Beyond the Sunset | HTTYD (Discontinued)

Chapter Ten

Life with the dragons did not begin as smoothly as I had hoped. Half a dozen building caught fire before the third sunset. (Luckily, we had a few tidal class dragons, so the fires were put out quickly.)

Many of the homes were soon suitable for living, so people had begun to move out of the Great Hall and into the houses. Those who had a talent for gardening and farming were growing plants, hopefully enough to get us through the winter. 

Without much use for the ships before the ice would hit, said ships were towed into an underground cave for storage. They were unloaded, stripped of their sails, and anchored in the sand. 

On a separate note, Deav and his Lycanwing seemed to be getting along pretty well. 

"Why did you name him Sparrow, again?" I asked. 

"Because Jack Sparrow is the greatest pirate ever to have lived," Deav explained. 

"Jack Sparrow is a fictional character."

"How do you know?"

I sighed, shaking my head and leaving the refurbished dragon stables. 

"Where are you off to?" Cressida shouted from the rooftop she was repairing. She had become a sort of mother-like figure to our younger group in the few days she'd been on the island. 

"Survey mission," I said. 

"Another one?"

"I've got a bad feeling that something is about to happen."

"Try not to die getting out of work," Blythe piped in. 

I left the laughs and jibes behind and swung into the saddle, pulling the flight mask over my eyes. Riona and I took off into the sky, leveling off just before we hit the clouds. 

"They're all idiots," I grumbled. "For all they know I'm going to save their lives today. They'll all thank me then. For goodness' sake, they--"

Riona growled, making me go silent. Up ahead, although it was only a small speck in the distance, was a ship docked at a small island. The sails were unfurled and it was full of people. 

We flew behind a structure of rocks, trying to remain unseen. I jumped to the ground, spying on the people from my post. 

"No, Ri," I said as she tried to follow me. "Stay here for now."

She glared in protest but consented, then curled up near the rock to wait, turning mostly invisible. I walked through the countless people swarming the island. I tried to find a leader of some sort. 

"Pardon me," I said when I found an official-looking person, "What are you doing here?"

"That is none of your business," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here," I lied. 

"Well, so do we now."

"What is she doing here?" a female voice screeched from a few feet away, bringing everyone to a halt. 

"Seriously?" I muttered. "Of all the people, it has to be her, doesn't it?"

"Bring her to me!" the woman commanded. 

As every soldier in the vicinity rushed at me, I ran away as fast as I could, dodging spears that were hurled at me. I cut into the woods to try and find cover. 

Instead of finding refuge, I ran straight into a hidden pit trap.

"Well, well, well," the woman said as she walked up to the edge of the pit I'd fallen into. "Trapped at last. What have you to say for yourself?"

"All things considered," I said, rubbing my now-injured shoulder, "this is a complete waste of my time."

"I don't think you'll find it a waste of time when you have so little of it left." She signaled to the soldiers surrounding her and they hauled me up and out of the pit. "Let's go. I don't have all day."

"You're going to kill me?"

"Not before you tell me everything about the group you took to Berk." I caught an evil gleam in the corner of her eye as she turned around. "And believe me, you will."

"So, what do you want to know?" I asked, wincing at the dull pain throughout my body. 

"Where is your island located?" the woman started. "How many dra--"

"Excuse me," I interrupted, "but what is your name?"

"Peasants do not have the privilege of hearing my name." She scowled.

"Okay, Amanda."

"That's not my name."

"If you say so, Leslie."

"My name is not Leslie!" 

"Kathy?"

"No!"

"Well, I'm going to keep guessing until you tell me. While we're having this friendly conversation on the edge of a stunningly high cliff, is the ear thing really necessary?"

"You're one of the best lockpicks I've ever met--"

"You're too kind, Maria."

"--and I can't have you escaping," she said, ignoring me. "The cartilage around the ear is, like the nose, extremely sensitive to pain. Since I know for a fact that you broke out of those handcuffs ten minutes ago, think of the pain of being attached to the wall by your ear (and death from dropping from this height) as an incentive to tell me what I want to know."

"Well, nice try," I said, "but one more strike and you're out."

"What?"

"See you hopefully never." I whistled loudly and shrilly, then jumped off the cliff, sending myself plummeting to the wild waves below. 

I began to worry that Riona wasn't going to show as the rocky sea filled my view.