The next morning, Eret stopped Hiccup before he and Toothless could fly out, catching him by the arm before he could leave the Great Hall. "Wait—Chief."
"Eret, you know you can call me Hiccup."
"It's a bad idea to go after him on Toothless. Especially if you're going alone."
Hiccup frowned, and Astrid's attention was drawn as well. "He's not going alone." The twins perked up, too, and Fishlegs and Valka's eyes latched onto Eret curiously as he did not let Hiccup go.
"What…? Do you know him?" Hiccup asked, frowning.
"Yeah. Every dragon trapper in this hemisphere knows him, but he's not a trapper. He's a mercenary, a killer for hire, a ruthless, soulless murderer. Anyone who had a dragon problem wished they could get his attention." He paused. "My father worked with him. He said no one was a more fearsome man."
"That's what you said about Drago," Hiccup reasoned.
"And I was right about Drago, too," Eret said, still blocking Hiccup's path. "Please, listen to me. He has killed every Night Fury. He is a Warlord unlike any you've ever seen. People follow him because they know he can kill any dragon he wants to. The ships we've been saving dragons from; they must be his. The other Warlords, they're fighters, warriors, but he doesn't even have to be. He can manipulate anyone into doing whatever he wants. Hiccup, you can't just go out there and face him. It would be crazy!"
"It'll be double crazy," Astrid said, very much intending to join him.
"It'll be triple crazy," Hiccup followed up. "Eret, you're coming with us. I'll give you that he is a scary, manipulative dragon killer. I won't even argue that I can change his mind. But we do have to keep an eye on him. So saddle up."
—
Hiccup, Eret, Astrid, on Toothless, Skullcrusher, and Stormfly flew out within the hour, leaving Valka in charge of Berk. She and Cloudjumper watched her son and his companions ride out with anxiety clutching at her heart. The venom, the Deathgrippers, the Warlord himself and whatever his agenda was, all worried her, and Snotlout was still recovering. There were no traces of poison on the crossbow bolt as of yet. He was not paralyzed, and the recovery seemed typical. Still, she and the doctor were observing him closely.
She shook her head. He would be fine.
Still, the whole situation gave her a bad feeling.
"He'll be fine," Gobber said from her side.
"Who, Hiccup, or Snotlout?" she asked.
"Both. But mostly Hiccup," he said. "Don't worry. He's got two of the finest Dragon Riders in Berk with him, not to mention a Night Fury. Come on. We need your advice on some defenses, and interpreting Hiccup's blueprints."
—
The sky was low and gray. Almost solid-looking, like if he flew up to it, it wouldn't let him through. Toothless glanced up at it as the wind whistled under his wings and through his prosthetic tail. He was flying slower than he would have if he and Hiccup were alone, so that Stormfly and Skullcrusher could keep up, but he was antsy. Something had felt wrong since the first moment he'd seen the first Deathgripper's eyes.
A memory he didn't know he had, that he never dwelled on. Some long-forgotten instinct woke up. Those dragons were bad news. He felt lucky that so many of his friends had gotten away from them with their lives.
Hiccup nudged him down to aim them at the edge of an upcoming cliff. He had seen what Toothless could smell—a recently abandoned campsite. The fir trees rustled as the three dragons touched down. Hiccup slid off of his back and Toothless prowled around, sniffing the extinguished campfire.
"That looks fresh," Astrid remarked.
"More than one person was here," Eret said, glancing around.
"The other Warlords?" Hiccup asked. Eret nodded and rolled his shoulders agitatedly.
"Three of them, now that Drago's gone. And to us, on their own, they might not be so big a threat. They're used to conquering people with people of their own, but since they have Grimmel and his…"
Deathgrippers. Eret's voice faded out, and Toothless froze and rumbled as he saw their tracks.
Stormfly trotted up to him, turning her head down to look over his shoulder. What's wrong?
Nothing. He was the Alpha, and there wasn't enough of a reason to worry anyone yet. Toothless's tail swept across the ground, twitching frustratedly, when something caught his eye. Some glint of metal near the trees' base. He trotted towards it to investigate, and Stormfly followed.
A trap. Covered in pine needles. Toothless recoiled, spreading his wings out to stop Stormfly from getting any closer, and backing away. They returned to their humans' sides, glancing anxiously behind them.
