The New Nest Chapter 5
Their next source of information about the Romans arrived the next afternoon, when the ship of Warhamster the Wise docked in Berk's harbor and allowed Rangi, the apprentice Law-Speaker, to go ashore. Actually, they had to wait a day to get any useful information out of him, because his wife, Anya, seized him and dragged him (quite willingly, it must be noted) back to their house, where they hung up a "Do Not Disturb" sign until the following morning. But as soon as they finished their breakfast in the Mead Hall, the chief of Berk's Vikings let it be known that Rangi's presence was required at the Nest immediately.
Rangi began by reporting on the places he'd been and the legal matters he'd witnessed. Hiccup, Astrid and Berk's other Night Furies listened, nodding occasionally, until he got the part where Warhamster's ship had been hailed on the high seas by an unusual-looking ship crewed by clean-shaven men with short hair. The two ships had drifted together, and a powerful-looking soldier on the other ship had addressed Warhamster in an unfamiliar accent. "Are you in authority here?"
"I am the Law-speaker," Warhamster replied mildly.
"What does that mean, in terms of power?" the soldier demanded.
"I travel from tribe to tribe, settling legal disputes. My authority on legal matters is unquestioned. May I ask who you are and where you are from?"
The soldier had touched his fist to his chest. "I am Felix Natalis, first centurion of the Expeditionary Legion of the Northern Army of Rome. You will tell all your tribes that Rome has claimed these waters, with all their places and all their people. Some of your tribes have already seen the wisdom of yielding to us. The rest will yield in their time, or their names will be removed from our maps."
"Oh, really?" Warhamster had half-smiled. "Who is Rome, and why should we obey your claim on us?"
The man stood proudly. "Rome is the largest empire in the world, and we are about to grow larger. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile."
Warhamster shook his head at that part. He told the soldier, "I know of a few Vikings who will strongly disagree with you. I admit to being disappointed; I was hoping we could go for one full year without a war. Please tell your masters in Rome that they have made the Law-speaker unhappy."
"I do not recognize the rank of Law-speaker," the centurion shot back, "and if your unhappiness bothers you, then I suggest a tankard or two of ale to fix the problem. Rome offers you two choices. If you submit to our leadership, then you will thrive as vassals of the Roman Empire. We will protect you and maintain peace, and your opportunities for trade and travel will be multiplied many times over. If, on the other hand, you choose to fight, then we will annihilate you and give your lands as rewards to retired soldiers. Since you are a man of authority, we will hold you responsible for telling all the local tribes about this."
Warhamster had run his eyes along the length of the other ship. "Centurion, you give very grand orders for a man with one small ship and fifteen soldiers."
"We are only the advanced scouts," Natalis retorted. "Rome has committed a reinforced cohort, with dozens of ships, to subdue the rest of these lands. You don't see them because they have not yet committed themselves to an unstoppable wave of conquest. But as soon as I return and file my reports, then you will see them, and you will despair."
One of Warhamster's oarsmen muttered, "Then let's take this guy out so he can't make a report about us."
"Silence!" Rangi had shouted before Warhamster could react. "Law-speaker ships don't commit acts of war."
"My apprentice is correct," the Law-speaker said to the Roman. "We are no threat to you."
"I am not afraid of you," the centurion sneered, "and if anything did befall me, it would only mean a long and agonizing death for all of you. I come from a powerful family that can afford to avenge me. You barbarians have probably never seen a crucifixion before, but rest assured, you will see one. You'll see plenty of them until you learn to obey." He glanced over his shoulder. "Well, I've delivered Rome's message to you. Whether you heed it or not is your concern; it makes little difference to me. We must be on our way; we have a lot of mapping to do before we return to Rome-controlled waters. Choose wisely, wise man." The Roman oarsmen pushed their ship away from the Viking ship and resumed hauling on their oars.
"And that's what I saw and heard," Rangi concluded.
"That's probably the same ship that we saw," Bang said to Hiccup. "So I guessed right – we're looking at an invasion."
"Thank you for summing that up," Astrid said. Hiccup tried to look serious.
