Chapter 10

Working on a secret project out in the open grew increasingly difficult with each passing day. Valka assigned shifts of dragon riders to go on mining missions, all the while refreshing them on the warning signs of an approaching whispering death, and no one said much. Fishlegs organized groups of boulder class dragons to begin the production of gronkle iron, and that raised a few eyebrows. The forge belched smoke day and night, especially the smelters, as Hiccup directed his journeymen and recently drafted apprentice in creating the best iron and steel they could. The yeti provided some instructions on producing finer quality steel, and Hiccup struggled to master the techniques. This caused some ire in others as their commissioned projects got shoved to the side. It did not take a genius to figure out what the small contingent of craftsmen Vikings said did not entirely align with what they did.

"Why they got all those big dragons grinding up blackrock and then heating it in big pans?" Bucket asked Jack as he waited for a batch of new handles for his tools.

Of all the craftspeople, Jack kept to his normal routine. Hiccup thought if might look suspicious if everyone in the workshop applied themselves to metal work. Jack did not say it, but he believed Hiccup to be less than observant at the times when pressure built.

"We're trying to find a way to smelt better steel," Jack answered him. "Fishlegs thinks if we use a finer grade of blackrock, we will get better results. He accidentally spilled some blackrock dust in the melted iron, and it did something to the ore that made cleaner steel. We're hoping to be able to make a lot of it."

Jack did not lie, and the answer seemed to satisfy Bucket and several others who listened in on the discussion. Steel to Vikings often became more valuable than gold. Gold looked pretty and did not tarnish, but one could not make a suitable axe or sword blade from the substance. High quality steel, however, could mean the different between life and death. Once word got around the smiths experimented with making a better grade steel, some of the curiosity dropped away. When large sheets of the improved steel began to appear, Hiccup explained it away as an easy manner to store large quantities of the material. The wire drawing process, however, defied simple explanation, and people gathered to watch Hiccup and Snotlout pull semi-melted copper, the Vikings called it soft red iron, through a steel die. Snotlout got burned several times, much to amusement of the on-lookers.

"What's the wire for?" Goattteeth asked as she observed from the doorway to the smithy.

"Handle wraps," Hiccup grunted as he tried to apply even force while extruding the wire.

"What's wrong with leather?"

"Wire gives a better grip and last longer… and leather rots when it gets wet for too long, and the salts and oils from skin don't do it any favors after a while. I hate that smell."

"I suppose so. Seems like a lot of work for a hilt wrap."

Hiccup did not speak right away while he carefully coiled the new section of wire on a drum and worked quickly to draw more.

"Ever tan a hide?" He asked in return.

"Ugh, can't stand that smell, either. 'Sides, the Hurlsons do a good job at it," Goatteeth responded with the most common reply.

Hiccup nodded and then ordered Snotlout to get Stoneface, a loaned hotburple, to apply more heat to the melt cauldron. Snotlout shook the hotburple with his foot, and the creature opened its mouth and vomited more of the hot, thick flame its kind produced. The wire flowed a bit faster from the extrusion opening. Hiccup ignored the questions thrown at him since making a fine, even wire required concentration. He still did not quite grasp the concept of a conductive coil even though Jack explained it several times. The Viking thought he probably needed to see it in operation in order to appreciate how it would amplify the energy in Jack's Guardian form. It reinforced the fact the yeti conceived an idea on a much higher intellectual plane.

At lunch on the fourth day of production, a full week after his return from Earth, Jack flew IceSpike to the northwest side of the island and the location of the rock quarry Berk used when it needed stone. He found Fishlegs hard at work with one of the better stonemasons. IceSpike landed Jack twenty feet away, and then she flew up to the ledge of the quarry to watch the action. He walked toward the two sweating men who worked alone in the pit, and he carried a large skin of water he left soaking in the cold cave since the night before.

"Fleck, Fishlegs," Jack called out and sided with Hiccup on not calling the stone worker Shitefleck as he got named at birth.

The men paused and brushed chips of stone from their clothing.

"Catch!" Jack said when when got close enough and tossed the skin to the older Viking.

Fleck caught it with one gnarled and strong hand and said: "Much obliged, Jack. Much obliged."

Fleck uncorked the skin and began to drink deeply.

"How goes it, Fishlegs?" He inquired of the Viking waiting his turn to slake his thirst.

