CHAPTER 11
"I say we dispose of her" the rumbling voice cut through the darkness. "I've seen their group. She's not a real Rider." The voice echoed slightly.
"No!" A second, strangely familiar voice rang out. "I know her. Bookish. Always taking notes. She can be useful. Besides, Hiccup" the voice spat the name out as if it were poison "is very protective of his friends."
"She ain't worth the extra effort. Never mind the cell space…." the first voice spat back.
'Cell?" Tengan thought dully as she lay on a cold, slightly damp surface. 'Is that where I am?' Cracking her eyes open slightly, her blurry eyesight struggled to focus on the distance lightsource suspended between the two people speaking. She began to lift her head off the floor, a cry slipping out from between her lips as her head throbbed in unison with her startled heartbeat. Nausea swept through her as a fresh wave of warm fluid pooled beneath her head. 'Oh. I'm bleeding.' she thought planely. She had an inkling the realization should bother her more but, mostly she wanted the nausea to subside so she could go back to sleep.
"Awake are we?" the larger blurry shape approached what she recognized as cell bars before resolving into a large man with a wild, bushy black beard and matching mustache. Alvin the Treacherous leered down at the injured girl, a look of amusement toying with his features. "Thought Savage knocked you down for good when you hit the deck. Wasn't sure you'd survive."
"I'm not sure I did myself." Tengan croaked in response, forcing the words from her dry, cracked lips. "Remind me to repay the favor." Her voice sounded much more confident than she felt. Struggling, limbs quavering with every effort, she forced herself into an awkward half sitting, half lying position with the majority of her weight on her left hip. Another wave of nausea brought bile to the back of her throat.
"Oh! Look who's finally snapping back!" the second shape approached the bars, rapidly focusing into the half triumphant, half manic visage of the viking teen Tengan least wanted to see. "You were quite the actress." Dagur smirked, hand gripping the bars. "Practically begging me to take you with me. All the while working with Hiccup to play me like a fool." His face twisted with rage.
Tengan's brow furrowed. "Who says it was an act? I was telling the truth, Dagur. I really did want to travel back to your homeland with you." She smiled serenely at his confused expression, not bothering to stop the blood from dripping down her forehead and across her eye. "I wanted to see for myself how a revered and respected tribe could produce a pathetic excuse for a chief like you!"
Dagur, face contorted with fury, lunged at the bars, his fist connecting with the metal. The sound rang through the dark corridor. "How DARE you! You little-" A low growl reverberated the air around the trio, cutting off whatever insult he was about to spit at the bleeding girl before him. His features relaxed, his eyes locked onto her as he spoke to Alvin. "Tell me, why did you put her in there with the Skrill?"
Tengan's body went rigid, her innards feeling as if they rapidly twisted and cooled. She knew she was in no shape to dodge it, weakened or not. If she angered it at all….. She gulped as another large drop of blood cascaded from her face and onto the floor. Listening closely, she could hear the dragon's deep breathing behind her; the slithering of its scales across the floor. She was certain she could feel it's hot breath as the head swung out to sniff at her open wound on her scalp.
Alvin, unperturbed by her fearful expression, bristled at Dagur's accusation. "The beast wouldn't let us drag it near any of the cells until we threw her in one. Then, it practically ran my men over chasing her in. We thought it might eat her. Hasn't yet."
"Idiot," Dagur murmured under his breath, finally tearing his gaze away from Tengan. "Dragons don't eat people. But if it maims her we've lost our hostage." A tense moment passed between him and the Outcast chief before the smaller viking's face flickered to house an unconvincingly innocent smile. "No matter! Let my weapon have his toy for now. Soon it won't matter."
"It's only yours after you deliver me Berk, Dagur. Don't you forget that." Alvin growled, turning away from the cell.
"Of course!" The berserker teen's eerie smile only widened as he followed Alvin into the gloom, taking the lightsource with him. The cell slipped into semi darkness as the lantern receded.
