Chapter Seven – War of The Kraken: Gathering Forces

Part One – Tales From Berk

The morning after the Council of Chiefs; the Great Hall of Berk,

After she'd heard Hiccup describe his conversation with Thor, and that he was considering her as a candidate for the Fourth of The Five Dragon Lords; 'The Envoy', Lara had been struggling to wrap her head around it all… It was the kind of thing that happened in legends, not in real life, and certainly not to her. She knew it wasn't 'certain', but the mere possibility; the fact that she was a candidate; awed her.

She, her mother, Thom and Summer had eaten breakfast with the other villagers, who had since departed to begin their various tasks for the day. Now, the three of them were gathered before the rows of portraits, depicting the previous Chiefs of Berk, and their sons: up to, and including, Hiccup and his father.
After a few minutes, Leanne turned to her, "Have I ever told you about the Legend of Hamish the Second, and the treasure he was said to have buried on Berk?"

Lara frowned for a moment, thinking, "I think so, yes; people have been searching for it for centuries… Something about a map, and riddles that no one's been able to solve."

Thom's eyes widened, "Treasure? Can we look for it?"

Leanne smiled, "It's just a legend, Thom; and even if it wasn't, it'd be much too dangerous."

The sound of footsteps made them turn; and they saw Hiccup making his way towards them, Toothless at his side. "Actually; the Treasure of Hamish the First is quite real," Hiccup informed them. "My father and Gobber tried to find it, years ago; they couldn't solve the riddles, got caught in a snowstorm, almost died, as many have… Afterwards, he ordered that all remaining copies of the map be destroyed." Hiccup paused, lifted one of the portraits partway off of the wall, and produced a sheet of paper. "They… 'Missed' one, though."
He handed it to Lara, gesturing for to her to open it.

Hesitantly, Lara unrolled the scroll; and examined the map. Almost immediately, she frowned. "'Where the land meets the see, in the crook of The Master's knee; that's where your search will be-gin'… What's that supposed to mean?"

Hiccup gestured at the portraits before them, "Hamish the Second hid the treasure; why don't you take a closer look at the picture of him and his father."

For several minutes, Lara considered the portrait in question; then her eyes widened, "The way Hamish the First has his knee bent; it matches the sea- stack behind him!"

Hiccup nodded, "That part of the beach is a short flight from here; leading treasure hunters to the location for the next riddle, but that's as far as most of them got."

Lara turned her attention back to the scroll, and read the next riddle. "'From here you will see the sea that was sown; look to where water turns to bone'."

Hiccup's eyes gleamed, "I remember reading that riddle the day we found that map… It's a clever piece of work." Before they could ask; Hiccup continued, "Water is a liquid, bone is a solid; but, when water freezes, it turns to ice, another solid." He shrugged, "The only ice visible from that stretch of beach, that would've been here in Hamish's time, is the glacier."

For a full thirty seconds, no one spoke. Finally, Lara understood, "You've already found it; haven't you, the treasure." It wasn't a question.

Hiccup nodded, "The treasure, and the truth: There was a scroll, on a pedestal; between the entrance to the treasure- room, and the treasure itself; a message from Hamish the Second… It read: 'this treasure was passed from father to son; I leave it to you the next worthy one. For only a 'hiccup' could've made it this far; from one to another, be proud of what you are'."

Another pause followed this revelation; broken when Leanne said, "But the portrait…" She glanced at the portrait the map had been hidden behind.

"Hamish the First hid the truth about his son; had the picture altered to fit his 'ideal' image of the son he wanted." Hiccup turned to face them, "Hamish- two designed his riddles so that another like him; someone he'd see as an equal; could solve them, and vindicate him."

Lara hesitated, "What do you mean 'vindicate him'?"

Hiccup turned to her, "When Hamish grew, caught-up to his peers, and the others' attitudes towards him changed; I believe Hamish the Second took it as an insult… Only when he 'fit the mold' was he accepted. The treasure hunt; the riddles, the map; was his legacy to another like him, and a trap to anyone else." Hiccup held out a hand for the scroll; Lara gave it to him, and he returned it to its place behind the portrait. "Would you like to see the treasure?"

When they responded in the affirmative; Hiccup led them to what appeared to be a storeroom, at the end of the Great Hall furthest from the entrance. As they drew nearer, it was clear Hiccup had both reinforced the door; and installed some kind of security- system. The moment they realized the latter; they paused, while Hiccup continued forward.

