Chapter 16: The Truth
Six people were huddled around the fireplace. Frankly, 'huddled' was probably the wrong word. There was only one person near the fireplace. The other five were locked in a cage.
Jerrick sighed and winced. The burn on his face throbbed every now and then. It wouldn't scar - hopefully - but that ugly red welt was going to hurt for a while. Yet, that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was the sinking feeling of helplessness. The cage was locked - and very securely too, someone had made sure to check. There was really no way out. Even the soldier dozing off at the fireplace knew that. It was almost like he was taunting them by sleeping. Go ahead, try to escape! It's completely impossible, I can even sleep while guarding you!
A cold wind blew into the cage. Jerrick's breath swirled up and formed a small misty cloud in front of him. The darkened night sky and the cold weather didn't really help him feel any better. At least their hands were untied, that was the only respite. Jerrick hugged his knees closer to his chest and shivered. How long had they been in the cage? The sky was still bright when they were captured, now the moon was at its highest point. All conversation had long died out too. Corey, Dustin and Helka were fast asleep on the other side of the cage.
A shuddering breath brought him back to the present. Jerrick glanced to his right. Kari was rubbing warmth into her arms. He shuffled closer to her until their shoulders touched.
"Need some warmth?" Jerrick whispered, wrapping an arm around her. Kari rested her head on Jerrick's shoulder.
"Thanks," she said, releasing another sigh. There was a stale smoky scent overlapping her typical lavender. Then again, he probably reeked of smoke and blood too.
The cold wind whistled again. Jerrick resisted the urge to shiver. He was cold, but more importantly he was too proud to admit he was cold. A smile tugged the edges of his mouth as he felt Kari snuggle deeper into his embrace. Jerrick ghosted a kiss on Kari's head. Kari giggled softly.
Dark clouds hung in the sky, obstructing the meager light that managed to reach the surface of the island. The flames from the nearby fire swayed in the wind. Jerrick watched his shadow dance hypnotically. Short stumpy arms barely reaching the edges of the cage morphed into long slender arms that touched the trees outside the cage. At the same time a short black stump changed into a tall grey man, and then the man waved goodbye before changing back into the short black stump. Jerrick couldn't help but think that the shadowed man was more free than he was. He sighed quietly. How drastically his life had changed in the last few days! Jerrick went from being another teenager on the tribe of Breca, to a spy chasing his father's murderer, then an assassin - almost an assassin, and then a prisoner. He'd stared death in the face - hell, even witnessed death right in front of his eyes - and he'd been in the same room as two young lovers went at it. All this in a span of a week. Jerrick chuckled at the thought, or rather he exhaled heavily from his nose. What a world of difference a week made.
"Jerrick?" Kari whispered.
"Hmm?"
"I'm sorry."
Jerrick scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "For what?"
"For… this." Kari waved her arms at the cage.
"How is this your fault?"
"I should have listened to you. We should have just left this place. I should never have told you to stay. It's my-" Jerrick stopped her with a hug.
"It's not your fault. I chose to do this."
"But I talked you into it."
"But you were right. I couldn't just go away after practically luring Hiccup here. I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing what I had done. Especially after I saw… that on the ship, I can't imagine what a blood eagle would be like." The acrid smell of blood came to Jerrick's mind.
The cold blew through the cage, and an involuntary shiver sped through Jerrick's body. Jerrick glanced at Kari and caught sight of shining emerald eyes peeking up at him curiously. His heart fluttered. Why did Kari have such an effect on him? Damn his teenage hormones. Kari suddenly wrapped her arms around Jerrick. Jerrick's breath caught in his throat.
"Why are you so good at talking?" Kari asked playfully.
"I've had to talk you out of slapping your younger brother for years."
Kari giggled. Jerrick felt a wide smile grow on his face. They continued to gaze happily into each other's eyes. Jerrick felt it coming. He knew it was coming. There was a special twinkle in Kari's eyes. He leaned forward and closed his eyes. It might not be the first time they kissed, but Jerrick felt the same thrill in his heart as he did the first time. The same electrifying feeling in his nerves, the same rush of adrenaline, the same feeling of absolute bliss. Nothing else mattered, except for the lovely girl in front of him. Kari Iona Tordis. The only thing flying through his weightless head. Kari. Their lips parted unwillingly when Jerrick finally needed to breathe.