"We should keep flying," Eret was saying, rubbing his nose on his arm. "I'd rather he doesn't get too close to his reinforcements."
He held the vial of venom up to Skullcrusher's nostrils again and the dragon huffed, ready to track the scent. Hiccup climbed back up on Toothless's back, a familiar weight that the Night Fury almost couldn't remember flying without. He pounced back towards the edge of the cliff, propelling himself off of it with a mighty leap and circling back around to follow Skullcrusher's more direct route.
Something changed in Toothless's and Hiccup's demeanor.
We're coming for you, Grimmel.
—
Hiccup had mapped this island before; it was no small thing. It was low but wide and almost a day's journey across. And they had already taken some of the day to get there.
They crossed over the island, high above the purple-flowering trees covering it, glancing side to side at low plateaus punctuating its forests, and weaving around massive pillars of stone. On the western side there were villages he and Astrid had once terrified on their visits. Over time, they'd gotten used to them, but they still had fond memories of getting the children there to be unafraid of their dragons.
At sunset, they came upon a plateau with certain clearings on it as well as some small freshwater streams, and landed, figuring it would be a good place to spend the night.
"We're not far from the edge of the island." Hiccup was peering over the edge of the plateau, Astrid and Toothless by his side as Eret piled wood for a fire. Stormfly lit it for him and sat down, curling her wings around herself.
"My guess is," Eret said, stoking the flames, "Once we get there, we'll find an armada of ships."
"How big?" Astrid turned back and asked.
"More people than we have people and dragons combined," Eret said. "My guess is they'll be awaiting orders, and Grimmel's symbol will be all over the place."
Hiccup turned back and went to join Eret by the fire. "But he said he wanted Toothless dead, so he knows even with all those people, the Warlords can't take Berk with all of us and all our dragons."
"That's why we shouldn't be here," Eret said. "You're risking the Alpha's life. We should go back to Berk and stay there. He's untouchable there, so he'll be safe."
"And what, never leave Berk again?" Astrid asked, sitting by Hiccup as Toothless curled up behind them to prop them up. Resting his head on the ground, his eyes darted back and forth as his humans argued.
"Of course not," Eret said. "We just wait for Grimmel to die."
"No, she's right," Hiccup shook his head and rested an arm on Toothless's head. "We can't just roll over and let Grimmel trap and kill and mistreat dragons that we can't see because they're laying siege to us. That's not fair to them, and we can't just go back on everything we believe because we're scared."
"Hiccup, I don't think you get that he is the last Night Fury," Eret emphasized, leaning forward. "He is incredibly precious, and you have to protect him."
"He might be the last Night Fury," Hiccup drummed his fingers on Toothless's forehead fondly. "But ever since I've known him he has been a protector of dragons. He never stole food from Berk because he was protecting his Nest, his dragons. That was his only priority. We go on raids because he knows dragons aren't meant to be caged. If we just run and hide with our tails between our legs, we go back on everything he has been living for as a Night Fury and as my friend."
Astrid spoke. "What if we separated Grimmel from the Warlords for long enough? What would they do if he was out of the picture? He's the brains, isn't he? They're probably waiting for orders like you said, Eret, because he told them to."
"Separate them…" Hiccup looked at her.
"You'd have to kill him," Eret said. "He wouldn't just leave."
"No," Hiccup said, perking up. "Not if we let him chase us. The Warlords' armada wouldn't be able to keep up."
"What? Wait, no, Hiccup, hold on," Astrid frowned.
"How else can we separate them?" Hiccup asked. "If you have a better idea I'd love to hear. But he doesn't want either of you. He wouldn't chase you. But if Toothless and I led him away from Berk then the army would be without its brain."
"And you'd be on your own. Hiccup!" Astrid punched his side lightly. "The buddy system!"
"This might not be a stick-together problem," he said apologetically.
A shrill inhale followed by a loud explosion echoed nearby, from the land below their plateau, and the three humans leapt to their feet. Their dragons mimicked the action and Toothless jumped in front of them, craning his neck up and tilting his head to see where it had come from on the island below their resting area. In the following stillness, Toothless's sensor frills pricked up and rumbled curiously.
Hiccup looked at Astrid. "Was it just me, or did that sound like…?"
