Here's a longer chapter for you.


They left before dawn to rejoin the other dragons. With the other Deltoran dragons warned, they decided to go back to Del and plan what to do from there.

It took several hours to return to Del. They stopped in Rithmere to check in with Fardeep and Steven, who was still there, seeing if they would return.

After informing Doom of what happened, he began sending birds to their allies, calling a meeting in Del. There would be little they could do until they all arrived.

Hiccup and Grim found themselves looking for things to do. Hiccup got out his notebook and began copying some of Doran's notes about the Deltoran dragons along with what he found out during their adventures. He sketched the dragons onto the pages next to his entries. Fishlegs would kill him if he didn't make entries for these Deltoran dragons.

Grim spent time in the city, exploring the market square. There were many things that were exotic to Grim. There were fabrics, spices, and jewels. Much was far too expensive for Grim. He was not a frugal person, but a bag of gold for an ounce of spice was far too expensive. He could understand paying for salt in its weight in gold, but not other spices.

Eventually Hiccup got tired of being inside and Toothless was demanding to go for a flight.

"Okay, okay," said Hiccup. "Let's go flying."

"That sounds like a good idea," said Grim.

Hiccup jumped, not having heard Grim and Deathshriek come up behind them.

Toothless gave a gummy smile. "Want to race?"

Deathshriek growled. "Do you think you can win?"

Toothless barked a laugh. "You've never won against me."

"Then let's see if we can change that. Three, two, one, go!"

Grim, hearing everything, jumped onto Deathshriek's back. "Race you!" he called behind him as Deathshriek took off.

Hiccup was stunned for a moment. Toothless got his attention by hitting him in the back of the head with his tail.

"You cheat!" Hiccup yelled at Grim, jumping into Toothless' saddle.

It didn't take long for Toothless to catch up with Deathshriek.

Grim turned. "You can't blame a dragon for trying."

Hiccup laughed. "Try all you want. Snotlout has tried that before and we still won. So, where are we going?"

"Not far," said Grim.

Toothless pricked up his ear fins.

"What's up, bud?" Hiccup asked.

"Dragon," replied Toothless.

The Topaz dragon came into view. "Greetings, dragons and riders."

"Hello, Tru," said Hiccup.

Grim bowed from where he sat on Deathshriek.

"What brings you outside of the city?" the Topaz dragon asked.

"It started out as a race that Grim and Deathshriek tried to cheat at," Hiccup said, glancing at Grim.

"Like I said, can't blame a dragon for trying," said Grim. "Night Furies are the fastest dragons we know of."

Toothless looked at Deathshriek. "It was a good try. But I didn't think you would stoop so low."

"Grim and I have our mischievous sides," Deathshriek said with a dragon smirk.

"So what are you doing, Tru?" Hiccup asked. "I thought you would still be resting."

"I have rested enough," said the Topaz dragon.

"In that case." Hiccup had Toothless barrel-roll over the Topaz dragon to fly on his other side. "Let's see how fast you can fly."

Toothless let out a happy roar and shot forward.

Grim shook his head fondly.

The three dragons flew through the sky and clouds. Hiccup was laughing and urging Toothless on. The Topaz dragon flew behind Toothless, keeping pace with the Night Fury. Deathshriek was gliding behind the Topaz dragon, not wanting to race. They landed at the coast not far from the city as the dragon flies.

The riders got down and began playing with Toothless. The Night Fury was pleased that he had beaten the Topaz dragon in a race. The others guessed the Topaz dragon let him win, but they couldn't bring themselves to ruin his victory dance. Toothless pranced about, kicking up sand. The prancing soon turned into chasing as the riders started a game of tag with Toothless.

The Topaz dragon settled down with Deathshriek beside him.

"Ah, to be a carefree dragonling again," said the Topaz dragon.

"Compared to some, we are still hatchlings," said Deathshriek. "My guess, Hiccup and Toothless are roughly the same age. Hiccup and Grim are year mates from what I can tell. I'm not sure who the elder is."

Toothless pounced on Hiccup and licked him. Grim levered Toothless up and onto his side. Hiccup got up and brushed off some of the slobber. Grim and Toothless continued to wrestle for some time before Toothless gave it up. Grim then turned his attention to Hiccup.

Hiccup laughed, but his smile faded some when he saw a predatory grin cross Grim's face. "Grim? What are you planning?"

"Are you nervous, little fish?" he asked.

Hiccup started backing away. "Grim, no."

Grim began advancing.

"No!" Hiccup yelled, turning and running.

Grim ran after him. It didn't take him long to catch Hiccup and wrestle him to the ground.

"And honestly, I don't think it matters that much," Deathshriek continued. "They're children. Children shouldn't know war or death. But they do."

Hiccup was yelling and laughing as Grim flipped him over onto his back. "Hey, Grim, I need that!"

Grim tugged off Hiccup's prosthetic and tossed it out of reach.

"What was that for?" Hiccup asked, trying to get up to hop over to get his prosthetic.

Grim was gentle when he tackled him back to the ground. "You can do it without the prosthetic." Grim was on all fours and waiting for Hiccup to move.

Hiccup would try to get up to hop, but Grim would pull him back down.

Hiccup stopped trying to get up and started looking at how Grim was on the ground. He was on his hands and knees and would launch off the ground using his feet. Hiccup was at a disadvantage with only one foot.

Deathshriek and Toothless watched with dragon smiles as their riders wrestled on the ground like dragons.

