Chapter 11

If anyone thought it odd Valka directed dragons and riders to act as a cargo ships, no one said a word. Even the riders themselves did not voice much concern. Years spent watching Fishlegs, Hiccup, and Jack lurch into one plan or scheme after another dulled their suspicions. Hiccup heard a few comments about the continuously non-functioning waterwheel, and he let them assume the worst. Jack heard many of the same remarks. While Hiccup turned out more bolts, fasteners, and strapping for the device, Jack produced blocks and braces. Because the workshop remained relatively peaceful, few people disturbed them.

"Are those for Fishlegs' grain slide thingy him and Fartbritches were making over in the quarry?" Snotlout asked when he stopped in to report on the work he completed even though Jack never requested or required he do so.

"Yeah. Not sure exactly how he's going to attach these, but I made them to order," Jack replied as if bored and not particularly interested in the details.

Snotlout glanced around and inquired: "Things sure quieted down. I'm kind of glad to tell you the truth. Pulling that wire with Hiccup was not a lot of fun."

"And we're in your debt, Snotlout. It may not seem like it's important, but making sure an axe or a sword doesn't slip out of someone's hand will save lives. After the Knusehode fight, we learned."

Jack sighted down the brace in the table vice, and gently slid the plane down it. A thin curl of wood sprang up from the mouth of the tool. He gave it another pass, and then ran his thumb down the length of the piece to check the surface.

"You're really good at that," Snotlout complimented him.

"All part of joinery. Remember when I showed how to set a shallow blade depth?"

The man nodded, and his gray-black hair shifted from side to side.

"This is the reason why," Jack stated and held aloft one of the waste curls. "If you go too deep, the blade just skips across the surface taking out chunks and making an uneven run."

"So what's on the schedule now this other emergency stuff is finished?" His friend seemed satisfied with the short lesson and switched topics.

"Got a lot of furniture to fix for Fleck. Part of the bargain for the big anvil and hammer."

"Any carving work? Most of my commissions are done."

"I'll ask, and I'll make certain Fleck knows its not part of the trade," Jack promised.

"Appreciated,' Snotlout quietly said. Um… could you, ah, maybe get Hiccup or Fishlegs or Valka to stop by and take a look at Heeboo?"

"She's not hurt, is she?" The Guardian quickly became concerned.

"No, no. It's just, well, see, it's only been me who's looked after her and, to be honest, I don't remember much of the first two or three weeks. I think a second opinion might help," the former dragon rider hesitantly inquired.

"Oh, sure. You know you can ask yourself and they'll probably say yes."

"I don't know. Hiccup's been kind of moody the last couple of weeks, and I don't really know Valka all that well. Fishlegs probably thinks I'm still a…"

"I'm certain everyone knows by now you've laid off the mead, Snotlout," Jack instantly interjected. "I don't think you realize how much people are talking about your carving work. I personally thing Fishlegs might be glad if you approached him on your own."

"Sounds like Hiccup never told you about what went on at Dragon's Edge. I wasn't real nice to Fishlegs on a lot of occasions. After the battle and… all that, I never spoke to him again. I mean, yeah, I was pretty much stupid drunk, but… he kept his distance. Can't say as I blame him," Snotlout explained.

"Listen to me, and I know this for a fact: Fishlegs couldn't face you after Hookfang got murdered," and Jack watched the man flinch at the name. "Your loss became very personal to him, and he could never find a way to say what he wanted. Once you started drinking that sort of put a kink in things. Go talk to him when he's free, Snotlout, and you'll be surprised to find a sympathetic ear."

"Yeah, maybe I will," the man said in a tiny voice.

"Trust that he's still your friend regardless of the last ten years."

Snotlout silently nodded.

"Come on. There's a plane over there and a brace that needs truing. I could use a hand and you could use the practice," Jack shifted them onto a different track. Some wounds, he saw, never fully healed.

