A/N: We're onto Secret of the Leviathan. This should only take two or three chapters considering the expansion is mostly puzzles.

"What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost, but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him." — Viktor Frankl

Chapter 11

The next couple of weeks passed quickly. I tried to get back into school, but I also needed to help out Hiccup with the new dragon. We were still trying to learn everything we could about him. One morning, I met Hiccup and Valka outside of the Great Hall at Berk at the chief's request.

"Hey, Brennda," Hiccup greeted me. "You know, we rescued that egg from Harald in a whirlwind of adventure and things haven't slowed down. This little guy hasn't stopped growing ever since he hatched. Well, maybe I shouldn't call him 'little'."

I smiled down at the dragon that was already larger than any other baby I had seen. He looked anxiously between the the Vikings. It seemed he was trying to make as much sense out of the situation as we were. Then he let out a sad, curdling noise.

"I don't recognize this dragon species, but he's clearly a Tidal Class dragon," Valka said. "I believe he may one day grow to be a gigantic Class 10 Leviathan, just like the Bewilderbeast! We'll learn so much as he grows and claims his birthright power."

"That is pretty amazing!" I said. Which left me highly suspicious. Why would Harald jut let us have this dragon? He had to know something about him that we didn't. Sure, losing the egg to us could have been unintentional, but I doubted it.

"It's going to be okay, my dear," Valka said to the distressed dragon. "Don't fret... we're here for you. Brennda, pet the baby leviathan and help me soothe him."

I bent down and stroked the dragon along his head. Thankfully, this did seem to calm him, and he relaxed under my touch.

"I just wish I could make him feel better," Hiccup said. "We've given him water and dragon nip, and Toothless even played with him under the waterfall. Nothing's worked! He keeps making that heartbreaking noise... Well, we're not going to figure anything if we just stand around here. Hmmm... I don't remember seeing this little guy in the Book of Dragons, but it's been a while since I cracked the book open. Will you go to the Great Hall and look for it?"

I nodded. "Sure." I smiled at the baby dragon. "I'll be right back." Then I entered the Great Hall, where Astrid greeted me at the door.

"Oh, the little guy followed you here!" she said. I looked down and, sure enough, the leviathan was on my tail. "He must like you. Thanks for helping. I can't find anything in the Book of Dragons that look remotely like our baby leviathan. We've discovered a new dragon!"

"That's always fun," I said.

Astrid nodded. "Fishlegs must be ecstatic, but we need to know more if we want to help. Can you help Fishlegs with the Bork papers? He's stuck upstairs with that mess."

"I'm on it." I climbed the stairs to find Fishlegs at the desk surrounded by papers.

"What a rare treat!" he said. "Have you ever dug into the Bork Papers?"

"I can't say I have."

"It contains all the interesting dragon research Bork didn't put into the Book of Dragons. Frankly, it's fascinating."

"That does sound interesting. Have you learned anything about our new friend yet?"

"I haven't found anything yet... but don't worry! I still have yards of parchment to cover. Shoot, I let the light go out. Can you light it again?"

I reached out and lit the candle. The second I did, Fishlegs' eyes went wide, and he held a piece of paper to his face.

"Odin's eye - it's a secret message!" he exclaimed. "He must have hidden knowledge in invisible ink!"

"Invisible ink?"

"Bork must have written this message with lemon juice ink. You see, lemon juice is more acidic than the parchment. The acid weakened the parchment where it dried. That part of the parchment turns brown before the rest of the parchment when it's exposed to heat! Oh, I wonder what was so important that Bork had to hide it. Come in close!"

I walked around the desk and leaned in over Fishlegs' shoulder. He set the paper flat on the desk. On the paper, I saw the image of a dragon that looked very familiar.

"This is our leviathan, all right!" Fishlegs said. "Let's see... 'The Luminous Krayfin thrives in a humid habitat and must feed on the Dragon Bloom, a most dangerous flower. Only then can it become a leviathan. Extremely dangerous. Pray you never see this monster on the seas.'" Fishlegs frowned. "'Monster.' His views on dragons are rooted in his time, and - to put it bluntly - they're wrong. Still, his knowledge of dragons was excellent."

