bit your lip in deep thought.

"Let's go, Amethyst." you resolved.

You held on tightly to Amethyst's saddle as she made an almost completely vertical maneuver up the steep side of the volcano. Your heart was racing, but a surge of determination rose within you. You felt that even if lightning had struck you at this very moment, it wouldn't even hinder you from reaching the vent of the volcano. Amethyst beat her wings hard against the increasing gales, as you approached the summit of the volcano, and she came to perch on the rim of the crater. You peered down, the heat instantly hitting your face, and making you squint. A The deep orange light from the bubbling lava below flashed in your eyes. It was quite a way down to the magma below. Surely, that would be where the heart lay.

Amethyst flew carefully down towards the core of the crater.

"There must be something here." you said to her. There had to be.

Scanning the fiery ocean below, you sought something, anything, that looked as though it might be related to your letter, or at least didn't belong in a volcano. Your heart rose every time you saw something jutting out of the lava, until you realized it was just another volcanic rock. You coughed a bit, the volcanic fumes, starting to irritate your throat. Sudden spurts of lava leapt up from either side of you, which Amethyst narrowly dodged. Your face itself felt like it was on fire, and your eyes watered with the intensity of the glow. Suddenly, you felt Amethyst's head jerk to the left, and she dashed towards the lava's surface. Narrowing your eyes, you saw something small and familiar, yet unidentifiable, on a rock, which was holding it just centimeters from the deadly magma. Amethyst swept across the lava's surface, her wings making it ripple, as she clasped the object from the rock between her talons, and began flying back up towards the vent of the volcano. An ominous splash from behind you, followed by a wave of searing heat made you jolt in the saddle, as you narrowly evaded another lethal magma ambush.

Once you reached the gravelly foot of the volcano, and the heat of your close encounter with the volcano faded bit by bit, you inspected the artefact Amethyst had retrieved more closely. Holding it up between the fingers of your left hand, you realized it was a dragon eye lens! And not only that, but the intricate design revealed depictions of a Night Fury, Skrill and Changewing, etched into the border! Just like the ancient markings in the cave! Your curiosity heightened, as you realized you were not only one step further in your quest, but one step closer to answers.

A/N: Ok, so I FINALLY published another chapter! Hopefully the plot is beginning to become a little more interesting! Sorry about the delay in updating - life has just been a bit hectic lately... Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, and I'll try to update again soon :)