Hiccup only caught a glimpse of Snotlout talking to Jack as he worked on making rivets. He knew he needed to do something special for his old friend to repay the hours and hours of backbreaking toil he suffered making the wire for the coils. He could not blame the man for avoiding the smithy for a short while. Snotlout liked the feel of wood grain under his hands and not metal. As he heated slugs to make more rivets, he watched Jack and Snotlout converse for a moment. He liked the way in which Jack befriended the man and the easy partnership they developed. Moreover, the fact he helped the dragonless rider find a way to become productive seemed miraculous regardless of Jack claims Snotlout actually did him the favor. That alone earned high marks with a number of people, Hiccup included, for the Guardian.

That evening Hiccup bagged the myriad of small parts needed to assemble the vortex trap. He made certain to make plenty of extra pieces to be safe. He headed off to the dragon caves to get a few hours of sleep before he, Fishlegs, and Jack flew the coil to the Finger of the Gods island. Fishlegs checked in several times to inform him of the preparation progress. He also advised, somewhat needlessly, that Hiccup and Jack use their heavy cargo harnesses on their dragons. As he shut down the forge for the night, he saw Jack and Snotlout complete the last stabilizing blocks. Hiccup wanted to say something, but he simply let them work and hoped Jack would remember to get some sleep. They all put in a very long day.

The unique transformer coil sat behind the Ingerman house. Groanhilde covered it over with several blankets to both protect it and keep snooping eyes from finding out too much. Hiccup and Toothless arrived to find the woman all but crocheting rope around the device. He saw her scan a piece of paper and instantly knew she attempted to follow Fishlegs' explicit instructions. The woman frowned.

"Does that look right?" Groanhilde asked when Hiccup dismounted and walked over.

He grabbed a torch and walked around what Jack and Fishlegs said constituted the heart of the trap. The lashing and knots, while seeming simple, created an intricate lattice around the heavy piece currently supported by several stumps of wood to keep it off the ground. After three passes, Hiccup stood and went back stand next to her.

"We might actually have a problem taking it off the coil," he told her and smiled.

"Ugh, Fishlegs and his directions," she huffed.

"Well, you did a better job than I ever could," Hiccup offered another compliment. "And before we take off, I can't thank you enough for everything you've done, Groanhilde. The whole situation probably scared the scales off you."

The woman regarded him for a moment, her eyes glittered in the torch light, and she said: "At first it did. Not easy finding out all these invisible people are all over the place, but I like Isemaler. He obnoxious and bratty and tries to create havoc wherever he goes… and I guess that's perfect for what he's supposed to do."

"Hadn't thought of it that way in a long time, but you're right."

"And Jack… I know you can't really see it right now 'cause of everything 'tween you two, but he's a good person… and kind… and funny. Can't quite see him as Isemaler, but I know it's got to be in him somewhere. I trust him, Hiccup. Hope you can see your way to trusting him again, too."

"I don't disagree with anything you just said," Hiccup told her and he meant it. "Once this whole Etuchaand nonsense is over, we'll take time to try and talk things out. There's a couple of big issues, but… who knows? There might be an answer somewhere."

"Hope so, and do you think we can really do this with Etuchaand?" The woman asked with no small amount of real worry.

"Fishlegs and Jack think so, and so does my mom. Maybe confidence is part of the plan. I just keep thinking of all the things that could go wrong…"

"And the man sleeping in that house – the one I need to go wake up – says that's what makes you such a good leader. You're always thinking about all the angles," Groanhilde said in a fierce tone. "You may not know this, but you and Jack think a lot alike when it comes to making plans. You both worry 'bout details, 'cept Jack seems settled once he's thought it through."

"He's not afraid to wing it, Groanhilde, and it can be terrifying."

"You're still here, right?"

"And you're point?" Hiccup challenged.

"My point is sometimes you need a person who doesn't mind when things get chaotic. Some people actually like that better. Ever meet my sister Grindhind? She's the exact same way. Drove our ma and pa right over the yak's side 'til she got married, but it always worked out for her. Still does," she told him and drifted in memories at the end.

"Yeah, I've seen her manage that brood of kids she's got. The baby basket is kind of brilliant."

"Grindhind thought of that in flash. Ma thought she was daft, but look how many other mothers are using one now!"

Hiccup nodded.

"That was Jack does, I think. He improvises."

