CHAPTER 24
It was a dull thrumming that roused Hiccup from the bleak world of unconsciousness. The thrumming pulsed softly in the back of his head, and he let out a low moan. Cold stone pressed into his cheek, and he slowly opened his eyes. It took a moment for him to adjust to the dimness but after blinking furiously, he looked around his dark stone prison. The cavern was enormous, stone walls worn smooth by years of being the brunt of the elements. At least three entries dotted the walls, more when he looked up into the darkness that shrouded the ceiling.
Where am I?
The thrumming grew even louder, and he pushed himself up into a more comfortable position, biting down hard on his lip as his left leg scraped against the stone. A dim light emitted from one of the upper caves and he saw the state of his leg for the first time. He gagged.
Puncture marks gleamed red through his ruined pant leg just below his knee where the dragon had grabbed him and blood trickled slowly but surely from the wound, collecting in a scarlet pool at his feet. His boot was stiff with blood and his toes were numb. Even with minimal skill in the healer's hut, Hiccup could tell that the bone was shattered beyond repair. It felt as if he'd dipped his entire leg in fire and he honestly didn't know how he was still alive. Shouldn't he have bled out by now with such a wound?
It was here in this silence that Hiccup heard the thrumming again. His left hand burned something terrible and he slowly, painfully, opened his hand. The amulet lay in his palm, gleaming almost comfortingly in the dim light. This small amulet was what the dragon had wanted. He'd said that himself in the Cove.
He'd… said.
The dragon had spoken.
The dragon had spoken.
His head whipped up at the sound of fluttering wings and he watched with fascinated horror as a warm blip of light scuttled across the walls not three meters away from him, illuminating a small section of the cavern. A small dragon the size of his hand sat in the center of the glow, staring at him with beady eyes. It scuttled closer and sat on the wall about three feet from him and, even from that distance, Hiccup could feel the immense heat coming from it.
Hiccup stared at the little dragon almost forgetting his predicament, taking in the glowing yellow skin and the pointed face. A glowing forked tongue flicked out and he froze.
Fireworms.
Odin help me, Hiccup thought as he craned his neck upward. The cavern walls were dotted with small glowing blips, and he gulped. Slowly, he took a deep breath to calm his hammering heart.
At least they're not coming any closer, he thought.
The thrumming had returned. He glanced back down at the amulet in his hand. In the light of the Fireworms, Hiccup saw the outline of a dark burn on his hand in the shape of the hagalaz rune, mirroring the rune on the amulet. It itched terribly, almost pulsing in time with the strange thrum in his ears. He ran a finger over the amulet, touching the rune. Even in the heat of the cavern and the little dragons, it was cool to the touch.
It was then that he heard a low hum, similar to the sound that sleeping dragons made, but ten times louder. Now that he noticed it, Hiccup was almost deafened by the sound. It thrummed through every bone in his body, from the tips of his fingers to his toes and his head buzzed painfully. It was too loud and clamped his hands over his ears in an effort to block it out, but the buzzing didn't relent. It was as if hundreds of dragons had settled in one place like a hive and were all milling about the caves.
And then it hit him.
"Oh Thor," Hiccup choked, his voice cracking with fear. "I'm in the Nest."
Of all the places. Three hundred years and Hiccup was the first Viking to step foot in the Dragon Nest and all he could think about was how much he wanted to leave.
But was leaving even possible? A small voice whispered, and Hiccup shuddered. He couldn't walk, and even if he could, he doubted he could navigate his way through the caves. And if he got out, where could he go?
Could he tame a dragon and fly back to Berk?
Where was Nraseri? Had he escaped? Hiccup scanned the cavern for any sign of him, but he was alone. A terrible thought whispered in the back of his mind. What if the dragon had killed him?
No. He couldn't think like that. Nraseri had escaped. He was safe.
He tried to collect his thoughts. Nraseri had tried to warn him. He had known that the dragon was coming. How?
Hiccup stared at the amulet, the broken cord hanging loose from where he'd pulled it from Nraseri's neck. Why was it so important? Why did Nraseri react like that when Hiccup had taken it? Something had come over him. It was like seeing a different person like that night on the island. Hiccup had been afraid.
But Nraseri had been too. That was evident in every second up until the dragon had grabbed Hiccup. He'd been so afraid. Not for himself though, but for Hiccup. He still remembered Nraseri's screams before he passed out.