Tengan almost called out to them to come back, to beg them not to leave her tapped with a homicidal dragon. The Skrill was still huffing in her ear, it's jawline a hair's breadth away from bumping her face. She waited several long, terrifying heartbeats for it to roar or bite. Instead, it vocalized softly; a long almost questioning coo. At the same time, it swung its tail around her and stretched its neck out to peer at her out of one glowing eye. The pupil darted between her own and the nasty wound.
"Don't worry" she murmured before she could stop to question her situation. "I'll be alright I think." She shifted her weight with the intent to stand but succumbed to a wave of vertigo. Moaning, she fell back, bracing for impact with the hard stone. Instead, she fell into the dragon's firm, scaly side. It was oddly warm, and seemed to almost vibrate where their skin touched.
The Skrill, cooing again, brought its tail in tighter around her body and folded one massive wing over her prone form. Warmth flooded her limbs, restoring a little of her strength. The little sliver of light that shone in the gap between its wing and body was quickly replaced with a concerned eye.
"You weren't completely unconscious in the water were you?" Tengan murmured quietly, bringing one hand up to stroke the wing membrane before her. "You remember me helping?" Her voice cracked, throat exceptionally dry. A long look preceded a slow blink as a deep hum resonated in the dragon's chest. "Alright, well, if we're going to keep protecting each other I should give you a name. What about Crackle?"
The eye narrowed in response.
"No, I guess not. Too obvious." She sat quietly for a moment, simply enjoying the way her muscles relaxed in her headed cocoon. "What about Flashbang? Blastzone? Scorchmark? Rumble?"
A deep rumble shook the dragon's body as his eye closed momentarily.
"Rumble? Yeah I like that one too." She closed her eyes, simply feeling the hums of pleasure resonating through Rumble and into her. Despite her wet clothes and throbbing head she felt her body relaxing. In that moment, all the urgency of their situation seemed to melt away. Her breathing had eased and her eyes drifted shut. A quick nap couldn't hurt. Then they would figure out how to escape…..
Rumble growled sharply, jerking his body in an attempt to jostle her awake.
Tengan galred at the dragon, meeting its narrowed gaze evenly. "Just five minutes. Please. I'm so tired." She made a move to wipe her eyes and froze. The entire left side of her face was slick with blood. Gingerly, she traced the edges of the gash. "You're right, I can't sleep with this head wound untreated." She straightened into a proper sitting position as Rumble removed his wing. Under his keen glare, she tore at the hem of her shirt, refusing to think about when she'd be able to trade for fabric or a replacement. A dry chuckle escaped as she realized she was worried about clothes in a life or death situation. The chuckle turned into a cough that shook her entire body. As she doubled over from the fit, something bumped into her elbow.
"Wha?" she peered through teary eyes at the water bucket Rumble had nudged into her. With a smile of thanks she plunged her head into the water, gulping greedily before the blood on her face could taint the supply. Only when her lungs cried for air did she emerge. "Thanks, Rumble." She croaked. Gently, she poured water over her wound and lightly scrubbed with the pads of her fingers until most of the gore had been washed away. Before the bleeding could worsen, she bound the strip of cloth over the wound, securing it as tightly as she could with feeble arms.
"Alright. That's the best I can do for now." She struggled to her feet, grabbing into the Skrill's neck and back spines for support. "Let's focus on getting out of here." She looked around the cell. Besides the bucket of now bloody water, it was empty. Turning her attention to the bars, they seemed to be made of a reinforced metal similar to what the stalls back on Berk used. It seemed they weren't making it out of there without someone opening the cell from the outside.
"Ok, Rumble. I think I have a plan." She murmured, just in case someone was close enough to overhear. "Lie down, on your side if you can." She gestured her hands towards the floor, hoping the dragon would take the hint. A sigh of relief escaped her as Rumble settled down on his belly. Gently, she guided his head to the floor. "Close your eyes and wait until you hear that door open." She whispered, gently cupping her hands over the Skrill's eyes. When they remained closed she carefully tipped the bucket over so the ruby water formed a large puddle under his chin.
