Heart of a Berserker: Trust (School of Dragons)

Chapter 7

A/N: I'm going to put in just a little bit of Race to the Edge season 2 here. I've just got to include Dagur here. Enjoy.

***

"Many nights we prayed
With no proof anyone could hear
In our hearts a hope for a song
We barely understood

Now we are not afraid
Although we know there's much to fear
We were moving mountains
Long before we knew we could"

- "When You Believe" by Mariah Carey

Chapter 7

Heather never took me up on that offer. Although we hung out when we had time, she spent more and more days away from the school. I did not have to cover much for her because the dragon riders also spent their time somewhere else. They had found an outpost they named Dragon's Edge, and from there they explored islands using the Dragon Eye. I suspected something was up with Heather, and after some persistence, she finally caved.

"I have been working undercover with the Dagur and the dragon hunters," she explained as we sat next to each other in our dorm room sipping herbal tea she brewed in her lab.

My eyes widened in surprise. "What? Isn't that a little too dangerous? And why would they trust you anyway?"

Heather took a deep breath. "Because... Dagur is my brother."

I stared at her. I knew the parents she had lost were adoptive, but she never told me she learned anything about her birth family.

"One day after a failed attempt to take out Dagur, he pulled off my mask and recognized me. He offered to let me stay and fight on his side in exchange for my life. I accepted because I thought I do more good if I acted like I was with him."

My mind spun with the news. I certainly had theories as to why she was constantly gone, but this I never expected. "And what if Dagur finds out the truth? He'll kill you. Or do you think you can kill him first?"

She shook her head. "It's not about that anymore. I've discovered someone far worse than Dagur. He's the leader of the dragon hunters, and if I can take him down, it will shatter the whole organization."

I sipped my tea as I digested this information. "Do the other dragon riders know?"

"No. I don't want to put them in danger."

"But you're putting yourself in danger by not telling them! Besides, if you want to be a proper spy, you have to leak information to someone."

Heather hesitated, her eyes swimming with uncertainty. "I'll think about it, alright? And I'll be careful. I promise nothing will happen to me."

I was not sure that was a promise she could make, but I nodded just the same. "Good." My mind flicked back to the fact that Dagur was her brother, and something hit me. "Wait a second... If Dagur's your brother, that means you're a Berserker... like me."

Heather appeared surprised, and then she smiled at me. "You're right. I did not think of that. My first instinct was to shun any association to Dagur, but... if we're from the same tribe, being a Berserker must not be so bad."

I smiled. "Not at all. And I'm glad you know where you come from. I hope you get all the answers you need."

"Thanks. Me too."

***

Heather was not the only new friend I made after the Death Song incident. When he was actually at Berk or the school, Snotlout hung around me a lot. And instead of his usual annoyingly arrogant self, he was actually pretty nice to me. I supposed I proved he could trust me after saving Hookfang.