SEVEN

SET IN STONE


Perem Doris must have been a beautiful Roman temple hundreds of years ago. Because now, it looked like it had been struck by an unknown catastrophic event. The temple had the size and shape of the Pantheon, but the looks of a battered building. Most of the pillars surrounding the core of the temple had either plummeted down to the floor or just disappeared completely. In addition, it lacked a roof and a primary entrance: anyone could have entered from all directions. Just walk past the pillars and they would have found themselves right in the middle. And from the looks of the overall structure, Perem Doris may have been built several hundred years ago and destroyed just last week.

Reverix and his crew remained cautious as they had found their primary destination standing right in front of them. It appeared that no one else was visiting this place. Reverix signaled his thirty pirates to enter the temple with him.

With slow and careful sneaking, they kept their weapons close while gazing at every direction for potential enemies. But once they reached the center of the temple, they had to look up high to see what they stared at.

The image of a sinister-looking dragon had been set in stone. The unscathed statue must have been at least twenty feet tall. Never has Reverix seen the face of a dragon that looked so demonic. This one had the appearance of a nightmare. Everything about it, including its claws and open wings, made it seem clear that this creature shouldn't be messed with.

Reverix noticed something on the statue's scaly chest. A dozen human skulls of every size had been carved into its skin. He called for Havoc the Roman and asked if he had any knowledge of this particular dragon.

Havoc only shrugged his shoulders and said, "Not that I know of. Nobody from my hometown would recognize any of this. But whichever one it is, it sure looks creepy even to me."

Reverix called out to the rest of his crew, "Does anyone know what this dragon's name could be?"

Everyone shook their heads. All, except for Barclay the Celt.

The plump Irishman had his eyes wide open the entire time. "I know what this is."

And now, everyone started to pay attention to what Barclay would say.

"The Romans have carved this dragon so perfectly. The human skulls on its chest is especially correct."

Furlock the Gaul asked, "What do you call this creature?"

"Voriak is its name. It comes from an old legend. This dragon is a servant of an evil god who was destined to conquer the Earth. He summoned Voriak to create a human army that would do his bidding. Humans would be forced to drink the dragon's blood and become the combatants that fought in the name of their new god. But soon, good overwhelmed evil. The evil god had been destroyed and the Celtic armies captured Voriak. They sent him to a mysterious island and kept him in isolation for many years. Either they buried him alive or let him starve in a dungeon. Needless to say, the dragon died but his spirit lived on."

Reverix rubbed his fingers against the hilt of his sword. "What do you mean?"

"Voriak couldn't be killed that easily. Before all of this, he made a pact with his god that he would find a way to reawake from his death in some way. And legend has it that once his body decayed…his blood found a way to escape. He resides in the Island of Black Blood. His blood is everywhere. It could be in the rivers, or it could be the sap in the trees. It doesn't matter. If anyone has the power to control it, he can use it to produce an army of his own."

Reverix suddenly realized something. "So whoever drinks his blood…they join an army of darkness."

Barclay nodded. "At least that's what I remember when my own father told me this story."

"What do the skulls on its chest represent?"

"It is a very famous symbol. It is the future for anyone who drinks Voriak's blood."

"That must be why Genghis Khan is here."

Vidko the Russian's blank stare said it all. "To have the dragon riders drink the blood."

Reverix tried to understand it all in just a few seconds. "He may have found a way to use Voriak's blood. Remember what the old man said. 'They drank his blood. They lost their souls.' Maybe this is what he meant."

Barclay gave a nervous laugh. "I wish I could believe it, but I doubt it. It's just a legend from your good friends, the Celts."

Denin quickly raised his hand. "Anton said something similar. He said that there's a Mongolian myth about a magic elixir. Whoever drinks it becomes a great warrior with extraordinary powers. But their freedoms are confined because of anyone who is in control of their fate."

Anton the Bulgarian gave a little smile. "You have such a good memory."

Reverix took another look at the statue of Voriak. "Khan sees the blood as the magic elixir. It's making more sense than ever before. The Riders of Berk drank the dragon's blood."

Denin remarked, "Yeah, but what about the black oil?"

"Now that is the one that leaves me baffled."

Anton placed a hand on the statue. "I am curious to see where the blood is hiding."

Furlock sounded like he refused to believe what he just heard. "How can you be sure that it's actual blood? These sort of things can be just legends and myths."

Anton's little smile grew just a little more devious. "You'll be surprised by just how any of it can be true."


Denin had hoped that he found the one who made the unusual footprints. Unfortunately, the footprints ended at the outskirts of Perem Doris. He couldn't catch anyone in sight who could have wandered alone in the Silent Forest. He could only feel disappointed that he still couldn't catch sight of Hiccup or any of his dragon rider friends.

Denin looked up at the full moon finding its place in a cloudless night sky. Everything had changed. The Isle of Berk wouldn't be the same. He could only hope that his Viking friends would stay the same.

He whispered to himself, "This really is a Land of a Thousand Scars."

After discovering the temple, everyone had been told by the captain to investigate the building. Denin, Emilia, and Kinesh looked around the temple and found nothing. The young Viking was about to start a discussion with the Spaniard, until he could hear the Indian giving a slow gasp.

Denin turned around to see Kinesh's eyes being wide open. "What is it?"

Kinesh quickly pressed his finger against his lips. "Sssh."

Denin and Emilia knew when to keep quiet, and most of it had to do with Kinesh being such an excellent observer.

The young Indian acquaintance slowly raised one of his throwing knives while closing his eyes. Denin stood still. Kinesh's body movement could only indicate something sinister brewing in the area. The captain's nephew watched as his attentive friend raised his knife high and faced the dead trees from outside the temple.

Kinesh only needed a fraction of a second to toss the knife in a random direction. Something small arrived from the dead trees at a quickened pace. Sparks flew, and the knife immediately fell to the floor alongside something else.

Denin and Emilia looked down to see that the knife had kept a single arrow from injuring either one of them.

All of a sudden, someone in the far distance began to scream. The arrow on the floor led the young pirates to believe that the scream had a legitimate purpose.

Most likely a war cry.

Denin quickly turned around to warn the rest of the crew.

"We're under attack!"

It took everyone a fraction of a second to realize that several more arrows began to emerge from the distance darkness.


TO BE CONTINUED…