"He's learning," said Deathshriek.

"Hiccup was never one to give up, even when he lost his leg," said Toothless. "He must have tried a dozen different tail mechanisms when he was trying to get me to fly again."

Hiccup pounced on Grim, pushing his full weight off his only foot. He was off course and ended up sliding off of Grim's side.

Grim chuckled and rolled Hiccup around, pinning him down at the chest.

"Okay, I give up," said Hiccup.

Grim got up and retrieved Hiccup's prosthetic. "It will take time for your legs to build up the strength to push off the ground like I do."

Hiccup put his prosthetic back on and continued to lay where he was.

"You should return to the city," said the Topaz dragon.

Hiccup checked the sun's position. It was starting to set. "They'll be worried."

Grim also looked to the west. There was a weird look in his eyes.

Hiccup got up and tugged at Grim's sleeve. "Hey."

Grim glanced at Hiccup. "Have I ever told you about the story of Nuada Silverhand?"

Hiccup blinked. "No," he said slowly. "Where's this coming from?"

"I'll give you the short version of the story," said Grim. "Nuada was the god of war in Irish culture. He was the king of the island of gods at one point. There was a battle and Nuada lost his left hand. Now, according to their laws, a king must be physically unblemished and Nuada was forced to abdicate the throne. He went into exile and met a clever god that made him a silver hand. Now that he was whole again, he could take the throne once more. The king that took over was unpopular and he wasn't giving up the throne without a fight. There was another battle and Nuada won. The king who took Nuada's place was called Bres."

"Huh." Hiccup cocked his head to the side. "So you think we're going up against a god?"

"No," Grim said. "I'm just saying it is a very odd coincidence."

Hiccup gave a small laugh. "I guess that makes us Nuada." Hiccup noticed an odd look in Grim's eye when he said that. However, his brother smiled.

"I guess that it does."

They mounted up. The Topaz dragon volunteered to escort them to the very edge of the city, not wanting to be shot at.

"Dragon Speaker," the Topaz dragon addressed.

Grim had Deathshriek slow to a hover. "Yes?"

"Even in death, our loved ones wish to help us," the Topaz dragon told him. "Do not fear them."

Deathshriek felt Grim tensing on his back.

Grim calmly bowed his head in acknowledgement. They parted ways from there.

"What was that about?" asked Hiccup.

"I'm not sure," replied Grim.


Grim slept little that night. It was after midnight when he got up and slipped out and went down to the archery field. He took out his sling and found several stones that would suit his need.

The archery field echoed with a whipping sound, a slight crack, and then a thunk a second later when the stone hit the target. Night wasn't the best time for target practice, but with the moon three quarters full, it was bright enough for Grim.

Grim didn't turn when he heard a large dragon walking up to him.

"You haven't slept," accused Blackscar. "How do you expect to fight if you don't sleep?"

"I'm tired of dreaming of death," answered Grim. He launched another stone. "I'm tired of fighting."

"To fight is to survive," said Blackscar.

"For a dragon, not a human. As much as I act like one, I am still a human. I want peace."

"And you think dragons don't?" asked Blackscar. "When the Death came to Scotland, every day was a struggle. Many died from starvation or were eaten by the Death. Dragons in Scotland knew peace once."

"So do the dragons of Grim Island," Grim added. "Grim Island is peaceful. I learned to speak there. I learned to fly there. I learned joy there. And then I left and I was put back into the battle for survival."

"Things should be better now that the Outcasts and the Berserkers are no longer a problem," Blackscar pointed out.

Grim frowned. "How did you know about that?"

"Grindheart and Axewing," replied Blackscar. "Ember-Ash wanted to know what has been happening on Berk since the last we saw you. The hatchling wouldn't shut up the whole flight." There was a fondness in Blackscar's voice as he spoke. The younger Nightmare may have been annoying at times, but it was clear Blackscar liked him very much.

Blackscar became serious again. "There is a time for war and a time for peace. Now is the time for war. Peace will follow."

"Yes. Peace will follow," agreed Grim.

Blackscar walked away.

"But the question is when is the war over?" Grim added quietly.


It took days for everyone to arrive. The first were Gers of the Jalis and Zeean of the Torans. They arrived the same day. Lindal came the day after with a Ralad named Manus. It was interesting meeting the small, blue-skinned, red-haired man the first time. Steven also came with his caravan. Along with him, he brought the Gnome, Gla-thon.

In the days it took, Grim was in a foul mood. Hiccup and the dragons thought it best to stay clear of the dragon speaker, especially when he snapped at Deathshriek. Hiccup didn't know what had been said, but it made Deathshriek very upset. The Baleful Banshee slunk off to the stables with his tail dragging behind him and his ear-fins drooped.

Hiccup took this opportunity to finish his notes on the Deltoran dragons. He spoke to Lindal to learn the story of Capra and the Ruby dragons. It was a very sad story and now that she knew both sides of the story, Lindal told Hiccup that the dragons were just protecting their nests. Hiccup understood perfectly.

The other dragons explored the area, but never went far from the city. Ember-Ash liked to meet up with the Topaz dragon and would return late in the day. He said he was learning about the old dragons.

With representatives from all seven territories present, they began planning.

They sat in the council chamber around a large table. Hiccup and Grim sat close to Lief, Toothless and Deathshriek sitting back. Next to Grim was Zerry. The boy was allowed into the meeting because he was one of the few Mere people they knew. He was nervous being here, but he wanted to help any way he could. Zerry knew he could learn something from Hiccup and Grim.