Hiding the bucket, Tengan gave Rumble one final glance before throwing herself at the bars. "HELP! PLEASE! THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE DRAGON! IT'S DYING!" She screeched as loud as she could, ignoring the pain in her throat. Her screams were quickly rewarded when two guards thundered into view. "Oh thank goodness! It-it just collapsed! Please, don't let it die! Do something!" When the guards hesitated she added "If you won't help it, get Dagur! He would never let the Skrill suffer like this!"
That did the trick. The guards scrambled to unlock the door. Swinging it wide open they filed in and approached the dragon, weapons raised cautiously.
Tengan flung herself past them, vaulting onto Rumble's back and settling herself behind the spine just before the wing joints. "Now, Rumble!" she called.
With a furious roar, the Skrill reared onto its feet and spun in a tight circle, using its tail to bludgeon the shocked guards. Once they were dispatched, he squeezed out the cell door, crouching low to avoid bumping Tengan off his back.
"Let's get out of here." She cheered, reaching down to pat his side. Her body seemed to fill with increasing energy the longer she was on his back.
Rumble hummed in agreement, starting at a trot down the largest hallway.
Tengan simply held on, it seemed her dragon remembered which way it had been dragged in and the subsequent way out. Her eyes squinted at the sudden brightness as they emerged into what she could only describe as a horrid mockery of the Dragon Training Academy's arena back on Berk. Surrounding them were dozens of vikings, all momentarily dumbstruck at the sight of the girl riding the Skrill.
"STOP THEM!" Dagur cried, having recovered from the surprise first. "Don't let her get away with my Skrill!"
"Over there!" She called, angling her body to her right. The door to the arena was somehow, blessedly still open. "Go Rumble!"
The Skrill, following her gaze, roared in agreement before charging, head down, towards the opening. Several vikings dove out of the way of his frenzied sprint. Those that didn't were bowled over, bodies flung in the air.
They were only a few steps from freedom when something caught Tengan's arm, ripping her from her perch. She cried out in surprise and pain as two arms, strong as iron, wound around her, holding her in place. "L-Let go!"
Rumble, feeling the disturbance, skidded to a halt as the Outcasts began to close the arena door. He roared at Tengan's captor, teeth flashing dangerously.
"No! Rumble go! Get out of here!" she shouted back as the opening and their chance at freedom shrank. She wiggled in her captor's embrace feebly, the adrenaline from their flight flowing steadily from her.
"Oh no. It looks like I've got something you want." Dagur grinned maliciously at the Skrill, never once loosening his cruel grip. "Are you going to just abandon her? Hmm?"
With one final glance at the rapidly closing door, Rumble snarled at the Berserker chief and charged, wings half raised.
Dagur waited until the last second before sidestepping the charge, dragging Tengan along with him. He smirked as the Skrill thundered right past them and into a waiting iron collar.
"No!" Tengan cried out as several of the vikings still on their feet pulled on the chains attached to the collar, forcing Rumble to the ground. "Let him go!"
"Now why would I do that?" Dagur hummed in her ear, turning them both so she could get a better look at the trapped dragon. "He belongs to me. I'm actually a bit impressed you managed to get on his good side so quickly. It seems you'll be useful after all." He tossed her aside to one of his aiting men. "Bind and gag her. She'll be coming along to make sure the dragon behaves." He strode up to the chained Skrill, smirking down at the snarling beast. "Not to worry, baby. When we get you all harnessed up, you'll be free to strike anyone you want. Or, more precisely, anyone I want."
Tengan's eyes scanned the arena frantically for something, anything that could help. Her eyes landed on a familiar, grumpy face. "Mildew! Help! Please, don't let them do this! We have to-" she was cut off as a filthy rag was crammed into her mouth.