"It's the largest anvil stone I've even seen let alone helped make," Fishlegs said with pride and a smile. "We'll be able to shape whole sheets of steel on this!"

"Here'ee," Fleck said and passed the water skin to Fishlegs. "What's this all for if ye don't mind me asking?"

"Two things," Jack said and got ready to spew the lie the group concocted for just that question. "We're making storage silos we can move around the island during harvest, and then maybe some big snare pots for the deep water claw crabs. Toothless brought up a claw the size of Fishlegs not that long ago."

"And ate it all, I'll bet," the man predicted with a wry smile.

"Couldn't even get close to him."

"So if this is your shaping stone, what'll ye be using for a hammer… and who's gonna lift the damn thing?"

"That's the next thing we're making," Fishlegs answered while wiping his mouth, "and a group of dragons will be used to raise and drop it 'til we can build a strong enough scaffolding and pulleys."

"Seems like an awful lot of work for some cans and claw traps," Fleck intoned and sounded skeptical.

"At first, but it's the law of averages at work here, Fleck. We make this now, we can use it for years. We'll be able to turn out new silos and trap pots in a tenth the time it'd take two smiths to fashion one," Jack said as he eyed the monstrous anvil stone.

"Well, ye seem to know a right bit more than I do, Jack, and half the time I ain't got one idea what Fishlegs is talking about. I trust ye know what you're doing," the brawny Viking stated. "Ye know I've put aside a fair bit of work to do this?"

"And you'll get a new steel chisel set from Hiccup, and I'll see to it every stick of furniture you have is good as new… or new-built if needed. Fair trade?"

"Yeah, aye: fair trade, Jack. Just didn't know this was that important. It'd be good fall work to tell ye the truth."

"When do you think it will be done?" Jack casually asked and avoid the topic of rescheduling.

"Well, let's see now," Fleck said and scratched at his chin. "Final shape on the anvil'll be done today. I'll set Fishy…"

"Fishlegs, or I call you by your full name," the blonde, round Viking threatened.

"Right, right. I'll set Fishlegs to smoothing it out. Good apprentice work there. He'll do that while I set the cuts and wedges in the rock face for the next block for the hammerhead. That's more or less one square end and one round end, so shouldn't take but two days to shape most of it. Give or take four days 'til we're full done with this."

"Excellent," Jack said and nodded to Fishlegs, who also appeared pleased if perhaps a little weary.

"Fleck really knows what he's doing. It's like he can read stone and knows right where to strike to break off a perfect chip," Fishlegs said, and Jack did not doubt his sincerity.

"Just experience, Fishy-legs. Been doing this for thirty years and made plenty of anvil stones for Gobber back in the day. This ain't nothing but the same 'cept a wee bit bigger," the man rejoined with a gift for understatement.

"We're in your debt, Fleck, for taking this on ahead of other work," Jack told the man in a serious tone. "If you're up for it, we're putting on an evening meal for everyone helping out. You and Greeny are more than welcome to attend."

"Nice of ye, Jack. I'll get her mind on it when I get home. She hates to cook and not have me eat it, but maybe I can catch her 'fore gets to searing the meat," Fleck replied.

"Do that, and give her our regards."

With that Jack let out with a loud whistle Gobber taught him eight years before, and IceSpike dropped from the cliff edge and gracefully extended her wings. She glided into quarry pit and neatly landed by the trio of men.

"Never had it my head to find me one of them, but that's a slick looking dragon you got there," Fleck complimented IceSpike.

Jack caught the faint jealous expression on his Fishleg's face, and he smirked at his friend. Fishlegs would tell anyone who would listen about the superior qualities of a gronkle and Meatlug in particular. Jack thanked the man and mounted the dragon. He only used two straps since he only planned on flying back to the village square. After a wave and familiar dragon rider call from Jack, IceSpike took the air with a mighty down stroke of her wings and kick from her powerful back legs.

The work progressed apace, although not without complications and difficulty. The yeti plans seemed to require very close tolerances. As the raw materials got refined and they neared fabrication of the device, Hiccup and Jack began to argue with greater frequency about how far they could deviate from the plans. Hiccup wanted to hew as closely to the drawings and specifications as possible, and Jack countered they would loose too much time attempting to correct small errors. As they began their third week of construction, one week before the full moon, tensions overflowed during a planning session that took place over an evening meal.

"The wire thickness varies too much and the coils don't look even, so we need to re-pull ten or twelve dozen yards," Hiccup said as he sat skipping food and staring at the wire he and Snotlout produced.