"We need to destroy these false dragons!" Gers yelled, slamming his fist against the table. "This Bres must be stopped!"

"If the dragons are killed, the Shadow Lord could break through Deltora's defenses," said Zeean.

"The Shadow Lord no longer has the Ak-Baba," said Lief. He turned to Hiccup and Grim. "The dragons have made certain of that."

"And Bres will be stopped," Barda said. "We need to find him first."

"It will not be simple," said Lindal.

"No one said it will be," Doom said.

"How?" asked Jasmine. "Deltora is no small island. It is impossible to search all of Deltora. Bres and the false dragons could be hiding anywhere."

"We may be able to narrow it down." All eyes went to Hiccup. "We've fought these fakes. They always ran away. We could figure out where they were going by which way they flew off in. But I need a map."

Doom pulled out a map from the inside of his jacket. It was worn and faded, but it would work perfectly for what they needed it for.

Lief handed Hiccup a pencil. "Show us."

Hiccup put the map in the middle of the table and leaned over so he could show everyone. "I might need a little help with the exact locations. We saw the fake red dragon in Broome." He marked the city with a small dot. And the fake gold dragon at Os-Mine Hills, which is. . ."

"Here." Lief pointed to where the Topaz dragon's lair was.

"And then we were in Rithmere when the fake blue dragon attacked." Hiccup dotted the city. "And followed it to the Emerald territory. Now, the fake red dragon flew west, but I don't remember the Opal dragon mentioning anything about an invader. And there are the fake violet and white dragons. They flew north-east. Again, I don't remember the Opal dragon mentioning any fake dragons. Which can mean two things: One, the Opal dragon we talked to wasn't really the Opal dragon."

Lief shook his head. "It was him. I spoke to him through the Belt."

"Or two, the Deltoran dragons can't sense them," Hiccup finished.

"Which is a possibility," said Grim. "Toothless and Deathshriek both said they don't smell like dragons."

"So they are products of sorcery," said Zeean. "I always believed the dragons could sense magic."

"They can," Grim said. "At least ours can. They've been able to sense the Belt and there have been other times when they sensed magic."

Hiccup continued to look at the map drawing a few arrows in the direction they saw the false dragons fly off in. "Grim and Deathshriek chased the fake blue dragon north, but it could have turned and flew in a different direction when they circled back to get us. So knowing what direction the fake dragons flew off in, we can narrow down where they could be. They all flew away from the coast. We need to look inland."

"They will not be in Toran territory," said Zeean. "Toran magic protects the land. We would have sensed it."

"So we can mark off the Toran territory," said Hiccup. "So that narrows it down farther."

"Have any of you heard of more sightings?" Grim asked.

Gla-Thon spoke up. "We have seen no dragons other than the Emerald dragon and your dragons. None of us have heard of a false dragon until the king told us. But we do not have eyes in the eastern part of our territory. It is too unforgiving and almost uninhabitable."

Hiccup nodded and drew in pencil a line around the area where they needed to look.

They all looked at the area they needed to check.

"That is still a lot of land," said Steven.

Hiccup looked up at the peddler. "You had to cut across this area. Did you see or hear anything out of the ordinary?"

"No, we have not seen anything," Steven replied with a shake of his head.

Hiccup turned to Manus. The Ralad shook his head.

"There has to be a way to narrow the search area even more," said Barda.

Grim sat in his chair with a blank look.

"Grim?" Doom called. "What are you thinking?"

Grim didn't answer right away. "We've come across these false dragons before. We know what they sound like, what they smell like."

This got Hiccup's attention. "If the dragons know what they smell like, they can track them!"

"You have a lot of faith in your dragons," Zeean said.

Hiccup and Grim looked over at Toothless and Deathshriek. The two dragons were looking back at them, ready to work.

"Would they be able to smell these false dragons from such a great distance?" Manus asked.

"Not Toothless or Deathshriek," Hiccup replied. A smile lit up his face. "But Grindheart could. He relies on his other senses because of his poor sight."

"So all you need is your dragon to track the false dragons," said Zerry.

"It is not so simple," Gers scoffed.

Hiccup's expression remained bright. "Actually, it is. Grindheart was able to track us from Berk. He could track the false dragons. We have the area where we need to start searching. We start at one side with Grindheart and make our way to the other."

"The only drawback is we will have to do it at night," Grim added. "Grindheart tolerates sunlight better than other Whispering Deaths, but it still hurts his eyes."

"We need to act quickly," said Zeean.

Lief turned to the dragon riders. "How soon can Grindheart be ready?"

"As soon as the sun sets," replied Grim.


They waited for the sun to set before leaving. Hiccup found Grim turned to the west.

"The sun isn't going to set faster if you watch it," said Hiccup.

"I hope the dragons are okay," said Grim.

"Do you want to head out awhile and start pushing east at sunset instead of waiting?" Hiccup asked.

"I would like that. Will you be all right by yourself with Grindheart?"

"We'll be fine," Hiccup waved off.

It only took moments for Grim to be on his way west. Deathshriek flew into the sunset to where they would begin searching for the false dragons. It wasn't long before they crossed the border to the Diamond territory.

Deathshriek searched the area around by scent and sound. There wasn't anything he could sense that could possibly be a false dragon.

"Rider!"

A happy screech followed.

The Amethyst and Diamond dragons flew towards them to meet them. The Diamond dragon was flapping her wings as fast as she could.

