Soul of Furies (Book Three)

Chapter 24: Home

"MEATLUG!" Fishlegs screams with glee as his beloved Gronckle appears in front of him. "I missed you so much, girl. I missed you," he sobs. She snuffles his face with her giant nose.

Astrid clings to Stormfly, tears appearing at the rims of her eyes as she presses her cheek against her dragon's scaly nose. The Nadder makes happy purring noises as she wraps her wings around Astrid, looking just as content to be back to her normal self.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut talk rapidly to Barf and Belch, explaining everything that's happened plus some wild stories, whilst Snotlout whispers to Hookfang, Skybreeze, and Windstorm with a small smile on his face. The three Nightmares listen avidly.

I sit down, resting my pounding head in my hands. The weight of these past three days crashes onto me, weighing me down and making my brain feel like it's going to explode. Using this much magic in such a short span of time after not having used it for ten years has really taken it out of me.

"Thora, you okay?" Nightstar asks, sitting down behind me and nuzzling my shoulder.

I hug my knees to my chest, my exhaustion leading to darker thoughts. "The deadline has passed," I say. "Alrek is gone and this world is saved, but I didn't complete my task in time." My throat tightens and I cough, noting the sad look on my dragon's face. "I'm going to go home just in time to die."

"Thora—"

"It's okay, Nightstar," I say, cutting her off. "This was a good way to finish up my life; one last adventure with my best friend."

Nightstar's blue eyes flood with sorrow and she makes a gurgling sound in the back of her throat. "But...I love you. I don't want you to go."

I shake my head, wrapping my arms around her neck and shutting my eyes. "I love you too," I whisper.

She lifts one of her paws and wraps it around me, pulling me closer to her scaly chest. I squeeze my eyes shut tighter, trying to keep my tears at bay.

"How are you getting home?"

I look up to see Astrid standing before me, Stormfly at her side. I pout in confusion, using Nightstar's help to get back to my feet.

"Home? I don't know what you're talking about," I say, feigning ignorance. "I told you, my home was destroyed."

A laugh shakes her shoulders. "Thora, you don't have to lie anymore. I know that there's something you never told us about you, where you're really from, who you really are." She tilts her head to the side and smiles a little. "How are you getting home?"

I can't stop the stupefied look from eradicating my expression. "How...how did you find out I was lying?" I ask, guilt tightening my chest.

"Well...at first, your story seemed crystal clear. Then, I realized that there's no way Hiccup could've told you about Alrek coming to Berk," Astrid explains. "The first time they met was the day Hiccup died. Plus...you mentioned Ilia," she says, a look of sadness flickering across her dirty face for a moment as she casts a glance towards Eret's body, still laying near my execution post. "I never said anything about Ilia. Hiccup never met her, so somehow...you knew who she was. I think that's what made me decide to trust you."

I momentarily decide whether it would be okay or not to physically slap myself across the face. How could I not have realized those mistakes? Sure, Fishlegs caught on to one of my little slip ups, but Astrid never showed any sign of knowing about it.