Hiccup manipulated something on the outside of the door; then unlocked, and opened it. Leanne, Thom, and Lara's jaws dropped: The room held close to twenty chests, and as many solid- gold statues. A small mountain of other precious goods rose, in the center of the room.
"This is not the entire treasure," Hiccup told them. "Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff were with us, so we all got a share; though once the others heard that Hamish had, basically, left it to me, they decided I should get the, uh, dragons' share."

Then Lara noticed something that, to her, seemed out of place: a small table, on which rested a long, cylindrical object. It was elaborately decorated, and unlike anything she'd ever seen before. "Uh… Excuse me, Hiccup; what is that?"

Hiccup turned in the direction she'd indicated, and smiled; he retrieved the object, and rejoined them. "I call it the 'Dragon Eye'… It's kind of a long story." He gestured to some nearby benches; they made their way over, and sat. Hiccup locked the door to his treasure room, and came to join them.

"I guess you remember hearing how Dagur escaped from his prison, a few years ago?" Hiccup asked, joining them at the table; Leanne and Lara both nodded. "Well… Johann told us that; when Dagur commandeered his ship, he also took possession of a particular map; one that lead to a graveyard of ships where, at the time, Johann hid his 'treasures and wares'. He also warned us about a ship, 'the Reaper', that was riddled with booby-traps… We got there ahead of Dagur, so Toothless and I decided to check it out."

Lara's eyes widened, "You actually went aboard the one boat that Trader Johann warned you to avoid?"

"There's more to this armor than meets the eye." Hiccup explained, setting up the Dragon- Eye, as he spoke. "And it was worth the risk: The Dragon- Eye contains information on dragons; species, entire classes, we didn't even know existed, and maps showing where they live. We've established an outpost; made some new friends…" He grinned, "I've already sent word to a few of them, about our little 'kraken- problem'."

Toothless chuckled, darkly. 'Those fools have no idea what they're up against!'

"No; they don't…" Hiccup agreed; he grinned, and gestured to the Dragon- Eye. "Toothless; would you do the honors?"
The black dragon moved into position, and breathed a low flame into the narrow end of the Dragon Eye. The sections along the sides of the cylinder glowed blue, than a ray of blue light burst from the opposite end, projecting a map onto the wall.
"This is the map that got us started." Hiccup explained; he got to his feet, and moved to stand next to it. "Berks' down here," he pointed. "When we left, we came here; stopping at a number of these islands; until we got… here: The Dragon's Edge, our outpost." He glanced back at them; grinned, and pointed to another island, one much closer to home. "And this, is The Isle of Night; the Ancestral- Home of… the Night- Fury Colony."
He nodded to Toothless; the Night- Fury extinguished his flame, allowing the map to fade.

"That's… a lot to process." Lara said, finally.

Part Two – A Change of Circumstances

The day after the Council of Chiefs, midafternoon; Chief Thommen,

Chief Thommen, and the men who'd attended the Council of Chiefs with him; arrived home a several hours after noon. To say that his mood had improved since his departure, three days earlier, would've been an understatement of epic proportions.

The crowd that had assembled before them was quiet, and grim faced; expressions that changed to surprise when Chief Thommen chuckled. "Get everyone together; that boy of Stoick's gone an' pulled a stunt that'll have the Krakens cursing his name for a thousand years!"

His wife's younger sister, Leah, frowned; "My sister, and both of your children, were taken by the Kraken Lords; no thanks to Berk… What could Hiccup possibly have done?"

"You'll get the details when everyone's together," Thommen said, firmly. He looked around, at the others. "Well; go on! Gather everyone in the square; they'll want to hear this!"

Fifteen minutes later,

Fifteen minutes after Thommen's boat arrived, the members of his tribe had gathered before him; ready to hear his news of the council.

Leah was the first to speak, her tone containing the same cool, bitter edge, as before. "So, what 'great act' did Berks' 'master- strategist' pull- off?"

"He saw through the Kraken Lords' plans; guessed they used hostages for leverage; and dispatched Night- Fury patrols to monitor for abduction attempts." Chief Thommen said, shortly. "One of those patrols was circling above us, that night; they witnessed the abduction, and carried the information to Berk." He scanned the crowd, and continued. "Chief Hiccup then sent a Terrible- Terror, carrying extraction instructions, to their camp; my wife, daughter, and son were airlifted to Berk the night after they were taken – by four Night- Furies! The entire operation was designed to get them out of harms way; and conceal their departure, so we could use my report to channel falsified- information directly to the Kraken- commanders!"
Thommen felt the mood of the crowd change: from subdued uncertainty, to awed disbelief. "He also pointed out that, since the Kraken- Lords use subjugated- forces, they won't trust them; they'll demand frequent reports from them as well, detailing location and activities, whenever they're deployed. When the birds fly, we note their direction; and relay the information to Berk. Once Hiccup has enough reference points, he'll use them to pinpoint, and seize, the Kraken Lords' hostage ships … He'll give them safe- sanctuary on Berk, and ask them to prepare letters to their families; 'they're safe, feel free to start taking kraken- heads' – last bit's my words, but it comes to the same thing."