"That he does, Groanhilde. More than you can even guess."

"Ever think maybe that's part of his plan? Could be what made him successful at being Isemaler on his world," she asked and briefly elaborated in a thoughtful manner.

"Part of his plan," Hiccup mumbled and then stared at her. "Never quite viewed it like that. You've got a knack for asking good questions, know that?"

"My ma always said I'd never find a man 'cause everything I'd end up asking him. Never thought I'd wind up with an Ingerman, but Fishlegs… he doesn't mind the questions and kind of likes 'em really."

IceSpike came winging over the house like a silent pale ghost and banked into a neat turn. She aimed for the same area where Toothless waited and back-winged to such a degree she almost fell out of the air. The dragon did not and floated downward in a deft display. Hiccup mentally acknowledged Jack could fly with the best of the riders and showed real skill. Of course, the man started flying over three hundred years before, so it seemed logical he would hone an instinctual understanding of flight.

"That's a strange package," Jack said after dismounting and walking up to he duo.

"All Groanhilde's handiwork… and I'm including the coils," Hiccup earnestly said.

"Push off, you," the woman demurred. She turned on a heel and faced the house. "Meatlug! Wake him!"

Her shout barely ended when they heard a clattering from inside the building. Ten seconds later they could heard Fishlegs yelling at Meatlug to back off. The three smirked as they waited. The thunderous footsteps of the dragon echoed and each could imagine Meatlug pushed Fishlegs around. Just about a minute after Groanhilde hailed Meatlug, a harried-looking Fishlegs came stumbling out of the rear entrance. His clothes looked askew and he did not seem entirely awake as the gronkle nudged him forward with her nose.

"Alright, alright! I'm moving," the blonde-haired man complained to the dragon. "Give a guy a break already!"

Meatlug did not and kept shoving him in the direction of Groanhilde. If anything proved the woman and the dragon formed a tight bond, Meatlug's willingness to respond to commands from Groanhilde illustrated the point. Man and beast slowly advanced on the trio.

"You put her up to this, didn't you?" Fishlegs accused his wife.

"Of course I did," Groanhilde gamely confessed. "You should've got up when I first tried to wake you. Now you'll have to eat while you fly."

"No hot breakfast?" The stoutest of the male Viking moaned.

"Should've got up went I asked."

Groanhilde clearly did not make or take excuses for or from Fishlegs. Meatlug trotted over to where the other two dragons waited, and the three greeted one another with obvious affection and respect. In the meanwhile, the people turned to the coil.

"She tied it up into a pretty package," Hiccup said before Fishlegs could speak. "That chunk of metal engineering isn't going to fall as long as the dragons can fly."

"Thank you, my sweets," Fishlegs said and leaned over to give his wife a peck on the cheek.

"Just looking forward to some sleep of my own," she groggily said. "Once you're in the air, you're on your own."

"Well, night is slinking away, so we'd better get moving," Jack chimed in and pulled out a folded sheet of paper he then unfolded. "Everyone familiar with the route?"

Hiccup took the sheet while Fishlegs said: "Valka is waiting for us at the mid-way point. Did you know she got the riders to move everything?"

"Who's gonna say no to her?" Groanhilde rhetorically inquired. "And didn't she say she would? When has Valka ever not lived up to her word?"

Once more Groanhilde displayed her talent for asking questions that got straight to the point. Since no one could argue against her, the men called their dragons over and they began the process of connecting the sturdy ropes to the cargo harnesses. Hiccup checked the lashings to make certain the correct knots got used because none of them wanted the coil to drop into the sea and possibly take a dragon or two with it. In the meanwhile, Groanhilde brought out food for her husband and, because of her gracious nature, some for Hiccup and Jack as well. It took half an hour to complete the process, during which time each got the chance to eat, before the riders sat astride the dragons.

"Fairs winds and a clear horizon to you," Groanhilde gave her version of dragon rider send off. "Come back safe, Fishlegs. Now I'm going to bed!"

She spun in place and marched toward the house before anyone could issue a command to take flight. The men glanced at one another and grinned. Hiccup slowly raised his arm. Fishlegs and Jack sat more upright in their saddles. After one final look at the two other riders spaced evenly around the coil, Hiccup slowly descended his arm.