"It's me you want. I'm the Vinr Sætta, not him!"
Nraseri hadn't betrayed Hiccup. He was trying to protect him. That should have made him feel better, but it only made him feel worse. The Grimsavages had killed his tribe. And Hiccup had accused him of being one of them. How could Hiccup have doubted him? He felt sick at how quickly he'd let his emotions cloud his judgement. He should have listened.
And what had Nraseri meant? What was a Vinr Sætta? He didn't even recognize the word. It sounded strange and even now as he repeated it, it sounded wrong. It definitely wasn't Norse. But if it wasn't Norse, then what was it? He was missing something. Something crucial.
He picked up the loose ends of the cord and retied them. Then he closed his hand around the amulet. Whatever it was, Nraseri's amulet was in the center of it. Hiccup would have to protect it for him.
Something flickered in the shadows of the cavern. Hiccup held his breath as a figure peeled away from the darkness. His eyes widened. There was no creature casting the shadow.
The shadow ghosted across the wall. His eyes followed it as it slunk closer and closer, body close to the ground. It stopped a few feet from him. It was a strikingly familiar shape. He'd seen it dozens of times in the forest of Berk. This one was smaller, leaner. Its wings were tattered, a long rip in its right wing. Where its eyes should have been was a void of dark green.
It stretched out its neck toward in hand. He jerked it back, fingers tightening around the amulet. The shadow stopped and gave him a look of frustration.
The amulet thrummed. He glanced down at it, at what he could see between his fingers. The dark colours seemed to shift.
He held its breath. He put his hand to the wall. The shadow ghosted over his fingers. A coolness washed over him.
It jerked away, its stance defensive. Its eyes widened and it flared its wings.
Hiccup whipped around.
Footfalls. Heavy ones.
The dragon that had brought him here emerged from the tunnel, and for the first time, he got a good look at it. The dragon was slender, wings almost outspanning its girth. The frill on the crown of its head ended in spikes. He recognized it instantly. A Thornridge. But something was wrong. it was too big, its colours wrong.
Titan Wing.
The Thornridge eyed him, close enough that Hiccup could feel the rush of air as it breathed. The stench of sulphur burned his nose.
"You have evaded me for a long time. Impressive. What intrigues me most is why the ancient ones would choose a human as their Vinr Sætta for a second time, but it seems that even gods can make mistakes. You are unfit to wield the amulet just as your predecessor was. Give it to me and I will let you go."
Hiccup's fingers curled around the smooth stone. Every fibre of his being screamed for him to not give it to him. He thought about Nraseri. About his father, about his tribe. He knew that if this beast got what he wanted they would all pay the price.
The enormous dragon leered over him, teeth bared. "My patience wears thin, human."
"You can't have it," he said, voice shaking. "It doesn't belong to you."
"Then I will just have to take it."
Hiccup scrambled back as the dragon's claws reached for him. His hands groped behind him for something to defend himself with and his hand closed around something long and sharp. Without thinking, he lashed out at the dragon. The object caught him across the snout, splintering upon impact. The dragon reared back with a hiss, a line appearing where Hiccup had aimed, green blood trickling from the wound.
Hiccup's brief moment of victory was shattered when the dragon screeched, his voice ringing in Hiccup's ears. The Fireworms on the walls scattered in fright, their glow whirling in dizzying circles as they spilled out of the cavern. With a swift motion, the dragon grabbed his clenched fist in his claws and snatched the amulet from him. The burn on Hiccup's hand flared as the claws brushed it and he stifled a cry.
Hiccup gasped as the pain returned tenfold. His leg exploded in fiery agony, and he bit his fist to muffle a scream. The long lacerations on his shoulder felt like lines of fire as if he'd set burning steel across his skin.
The Thornridge flicked the amulet's cord around its claw. "The amulet will no longer protect you." Its yellow eyes gleamed, and its mouth parted in a sickly grin."And you will die knowing that your entire species will be next."
The dragon and the amulet were gone by the time the pain had subsided. He took a shuddering breath. The stars in front of his eyes lingered a while longer until they too disappeared. His left hand began to ache, and he looked down at the object he was still holding. It was a long white bone about as long as his forearm if it were still in one piece. The other half lay some ways away, its end splattered with the dragon's green blood.
He squinted at the bone again. It was too small and too thin to be a dragon bone and too big for the prey that the dragons stole.
