Heart of a Berserker: Love (School of Dragons)

Chapter 15

"Born in grief, raised in hate
Helpless to defy his fate
Let him run, let him live
But do not forget what we cannot forgive

And he is not one of us
He has never been one of us
He is not part of us
Not our kind

Someone once lied to us
Now we're not so blind
For we knew he would do what he's done
And we know that he'll never be one of us" 

- "One of Us" from The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride

Chapter 15

Amber-encased dragon riders littered the village square. They must have been the first to rush out and offer help. A quick glance at the stables told me the dragons had been sealed inside, and I bet there was plenty of amber on them as well. There was not much Harald and I could do except go around to everyone and promise help was on the way.

Heather returned at the same time Hiccup and Astrid joined us. I could tell the couple had a serious talk, and it made me uneasy. I pushed my feelings down as I helped Heather distribute the solution to our waiting friends.

"I'm afraid this still isn't enough," Heather said apologetically while she worked on Fishlegs. "If we can free some dragons, more of us can go back to the lab and-"

"Hold off on the dragons," Hiccup said sharply. "There is something we need to discuss."

Heather looked at him in confusion. "Hiccup, is something wrong?"

Instead of answering her, Hiccup strode over to Harald, who just finished freeing Viggo. "Harald, did you set us up? Did you plan this attack?"

Harald stared at him with a perfectly controlled, unreadable expression. "No, I did neither of those things."

Astrid snorted. "Yeah right."

"Hiccup," I said in a warning tone, "you can't just accuse him like this."

"I'm not accusing him," Hiccup said. "I''m simply asking a few questions." He turned back to Harald. "Did you tell Toki about the Night Lights?"

"No," Harald replied. "I told him we found the required dragon to unlock the map, but I did not specify the species."

"Then how do you think he found out about them? He clearly targeted them."

"It's not unreasonable to assume he deduced it himself. His research may have led him to discover the existence of the Light Fury and her importance to this venture. And if he recognized the Night and Light Fury as the dragons on the map, he may have correctly come to the conclusion that their offspring are also necessary."

"That's an awful lot to assume," Astrid said, arms crossed.

"Alternatively, Cason may have let something slip - either deliberately or from carelessness."

"Yes, exactly," I said. "There are several possibilities here, so stop blaming Harald."

"But he's the most likely culprit," Astrid said.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Says you."

"Says his track record."

"I have another question you have not yet answered," Hiccup said. "How did Toki know the location of New Berk?"

"I imagine he's clever enough to have figured it out in the months he's been in the archipelago," Harald replied. "The island is not invisible. You didn't really think you could keep it a secret forever, did you?"

"To be fair, Grimmel figured it out on his own," Fishlegs said.

"As far as we know," said Astrid.