"You came back! Can we play?" she asked.

"I think something can be arranged," Grim said.

They landed. Deathshriek went off to play with the Diamond dragon.

Grim took a seat with the Amethyst dragon.

"What brings you to the Diamond Territory?" asked the Amethyst dragon.

"We narrowed down the search area for the false dragons," Grim replied. "We're taking the other dragons and searching tonight."

"Other dragons?"

"A few of the Berk and Scottish dragons followed us since we were due back on Berk days ago," answered Grim. "We are not leaving until the job is done."

Grim proceeded to tell the Amethyst dragon what they had learned about the dragon and Bres.

"This is sad news," said the Amethyst dragon. "These false dragons have no fear of crossing the borders of the territories. They can attack us like the Ak-baba, coming and killing in mass. Now that the Ak-baba are gone, we have a new enemy, one who does not fear the Great Gems or the king."

Grim hesitated before speaking.

The Amethyst dragon caught that. "Is there something you wish to say?"

"Oh, yes," said Grim. "I have noticed the other dragons talking about their borders. They care little for what happens outside of them."

"This is true," said the Amethyst dragon. "We stay to our territories. Guarding them is all that matters."

"But not to you." Grim's blue gaze settled on the dragon's eye, a dangerous move since humans could be entranced with a dragon's gaze. However, the Amethyst dragon could see Grim was focusing on his eye ridge, not the eye itself. "Not you, Fírinne. You would keep your oath to not invade the other lands, but here you are. You made a choice. You had to choose between your territory and the life of another dragon. You chose life." Grim had a slight smile on his face.

The Amethyst dragon had a soft look of pity on his face. "You met another who made a different choice."

"Dóchas, the Opal dragon," Grim whispered.

"All must make choices," said the Amethyst dragon. "Yet others can feel the decisions of the choices."

"And we all must live with them."

"But that is not what is troubling you, is it?"

Grim turned away.

"There is something else," the Amethyst dragon surmised. "The Opal dragon's choice troubles you personally."

"My first real friend was a dragon." Grim's voice was flat. "He was killed. I could not do anything to stop it. Dóchas had a choice, had a chance, and he did nothing. The guilt of my friend has always stayed with me. Recently, I feel it coming back to haunt me. Part of me feels he is back to condemn me for what I could not do. It is happening again. I do not want a dragon that needs to live to die because of something I could have prevented."

The Amethyst dragon sighed. "Young one, you cannot save everyone. Death is part of the natural process."

"There is nothing natural about being shot out of the sky, tied down, and killed by the sword," Grim said coldly. "Not for a dragon anyway."

The Amethyst dragon silently agreed. "Guilt is a very powerful thing. If you hold on to it, it will rule you. Be at peace knowing his spirit flies amongst the clouds."

Grim's face softened. "I thought that, but now. . ."

The Amethyst dragon frowned. "Now what?"

Grim took a breath to steady himself. "He never haunted my dreams. When he first died, I dreamt about that day. They were memories. I had a few since then, but nothing like what I have since Dread Mountain. These weren't memories. These were twisted dreams of watching my friend die. It was a slaughter! From the stories Hiccup told me about the Vikings, they typically do not take their time like that."

Grim's face was pale. The Amethyst dragon thought he may be ill. He put his head down and nudged Grim with his snout. Grim put his hand on the dragon's nose.

"Dragonfriend often worried about things beyond his control," said the Amethyst dragon. "I hope you find peace."

"I will have peace when this is over," said Grim.

"It is a good attitude to have," said the Amethyst dragon.

Grim smirked. "And here I took you for a cynic, Fírinne."

"I look at the world and see the harsh truths. I am the dragon of the Amethyst, the Gem of Truth."

The Diamond dragon bounded over to them. "Will you play with me?" she asked Grim.

Grim put a smile on and looked over at Deathshriek. "Well, I think it is safe to say that you have worn him out."

"Hey!"

Grim chuckled and shrugged off his weapons. "All right, let's see how you do against smaller opponents."

Deathshriek and Grim traded places.

"Will he be all right?" the Amethyst dragon asked Deathshriek.

"He's wrestled with much larger dragons in the past," Deathshriek replied. "The only time we really had to worry was when a Thunder Drum stepped on him. He was sore for a few days, but he was fine."

The Amethyst dragon smiled as he watched the Diamond dragon played. "He is so happy."

Deathshriek nodded.

"His name is misleading."

Deathshriek gave a warbling laugh. "If you would have met him when I did, you would think differently. When I found him, he was nearly frozen to death on a boat he was sent out to die in. I wasn't sure if he was going to live. The least I can do was keep him comfortable. I took him back to my den, lit a fire, and waited. When he wasn't dead the next day and had gotten sick, I knew I would have to keep him alive. I fed him like a dragoness would her young. It took me a few tries to realize that I had to void what I had in my stomach before eating and regurgitating the fish for Grim. Too much stomach juice was worse than not eating at all."

"You saved his life."

"I think all the dragons on Grim Island had a hand in it," said Deathshriek. "I got his strength back, but some of the others gave him a reason to live. We taught him to hunt. We taught him to fly. We taught him to speak."

"You earned his trust and he earned yours."

"Dragon training begins and ends with trust."

The two dragons turned to see Hiccup standing behind them.

"Hiccup? Where's -?"

The Diamond dragon and Grim yelped as a shadow pounced on them.