Bile rose in his throat and he flung the bone away hurriedly, breathing heavily. It landed a few feet away with a loud CLACK! that echoed jarringly. Silence felled upon the cavern once again.
Hiccup sent a prayer to Thor—to any god that may be listening—although he knew it was useless. A sob escaped his lips and he lay on the cold stone, pulling his knees to his chest, wincing as the movement grated against his mangled foot.
He was even more confused than before. Even worse, he felt like a fool. The dragon had taken it so easily. The beast had said that it would no longer protect him. had it been? Is that why he wasn't dead yet? Could the amulet really destroy them? how? And if it could, Hiccup had just given it to him. He'd doomed them all.
Something shifted in the corner of his eye. The shadowy dragon had reappeared. It settled down next to him and tucked its head into its paws.
He didn't know how long he lay there, curled tightly against the wall listening to the hum of the dragons all around him, and a second shadow at his side.
The ghost leaped to its feet. Hiccup's head shot up, adrenaline spiking at the thought that the Thornridge had returned to finish him off. It took off like an arrow, bounding across the walls, shifting from rock to rock, to the entrance.
No, no, no.
"Please," he said hoarsely. "Come back. Don't leave me."
But it was already gone. He put his head down, eyes stinging.
In the distance, a sharp sound split the air.
Hiccup's head shot up.
He'd heard it before. All of Berk had heard it. The sound of a plasma blast.
The Night Fury was in the Nest.
For the first time since he'd woken, Hiccup felt a spark of hope. If he could get to it, he could escape. Gritting his teeth, he pulled himself up. Using the wall for support, he began slowly inching his way to the entrance.
The tunnel tilted as he limped through. His breath came in ragged gasps by the time he emerged into another cavern, this one larger than the last. His head swam. Dark spots blinked in front of his eyes, and he wanted so badly to close them and just take a short break.
No. he shook his head. He couldn't stop. He had to get out.
Something was coming. And fast.
A dark figure burst into the cave. The Night Fury skid to a stop, eyes wide, sides heaving.
"You came," Hiccup breathed. His legs buckled.
Hands caught him and lowered him gently to the ground. "Easy."
Hiccup's eyes flew open at the sheer familiarity of the voice. "Toothless."
Nraseri knelt there, a wane smile on his face. "Yeah."
Hiccup wanted to laugh. He wanted to cry as well because maybe the gods were watching over him after all. How had Nraseri got here? Had he come with the Night Fury? Where was it now?
He was about to ask when Nraseri winced and put a hand on his head. He was much paler than he had ever been, almost grey in the dim Fireworm light. A large rip in his shirt sleeve showed a hurried bandage that was dark with blood, and his shoulders were hunched painfully. Burn marks covered his side. But what bothered him the most were his eyes.
Nraseri's eyes glowed brightly, almost illuminating his battered face, flashing in the light like a cat's. And they were filled with dreadful pain.
"What happened to you?" Hiccup whispered.
Nraseri looked away. "Don't worry about me. You've lost a lot of blood. I'm going to wrap your foot and then we have to get out of here."
Hiccup only nodded. Nraseri gently touched the ruins of his foot and he bit back a cry of pain. He squeezed his eyes shut and covered his mouth with his hand as Nraseri began to wrap the injury and staunch the bleeding.
"Okay, I'm done," Nraseri said. "But we need to get you out of here before the Thornridge comes back."
There was something he had to tell him. something important.
"Toothless, the dragon has the amulet."
"I know."
"What's going on? It kept talking about a Vinr Sætta."
Nraseri stopped. "What?"
"The dragon. It spoke to me."
"You understood it?"
Hiccup nodded, and Nraseri released a slow breath. "Okay. There is a good reason for this, I promise. I still owe you that explanation. Once we get back to Berk, I'll—" He was cut off by a spasm of coughs. He fell to one knee, coughs racking his body.
"Toothless!" He moved forward, but Nraseri held up a hand to stop him. Blood splattered on the ground in front of him and he covered his mouth quickly. But Hiccup had already seen it. Even as it mixed with the dirt, the darkness couldn't hide the green that stood out against the red.
The coughing subsided and Nraseri looked at his bloodied hand grimly. He wiped the multicoloured blood on his ruined pants and gave Hiccup a sidelong look.
"We're out of time. Hiccup, can you stand?"
