Hello, all! Yes, last week's chapter posting was postponed; the universe threw some things at me that I had to work through first. Enjoy!
Chapter Twenty-Five: The Hatch and the Healer
When Birdsong first came to retrieve Astrid to work in the hatchery, it had been another handful of days. Days and nights of little sleep and pointless yelling, refusing to eat and staying in the dark shadows of her cell had resulted in nothing. She sat in the corner, shivering, when Birdsong finally unlocked the thick iron lock on the wooden door and hauled the door open. Light from a torch directly across from the door spilled in and stung Astrid's eyes. She covered them with her arm, hissing at the light, as Birdsong entered carefully. She knelt across from her prisoner at a safe distance. She looked at the plates of stale food, meek at best, and frowned.
"Starving yourself won't get you out of here," Birdsong noted coldly. "It'll just save us the waste you make when you don't eat your food."
Astrid didn't say anything. She was in pain, her stomach aching for food and her tongue dry.
Birdsong pursed her lips and pulled her a water skin from her hip. She tossed it to Astrid. Astrid looked at it and averted her gaze.
"Drink," Birdsong demanded. She motioned to the canteen and Astrid cursed under her breath. She was so thirsty, and she reached to the canteen slowly. She closed her hand around it, felt the cool water slosh within it. She wrinkled her nose and threw it back at Birdsong. It was one of the hardest things she had done, but it felt satisfying in the least. Birdsong shook her head and retrieved it, weighing it in her hand. "Funny, people usually fight each other for clean water down here."
"I'm not fighting for necessities," Astrid murmured hoarsely. She swallowed painfully.
"And what are you fighting for exactly? The 'let's see how I can die faster' game?" Birdsong inquired harshly. Astrid didn't answer. She wiped her nose on the back of her hand and Birdsong scoffed. "Huh."
Astrid wrinkled her nose and tried to stay still as Birdsong stared down at her. The woman sighed in frustration and pinched the bridge of her nose. She crossed the cell and lunged at her, grabbing her arm and sinking her nails into it. Astrid gasped and grabbed Birdsong's hand as she was lifted off the floor roughly. Birdsong dragged her out of the cell and snarled in her face.
"You stink," she grumbled. Astrid sneered at her.
"And what do you expect me to do about that? How long have I been locked down here for, exactly?" she dared to ask.
"Half a moon is what I've counted, you can thank me later. Now get up, it's time to get to work."
"And what the hell do you want?" Astrid rasped, more tears threatening to spill over. "What could – what could I possibly give you after what you've done?"
Birdsong glared and gave her arm another twist. Astrid whimpered.
"You're weak," Birdsong stated. "It's been over a week since I threw your ungrateful arse in here. You haven't eaten and barely had any water, refused to move for days while you sulk in your own filth. Maybe if you chose to take care of yourself – eat, drink, move around – you'd be strong enough to fight me off. But you're not," she spat. "Not yet, anyway. Get moving."
She released Astrid and gave her back a shove towards the cell door. Astrid stumbled forward, her face burning, her legs stiff and starving. Birdsong hovered behind her as they began walking. Her stomach was in knots, her bones rattling with every step. Warm, musty air brushed past her bare legs. They walked down the hall, deeper and deeper in the maze of tunnels. No sunlight had touched Astrid's skin in half a moon, and she found herself yearning for it as the walls surrounded her.
Eventually, the sound of rushing water echoed down the hall. Astrid looked up as Birdsong pushed her to keep moving. They left the hall and entered a small room. Water spilled through a crack in the ceiling, gushing into a small pool that flowed into a grated hole in the wall. Some soldiers were sitting in the water, talking to each other and laughing, silencing when they saw Astrid and Birdsong stand at the edge. They all cocked their chins at her and smiled slyly at each other.
"Shouldn't you be patrolling?" Birdsong asked harshly to the men.
One of the men laughed again. "Shouldn't you be getting naked?"
The two other men both looked at their friend in horror. Birdsong pushed Astrid to the side and, weapon suddenly in hand, flung her dagger in one quick, anger-fuelled motion. The blade slammed into his shoulder and blood streamed over his chest.
"Get out!" one of men cried, leaping out of the pool and running down the hall. The other grabbed his friend and they both made a run for it, the man gasping for air and clutching at the hilt. Astrid felt the colour drain out of her face and Birdsong turned to her.
"Get in," she demanded through gritted teeth. "I am not in the mood for arguing."