"Toothless!" yelled Grim. But he couldn't stay mad and started laughing. He looked over at Hiccup. "Never say you cannot sneak up on a Baleful Banshee."

Hiccup was grinning. "I wasn't sure what Toothless was doing."

Toothless laughed.

Grim straightened his clothes out, wiping some dirt from his pants. "What are you doing here? I thought we were waiting until dark to begin."

"Grindheart was ready to go," said Hiccup. "Ember-Ash is going to take Barda and Jasmine. I figured out a way for Axewing to have a saddle so Lief can ride him. I figured I should find you awhile. Anything?"

Grim shook his head.

Hiccup looked at the dragons. "Might be a safe bet that Bres and those fakes aren't here."

"Two territories down," Grim muttered.

"Grindheart's still going to make a pass through here to be sure," Hiccup told him. "We don't want to risk missing them."

"Are we going to wait for them here?" Grim asked.

Hiccup gave a shrug. "I thought about doing that." He turned to the Amethyst dragon. "Would you like to come with us?"

"If it means ensuring the safety of the territory, I will," said the Amethyst dragon.

The sun dipped below the horizon.

Grim looked to the west. "Grindheart will be out now. It should not be long."

"What is that?" the Diamond dragon asked. She was looking to the northeast.

They turned. There was a bright red light shining into the sky.

"Do you think that it could be Bres?" Hiccup asked.

"Only one way to find out," answered Grim.

The riders got on their dragons and took off, the Amethyst and the Diamond dragons behind them.

"It is coming from the Opal territory," said the Amethyst dragon.

Grim hissed loudly, sounding like he was cursing.

"Okay, we need a plan," said Hiccup. "We're going to have to get the others. We're not going to be able to do this alone. Grim, can you and Deathshriek go ahead and see what's going on?"

Grim gave a nod. "Stay safe." He urged Deathshriek forward with a nudge of his leg.

Hiccup looked over at the Amethyst dragon. "Toothless and I will try to find the others."

"We will come with you to the border," said the Amethyst dragon.

A hissing roar sounded behind them. They turned and saw Grindheart in the lead of the group. At his wing was Axewing, Lief on his back. Ember-Ash and Blackscar brought up the rear.

"Hiccup!" That was Barda. "What is happening?"

Hiccup motioned to the light. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Where is Grim?" Lief asked.

"Getting a closer look." Hiccup turned to the bright light. "I hope he's okay."


Deathshriek flew to the source of the bright red light; the town square. Grim could see an altar set up and a tall cloaked figure standing at it. The light was coming from the altar.

"I think we found Bres," said Grim.

Deathshriek grunted.

"I call upon Despair," said the cloaked figure.

Grim shuddered. It was the chanting in his dream.

From the altar a wisp of black smoke rose into the sky. It began to take shape, forming wings and a head.

"Destroy Hope," commanded the cloaked figure.

The smoke continued to form itself into a dragon. Its head bobbed and it flew north.

Deathshriek could feel Grim tensing on his back. He was hissing and growling. Deathshriek thought he was going to jump of his back and go after the cloaked figure.

"It's going after the Opal dragon," said Deathshriek.

"We need to stop it," said Grim.

"I call upon Sorrow and Doubt."

Two more wisps of smoke rose. Instead of flying off, they formed into the gold and scarlet fakes they knew.

"Destroy the dragons here, but leave the king," the cloaked figure ordered. "I want him to watch."

The fakes roared in understanding.

"We have to go," said Grim.

"Don't need to tell me twice."

Deathshriek turned tail and started flying back to the others. A fireball hit him broadside and knocked them out of the air.

"Grim!" he yelled.

Grim put his arms out to Deathshriek. Deathshriek pulled Grim close and prepared for impact.


"Grim!" Hiccup yelled. He saw the scarlet fake had fired a shot off at nothing, but then he saw the falling Baleful Banshee. They both fell into the water.

"Can they swim?" Jasmine called out.

Hiccup replied immediately. "Not if they have broken bones."


Deathshriek pushed Grim to the surface. The boy let out a cry and coughed.

"Are you okay?"

Grim put his arm around Deathshriek's neck. "I don't know. My arm hurts."

Deathshriek fought the strong current to the bank and pulled Grim out by the collar. He watched Grim lay down on the bank and pull off his jacket. His shirt still covered his arm.

"Is it broken?"

Grim shook his head. "No," he coughed. "Only bruised."

"Can you hold your sword?"

Grim drew his sword from his back. He gave it an experimental swing. After one more good cough, he said, "It will have to do."

Blue fire erupted mere feet away from them. Deathshriek put his wings around Grim to keep from being burned. They both disappeared, hoping their invisibility would get them out of it. Deathshriek looked up and saw what appeared to be the Lapis Lazuli dragon.

"That must be Misfortune," said Grim.

"And Sorrow and Doubt?" Deathshriek questioned, trying to protect Grim from the heat. While the scales protected him from the fire, Grim could still roast in those clothes.

"Let's get out of this first," said Grim.

Deathshriek looked up and saw the blue fake make another pass for them, searching for where they could be hiding.


Hiccup's first thought after he saw Grim and Deathshriek fall into the river was to go after them. However they were stopped by the gold and scarlet fake dragons. The gold one's face was still ripped apart and stained with gray.

"Scatter!" Hiccup yelled, seeing the two fakes coming at them. The next chance he got, he looked over and saw blue fire lighting up the riverbank and it didn't belong to Deathshriek.

"Oh, no," breathed Hiccup. "Toothless, get over there. We have to help."

