A/N: No replies to reviews this chapter, it was preuploaded a week ago.
Chapter 9: Fighting With Fire
Warm air blasted against Jerrick's face as he entered the Great Hall. A few heads turned to look at him as he entered. He paid them no mind as he walked to the front to collect some food. Low murmurs could be heard from every table. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a few people glance at him as he walked past them. Jerrick shrugged it off. It was probably just his paranoid mind playing tricks on him. They didn't know what happened last night.
He continued to shrug off the feeling of eyes boring into his back as he walked to the front of the hall. Jerrick felt his heart pound viciously in his chest. The walk felt longer than normal. He collected his food and went to find the dragon riders.
Jerrick heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that Astrid wasn't with the riders. He took a seat beside them and began to eat. The table was silent before he arrived, and the awkward silence persisted after he sat down. There was something wrong with the way the riders were acting. One of them would glance at the other, and then immediately drop their heads back down. Snotlout was the only one who acted as though nothing was wrong.
"What happened last night?" Jerrick asked, shattering the silence. It wasn't a question that would seem out of the ordinary, especially after Astrid's interrogation.
"Nothing," Fishlegs squealed. "Nothing at all."
"Why was Astrid so angry when she found my medallion near the arena?" Jerrick pressed innocently. His eyes bore straight into Fishlegs'. The husky boy shifted his eyes from side to side, trying to find reprise from the pillars around him.
"Someone attacked Phlegma," Snotlout said. Jerrick saw Fishlegs heave a sigh of relief. "Astrid was upset that we couldn't find who it was."
"Where's Astrid now?" Jerrick asked. "And Hiccup?"
"Hiccup's planning at the cove," Snotlout said calmly. "Mentioned something about wanting peace and quiet and told us clearly to stay away from him for the next few hours. Astrid's upset with Hiccup and is purposely staying away from him." Jerrick forced himself to keep calm. Hiccup was alone! Toothless was probably guarding him, but he had dragon nip anyway. This was the chance he had been waiting for!
"I see," Jerrick said tonelessly. Was his tone too dry? Hopefully not. Snotlout straightened up and flexed his biceps.
"Maybe she'll break up with that twig and go out with a real Viking now," he kissed his biceps. Jerrick grimaced.
"Yeah, I'm gonna leave after seeing that." Jerrick said. He picked up his bowl and forced himself not to hurry. Walking slowly had never felt so difficult. He passed his bowl to one of the many Berkians taking charge of the hall. The man's eyes seemed to examine him for a moment, or maybe it was his imagination.
Jerrick left the warmth of the hall and burst into the open. Even though the temperature was cold, Jerrick was sweating, and it felt cold against his forehead. The scab on his palm itched. Where was the cove? Jerrick scratched his palm as he pulled an image of the map into his mind. Mentally, he plotted a path to the cove as he walked. It wouldn't take too long to reach the cove. But he didn't have a weapon. Where could he get one? The forge has weapons. But how would he steal one? There had to be a better option. Suddenly, a thought struck him. The other riders weren't carrying weapons with them in the hall. Their weapons should be in their homes. Which one would be the best? Snotlout was strong and beefy, so his sword might not have the best weight balance for himself. Fishlegs was so peaceful that Jerrick wondered if he had a weapon at all. Tuffnut carried a mace, and that wasn't what he wanted. That left Ruffnut. Jerrick remembered briefly seeing her wield a sword during the rehearsal. Given her size and strength, she would probably have the most optimal sword.
Jerrick walked into the village centre, strides slow. If anyone had seen him, they wouldn't have suspected a thing. There was nothing abnormal about the way he was walking. It was just a casual stroll. He made for the Thorston house. It wasn't difficult to identify which one it was. All he had to do was search for one which had a small chicken coop on the outside. Who knew all the twins' rambling in the Great Hall would come in handy? Before long, Jerrick spotted it. The noticeable telltale signs that it was the Thorston home was littered all over the place, the chicken coop by the side, small burn marks on the walls, singed grass, burnt flowers - the twins played with fire way too much. The house was a simple one. It had the same overturned ship design as all the other houses, but it was noticeably smaller than Hiccup's, which didn't come as a big surprise.
