Chapter Thirty-Three:
Oppugnant
The world twisted and turned until Hiccup's vision managed to focus on the small table in his dark living room. He heard Astrid cry in pain. "You were hit?" He threw himself over her, her hand grasping the side of her hips where her coat began to soak in hot blood.
"Damn it…" She yelped with clenched teeth as the boy gathered her up in his arms, laying her in the bed. His wand lit the room in blue as he cut the girl's shirt with a sharp spell. "It hurts…"
"I know." He replied, his free hand briefly running her cheek before focusing on her wounds. "Accio dittany!" He commanded, and a small silver vial zoomed in through the door. Astrid hissed harder when he summoned the small bluish bullet from inside her belly, the blood coating his hands before he spilled the potion in the wound. That's when the girl screamed again, grabbing his free hand for dear life. "I'm sorry, I should-I should have warned you, I'm sorry…" He pleaded repeatedly as he watched her skin smoke and boil, then revealing a smooth and new layer over what had just been a bleeding wound. "You're okay."
But the girl had fainted in pain, her eyes barely two slits revealing white ocular globes as she muttered incomprehensible things in her delusions. Then, reverberating over every rooftop in London, massive sounds that reminded of gigantic horns, the bone-chilling warning that echoed through the city. His own blood stopped pulsing when he realised that alarm was meant for them.
Astrid woke up to a candle-lit room. Although the pain was much fainter than she remembered, she still winced as she sat up in bed, her stomach covered in bandages. She tried moving, but water seemed to have replaced her blood and cotton had replaced her bones. Too weak, she called for the man outside the room. He walked in in featherly steps, crouching next to her.
"How are you feeling?" He whispered.
"Like crap," She muttered, adjusting herself in the bed. "Hiccup, those men…"
"They're far behind, don't you worry."
"The alarm…?" Her eyes sank in apprehension, and when Hiccup closed his eyes in defeat, she closed hers in anger.
"We were so stupid…"
"They can't find us in here-"
"I told you I had no business going outside. I told you, damn it." She cut his words, and through the deep bags around her eyes, the smoky blue eyes still pierced the green ones.
"I'm sorry." He said, standing back up. "I just wanted you-"
"I know what you wanted." She hissed. "It's not worth it. I said it's too dangerous. I can't leave now for at least another week, and you shouldn't either."
The boy lowered his head, nodding. "I'll be in the living room if you need me." He said as he walked out, shutting the door, not at all inclined to returning to Astrid's bed.
His wand tapped the radio over the table;
"...it is confirmed now that two young looking wizards were spotted at Oxford Street tonight; wizard-hunter Michael Duncan - who was credited for not only seeing but also apparently harming them has more information to share with us, Duncan?'
"Hello James, and everyone out there listenin' -' The voice in the radio scattered Hiccup's composure as he recognised hearing its owner only hours ago. 'These were trained wizards, apparently. Unlike most of the ones we catch on urban runs, these we saw today not only managed to attack six of our men, but also disappeared out of nowhere. A couple, one of them a blonde girl and a brunette guy, all freckled… they didn't even seem too menacing, they carried wands, they looked like us, they dressed like us… Maybe that's why it's so impossible to trace them."
"Those are really scary news, Duncan, what sort of detail do you have to give us regarding how to approach if we ever have the misfortune to encounter such creatures? I mean, are they even human, do we stand a chance against this… this species? I mean, what even are they?"
"That's a good question, James. I don't think a lonely human with a single gun can match these things… I don't personally consider them human, although they are so similar to us in appearance - which also makes them so dangerous, you might even cross with one of them and not even know it… if you ever happen to cross with anyone who's left; the streets are way more empty than I like… I recommend you to run, hide… and if you can confirm it's them, then by all means, do blast the alarm."
"That's a dreadful scenario, to bump into one of them? Even today there are people who would rather think that the two species should co-exist, like there could be some sort of deal or perhaps a conciliation between us and them… What do you have to say about that?"
"In my opinion? I think anyone who sympathises with those demons should be put in the fire as well as they all. My suggestion is that we hunt them all, kill every last one of them. We are at war, James, there's no room for sympathy here. I wish I could talk directly to these people who pray on peace or whatever - have you forgotten all the lives they took? The millions dead on the curse they cast on this land? Your children, your parents? Every last family had their share of losses, they were cut in two, that was a slaughter-"
"We remember that, Michael…"
"Do you even remember the numbers? It didn't stop at hundreds, it didn't stop at thousands. The counter only stopped at millions. Four million to be exact. Have you people freaking forgotten?"
"We got your point, Michael, we remember… There's no forgetting what's happened-"
"Bloody right there isn't."
"But that's also exactly the point, don't you think that there has been enough killing? Too many are dead already, perhaps the killing should stop-"
"To hell with your sentimentalism! To hell with the numbers - this isn't about peace, no, this is pure old fashion revenge. This is a war they started - and by God, we will finish."
"Thank you, Michael, this has been quite an enlightening visit - and I am sure our citizens will share your perspective. Now, for all you people hearing from the comfort of your homes, remember to hug your loved ones, the people surrounding you and stay tuned for our next talk-show, from Linda Barton, 'Where do we go now that they're gone-"
Hiccup turned off the radio, his heart tightening inside his ribcage. Slumping on the couch, he felt Toothless petit form climbing over his robes, resting on his shoulder.
The wind wiped the streets of London, the tall grass that had overgrown throughout the concrete waved above the broken ground. Above the roofs of the decadent buildings, a hooded figure watched the street, the black robes helping its talk and slim figure disappear in darkness. The same person who had watched above the Convent Garden, who now crouched down over the empty street – watching carefully as a group of muggles approached in a black Combi, a huge antenna spiking up from the roof. "Emergo Vox!" He flicked his wand.