"It's fine, Hiccup," Jack said in a brusque and dismissive manner. "It'll conduct and step up the energy without any problem."

"Really? So uneven flow between the coils doesn't bother you? What if we exceed what the secondary coil can tolerate… or we create a choke point in the primary and there's not enough energy to power that vortex thing?"

"It's going to be okay! The yeti knew we couldn't make anything to the same quality they can, so they devised it so it's a matter of total energy output. The vortex will open when sufficient energy is present. The coil system is only the amplifier as the power runs from one collection chamber to the next."

"You don't understand what I'm trying to tell you, do you?" Hiccup grunted at him. "If we don't build this like they designed, it won't transform enough of your energy to power the vortex!"

"Show me on the plans where it gives you any indication that will happen!" Jack spat back.

"You can't just wing this, Jack. You can't just think one thickness of wire is as good as another. It doesn't work that way. You need to pay attention to what the designers intended!"

"Hiccup, I know the designers. I re-copied the plans so I could see the overall functional concept. This isn't rocket science…"

"Don't start shooting off terms I don't know just to make yourself sound smarter," Hiccup railed against the man sitting across the table. "I've done my fair share of engineering, as you call it, and building over the years in case you haven't noticed!"

"You're not even thinking straight," Jack barked at the Viking. "There are no mechanical parts to this, Hiccup. You're trying to make it more complicated than it needs to be like you always do!"

Within seconds they began yelling at each other and slowly rose to their feet as each sought to make the other concede to his point. Valka calmly tried to get them to back down and think about what they said, but the two men ignored her. The argument quickly devolved into personal matters. Hiccup accused Jack of consistently failing to take the individual elements into consideration as he tried to control the big picture. Jack stated Hiccup's overwhelming desire to focus on minor and sometimes tangential details caused unnecessary delays in plans to the point that plans became irrelevant. In short, their unique worldviews began to clash as each sought to direct the project toward completion using their own style. They utterly failed to work together, and neither could see that point.

"Shut up!" Fishlegs finally yelled into Hiccup's face and manhandled him into sitting down.

"Close your gob!" Groanhilde hollered at Jack and pushed down on Jack's shoulders so hard his knees buckled.

The Ingermans managed to cause a break in the arguing.

"What is wrong with you two?" Valka growled at them.

"He al-muff…" Jack began to say, but Groanhilde's rather impressively large hand covered over his mouth.

"See.." Hiccup tried to get in a word.

"Don't!" Fishlegs snorted while his face hovered inches from the Hiccup's.

Hiccup and Jack sat in silence and glared at one another.

"Everyone on this island and half a dozen other ones know full well you two don't see eye-to-eye anymore. I don't know what happened to cause this, and right now I don't care," Valka began a tirade against her son and Jack. "Is proving you're right to the other so important you're willing to risk Isemaler and Jack's life… possibly all of ours?"

Her baleful glare caused both of them to flinch.

"You're not arguing about the trap anymore: you're arguing about the grievances you have with each other, and this has got to end. We don't have the time… and, personally, I don't have the inclination, to nurse whatever wounds you've inflicted on each other. We need to get through this Etuchaand crisis first, and then you two can bloody kill one another for all I care at the moment."

Hiccup felt his face fall when as he listened to his mother. However, she turned to Jack who continued to scowl.

"This thing is here because of you," Valka said without any hint of sympathy.

Jack's jaw dropped down in astonishment at the statement. Valka swung her head around faced her son.

"This thing is here also because of you," she grated out the words. He head then swung back and forth as she continued. "This problem is yours together because you wouldn't let each other die. I might mourn the loss of an incredible person like Jack and I would definitely mourn the loss of my son who decided to leave Berk for good, but I wouldn't be facing some crazed god who wants to destroy everything else I love. I can't sit here and let whatever petty, stupid problems you have with each other threaten everything I care about. Either you get this sorted out today, or I'll organize an evacuation of Berk and leave you two alone to face Etuchaand. Do you understand what I am saying?"

"Mom, it's not like…" Hiccup began in a quiet voice.

"I did not ask for any of your obsessive thoughts, son; I asked if you understand what I am going to do!"

Hiccup nodded.

Valka's head almost literally spun on her neck and she bore down on Jack by saying: "Do not begin to equivocate, Jack. I don't want to hear a stream of words I don't understand. I just want to hear whether or not you understand my back-up plan."