"So, what do you think?" he asked.
"We might be in trouble," Faithful-brother commented.
"Again," his brother chimed in.
"Or maybe not," Mother-of-twins replied. "They might be bluffing. Every bad guy likes to boast about how he's got the biggest, baddest army ever assembled under the sun, even though he's only got six henchmen, his mother, and a small, yapping dog on his side."
"You mean, like Dagur the Deranged and his 'armada with the strength of ten thousand men?'" Hiccup asked.
"Exactly," she answered. "Maybe they're just trying to scare us into surrendering without a fight."
"That's possible," Hiccup admitted. "But they did something to make the Lava-louts give up without a fight, and the Lava-louts don't bluff easily. I wish there was a way for me to sit down with this centurion and ask him a few questions."
"Are you suggesting a flying snatch?" Full-of-surprises asked. Did Hiccup mean to kidnap the Romans' leader and carry him off? She had done a similar move at the beginning of their most recent war, when she carried off Chief Snorre the Vast of the Thunderhead tribe and took him into exile. She liked that kind of action and was quite willing to do it again.
"No, nothing that dramatic. I just want a lot more information about these Romans. There's something about the way they handle themselves that's very different from the way Vikings do things. When a Viking brags about how powerful he is, he's trying to convince himself as much as convince his hearers. When these Romans talk about themselves, it's as if they're just stating obvious facts that everybody ought to know."
"But we don't know those facts," Mother-of-twins pointed out.
"Exactly, and that's what bothers me," Chief-night-fury answered. "Flying at night doesn't bother me because I can see in the dark. But when I'm in the dark in terms of information, that bothers me. If I tried to make a plan on those terms, it would be no better than my father's plan to 'find the nest and take it.' That didn't work out so well because he was missing a few critical facts, like how there was a Red Death in the nest. What kinds of secrets are these Romans keeping? I need to know, and I need to find out soon."
"Can our patrol dragons help you learn about the Vikings?" Full-of-surprises asked. "I still send them out every night in every direction. No one can attack us by surprise."
"That's a good precaution," Hiccup agreed, "but by the time we see their invasion fleet approaching, it will be too late to do anything except fight. I need to know more about them before they throw the first spear, so we can fight smart as well as hard. What are their tactics? What are their strengths and weaknesses? What is their endgame? But I don't have any ideas for finding out."
The next night was the new moon, and Bang had promised to meet with Thuggory. He flew toward the Meathead island alone this time. It was a dark night, perfect for some dark thoughts. What if the other Meatheads had followed Thuggory to the former nest, and were waiting for him there with nets and spears?What if Thuggory had changed his mind about being friends with a dragon who failed at nearly everything he tried? What if Mogadon had put an outpost in place where their nest used to be, to keep the dragons from ever coming back?
An outpost... hmm...
When he got to the nest, there was no one there but Thuggory, waving his dragon-forged sword over his head. He sheathed it as the Night Fury landed. "I was starting to wonder if you weren't going to come," he said. "The last time you were here, we didn't give you much of a welcome."
I STILL WANTED TO SEE YOU.
THERE ARE THINGS WE NEED
TO TALK ABOUT.
Thuggory sat down on the stony ground; Bang lay down so they could see eye-to-eye. "If you're worried about breaking our deal, then don't worry about it. My father broke the deal when he attacked you here. As far as I'm concerned, you're under no obligation to take any more risks to guard this island. You tried to do your part; it's not your fault that it didn't work out."
MAYBE NOT, BUT I STILL
FEEL OBLIGATED TO DO
WHAT I CAN FOR YOU.
"Bang, don't risk yourself!" Thuggory burst out. "Nothing would make my father happier than hanging your head on his wall. He knows that dragons used to live here, and he knows that dragons can be stubborn. He expects you to try again, either right here or somewhere else on this island. He's already forming patrols to search the whole island; there's no place big enough to hide a dragon that he won't visit at least once a week. There's no safe place for dragons on my island anymore."
WHAT IF WE WEREN'T
ON THIS ISLAND?