Suddenly, Jerrick heard heavy wing beats. He spun around and looked out of the cage. Silhouettes of dragons filled the sky. The Singetails were back. Jerrick felt his heart sink.
"Guys, guys," Jerrick snapped his fingers urgently. The others slowly stirred. Jerrick huffed and shook them roughly, pointing at the dragons in the sky. That did the trick. They straightened up immediately.
It wasn't long before Krogan landed near the campfire, followed closely behind by Yakfeet, Captain Jorgund and a few others that Jerrick didn't recognise. The soldier guarding them jerked awake, but it was too late. Jerrick saw Krogan turn menacingly on the poor soldier.
"That's the third time already," Krogan said in his heavily accented voice.
"I'm sorry sir!" The soldier bowed down.
"I've given you so many chances, yet you continue to fail me."
"It won't happen again sir!"
"It certainly won't." There was a sinister tone in Krogan's voice that sent chills down Jerrick's spine. Krogan nodded at Captain Jorgund. Captain Jorgund waved a hand. Two soldiers came forward and grabbed the kneeling soldier by his arms. Jerrick felt his heart sink as the soldier's face filled up with fright.
"No, no, no!" The soldiers holding him began to drag him away. "Please sir!" His voice cracked.
But Krogan didn't even spare him a second glance. The wind howled loudly as the soldier's pleas faded away. "Hopefully the Speed Stingers will shut him up," one of the soldiers commented.
Jerrick felt his anger grow and grow as he watched the scene unfold. How could someone be so heartless? Jerrick grabbed the bars of the cage viciously.
"What's wrong with you?" Jerrick spat as Krogan came closer to the cage.
"What's wrong with me?" Krogan said innocently.
"How can you bring him away so easily?"
"Nothing bad's going to happen."
"Yes it will." Jerrick felt Kari hold him and pull him away from the bars. She was whispering something in his ear, but Jerrick didn't quite make out what she was trying to say.
"He's going for… corrective training." Krogan grinned at the last two words.
Jerrick wanted to retort, but Kari's words finally got to him. "Don't make him angrier," she whispered. Jerrick glared daggers at Krogan, but held his tongue.
"Now that you're done talking," Krogan said. "I want to ask you a few questions." Krogan leaned in close to the bars of the cage, so close that their faces were almost touching. Jerrick could feel his warm breath on his face. The crooked scar looked even more chilling from up close, every jagged edge jarring and harsh on his eyes. Cold brown eyes pierced through Jerrick's soul. A chill ran down his spine. Jerrick wanted to hold his ground, to continue to glare straight back at Krogan, but Krogan had a certain aura that screamed at Jerrick to stay away. The closeness of his scarred face was too close for comfort. Jerrick gulped and backed off a little, feeling grateful when he felt the cold air blowing between their faces. The fire crackled loudly behind Krogan.
"Why?" Krogan asked in a low voice.
Jerrick looked away. "I couldn't just let you kill him like this."
"Why not?"
Jerrick shrugged. "I don't know. It just didn't feel right."
"Even after all he's done?"
"No one deserves to die."
"How naive," Krogan huffed and backed off. "You youngsters have such an innocent view on the world. You think everyone is good, right? Well that's wrong. People who seem bad can be good. People who you think are good may be bad. You haven't seen enough horrors in the world."
"I think I've seen quite a bit," Jerrick muttered.
"It's nowhere near what others have seen," Krogan's voice grew louder and louder. "I've seen people die in front of me. I've seen my own men get killed by dragon riders right in front of me. I've seen hideous things. I've seen things that can make a man kill himself." For a fleeting moment, Jerrick thought he saw something in the sky behind Krogan.
"And yet you dare to challenge me?" Krogan continued, shouting at him. His accent got stronger. "I was so close to ending a war. But thanks to you, they got away. We didn't find them, just so you know." Jerrick felt a small sense of relief when he heard that.
Krogan noticed it. "Don't be too happy yet."
"What's going to happen to us?" Dustin asked.
"Probably nothing bad," Krogan said. "I'll probably just ship you all back to Breca. We're not the bad guys, after all."
