Chapter 13 - Discoveries:
Hiccup managed to pass off the talk with Alrik with a few simple remarks. Such as "No, of course not. I'm not a spy or anything. Who on earth would want to be here?"
After that, he fell asleep.
He woke up starving. And just in time in the morning for the guards to bring out their food and water.
The morning was cold. Far colder than the previous. The sun had disappeared behind a band of clouds as it rose over the mountains to the east.
It was windy too, which did not help the temperature rise. The wind blew dirt and dust all over the place, which was rather unwelcome. It wasn't blowing too badly, but enough to make someone uncomfortable.
The clouds didn't look promising though. Some appearing rather ominous in the distance. Though some rain would be nice, that meant more water to drink.
As he was looking up and around at the sky, he suddenly heard the cell door being unlocked.
Once again, the same guard came in and placed a cup of water onto the ground and left.
He drank it quickly, and it quenched his thirst a little. But now he was getting very hungry.
After a while the guards came back and collected the stuff then left once again.
Brand dropped in not long after, giving Hiccup a new cloth and taking his old one. "You're healing very fast. Though the scars will stay with you for months. So this cloth will be your last one, make sure you use it. I'll be back tomorrow morning to take it." He whispered into Hiccup's ear as he checked his back wounds.
He also did the same thing with Alrik, who still had not moved once since Hiccup first saw him.
Alrik had to move a little to show Brand his wounds, and he muffled a scream of pain the very moment he moved. Brand whispered some healing advice to Alrik then moved on to the next cell.
As the morning lengthened, so too did the clouds. They kept the sunlight from reaching the ground, and they darkened more. It seemed as the morning wore on, it wasn't getting brighter or darker. Because the clouds were getting darker and the sun was getting higher and brighter.
Until eventually, a crack of thunder signalled the sky at around midday to bring its watery haven down upon the ground.
Rejoicing in the rain, Hiccup leapt up and danced around as much as he could in the water. Drinking in as much as his stomach would let him.
The water stung his back, but also seemed to flush out the dried blood and clean his wounds.
Alrik however, was biting his hand to try to stop himself yelling in pain. The water must be like dropping sand into his wounds. He looked in so much pain. Hiccup felt sorry for him.
Hiccup was sure he wouldn't have coped with the whippings, or the aggressive handling if he hadn't had dragon strength and stamina in his muscles. He would have suffered so much worse he was certain of it.
He couldn't possibly feel more thankful towards his loving friend Toothless at this moment.
Once again thinking about him, he was hoping that he was all right. Hoping nothing too bad had happened to him. Hiccup was missing him terribly.
But thinking of the Night, also reminded Hiccup he had a mission to do. A task to accomplish.
He remembered Gothi saying 'Do not be dissuaded of your goal.' He needed to do what needed to be done.
When as Alrik said it, the selection day comes, which is the day after tomorrow, he must try and get himself a master and somehow ask someone, anyone he can if they know anyone called Kormak. He must try and find him.
Hiccup remembered what Asan said back on Dyflin. He said that Polk, Kormak's brother, misses Kormak terribly. Drifa would be missing him too.
Don't worry Polk, I will get your brother back. No matter what it takes.
"Enjoying the rain there are we?"
Hiccup glanced around, he couldn't see any guards anywhere.
He then turned to look at Alrik, who was shuddering. Probably from two things, his wounds and the cold temperature. The rain certainly wouldn't warm anything up.
"Well…" Began Hiccup, "It's a great way to fill up your thirst."
"True. A-and a g-good way to f-freeze to death." Alrik stammered. "I still don't know how the rain isn't stinging your wounds."
Hiccup brought the drenching cloth over to his back to continue dabbing whilst it still rained on him.
At the same time he faced the sky, closed his eyes and opened his mouth wide to catch as much water as he could. It was wonderful getting loads of water into his system. He kept swallowing and swallowing, till he felt full.
He didn't even feel that hungry anymore.
"It is stinging. It's just healing quickly." Hiccup replied.
Alrik made a scoff of disbelief. Of which Hiccup ignored.
"Hey, I thought it was a crime to talk to another prisoner during the day?" Hiccup asked.
Alrik coughed. Before saying, "It is, but when it's raining the guards leave to go inside."
Back in the cavern underneath the ground next to the arena in Myrka, Toothless was chained and muzzled still. And when asked, he was blowing out purple fire through his nose.
"So you're planning to co-operate today? Good boy." Said the manager of the forge.