"Up, Toothless, and slow," Hiccup gave the command to his dragon.

"Easy up, Meatlug," Fishlegs issued his order.

"Up slow, IceSpike," Jack stated, following suit.

The three dragons extended their wings. Unlike most times when the prepared themselves for a quick launch into the air, the winged creatures began to beat their wings at a gradual pace. It took a moment before they synchronized their motions. Then, on their own, they began to exert more force. The dragons lifted in an uncommon vertical takeoff that required an inordinate amount of skill. Almost as one the three ropes stretched outward and began taut. The dragons hovered for a moment.

"Up!" Hiccup called out. For while Fishlegs might be the project leader, no one took Hiccup's place as the senior dragon rider.

Jack felt IceSpike begin to strain as she applied more energy to her wings. It seemed to him as though she might not be able to haul the heavy piece of equipment. He patted her tense neck.

"Just a little bit more," he urged her.

The dragon complied, and suddenly they shifted to their right toward the center of the mass. Jack correct her flying angle and leveled out with Toothless and Meatlug who also required flight corrections. Little by little they began to inch upward as the three dragons began to figure out for themselves how best to carry the load. The riders offered encouragement. Ever so slowly the heavy and large parcel rose into the air. After half a minute they climbed above the peak of house. Following another thirty seconds they cleared the tree line. Once another interval passed, they trio of dragons achieved full flight clearance. Hiccup raised his arm again. The two men and dragons paid strict attention to it.

"So far so good," Hiccup called. "Now forward!"

His arm with an open hand pointing upward sliced downward until it reached a forty-five degree angle. The dragons responded in unison, adjusted their wing planes, and the group began to fly forward as instructed. As cumbersome as the coil appeared, once airborne and flying in a north by northeasterly direction, the dragons did not feel as though they strained to carry the load. They sailed over the island of Berk and aimed for the open water. The three riders knew that once over the ocean, air currents would shift and they would need to achieve a higher altitude in order to take advantage of the upwellings coming from the summer-heated waters. Thus, all other thoughts got put to the side as the men transformed into a flying team both with their dragons and one another.

Two hours seemed to pass by without notice. Focusing on the performance of the dragons, and ensuring they did not exceed their limits, kept the mind busy. The riders also scanned the sea below for landmarks and possible threats. In that dark, that tasked became tricky as the nearly full moon tended to wash out colors and leave some areas a uniform dark gray. Despite the few clouds, the night remained calm and the winds even. Both Hiccup and Jack privately wondered if the greater powers of Halla chose not to interfere and perhaps lend marginal assistance with their efforts. After all, Etuchaand could pose as big a threat to them. The notion occupied their minds for a short duration.

"Ho!" Fishlegs yelled sounding more like a sailor than a dragon rider. "Light at ninety! Light at ninety!"

Early on Jack showed how a divided circle got used to show arc degrees and, in turn, could be used like a compass. A small group calculated the circumference of Halla, the length of the day, and the length of time it took for the planet to rotate around the sun, the numbers became – as Hiccup said – increasingly hairy. In the end they opted for simplified circle of degrees starting at zero, or double-aught as Jack called it, and terminating at the same point designated as one hundred. Hence, double-aught degrees meant north; fifty indicated south; with twenty-five pointing east; and seventy-five due west. Thus, Fishlegs called their attention to the northwest.

"Lights down below. I think it's the waypoint island," the man improbably staying aloft on a gronkle yelled out to them.

Hiccup used the hands signs to coordinate the group in a slight bank to the north and to begin descent. Trained fliers, and one who knew flight on an intimate and personal level, cleanly executed the maneuvers as if they practiced. As they dropped lower, the outline of the small island came into relief. They reached their first destination and resting point. Fishlegs already informed the other two that the wider eastern side of the island got cleared so they could comfortably land the dragons and cargo. With the knowledge already in mind, Hiccup directed his friends in the landing procedure.

"How is the my little girl?" Fishlegs immediately coddled Meatlug the moment he slid off the saddle.