Before he could finish the sentence, a shot of fire burst into the sky and exploded with trails of blue and white-purple, dying down into orange and red fire.
A Night Fury fire-blast.
"Eret, put out the fire," Hiccup said urgently, and climbed onto Toothless easily, taking off. "Astrid, come on!"
Toothless and Hiccup lunged forward and plunged off the edge of the plateau, soaring down into the trees' cover and racing through tree trunks and underbrush towards the dragon. Stormfly and Astrid followed closely while Eret stamped the fire out.
As they approached a clearing, Stormfly crawled and hopped up a tree until she and her rider could peek above the canopy to watch for unwanted company. Hiccup and Toothless waited for her nod before heading forward again. It felt like forever.
Astrid reached out with her battle ax and pushed some intrusive leaves away from where they were in her face.
Hiccup dismounted.
Finally, Astrid waved them forward— "Clear!" —and Stormfly jumped from the tree so that she could get down. Toothless and Hiccup crept through the trees again and over a quick incline of rock and moss, and the clearing became more visible, full of plants and bathed in the light of the moon. Something pale and shining lay perfectly in the center of it, surrounded by flat metal claws.
"A trap," Hiccup whispered, nudging his dragon. But Toothless kept going, sensors trembling, staying low to the ground. Something felt familiar, and he was drawn to it.
He turned to call Hiccup forward, tossing his head, and then stared at the creature in the clearing. Hiccup raised his head.
"A Cloud Fury!" Hiccup called in a hushed voice to Astrid, who joined his side quickly to look through the trees.
The white, moon-lit dragon was stuck in one of Grimmel's cruel metal traps but seemingly unharmed.
It writhed like a snake with every muscle in its lithe body, pushing at the muzzle on its face until it loosened, and then popped off. But the dragon was still surrounded by large metal ribs, clamped like teeth around it, with no room to open its wings. Still, it shot a fire blast at where the metal teeth joined together above her. No result.
"Oh, she's beautiful," Astrid said. The smooth-scaled white dragon threw itself at the trap furiously, climbing up towards the top and trying to squeeze its head through the spaces before giving up and dropping back down, landing on its feet without a sound. It shot a bolt of fire next at what might have been hinges and kicked up a cloud of dirt and smoke.
"Did you say he called it a Cloud Fury?" Eret asked, appearing by their side.
"Yeah."
"I would have called it a Light Fury," Astrid said.
"We still can," Hiccup said. "Stick it to Grimmel a little bit."
Astrid laughed and nudged his arm teasingly. "That'll show him."
"Let's go."
The Berkians sprang into action to free the Cloud—or—the Light Fury. At Hiccup's direction, Astrid used her battle axe to pry the hinges away on one side, and Eret did the same on the other. The Light Fury, seeing them, hissed and pressed herself as far to the opposite side of the cage as she could.
"Take the spring out," Hiccup said, unbolting a latch that had swung into place as a backup. "Okay, ready? Grab that end, Eret, and push on three, okay?" Astrid joined him where he was and, on three, the Vikings pushed with all their might. The trap sprung open with a deafening metal snap, and half of it fell to the ground.
But in a small crevice between the two sides of the trap, a tiny mechanism triggered a piece of flint to scrape against the metal, and the spark lit another thin wick opposite of the Berkians and it quickly burned away through the grass towards its mark.
Astrid cheered, but tripped backwards when the Light Fury shot a blast of fire right next to her, and lunged through it, disappearing without a trace as though she had been absorbed by moonlight.
Toothless's eyes tried to follow it, but failed, and he looked around frantically. Where did she go? He scanned the trees, the ground, the area opposite him, the tree-line, the canopy, the sky, the—
There she was.
She reappeared slowly, the color melting back into her scales, as she hovered over the trap, staring at him, flapping her wings steadily. Slowly, painstakingly slowly, she lowered herself to the ground in front of him. Toothless backed up to make room for her, and Hiccup and Astrid did the same. Stormfly and Skullcrusher looked inquisitively at the unfamiliar species of dragon, so transfixed by Toothless.
The freed Light Fury totally ignored them, transfixed by Toothless. Her eyes wide and wondering, she stretched out her neck until her nose tapped Toothless's.
She recoiled as if in shock. You're real.