"That's a noble thought," the chief's son answered, "but I don't think it's practical. Berk is too far away from us to serve as a base for patrols."
I HAD A DIFFERENT IDEA.
WHAT IF A FEW DRAGONS
SET UP AN OUTPOST ON THAT
LITTLE ISLAND TO THE NORTH?
"Oh, you mean Little Meathead Island?" Thuggory thought about that. "We don't use that island for anything; it's too small to be useful. I guess my father wouldn't look for you there. Yeah, I suppose that would work. But it's kind of small for all those dragons."
IT WOULDN'T BE A NEST,
JUST AN OUTPOST. A SMALL
TEAM OF DRAGONS WOULD
LIVE THERE.
Thuggory shrugged. "If that's what you want to do, then I think it would work. I appreciate your willingness to – oh, now I get it!" He smiled. "It's that old dragon stubbornness, right? We made a deal, and you're going to find a way to keep that deal, no matter what!"
YOU MAY BE RIGHT.
"Or I may be crazy," Thuggory admitted. "Still, I'm grateful that you want to look out for us. I won't forget this, especially when it's my turn to lead this tribe. If that day ever comes, that is."
ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT
SOMETHING?
"My father got a visit from a ship full of strangers yesterday," the young man began. "They call themselves Romans, they aren't from around here, and they basically told my father that they're taking over the whole Archipelago, and his choices were to surrender the tribe or die."
I CAN GUESS HOW HE
RESPONDED TO THAT!
"Not well," Thuggory nodded. "We almost had a battle on the docks. I had to point at a distant seabird and yell "Dragon!" to get my father's mind off of slaying our visitors. They left, but they said they'd be back in force."
DO YOU KNOW WHAT
THE ROMANS THINK
OF DRAGONS?
"They didn't say much, but I got the impression that they think of you as brute beasts who need to be exterminated," Thuggory said slowly. "If you're thinking of negotiating with them, the way you negotiated with me, then please think again. It would probably be the last thing you ever did."
THANKS FOR THE WARNING.
WHAT WILL YOU DO WHEN
THE ROMANS RETURN?
"I don't know," Thuggory said. "Fighting and dying would be a very Viking-like thing to do, if all I wanted out of life was to get a saga written about me... but I have bigger plans than that!" He leaned forward, suddenly very intense. "I want to be confirmed as chief of my tribe, and make some sensible changes in our laws and customs. I want to marry a nice, plump Viking lady and have a bunch of children, and watch them grow up. Just once, I want to accomplish something noteworthy and not hear my father say, 'I already did that.' Bang, I want to live! I don't want to throw my life away in a useless battle, just because some ancient tradition tells me that's what I'm supposed to do." He paused. "Sorry. You probably didn't need to hear that."
NO PROBLEM.
MY FATHER TAUGHT ME THAT
RULE #3 FOR RUNNING A NEST
IS THAT IT'S NO SHAME TO
RUN FROM A USELESS FIGHT.
"But if my father decides to fight, and I don't, then I'm leaving him to die."
CAN YOU DO ANYTHING
TO PREVENT THAT?
Thuggory thought for a few seconds, then shook his head. "My father is the most stubborn Viking who ever lived. When he decides that it's time for a hopeless last stand, nothing I say or do is going to affect his decision. It's just a question of whether I join him in that last fight or not."
IF YOU JOIN HIM, YOU
LOSE EVERYTHING AND
GAIN NOTHING.
"Nothing?" Thuggory burst out. "How can you say that? I'll..." He paused and thought, and finally nodded dismally. "I'll gain nothing, just like you said. He'll be just as dead as if I didn't help, and the tribe will be just as defeated. The only difference is that I'll be dead too, along with everything I ever dreamed of." He took a deep breath. "What would you do if you were in my place?"
BERK IS TRYING TO REACH
A DECISION ABOUT THAT.
I HAVE NO IDEA WHETHER
MY FATHER WILL FIGHT,
FLEE, OR TRY SOMETHING ELSE.
