Hiccup struggled in the tight knots holding his limbs, he could just barely move his fingers enough to get at the ropes binding his ankles. If only his hands weren't tied with the ropes confining his torso, he could simply work his arms back to his front.
Hiccup sighed, he couldn't get loose on his own, Dagur truly had him trapped this time, even going as far as covering his scent with now stinking fish heads and goop. What a birthday this has been! Not the best way to celebrate becoming sixteen, but when was anything Hiccup did ever considered normal?
The boys thoughts are silenced as the echo of what appears to be a howl meets his ears, a howl he'd recognize any where.
Seconds later, a few footsteps were heard from above, followed with hushed voices that Hiccup couldn't seem to distinguish. Barrels being moved and smashed against the door to his prison can be heard, as if someone was taking the items over his door.
This was bad, whatever was about to happen couldn't be good! Hiccup began to struggle with every bit of strength he had, muffled screams pouring from his mouth. Small droplets of a mystery liquid begin to fall through the tiny gaps in the hard wood, the pungent smell mixing with the dead fish as the drops begin to increase.
Hiccup's brow furrows, what in gods name were they doing up there? Obviously something was being poured on the upper deck and from what he could hear, the stuff was being spread across the entire ship.
The smell was becoming intoxicating with each second, the strange liquid now seemed to be dumped directly over where he was sitting, the bangs of his hair now stuck to his forehead.
After minutes of the same treatment everything stops, the people above appear to be leaving, their task finished. Hiccup breathed deeply in astonishment and a bit of content that the men were gone, he couldn't wrap his mind around what they could possibly have planned.
Suddenly the ship rocks, lurching the bound boy clear to the other side, intense heat and smoke trailing downwards. Upon sight of the bright orange glow, Hiccup knew what had happened, the mystery of the liquid and what they'd been doing above was now solved.
Muffled pleas and coughs are the only way Hiccup can alert anyone to his presence, if he didn't get out now, he'd burn alive.
Another short one, but once again I just had to end it with that deadly cliffhanger, burning alive is my BIGGEST fear so I thought ... Why not add to a story?