Just then, the twins entered the Great Hall, clutching the Dragon Cry. They used the machine to make a dragon noise, and this sent all the dragons in the room running, including the leviathan.

"Ugh, you two are ridiculous," Astrid groaned. "Uh-oh. Brennda, do you see the Krayfin anywhere?"

"Nope," I said. I glared at the twins. "They scared him off."

"Quick, we need to find him!"

I darted out of the great hall and nearly ran into Valka. I quickly explained the twins' prank and asked if she had seen the leviathan.

Valka frowned. "I've gotten so used to ignoring the Thorstons that I didn't even turn around when I heard the commotion... I didn't see the leviathan."

"Oh, I found out he's a Luminous Krayfin."

"'Luminous Krayfin'? What a gorgeous name! It suits such a majestic dragon. He's still young and defenseless. We need to protect him! Cloudjumper and I will look for him. Please, talk to the Vikings at Berk and see if they spotted our Krayfin."

I was off before she could finish. I found Gobber, and he told me the baby dragon flew towards the waterfall. So, that's where I headed next. However, when I arrived, I couldn't see even a trace of him. I backtracked and returned to the twins, who were also looking for the dragon.

"Nope, no luck," Ruffnut said. "Um, I'm sorry. We didn't expect he'd run away; total egg on our faces."

I crossed my arms and frowned. "You think?" I turned around as Valka approached with Hiccup.

"We can't see him anywhere," Valka said. "He must be a fast swimmer; no surprise, considering he is a Tidal Class dragon. We'll need to try something new if we want to track the Krayfin."

"I have an idea!" Hiccup said. "If we can't find him with our eyes, maybe we can use another one of our senses. I have just the invention that we can use to-" He paused. "I can't go with you, Brennda. There's an emissary here from the island of Nephente, and I need to help him as the chief of Berk. You've proven your skills many times over in our adventures together, but I'd feel better if you had some additional help. Will you gather some allies to help you out in this journey?"

I wondered at exactly what kind of journey he thought I was making. I was just trying to find a dragon... right? My suspicions and doubts resurfaced, reminding me there was more to the Krayfin than met the eye. "Sure thing, Hiccup. You can count on me."

I first approached Astrid for help, but she wanted to be with Hiccup to help him out. She suggested some unusual candidates to me, but I figured I'd give them a shot. Fortunately, both Skulder and Phlegma, the school botanist, agreed to help out. We returned to Hiccup to find out about his plan.

"Okay, I think this invention will do the job!" Hiccup said. "Remember that sad noise the leviathan was making earlier today? It's terrible that the dragon felt ill, but we can use that to our advantage. This is the Storm Ear." He held out an unusual looking device. Apparently, we could tune the Storm Ear to a particular sound and use it to track that sound.

After encouraging me to try it out, I fumbled around with the machine until I got it working. An eerie sound filled the air, pointing in one direction.

Hiccup smiled. "Great! It's working just as intended. I's resonating at the same frequency as the leviathan's distress call; this will lead you right to the dragon!"

"Thanks, Hiccup!" I said. "This is brilliant!"

"A lot is riding on your shoulders. The Krayfin may be as large as a Broad Wing dragon but it hasn't been long since he hatched. We need to protect him. And, if we can help him grow into a Class 10 Leviathan? That... would change everything."

I nodded. And that was what worried me. No way would Harald give us such a powerful dragon without having something nefarious in mind. I had to be careful as I ventured on.

The Storm Ear pointed off towards the ocean. I called out to Bolt and then mounted him while Phlegma and Skulder got on Phlegma's Snaptrapper. We ended up on a nearby island I had never been on.

"There don't seem to be many places to hide on this island, so we should be able to find where our dragon friend wandered off," Skulder said. "We can use Hiccup's invention to find the Krayfin."

I used the Storm Ear to continue to follow the dragon's trail... and it led us right to the edge of the cliff. I ignored a weirs smell as I peered over the ledge to examine what lay below. I gasped when I saw the leviathan standing in front of an old building. "There he is!"