Astrid swallowed and looked at the water. It steamed slightly, and looked clear and fresh save for the small cloud of blood at the other edge of the pool. She sat at the edge and dipped her feet into the water, slowly easing herself in.
The water surrounded her and felt wonderfully warm, cleaning the dust and filth from her skin. Birdsong watched scornfully and Astrid looked to her. Birdsong opened the satchel at her hip and tossed her a lump of soap as she muttered to herself. Astrid reached for it and grabbed it as it bobbed on the surface towards her.
"Soap?" she asked.
"You've never heard of it?" Birdsong replied sharply.
"Just… unexpected."
Birdsong rolled her eyes. "Don't take it as a compliment. You smell so bad that the dragons would gag in your presence. I'm not bringing that into the Hatch."
Astrid gulped painfully and grabbed the soap before it floated away from her. She ran it over her arms, scrubbing the dried blood and dirt from her skin. She brought it up her neck and jaw, rubbing it over her face quickly. She quickly grabbed her braid, both greasy and crusty, and untied it, running soapy fingers through her long blonde hair until it was back to its natural colour. She rinsed off and continued using the soap until she was as clean as possible.
"Hurry up," Birdsong demanded. "We have work to do."
Astrid tossed the soap out of the pool and climbed out. She squeezed the water out of her hair and braided it as fast as her fingers would let her, throwing it behind her. She twisted the hem of her shirt to get the water out, but it didn't do a lot of good. Birdsong reached into her satchel again and shoved a set of clothes into Astrid's arms. Astrid moved away slightly. There was no privacy, no way of changing comfortably, but she pulled the wet shirt from her body and dropped it on the ground. The new shirt Birdsong had given her was roughly woven and brown, and it itched the moment she pulled it on. The trousers were no different. Fighting the urge to scratch her skin under her clothes, Astrid sheepishly approached her old clothes, wringing them out and draping them over her arm.
Birdsong marched from the pool and Astrid followed with as much distance as she could. "The pools are not for public use," she stated simply. "Do not take this gesture as one of friendship; I am not your friend nor will I be. Do you understand?"
"…Yes," Astrid replied.
"You will be moved from your current cell to one within the hatchery shortly. That will be your permanent home until further notice; curfew is at last patrol, dinner will be brought to you before that. You will serve me personally as an assistant to the dragons, only due to your previous experience. You will do as I say when I say it and nothing more nor less."
Birdsong turned down another hall, one Astrid had yet to walk down. Astrid heard echoes ahead: a distant chortle, muffled shrieks, the tittering of dragons. She tried to look around Birdsong. She caught sight of a large door blocking their path. Birdsong turned around and Astrid jumped and halted, startled at Birdsong's speed.
"The dragons here are not like dragons at home," Birdsong stated. "Do not make friends with these beasts; Alvin and Dagur use them for what they want. Your job is to get the eggs out of the mother, down to a fire, and repeat. To make friends is to set yourself up for heartbreak down here."
Astrid felt an eye twitch, but she did not move beyond that. Birdsong's light green eyes, framed by a stiff expression, flicked over her face.
"You need a name," she said.
Astrid furrowed her brow. "I have a name."
Birdsong shook her head. "No. I don't care about what you were called. That name is gone. Alvin and Dagur might like knowing but I certainly don't."
Astrid frowned. "I don't have a second name."
Birdsong rolled her eyes. "You'll figure it out."
She turned to the door, her hand on the door ring. She gave it a hard push and the wood scraped over the stone floor. The sound of dragons were instantly clearer, and the glow of fire stung Astrid's eyes. Birdsong motioned Astrid to go in ahead of her. Astrid limped in slowly and Birdsong shut the door behind her.
The hall behind the door was hot and the air was thick. Astrid stifled a cough. The hallway was lined with small doorways leading to small fire-pits in the centre of smaller rooms – almost tiny caverns themselves – surrounded by round objects.
Eggs.
The thought made Astrid linger at one of the doorways. She stopped and bent over, peering into the cavern at the fire-pit and the different eggs. She recognized the eggs as being Gronckle eggs, their thick exteriors looking like rough rock, and there were dozens of them. Women and men wearing the barest of clothing, sweat dripping off their bodies, turned the eggs one by one with hands wrapped in cloth. Their cheekbones were burnt and blistered, their hair sticking to their necks and faces like tendrils of slime. They groaned and turned the eggs as if they weighed a tonne each. They probably did. Astrid winced and moved onward.
"These are the heating rooms," Birdsong said with a motion to the rooms along the hall. "When the eggs are birthed, we separate them. It is important that we get the mother healed and ready to make new eggs as fast as possible. These fires act as the necessary warmth the mother would usually give to their offspring."
