Jiod's vision jolted. Then he was looking at the Red Death from the side. She continued charging the rest of the silarions. He darted a quick glance beside him and saw the blue Night Fury that was Freva beside him, a low growl emanating from her throat and the red vein-like streaks encircling her pulsing at high speed. The fearsome speed of Night Furies was not exaggerated in the least. Jiod shook his head to clear the clusters of blinking yellow dots from his vision. The other silarions weren't as fast as Freva, but they were outpacing the queen, all except…
Jiod's eyes widened. The Gronckle was just too slow. For one shining moment it looked as if it might get away with only being clipped—but then the queen reoriented herself in its direction with a roar and thrust her jaws out faster than anything that big had any right to move. The Gronckle had no chance. The queen was so big she didn't even have to swallow. With a triumphant roar, she turned towards the only intruders left still on the ground. Jiod gulped.
"Hey, can I just… thanks," Jiod said hurriedly, and clambered onto Freva without the customary tugging to make sure he wouldn't fall off. Freva shot into the air at her so-fast-it's-pretty-much-teleporting speed and started gliding in long, lazy circles, flapping her wings only once every so often. Jiod glanced with some concern at her heaving flanks. It looked like that speed left her exhausted if used too much.
Freva suddenly tilted forward, an eerily familiar whistling sound coming from her mouth. Jiod realised what it was, and instinctively tried to duck; the Night Fury he'd killed had nearly obliterated him dozens of times before he'd killed it through sheer luck by luring under an unstable rocky overhang that collapsed on the both of them. A blazing blue-red circular bolt flung itself from Freva's mouth and onto the queen's head. The queen roared in frustration. Right when she was about to catch one of the intruders another would dart in and attack from a different direction. Then a plan formed in her mind.
The sun had moved noticeably in the sky before the queen showed signs that the constant barrage of fire was getting to her. She first stumbled where before she'd been able to leap, then lunged just a little bit more slowly. Her shimmering sheets of fire lasted half as long.
"I think it's time," Jiod said, having gotten used to his precarious situation atop Freva without any saddle like the one Toothless had displayed. Freva growled in agreement and unleashed a roar to rival one of the queen's. The silarions flew to the queen with identical snarls, ready to tear through the scales of her throat and end her threat once and for all. Freva followed closely behind, already forming one of her highest-powered plasma bolts.
And the queen lunged. A quick snap devoured the Zippleback. A massive paw was brought down on the Nadder, which was then pressed into the ground at a speed impossible to survive. Jiod winced as he heard the Nadder cruelly crushed against the rocks. The Nightmare and its Terror passenger alone escaped to Freva's position, who was still firing at the queen. The queen no longer acted like the bolts bothered her and simply shrugged them off while continuing to charge them. Another paw brought the Nightmare down. A bite left only the tail.
Freva flew backwards, but wasn't able to evade at her highest speed. A claw herded her back towards the queen's maw. Before she could gather herself for another attempt, a paw had formed a cage around her, bringing them inexorably closer to the queen's jaws.
A bright silvery mist lit the air next to them, one that looked quite familiar… then it was gone, and in its place…
"Nero?" Jiod said incredulously. Freva growled and looked ready to devour him.
"Uh, no, he's actually a good guy remember, don't eat him," Jiod said, belatedly remembering that the only time Freva had seem the human Nero was when he'd been pirating.
"Yes, how do you…" Nero began, then shook his head. "No matter. I assume you found this queen's secret as well?" Nero paused for an instant then forged on before Jiod could respond. "If you haven't, this one is on the way to learning how to control humans as well. I have just enough power to destabilize myself and destroy us both once in her mouth." The glow began to form around Nero again and his body seemed to shake and shimmer as if it was in a heat wave. "Good hunting!" Nero said with a feral grin, and then Freva and Jiod were on the shore, watching with horror as the queen brought her paw up to her jaw…
And a Nightmare landed next to Freva.
"You!" Jiod said, and reached for his axe… only to realise it had fallen during Freva's frantic flight. He knew it was a miracle he'd even survived, but couldn't help but feel bitter that he'd kept it with him throughout all the craziness that had happened to him and it was in this moment that it was finally lost.
"Wait! I didn't betray you," Ikhelt said, and glanced worriedly at the queen. "Where's Freva?"
"Right here. The portal turned her into a silarion," Jiod said, uncertain. Just because Ikhelt said he wasn't a traitor was hardly proof… and yet he looked so certain, so at ease…
"I need to save someone," Ikhelt said. "You seen a guy, not a Viking, silver eyes, looks like—"
"Nero!" Jiod said.
"Er, yeah, where—"
"He's getting eaten by the queen," Jiod said, pointing. "How do we help?"
"Distract her," Ikhelt said, and flung himself back on the green Nightmare, which flew towards the queen. Freva started up a flame in her jaws…
"Wait," Jiod said, placing a hand on her snout. "Remember, Nero's going to destroy the queen. Why does Ikhelt want to stop that?" Freva narrowed her eyes at Jiod and growled. "Wait! Just consider—" Freva shoved Jiod to the side and shot her blast at the queen. The queen paused just long enough for Ikhelt to reach her. The Nightmare darted between her claws and grasped a human figure, illuminated with a silvery glow… and flung it towards the ocean. "We need to get him!" Jiod shouted, flinging himself back onto Freva, who let out a distraught scream and darted towards the falling human at a speed Jiod had thought she'd been too exhausted to reach.
Freva flung herself down, beating her wings to reach Nero's speed. Jiod took a few moments to bring himself out of his terror at holding onto Freva in this direction at this speed with no safety net to observe Nero. Oddly enough, he didn't even seem to notice his fall. He only kept glowing, eyes closed, with a faint smile on his face. The glow grew brighter and brighter…
Freva reached him, and Jiod spared a hand to haul Nero onto her back. Freva wheeled back around towards the queen…
A series of fireballs races into the path between them and the queen.
"Stop! You don't understand!" Ikhelt shouted, his voice heard faintly as his mount shot at them.
Jiod clung onto Nero even more tightly as they raced towards the queen, hoping against hope they'd make it in time…
And Nero exploded. Light washed over Jiod's senses, blinding him in every way and sending him into unconsciousness.
Freva screeched in distress. Their chance to kill the queen was gone, and Jiod was probably dead protecting her from the blast. Jiod fell limply from her back, but Nero's body was no where to be seen. She caught Jiod in her claws and flew away from the island with a screech, determined to return and destroy the monster.
§
"Werrami?" Jiod slurred. He looked around. He decided he must be getting used to his vision again. Around him was a small island with miniature trees. He looked down and stumbled backwards. There were scales, silver scales…
He turned his head entirely around. Freva looked back at him, looking as shocked as he felt.
"So… we get another chance?" he said. Freva stood still for a moment.
"Yes," she hissed.
"I… understood you," Jiod said.
Freva grinned. "Let's kill a queen."