Hiccup and Jack each tended to their dragon, but with a less gooey emotional display.

"How's she look?" Hiccup asked after IceSpike.

"Doesn't seem any worse for the flight," Jack replied. "I don't feel any trembling muscles, her breathing is even, and she doesn't show any sign of strain."

"Woolly howls are pretty sturdy," Hiccup said as he carefully scratched around her head. His hands bore a few scars from where he accidentally lacerated himself on her head scales.

"Toothless looks good," Jack returned the compliment.

"Yeah, he's fine."

Although the statement by definition would seem mildly dismissive, the echo of pride on Hiccup's could not be missed.

"Come on, boys," Valka's voice called to them from the spot of light not far away. "Got some baskets of fresh-caught fish for the dragons and a pot stew set to simmer for you three."

Once the dragons buried their heads in the baskets of fish, the four people sat around a small fire under the watchful eyes of Cloudjumper. The stormcutter dragon explained why a lone woman stood watch over the island. Few dared tangle with that type of dragon.

"I've flown about a quarter of the load to the Finger already," Valka to them as they settled down to eat the stew she prepared. "Ran out of daylight, so I set the beacon and came back here."

"Thanks, Mom… for all of this," Hiccup said with genuine affection and gratitude.

"I'll do what I can to see that thing off our world."

"Well, we're running on schedule, and that's a good thing. If the weather holds, we'll be ready," Fishlegs gave his assessment.

"Oh, um, I… sort of altered the full moon day schedule," Jack said in a sheepish manner and saw it as a good chance to explain. "It's nothing big, but I think we should leave at mid-day. It'll give us a buffer of a few hours to make sure everything is set up."

"I was thinking you were cutting it kind of close," Hiccup said, but not with any rancor.

Fishlegs nodded. He shoveled some stew into his mouth, as did Hiccup. Jack took the opportunity to speak without being interrupted.

"My first thought was to leave Etuchaand with as little time as possible to counter our actions. The more I thought about it, the more I realized if anything went wrong, I'd start the change before we got to the trap. I'd rather be on the Finger with Isemaler a good chunk of time before that begins," the Guardian explained.

"I agree," Hiccup said around the food in his mouth. "Fishlegs?"

"Sensible precaution," the largest of the quartet answered after he swallowed. "You do realize that means we're going to have to sit around Isemaler the entire time?"

Jack nodded.

"Between four dragons, me, you three, and Groanhilde, we should be able to shield him," Valka added.

"Groanhilde? I didn't know she'd be there," Fishlegs rapidly spoke. "Who said she was going?"

Valka looked at the man and replied: "She did. She asked to fly with me and Cloudjumper since concluded Meatlug would be too loaded with other stuff. I agreed."

"Do you think that's good idea, Valka?" He rumbled and sounded skeptical.

"Now if you want to tell her she's not welcome after all the work she did on the coil, you go right ahead. Let me know what she thinks."

Hiccup and Jack wisely stuffed more stew into their mouths.

"Ah… maybe not," Fishlegs muttered and glanced around. "She did work awfully hard on it."

"Thought you might see it that way, but I did have a bed ready for you in the dragon caves in case you thought otherwise," Valka returned in a pleasant tone, yet any who heard her did not hear any pleasantry.

The issue of Groanhilde's attendance got settled in that moment. The foursome discussed the plan for flying the rest of the materials to the Finger of the Gods island. Valka said she already planned to spend the night at the waypoint to keep guard over the materials and supplies. Once she said that, Hiccup suggested starting as early as possible the next day. He calculated that with what Valka already transported, it should take no more than two trips to finish transporting the rest. That meant at least eight to ten hours of flying. Valka then suggested they stay the night at the waypoint island instead of returning to Berk. She argued it would save them two hours of flying time that could be added to the build time.

"I don't feel much like sleeping out in the open," Hiccup said in an attempt to reject the suggestion.

"I brought extra sleeping rolls and three tents 'cause I knew you'd be using the cargo harnesses instead of regular travel saddles," Valka told him. "I've already set up the tents, and Groanhilde knows you're staying here, Fishlegs."