Some part of Jerrick was disappointed that everything would end in a huge anticlimax, but deep down he was grateful nothing was going to happen. He had had enough. Going after Hiccup, then saving him, then getting captured and burnt. He didn't even manage to find out who killed Hagen Brandt. Jerrick wanted nothing more than to head back to Breca and rest.
"When do we leave?" Jerrick asked eventually.
"Tomorrow. I'm sick of dealing with you all."
"Sounds good. I'm sorry it ended this way."
"If only you would just do what you're told," Krogan said as he turned around. "You and your father are the same. Both of you can't listen to instructions."
There was something familiar about what Krogan said. Jerrick stretched his mind to think.
Then it hit him.
The disappearing bartender, Ake's death, even the weapons merchant on the very first day. Blondhead's words echoed in his head. He didn't listen to instructions. What had the soldiers shouted in the amphitheater? Feed him to the dragons! What about the soldiers who dragged the sleeping guard away? The Speed Stingers will shut him up.
Everything became clear. Everything made sense.
And everything in Jerrick's mind was replaced with an overwhelming sense of anger. Jerrick seethed. Pure rage filled his entire being like a babbling brook of hot lava. He scrunched his fists till his knuckles went white. He clenched his jaw tighter than a spanner. His face went black. His whole body trembled. He snapped.
"You. Fucking. Bitch!" Jerrick spat. Jerrick slammed his palms into the bars. A loud clang echoed around the island.
"What did you say?" Krogan spun around.
"You were the one who did it!" Jerrick shouted, stabbing his finger at Krogan. "You monster! You brute! I should have killed you when I had the chance!"
Krogan suddenly dashed over to Jerrick in three strides and yanked his outstretched arm. Jerrick's face slammed against the bars. "So what if I did? Your father was as incompetent as you."
Jerrick saw red. He flipped his arm out of Krogan's grip, grabbed his collar, and pulled Krogan in with a loud yell, smashing his head against the bars. The bars clanked deafeningly. But Jerrick didn't stop there. He smashed Krogan's head against the bars over and over again. Blood sprouted from Krogan's head. A few drops landed on Jerrick's hands and face. But Jerrick didn't care. Hatred and fury consumed him. He didn't even feel the hilt of the sword smashing into his wrist the first time. It was only when the second strike broke his wrist then Jerrick released Krogan. But even then he didn't feel the pain. He was furious. Not even the sight of Krogan's bloodied face gave him pleasure. Jerrick snarled and yanked the bars viciously, hoping to break it down in his anger.
"You better calm him down before we interfere," Yakfeet said.
"Go on! Back off like the wimp you are!" Jerrick shook off the arm around his shoulder. "Pass out, you weakling! I hope you never wake up!"
Krogan wiped the blood off his face and glared daggers at Jerrick. Jerrick bared his teeth and glared back savagely.
Suddenly, strong hands gripped him from behind and yanked him to the floor. His belly hit the ground. Jerrick cried out. People clambered on his back. Jerrick twisted and struggled. It didn't work. His hands were high above his back. He was being crushed. He screamed threats. It didn't work. Jerrick struggled again. It still didn't work.
"Calm down, Jerrick, calm down," he heard over and over again. That was Corey's voice. Why was Corey holding him down? Jerrick twisted again, but it still wasn't working. Without his hands he wouldn't be able to get out. "Calm down." Jerrick heard again, but this time it was Dustin's voice. He snarled loudly. Jerrick soon realised he couldn't breathe properly with both Corey and Dustin on his back. He took a shallow breath. Jerrick twisted again, but felt his strength fading away. Jerrick also felt the pain in his broken wrist for the first time. Jerrick took another breath. The urge to escape was less. His anger subsided. The pain in his wrist grew stronger.
"Let go of my hand," Jerrick said. His voice no longer had the same edge. It was much calmer. Corey released his hands. The weight on his back lifted, and Jerrick sat up and gripped his throbbing wrist. He whimpered. Without the adrenaline, it really hurt.
"Jerrick Thurmond Brandt." A cold accented voice spoke from outside the cell. Jerrick locked eyes with Krogan. Blood streamed down the side of his head. The fire in the fireplace crackled behind him. Jerrick thought he saw a shadow fly behind Krogan.