"Mildew's been working for us for months now, girlie." Alvin sneered at her. "Those Whispering Death eggs? All his idea. You've got no one. So just settle down and do as you're told." He finished with a snarl.
Dagur laughed maniacally. "There's a storm brewing! Get the Skrill harnessed up and her" he gestured towards the gagged Tengan. "tied to my ship's mast. It's time we visited my dear brother and his little Night Fury."
"Remember Dagur." Alvin growled. "The Skrill isn't yours until after the attack on Berk."
"Of course. " Dagur nodded his head. "Why don't we go and hammer out a few of those details now?"
As the two chiefs wandered off to speak, Tengan made frantic eye contact with Rumble, who was being wrestled into a cage. Her struggles growing weaker by the moment, she fought the guard as he marched her out of the arena, down to the docks, and onto Dagur's main ship. She all but flopped onto the deck, too tired to resist as the guard bound her feet and hands together before securing the ropes to the mast. Blinking back tears, she mentally fought against the hopelessness of her situation. The Skrill was captured, Berk was in danger, and she could do nothing to help any of the people and dragons she had grown to care for. She silently hoped Hiccup and the others had made it back safely and were able to warn Stoick.
She was shaken from her pity party less than an hour later when several large Berserkers dragged Rumble onto the ship and tied him down not far from where she was bound. She strained against her bindings as tightly as she could, looking the dragon over for any marks or injuries.
Through the heavy leather muzzle, Rumble growled soothingly in his chest, leaning as close to her ashe could as well. They came several feet short, but the closer distance seemed to ease some of the stress in the dragon.
Tengan stiffened as the Berserkers began prepping the ship to take off. Listening intently, she caught snatches of conversation as the vikings bustled by.
"-told to be ready for departure."
"Dagur said he doesn't-"
"-seen what that Skrill did to-"
"-going straight to Berk once he's on board."
Tengan flinched as a pair of heavy boots landed on the deck next to her. Craning her neck, she glared up at Dagur's smirking form. Several graphic descriptions of his character tried to fight their way through her gag, only to come out as muffled, angry noises.
"Now now, all's fair in love and war. And I love war." the Berserker chief cackled. "Shove off! We sail for Berk immediately!"
They had scarcely made it a quarter of the way when another ship cut across their path. Tengan, who had been gazing at Rumble most of their journey, tilted her head in an attempt to hear the shouted conversation across the boats.
"We had a deal Dagur!" the faint, echoing voice of Alvin floated over the deck.
"The Skrill was never yours!" Dagur hollered back confidently. "It's on my sail, my belt buckle, my shields! It always belonged to me! So, about your deal. I just changed the terms!" With a single swing of his axe, Dagur released one of the ropes binding Rumble to the deck and severed the straps on his muzzle.
The Skrill soared fifteen feet into the air, only to be stopped abruptly by the numerous other ropes and chains the Berserkers harness consisted of.
Alvin, in a fit of rage, leapt from his ship and onto Dagur's, coming down on the smaller chief with a fury of blows. "I'll cut you to pieces!" He shouted.
"You'll try" was the teen's snarky response as he drew his own weapon.
Tengan was forced to watch with reluctant admiration of the swordsmanship on display. She squeaked through her gag once or twice as the blows came close to her. Each time they did, Rumble would roar and swoop down on the fighting duo as close and his bonds would allow, driving them back with a buffeting of his wings.
"It was never yours!" Dagur cried out, axe swinging with frenzied speed. "It was ours! Always ours!"
Through the rigning steel, battle cries of the warring chiefs, and Rumble's warning growls, Tengan barely caught the roar of a familiar dragon directly above her. Tilting her head back as far as her bonds would allow, relief spread through her as she spied Hiccup and the twins circling far overhead. Before she could try to get their attention, she was bumped as Dagur sprinted past to grab the two large ropes attached to Rumble's collar.