"So that's why she didn't ask me what I want for breakfast," Fishlegs mused.

"Just sort of one step ahead of us, huh, Mom?" The son asked his mother.

"You've got more than enough on your minds without having to worry about little things like that. Consider it part of my contribution to the effort," the mother responded.

The issue seemed settled, although Hiccup wondered aloud if anyone would get worried when they did not appear at the workshop the next day. They decided in the end it did not matter. Most would think Hiccup, Jack, and Fishlegs went off to work on the new grain chutes or the waterwheel. By the time they finished their meal and half a flagon of very light ale, the trio felt refreshed. When they tried to help clean up, Valka shooed them away with an admonition they needed to focus on transporting the coil. They returned to their dragons and important cargo.

The trio of dragons and riders performed the same process to lift off they did when first setting out. Once more the dragons seemed completely capable of the task. In near silence, or at least as silent as flapping dragon wings, they departed the small island with Valka waving to them as they ascended. As before, they settled into a comfortable flight speed at a decent altitude for the last portion of the trip. Hiccup loved night flying. Jack spent most of his immortal life patrolling the night for threats to children. Fishlegs said he missed his wife, his bed, and sleeping. The second leg passed almost as quickly as the first, except they overshot the Finger of the Gods by a little bit and needed to back track.

No living thing ever either accidentally or even voluntarily visited the island. Hiccup saw Fishlegs shudder, and he understood why. Jack simply prepared to feel the energy of the place. The very stone radiated with power, and it felt slightly intelligent. The three dragons glanced around with uncertainty as their riders untied them from the large bundle. They did not remove the sling from the device as they would need it for the final placement of the coil. While they tarried as Fishlegs and Hiccup inspected the piece to make certain it did not sustain damage, Jack stood in wonder. He knew why mortal things avoided the location: it resonated with hints of things they did not understand and should likely fear. He, himself, did not. Hence, the coil would be safe as it sat unguarded on the flat portion of the spire.

"Jack!" Hiccup loudly said and snapped him out his reverie. "Ready to head out?"

"I could stay here if it came right down to it," Jack intoned in a rather distant fashion.

"You'd be here by yourself then," Fishlegs mumbled and searched the empty plateau. "This place give me the creeps."

"It does feel weird," Hiccup seconded his friend, "and I don't feel like sleeping on bare stone. Stay if you want, but I'm heading back to a tent and a pillow."

"Okay, okay. Give me a second to get mounted," Jack rejoined.

Hiccup watched the man. He swore Jack looked paler under the moon light. It only took a few seconds while the Earthling prepared, but Hiccup could not help but consider the man he continued to love lived a life on Halla apart and cut-off from part of himself. Even though resentment lingered at what he got forced to accept, Hiccup found it difficult to imagine himself giving up his life on Halla to go live on another world, especially if it meant letting go of Toothless. Watching Jack feeling the effects of the inherent power of the Finger made Hiccup think of the issues in a larger context.

"Alright, let's fly," Jack said as he attacked the last buckle on his flying belt. IceSpike waggled her body to settle the weight.

They awoke in the morning under a gray sky and waves crashing against the edge of the island. Three men and a woman stood and studied the northern sky. A cooler wind blew in overnight, and it appeared to bring rain with it. Instead of commenting, the people struck camp, folding blankets and tents, and storing it all in oil-cloth sacks before any serious rainfall could ensue. Valka then assisted with organizing the materials for easier transport. All the while they kept an eye to sky wondering when the clouds would open up and they would get drenched. It threatened their plan for the morning. Thus, they hurried as much as they could.

"Okay, Mom, thanks again. I think we got it from here," Hiccup said to her when everything sat in neat piles sorted by size and weight.

"I'm not going anywhere except to the Finger," Valka tartly rejoined. "Cloudjumper is bigger than any of your dragons, and he's feeling fresh after a day of rest."

