You guyzzz! Thanks for your support as always, I'll never say it enough! I'm glad you're all enjoying the story! Enjoy chapter 15!
Hiccup jerked awake like he'd been zapped by a Seashocker and instantly begun thrashing against the ropes bounding him to the chair. He bared his teeth and growled furiously, fighting the bonds linking his wrists to the back of the chair. He rose his gaze at the Riders standing around him in the room, glaring with a dangerous fire in his eyes. His violet irises glowed brightly like a lantern showing one's merry way down a gloomy path. Except, there was nothing merry about it.
Everyone stared, taken aback as he fought violently, pulling, and tugging. Astrid wanted to stop him, afraid that he might hurt himself. But she held back, equally aware of what he was capable of should she get too close. It was like he'd never been unconscious. She wondered, in his state, if he could still feel panic and fear.
"Holy Hiccup!" exclaimed Tuffnut, grabbing a spear from the bucket full of weapons resting in the corner of the Clubhouse. "Someone sure woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Even... if there isn't any bed…"
"Release me!" bellowed Hiccup, the order coming out more as a growl than a word.
"Yeah, not gonna happen," said Astrid, crossing her arms over her chest, scowling at him. "Not anytime soon, at least."
Hiccup glared at them all, teeth bared. He balled his fists, tugging against the ropes. The twins had served their purpose with their rope skills. Of course, a useful purpose from those two only happened once a blue moon. Astrid was just glad they did the trick. She knew all too well how slippery Hiccup could be. He'd escaped the enemy so many times before. It was one of his many talents. They had to make sure they didn't fall victim to his tricks as well.
"Well well well, what they say is true," said Ruffnut, bringing her hands up to her hips while looking down at Hiccup with a disappointed look on her face.
"You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain," finished Tuffnut, leaning on his spear. He scoffed, sharing a look with his sister. "And everyone thought we'd be the ones to lose it first."
"Very well," hissed Hiccup, raising his chin high at the Riders standing a good distance away from him, scanning them like a vicious and aggressive predator choosing its next target. "Then I'll give you all a blood-curling scream of a pain you won't be so soon to forget."
"That's a new one…" said Ruffnut, hiding behind her brother.
"His creativity really knows no bounds," added Tuffnut, sharing a frightful look with his sister who nodded in reply.
"Fishlegs?" called Astrid, looking over her shoulder.
"On it," said Fishlegs, moving closer to Hiccup who only glared dangerously like a hostile dragon that'd been captured by Dragon Hunters and imprisoned in a cage.
Dagur stood close to Hiccup from behind him, ready to leap into action should his brother try anything at all. After harming Heather, Dagur had refused to let him out of his sight. Heather sat on the pile of crates in a tumble at the entrance of the Clubhouse, rubbing her bruised neck. She'd kept her eye on Hiccup too, acting hostile and distrustful toward him. As close of a friend that Hiccup had been to her, she'd been quick to position herself against him. Or at least, whatever new rogue version of Hiccup this was. She didn't want to get anywhere close to him, not so soon after he'd nearly strangled her.
The twins and Snotlout stood by Astrid's sides, ready to comment on the situation.
"Mmh," said Fishlegs, kneeling before his leader while he studied his face closer, unafraid to get in close like the rest of them. "Symptoms are like nothing I've ever seen before."
"Which are?" asked Heather, holding up a hand as if the answer would land in her palm.
"Change of coloration of the eyes," noted Fishlegs, squinting while Hiccup snarled. "Very fascinating."
"Sure, but what does it mean?" asked Snotlout, wishing they could just get this over with.
"Well, Snotlout, it means that whatever's got him affects the brain," said Fishlegs, turning halfway around to meet his friends' gazes while he explained. "Assuming it's poison or a parasite of some sort. I don't see any other explanation. The eyes react to an intrusion in the system, playing with the pigments in the iris to compress and fall apart, whatever the matter." He turned back around to study to violet glow, ignoring Hiccup's antagonistic behavior completely. "This changes the eye color. Normally, it should only change the color pigmentation slightly, as for here; Hiccup's went from green to purple. That means whatever's in his system must be really strong."
"So he was poisoned?" concluded Astrid, taking a step forward.
"That's my hypothesis," confirmed Fishlegs, straightening back up.
"But… how? When?" wondered Astrid, her mind racing like the ocean breeze.
"I can't say," said Fishlegs. "I can't identify it yet. All I can conclude for now is that whatever substance got him, it's affecting the brain, which means it's clouding the mind. More than I've ever seen, for that matter."
"Remember that time we went on vacation and the dragons turned on us?" recalled Tuffnut, a smile stretching on his face at the memories he deemed wonderful.
"How can I forget?" said Ruffnut. "Those were a few of the best days of my life."
"Remember how there were these little parasite thingies eating away at our dragons?"
"You mean Grimmoras?" suggested Fishlegs, narrowing his eyes in confusion as to how in the world they'd drifted off to that story.
"Exactly!" exclaimed Tuffnut, pointing at his teammate excitedly.
"And what point are you trying to make here, exactly?" asked Astrid, turning his way with a not-so-amused look painting her face.
"Oh, Astrid," said Tuffnut, tsking. "Allow me to enlighten you on the subject. BAM! Salt!"
There was a long pause where everyone in the room stared at the male twin, disapproval heavy in the air. Even Hiccup stared, displeased eyes narrowed on him.