"I hope you like Helheim," Krogan said tonelessly. "Take him."
Immediately, soldiers began to close in on the cage. One of them produced a key and started to turn the lock. But Dustin pushed him back through the bars.
"Stay away from him!" Dustin ordered.
"Let us through and we won't hurt you," Yakfeet said.
"If you want to get to him, you'll have to go through us," Corey said.
"Don't bother," Krogan said suddenly. "Don't waste your time." Krogan glared straight at Jerrick, a sour frown plastered on his face. The blood on his face dripped down his chin. The hideous scar on his face jumped a little. Jerrick saw his mouth twitch, and immediately a gut feeling told him he wouldn't like what Krogan was going to say.
"Shoot him."
Jerrick felt his mouth dry up as he watched all the archers load their crossbows. There were at least ten of them. There was no way he was going to survive this. The cage was too small to dodge ten arrows. Fear gripped him like a hungry lion clutching its prey. His legs felt like it was weighed down with lead. Jerrick desperately wanted to run, wanted to do anything besides stand there, but he didn't. He couldn't. He was a sitting duck. Jerrick gulped as the cold tip of the arrow stared him down.
Suddenly, there was a large explosion. A loud boom tortured Jerrick's ears. Amber flames rose up like a cloud, lighting up the night sky. Jerrick squinted. He blocked the light with his hand. There was another ear-shattering explosion. Soldiers shouted. The ground trembled underneath his feet. Jerrick cried out as he landed painfully on his broken wrist. Ignoring the pain, Jerrick looked out of the cage.
Small flames littered the area. Fallen soldiers were either scrambling for their weapons or clutching some injured body part. Dirt and soil was tossed up everywhere. But it was none of this that caught Jerrick's attention.
It was a dragon hovering above.
"Rockcrusher!" Jerrick shouted with delight. Rockcrusher looked at Jerrick gleefully and wagged his tail briefly, before sending more flaming rocks crashing into the ground. The other Gronckles that Rockcrusher called to bring them to the Northern Markets were with him too. The quartet rained havoc from the sky. Soldiers had to jump out of the way of raining lava. A few soldiers screamed and ran when burning rocks crashed between their hands and fallen weapons. A beige Gronckle sent a soldier flying into the sea with his rock-hard tail. Jerrick winced at the impact. The soldier definitely broke some ribs. He didn't want to think if the soldier lived or not.
"It's good to see you," Jerrick said as Rockcrusher flew directly beside the cage. He reached out of the bars to pat him. A huge wave of joy buzzed through Jerrick when he felt the thick scaly snout against his palms.
"Can you break the lock?" Jerrick asked. Rockcrusher glanced doubtfully at the lock.
"I got it." Jerrick recognised that voice. Jerrick's mouth was already hanging open as he slowly spun to face the voice.
Hiccup.
The auburn man opened the cage door and held it open. But Jerrick didn't move. He couldn't believe his eyes.
"Come on, Jerrick, we have a fight to finish," Hiccup coaxed with a smile. Jerrick still didn't budge. His shocked eyes remained locked on Hiccup. Even as Kari held his non-broken hand and practically dragged him out of the cage, Jerrick's blank gaze didn't leave Hiccup. 'How did you find me' was what Jerrick wanted to say, but in his confused state all he said was "How…"
"Your Gronckle found us as we were heading back to Berk," Hiccup explained. "He was so frantic that we decided to follow him. He led us back here, so here we are. And just in time, I think." Hiccup glanced around.
"Come on, Toothless, let's go," Hiccup suddenly said. Jerrick hadn't even noticed Toothless standing beside Hiccup. Hiccup mounted Toothless awkwardly, avoiding his left hand. The duo rejoined the dragon riders hovering in the air. Hiccup gave an order, and the riders began to swoop down and attack Krogan's soldiers together with the Gronckle army. The dragon riders knocked soldiers unconscious and chased many more away with dragon fire, fully intending not to harm the soldiers, but the Gronckles had other ideas. Rock-hard tails sent soldiers flying into the sea. Some of them screamed loudly as molten rocks incinerated them, and then stopped screaming altogether. Jerrick watched as Yakfeet was knocked unconscious from behind by Snotlout, and for good measure Rockcrusher sent him flying into the sea. The sight of the twins spewing green gas all over the place captivated Jerrick for a while, before a burp-growl-squawk interrupted Jerrick's reverie. Rockcrusher stuffed his rocky body underneath Jerrick's arm. Jerrick couldn't help but smile at his dragon's affectionate gestures.