Jack tried to hide his grin as Hiccup gaped at his mother. The man obviously thought the woman would head back to Berk and leave the hauling to them. Time after time for ten years Valka continued to both impress and surprise Jack with her independence and obstinate resiliency. She stood up to her willful son on many, many occasions. It reminded the Guardian anew where the Viking with whom he fell in love got his convictions and strength of mind. The son resembled the mother in so many ways Jack sometimes could not tell what he got from his father. Of course, stories told by Fishlegs and the Thorston twins, along with half the Berkians, tended to fill on the blank spots for Jack. However, no one would deny the majority of Hiccup's genes came from his mother.

"This, uh, changes things," Hiccup muttered.

"I should hope so," Valka quipped in a flinty manner.

"So… um, how much did Cloudjumper lift in one flight?"

"Did you see what was already on the finger?"

Hiccup nodded.

"He flew that with ease," she told him as if he lost his senses.

"Think he could fly all the Guardian box plates in one go?" Hiccup inquired after wincing from her rejoiner and pointed to the six shining plates.

"It's not nearly as heavy as regular iron or steel, so it will not be a problem at all. Too easy in fact."

"Oh, really? Would the coil housing fit on Cloudjumper's back?"

Valka looked at the thick-walled cylinder made of normal steel. It stood a third the height of her son and could accommodate two Fishlegs standing abreast. Hiccup estimated it likely weighed twice as much as the Guardian box plates combined, if not somewhat more. Sitting atop the Guardian box, the housing would collect and feed energy into the primary coil from all sides that then would be transferred to the secondary coil and into the storage ring. The storage ring, something Jack called a doughnut, would be fit with a piece he called a manifold – an amalgam of strangely configured pipes – that would concentrate and channel the energy into the globe connector. This would power the vortex. While he mentally reviewed the assembly and operation of the device, his mother started to bob her head.

"We can carry that without breaking much of a sweat," Valka casually assured him.

"Gods, that would be great. I thought it would take Toothless and IceSpike together to move it," Hiccup sighed with relief. "It also means only one trip to the Finger. We can pack the rest on our three dragons."

"Don't over exert them, Hiccup. Four dragons made two trips to bring it all here."

"And you moved a quarter of it yesterday… the smaller stuff, sure, but that means we can distribute what's left between us four. Let's see that's three-quarters of the original load divided by four dragons… except the housing counters as more than a quarter of the remaining load…"

"It's less than twenty percent for the rest of us," Fishlegs said where he and the Guardian stood off to one side letting mother and son come to an arrangement.

"That was fast," Jack complimented his friend.

"I like numbers," the stout Viking said with duly justified pride.

"See?" Hiccup said as he wheeled around to face Valka. "We can do this one trip. Assembly won't take that long, and we might make it home before full dark!"

Valka scrutinized the three men wearing their lightweight summer flight gear, just as she wore. Visually it looked much as the other suits of flying armor, but it meant they would not sweat to death in the hot, humid conditions. Hiccup guessed his mother's thinking. She worried they overextended themselves during the furious race to complete fabrication of the trap before the full moon and with at least three days to spare. He knew Fishlegs slept very little in the previous three weeks, and he did not get much more. Jack got the most rest out of all of them, even perhaps more than Snotlout who worked in two disciplines. However, Hiccup spent a fitful night on the waypoint island, and he felt very rested. He met his mother's gaze with a bright, clean one of his own.

"That would be nice," Valka ruminated. "Would mean we get another fresh start tomorrow."

"Then it's settled. Let's load up!" Hiccup called to the others.

The four dragon riders spent two hours loading their beasts with the cargo. Hiccup and Jack saw to placing the heavy coil housing on Cloudjumper's back, the largest of the four dragons. The stormcutter did not appear to struggle under the size or weight. Once all the rest of the supplies got securely lashed to the other dragons, with Toothless and IceSpike each adorned with half the hollow steel doughnut and Meatlug bearing the Guardian box, they completed one last inspection. After everyone agree it seemed safe, the foursome set off for the Finger of the Gods island under a mantle of thick clouds.

Rain sprinkled twice during the trip, but did not result in a storm. Given the amount of metal each dragon carried, Jack worried about lightning. Any strike might kill one or more them as they flew along. Yet the Thunder Queen seemed in a forgiving mood that day. By the time they reached the island, the clouds began to thin to a hazy gray. Seeing as they could not depend on the mercurial nature of the Blikse'fey, they quickly unloaded and carefully laid the parts of the trap around one end of the Finger under Fishleg's direction. He then stood and stared at the mass of pieces.