"I do," Jack squeaked.

She folded her napkin and set it next to the plate of mostly uneaten food. She then glanced at Fishlegs and Groanhilde. They watched her with intense interest.

"Groanhilde, would it be possible if I could join you and Fishlegs for some of those wonderful cold mutton sandwiches you make. I think I have a bottle of wine stashed somewhere in my rooms. How about I grab that and meet you at your house?" Valka sweetly asked.

"It'd be my pleasure, Valka," Groanhilde answered in the same voice.

Fishlegs nodded his head in agreement.

"Hiccup. Jack," Valka said as she stood. "Thank you for a perfectly terrible evening. I hope you both rot in himmel for your selfishness."

With that the woman walked away from the table. The Ingermans also stood. Fishlegs cast a dark expression at the two other men. Groanhilde would not even look at them. The couple also walked away from the table at an easy pace. Once they caught up to Valka, the trio exited the house. Valka closed the door so it issued a loud thump. Outside the floorboards of the porch squeeze as the threesome walked to and down the steps.

Hiccup and Jack stared at one another in silence. Between them they wanted to say ten thousand awful things, but neither spoke. Valka's pronouncements hung heavily in the air. Seconds seemed to stretch into eternity.

"Is this all we've got left of each other? The arguing?" Jack asked when the silence threatened to topple him.

"I don't know. Maybe," Hiccup said in a small voice. "I just can't imagine why you can't see the problem with the wire."

"This isn't about the wire anymore, Hiccup. Yeah, sure, I'd love to spend an hour yelling that you need to take a look at the whole device… but… would it make any difference?"

"I don't… probably not."

"What are we going to do then?" Jack asked a question that could about to dozens of topics between them.

Hiccup shrugged his shoulders. They once again sat in a turgid, ungainly silence. Jack stared at the food growing cold on his plate. Hiccup started toying with his mug.

"We need to take this fight off of Berk," Jack said without any preamble.

"So now you want to fight me?" Hiccup grumbled.

"No, I meant the fight with Etuchaand. We can't set up the device and use it here. This needs to take place where it won't endanger an entire village."

"I've been thinking the same thing."

Jack rolled his eyes.

"Can't you just stop for one second," Hiccup said in a loud voice. "You might come from a place with advanced technology, but don't forget who couldn't figure out how to train or ride a dragon after he gained the trust of one!"

Jack nearly winced. Hiccup picked a sore spot in his ego. For almost two weeks when he first partnered with the woolly howl he tried to train IceSpike on his own, and he failed in a spectacular fashion. Jack thought, and he since regretted his line of thinking, that one who spent so much time flying on his own could instruct a dragon in the art of tandem flight. It took Hiccup, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut over a month to undo the mistakes he made and make IceSpike respond to the correct commands.

"That maybe true, but when was last time you touched or even saw a mechanism more complicated than Toothless' tail fin? Go head and ask me what I was working on before I came back… oh, wait, it might involve quantum and I wouldn't want to hurt your little brain," Jack retorted in a vicious manner.

Hiccup seethed at the mention of the word.

"So can we just drop this argument and agree we need to move the fight with Etuchaand to someplace else?" The Guardian asked and did not wait for the Viking to fire another volley at him.

"And where did you have mind in since you obviously already picked out a place without discussing it with anyone, Isemaler?" Hiccup asked with considerable sarcasm and the invocation of the Spirit of Winter Joy's name hit it's mark.

Jack ground his teeth together and said: "The Finger of the Gods."

Hiccup sat back in his chair, blinked a few times, and said in a normal voice: "That's actually a good idea. I would've picked it myself."

"Glad I found a place that meets with your approval."

"Great Odin, can't you give it a rest for one minute?"

"I'm not the one who started the argument between us," Jack replied in a low tone. "And I'm tired of feeling like dung over a situation you don't want to talk about, so maybe you can why I'm a little angry."

"I explained twice why I left, and I noticed you never bothered to bring up any of that," Hiccup challenged.

"Oh, right. How do you expect me to just quit being a Guardian? There's no magic words I can say that'll suddenly take the power out of me. What part of it's part of me don't you get?"

"The part where you never even asked to just be mortal here," the Viking quickly asserted. "You've had ten years to ask your Father Moon to let you be normal."

"You know he's got more important issues to deal with, right?" Jack flatly and rhetorically asked.

