The Rise of Light (Book 3: Together Forever)

One Down, One to Go

Stormfly's POV

I woke up somewhere different. Where am I?

I listened for any signs. I heard waves crashing and wind. Lots of wind. And there was a strong smell of water. Saltwater and fish. Oh no. No, no, no, no, no! I can't be here! Astrid needs me!

Then a blast shook the boat. There was a steaming hole smack dab in the middle of the ship.

A figure landed in the middle. 

"Son of a half-troll," they said. 

"Hiccup! Hiccup! Over here!"

"Stormfly!? What are you doing here?"

"Doesn't matter. Let's go!"

"Right. Right!"

He freed me and all of the other dragons. 

I flew out the gaping hole in the deck and was quickly followed by the rest of the dragons.

Wow. Hiccup sure is good with a sword. AND lightning.

All of the men were lying down on the deck or sitting against the railings. There were lightning marks all over the deck and the masts were lying across the deck or floating on the water.

I saw Hiccup fly off the deck only to crash back down as his wing gave out.

"Need a lift?"

"That'd be great." He said after he'd shifted. "Hey, Stormfly? Mind if we don't tell Astrid about this?"

"That would be a good idea. She'd kill you if she found out about this."

"Thanks."

The dragons that Hiccup had rescued had all scattered while we flew towards Toothless's base.

When we landed the sun was just barely beginning to rise.

"Hiccup?" Toothless yawned sleepily. "What are you doing up at this hour?"

"I could ask you the same thing." He whispered back.

"Ya, but seriously." Toothless yawned again.

"I went to do a little recon and ended up finding Stormfly. I just wanted to do something productive. And don't wake Heather up." Hiccup whispered back.

"You what!" He roared and Heather stirred a bit before going back to sleep against Windshear.

"Shhh!" Windshear hissed at us. "Just cause all of you are up at this hour doesn't mean Heather has to be, too."

"Sorry," Toothless said while wincing. "Hiccup. Are. You. Crazy," he whisper-shouted.

"Ya, ya. But we have Stormfly. That means we can save Astrid now."

I could tell he could hardly contain his excitement before drastically changing and becoming deadly serious.

"Viggo will pay-"

Toothless whacked him with his tail. "We aren't doing that again." I gave him a confused look. "He's been like this about twice an hour since he showed up. It has become rather frustrating."

"But he will pay, right?" I asked. 

Hiccup replied while pointedly looking at Toothless, "He will. Because even if you don't want me to, I'll do it anyway."

We'd been talking for a while now and I just realized that the sun had come up. 

"Wow. The sun's already up."

Hiccup and Toothless blinked before looking around.

"So it is."

Then I heard a yawn from Windshear's direction.

"What did I miss?"

Astrid's POV

My daily routine started all over again. But something was off. I heard the dragons all still sleeping.

They're never still asleep. It's too early this time. Which means Viggo wants me to miss something. But what?

My senses were on full alert until we passed Stormfly's cage. It was then that I realized what was off. 

She's not there. I felt a hollowness in my chest. Now. Do it now. While you have the strength and they're half-asleep.

I smiled to myself. They hadn't bothered to send more than one guard with me nor had they bothered to chain my feet. This is gonna be a piece of cake.

I stopped walking and twisted out of the way of the spear he was holding. Before he could call out I'd stolen the knife out of his belt and pressed it against his throat.

"You're gonna tell me where he keeps the Changewings and give me the key to my chains."

He just swallowed and pointed the knife in his back.

"That way. Three rows down." He dropped the keys at my feet.

I banged his head against the wood hard enough that he lost consciousness then ran towards the Changewings.

As I walked through the cages I longed to open them all. But I couldn't. They'd find me easier.

Then I came across a pure grey female. She sagged. Her. It has to be her.

"Hey, girl."

Her sapphire blue eyes flew open. "What do you want? To mock me? Kill me? Do it. I have nothing left."

"I'm here because I need your help."

10 minutes later

We ran amongst the cages. Ashclaw invisible beside me.

A guard rounded the corner and Ashclaw grabbed me and held me against her scales until he was gone.

"Thanks. Why do they call you Ashclaw anyway?"

"For Changewings who are born with grey scales, we are immediate outcasts. We're said to be born traitors. No-one wants us in their flock and the traditional name is Ashclaw or Ashscale. Changewings call traitors ashclaws. and there've been so few of us that we can't even form a flock of our own."

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"It's quite all right. You didn't know. Why did you choose me of all of the Changewings?"

"Because you looked like what I did two days ago."

Valka's POV

I'd watched Hiccup and Heather fly off. 

There's something off about him, lately. Ever since that day. I shivered at the thought of the day he died and came back.

"Do you know what it is?" I asked Osmund while bouncing him on my knee. He just smiled at me while chewing on his fish jerky.

I sighed, "Oh well. I just hope he's safe. It's just his luck for this to happen. But that Astrid. He'll be lucky if he gets to rescue her. Your new mum's more likely to free herself than be rescued."

At the word mum, Osmund perked up. 

"Oh! You recognize that word? You know who your mum is?"

He clapped his hands while giggling.

"She'll be back soon. They both will."

I started telling him a story. Halfway through it, he started to close his eyes. I continued to tell him the story until he completely fell asleep.

I took him over to his crib and placed him down gently.

I sat down beside him with my head in my hands.

Please, Thor. Let them come home soon.