Toothless grunted in agreement and made the turn. Just as he did, Hiccup narrowly missed being speared by the scarlet fake's talons.

Lief was not used to being somewhat in control of a non-Deltoran dragon. Axewing had a very large wingspan and put it to good use, but being so large also made him a target. He looked behind him to see where Barda and Jasmine were, but could not see them. Axewing chose that moment to make a bank turn and nearly threw Lief from the saddle.

Axewing huffed a small apology at Lief. He knew he turned hard and could feel Lief tugging on his horns. The gold fake was right behind him. With his sharp wing, he cut into its shoulder. The false dragon roared in pain and flew away.

Lief caught a glimpse of the orange and gray Nightmare dragon with Barda and Jasmine. The black one was close, almost guarding them.


Deathshriek was looking for a way for him and Grim to escape. The blue fake, Misfortune, continued to breathe fire.

"Plasma blast!"

There was a pause in Misfortune's attacks. Deathshriek grabbed Grim and took off. The two became visible for Deathshriek to flip Grim onto his back.

"You okay?" Hiccup called over.

Grim wiped some sweat from his face, smearing ash across it. "I'm fine."

Misfortune came back for them.

"Scream!" Grim ordered.

Deathshriek launched a sonic shriek attack at Misfortune. The wail sent the blue fake fleeing.

Grim turned to Hiccup. "Bres is in the town square. He's controlling the fakes."

Hiccup scanned the area to check for the false dragons. He was beginning to see a pattern in how the fakes fought. They would chase and attack and fall back whenever the dragons would turn on them.

Hiccup noticed the gold fake had a new gash on its shoulder. However, it didn't look fresh. Hiccup frowned. "I thought it didn't have that a few minutes ago."

"What?" asked Grim.

"That gold fake didn't have that gash the last time I saw it. Unless you did that when we first fought it."

Grim looked at the gold fake. "I did not do that."

Hiccup winced. "You don't think they can heal themselves, do you?"

The thought hadn't occurred to Grim, but with the luck they had been having, it did not surprise him that it could be true.

They noticed the scarlet fake, Sorrow, was coming after them.

"Hiccup, I need you to listen to me," said Grim. "Bres is in the town square. He is controlling the fakes from there. He already sent the fake rainbow dragon after Dóchas. You need to get to Lief and tell him this. Deathshriek and I can distract Sorrow."

"I'm not leaving you behind to fight alone," argued Hiccup.

"Toothless is the fastest dragon there is! Get to Lief. Deathshriek and I can hold it off long enough for you to do it."

Hiccup hesitated.

"Go!"

Toothless flew off.

Grim turned to the scarlet fake. "Deathshriek, do you remember what the Shooting Star dragons taught us?"

"I don't think these things want a dance lesson," hissed Deathshriek. He pulled his lips back in a twisted smile. "But we can teach these things a thing or two about messing with real dragons."

Deathshriek took off and flamed Sorrow's underside before flipping around and flying off.


Hiccup and Toothless caught up with Lief and Axewing.

"Bres is here? You are certain?" Lief asked when Hiccup finished telling him what Grim found.

"I believe Grim," said Hiccup. "And who else could control the fakes?"

Lief looked down at the city. "This must end." He turned Axewing in the direction of the town square.

Hiccup and Toothless followed.

At the town square, the cloaked figure looked up at them. "Ah, greetings, King of Deltora. I am Bres." Bres was a tall man, not nearly as broad as Barda, but still strong. His dark eyes were manic and a smirk played on his lips. Dark hair framed his face and he had a scar from his left cheek to the right of his chin, cutting through his mouth. His clothes were rough, tanned skins of different animals.

"Stop this now," commanded Lief.

Bres chuckled. "I do not take orders from you, little king. I give the orders."

"You do no longer," said Lief, sitting tall in the saddle.

"You are in no position to give orders!" roared Bres. "Deceit!"

Another wisp of black smoke rose from the altar. This one took the shape of the Amethyst dragon.

Toothless easily got out of the way when the violet fake attacked, but Axewing was not as lucky. With his large wings, it was not simple for him to make tight turns when he wasn't prepared for them. Lief fell off and landed on one of the roofs of the buildings below.

"Lief!" Hiccup yelled.

Bres began to shout in a language Lief could not understand.

Hiccup, however, with the medallion the Scottish witch gave him, could understand it.

"Seven hearts of the land were harvested. Seven shadows were left in the ground. Seven fires soar the vast sky and hundreds more are silent in sound. Seven more shall join as ash, their anguished cries echoing in the night. The king will fall to his knees and beg for mercy and for life."

Hiccup saw Lief get to his knees. He wondered how hurt the king was from the fall. He had seen Astrid take a worse fall with only bruises, but she hadn't hit the ground, just several trees.

"The crown will be wagered in challenge and the victor shall onward rule. But only royal blood may pass through the gate and participate in the duel."

Symbols glowing red appeared around Hira. They became brighter and everyone was forced from the city.

"Lief!" shrieked Jasmine.

The symbols created a dome over the city.

Ember-Ash flew to the dome, but was unable to pass through. He fired off a blast of flame, but it did nothing.

The fake dragons moved to one side of the city. They watched the Berkian dragons.

Hiccup kept his eye on them and did a quick count. "Deceit, Misfortune, Sorrow, Doubt."

A roar came from the north. They wondered if it was the Opal dragon.

"Oh, no," whispered Grim. "Despair."