After a silence that lasted for several minutes, Leah said "Beard of Thor!"

Thommen smiled, but he didn't think anyone else noticed. "The fight hasn't even started, and Berks' half- won the war! I want our fleet ready to sail by nightfall; we sail at first light!" Thommen waited for a moment; when no one moved, he bellowed "OY; THAT MEANS NOW … At this rate, we'll be lucky to get a piece of Blackthorn to pommel; and I want his head, not a finger- bone!" Another bellow of approval greeted these words, and the crowd dissolved into a flurry of activity.

Part Three – The First 'Puzzle Piece'

Eight miles south of the Shivering Shores; Four days after the Council of Chiefs,

The sun had risen; and the men on both sides were up, and preparing for the days' events. Then they men on the lead Shivering Shores boats saw activity on the nearest of the enemy ships. Not sure what it might be; Tyrek ordered his men to prepare to load the catapults, and stand ready. The dragons, which had taken turns setting down on various boats, to catch a little rest, rose into the air; with the exception of the Terrible- Terrors, who sat where they were, several tapping on their scroll- cases.
Than, almost as an afterthought, Tyrek ordered his navigators to prepare their instruments; so that, if a bird took off, they'd be ready to record its heading. It was well they had: mere minutes after the navigators were in position; a multicolored ball of feathers launched itself into the air, streaking off, to the south, and slightly to the east! The men aboard the ships were careful to control their reactions; the last thing they wanted was to make the men on the ships opposing them suspect their true intentions, but there was an undeniable sense of triumph in the air.

Five minutes later, the bird had dwindled to a spec; and it continued to grow smaller, as it drew further away. A moment later, the navigator on their boat approached Tyrek; "Sir, I marked the bird's path, and confirmed it with the navigators on two boats to both sides; we have a heading!"

"Excellent, Walden!" Tyrek said, nodding an acknowledgment. "Keep a record for yourself, and send a copy to Berk." The navigator, nodded, and hurried off.
A few minutes later, Walden approached the nearest Terrible- Terror; and paused, a few feet away. The small dragon gave a slight nod, and tossed his scroll case into the air. Walden caught it, slid the scroll inside, and tossed it back. The dragon launched itself forward, snatched the case out of the air; and shot around the ship, dropping behind the stern, and speeding off, in a northerly direction.

Early that evening; on Berk,

The Great Hall of Berk was crowded and noisy, full of the clatter of dishes, and general supper conversation. Until, that is; a Terrible- Terror shot between the doors, flew down the length of the hall, and landed just to Hiccup's right.
Hiccup blinked, took the scroll case from the Terrible- Terror, and unsealed it. He unrolled the scroll, considered it for a moment, than raised an eyebrow, "Well; this is… unexpected."

"What is it?" Astrid asked, immediately, lowering her spoonful of fish stew, as she spoke.

"A scroll from Tyrek's forward position: we've just received our first reference point … I wasn't expecting to see one of these for another day or two, at the earliest." Hiccup's tone was thoughtful. "The timing could mean nothing, or everything…"

Snotlout snorted, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Hiccup sighed, "When Emric came to Berk, he mentioned me by name; if you follow that logic along, there's a strong possibility that my reputation has permeated down through their chain of command … Now dragons have joined the first wave, but they've yet to attack their ships directly… Checking in early could be the closest this chieftain can come to pointing us in the right direction, without openly disobeying his orders."

Astrid's eyes widened, "You think he's… trying to help us?"

Hiccup nodded, "The Kraken Lords would soon find out about the dragons joining the first wave in any case; so it'd be the least harmful information he could give them, with the most possible benefit to us; if he thought we might be tracking the bird's path, as in fact we are…" He was silent for a moment, than continued, "If no other messages arrive by noon tomorrow, it may be worth paying a 'little visit' to Tyrek's forward position, and see if our 'friend' wants to talk."

To Be Continued…