I Am Dragonblood: The Grim Beast (Book Four)

Chapter Nineteen - Dragonbloods Plan

It didn't take much persuasion to get the Dragonbloods to come along. The Vikings, on the other hand, took a lot to keep them from coming too. Astrid could see that she had to stay behind and chief the Berkians, even though she yearned to help and smash Grimmel's skull in. Together, after over an hour, both she and the Chief talked them into staying on New Berk. 
    Hiccup somehow managed to convince his mother to stay. He didn't want her to be caught up in all this, especially after only a year spent with her. He made her promise to stay and help Astrid, not that he held out any hope for them staying. 
    With six Dragonbloods and a dragon in tow, he headed back to the Hidden World as quickly as he could. It was slower with others, and he was impatient to find his bud, but he had to keep his wingbeats slow so they could keep up. By early morning they were spiralling down the Kløft av Tåke, the chasm that marked the entrance of the Hidden World. First the Night Fury vanished into the spray, then a Deathgripper, two Flightmares, a Sand Wraith, a Shockjaw and a Deathsong. Seven of them against one giant dragon with a flock of thousands. 
    They met Bolt and Arianwen outside the cave that Hiccup had been instructed to. Both of them looked concerned and tense, the Light Fury more so. Without a word she gestured to the cave, her blue and red eyes flicking to watch the darkness within. 
    Hiccup looked in and saw a red Sand Wraith with a human sitting beside it. At the sound of Hiccup's metal foot on stone the red headed boy glanced up, his piercing green gaze boring with intensity into the Chief. 
    ‘That's my brother, Myth,’ Arianwen said from behind him. ‘He turned up last night, claiming he knows what we are planning and wants to help.’
    ‘How do you know?’ Hiccup asked, suspicion flaring like an angry Nightmare. 
    Myth put his head to one side, not even blinking as he stared. ‘I followed you here. Heard what you said to her—’ he looked at Bolt, still not blinking. ‘And figured out what you were doing.’ His accent was strong and implacable, though come to think of it Hiccup could detect a trace of it in the Light Fury's voice. 
    ‘We didn't hear or see you,’ Hiccup said. 
    Arianwen shook her head slightly. ‘He used to be a Hunter, and a very good one at that. You wouldn't have seen or heard him unless he wanted you to.’
    ‘Hmm,’ he grunted, not liking this strange situation one bit. He turned from Myth to face the others and they watched him expectantly, all of them, except Arianwen, in hybrid form. ‘Right, this is what we're going to do.
    ‘Bolt here, being as she's the only one with earplugs—’
    ‘Mushplugs,’ she put in. 
    ‘Mushplugs,’ Hiccup amended. ‘She will teach us commands and stay in hybrid form while we, under the influence of Deathgripper venom, go into the crystal cave. The Alpha's call cannot reach us through the venom, but there's the downside of us not being able to control ourselves. Which, as I said before, is where Bolt comes in.’
    Most of them growled at this, but none complained. 
    Sky, who was standing at the back of the group and peering over Gale's shoulder with grey eyes, asked, ‘where are we getting the venom from?’
    Hiccup looked at Anic, the Deathgripper Dragonblood. 
    ‘Oh come on,’ she said. 
    ‘I'm sorry, but it's the best way. Probably the only way.’
    ‘And also a crazy way,’ Arianwen said, turning around and almost whacking Stell in the face with her tail. 
    Hiccup moved back so he wouldn't be accidentally slapped. ‘Maybe it would be a good idea if you Shifted.’
    ‘I can't,’ Arianwen said, sitting down and slapping Gale with her wing. ‘I've spent too long in dragon form and now I cannot Shift back.’
    ‘Not even to hybrid?’
    The Light Fury shook her head. ‘No. I've tried but I just... Can't. It's been a month now that I've been unable to Shift.’
    Myth emerged from the dim interior of the cave, the scars on his face and arms becoming apparent in the soft glow of the stones. ‘Grimmel has been in dragon form for three weeks, if what you say is correct. He would be finding it difficult to change to his human form now.’
    ‘So we need to get him into human form while we can,’ Gale said. ‘He would be more vulnerable like that.’
    ‘How?’ Anic and Sky asked at the same time. 
    Hiccup gave a grim smile. ‘By getting him to need the Deathgrippers. If we can break his hold as Alpha, he would need the Deathgrippers to protect him because he wouldn't have the protection of the flock.’
    Arianwen muttered under her breath. ‘Still crazy.’