"Hiccup did go into the lagoon," said Snotlout, smirking and shrugging.
"We've been swimming and fishing in that lagoon for over a year, Snotlout," said Astrid, rejecting the idea completely. "I don't think—"
Astrid shielded her face when salt rained in the room. She blinked, glaring at Tuffnut who still stood in his throwing position. Even Hiccup eyed him with an eyebrow raised questioningly. Tuffnut approached their captive and crouched before him, narrowing his eyes to study Hiccup's purple-pigmented irises.
"Mmh, nope," he said, holding his chin thoughtfully. "Didn't work. That look is giving me the creeps. Urgh. Purple is not your color, H. Alright, sis. We'll do it your way. Hand me a mace."
"What—No!" shouted Astrid, holding down the mace Ruffnut had raised over her head before turning back around to face Tuffnut. "Okay, you two need to stop. Stop your schemes. We're not killing Hiccup."
"Urgh, can't have any fun around here," mumbled Ruffnut, swinging the mace over her shoulder.
Astrid returned in front of Hiccup, staring defiantly at his mocking eyes.
"Alright, let's see here," she said, turning to Fishlegs and ignoring her betrothed's sick smile and toxic glare. "Let's say he was poisoned. Fishlegs, where would it originate from? A dragon? A plant? Toxic water source? Food? Find anything you can that could give us a clue. It could help us find a way to snap him out of it."
"I'll get on it right away," said Fishlegs, nodding confidently. "I'll try to narrow down the options." He walked out of the Clubhouse with his Gronckle wagging its tail excitingly. "Come on, Meatlug. Let's go do some research."
Astrid watched him go and let her gaze trail to the floorboards. She looked at Heather still massaging her neck, the twins and Snotlout, certain this was betrayal, and Dagur, looking distrustful of his brother. She wondered how they'd fallen this low. It was still the middle of the night. The flames in the fire pit danced lively, lighting up the room and plunging half of Hiccup's face into the shadows. She met his eyes again, the scornful smile stretching on his face while his poisonous eyes burnt into hers, dragging her in like prey drawn by bait.
Something Hiccup had said about the Dragon Hunters had made him sound like he'd allied himself to them. Astrid had sensed something was wrong right away. But the mention of the enemy let Astrid know this was no accident. None of this was a hazard. Someone had done this to him, on purpose, against them. She had no doubt about it. They'd used one of their own to destroy them from within. Astrid could only think of one person capable of such twisted tricks, and the more she stared into that toxic glow, the more she could see those dark brown eyes smiling in triumph and mockery. She could almost hear his laugh; that dark, sinister laugh letting her know he had everything planned out.
From start to finish.
Hiccup chuckled and threw his head back. He still smiled. It was not the sweet smirk of the Hiccup they all knew. This was a sickening grin that could only announce bad intent.
"Okay, what exactly is going on with him now?" asked Heather, standing in the entrance of the building, arms crossed over her chest. She watched uncomfortably while Hiccup continued laughing, looking like he was having the time of his life. "I understand that certain poisons and parasites can make some people and dragons go a little…" She made a circular motion next to her head and grimaced before gesturing back to Hiccup. "But this is a little overboard, don't you think?"
"I have to agree," said Dagur, taking a step closer to Astrid. "I've never seen it in a mirror, but I know deranged when I see it."
Hiccup scoffed, shaking his head sideways. Astrid, Heather, and Dagur shifted their attention on him, all very uneasy. Snotlout and the twins stared curiously.
"Still speculating, as always," he said, clearly enjoying this. "Poor little Dragon Riders. You can't hope to restrain me forever." He impulsively tugged on his bounds, making everyone in the room jump and take a step back for extra caution. Hiccup's light expression had blown in the wind and he was back to bared teeth and snarling show. His hair dangled before his eyes, casting a shadow over his face.
Astrid could feel her heart racing in her chest, eyes locked with Hiccup. She blinked rapidly and turned away, chasing away the fear that had settled in her gut.
"Come on, Astrid," called Hiccup, almost begging to have her eyes on him. Heather cast a concerned look at her friend. Astrid couldn't bear to hear her name being spoken by him while he was like this. She balled her fists, the feels overwhelming her. "Don't turn your back on me."
Astrid gritted her teeth and swiftly grabbed the hunting knife lying on the table, bringing the blade under his chin. Hiccup didn't even flinch and kept smiling contemptuously while his eyes evoked another emotion. He held her stare, narrowing his eyes playfully.
"You can't kill me," he whispered, scoffing. This was all just a game to him. He knew their strengths and weaknesses, what they were capable of and not. "You just can't. You care too much. You'd sacrifice everyone and every dragon on this island just to save me, wouldn't you? You'd spill as much blood as necessary if it meant sparing every drop of mine. I know you, Astrid. And you know I'm right."
Astrid tightened her lips, the adrenaline running through her veins making her shake. The knife quivered in her hand while she glared. It was no use. The room was quiet and Astrid could feel the eyes meet. He was right. An unspoken awful truth. She backed away, her gaze softening. She looked down at him shakily while he smiled, knowing exactly what he did and where he'd struck.
She looked away from him, letting her gaze trail to the dusty floorboards.
"Dagur," she said over her shoulder. "Please take him to the stables. We'll carry on later when Fishlegs comes back with more answers."