"My issues are just as important to me as his are to him! Besides, what about Noro? What about The Breathless One? They were there. Can't you get all three of them together again?"

"It's not like calling a council meeting, Hiccup."

"They seemed to do it easily enough the last time. Noro just asked for Elada to show up and he did. Then they called A… The breathless One, and he or whatever it is appeared, so it's a lot like calling a council meeting!" The Viking rumbled.

Jack bit the side of his mouth. He never quite knew how the three grand immortals managed to converge in the same place at the same time. Moreover, he could not deduce where they held the meeting. It never felt or seemed like Earth or Halla. After all, he got called to attendance last.

"That's what makes me maddest, Jack. You didn't even try. You never even thought about trying. You just expected me to put up with all this going back and forth to Earth crap… all the garbage with Isemaler, and I never got a say about any of it. Well, I don't accept it anymore. Either you're here all the time as a mortal or you're not. If you can't do it, then you might as well…" and Hiccup halted before he said the last bit.

Jack listened, and he actually did understand. He both empathized and sympathized, but he still thought Hiccup did not take then entire situation into consideration. If the Viking respected the work Isemaler did on Halla and truly respected what Jack did on Earth, then he should understand why giving up the power became a moot point. At the same time, he privately acknowledge he never did ask any of the higher powers to make him fully mortal. It made him wonder if they could.

"What if they can't, Hiccup? What if I ask and they say they can't because what happened over three hundred years ago fundamentally altered me? Do you reject me then knowing I can never be separated from my powers or being a Guardian?" Jack rejoined, and he started to fear the answers Hiccup might give.

Hiccup lowered his eyes and started at the uneaten food on the table. He could not deny he knew about Jack's nature from the very beginning. At the time, at the start, it seemed so exciting and exotic to know a creature like Jack. It came as thrill to learn the immortal elemental young man loved him. Over the years, however, reality started to exert itself. It became quite clear the deal they got from the god-like beings fell heavily in favor of one side. It rankled Hiccup.

"It's not a rejection, Jack. I just can't live with it anymore," Hiccup quietly confessed again.

"But you know from the beginning what I was?" The Guardian used the question as a protest.

"Yeah, I know, but… did I really understand? No, and neither did you," the Viking countered. "When I got to see you on your world, that's when I started to realize how much it really is a part of you. I… sometimes I felt bad for you here because you couldn't be what you are."

"I never complained, and you didn't need to feel bad."

"I only said sometimes. I haven't felt that in years."

The hardness in Hiccup's voice said much more than the actual words.

"So what are you saying is going to happen to us? Our relationship?" Jack as in a much steadier voice than he thought he could manage.

"I don't know, Jack, honestly," Hiccup said and raised his face. His green eyes looked troubled. "But my mom is right: we've got to figure out how to get rid of Etuchaand first. If that thing wins, then… there won't be any us to even think about."

Jack hated to admit the truth of the statement, so he nodded his head and said: "That… you're right. Okay, so we've got to stop making all this so… personal. We actually need to listen to each other if this is going to work."

"Can you?" The Viking quickly asked.

"Can you?" The Guardian countered.

Hiccup's lips curled inward. He saw in that instant neither of them wanted to give an inch for whatever reason. It also became clear neither of them should be in charge of the project because of their extreme emotional involvement on so many levels. An idea sparked in his brain.

"Jack, what if we put Fishlegs in charge and let him make all the final decisions? He understands the plans probably as good as you do… and he's making the gronkle iron," Hiccup supplied what to him seemed to be the most viable option.

Jack opened his mouth to argue against the suggestion, but one bit of his brain seized on the idea much faster than his emotions could react. Both he and Hiccup trusted Fishlegs' judgment, even if the man could get into a serious dither at times. Of all the people on the island, Fishlegs alone seemed to comprehend the entire scope of the device designed by the yeti. A distracting side thought took over for a moment when Jack considered the fact that if anyone deserved to meet and speak with the yeti it would be Fishlegs. In that instant, the Guardian pictured his stout Viking friend as a hairless yeti. It also confirmed the notion.

"Agreed," Jack said and nodded his head. "Do we give him full control?"

"Do we have a choice?" Hiccup said, but not in an argumentative manner.

"No, I guess we don't."

