Chapter 16: Plans and Schemes

Snow blew in the riders' faces as they set up camp on Glacier Island. Or rather, Eira and Snotlout set up camp. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were too busy clinging to Fishlegs for warmth, and Hiccup and Astrid were out scouting the island. Astrid had insight that the dragon hunters would be coming here, and they suspected it was to obtain a Snow Wraith tooth to activate the Dragon Eye when they stole it from the riders. So, the riders planned to find the Snow Wraith and move it to another location where the hunters could not find it.

"Wow!" Hiccup said when he returned... alone. "You got the tents up fast."

"I had to!" Snotlout said. "It was the only way to keep out of that Thorston sandwich." He otioned to Fishlegs, still being hugged by the twins.

"Where's Astrid?" Fishelgs asked.

"We got separated in the storm," Hiccup replied.

Snotlout smirked. "Heh. She ditched you?"

Hiccup frowned. "What? No. Why would she do that?"

Why would she do that? Eira found Astrid's recent behavior... peculiar. She went off on her own a lot, and she often came back with information on the dragon hunters. Eira knew she was good, but... she could not ignore the gnawing feeling that she was hiding something.

Astrid soon returned and reported everything she had found. Soon, she had everyone up in the air, headed for a cave she had seen. "So, when I spotted the cave from the air, it got me thinking," she said. "Last time we were here, the Snow Wraith was on us right away. Remember? Why not this time? Maybe because it's hiding out or hibernating or something in that cave."

"Yeah, that's not a bad theory," Fishlegs said.

"I agree," said Hiccup. "I'm just wondering how it was you came all the way out here when you and I were scouting in the opposite direction."

Astrid smiled weakly. "I must've gotten lost."

"Lost?"

"Fine. I got carried away, okay? You know how I am."

Hiccup sighed. "Yes, I do. But, you can't just go off on your own like that, Astrid. I rely on you."

Astrid looked away to hide the guilt on her face. "Okay."

Eira could not longer contain her curiosity. She flew in close to Astrid and gave her a pointed look. Astrid frowned, but she followed her off to the side of the group where they could talk in private.

"What' going on?" Eira said in a low voice. She remembered what she had said earlier about Heather not being a problem. "You weren't meeting with Heather, were you?"

Astrid's eyes grew wide. "How do you-?"

"I know Heather is on our side. I found out when I talked to her on Ryker's ship. She made me promise not to tell."

Astrid frowned. "That's when I found out. It would have been nice if she had told us we were both in on it."

"It would be nice if we were all on the same page."

Astrid cast a nervous look in Hiccup's direction. "I know, I hate lying to him. But Heather thinks she's really close to pulling this off."

Eira nodded. "Alright. Just know I can cover you if anyone starts to get suspicious."

Astrid gave her a small smile. "Thanks, Eira. I feel better knowing I'm not alone."

The mission turned into quite the adventure. The dragon riders found the correct cave, but they were cornered by Ryker and his men. Ryker forced Heather to have Windshear shoot the cave, causing an avalanche and blocking the riders in the cave with the Snow Wraith.

The riders eventually found the Snow Wraith... and the rest of his friends and family. The fought to defend themselves, and then the dragons burrowed out of the cave. The riders used the new tunnels to escape out into the open. When they emerged, they found the dragon hunters had captured the Snow Wraiths. It had all been a setup.

"Looks like they're headed back to their ship along the south side of the glacier," Astrid said.

"They're not gonna get there," Hiccup said with a determined look on his face. He led the riders in the air closer to the dragon hunters.

"Great time for the snow to let up," said Astrid.

"Okay, we can't get too close," said Fishlegs. "We need to stay out of the range of their arrows."

"Maybe we don't need to," said Hiccup. "Ruff, Tuff, see that ice sheet up there?" He nodded up a hill beside them.

"Please say avalanche. Please say avalanche," Tuffnut said.

"We need an avalanche!"

Ruffnut grinned. "Our specialty!"

Tuffnut pumped his fist in the air. "Yes! Positive thinking works!"

"You guys get the Snow Wraiths out of here!" Hiccup said. "I'll deal with Ryker."

Eira and Astrid exchanged looked and nodded at each other. If Hiccup went after Ryker, Heather might not be far behind. The two of them silently followed behind their leader.

"Ryker!" Hiccup exclaimed, spotting the Viking in the snow along a ledge of a hill. "Looks like you're in the tough spot this time." Suddenly, Windshear swooped down beside Ryker. "Heather!"

Heather grabbed Ryker and hoisted him onto her dragon behind her. "Sorry, Hiccup, we gotta go." Then she zoomed off towards the hunter ships.

