Soul of Furies (Book Three)

Chapter 13: Ally

Nightstar spits another bit of flame into the fire as I look out across the ocean. The cave we're seated in is sheltered from the wind, serving to keep us both hidden from the outside and prying eyes.

Astrid's gaze flickers between me and the fire, her face pulled into a sour expression. She hugs herself quite tightly, her back against the stone of the cave wall. I try my best to act unfazed by her presence, but that's no easy feat when she keeps glaring at me.

"Thora, I think we have to find our friends," Nightstar says to me. "One of the things that's been wronged is the relationship between them, after all."

I nod, answering out loud. "Yeah, I can see that."

"Huh?" Astrid asks. She looks up at me with utter confusion in her gaze. "See...what?"

"Uh...nothing, just talking to myself," I attempt a recovery, but the blonde doesn't look convinced.

"Okay..." she says, dragging out the word skeptically. "I'm pretty sure that you're a nutcase, Thora."

I don't react to the words, although they sting. I stir the fire with a stick, nudging the different pieces of wood aside and causing the blaze to rise a little higher.

"I'm pretty sure I'm nuts too," I whisper.

Nightstar gives me a pitied look. "Don't say that. You're perfectly sane."

"As if," I say to her, trying to keep my voice low.

"Seriously, no one talks to themselves like that," Astrid says, tugging at her cloak and wrapping it around herself more. She glances between my dragon and I. "Are you talking to the dragon? I used to talk to Stormfly, if that makes you feel better."

"Sure, let's pretend it does," I say, my shoulders slumping. "It's not like you know Dragonese."

"Do you?"

I look away, pretending to be immersed in the fire. "My...village attempted to understand the dragons. I was taught their language from a young age," I lie, noticing Nightstar's widening eyes as she watches me. I glance fleetingly at Astrid. "I can sort of understand Nightstar."

The Viking stares for a moment before shaking her head, an incredulous chuckle leaving her. "Now I've heard everything." She stretches, lifting her hands into the air and rolling her head back and forth. "You're interesting, that's for sure. Hiccup must've loved that."

My heart twists. I shift in place, casting my gaze out to the churning sea. "Maybe."

She doesn't take her eyes off of me. After a long sigh, she pushes herself to her feet and wanders closer to me. Her expression remains skeptical as ever, her dirty bangs draping over her eyes for a moment. She fixes it easily without revoking her attention.

"You aren't telling me something," she says, slowly settling herself down next to me. "I don't know what it is, but something about you is..." She scrunches her face in thought, looking almost distressed. "I'm trying so hard not to trust you, but I just can't. The way you talk about Hiccup, about your village..." she trails off as she sighs. "He meant a lot to you, didn't he?"

I meet her eyes, finding that they've softened just a little bit. A surge of guilt rushes through me when I remember that I'm lying to her again, giving her false hope. If I don't fix this world before my deadline...

"He...he was one of the few who helped me after my village was destroyed," I say. Before she can ask anything else, I change the subject. "Hey, random question...how long until this Thor's day?"

She doesn't even bother to question me. "Um...three or four days?" I mutter a curse. Of course it's three days. Just my luck. "Why? Is something wrong?" Astrid wonders.

"I...it's hard to explain. I'd rather have you still think I'm relatively sane," I say. I fix my hair with a quick sweep of my hand over my head. "Look, we have to find your friends."

"They're long gone," she scoffs. "Besides, Alrek keeps the demons on patrol. He'll find you and kill Nightstar." She pauses, then shrugs. "And he'll kill you too."

"If I'm going to help Berk and fulfill my promise to Hiccup, I need all the help I can get. That means you, the twins, Fishlegs, Snotlout...everyone," I insist, fixing my best "don't question me" glare on my face.

Astrid sits back against the wall, brushing her dirty bangs from her eyes. "What are you gonna do? Take on Alrek?" she jokes flatly.

"That's exactly what I'm going to do."

Her eyes almost bulge out of her head she widens them so much. "You are absolutely nuts!"

"You've said that before," I mutter. "If I die, then that's the price I have to pay. My life doesn't matter."

She purses her lips, her eyes scanning my face. I throw a stick into the flame as Nightstar whines at me, her tail brushing against my back. Astrid breathes out, her countenance looking more pitied by the minute. She reaches out and rests her hand on my shoulder.

"Look...I'm sorry. You don't know how bad it's been since Hiccup died," she says, sounding genuinely remorseful. "I guess I'm just shocked that there's still someone who's willing to fight for us." She drops her hand from my shoulder and weaves her fingers together in her lap. "But...don't say you don't matter. From what you've said, Hiccup thought you mattered. He thinks that you can save us, and that's good enough for me."

She doesn't realize the weight her words carry. I almost laugh, but out of what emotion I'm not sure.

"Thank you, Astrid," I whisper.

"Thank you!" Nightstar adds.

Astrid jumps by the sudden growling sound from my dragon. I manage a smile, patting Nightstar's flank.

"She said thank you," I repeat, pushing myself to my feet. "Alright, we need to start searching."

"Before we go, I have one request," Astrid adds, getting to her feet as well.

"Yeah?"

The blonde looks at her feet for a moment. "You have to use your magic to bring back Stormfly, to bring back everyone's dragons."

My face falls as I grip the deadened gem. "It...it can't revive the dead, Astrid."

"Stormfly isn't dead," she insists, despair sparking in her eyes for a split second. "Alrek turned our dragons into demons. If you can change her back..."

"I'll do what I can. I'll do everything that I can," I promise.

"So we have a deal?" She sticks out her hand.

I nod and take it, shaking firmly. "Deal."