Finding Balance 27
Dagur couldn't believe what he was witnessing. It was like a bad dream and for a moment he could do nothing but watch as Hiccup handed Johann the Dragon Eye and then the masked man throw the cauldron overboard. Heather went with it with a scream. Fear tore at his chest and he yelled something he once only dreamed he could to a dragon.
"Fire!" he ordered the Triple Strike.
The dragon did as it was told, firing at the ship as it dived toward it and then into water after Heather.
. . .
"Dagur!" Hiccup yelled in a mix of surprise and relief.
The Berserkers attack provided him with the opening he needed. Krogan had grabbed a crossbow and was firing into the water while Johann's grip had loosened. Hiccup slammed his metal prosthetic foot onto Johann's, effectively breaking the man's foot. Johann shoved him away with an agonized scream. Hiccup didn't let him recover. He rammed his knee into the trader's stomach then punched him in the jaw. Before Johann fell, he grabbed the Dragon Eye and the pouch of lenses then darted across the deck. He ducked Krogan as the man turned to aim the crossbow at him then dove over the side of the ship into the freezing cold black water.
The shock of it almost caused him to gasp, instinct ruling over him for a moment. Instead he held his breath and swam downward, hoping to see Dagur or Heather but it was impossible within the darkness. He managed to stow the Dragon Eye and lenses back in his vest and button the pocket closed before getting too deep but he had to keep going. Bolts were zipping through the water, Krogan no doubt deciding to kill him if he and Johann could not have the Eye. So he swam deeper, fighting the natural urge to breath and praying he could find the Berserker siblings before he was forced to the surface for air and no doubt back into Johann's clutches.
He still couldn't believe Johann had betrayed him, had been using him for years, pitting him and Dagur against each other. Not only that but he also been the one to take Heather from her family, had her adoptive tribe slaughtered and had been raping her for years. None of that matched the man he thought he knew. He never really knew Johann. If what Johann implied was true, he had raped Hiccup numerous times as well. He had no memory of that but Thor only knew how many times he may have been drugged and assaulted by the very man he had trusted and turned to for guidance.
A bright orange lit appeared below him and he knew he had found Dagur and Heather. His chest burned with the need to breath but he pushed forward. It was a little surprising, he would have thought the dragon would have grabbed Heather and flown out by now. The cauldron wasn't that heavy but it seemed it was trying to keep Sharkworms away from the siblings. Sharkworms dominated the Summer Current and would smell even the slightest amount of blood which meant either Heather or Dagur were bleeding.
Placing a hand on the Triple Strike's flank, he pulled himself around the dragon to see Dagur fighting to cut the ropes connecting Heather to the cauldron and still dragging her down. The girl was barely conscious, watching her brother though hooded eyes. Her body jerked with the loss of oxygen but she was fighting to hold on.
Not thinking, Hiccup went to her and pressed his lips to hers to give her what little air he had left. It wasn't much. She shook her head, tried to stop him even as her body jerked with need. She was going to die before Dagur got her free. The robes were dragon proof, making them knife proof as well.
Hiccup patted Dagur's shoulder and gestured to the Triple Strike when the Berserker looked up. Confusion filled Dagur's face then understanding. He wrapped an arm around his sister's waist and reached for his dragon but that was quickly forgotten as Heather began convulsing in his arms. He pulled her close, tried breathing air into her but her mouth was open now and bubbles escaping as the last of her air escaped. Panic filled both Dagur and Hiccup and Hiccup grabbed hold of the Triple Strike. The dragon looked startled then grasped Dagur and Heather before rocketing toward the surface.
They broke out of the water, meters from Johann's ship, Sharkworms jumping behind them, and raced toward the mainland. Arrows and bolts covered in dragon root were fired at them and the Triple Strike howled as it was hit. Dagur tried reaching to pull it out but it was too far from him, lodged into the dragon's lower spine where the tail and spine connected. None the less, Dagur tried while Hiccup tried untying Heather's wrists. The weight of the cauldron made it impossible and their was evidence that it may have pulled her shoulder out of their sockets with how she had been yanked overboard. Thankfully she was unconscious. Hiccup tried not to think of the fact she wasn't breathing. He refused to think for even a moment she might be dead.