"...Yes, I've heard what that idiot said on the radio." A horrible male voice said, the sound amplified in the vigilante's ears.
"So why the devils are we still coming here?" Another man spoke, his voice much younger and scared. "You saw what happened to Marcus and Dimitri…"
"Listen here, you fag-" The other man interrupted. "If a few witches scare you then you should have stayed home with your mommy. Man up and let's kill those bastards. The signal ended somewhere here. I think they might have already found the tracer I shot them with."
The man on the roof raised his wand, metres above them.
"We have to go now," Hiccup said hurriedly as he stuffed his enchanted saddle bag with all the books and food cans his fingers could reach. He had heard the noise from the outside, the sudden rumble of cars and angry voices. He rushed to wake Astrid, who now winced painfully as she tried to keep herself on her feet, her face still void of any colour. "They'll have to blast through these walls… we can't apparate with your injuries…"
"...I can try…" She started, but Hiccup raised his hand.
"Toothless," He decided. "Stay behind his back. If we can't apparate, we'll go flying-"
"I can do this-"
"Like hell I'll let you even try, Astrid! Stay behind Toothless, now!" Although his voice was steady, the pleading firmness and undertone of anger was enough for Astrid to admit defeat. The boy grabbed his wand, pointing at the dragon that coughed smoke on the floor. "Essentio!"
As Toothless grew to its true size, the sound coming from the streets grew into a sickening orchestra of unintelligible shouts. The two wizards went still. Toothless tilted his head in curiosity as suddenly, the street went quiet.
And then the explosion.
Safe under the dragon's wing, Hiccup kept Astrid's body clenched to his as the world obliterated itself over their heads, the heat of the fire courting their skin closely, but held back by the dragon's scales. Once the dust thinned enough and the light stormed into the room from the hole in the wall, Toothless blasted his jet of fire to the outside.
A choir of screams echoed from the street, and in the Muggles' distraction, Hiccup dragged Astrid as swiftly and carefully as possible over Toothless' wing, dragging their bodies towards the dragon's back. As men approached the hole on the wall, Toothless spilled its fire mercilessly, soon the smell of burnt flesh invading their noses as they pierced out of the house.
A grotesque witch-hunter's makeshift tank rolled on the street, lit by the surrounding fire. A cannon blasted from its crooked top, and the projectile missed the dragon by a couple feet, proving its complete inefficiency. "Bombarda!" Hiccup shouted towards the cannon, and the blast from his wand added to the bombs inside the vehicle, exploding the tank into a mess of chirmed and twisted metal. "Go higher, Toothless!"
The dragon roared once before lifting its wings, spitting its fire once into the street, spiralling smoke and sparks flying everywhere. Hiccup released a loud cry as he felt a sharp and burning heat slice his left shoulder, and he bent himself lower over Toothless' back, now leaning in the vertical as the dragon half climbed, half jumbled its way up the building.
A sudden gust of bullets erupted from the street. Toothless retracted his wings over Hiccup and Astrid, most of the rounds bouncing on his scales, not penetrating. In his line of sight, Hiccup could barely make out the street, hidden under Toothless' wing, but he did see the blast coming from the building next to them. A red lightning bolt, the unmistakable mark of a wizard's spell, and then a flash blew up the street, a massive roar levelling their field.
In the short window, Toothless struggled his way to the top of the building, first shuffling through the roof, dropping several tiles on the street, before expanding his wings, leaping upwards, and then skyrocketing into the night.
As the muggles scrambled away from the inferno, panicking, the wizard in long black vests apparated into the mayhem of smoke and wrecks. Watching the entire conflict from above, he had prepared himself to join the wizards, ready to blast any muggle vehicle from his superior position in the rooftops. Instead, he stared in amazement.
He could not believe his eyes. He could not have imagined Toothless, from every possible situation in his mind. And he was sure the two wizards had escaped on the dragon's back. He couldn't make out their faces, but he was sure there was only one wizard who could ride a dragon the way one would ride a trained stallion.
"Revellio," He kneeled over the sidewalk, where small droplets of blood glowed scarlett against the concrete.
"So you've seen it all, haven't you?" A horribly cruel voice found Jack's ears, and the boy turned on his heels to stare at McNair, smiling as evilly as his tone suggested while he walked towards him.
"The dragon rider disappeared," Jack stated coldly. "You've lost him again."
"Pity," McNair responded. "I wish I had been able to see all this in action. Must be a sight to behold…"
"The Resistance should be here in a matter of minutes," Jack interrupted. "Gothel must have already been caught by now. Unless you want to be taken yourself, I suggest you leave now."
The other obscurial smirked even more sinisterly. "Spirituous much?" He teased. "Shame we can't kick each other's asses, I would love to have my go with your perfect teeth."
"I'm not fighting you tonight, McNair."
"Of course you are not," he retorted. "You are not fighting nobody tonight. Like you said yourself, the ministry shall be here any minute now," Jack merely stared, immovable, as the other wizard gave him his new instructions. "They'll need an eye witness. Whatever happens next, you are to let them. Let us submit to fate once more. It'll lead you further."
McNair made to leave, and he was about to disapparate when Jack called him again. "How will I know I'm on the right path?"
"Faith, boy," he retorted loudly from where he stood. "Like it always has been. It'll bring you to the dragon rider."
And with that he spun in the air, with a loud crack echoing through the inferno, disappearing into the void.
A double update for you all since it's been ages since I haven't posted anything. I'm not dead and this story has been re-written over and over until I said screw this, let's not keep any of you from suffering through my umbearably storytelling. BTW, yes, some hiccstrid here, but this still IS a Hijack story, and it'll hit you like a trainwreck, I promise. Shout out to Coeur de Lune, who literally brought me back from the dead with so many comments. Thank you so much 3
