Heart of a Berserker: Faith (School of Dragons)

Chapter 7

"If human beings can be trained for cruelty and greed and a belief in power which comes through hate and fear and force, certainly we can train equally well for greatness and mercy and the power of love which comes because of the strength of the good qualities to be found in the soul of every human being." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Chapter 7

Heather listened intently as I explained everything to her in great detail. She was amazed at all that had transpired, and she ultimately agreed with the decisions I had made. She offered to help me out whenever needed. A few days later, she approached me at School with a proposition.

"We need a closer look at Auction Island now that Stormheart has taken over," she said. "It's time for us to go undercover and do a little digging. Between my disguises and your experience dealing with scoundrels, we might discover something useful. Will you join me on Auction Island?"

I grinned. "That sounds like fun! Don't worry about finding a disguise for me. I'll just use my dragon hunter outfit. I've used it on Auction Island with success in the past."

Heather lifted her eyebrows. "The outfit Harald gave you? He'll recognize you."

"There's no way I could fool him with any disguise. Let's just avoid him. But if he does catch us, I should be able to talk my way out of it."

Heather appeared less certain. "Alright, if you say so..." She elected to wear her rogue dragon rider outfit. We quickly change and then took off for Auction Island.

"Looks pretty different, huh?" I said as I led the way up the stairs.

"That's for sure. This island is just like a Changewing: it might have changed its skin, but it's still the same treacherous town. Still, I doubt all the dragon hunters will be happy with the new leadership, and that's exactly who we should talk to for the latest news." She stopped by the entrance of the trading center. "I'll stay here and keep an eye and an ear out for any pirate conversations."

I nodded. "Good idea."

"There's a good example!" She pointed to a Viking in the center. "Don't you think that storekeeper over there looks resentful? I bet you could get him talking!"

I smirked. "Of course I can." I left my friend and waltzed into the trading center like I owned the place. The dragon trader nodded at me when he saw me. "How's it going? I thought I'd check out the new management. Is every thing still running smoothly?"

"You know, I'm not much of a complainer but a man has limits," he said. "Of course Stormheart belongs here, but the swine she brought with her? They have no respect for the rules of this island! I can't sell anything under those conditions. Take that smuggler over there." He nodded at a nearby pirate. "He says he caught a Triple Stryke that Stormheart herself used to attack Dragon's Edge. Right! I reckon he just nabbed some stray while it was sleeping, dirty cheater that he is. He nicked my best dragon cages, and I never saw a single coin for it."

I kept all emotion I felt from this news off of my face. "Well, they are pirates. Stealing is kind of their thing. You've got to watch out for them."

"Says the girl who's always asking around for a particular pirate."

I frowned. It seemed like news got around. "That's different. You just have to know how to handle them."

The storekeeper laughed. "You're saying you can reign in Harald? Well, I'd rather deal with him than all of the others."

"Same here. Anyway, keep your chin up. Things will get better." As soon as I left him, my mind spun with ideas to free that Triple Stryke. Could it really be the one I saved from the Grimora? I had to gather more information! I took a deep breath and then walked right up to the pirate smuggler. "I know what you're smuggling, and I want in."