"Please let me know what you decide," Thuggory said. "I might... may the gods forgive me for saying this... I might want to leave this island and join you, if your plan sounds better than ours."
Suddenly, Bang's ears pricked up. He looked in the general direction of the Meathead village. "Do you hear something?" Thuggory asked anxiously.
I HEAR A FIGHT WITH
METAL WEAPONS.
"It must be a raid!" Thuggory burst out. "I need to get back to my village as fast as I can!"
RIDE MY BACK.
The Viking chief had done that before, and it had worked out okay, so he had no qualms about leaping onto Bang's neck and crouching down. The Night Fury leaped into the air and set a course for the village, gaining height as he went. When they could see the village, they could also see four big longships with unfamiliar side-shields pulled up on the beach. Fighting was scattered all over the village; two homes were already on fire.
"Those are Thunderhead shields on those ships!" Thuggory said urgently. "They're tough fighters, but not very creative. I need to get down there and help my tribe." He looked around in the darkness. "I think that's my father fighting near our house. Can you drop me there!"
Bang nodded, curved around, and made a quick landing near the middle of Mogadon's enormous longhouse. Thuggory leaped off and hit the ground running, drawing his sword as he went. Bang wasted no time in getting airborne again; he didn't want some battle-crazed Viking taking any whacks at him. Once in the air, he sized up the opposition, gained height again, and went into a shallow, whistling dive that everyone could hear. His first firebolt blew one of the Thunderhead ships' masts in half.
All over the village, the raiders had the same reaction: panic. "Night Fury! Let's get out of here!" Some were in such haste to get away that they turned their backs on the Meatheads they were dueling with. Those Meatheads weren't too proud to strike down their opponents from behind. The other raiders backed away before running for their ships. The Night Fury's second shot wrecked another mast, forcing half the fleet to row home. By the time he had lined up a third shot, the Thunderheads were piling into their ships and pushing them out to sea as fast as they humanly could. Bang considered his mission accomplished, so he used the third shot for a symbolic coup de grace, blowing off the carved dragon figurehead of the Thunderhead chief's ship. The men in that ship were too happy to be alive to question why the Night Fury hadn't sunk them all.
Night-fury-makes-one-heck-of-a-bang sailed upwards in the moonless sky, making sure that the raiders didn't have a change of heart and come back to Meathead Island for another try. He smiled. Just for once, he had gone into battle, he hadn't gotten hurt, and his plan had panned out exactly the way he'd hoped. He'd been feeling sorry for himself because his new nest had failed, and yet it looked like his luck had finally changed for the better.
He eventually turned and set a course for home. As he passed over Meathead Island, he noticed a solitary form in the basin that had been his nest. Did Thuggory have more to say? He descended in a broad, sweeping curve and landed neatly in front of the chief's son. This time, he let out a quick snort just before he landed, so as not to startle the human. Thuggory still jumped and reached for his sword before he realized who was joining him.
"Maybe I should have made friends with a dragon that glows in the dark," he muttered as he sheathed his sword. "Nice work up there. You've kept your promise; you helped to protect my village against raiders. Those Thunderheads will never bother us again, now that they know we have dragons."
NIGHT FURIES KEEP
THEIR PROMISES.
"So I see. Well, now that I've seen you in action... well, I didn't actually see you, but I saw what you did... anyway, now I firmly agree with your idea about the outpost. Can we meet every week until you get it organized?"
SURE. DID YOU GET
ANY GLORY TONIGHT?
"I got a piece of someone who was about to backstab my father, but you stampeded them all back to their ships before I could finish him off," the young man said. "That's okay; my father saw what I did, and he's calling me one of tonight's heroes. He's not an ingrate, he's just... a typical Viking. He'll never give you any credit for tonight's victory. He probably won't even mention that you were there. He'd rather die than share his glory with a dragon."
I DIDN'T DO IT FOR GLORY.
"Me, neither," Thuggory said. "At least he didn't die tonight." He yawned. "It's been a long night. Shall we continue this next week?"
SURE.
Thuggory turned and made his way through the secret gap in the thorns, and Bang flew steadily back home. It had been a good night.