"You don't let them hatch their babies themselves?" Astrid asked. She couldn't help it, the idea made her cringe. Birdsong looked over her shoulder with an eye raised.
"Attachment is a dangerous thing. We take the egg away, they make a new one. Not enough mothers and too much demand."
"But –"
Birdsong gouged her with her eyes once more, and Astrid sighed and shut her mouth.
They continued down the hall towards the body of the hatchery. They emerged into another large natural room, the walls worn smooth and lined with vines that poked through the cracks in the ceiling. It would have been beautiful to Astrid if it weren't for the cages. Mother dragons were crammed into cages too small for their huge bodies. Their wings were cramped, their cries muffled. Nadders, Gronckles, even a Zippleback here and there. A Timberjack had managed to squeeze her slender head through the bars of her cage, but her massive wings held her in. A Scauldron groaned from her own entrapments, her scales a pasty shade of grey and her eyes gummed with mucus. She, like Astrid, needed water.
"These are our mothers," Birdsong said loudly, speaking over the noise of groaning dragons. "We brought them in as babies when we first found this place years ago. We've added a few here and there."
Astrid blinked and looked at all the dragons who looked at her with pleading eyes.
"Our males are brought in from the pit," Birdsong continued. "The males are used for fighting primarily."
"That's terrible," Astrid mumbled.
"I'll let you know when you're opinion is desired."
"But I saw those dragons," Astrid pressed firmly, her voice hoarse from lack of water. "Those weren't fighter dragons, those things I saw were – were – monsters!"
"As dragons should be feared as," Birdsong retorted.
Astrid growled under her breath, and Birdsong turned to her.
"This is your home now. You must get used to it."
"But how can you get used to this?!" Astrid hissed. "How are you so blind that you can't see how wrong this is?!"
"You didn't choose to come here. But you can choose to live here." Birdsong rolled her shoulders and pulled her waterskin from her hip once more. She threw it to Astrid, who caught it sloppily and looked at it in her hands. Birdsong smirked. "Choose your battles, Wildling. It'll keep you alive."
Astrid wrinkled her nose, but she took the hint as it was offered. She pulled the cork and brought the water to her lips, sipping at the water to take a small trickle of water over her tongue. She didn't dare take more, only enough, and she sealed it. She threw it back to Birdsong, who smiled wryly.
"You'll serve well," Birdsong noted. "Assuming you learn to keep that mouth shut."
Suddenly, a loud, bloodcurdling shriek tore through the cavern. It bounced off the walls and smashed into the women. Astrid cried out and ducked, covering her ears. Birdsong crouched, holding her hand out to Astrid as if to tell her to get down. Men and women rushed out of a hallway on the other side of the cavern. Some screamed, one limped as fast as they could with a bloody hand over their bloody face.
"Get out!" a woman screamed. "She's out!"
Astrid squeezed her eyes shut, a pain throbbing in the centre of her forehead. It was hot and fiery and it crashed into her again and again, something pressing, something pushing, something forcing its way into her mind.
NO!
Astrid's knees gave out, the dragon speak wriggling in violently. The pain was immense; it knocked Astrid to the ground and Birdsong stepped away in surprise. Another shriek rocked the hatchery and Astrid groaned.
"Look out!"
Astrid looked up in time to see fire belch from the hall's entrance. Birdsong grabbed her sword. "Shit!" she barked. "Get up, Wildling," she demanded, hauling Astrid to her feet. "We need to get out!"
"What?" Astrid argued.
"Come!"
Birdsong waved for the rest of the workers to flee to the exit as a Monstrous Nightmare slithered forth. Her skin was alight in the hottest of flame, her huge belly contracting and contorting. She roared again and Birdsong shoved Astrid forward into the mouth of the exiting hall, where people were frantically filing out.
"I need to keep my people safe," Birdsong said. She opened her satchel again, pulling out a dart flute and a dart, loading it with precision. She raised it to her mouth. Astrid wrenched on her arm, stepping around her, and the dart flew from the flute. Birdsong stumbled back and Astrid fell onto her backside, the dart sticking out of her leg. Birdsong's face contorted into rage as Astrid ripped it out as fast as she could, pain ebbing into her thigh.
