Chp. 10

Maelstrom

The fog was so thick that you couldn't see more than two feet in front of you. Astrid stumbled her way across the deck, almost colliding with one of the masts. She ducked out of the way just in time, avoiding a broken nose. However, it didn't change her luck by much, since she tripped over some stray rope anyway. Astrid's face met the wooden deck hard.

Fishlegs found her and helped her to her feet. "The fog is getting thicker," he stated.

The sound of a peg leg on the wood signaled the approach of Ivan the Plunderer, "It means we're close," he said, "The fog is always really thick the closer to the island ye get."

Astrid and the others looked toward the front of the ship as it sailed further into the swirling mist. None were aware of the small wave following a ways away. It would have been large enough to be noticed on a clear day, but only just so. No one could hear the deep purring sound that seem to issue from the sea just below the wave either.

Finally, and quite suddenly, the fog vanished all together, and the small fleet found themselves in open water. Astrid, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Snotlout all looked around and confusion until they heard someone cry, "Land ho!" They all rushed to the front of the ship, realizing as they did so that they were in what was like a clearing in a forest of fog. The thick mist formed a wide and perfect circle, in the center of which was an island much similar to that of Zigala's.

"Is that it?" Snotlout asked aloud to no one in particular.

"Ai, that's it. We 'ave reached our destination mates. Welcome, to Maelstrom Island." Ivan answered.

The Vikings didn't realize how big this clearing was until an hour later when the island was still just a spot on the line where white met blue. Astrid in particular was annoyed by this. It seemed to her that the island was taunting them. Like it got farther and farther the closer they tried to proceed. Even the dragons seemed to sense their masters' apprehension. They became unusually snappy and jumpy.

At noon, as all of the Vikings were sitting down to have lunch, Ivan approached Astrid. "I've arranged for one of me boats to take ye ashore when we get dere," the huge man said, "I'm afraid that's we're we part ways. Me men and I will not go to inside that island, sailors' superstition, you know."

"I understand," Astrid replied, "thanks for your help."

"It was my pleasure, Mrs. Haddock," Ivan said.

So, when they finally reached the island, Astrid and the others went aboard one of the Viking longboats with their dragons. Ivan came with them as a show of respect and farewell. Once the dragon on the front of the boat cut into the sandy shore, they young Vikings and their dragons jumped onto the beach. Ivan and a few of his men got off the boat as well, so that they could push it back out to sea.

"Well," Ivan said as he shook hands with the departing Vikings, "I must say that I'm sorry to see ye leave. It was a pleasure havin' ye as a part of me crew. Good luck Mrs. Haddock, I 'ope you get ye'r husband back." He then turned and began to help push the ship back into the water.

It was then that it happened. A loud, low growl that seemed to echo everywhere made everyone stop and look around. Then, there was silence, and eerie silence. Suddenly, something huge burst out of the sea and struck one of the longboats, shattering it in two as its crew screamed and jumped overboard, which was a mistake. One by one, they were pulled beneath the waves as their ship sank. Whatever monster was responsible let out a terrible roar from beneath the water's surface.

"Go!" Ivan the Plunderer yelled to the group assembled on the beach, "Get to that continent! We'll try to distract the monster!" With that, his men quickly shoved the ship into the ocean and began to row back to the Freedom.

Astrid had almost reached the tree line when there was a huge crash. She and the others turned to see something enormous emerging from the water onto the island a ways away. At first, Astrid thought it to some enormous crustacean, until she got a clear picture of it.

The monster looked like a cross between a giant eel and the mother of all crustaceans. It had six legs and two pincers. Its tail was flat, and what Astrid had mistaken for a shell was actually armor covering the thing's back. It's face and underside were that of an eel, however.

The creature stumbled onto the island, water falling off of it like rain. It looked around, stopping once it found the dumbfounded group on the beach. The monster seemed to almost glare at them for a second before letting out a loud roar. At this, the group promptly resumed running into the trees.

Crashing sounds signaled that the creature was giving chase. Its shadow soon over took them. The group stopped under the trees beneath the creature's belly. It didn't know where they were and seemed to be looking for them. Its growls were so loud that they drowned out the panting of the Vikings and their dragons.