They knew it wasn't the Opal dragon, but the fake dragon.

"There are two more." Jasmine pointed behind Doubt and Sorrow. Hiding behind them were the green and silver fakes.

"What's the opposite of honor and purity?" Hiccup asked.

"Immorality and Impurity," Barda answered.

Jasmine frowned. "Why are they waiting? They have better odds. Why not attack in numbers?"

"Don't push our luck, Jasmine," said Hiccup.

Axewing and Blackscar growled in agreement. They were all tired.

Fearcloak moved over to Grim. "What are we going to do, Grim?"

Grim only put his hand on Fearcloak's head. He didn't have an answer for the small dragon.

"What was that chanting?" Barda asked. "Did anyone understand it?"

Hiccup, who had been the closest, answered. "Seven hearts of the land were harvested. Seven shadows were left in the ground. Seven fires soar the vast sky and hundreds more are silent in sound. Seven more shall join as ash, their anguished cries echoing in the night. The king will fall to his knees and beg for mercy and for life."

Grim moaned in anguish.

Hiccup paused for a moment before continuing. "The crown will be wagered in challenge and the victor shall onward rule. But only royal blood may pass through the gate and participate in the duel."

Barda looked down at the dome. "So Lief must duel Bres for the crown." He sighed. "And the Belt."

"The Belt will not work for Bres," Jasmine snapped. "It will only shine for Adin's heir. Bres is not Adin's heir."

"I doubt Bres intends to use the Belt, Jasmine," said Barda. "He means to destroy the dragons."

Jasmine pressed her lips into a thin line.

Barda sighed and stared at the dome. "And to destroy the dragons means to destroy Deltora."

A hiss brought their attention away from the dome. Grindheart was hovering beside Axewing, his spines standing straight up.

Blackscar growled. "We have other things to worry about."

Still on the opposite side of the dome were the false dragons. They were staring at the Berkian dragons.

"Why are they waiting?" Jasmine asked again.

"For a victor," Grim answered.

"A victor?" asked Hiccup.

Jasmine understood immediately. "You see the same with packs. The leaders fight while the others watch. Once there is a victor, the fight for survival begins. Why did I not see that sooner?"

"How are we to know how the false dragons think?" asked Barda.

"So we just wait?" asked Hiccup.

"We cannot do much else," said Jasmine. "If we move, they will see it as cowardice and come after us."

"If we move, we get attacked. If we don't move, we wait for Lief and Bres to stop fighting and then we're attacked." Hiccup gave an aggravated groan. "I guess it's better to wait for now. We need a plan. No matter who wins down there, we'll have to fight the fakes."

"The odds are terrible," Barda pointed out. "Seven false dragons against six true dragons."

Fearcloak squawked.

Jasmine turned to the sound. "I am sorry, little one. You are much too small to fight."

From under her jacket, Kree and Filli somberly agreed.

Hiccup jolted in the saddle. "That's it!" he whispered. "I got an idea."


Lief considered himself very lucky that he wasn't more hurt than what he was. Nothing felt broken, but he was shaky on his legs.

With the dome overhead, he couldn't see his friends or the false dragons. Below him in the town square, Bres was watching him with a smirk.

"Are you going to stay up there all night, king?" Bres called. "Why not come down here to fight? Are you scared, little king?" He laughed.

Lief found his way down from the building, climbing through a top window. He let his fingers brush against the Gems, gathering courage, clarity of mind, fortune, and paused. He usually did not touch the Opal. The Gem of Hope granted visions of the future to come. Lief did not like touching it, often seeing horrible things warning him of evil. The last time he touched the Opal, it showed him what Deltora would have become if they had not stopped the Shadowlord.

After a moment of hesitation, Lief decided he needed to have the hope. He touched the Opal. Instead of the vision he had expected, he heard a voice instead.

"I am royal blood. I was banished from my home, but I am still royal blood. My ancestors were great kings. My father, Ard Rí Na Éirran – High King of Ireland. I am a prince. My name -."

"Have you fled, little king?" Bres called.

Lief moved his fingers over Ruby and Amethyst. He drew his sword and went down to meet Bres.

Bres grinned as Lief stepped out of the building. "I was beginning to think you lost your nerve, little king."

"I will not run," said Lief. "I will defeat you. You will not kill the last dragons."

"You are a little late for that," sneered Bres. "The last of the Opal dragons has fallen."

Lief paled. His hand went to the Opal. "I am royal blood," he heard the voice declare again. The voice sounded familiar, but that didn't matter at the moment. Lief couldn't sense the Opal dragon.

"Hope has died," said Bres.

Lief gripped his sword in both hands. "Hope still lives."

Bres picked up a sword from the altar. "Not for long."

"Why are you doing this?" Lief asked. "Why are fixated on destroying the dragons?"

"The dragons cannot be controlled," said Bres. "These shadows can be. They have no concern for borders and working together with each other. And they can be controlled."

"Why would you need to control them?" asked Lief.

"Someone has to do some good for this kingdom," sneered Bres. "With the Shadowlord gone, what have you done since then? You should be gathering armies to stand against the Shadowlord's return. You should be making allies with other lands for strength. You should be using anything as a defense to keep Deltora from falling into shadow again. But you sit there on that little throne of yours and let a few trade ships bring you goods out of pity."

"They do not bring goods out of pity," Lief argued. "Once, Deltora was a great place of trade. I will see it be again. I will see this land restored to the glory of the time of Adin."