The looked at each other. Although they would not say it aloud, each felt a vague sense of relief once they agreed. First, it simply felt nice to agree on something, anything, without a protracted fight. Second, it allowed each of them to focus on their individual strengths and how it applied to the project. Once they accepted the compromise, it suddenly seemed irrational they did not think of it from the beginning.

"We'd better go tell them now… and probably make an apology," Jack suggested.

"I was just thinking the same thing," Hiccup affirmed.

"Maybe they'll give us a sandwich."

"Doubtful. Highly doubtful."

From the moment Fishlegs took charge, everything seemed to go into overdrive. Of course, no spoke aloud their sense of relief at not having to face the fighting couple and getting dragged in thinly veiled personal arguments. Moreover, Fishlegs took a decidedly different view of the project than either Hiccup or Jack. He approached it like a puzzle needing to be fit together in an intricate manner. On one hand he saw the need for well-crafted pieces, but on the other he saw that getting close enough to the basic shape would good enough given all the constraints. Not only did the brilliant Viking strike a middle ground, he did so with his own method that removed both Hiccup and Jack to a safe distance emotionally, physically, and psychologically.

"We fly the pieces out at night," Fishlegs said two days before the next full moon after six days of non-stop, sunrise-to-sunrise work. "Assemble what we can and then come back."

They conducted a closed-door meeting in the forge. Fartbritches showed a surprisingly adept skill at using the giant stone anvil and hammer, and his years of making mistakes helped him avoid making new ones as the doughnut-shaped collection chamber got pounded into existence. Valka and Groanhilde looked on with questions in their eyes.

"Are we five enough to get this done in time?" His wife asked and glanced at the assembled.

"Hiccup has the skill and Jack knows the overall function. I'll provide some muscle and a hammer," the man listed the current assets. "It's not a huge: just heavy. It's going to take all three dragons to fly the coil to the island 'cause that thing is heavier than a pack of hotburples."

"It's four hours there and four back," Hiccup reminded him. "That's a full night right there."

"What if I get a few of the other riders to fly some of the parts half way?" Valka suggested. "Cloudjumper and I will stay with the pieces until you move them Finger island."

The three men glanced at one another, but then Hiccup and Jack looked to Fishlegs.

"Not a bad idea, Valka," the project leader said with a curt bob of his head. "If the Guardian box parts and the coil housing make it that far, it would be a huge savings in time."

"Consider it done," the senior dragon woman in a confident manner. "If Farb is finished with the ring chamber, then I'll get a few riders to move that as well."

"No, that'll look suspicious," Fishlegs retorted and caught everyone by surprise. "I had to tell people I changed my mind and was working on a new grain chute idea when it didn't look anything like a silo. I'll fly those myself today to the Finger island. It won't look unusual if me and Meatlug haul it around."

"Good thinking," Jack murmured.

"So tonight we'll finish transporting all the parts, and tomorrow we'll put it together. Don't know how we're going to test it…"

"Goorah knew we wouldn't have time to test it. She made a small scale model and told me it worked in her lab," Jack told them and not for the first time. "That's the best we're going to get for testing if we want to try this on the full moon."

Hiccup nodded, frowned, and glanced at Jack before he said: "Do we even know where Etuchaand is?"

Jack surveyed the four people surrounding the small work table. They each looked normal in appearance, dressed in everyday clothes none would find suspicious, but he saw the dark circles under their eyes that spoke of nights spent building instead of sleeping. Groanhilde supplied the most surprises of late. She got Mouldy to show her how to wrap wire around hilt grips, and then undertook creating the two coils with the thousands of feet of wire Hiccup and Snotlout extruded. She worked carefully and under the watchful eye of her husband. Fishlegs confessed she did a much better job than he could expect from himself. When Hiccup and Jack examined it, both men gazed at the rightfully proud woman with stunned gratitude. Hence, she earned her tired expression. Valka spent hours and hours diverting people's attention from the real purpose of the project, often forgoing her usual routines to do so. The each labored deep into the night and woke with dawn.

"I've been thinking about that," Jack piped up. "Isemaler's been in hiding for over a month now…"

"Got to give him credit," Hiccup interjected without a trace of sarcasm.

"Yeah, we do. He's been grumbling about feeling the belief in him eroding down south. It's full winter there, and… Isemaler is not enjoying fading out of sight."

"But he's safe," Valka intoned.

"Yes, and that's how we lure Etuchaand out into the open," Jack told her. Four sets of eyes stayed glued to him. "We fly Isemaler to the island and keep him surrounded…"

"And how to we do we do that?" Groanhilde grunted the question.

