Double Fury (Book Two)

Chapter 16: I'm Glad You're Here

Two Weeks Later

At the Great Hall, I sketch out Alrek on a piece of paper. My bread and meat sit uneaten on my plate, my focus completely on drawing out my sworn enemy.

"Thora, you really should eat something," Hiccup says, motioning to his own food.

"I'm trying to figure out how we'll fight this guy," I mumble, not taking my eyes off my work. "I also think we need to tell everyone else what we're up against." I look up, stopping my drawing as my brown eyes meet his green. "They need to know."

He sighs heavily and nods, standing up. He claps his hands sharply, the sound echoing out over the bustling hall.

"Attention all!" he shouts. Everyone stops eating, looking to their chief. "As you all know, the wedding was cancelled because of an unknown threat," he starts, causing more than a few disappointed mumbles to roll through the crowd. "We now know the threat. It's a Viking by the name of Alrek, son of Asmund. He has an army of unusually powerful dragons that are searching for one thing." He pauses, gauging the reactions of everyone. They're all straight-faced and wide-eyed. "They're looking for Thora and they wish to kill her."

The effect is immediate. People start talking amongst themselves and a few start yelling, panic rising more and more by the second.

"Odin help us! What are we to do?" a woman asks.

"We've had peace for so long now," another says.

"Why do we still have her here?" a man demands, getting up and pointing straight at me. "If she's the threat, she should leave!"

"AYE!"

"Agreed!"

Hiccup holds up his hand, silencing them again.

"Thora is an important part of Berk, and right now, she's training a group of elite slayers that will fight for our safety," he says. "I wish for everyone to stay alert, and at the first sign of danger, protect your families and hide. This will pass, so please keep your heads about you." He smirks. "Besides, Vikings don't run. We're Vikings, aren't we?"

A few people cheer while others pump their fists in the air, although the entire group doesn't seem pacified yet. I let out a sigh of relief, although there's a sick feeling in my stomach that I don't like.

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"I'm going on a night ride. I'll see you soon," I say.

Hiccup sighs. "Be careful. I don't want you getting attacked again," he warns.

"I'll be fine," I say, my tone nonchalant. "I've got Nightstar to protect me."

"Okay, okay. I will see you soon then." He fidgets awkwardly as his hands pat the sides of his thighs. "I just can't help but worry about Alrek."

I grasp his hand and squeeze a tiny bit. "I'll be fine."

I climb onto Nightstar's back and take off, zipping into the air. I relax instantly, almost feeling the happy vibes coming from my dragon.

My sword bumps against my hip rhythmically as I fly Nightstar higher into the dark sky. We break through a cloud cover. When we do, what feels like the very universe opens up in front of me. Nothing but dark sky and twinkling stars can be seen, the cool night air rustling my hair.

I reach a hand up, feeling like I could grab a handful of stars, but they stay far away from me in the lifeless outer reaches of space.

Nightstar shoots a plasma blast into the air, and it breaks apart in a white hot explosion. I laugh. She roars and goes into a deep spiral plunge towards the inky ocean. We pull up right before hitting the waves, zooming across the smooth black surface.

"We'll stay out a little longer, girl," I say. "I love it out here."

My Night Fury nods and we continue to fly, the wind whipping past us, rustling my hair and bringing tears to my eyes.

We zip around a rock formation and I catch something in the distance out of the corner of my eye. A single light flickers in the mouth of an otherwise dark cave. I slow Nightstar down, having her hover in mid-air. My pendant seems to warm up as I stare at the light.

Nightstar glances at me, her blue eyes shining.

"Let's check it out," I murmur.

She obeys, our arrival at the cave rather swift. Nightstar touches down and I climb off. She sniffs the air curiously, looking around as I rest a hand on the hilt of my sword.

I creep towards the source of the light. A small flame sits near the edge of the door, dancing in the way that flames do. Nightstar and I reach it, the light reflecting in our eyes. I study it, watching it flicker and wave. My necklace gets a little warmer.

I reach a hand out to touch the flame, but it disappears in a flash. I make a small noise of surprise and Nightstar places her wide snout under my hand as a show of comfort.

The fire reappears farther down the tunnel, twisting and turning. I throw all common sense away and follow it, my dragon shambling after me.

As I reach the second flame, small torches appear along the walls, creating only enough light that I can see a foot in front of me. Our silhouettes sway with the flames as we keep going.

After going for a while, Nightstar whimpers and sniffs the air again, her ear plates perking up.

"What's wrong?" I whisper.

Before I can find out, a gust of wind blows the torches out and we're plunged into complete darkness. My necklace glows for a second before dimming too.

"Good. You've arrived."