Jerrick strode up to the door confidently. He knocked a few times and waited for a response. When none came, he opened the door and peeked into the house. It seemed empty. But looks can be deceiving. He didn't want to stay there longer than he had to. On his right, various types of weapons hung on a wall, swords, maces, axes, even a crossbow. He grabbed a sword and swung it around a few times. The weight and balance felt good. He sheathed it behind his back. The crossbow still hung there, as though begging him to take it. When would a crossbow come in handy? It might help to take down Toothless, but Toothless would probably kill him before he could bat an eye. He glanced at the crossbow again. Shrugging, he grabbed an arrow and loaded the crossbow. There was no way he was going to be able to hide the crossbow. He would have to simply dash to the forest and hope he wasn't spotted.
Jerrick stuck his head out of the door. The coast looked clear. He pulled open the door and ran onto the path. The sound of his footsteps beating the path seemed to mimic his heartbeat. When he came closer to the centre of the village, Jerrick darted between two houses, off the main path. He ran along the back of the houses. His lungs and heart worked doubly hard to make sure he ran fast. The start of the forest was in sight now, but it still felt like a long way away. Should he head straight to the cove or should he get the rest of the gang? In the daylight, it wouldn't take too long to get to them. On the other hand, it would still take quite a while, and he didn't know how long Hiccup would be at the cove.
Suddenly, he heard voices. Jerrick jumped between two houses and pressed his back against the cold wooden wall. The voices grew louder and were approaching his left. A barrel stood by his side against the wall of the house. It was quite short and thin, but he didn't have a choice. He lay flat against the ground. Jerrick held his breath as the voices came closer.
"...think he's gone?" Snotlout said.
"Most likely," Fishlegs could be heard replying. "Hiccup is usually right." The crunch of gravel grew louder and louder.
Tuffnut groaned. "Why does Hiccup always do everything alone?" Gravel crunched directly in front of the barrel. Did they see him?
"We should still hurry up and get to him," Fishlegs said. The crunching gravel began to move further away from him.
"Do you really think we…" Jerrick couldn't hear any more. The wind carried Snotlout's voice far away from his ears.
But Jerrick had heard enough. In a split second, Jerrick understood what they meant. Hiccup might have left to take on Scarface on his own. Jerrick made up his mind. Time was no longer his friend. He pushed himself up and bolted into the forest. He would have to go alone.
A short while later, the cove was in sight. Jerrick lay down on his belly and took a cautious peek over the side. Thankfully, Hiccup was still around, perched on a stone. His back was facing Jerrick, and he hadn't heard him come. But a small niggling at the back of Jerrick's head told him something wasn't right. What was amiss? Jerrick couldn't tell. He desperately wanted to hurry, but he held back. His senses were usually right, and he trusted them. Going in without figuring out what was wrong would be bad. But Hiccup might leave any time…
The realisation hit him.
Where was Toothless? The Night Fury was nowhere to be seen. Maybe that's why everyone said it was the most elusive dragon. Hiccup couldn't leave if he didn't have his dragon. Goosebumps formed on Jerrick's skin. Something about this whole scenario felt wrong, and Toothless not being near Hiccup just made it worse. Jerrick took shallow breaths, afraid that the sound of his deep breathing would pierce the still silence in the air. The air was palpable, thick enough to slice with his sword. Inch by inch, Jerrick moved his right hand to grab and release the hilt of his sword. The hilt felt cold. Jerrick slid to the right a little. The grass tickled his pants. He felt the dragon nip crunch in his left pocket. Would the dragon nip work if it was crushed? Slowly, he moved his left hand into his pocket. It felt fine. Hopefully. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. The cold wind blew against him, rustling the grass around him. His heart pounded in his ears. Why was he so nervous?
The answer came as a sound. It was very soft, in fact, if Jerrick hadn't been on such high alert, he would have missed it completely. The grass rustled just slightly louder behind him on his left side. In one swift move, Jerrick rolled onto his back and stood up, at the same time he pulled out his sword from its sheath.
Then his breath caught in his throat. A pair of slitted green eyes and a row of white teeth greeted him.
Toothless.
And the Night Fury was not happy.