"Can you?" he spluttered, trying to push himself up.
Nraseri opened his mouth to retort when a peal of low growling laughter echoed through the cave.
"Where do you think you are going, human?" Nraseri whirled around towards one of the entrances and cursed. The great dragon stood, his eyes red slits. From his long black claws hung the amulet.
Toothless' chest contracted painfully at the nearness of the amulet, and he pushed Hiccup behind him, his eyes blazing. "That amulet does not belong to you."
The Thornridge eyed him. "This does not concern you, human. I will give you this one last chance to flee."
Toothless narrowed his eyes and did not move.
The Thornridge's mouth split into a smile. "You do not fair so well, human. I wonder if the Vinr Sætta values your life as much as his own." He narrowed his eyes at Hiccup. "You will tell me how to access its power or your companion will die. And I promise that it will be a slow and painful death."
"Don't take another step, Thornridge," Toothless snarled.
"I am only doing what I must. Your kind would do the same."
"You're wrong. the world is changing. This war has gone on for too long. It has to end."
"You understand me. Interesting. Did the Vinr Sætta teach you? Nevertheless, if you truly believe that, then why—"He narrowed his eyes. "—do I smell dragon's blood on you?"
Toothless didn't reply. The amulet was drawing his mind closer with each painful second. If he could just reach out…. No, Hiccup would be in too much danger.
"I cannot fathom why the amulet was entrusted to this creature," The dragon flicked his yellow eyes to Hiccup. "So pitiful that a relic so powerful that only the most ancient clans could wield it is in the hands of a useless hatchling. Once it has bonded, I shall turn all the humans to ashes."
Hiccup let out a small sound as the dragon parted his teeth in a terrible grin and Toothless put a hand back to comfort him and to steady himself. His head throbbed in a low hum, something he had never felt before but something that was all too familiar. The amulet was calling him.
His vision flashed, blinding him momentarily. A shadow darted in the corner of his eyes, flickering in and out of sight. Another shape, larger than the first, joined it and they now darted across the cave walls, their lamp-like eyes glowing faintly. Another joined, then another. Five, ten, twenty, they circled around the walls of the cave, weaving swiftly through the dimness, their dark wings fluttering with every step. Some took to the sky, soaring across the top of the cavern, spinning and dancing. Finally, they stopped. Two broke off and stood at either side of the entrance. They flared their wings and all around them, the ghosts of his clan did the same.
Understanding flooded him as the knowledge of his kin flowed through him. Centuries of lives lived and lost, of secrets and legends now forgotten.
The first ghost lifted its head and met his eyes with a dark green gaze.
And then they were gone.
The amulet pulsed in his head again.
"You're wrong," Toothless said, his voice hoarse. "You're so, very wrong."
"Oh?"the dragon replied, his voice dangerously low.
"The amulet has done what it was created to do. It has bonded two bearers in a way that will shake the very foundations of this land as it had done so many centuries ago." Toothless laughed bitterly, his chest burning with revelation. "The clans of old were clever. They wouldn't let such a tool fall into the wrong hands. They entrusted it to the first bearer to pass it on. The Vinr Sætta would keep it safe from harm. Even if you killed them, you would gain nothing. The amulet's bond cannot be forced. It must be given. And it will never be under your control."
The dragon growled lowly. "How dare you speak of something you know nothing about?"
"I speak the truth."
"Liar. The Nraseri clan is gone. Only they had such knowledge." The dragon's eyes widened. "You travelled to the edge of the world, didn't you? To the Isles. How dare you trespass on their resting place?"
"I am not the one trespassing," Toothless snarled. "You have taken something that does not belong to you. You have twisted the Queen's mind and you have put us all in danger."
"You know nothing, human."
Toothless smiled. "I am no human."
Hiccup grasped his arm. "Nraseri, what are you doing."
Toothless turned to him. He drew his other dagger and pushed it into Hiccup's hand. "I never did tell you why I chose that name, did I?"
He stood to face the dragon fully. "Nraseri. It was the name of my clan, given to us long before humans settled on our islands. Our very existence instilled enough fear that those who knew our true name came one night and slaughtered everyone but one fledgling. Our name has not been uttered on this side of the Archipelago for many years. But men now call us by another."
He launched himself at the Thornridge, scales tearing across him, wings unfurling, claws sharping. The Night Fury slammed into him with a scream.