The Treasure of Eyja Nott

Strategic Manoeuvres

Twenty Two: Strategic Manoeuvres

Eret was pacing back and forth at the hangers of Night Fury Transport, the air freight company he had stolen from Hiccup with the help of Johann, sold to finance his purchase of the Casino and then regained with the help of Johann and Viggo, who had combined to sharply manoeuvre the company from profit to serious loss with some crippling unheralded 'debts', liabilities and punitive taxes that Viggo had then decided to rescind...after his ally had bought back the company. But who could the disgruntled former owner appeal to? The First Minister and Island Council were well within their rights to impose local taxes and the only other alternative was the United Archipelago Government-whose Constitution devolved local taxes and their administration and all associated matters to the individual islands.

He glanced at the grey sky again. Fury had confirmed the purchase by a perfunctory email the day after the Ball and again advised him that the contracts for purchase were to be signed on delivery. The standard disclaimers and the summary of the contractual details themselves had been appended and Eret had ignored them as a matter of course. It had been irritating that the man had been insistent on making it legal-Eret would have preferred a gentleman's agreement, since they were so much harder to prove or enforce in a Court of Law-but he was sure that his lawyers could weasel out of any contract if necessary. And Eret had no intention of paying for the aircraft. Somehow, he would get Viggo or Johann to work some legalistic or legislative magic and get them declared overpriced or taxed or something so he wouldn't have to pay...because he couldn't. It took a lot of money to maintain the lifestyle he had become accustomed to living and the plain fact was that he was still useful to the men, in ferrying items to the blockaded island of Icefell, in carrying messages and personnel to support the traitor, always flying the missions himself because he couldn't trust another pilot with the secret commissions. They had been very insistent: in the years since Hiccup had been arrested and imprisoned, they wouldn't allow anyone else to carry their cargo. He had picked up the initials of Ryker on the suitcase and sealed his fate in that moment. But it would be impossible for Viggo to play the same trick twice and imprison another man for carrying messages or ordnance to the traitor when any competent lawyer would point out the commonalities between the two cases was in fact Eret...and Viggo had been adamant that he would never permit any re-examination of Hiccup's case. The flaws were too easy to spot and it would completely undermine his entire reputation and the foundation of his power.

He paced back and forth then paused, listening. The sounds of approaching aircraft had him breathing a relieved sigh and he peered downwind to see the unfamiliar shape of a NF-100 in sleek silver aim straight at the runway. Standing back, he pulled up his ear defenders and watched as the aircraft gently floated down to kiss the apron and make a perfect landing, decelerating and spinning round onto the taxiway and begin to roll towards the Night Fury Transport hanger. Behind, he could see a second identical aircraft, coming in a scant minute behind, again piloted with impeccable skill and replicating the perfect landing of its twin.

Grinning broadly, Eret watched the first park up a few feet from his hanger and his dark eyes swept appreciatively over the sleek and elegant shape. Everything about the aircraft oozed class and style, the design pulling the eye and the sound of the engines-a velvety purr-making Eret's pulse quicken. Suddenly, he was very much looking forward to flying one of these. As he watched, the second NF-100 gently taxied along and parked by its twin and the door of the first opened, the stairs extending immediately.

"Welcome!" he announced, spreading his arms wide in greeting. The pilot-a buxom young blonde women with bright blue eyes and a knowing smile, dressed in a smart corporate charcoal grey uniform marked with the green and red badge of Dragon's Edge Aero-walked down to nod a greeting. The second pilot-a tall handsome raven-haired man with dark eyes and a broad grin in an identical uniform-swiftly emerged from the second plane.