Toothless had his teeth bared menacingly at Jerrick. His back was arched and he kept his head close to the ground. Jerrick didn't know much about dragons, but it didn't take a genius to know that that was not a friendly posture. Deep growls reverberated from Toothless' throat. Jerrick held his ground. Toothless might eat him, but he wouldn't go down without a fight.
"Brandt!" Hiccup's voice called from the forest. Jerrick glanced at him. Hiccup was facing him, hands on his hips. His cold green eyes frowned at him, and his lips were pursed. "Or should I call you Jerrick?" Jerrick snarled. When did he figure it out?
"Come down here and let's settle this," Hiccup continued in a cool voice.
"What if I say no?" Jerrick hollered back.
"Then I'll ask him to bring you down here," Hiccup pointed his chin at Toothless. The Night Fury was still growling at him, baring a whole row of razor sharp teeth. Jerrick was caught between a rock and a hard place, except that the rock was a snarling dragon. If he didn't go down, Toothless would bring him down. If he went down on his own, Hiccup and Toothless would corner him. Jerrick realised that if he wanted to get out of here, he would have to take one of them out first. And to do that, all he had to do was fight against fire.
"I'm waiting," Hiccup called. Jerrick's mind took a split second to make a decision.
"I'm coming," Jerrick said. He sheathed his sword and placed both hands in his pockets. Hiccup pointed towards his right, probably towards the entrance to the cove. Jerrick walked slowly, deliberately being very careful in his steps. He heard the shuffling of the undergrowth behind him. Toothless was closer to him, he knew that. It was a sixth sense he had developed through his years of training, an ability to know how close another person is to himself. How was he able to tell? Jerrick had no idea. It was simply his subconscious talking to him. But in this case, Jerrick could feel the warm breath of the dragon on the back of his cold legs. His heart raced. Jerrick was prepared to strike, it was only a matter of finding the right time. And he knew exactly when the right time was. The entrance to the cove was just a few more steps away. He stepped over another tree root slowly, deliberately touching Toothless' snout with his heel. While it seems like a dumb move to purposely antagonise a dragon, it served a different purpose. Now Jerrick knew how far away Toothless was from him. The dragon huffed…
And Jerrick struck. He whirled around, whipped both hands out of his pockets and placed them on Toothless' snout. Toothless was not prepared. His eyes widened, and his pupils slowly dilated. His mouth closed, hiding the row of shining white teeth. A smile formed on his face as he closed his eyes, and he rolled onto his back, exposing the underside of his neck to Jerrick. The moment Toothless rolled over, Jerrick dashed forward and pinched the bottom of his neck. Toothless' eyes flew open and his whole body went rigid.
And then he went limp. Jerrick heaved a huge sigh of relief. Catching Toothless off guard was a surprise to him as much as it was to Toothless. When he spun around, he had pulled out the dragon nip from his pocket and rubbed it all over Toothless' snout. The moment the dragon nip touched his snout, the feared dragon turned into the tamest of housecats. Scarface had also taught them that pinching the underside of a dragon's neck causes them to faint. Jerrick was glad he actually listened to Scarface.
Hiccup simply stared at everything that unfolded. It happened too quickly for him to respond. Jerrick turned around and glared at Hiccup. A fire burned in his eyes, shooting flaming daggers at the man who killed his father. Unsheathing his sword, he bolted through the small entrance to the cove and charged at Hiccup. Hiccup snapped out of his trance and unsheathed his sword. Too late to get the jump on him, Jerrick slowed to a stop. He took a moment to catch his breath and analyse his opponent. Hiccup was left handed. No problem, he had fought left handers before. Hiccup was clearly experienced, balance centered with his feet shoulder-width apart, leaning forward slightly on his prosthetic leg.
"Calm down Jerrick," Hiccup said in a calm voice. "We can talk about this."
"Not a chance in hell," Jerrick retorted. "Not after what you've done." Hiccup looked lost for a moment.
"What have I done?" He asked.
"Don't try and pretend like you don't know," Jerrick growled. How dare he try and deny it?