"It's time you did some running!" the Berserker cried with a harsh yank on the ropes.
Rumble roared with pain, his stored lightning crackling in his maw as it let loose in the direction his head had been forced into.
Tengan shied away as blast after blast came raining down on Alvin, who was forced to roll and leap out of the way. She watched wide eyed as Alvin, finally running out of options, dove into the sea in a desperate attempt to flee. She shut her eyes as Dagur forced Rumble to fire once more, wishing she could close her ears to the crackling sound that came off the water. She opened her eyes again just in time to see Savage and the other outcasts pledge their swords to Dagur. When she chanced another look at the sky, Hiccup and the twins had disappeared. 'They didn't see me.' She thought weakly, sagging against the mast.
"Oh, why the long face Tengan?" Dagur smirked down at her. "Isn't this what you wanted? To witness the greatest vikings history has ever seen?" He leaned in close, his lips near her ear. "Pay close attention, I want to read about this day in one of your little journals."
Tengan glared back at him, the gag the only stopping her from spitting in his face. She would be dead in the ground before she ever let him drink from the fountain of her collected knowledge.
"I like the fire in your eyes." He taunted. "Oh yes, we're going to have a great time, the three of us." He tugged hardly on Rumble's lead, forcing a pained roar from the dragon.
Tengan, thoroughly exhausted, could only watch as the Berserkers dragged Rumble down to the deck of the ship, securely muzzling him once more. Either as a sick joke, or for some form of twisted reward for Rumble's defeat of Alvin, Dagur had allowed the dragon enough slack on his line so he could reach Tengan, although she received no extra privileges. She simply had to settle with Rumble being able to place his large head in her lap, growling threateningly at any crew member who strayed too close on their voyage back to outcast island.
"Both armadas are being readied for the attack, Dagur." Savage reported. "They should be prepared to set sail within the next couple hours."
"Why wait!" Hiccup called out from above them. "I'm right here Dagur! Me and my Night Fury!"
"Hiccup." Dagur snarled.
"I thought we could settle this like real vikings" Hiccup continued. "Just you and me."
While Savage tried desperately to convince Dagur not to fall for the bait, Tengan began frantically wriggling and screaming through her gag, dislodging Rumble from his perch. The dragon's head swiveled towards the new threat, growling. For a moment, Tengan's eyes met Hiccup's, who nodded once. She sagged in relief. They had seen her.
It seemed the taunt found its mark, for Dagur released the excess leads on Rumble, who launched into the air towards Hiccup and Toothless. "Me and my Skrill against you and your Night Fury? I like those odds." With a harsh flick of the ropes, Dagur urged Rumble forward, dragged airborn by the dragon's strength.
Tengan watched wide eyed as the two circled around to face each off atop the seaside cliffs. She wasn't the only one distracted by the showdown. Every warrior was so enthralled by the dueling dragons, not one noticed when a Nadder, her rider, and a Terrible Terror landed softly on the deck.
Kelp, crying out at the sight of his partner, scrambled over to her and began working on the ropes binding her. Unfortunately, his exclamation only allotted him time to separate her from the mast before one of the guards turned to see them.
Astrid, noticing the situation, had Stormfly leap forward to engage with the warriors while she hoisted Tengan to her feet. "We'll have to untie you in the air. It's too dangerous down here."
Tengan nodded weakly and let Astrid help her into Stormfly's saddle. As the Nadder took off, Kelp followed, frantically chewing on the ropes binding her wrists together.
"Hiccup is going to get the Skrill free from Dagur!" Astrid called over her shoulder as Stormfly veered away from a volley of arrows and a couple spears. "We have to get you out of here before it attacks!"
The second Kelp bit through the last of the bindings on her wrists and stared on her ankles, Tengan yanked the foul gag from her mouth. "Wait, Astrid, you have to turn around I-" the rest of her words were lost in a deafening roar.