Eira and Astrid picked up the pace as well. Eira gasped when she saw Toothless about to shoot Windshear with his plasma blast. Astrid zipped forward and got in his way. But Toothless flew around her and started again.

"Astrid," Eira said in warning.

"Hiccup, no!" Astrid shouted. "Heather's with us!"

Toothless came to a grinding halt, and Hiccup turned to give her a look of shock. "What did you just say?"

"It's true," Eira said.

Astrid took a deep breath. "I'll explain back at the Edge. Let's just get out of here."

Hiccup nodded. The three of them returned to the others, who had successfully freed the Snow Wraiths. Then they started the flight back to Dragon's Edge. Once settled in the clubhouse, Astrid explained everything.

"Heather pretended to join Dagur to get close to him to avenge her family," she said.

"Wait, she was planning to kill him?" Eira said incredulously. "She lied to me."

Astrid shook her head. "That was only at first. When she found out about his alliance with the dragon hunters, she decided to get closer to him to find out more."

"But when Ryker captured us on his ship, you and Heather were fighting all the time," Ruffnut said.

"That's what we wanted people to think."

"Heather's not evil?" said Snotlout. "There goes that dream."

Eira rolled her eyes. "Are you into bad girls now?"

"So what if I am? And you're one to talk."

She looked away. "I don't know what you mean."

"Oh, I knew she was good at heart," Fishlegs said with a smile.

"Hiccup, would you say something? Please?" Astrid said in desperation.

Hiccup stared at the ground with a hard look on his face. "We're supposed to be a team, Astrid."

"I know I-I should've told you. I wanted to. I really did."

"But you didn't." He turned to Eira. "And you knew too?"

Eira bit her lip. "Yes. She told me the truth back when we were captured."

Hiccup frowned. "I'm disappointed in you, Eira. I thought you were better than this."

Eira winced. "I am. I just - Heather made me promise not to tell. And she said she would leave Dagur alone..."

"I'm glad you think our enemy is more important than telling the truth."

Eira had no response to this. If she had felt guilty before, it was even worse now. She hated letting people down.

"It's not her fault," Astrid said. "I'm the one who was actively working with her, and I'm sorry. But without Heather, the dragon hunters would have a key to the Dragon Eye right now and those Snow Wraiths would not be safely hidden on another island."

Hiccup met her gaze. "Still doesn't explain why you wouldn't let me take her and Ryker down. We could have captured the head of the dragon hunters."

"Hiccup, Ryker isn't the head of the dragon hunters. According to Heather, their real leader is somebody named Viggo Grimborn."

"Awesome name," Ruff said. "Scary, but awesome."

Tuff frowned. "I don't know. Viggo Grimdeath would be cooler. Or how about Gore Grimskull. Grimskull!"

"He lives in the shadows," Astrid said. "Everyone's afraid of him, even Ryker. Heather hasn't met him yet, but she's our best shot at drawing him out."

Hiccup gave her a steady look. "Well, I hope she knows what she's doing. For all our sake."

"She does. She's made it this far, hasn't she?"

"Dagur trusts her," Eira said quietly. "And I bet he'd defend her if anyone raised suspicions."

Astrid nodded. "Exactly."

Hiccup sighed. "Fine, but one of us could have hurt her. I could have hurt her. We need to be on the same page. We need to talk to her. All of us."

"I'll see if I can get that arranged."

Eira had an idea of her own, but she decided to wait until morning to voice it. Hiccup and Astrid were not in the best of moods at the moment. And neither was she.

"How exactly have you been communicating with Heather?" Hiccup asked Astrid the following day. They stood outside in the middle of the pace. He still could not believe she had kept this from him. At least it was good to know Heather was on their side.

"Terror mail," Astrid replied. At his uneasy look, she quickly added, "But the Terrible Terror I've been using is very discreet. No one else has taken notice."

"Yet. We may need to find something better."

"I have an idea," Eira said as she approached the couple. She stopped in front of Hiccup and bit her lip, appearing hesitant to continue.

"I'm listening," Hiccup said.

"Well, instead of Astrid sending a letter to Heather, what if I sent a letter... to Dagur?"

Hiccup frowned. "How exactly will this help us?"

Eira took a deep breath. "We all need to meet with Heather, right? It might be hard for her to sneak away, so what if I asked Dagur to meet with me and tell the others he's off on an adventure with his sister? Heather would surely get the hint and come here to meet with you guys."

Astrid gave her a long, hard look. "But you would be meeting with Dagur."

"What exactly would you tell him?" Hiccup asked. He already did not like this plan. He did not want to put anyone else in danger.