She was standing next to Toothless, watching him carefully as he blew fire onto weapons for welding by the several workers there. One of which suddenly put his hand up to signify to stop.
"Stop."
Toothless stopped blowing as requested. And his eyes once again went straight to the mark on the young woman's arm.
Suddenly he smelt a new scent entering the room, and rather thundering footsteps into the cavern from a hidden stairway.
Immediately, everyone including Vali stopped what they were doing, kneeled and bowed to the new person, and they all chanted, "Hail Harun!"
"Continue." He spoke in a rather jagged, quiet voice. Toothless turned his head to look at the newcomer, and saw he had some rather unusual features about him.
He was covered in scars. Several going right across his face. His clothing was black, and had a cloak around him that appeared to be a cloak of dragon skin. Toothless was now beginning to understand how clothing worked as Hiccup had tried to explain.
He had a large sword strapped to his belt, and one hand was on the handle while the other was hidden in behind the cloak.
His face was rather tanned brown, and his eyes were a fierce red. His hair was in dreadlocks and was coloured a jet black. He was larger than any man Toothless had ever seen. Tall, tough and intimidating.
He walked slowly over towards the manager.
All the other people working in the forge kept doing their work, and some kept occasionally giving a nervous glance up to look at Harun.
"Ok Vali, more fire please." Came a request from a welding man, holding an already partially orange hot sword.
So her name is Vali. Thought Toothless.
Vali was just standing next to Toothless, awaiting for requests like that from the welders.
Toothless hadn't really given her much of a look to observe her features, the only thing he'd looked at was the mark of the Spike Bolt on her arm, his species rival.
Vali looked quite young, if not only perhaps a year or two older than Hiccup. She had much darker brown hair than Hiccups, a large-ish nose and dark green eyes. Her clothes appeared to be almost into her skin as they looked tight. Her trousers were brown and her shirt was black.
"Now dragon, fire." Spoke Vali. Getting Toothless out his thoughts.
He obliged and breathed in before exhaling fire through his nose at the sword.
The sword instantly turned a purple colour, and when it was right the welder took the sword away and began doing his work.
"Stop." Vali said again.
The Night Fury stopped, and rested his head on the ground. His eyes turning once again to look at Harun and Vali.
"So this is the dragon you caught?" Harun asked, speaking to Vali. Still not stopping he kept on walking, circling around her. "The one that you think made the roar?"
Vali turned and faced him. "Yes father."
Harun turned and looked at Toothless, observing his whole body. Now walking around him, his expression completely blank. He stared, emotionless.
Toothless let out a low growl.
"Good work." He suddenly said, now looking at Vali.
She nodded, "Thank you sire."
With that he stopped circling Toothless and gradually walked back up the stairs of whence he came.
Toothless looked back at the mark now, on the girls arm.
Vali looked around, not facing her father anymore and turned to Toothless and noticed he was staring at the mark.
"What?!" She whispered aggressively. Throwing her arm out in front of her as if to show she had nothing there, which wasn't true.
The Night stared at it, and made a nod at it then looked back at Vali's eyes.
"What about the mark?" She asked, now sounding as if she already knew the answer. "I know what it is stupid dragon. I'll be getting myself one of those dragons on my arm, and killing it with my bare hands!" She boasted proudly, smiling and throwing her arms into the air.
Toothless shook his head.
Good luck with that. He thought.
Back in the prison cells in Myrka's east, Hiccup was standing in mud.
"Well, this is fun." Hiccup muttered, walking around the now squishy ground below him. His feet going nearly ankle deep as he pushed his feet again and took them out of the soggy ground.
The guards were nowhere to be seen.
Alrik coughed a few times. "Yes, it gets quite squishy after rain here." He still hadn't moved, sitting in the same position as always, his back against the cloth on the bars. His hands resting by his sides, and legs spread out in front of him.
A couple hours had passed since the rain, and the clouds had disappeared so fast as if ashamed of what they had done.
How am I going to sleep in this mud? Hiccup wondered.
Hiccup sat down, the mud seeping into his grey, tear ridden shorts. "Does it rain often here?"
Before Alrik could answer though, yelling cries of pain and jumbled words came through the air. Followed by two guards who were holding someone.
"DON'T PUT ME IN A CELL! JUST KILL ME ALREADY!" He screeched.
Hiccup stood up, and saw the guards approaching. They each were supporting the same guy who clearly looked in his mid-twenties, he was rather muscly but had many scars on his body, and blood gushing out of a wound in his leg.
Hiccup suddenly lost his breath. What is that on his arm?