When Birdsong pulled her sword free again, her eyes set on Astrid, Astrid scrambled back. It was either Birdsong or the dragon, and frankly, the dragon was Astrid's saving grace. The clothes still in her hand from the bath, Astrid hurled them into Birdsong's face, blinding her long enough to make it to her feet, racing back into the cavern where the Nightmare hissed and coated the walls with sticky fire. She skittered to a halt as the dragon glared at her. She was poised, her target locked, her lips twitching over sharpened teeth. Astrid groaned and pressed a hand to her leg, which began to grow numb.
You… murder.
Astrid's hands flew up, a gesture of peace and fear. "Wait –"
The Nightmare lunged for her, and Astrid bolted. The dragon slithered after her like a snake sliming through oil, and Astrid dove behind a barrel lid. She grabbed it, her immediate shield, just before a ball of slimy fire hit it. She felt her fingers burn and she gasped and dropped the lid. Her fingers should have been burnt to a crisp, and they certainly felt like it, but her fingers were merely pinkened by the attack. The dragon snapped her jaws at Astrid, and Astrid bent back, barely avoiding harm. She twisted to the side, and the dragon missed a second time.
But the third time, Astrid felt the dragon's teeth sink into her arm, and she squealed and screamed as she felt her arm twist. The dragon let go, ready to attack again, but she coiled back. Her belly quivered and she snarled, the pain of her labour setting in once more. She was about to lay her egg, but the pain was too much. She was a young dragon, a teenager in comparison, too small to lay an egg yet ready to. Astrid held her arm, tears coating her face and her breaths laboured. Her arm was broken, mangled at her side, and her leg was completely limp.
The Nightmare looked up again, panting, her skin still on fire in dull flames. You… murder.
"No," Astrid choked. "I don't."
The dragon blinked and slinked forward weakly. You speak?
Astrid began to shake, her belly in nauseous knots. She couldn't breathe, she was already too tired, too feeble. The dragon snuffed her snout against Astrid's chest and lingered over her breast. She retreated.
…Saviour, she murmured. Astrid's uninjured hand rested over her chest where the Night Fury scale rested. Her hips were numb, her other leg completely limp and lifeless. But how… the Saviour… gone.
"No," Astrid wheezed. "No."
The Nightmare glared again, her irises flickering into different sizes, unsure. Not… gone? Not… poison?
Astrid shook her head quickly, her bloody arm slowly numbing, the blood warm and coating her. The heat from the dragon was unbearable as the flames flickered closer towards her face.
"I was poisoned," Astrid said quickly, sucking in a breath through gritted teeth. "Not the Saviour, not the Saviour, please –" She gasped as her bloody arm cramped.
The dragon growled. You know pain? It rips body, mind.
"That pain is going to disappear," Astrid promised. "Not yet, but it will. But you have to work to make it stop."
The Nightmare shook her head from side to side violently. Astrid tensed and cowered.
Unsafe. Eggs, danger, the Nightmare seethed.
Astrid licked her lips nervously, trying to search for the words as numbness creeped up her body.
"I know you feel unsafe," Astrid reassured. "But I'm here. Just look at me. Okay?"
The Nightmare glared and panted loudly through her flared nostrils. Promise… safe?
Astrid nodded immediately. "Yes. …Safe… safe with me."
The Nightmare cooed sadly and the fire over her skin slowly faded. She let her legs give out, her wings fanning over the ground, her head rest on Astrid's legs.
You know? You know pain? it asked sadly.
Astrid breathed in sharply.
I feel it. You know pain.
Astrid felt tears well in her eyes.
Pain? You speak?
Astrid couldn't feel her lips. She tried to talk but she couldn't. The numbness was crawling over her pervertedly and the Nightmare knew it.
You give hope. The Saviour gives hope.
Astrid's eyes began to droop. Her head began to lull, and she fell into the darkness once more, the numbness dragging her down into a dangerous sleep.
She had no time. Stupid, stupid girl! The last thing she needed was this on her plate, the last thing she needed was something noticeable. She didn't know how to hide this, and she didn't know how she had been so lucky so far to not run into anyone.. Birdsong grunted and hoisted Astrid in her arms to better carry her, rushing down a darkened hallway. The hall lead to the Hatch dorms, the rooms where the Hatchery workers lived. Astrid's head lolled over Birdsong's arm, her face pale and her arm red. At least bleeding wasn't uncommon here; no one would think to investigate.
She managed to struggle to the last door. It was a ways off from the rest. She kicked the door twice and almost lost her grip on Astrid's body. She grabbed her before she hit the floor and looked behind her to see if she had been followed.
She heard hands touching the door from the other side.
"Who is it?" she heard Stargazer ask.
"It's me, open the door!" she replied.