"Alright," Astrid said, "here's what we're going to do. Prince, Toothless, and I are going to find the gate. While we're doing that, you guys distract this thing with your dragons and try to lure back out to sea. Once we've found the gate, I'll get on Prince and signal you guys back, ok?" The rest of the Vikings nodded. "Ok, on the count of three. One, two, three!"

Astrid, Toothless and Prince took off into the jungle as the others mounted their dragons and flew out from under the monster's belly. It still was unaware of what was happening until it received a fireball in the back of the head from Fishlegs' Gronckle. It growled deeply and shook its head before turning and snapping at the airborne reptiles with its pincers.

Astrid mounted Prince as he and Toothless ran through the jungle. Well, glided or hopped would be more accurate terms. Their paws would only touch the ground for a little bit before they jumped into the air and glided below the treetops. The pounding of the sea monster's legs and the snapping of its claws told Astrid that the others were performing their roles perfectly. It was up to her now to save them.

After a few minutes of dodging through the trees, they finally reached the mountain that rose up in the center of the island. There was an old, open entrance at the mountain's base. The rubble around it suggested that is used to a door of some kind. Astrid got off of Prince and ran inside, the dragons following closely behind her.

The entrance opened to a tunnel, an awfully long tunnel. It seemed to Astrid like the stupid thing would never end! She just kept running forward, the dragons at her heels, as the tunnel twisted and curved. Soon, the sounds of the battle outside could no longer be heard over their panting and their footsteps. Finally, they stopped to rest in front of a stairway that disappeared into the low ceiling.

The monster roared in fury as Firedrake launched a ball of flame at one of the joints between the plates on its back. With surprising speed, the creature whipped around, its claw reaching for the Monstrous Nightmare. Snotlout threw insults at it as his dragon flew out of reach.

The crustacean- eel soon found itself blind in one eye as its vision was blocked by a cloud of green gas. Before the monster could move away, Pisces spat a spark at the cloud, igniting it instantly. The hideous creature screamed as its eye burned, its pincer coming dangerously close to Pisces and its masters.

Fishlegs and Boulderhead were coming around for another run at the beast when Fishlegs noticed something that made him stop the Gronckle in midair.

"Fishlegs!" Snotlout called out from Firedrake as the flew past, "What are you doing?"

"Look!" Fishlegs pointed at the monsters belly.

Snotlout's eyes widened as he saw what looked like two long, thin, barbed tentacles snaking out from the space between the creature's armored back and its soft belly. They came up behind Pisces, preparing to strike at the twins' backs.

Just as the tentacles shot forward, two blasts of fire knocked them out of the air. The sounds of the explosions caused Ruffnut and Tuffnut to turn around. Their eyes widened as they saw the burning tentacles writhing in the air. They turned their eyes to Fishlegs and Snotlout as the two sped by.

"Ruffnut, Tuffnut," Snotlout yelled over the monster's screams, "watch your backs!"

The two nodded and put some distance between them and the giant creature as it retracted the tentacles. Almost the same instant that the two vanished under the armor, dozens more lashed out. The dragons soon found themselves dodging in and around a forest of tentacles with death stuck to their ends.

It looked like Fishlegs and the Gronckle were going to fall victim to this terrible mass when the monster roared in pain, its tentacles retracting enough to allow the two to escape. The creature staggered as yet another large and fast-moving boulder hit it. It turned its head in the direction that the giant rocks had come from and noticed, as if for the first time, the ships out in the water. With a cry of rage, the creature half-blindly crashed into the ocean. Their Viking blood having taken control of their senses, the dragon riders followed it, continuing their harassment of the giant… thing.

Astrid ran up the winding, endless staircase. Finally, she emerged onto a ledge that faced the battle continuing in front of her. The blonde looked to her left and saw another entrance into the mountain on the ledge. She looked in and found… another staircase. With a frustrated and exasperated sigh, the Viking took to the stairs once again, the dragons hot on her heels.