Toothless stared back at her. Her smooth lines were so unlike his, so much less rough. Who was she? What was she? But she was shaped like he was, the same proportions, only softer, sleeker. She could never have disappeared in the night without her invisibility.
Slowly, almost as if afraid to startle him, the Light Fury began to move. Toothless's head followed her as she slunk around him, examining him. If he shifted she froze as though she thought he were going to disappear, so he stopped shifting. He glanced at his friend, whose human shoulders shrugged. The white dragon moved between them, separating Toothless from Hiccup and Astrid, so that the two humans could not see the irises of her eyes expanding and contracting at random as she ran her eyes over Toothless.
Finally she got to his tail. He flicked his one good tail-fin, which she allowed him to move without judgement. Instead, she sniffed at the prosthetic and her irises expanded when she looked up at his face. She cooed softly. You're alive.
He tilted his head in response. I don't understand.
Abruptly her head swiveled and her eyes locked onto Hiccup, his armor, his prosthetic leg.
"Hey," he said softly, lifting his palms to show her he meant no harm. "It's okay."
She moved towards him swiftly, and he took a step back in surprise. "Hiccup," Astrid said as a warning, but it came too late.
The Light Fury rammed her head gently into Hiccup's chest and left it there. Hiccup looked at Toothless and Astrid as she nearly pushed him backwards. Finally he put his hands down on her neck to return the hug.
"Hey," he said again. "What's wrong? It's okay."
She pulled away and looked up at him. Moisture was forming at the edges of her blue eyes and she let Hiccup look at it.
"She can cry," Astrid murmured in awe. Toothless shuffled up beside the white dragon and watched her blink the tears down her cheeks, her face scrunching up. You kept him alive. Thank you.
"Can you do that, bud?" Hiccup asked, but Toothless just vocalized gently to the Light Fury, inquiring what was wrong. She huffed and widened her eyes at them pityingly. Then she turned and bounded away, taking off into the air, where she hovered, waiting for him. He called up to her and moved closer to Hiccup. I can't. Not without him.
She threw her head to the side, sending a pretty clear, Come on!
Hiccup moved slowly to get into Toothless's saddle. The Light Fury tossed her head impatiently. "Come on," Hiccup said to Eret and Astrid, but when they moved towards their dragons, the Light Fury unsheathed her teeth and snarled. Toothless stepped forward and snarled back, but she did not back down.
Not them. You.
"She doesn't want you to come," Hiccup translated his best guess out loud. "Why not?"
The Light Fury landed again in frustration and twirled, showing off her shape and her wings, and then stared at Toothless until he mimicked her awkwardly, glancing sheepishly at Hiccup as he lumbered in a turn less graceful than hers.
"Is it a… a Fury thing?" Hiccup guessed.
"What are you gonna do?" Astrid asked.
Hiccup thought, wrestling with the problem under everyone's scrutiny.
Then, the flammable cable reached its mark.
With a piercing shriek, three fireworks shot loudly into the air, high up, and exploded red.
The dragons flinched and the humans covered their ears. As the noise faded, Eret rushed to Skullcrusher's back and climbed on.
"It's a failsafe! It must warn him if the trap has been destroyed!"
Astrid cursed. "I knew it was too easy."
"Okay, time's up," Hiccup said at the same time, climbing onto Toothless's back. "Astrid, Eret, go back to Berk and stay there. If the Warlords decide to attack without Grimmel, you two should be there. Man the defenses, set up an outpost on the Dragons' Nest island as a fall-back. Grimmel will come check this trap and find her gone, and then he'll chase Toothless and I. We can take care of him—you guys, just… take care of the other dragons."
"Go," Astrid agreed. "We'll take care of the others. When you come back, tell me what she showed you."
"I will."
"And hey." Astrid grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him down closer to her, as strong as she ever was. She looked him firmly in the face. "You come back alive and in one piece, do you hear me?"
Hiccup glanced at his prosthetic. "Is two pieces okay?"
"We'll make it work."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good." She kissed him and cradled his face in her hand before taking a step back, and running to Stormfly. Hiccup pressed his fake leg into the peddle and unfurled Toothless's prosthetic viking tail. Without hesitating, the Light Fury turned on a dime and launched into the air again, not looking behind this time.
Toothless took off eagerly in pursuit, disappearing into the night sky.