The door opened slowly and Stargazer peeked between the crack made by the door and the stone frame. 'Peeked' wouldn't have been the most appropriate term; Stargazer had lost her sight to a blade years ago and the scars had been bandaged over with strips of browned fabric. But she could hear well, and her healing touch was the best anyone could offer. That, and Birdsong trusted her more than anyone else.
"Birdy?" Stargazer asked timidly. "Is that you?"
"Aye, 'tis. Let me in."
"What's going on?" her friend asked. She tilted her chin up and wrinkled her brow under her bandages.
"One of the girls got injured in the Hatch. She needs help."
Stargazer pursed her lips and sighed. She opened the door for Birdsong. Birdsong dragged Astrid in and Stargazer shut the door, locking it shut once more. She turned and crossed the room along the wall, feeling it for obstacles and the bumps that told her where to go. Birdsong had already dropped Astrid on the spare bed.
"What happened?" Stargazer asked as she felt her way back to Birdsong.
"Stupid girl got in between me and a Nightmare," Birdsong spat as she cut away Astrid's sweater. "Got a dart in the thigh and the beast snapped her arm like a twig."
"Oh my. Let me."
Birdsong grabbed Stargazer's hands and put them to Astrid's arm. Stargazer felt the raw flesh with her slender hands.
"She's lost a lot of blood?" she asked.
"A fair bit," Birdsong confirmed.
Stargazer felt the tooth marks slowly and nodded once. "On the table. Strips and poultice to stop the bleeding and infection."
"It'll have to come out of your stash."
Stargazer hesitated, but she felt over Astrid's body. "Why?"
Birdsong chewed her lip and ran her hands over her brown hair, braided down her back under her hood. "She's new, brought in half a moon ago."
Stargazer sighed. "You know Alvin wouldn't like this very much. And if he finds out –"
"He won't."
"Alright. "
Birdsong knelt next to the bed and felt under it for the bag of extra supplies, hoarded over the moons for such occasions. She pulled it forth and rummaged in it for the rolls of bandages and a half-empty vial of potion for abrasions. She brought them over and placed them into Stargazer's hands. She held them for a moment as she kept her face pointed at Astrid's.
"She's from Berk," she noted quietly. "She's a Berkian."
Birdsong caught her breath and stared at Stargazer.
"How –"
"Her hair. It's braided with a four-piece style instead of the usual three-piece. I taught it to my daughters during my time there. What's her name?"
"Wildling is her name now," Birdsong replied firmly. "Now can you wrap it or not?"
"Of course I can, I just –"
"Please!"
"But why? Why work so hard to save her?"
Birdsong blinked. "Excuse me?"
Stargazer sat back on her legs and shrugged. "She's from Berk, not one of us. And she's new. That, and she goes ahead on her first day and almost gets killed. Why work so hard?"
"She, along with everyone else, is not disposable," Birdsong said stiffly. "She's very important to our cause. She's a warrior, albeit stubborn as an ass, and she's one of those dragon riders we've been hearing so much about."
Stargazer let out an interested sound. She unravelled the bandages and began to tie them around Astrid's arm. Astrid moaned and twitched. Birdsong looked over to her.
"You should have seen her. She just ran in there as everyone else ran out. This huge Nightmare burst out, skim aflame, and she ran out there. The dart should have taken her down a lot faster than it did but she… she was talking to it."
Stargazer turned her head towards Birdsong. "She spoke to it?"
"To calm it."
"Ah… well there's good news and bad news. The good news is I think she'll be okay."
Birdsong sighed with relief. "Gods be good. I was so worried."
"The bad news… the dart is meant to put a dragon to rest for a long, long while. Days, maybe weeks. I made it to keep them down for a very long time."
"I'm aware."
"So if it's in a human… it will be a very, very long time before she wakes. I don't know how long. But it will be dangerous. Very dangerous."
Birdsong processed that for a moment. She nodded slowly, understanding without wanting to. She sat in a chair and sighed. "I spent years thinking the riders were myth, but now they're here."
"It's cruel," Stargazer muttered.
"But think of how we could use them. I mean, we managed to keep this one alive… the other one we have is Dagur's new pet… so I wouldn't put much coin on her. But Wildling has heart, she will do well for us."
"If you can keep her alive, that is."
Birdsong scoffed. "That'll be easy. We're moving her in. Today. We can't delay."
Stargazer laughed. "I thought her cell was outside the Hatch."
"Not anymore. With her under like this, she can't be alone, Star. Keep this one alive with you. She's going to give us that hope we finally deserve."