"Okay," Fishlegs whispered while wrapped in his own thoughts. Then he pulled a thick wad of folded paper out of one of his many pockets and unfolded it. "Box, housing… bracing… set the coil… place the ring… attach the manifold… tighten everything down."

"In that order?" Hiccup inquired with mild sarcasm.

"Give or take," the appointed project leader nobly stated.

"How about if one team assembles the box and another puts together the doughnut and the manifold?" Jack suggested.

"Good idea, Jack. You and Valka work on the doughnut while me and Hiccup tackle the box," Fishlegs agreed and made assignments. "This isn't a race, so work toward completion and not speed!"

Given the nature of Vikings, it proved a salient warning. Much to the mild surprise of everyone, Fishlegs began to produce sheets of plans from his assorted pockets. It meant they would not try to build from memory, but according the schematics the yeti sketched. It made Hiccup and Jack feel much calmer. Thus, well armed with the plans, they set to work. Jack realized Fishlegs kept him from working with Hiccup and Hiccup with his mother, and it seemed the wisest course. Hiccup eventually reached the same conclusion when he and Fishlegs experienced a few tense moments while trying to decipher the plans and build the Guardian box that would support a tremendous amount of weight. No wanted Jack's immaterial body to get trapped under a collapsed device. They assembled the parts with an attention to detail and due care.

When the dragons finished setting the heavy coil housing, coil, and storage doughnut, and Valka's presence became vitally important as she guided the flying trio, they set about securing the entire device. Hiccup and Valka attached the lashing and bolted everything together while Jack and Fishlegs set the braces and manifold, and then made small but crucial adjustments. They also assisted with making sure all the connections got properly tightened. When they got finished, the group stood several feet away and examined their handiwork. The cleverly contrive device appeared ridiculously simple.

"Doesn't look like much," Fishlegs said in a somewhat disappointed tone.

It looked like a box with a short cylinder sticking out to the top to which a giant doughnut lay horizontally atop that.

"The yeti always aim for simplicity," Jack told him. "They like clean lines. Phyllis constantly says that overt complexity is an invitation for unexpected problems. Hurphamph loru-goram."

"What was that?" Valka exclaimed and stared at Jack.

"The actual language of the yeti," Hiccup answered first. "Strange, huh?"

"Sounds like he's talking with a mouth stuff with wool," Fishlegs commented and grinned.

"That's… well, that's about right when it comes to the yeti," Jack said and shrugged. He got so used to speaking the language it started to sound natural too him.

"So that's the trap?" Hiccup asked as he stared at it.

"Minus the vortex globe… and the vortex itself," the Guardian corrected.

"So you just lay inside the box, and then it collects your energy as you begin to transform…"

"Nope," Jack interjected. "It collects the energy from the transport. Far more than I can generate on my own. The coil will amplify it…"

"But what about the overall level of power?" Hiccup broke into the explanation and asked.

"That's why we need time. From what I can tell, it'll concentrate energy at a one-to-four ratio."

"So you're normal two minute transformation will take eight," Fishlegs spoke the calculation allowed.

"Give or take. Even the yeti weren't sure of the overall conversion rate."

"So we need to protect Isemaler for at least ten minutes while you power the trap?" Valka asked, and her question zeroed in on the central issue.

Jack nodded. The clump of people went from looking at the device to looking at him, and then back to the device. Jack saw Hiccup frown.

"No," Hiccup said as a dark expression crossed the his face. "We need to protect Jack while he's vulnerable. Etuchaand needs his body. We only need to shield Isemaler so Etuchaand can't find him right away and reveal our location. At least that's how I see how this needs to play out."

"You're right," Jack said. "Once I'm in the box and start to transform, I won't be able to protect myself. That's when Etuchaand is going to strike. He can afford to ignore Isemaler at that point."

"So Isemaler is nothing more than the worm on the hook?" Fishlegs queried as he continued to gaze at the trap.

Three sets of eyes peered at him.