"And like the first time, the Shadowlord will come again," snapped Bres. "Deltora needs a strong king, one willing to fight for his land. With my magic and the shadow dragons, I will lead an army able to defeat the Shadowlord in its own land."

"You would lead the people to death," Lief said.

"Death is part of the natural order," said Bres. "There will be death, but there will be freedom from fear."

"But it is the dragons that protect the land."

"And my dragons will protect the land!"

"Destroy them and the power of the Belt will lessen. And besides, you will not be able to wear the Belt. Only an heir of Adin can wear it."

Bres scoffed. "The Belt? It is a pretty trinket. My power can protect Deltora."

Lief shook his head. "You are mad."

"I am a realist," said Bres. "You know this is going to happen, even with that Belt of yours."

"I will stop you," said Lief.

Bres laughed. "You? If you had the dragons or your friends, you could. But alone? Alone you are weak."

With that, Bres lifted his sword and charged Lief. Lief was able to block the blow, but almost went down on his knees. He pushed the sword back only to have to duck to avoid being beheaded. Lief rolled and got to his feet to block again.

The muffled sound of multiple dragon roars reached their ears. They both looked up at the dome.

"Sounds like your friends decided to do something incredibly foolish," said Bres. "My dragons will enjoy tearing them apart."

"No!" Lief sprang forward and they started again. Lief hoped if he defeated Bres that it would undo his sorcery.


Outside of the dome, the dragons were dodging the fakes and their attacks. Barda and Ember-Ash were chasing the silver fake. It was a cowardly thing that liked to attack and run off. They all liked doing that, but it was the silver fake that seemed to be guilty of it the most. Ember-Ash was having enough of it turning tail and fleeing.

Axewing was chasing the green fake with a new rider: Jasmine. While she was used to using her small size to her advantage, Jasmine could see the benefits of being one of the larger dragons. Axewing's wingspan was almost the same as some of the larger fakes. Especially since those wings were razor sharp. He could dive out of the sky and cut his enemies.

"Get above him," Jasmine ordered Axewing.

Axewing did as he was told, gaining altitude.

The green fake looked behind it and saw nothing. Axewing gave a roar and swooped down, cutting it. To a normal dragon, the damage would have been serious, but the wound was already healing quickly.

The remaining dragons were leading the rest of the fakes in an aerial dance of death. Toothless and Deathshriek, the quickest and most agile, randomly shot at the fake dragons while Blackscar used the dark to his advantage, swooping down and lighting himself on fire. As for Grindheart, the Whispering Death would get in as close as he could to an unsuspecting fake and snap it with his tail. He did manage to take a bite out Sorrow, but it did little to the fake red dragon.

"Lief better hurry up," Hiccup shouted over to Grim.

Grim fired an arrow at Doubt, blinding it in the left eye. He felt little satisfaction at the fact that it couldn't heal with the arrow lodged in its socket.

Hiccup put his shield up to keep from getting scorched. He then had Toothless lead Misfortune to Grindheart's position. Several of his spines shredded the side of the fake.

Blackscar got his talons around Despair and tried crushing its throat. He was broadsided by Deceit.

Barda was nearly tossed off Ember-Ash when Doubt recovered from its bout of pain and fired at them.

In the dome, Lief was not faring as well as he had hoped against Bres. Bres was relentless in his attacks. Lief was thankful for his speed or he would have been dead already. As it was, he had a few cuts and skinned knee where he had to slide to avoid a blow.

"You are alone," said Bres. "You are not fit to be king."

Lief couldn't move fast enough out of the path of Bres' sword. It caught him in the side. The wound wasn't deep, but it hurt.

Bres grinned. "I told you."

Lief looked at Bres. He knew he needed help.

Outside of the dome, Deathshriek and Grim flew over.

"This is taking a long time," said Grim.

"It seems like a long time in battle," said Deathshriek.

"Yes, but this is taking too long," said Grim. "We're getting tired. We need to end this."

Deathshriek agreed wholeheartedly with Grim.

Toothless flew by.

"Hiccup!" Grim shouted.

Hiccup turned around.

Deathshriek used a sonic shriek to turn the red fake away from them. He then flew next to Toothless.

"That chant," said Grim. "Did it say royal blood or Deltoran royal blood?"

"Only royal blood," answered Hiccup. "Why?"

Grim looked down at the dome. "This has to end."

Hiccup nodded at Grim's obviousness.

Grim shouldered his bow. "Someone needs to show Bres what a real dragon trainer can do." Grim pulled his feet up so he was crouching on Deathshriek's back.

Hiccup smiled.

Deathshriek hovered over the dome where they thought the town square would be.

"What is he doing?" yelled Barda.

Grim stood up fully.

"I am royal blood. I was banished from my home, but I am still royal blood. My ancestors were great kings. My father, Ard Rí Na Éirran – High King of Ireland." Grim looked down at the dome and steeled himself. "I am a prince!"

Jasmine screamed when she saw Grim jump from his dragon's back still shouting.

"My name -."


Cliffhanger. I know, this is so horrible of me. Some of you have been waiting from the beginning to learn what Grim's name was. You're just going to have to wait a little longer. But it was just so easy!

On a different note, Halloween is coming up and that means Trick or Treat. I may be too old for that, but that's not going to stop me from dressing up this year. I'm planning on going around the neighborhood on Trick or Treat night dressed as the Mad Hatter (I talked my friend into going as Alice). Anyone care to share what they plan on doing for Halloween?