This staircase proved to be much shorter than its predecessor. Astrid soon emerged into a large chamber. At the center of the chamber on a raised platform stood some sort of altar. She approached it, praying that this would lead her to the gate to the Lost Continent. At the center of the altar was a large, stone table. It had ancient runes and designs engraved into it, that all seemed to focus around a small, round indent in the tables center. She wasn't sure why, but Astrid took off her wedding ring and placed it into the indent.

The monster roared as its belly was scorched by yet another tongue of Firedrake's flame. Snotlout and his dragon weren't so lucky this time, however, as they were caught by one of the pincers. The two were thrown into the soft sand on the beach, but it was still enough to knock the two unconsciouses. Pisces and Boulderhead, with their Viking masters, soon flew down to join the two on the beach. Ruffnut was the first to reach Snotlout.

"He's alive!" She yelled to the other two as they and their dragons ran to her.

Behind them, the monster roared and began its attack on the pirate Vikings. One of the longboats sank under its giant pincer. The other one was picked up in the creature's mouth, and subsequently smashed into pieces. Those that landed in the water found themselves fighting with the creature's barbed tentacles. The monster turned, smashing one of the Freedom's masts in two. It was about to catch the vessel between its pincers when the shaking began.

*

Astrid pushed her ring into the space on the table. At first, nothing happened. Then, suddenly, the stone beneath the ring lit up. Light traveled from the center of the table to the runes carved into it, like water in an irrigation system. For one brilliant moment, the table shined brightly. Then, the light died away as quickly as it had come. Astrid picked up her ring and slid it back onto her finger, wondering what she had done. Then, the shaking began. The whole cave was quaking!

Astrid leaned against a wall to keep herself from falling flat on her face. Dirt fell from the cave ceiling, signaling that a cave-in would occur soon.

"C'mon! We have to go!" Astrid yelled to the growling dragons as she ran past them. The group ran down the steps, Astrid almost tripping and falling a few times. A loud crash behind them told them that the cave had collapsed, but they weren't out of danger yet. They continued running until they reached the ledge.

Astrid stopped and stared in shock. The water around the island was rising up and away. At the top of the water, Astrid could see the Freedom sailing away, attempting to escape. Escape? Astrid thought Aren't they going the wrong way to escape? Then she realized, the water wasn't rising, the island was sinking! It was rapidly sinking in to the center of a giant maelstrom! Immediately, Astrid's brain kicked into high gear, figuring out the best path of escape.

A roar ripped her from her brainstorming, however, and Astrid looked to see its source. She saw the giant monster emerging from the wall of water onto the beach. It shook its head before swiftly turning towards something else on the beach, growling menacingly. Astrid looked to find its target. She saw the others gathered on the beach not far from where the giant monster was.

"No!" Astrid cried as she turned and ran to Prince. Just as she was about to mount the Deadly Nadder, however, it began to rain. Astrid looked up as the rain quickly worsened. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the top of the maelstrom begin to close in, like a giant wave. She quickly hopped onto her dragon, which then spread his wings. Before he could even flap them once, the water collapsed onto the island, which continued to sink into the ocean. For the island's occupants, everything went black.

*

Astrid woke with a start and found herself rapidly falling through the clouds of a hurricane. The two dragons fell with her, though both were still unconscious. Before she could scream, the Viking plunged into the sea. She resurfaced, sputtering. The storm was quickly dissipating, so she could see what was around her. She saw a long beach, bordered by two giant cliffs. This was certainly not Maelstrom Island.

There was a roar to the woman's left, and she turned to see the sea monster falling from the sky. It landed face first on one of the cliffs with a loud cracking sound. As the rest of its body fell, it was dragged off the edge of the cliff to the shallow water below, where it lay dead.

It was then that a thought caught hold of Astrid. The only thought in her mind as blackness began to take her once again. The land before didn't look like Maelstrom Island because it wasn't Maelstrom Island. It was the Lost Continent.

Ok, sorry for this chapter being so short. I had a difficult time trying to get it as long as it is. School is starting to give me a lot of work again, so I won't be able to update as fast as I did before. You guys are rocking with the reviews! Keep them coming!

Dark Guymelef