WHAT IS THAT ON HIS ARM?!
"Hey! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
Alrik had yelled out, staring angrily at the guards ahead. Clenching his fists aggressively and pointing at them.
One guard dropped the guy, and turned to face Alrik, "Would you like another twenty whips?! I'll be more than happy to deliver!" The other guard was still holding the guy, who was standing up and trying to get out of his grip.
"Hey! Bring that guy into my cell!"
Both the guards turned to look at Hiccup. Who now was standing up at the edge of the cell and holding onto the bars.
"Excuse me?"
"You know what I said! Please." Hiccup pleaded.
The guards looked at one another. Hiccup could hear them whispering to each other.
"Why?" They both asked.
Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Because I want to talk to him."
"It is a crime to talk to another pr-"
"I know," Interrupted Hiccup, as he heard Alrik gasp with surprise, "But you can give me another five lashes if you let me talk to him." He offered.
The guards whispered to each other once again, Hiccup could hear one saying, "Well, we are running out of cells. If we keep putting one in each we'll run out very soon. Shall we just dump the filth in with him?"
"I guess so. But what about the lashes? Should we deliver?"
"Of course, we'll give him another seven. So he learns not to commit crimes. But we'll do it later. I want some food, and to get outta these boots."
"Agreed."
The guards stopped whispering and approached Hiccup's cell, holding the guy still.
"All right, fine you can have him in your cell. But your punishment will be tomorrow morning." One of them spoke.
Hiccup nodded as he unlocked the door, and the guy was shoved in and landed frontwards onto the mud.
The guards chuckled and left the scene.
"You okay?" Hiccup asked him, now picking him up and leaning him against the bars. He didn't have any lashes on his back, but he had a wound on his left leg. Blood was still gushing out there.
The guy just moaned, his eyes opening and closing.
Hiccup got his own cloth and started to put pressure onto the wound to stop the blood coming out.
The guy screamed in pain, before gradually relaxing and stopped screaming.
As Hiccup was doing so, he looked at the mark on the guy's wrist. It was on his right arm.
Hiccup recognised the mark as a Thunderdrum dragon. The flat head, pointed teeth and small holes for a nose. The mark wasn't glowing or other, just plain black.
So this guy must be one of the Six, his dragon mark being a Thunderdrum.
Hiccup was pretty sure the mark wouldn't be activated yet. He highly doubted this guy had befriended a dragon or even found his dragon bond. But of course he needed to ask.
"Why did you do that?" Alrik whispered as loudly and quietly at the same time as he could.
"Because I had to." Hiccup responded, not looking at him.
"Why… did you do…that?" The guy Hiccup was healing suddenly moaned.
"Because I had to." He repeated.
"What's your name?" Hiccup asked, observing his features now as he still kept a firm hand on the bleeding site.
He had a rather tanned brown skin, scars along his body like Alrik but seemed to be fairly strong looking. Very tall too.
"Kor—ouch! Kormak."
Hiccup sighed in relief. And Alrik gasped in surprise. "My name is Hiccup. It's an honour to meet you."
Kormak extended a shaking hand, and Hiccup accepted and they shook hands.
He opened his eyes completely, and looked at Hiccup. "What do you mean you had to do that?"
Hiccup took the cloth off Kormak's wound, and the blood appeared to have stopped coming out. He held the cloth in his left hand.
Taking a deep breath, and knowing Alrik was watching, Hiccup pointed to the Thunderdrum dragon mark on Kormak's arm.
Kormak turned, and saw what he was pointing at. He shrugged. "What about it? Just a birthmark." He muttered.
Hiccup smiled at him, and shook his head. He then raised his arm to show Kormak his own mark. Night's mark.
He looked at it, and then back at his own. Repeating the process.
"They are dragon marks. Both of ours are different though. They mean we must take out the dragon and kill it right?"
Hiccup didn't answer.
"Right?"
Hiccup shook his head again, and smiled.
Kormak's eyes widened. He began to look confused.
Hiccup looked at him right into his eyes. "They mean so much more. You have no idea what these marks signify. I'll tell you tonight, when there's no chance of us being heard by anyone else."
Kormak looked worried. "What do you mean no chance of being heard? We're in the middle of a prison surrounded by other prisoners and guards?"
Hiccup shook his head, and lowered his voice so even Alrik couldn't hear. "Hopefully, if my plan should work, we will not be staying in prison tonight."
I am scrapping my original plan to wait for selection day. I shall escape this prison with Kormak tonight. I hope.