"What a gorgeous building!" Skulder said. "I don't know for sure, but it looks several centuries old, and not of Berk origin. That... smell is getting worse. I've come across this before and it's always been bad news. Phlegma, what do you think it could be?"

"I don't know," Phlegma said. "It could be that animals and dragons come to die here, or perhaps an illness has recently struck this island. We need to explore cautiously and find out. And explore we shall! This place is a geological wonder! This is a cenote, a cave system that looms over a giant pool of groundwater. This place was once solid limestone, but rain and erosion caused the bedrock to collapse on itself. I don't know who created these buildings or carved these steps, but we need to get to our dragons. Let's fly down toward those ruins!"

I returned to Bolt and attempted to fly down. However, both dragons started to freak out and turned back.

"Our dragons must sense danger down there that we do not," Phlegma said. "Animals have different sense receptors that are specialized for different kind of information. This let them make quick decisions in the wild that keeps them alive. This seems to be one of those times... maybe it's the deathly smell. We won't force our dragons into the cenote against their will."

I got off Bolt and stroked his side to comfort him. "It's alright," I said softly. "I'll be back soon."

"Well, the baby leviathan doesn't seem to have the same qualms," Skulder said. "I wonder why the smell isn't scaring him off?"

"Maybe his species is used to it?" I suggested.

"Well! I suppose we have no other choice but to venture down after our errant leviathan! I hope these stairs haven't deteriorated over the years..."

I led the way down the stone staircase. The humidity grew the further down we went, reminding me about what Fishlegs said about the Luminous Krayfin. Perhaps this was why he was drawn here.

"This place feels impossible the more I learn about it," Phlegma said. "The cenote is humid and moisture hangs in the air, and the flora here is unlike the plants I've seen anywhere else. I must get closer!"

"The baby Krayfin is top priority, but luckily he's waiting for us right behind this fascinating gate and amazing architecture," Skulder said. "Let's get closer to the - to the baby Krayfin, of course."

I smiled at his excitement. "Right." Together, we walked closer to the Krayfin and the odd building. "There you are." Somehow he had gotten through the door, which now blocked our access to him.

"Amazing. This is just... I don't have the words for the beauty of this discovery. Thank you, baby leviathan. Thank you!"

"The baby leviathan doesn't seem inclined to leave that building," Phelgma said. "Brennda, let's get him out on the other side."

I approached the door and tried to opened it, but it wouldn't budge. I frowned. "It's locked."

"Of course it would be. Skulder?"

"And the arch on this gate, it's surely a sign of..." Skulder mumbled, "and the Eruptodon, yes... Hmm? Oh! My apologies, dear Phlegma. The gate is locked and we can't-shouldn't? -won't break it. I believe this building was created by the Defenders of the Wing, our allies to the north. Fortunately, Mala and her warriors are currently visiting Dragon's Edge. We should ask for their aid (and maybe a set of keys?). Phlegma, will you join us?"

"No, I want to stay here and try to document the different types of plants flourishing here," Phlegma said. "I also want to find the source of this smell. I'm sure you two can talk to Mala without a problem. Skulder, Snappy is yours to fly if he consents."

Skulder brightened at the offer. "Oh my word! I'm touched! I have been practicing how to fly a dragon on my own with Muddie, my rascally dragon friend, so I am up for the challenge!"

Phlegma smiled at him. "You are quite welcome."

Something occurred to me as I looked between the two. I noticed they spent much time together when Skulder returned to Berk, as their interests converged in unusual ways. Now I wondered if there was more to it than that.

"Please, Brennda, take point," Skulder said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Let's fly out of here to Dragon's Edge!"

"Oh, of course!"

I got onto Bolt, and we were off. Sure enough, as we closed in on Dragon's Edge, I saw several Defender Ships docked and a few defenders practicing on the beach.

"The Defenders of the Wing are a proud people," Skulder said upon landing. "They have an unshakable faith in the Great Protector, the Eruptodon that lives above their village. They have martial traditions that spans generations, and they've come to Dragon's Edge to share it with us. Have you met Mala, the Queen of the Defenders of the Wing? She rules over the village with a kind but firm hand. She can give us the help we need to get into the ruins at Impossible Island... I hope."