"We fly in box arrangement, using the dragons to help shield him. We'll need to fly it tight formation to keep him guarded, but I think we can do it."

"When?" Fishleg asked the follow up.

"Six hours before moonrise on the full moon day."

"And then?" Hiccup asked, but seemed purely inquisitive.

"Then we open a small gap in his living shield. Close it. Open it again. Close it…"

"A beacon," Fishlegs immediately intuited the idea.

Jack grinned and nodded. He liked begin able to discuss ideas in meetings without getting into a tangle with Hiccup. From his observations, Hiccup felt the same.

"So we give Etuchaand just a… taste of Isemaler, but not enough to give it a chance to do anything. That creature will have to show up to find out what is going on. Nice," the senior dragon rider summarized the general gist of the plan.

"But do we know it will work?" Valka supplied the next logical question.

"I really think it will," Jack answered. "When Etuchaand feels that vortex open, and it'll think I'm leaving Halla for good."

"And how do we get Aletha to go into the trap?" Fishlegs took another turn questioning him.

"I'll be ready to travel, and the transfer will start on its own. Etuchaand'll come chasing after me to try and stop that from leaving. That's when Isemaler shoves it from behind to get it into the trap."

"Does Isemaler know this?" Hiccup inquired and skepticism returned to his voice.

"We'll explain it to him on the flight there. He's knows what's at stake, so I'm pretty confident Isemaler will agree. He's fighting for his life… after life… existence. That should be reason enough," Jack concluded on that topic.

"Jack," Fishlegs quietly said his name. "That vortex… isn't it a one-way trip? Won't that mean you'll get stuck on Earth, too?"

The Guardian slowly shook his head and said: "There is a debt I have to pay here on Halla, and the collector of that debt will make sure I'm around to pay it."

Everyone except Hiccup looked slightly confused. Hiccup went pale. Eyes turned toward him.

"He means The Breathless One… Death," Hiccup half-whispered and shuddered a little bit.

"One does not cheat Death," Jack said and tried to think of the person on Earth he quoted. "At least not twice."

"Or thrice," Fishlegs added.

"Died twice. Came back both times," Valka quoted and did a passable impersonation of Gobber.

Raising the memory of their departed friend seemed a good omen to Jack. Everyone appeared to be mulling over the plan, and he gave them time to do so. Fishlegs began to bob his head, and that always indicated a favorable view on his part. Valka seemed resigned to it. Groanhilde glanced around and shrugged her shoulders a little. As the newest member of their little group, Jack did not expect her to have fully formed opinions, but her questions regularly proved invaluable. Hiccup alone wore a stern face. The Viking looked from person to person and finally settled on Jack.

"Are you sure you won't get pulled through?" Hiccup inquired in an obviously forced dull tone.

"As sure as anyone one of us can be," Jack replied. "I really do think Aita will show up to pull me out if there's any chance I couldn't make it back. At the very least Father Moon would send me back to complete my obligation."

The answer did not satisfy Hiccup, but he let the topic drop. They needed to concentrate on making sure Etuchaand entered the trap and got transported away from Halla. Even though the being only tormented Isemaler at the moment, Jack seemed fairly certain Etuchaand would unleash a wave of destruction on Halla to test it's power and strength. Hiccup finally just nodded his head.

"Okay, it's settled. Everyone knows what to do, so… let's go do it," Fishlegs exhorted his compatriots.

Fishlegs, Groanhilde, and Valka all departed the workshop. Hiccup began to walk around the drafting table to head toward his section of the smithy. He stopped when he caught Jack staring at him.

"What?" He asked.

"I just… after everything you said, why… I thought you'd want me to get pulled through the vortex," Jack verbally stumbled as he vocalized his thoughts.

"Dammit, I wish you'd listen to me, Jack!" Hiccup grumbled and shook his head. "That's not at all what I want."

Jack got no further explanation as Hiccup went to his side of the workshop. Confusion slid through the Guardian's mind as he tried to make sense of what Hiccup might ultimately want. Given the content of their most intense argument, he got the impression the man would be better served if he simply went away. Hiccup walked to his tool table trying to stem his sense of irritation. He found it hard to fathom Jack would believe for one moment he wanted the Guardian to disappear. In his mind, it simply proved the gulf between them, and he struggled to find a way to cross that enormous gap.