"Thank you, boy," Jerrick said warmly. Rockcrusher wagged his tail. Jerrick looked up and quickly assessed the situation. The dragon riders were no longer alone in the sky. There were Singetails flying around too. On land, soldiers started to grab bows or head to the bola launchers by the edge of the island. A quick count showed about five Singetails in the air and ten soldiers on land. Many more lay unconscious.
Jerrick knew immediately what had to be done. He grabbed a sword from a fallen soldier awkwardly with his weaker hand.
"Let's finish this!" Jerrick yelled. Everyone grabbed a weapon and charged into the fray. The soldiers spun around, caught off-guard. But they quickly dropped their bows and picked up swords, axes, maces; any melee weapon they could get their hands on.
It just took a split second for Jerrick to see that the soldiers were experts. Light footwork, perfect posture, expert grips, not to mention strong muscles that would shred their teenage muscles to bits. Jerrick halted. Going up against these soldiers would be fighting a losing battle. There were seven of them standing in a line in front of them, blocking Jerrick and his friends from reaching the launchers. Five teenagers fighting against seven expert soldiers was not a good idea. They needed something that could turn the tides. But what?
Then he remembered it. The Zippleback gas canisters. When they escaped the island earlier, Jerrick only used two. He had pocketed four. There were still two more in his pocket.
With his body half turned away from the soldiers, Jerrick slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out the two canisters, forcing himself not to wince when his broken wrist jostled against the opening of his pocket. The metal felt cold in his broken hand. He glanced at his friends for the briefest moment, before opening and tossing both canisters at the soldiers. Immediately, green gas spread out and completely consumed the soldiers. The soldiers coughed and spluttered. A few of them stumbled out of the toxic cloud, weapons lost, fight forgotten.
"Charge!" Jerrick ordered. The rest surged forward. Dustin and Corey teamed up to knock an utterly confused soldier into the sea. Kari parried a weak shot from a soldier while Helka knocked him unconscious. A few more soldiers clambered out of the gas, but they weren't a challenge. The gas had taken too much of a toll on them. It didn't take more than a few hits to dispose of them. Jerrick felt utterly useless hanging back, but he knew he'd be even more useless fighting with a broken wrist - he'd just be a burden. The green cloud slowly became thinner and thinner, until it was no more. The bola launchers were no longer manned. Jerrick didn't want to know what happened to the soldiers there.
Bright orange fire and purple plasma blasts continued to burst in the night sky. For a brief moment Jerrick considered using the launchers to help. But that thought shattered when a plasma blast struck a Singetail. The Singetail roared in pain. Dragon fire suddenly began to rain heavily. Jerrick had no idea who was winning. Every now and then a dragon silhouette would be illuminated briefly by dragon fire. A Singetail took the brunt of a plasma blast. The poor dragon roared pitifully. The silhouette of the Singetail began to grow larger and larger.
Jerrick suddenly realised the dragon was coming towards him.
"Move!" He barely jumped out of the way before the dragon crashed into the ground. Dirt and grass flew everywhere. Jerrick spat out the dirt in his mouth. Avoiding his right hand, Jerrick rose to his feet and looked at the dragon. The Singetail had a smoky wound on its side, and no sign of its rider. Jerrick took a step forward.
Suddenly, Krogan stood up from behind the dragon and glared straight at Jerrick. Jerrick froze. A gleam of light flew off the blade of Krogan's sword. Harsh brown eyes pierced into Jerrick's soul. A chill ran down his spine.
"Give up, Krogan," Hiccup said in a commanding voice. The riders landed beside him, forming one extended line. Jerrick felt a small surge of relief. But that wasn't enough to calm his racing heart.
"Why do you always ruin things?" Krogan hollered furiously.
"This doesn't have to get any worse. Surrender and let this war end," Hiccup continued.
"From the moment you were at the Northern Markets, you've been nothing but trouble," Krogan said directly to Jerrick. Jerrick resisted the urge to squirm.