Rumble, newly freed from Dagur, was desperately winging towards the pair, his eyes locked on Tengan.
Stormfly, no doubt remembering the beating he had given her only yesterday, executed a tight barrel roll to avoid him.
Tengan grabbed Kelp with one arm and Astrid with the other in an effort to stay on as her bound feet made it impossible to sit properly in the saddle.
"Hang on! Woah Stormfly!" Astrid called again as Sotrmfly, fully panicking, twisted, dove and zig-zagged to escape her pursuer.
Rumble was close behind them, the rest of the riders trailing behind him in pursuit. He began to close the gap, still roaring with all the force he could muster.
Stormfly dove towards the water, spinning wildly once more. Tengan, unable to fully get a grip on both her Terror and Astrid, surrendered to the spin. Wrapping both arms around Kelp, she let herself be flung out of the saddle and towards the ocean.
"No!" Hiccup called, urging Toothless in a dive to catch her.
Rumble was closer. Diving past the Nadder, he stretched out his talons and caught Tengan a dozen feet from the water's surface. Pulling out of the dive, he glided over to a nearby sea stack and set her down gently. The second she was safely situated on the rock, he spun around and roared defiantly at the approaching riders, his wings protectively spread over Tengan and Kelp.
"Wait, is he?" Fishlegs asked as he urged Meatlug to stop.
"Protecting her?" Snotlout finished the question.
"Guys we're ok! But you need to back off a bit." Tengan's weak voice came from under Rumble's bulk. She glanced down at the windswept Kelp. "You ok, little one?" When he squeaked in affirmation, she let him get to work on the bindings still holding her legs together. Newly freed, Tengan stood and slowly ran her hands along Rumble's sides and up to his collar. Finding the release, she removed the heavy bit of metal and tossed it into the ocean, straps and all. "It's ok, Rumble" she whispered. "I know Hiccup wasn't very nice to you before but they're my friends. They won't hurt you or me." She lifted her head to mee the confused faces of her friends. "It's alright, you can approach slowly."
Rumble curled his lip in a snarl. Before he could muster an attack, Kelp fluttered into his direct line of sight and vocalized shrilly. Although the meaning escaped Tengan entirely, Rumble seemed to understand, for his stance softened and he allowed Kelp to perch atop his head, just in front of his crest of spikes.
One by one the group landed, staying as far away from Rumble as the sea stack allowed. The Skrill eyed each with varying levels of distrust, only relaxing when Tengan began to smooth out the scales bent by Dagur's harsh treatment.
"Ok, what just happened." Tuffnut began.
"Yeah, I thought that thing was vicious and, you know, cool." Ruffnut added.
"I'd like the whole story myself." Hiccup nodded. "But it looks like you could use some rest and a visit to Gothi first, Tengan."
The curly haired girl nodded, checking the bandage on her head. "That sounds perfect." Slowly, and only with the help of Rumble and Kelp, Tengan clambered onto the Skrill's back one more time. "Follow Kelp, Rumble. He knows the way back." She murmured into his ear.
Kelp chirped before taking off, circling around his trainer and newest companion. With a low gutteral noise, Rumble took off to follow, his eyes still warily darting to the other dragons as they took up formation around her.
"I can't wait to start testing the Skrill!" Fishlegs squealed. "There's shot limits, jaw strength, the eel response test-"
"His name's Rumble." Tengan added weakly, an exhausted smile on her face.
"Rumble, eh? Not bad." Snotlout gave her a thumbs up.
"Once you're back in fighting shape you and I have got to race." Astrid asserted. "Rumble was able to keep up with Stormfly at almost every turn!"
Tengan nodded along with whatever the others were saying as they slowly made their way back to Berk. While her head still felt incredibly fuzzy, and her limbs heavier than iron, her heart felt significantly lighter than she could ever remember. "Although, that could be due to the blood loss." she murmured dryly to herself as the village broke into few along the distant horizon.