Their decent was abrupt but the Triple Strike had been wise enough to aim for a small rock cropping hidden amongst tall sea stacks. The landing however, was rough as the dragon crashed to the ground, throwing the humans in his arms across the jagged rocks. Dagur smacked his head hard. His vision blurred and for a moment he blacked out. But not for long, he struggled to his feet and stumbled toward Heather who lay on her side, still tied to the cauldron. Hiccup was only a few feet from her and hurriedly crawled to his friend.
"Heather? Heather!" Dagur cried, falling to his knees next to her.
Hiccup went back to working on the ropes. It was easier now that there was no tension in the rope. As soon as it was off he rolled Heather on her back and began breathing into her mouth. The air came back but not as a breath. He looked to Dagur in fear.
Heather wasn't breathing.
"No...no...no," Dagur breathed in sudden unbridled fear. He met Hiccup's gaze with one of desperation. It was quickly replaced with determination. "We need to get her breathing."
"How? She was under too long."
Dagur stared at his sister then Hiccup. "You breath for her, I'll...I'll pump her chest. Ryker showed me how to do this when Lars the Second went overboard in one of our battles. Just follow my lead."
Hiccup nodded. There was nothing else they could do.
Dagur felt along his sister's stomach to her ribs, just under her breasts and began pumping it with both hands while counting loudly. Then he'd stop and Hiccup would breath into her mouth. They kept it up, seeming to go on forever and ever until suddenly Heather spat up water. Dagur rolled her on her side as she began choking.
She coughed up all the water but didn't open her eyes, not even when Dagur hugged her to his chest, sobbing in relief. He dragged Hiccup into the hug as well and squeezed both of them to him. Hiccup didn't resist. He was happy Heather was alive, even if her breathing was rattled and arms hanging limply at her sides, shoulders not where they should be. But she was alive and they had escaped Johann. At least he hoped Johann and that masked man didn't come searching for them, and if they did at least not find them. They were amongst behind a series of sea stacks and the moon was on the other side, barely a sliver to see by.
Exhaustion tugged at Hiccup's mind. He began dozing off against Dagur's warmth and it took the Berserker's insistence that they move to the protection of the Triple Strike who would keep they safe and warm. Dagur had a good point. They made Heather as comfortable as possible next to the Triple Strike. Hiccup leaned against one large forever while Dagur the arrow from its spine before resting as well.
"Thanks," Hiccup told Dagur as they settled for what was sure to be a long night. He knew they should stay awake, be ready in case Johann came after them but Hiccup couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.
Dagur was feeling around the back of his head. He winced in pain and stared at his fingers for a long moment. "For what?"
"Coming after me, saving us. Are you okay?"
Dagur glanced up from his blood soaked fingers. "Yeah, fine. Don't worry about it." He gave a smile even though Hiccup coukd not see it. "It's what family does. We protect our own."
It bought a small laugh from Hiccup. "Yeah, we do," he murmured before sleep claimed him.
Dagur hummed softly to himself. He didn't tell Hiccup about his head. He hadn't even realized the damage until the adrenaline began to subside. The back of his skull was cracked. He could feel jagged bone when he touched it. It was bleeding profusely, making him lightheaded and woozy. He felt the urge to vomit but found it undignified. Taking deep breaths he rested against the Triple Strike and slowly rubbed the injured spot.
"If I don't wake up, protect them for me," he whispered as his eyes began to close. Something told him he may never open his eyes again. It didn't matter if he did. He had saved the two most important people in his life and that was all that mattered to him. If he died that night he would entered the Halls of Valhalla with open arms. And if his past crimes prevented him from entering than he would welcome Helhiem. Death did not frighten him nearly as much as losing either Heather or Hiccup.