"I seriously don't-" Jerrick yelled and charged forward. He swung viciously at Hiccup. Sparks flew as Hiccup parried the hit. Hiccup was taller, but height never meant anything to Jerrick. Being shorter meant that he was more agile. He also had the advantage of having two fully intact limbs. Jerrick darted from side to side, sending strike after strike Hiccup's way. Rage flowed through Jerrick's veins, spurring each attack with even greater force. Hiccup was getting weaker with each hit, Jerrick could feel it. Every time the metal clanged in his ears, Jerrick felt himself gaining an advantage. He darted forward again and sent yet another arm-crushing strike at Hiccup. Hiccup parried it, but the force of the attack caused his arm to fly back, leaving his chest fully exposed. One stab and it would all be settled. The world would be at peace. Jerrick raised his sword, preparing to drive it forward into the cold heart of the man who toppled his world.
But he hesitated. Jerrick's sword hung in the air for just a split second too long.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jerrick saw a flame being ignited. He snapped out of his trance and drove the pointed tip of the sword towards Hiccup's chest…
But Hiccup raised his sword just in time to parry Jerrick's attack. That split second was all Hiccup needed to recover. Jerrick felt the heat of a flame wash in front of his face, and then he realised that Hiccup's sword was on fire. He was fighting with fire again. Jerrick released the sword lock and jumped a few steps back. The sound of beating wings echoed around the cove. Before Jerrick could look up, four dragons landed beside Hiccup, each carrying their own riders. The flame on the sword must have been a signal.
The dragon riders landed on the soft grass and wielded their weapons. Even Fishlegs was carrying a weapon, much to Jerrick's surprise. They all looked at him with frowns on their faces, except for Astrid, who probably had a mask of hatred hung up on her wall that she wore every day. Hiccup strode forward, flaming sword in hand. His jade eyes bore a chill in them, and his clenched fists spoke of the fury within him. Oddly accurate code name, Jerrick thought. As he came nearer to Jerrick, Hiccup stretched out a palm towards him.
"I don't want to hurt you Jerrick," Hiccup soothed. "I want to help you. Put the sword down and let's talk."
"I don't need your help," Jerrick snarled.
"Put the sword down and let's talk," Hiccup continued. His emerald eyes softened slightly, and there was a tinge of concern showing. Was it genuine, or was this merely how he lured his victims in? Either way, putting down the sword was the last thing on Jerrick's mind. The moment he did that, he knew he would be their prisoner. Jerrick cursed. Why didn't he drive the sword in when he had the chance? It was too late to fight back now. He was outnumbered six to one. And they had dragons. No matter how hard he tried, it would be impossible to win against six people, let alone six people with dragons. There wasn't much he could do. Unless…
His mission was primarily a capture mission. Primarily. There was always an alternative. The crossbow. He hadn't had much training with it, but he had enough to aim it well. Besides, one shot was all he had. He might get executed for this, but he'd die knowing it wasn't in vain.
Jerrick sighed. He let his arms hang loosely by his sides. With a shrug, he flung his sword to the side. "Fine, let's talk," he said as grumpily as he could. Hiccup smiled a little as he extinguished the flame and sheathed his sword. Corey would really appreciate such an invention.
But the moment Hiccup released his sword, a few things happened at once. Jerrick reached behind his back and pulled out the loaded crossbow. At the same time, dragon fire erupted and flew towards him. Jerrick briefly caught the terrified look plastered on Hiccup's face as he aimed the crossbow. The sounds of dragons firing continued to echo around him. Jerrick pulled the trigger. The arrow whooshed through the air, flying straight at Hiccup's chest. The arrow had a metal head, which not only made sure it had enough weight to fly where it was aimed, but it made it strong enough to pierce through leather armour.
The shots from the dragons exploded all around Jerrick. Rocks and soil flew up around him, throwing Jerrick off his feet. He screamed as he flipped around in the air uncontrollably. The stale taste of mud filled Jerrick's mouth, and his eyes watered from the dirt in it. Jerrick couldn't see anything. Suddenly, he landed on his head, and a wave of agonising pain exploded every nerve in his head. The world felt much blacker all of a sudden. His head swarmed. But Jerrick forced himself to fight against the pain and dizziness and open his eyes. A very blurry vision of Hiccup lying down on the floor writhing in pain was all Jerrick could see. He smiled.
He had fought with fire.
And he had won.
That was the last thought that went through his head before the muddy darkness claimed him.