"I haven't met her, but I have heard a lot about her," I said. I took a deep breath. "It's time to find out if she'll help." I searched the the person who stood out from everyone else and made my way over to her. "Queen Mala?"

The woman look at me with a small smile. "That would be me. Are you one of Hiccup's dragon riders?"

I nodded. "I'm Brennda. I am wondering if you can help me with something."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Brennda. Tell me what I can do for you."

I told her about the Krayfin and how we followed him to the strange island. I mentioned he wanted to enter the building that had the symbol of her people.

"You have found a hallowed area, hidden deep within the cenote of Impossible Island," Mala explained. "There, my ancestors constructed a labyrinth where only the worthies could triumph."

I perked up at the mention of that. "Oh, really?" That sounded pretty exciting!

"My great grandmother ended that tradition; too many young Defenders were injured trying to prove themselves. I am sorry, but I will not help you. I refuse to send people into certain danger."

My smile fell. "But the Krayfin-"

"I am sorry. That is not a good enough reason for you to go through the trials, even if I were inclined to let you. It is not something to be taken lightly, even to help a dragon. I regret that you came to speak to me in vain. Please, stay and talk to my people. Perhaps they can help you understand the trials of becoming a warrior of the Defenders of the Wing."

"Alright. Thanks anyway." I tried to hide my disappointment as I walked away. I decided to take her up on her offer to talk to the other Defenders. If I understood what these trials were about, maybe I could learn more about the Krayfin.

The Defenders told me Impossible Island was full of dangerous puzzles designed to test the mind. "Did Mala tell you no?" one of them said. "You have that look about you. It might seem unfair, but I'm sure she has your bet interest in mind."

I shrugged. "I suppose..." But the more I learned about the trials, the more I wanted to try them.

"Mala is fair and will change her mind if given enough reason. I can help out, but tell me, why do you want her help?"

I ignored my initial impulse to mention the Krayfin again, remembering I needed a more personal reason. Then I thought about Harald. "There's someone I'm... at odds with, and I can't seem to beat him. It is going to be a long fight, and I want to go through the trials so I can prove that I can withstand anything and triumph in the end!"

The Defender grinned. "Ha ha! I like your spirit. Look, tell Mala this: you deserve a chance to prove your strength. Perhaps you can show her that you are worthy of tackling Impossible Island!"

I nodded. "Great! Thanks for your help." I returned to Mala to report everything I learned.

"What did my warrior tell you?" Mala asked.

"She said I deserve a chance to prove my strength. I know you don't want me to get hurt, but I've already been through many challenges and come out stronger. I need to know I can face anything that comes in the future."

Mala hesitated. "Maybe you are right. I should not judge your skills before you can demonstrate them to me. Perhaps you have what it takes to get through the death traps."

I immediately brightened. "Really?"

"I'll order my ships to head to Impossible Island if you can tell your companion we are ready to go."

I turned around to see Skulder watching us with wide eyes. "Ah. E-excuse me ma'am," he said. "Did you say- Brennda, did she say 'death traps'? Oh dear. Is it too late for us to change our minds?"

I smiled and clasped his shoulder. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."

"My grandparents used to tell me many incredible tales about Impossible Island, and I am pleased for the chance to see it with my own eyes," Mala said. "My ships and I will meet you there."

We set off for the ruins on Impossible Island. Before heading to the cenote, Mala had me practice a few puzzles on her ships to prove I could do it. They were a little tricky at first, but I eventually got them down. Satisfied, Mala led us to the cenote.

Once back at the building, I had to figure out a puzzle to open the door. After a bit of maneuvering, I accomplished the feat.

Mala appeared pleased at my abilities. "It was the right decision to put my faith in you!"

The Krayfin excitedly ran further into the building.

"Our little dragon is quite set on his goal, isn't he?" Skulder said. "We should be remiss if we do not follow its lead into the unknown. Forward, my friends!"

So, the four of us followed the Krayfin into the building. We were met with a spiraling staircase and more puzzles.

"Stay on your toes," Mala said. "My ancestors will push your abilities to their limit, and you must keep your wits if you wish to survive this trials."

I was ready for anything!