"Krogan, stop it," Jerrick heard Hiccup say. But Krogan didn't break his deadly glare. Dark brown irises stabbed straight into Jerrick's heart. Jerrick's skin crawled. He was brave, hell, he'd taken down a furious Night Fury - twice - but there was something so sinister in Krogan's ice cold glare.
Jerrick didn't know it, in fact none of the riders knew it too, but there was a bow strapped to Krogan's back, locked and loaded. One pull of the trigger was all it took to fire an arrow at an extremely fast speed. It would hit a person before anyone could react.
After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, Krogan finally looked away. Jerrick sighed softly when Krogan looked at Hiccup.
"Fine. I will," Krogan said, his voice unusually calm. "This fight has gone on for long enough. It's time for it to end." Krogan lowered his sword and dropped his head. Jerrick wasn't sure, but he was certain that Krogan glanced at him for a split second as he lowered his sword. There was also something disconcerting about the way Krogan spoke, particularly the word 'fight'. Hearing Krogan say that word felt wrong. Jerrick remembered Krogan calling this battle with Hiccup a war, so why was he calling it a fight now? 'Fight' normally meant something smaller. A twisted feeling began to grow inside Jerrick's stomach. Nothing felt right. Something on Krogan's back glinted.
Suddenly, Krogan looked back up and glared at Jerrick, a twisted scowl on his face.
"I'm just sorry it has to end this way."
Krogan flung the sword. Moonlight glinted off the blade as it tumbled through the air. The sword passed well above their heads, striking fear in any birds who happened to pass overhead.
Jerrick opened his mouth to scoff, but a whistle in his ear and something slamming into his chest stopped him. It was like a brutal punch that knocked the wind out of him. Jerrick stumbled back a step. Who hit him? Only the riders and his friends were close to him. Something warm began to spread on his chest and down his body too. Since when did punches leave warm feelings? How strange.
And here was something else. The ground that was previously flat was now running downhill. Then it was running uphill. Scratch that, it tipped downhill so far that Jerrick could no longer see it. Trees that used to stand tall beside him now hung their leaves over his face. On top of that, the world seemed a lot darker. The glow of the moon seemed to have darkened too. Jerrick knew that it was dark, but it definitely wasn't this dark before. Some colours still stood out though, like the dull green on the leaves, the bright orange of Kari's tunic…
Why was Kari kneeling over him? When had he fallen down? There was a panicked look on her face. Her mouth was open, like she was screaming, but no sound came out. Everyone gathered around him too. Why were they so interested in him? Something dripped off Kari's chin. It looked like tears. Why was she crying? Jerrick wanted to wipe the tears off her face, but to his surprise he couldn't raise his hand. He wanted to ask what happened, but nothing came out, not a single breath. Jerrick was starting to feel scared. He didn't know what was wrong, but there was definitely something wrong.
Then something caught his attention. At the edge of his rapidly blackening vision, Jerrick saw something sticking straight up, almost like it was in his chest. He strained to see it, but he couldn't see anything more than a wooden stick with the back of an arrow attached onto it. Something else drew his attention away from the arrow. A deep red colour - it looked more like a black colour sparkling in the light actually, nothing had colour anymore - was spreading underneath his body. Jerrick suddenly realised that he felt warm. Not just physically warm, but his heart felt warm too.
Amidst the sea of black and grey, Jerrick saw a person that actually had colour, and immediately he knew why he felt warm. It was a person he hadn't expected to see ever again. The same powerful arms that held him when he was a child extended out to him. He was wearing a pleasant smile on his face, the same smile he donned on whenever he had just returned from a long and tiring day of work. Jerrick stretched a hand out to him, or rather he tried to, but he still couldn't move. He was no longer breathing, but he hadn't realised it.
"Come, my son, let's go." Even though Jerrick hadn't heard him for two years, the reassuring voice was music to his deafened ears. Jerrick wanted to say something, to scream for help, but he couldn't.
No, he didn't want to. There was no need to scream. You only scream when there is pain. There was no pain. All the pain was history. Jerrick just felt tired. The only thing left for him to do was to give in to the tiredness.
The strong and comforting hands of Hagen Brandt lifted him off the ground.
Jerrick Thurmond Brandt sighed and closed his eyes.