"I tell him I just want to catch up and see how he's doing with Heather," Eira replied. "I'm sure he'd agree. We haven't exactly had time to chat with him attacking us and everything."

"And what if he attacks you? I know he likes you, but this is still risky."

"I don't know, she might be onto something," Astrid said thoughtfully. "Heather told me Dagur talks about her a lot. He sounds disappointed that they can't spend quality time together."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "I wonder why."

"I don't think he'll be suspicious," Eira said. "He's... different when he cares about someone. He didn't think it odd at all that Heather suddenly changed her mind and joined him."

"I don't know... Something could go wrong."

"Something could go wrong with Heather too, but if I help out, there's a better chance we both succeed."

Hiccup looked at Astrid for help. "You really think we should let her do this?"

"I think it's worth a try," Astrid. "At least this once."

Hiccup nodded. He took a deep breath and looked at Eira. "Okay, Eira. I'm trusting you. Can you ask to meet Dagur tonight?"

Eira smiled. "No problem."

"It's a beautiful day for sailing the seas, wouldn't you say, dear sister?" Dagur looked back at Heather with a grin. The two of them stood together on the deck of their ship, for once relatively alone.

"Indeed, brother," Heather said. "Though I prefer flying."

"Of course you do." He paused and glanced around to make sure no one was listening. "And once we ditch these guys, you'll teach me how, won't you?" He gave her a hopeful smile.

Heather smiled slightly in return. "Certainly." Her eyes gaze passed him. Then she suddenly turned around in the opposite direction. "What's that?" She pointed at the sky.

Dagur squinted his eyes into the sun. "I don't see anything..." He turned to his sister, but just then, a green Terrible Terror landed on his shoulder. His eyes immediately lit up. "Hey, I know you!"

"You do?" Heather said with uncertainty in her voice.

"Squirt, isn't it?" The dragon chirped in response. Dagur smiled and pet the little guy. "He belongs to Eira. There should be a note somewhere."

"Eira sends you notes?"

"She does now." He grinned when he found what he was looking for. He allowed Squirt to perch on his shoulder while he read the leader. "She says she misses me. Oh! And she wants to meet with me tonight. Isn't that wonderful?"

Heather gave him a quizzical look. "She's sneaking out to meet with you? Isn't that a bit odd?"

"Of course not! Ryker has really made it hard for us to enjoy our time together, so this is the perfect solution!"

"Are you sure you can trust her?"

Dagur paused as he considered the question. He did not trust very easily. He had learned that only led to disappointment. He trust Heather because they were family, and Eira... He remembered the day she saved his life very clearly. There was no way that was fake. "I'm sure." He smiled. "Very sure."

Heather nodded. "Alright. How are you going to leave without arousing suspicions?"

"Eira has a solution for that too! She said we should leave together and say we're going on a 'family bonding' trip. Then we split off, and I go meet her."

"And what should I once we split?"

Dagur shrugged. "Whatever you want. Go enjoy yourself! You deserve it for all your hard work." He grinned at her.

Heather gave him a tentative smile. "Okay. Tell her I'm in."

Eira scanned the horizon for Squirt. She really hoped her plan would work. She did not doubt Dagur would act brilliantly, but what if one of the dragon hunters found her note instead? She did not want to get Dagur in trouble. Or worse... have them use him against her.

"I am so not on board with this plan," Snotlout said, pacing back and forth in the grass behind her.

Eira looked back at him with a frown. "I thought we agreed we would support each other in our crazy plans."

"Yes, but there's a limit, Eira. Too much could go wrong."

"Things could go wrong no matter what plan we choose. This is the best way to let Heather meet you all undetected."

"Yes, but meeting Dagur alone?" He shook his head. "I don't like it. He seems to like you a little too much, if you know what I mean."

Eira raised her eyebrows. "Are you jealous?"

Snotlout scoffed. "Jealous? Of course not! I'm just worried about you. That's all."

Eira studied his face. He hid it well, but she caught hints of unresolved anxiety and insecurities. Fortunately, that meant it was not really her and Dagur he was concerned about. Unfortunately, it meant there was a lot more work needed to help him get through this. One thing she did know was that fighting with him now would not resolve anything. She took a deep breath to calm her emotions. "Thank you, Snotlout. I appreciate your concern. You're a good friend for worrying about me."

He nodded firmly. "Of course I am."

"Just have faith in, alright? We'll both get through this."

Before he had a chance to respond, Squirt finally arrived at the Edge and landed in front of Eira. The girl eagerly accepted the note and handed the Terrible Terror a strand of dragon nip.

"What does it say?" Snotlout asked, peering over her shoulder.

Eira smiled as she read Dagur's hurried, almost visibly excited, writing. "The meeting is on."