Soul of Furies (Book Three)

Chapter 11: Gone

I swear that for a moment, my entire world stops. I go rigid, my eyes wide and my mouth slightly agape. Nightstar nudges me, trying to break me out of my trance, but I don't respond to anything she does. My eyes start to itch as realization comes over me, feeling like my heart has been clamped on by a vice that is slowly tightening and making it hard for me to breathe.

"Alrek...it was Alrek, wasn't it?" I mumble.

Astrid looks away, looking just as grieved as me. "Yeah, it was. If you were supposed to help us...well, you failed miserably."

That hurts more than I expect it too, but at the same time a tiny spark of thought ignites in my mind, slowly spreading. I step closer to Astrid, grabbing her shoulder and turning her towards me.

"I need to know exactly what happened the day Alrek came to Berk," I insist, keeping my words sharp and calculated.

"Why should I tell you?" she snaps, brushing my hand away. "I don't care if Hiccup trusted you, he's gone. You didn't fulfill your promise, whatever it was."

I narrow my gaze, clenching my hands into fists as I take quick breaths in and out. "I'm here now, and I swear that I'm here to fix what's been broken in whatever way I can," I say.

"I doubt anyone can do that."

"Do you see this necklace?" I ask, pointing at my blue gem. "Alrek has one like it, yeah? That's because everyone on Hermaōr had one, and now I have to use my magic to defeat him. It's the only way I can reverse what—"

I stop myself from screwing up the whole thing. If I say one word about being from another timeline, another world, she'll leave me in the dark or worse, end my sorry excuse for a life. I clear my throat and correct myself.

"I have to make it up to him," I whisper. "Please, Astrid."

"What about Toothless? Ask her about Toothless," Nightstar begs, stomping the ground a few times.

I glance sideways at her for a moment before returning my focus to Astrid. "So Hiccup is...dead," I repeat, finding it harder to swallow than before. "What about Toothless?"

Astrid doesn't answer me. She looks me over again, no doubt taking in the clean appearance and the necklace and my Night Fury. She groans, rolling her eyes as she runs her hands over her face.

"You're not gonna give up until I tell you, huh?" she asks. When I nod, she purses her lips. "Fine, but we can't talk here. Follow me."

She motions me to her and takes off, Nightstar and I following in her careful footsteps.

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"They came out of nowhere; a strange man wielding magic and dragons beyond the limits of our own imaginations," Astrid starts explaining as we slink through the emptied streets. "Everyone on Berk fought against him, but nothing we tried could kill the demons."

Nightstar and I make brief eye contact. Astrid stops, peering out into a green space before flicking her eyes to the sky. She jerks her head and we break into a sprint across the space, ducking into the next alleyway without causing any disruptions.

"So many people died, Thora. Hiccup finally made a ditch attempt to defeat Alrek himself, but all it did was get him killed." She coughs, her eyes misting over with nostalgia. "Leaderless, the rest of Berk fell to Alrek's power. He destroyed every normal dragon left on the island and replaced them with his demons...including Toothless. After that, it was Helheim on earth."

"Toothless...dead?" Nightstar whispers.

I spare a nod in her direction. My dragon whimpers and lowers her head, her wide mouth twisted into a sad frown. I reach over and pet her head gently as we keep moving. Astrid looks back at me skeptically.

"So...you and Hiccup were close?" she asks, sounding as if she's trying to make casual conversation.

Yes. He was my best friend, my husband, the father of my children. I failed him. He deserved the world and I lied to him, put him through more heartbreak than I can imagine, and instead of trying to make it better, I ran away and tried to hide. I'm a terrible person, Astrid. Run away before I hurt you too.

"No, we only met a few times...but I knew enough just from what we talked about," I respond, forcing myself to keep my voice even. "Nightstar had quite the crush on Toothless."

Astrid almost smiles as she glances at my Night Fury, but it doesn't last. "I don't doubt that."

We keep walking, our steps the only noise. I attempt to talk again. "Hey, uh...can I ask you a few things?" I wonder. She shrugs, so I take that as a yes. "How're Ilia and Eret doing? Is Ruffnut okay with—"

She stiffens, her steps halting and making me bump into her. She turns slowly, her eyes like angry blue fire as she glares at me. I actually feel a startling amount of fear.

"Don't say their names in front of me," she growls.

I have to remind myself that I'm keeping up an image now. I can't react horrendously towards anything she tells me. I have to keep an air of shocked surprise no matter what.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I apologize. "Hiccup told me about his friends. How...uh...Snotlout? Yeah, Snotlout, he was interested in Ruffnut and such..."

A breathless, unbelieving laugh leaves Astrid. "Wow...you really did know a bit. Hiccup must've loved talking to you," she says, almost bitter.

I stare at her for moment. "What happened to you, Astrid?"

She scoffs. "I don't have to explain myself. I don't trust you."

"Hiccup trusted me."

That makes her hypothetical stone mask crumble just a tiny bit. She narrows her eyes, but after a second she lets out a heaving sigh and rubs her head with the tips of her fingers.

"Fine, I'll tell you some of what happened," she mutters.