Chapter Two
Mystery Man
It seemed that the god of thunder had heard their pleas and in the early morning they had set out to the dragon hunter's location, following the directions in Heather's letter. The storm had left no dark clouds and a perfect sky stood in in its place, the slight chill in the air was the only clue to the deluge that happened yesterday. The dragon riders left in the early morning to catch up with the dragon hunters, many still drowsy from sleep but once they caught sight of the distinct shape of a boat in the horizon, they were alert and wide awake. Hiccup ordered them to hide above the clouds and make sure to slow their pace as he discussed the plan.
"So basically, swoop down, distract the dragon hunters while you break in and free the dragons," Tuffnut summarized after Hiccup's long explanation.
"Yes, Tuffnut… tha-that's it," Hiccup sighed exasperatedly. The boat started getting closer until they were almost above it, he turned back once more to look at the group. "Remember the plan, alright. Dive in and watch out for-"
"Chaos and destruction, here they come!" the twins yelled in unison and dived towards the boats, the rest following behind them.
"-the arrows," Hiccup finished, rolling his eyes. He leaned forward and patted Toothless' head. "Let's go, bud."
Flaming boulders were already being catapulted to the dragon hunters by the time he dived past the clouds. He easily dodged one coming his way, spotting Ryker and Dagur on the larger ships. His eyes narrowed as he caught the dragon hunter's furious gaze. He spotted Heather about to mount Windshear, both sharing a look.
"Shoot the catapults!" He said to Astrid once he flew swiftly past her. He knew his order was fulfilled when he heard the explosion from the other boat.
"Arrows coming next!" Astrid warned, just as a barrage of arrows flew past them.
Hiccup saw two hunters aiming at Fishlegs and Astrid and sped in front of them, Snotlout seeming to have the same idea, turned their dragons, the lethal arrows were deflected by the armor on the dragon's underbellies. Amidst the chaos, he could hear the boastful chanting of; 'Snotlout, Snotlout, Oi,Oi, Oi!' from the Viking himself.
As the hunters began firing their weapons, Hiccup saw his opportunity. The metal bars leading below deck was unguarded and he directed Toothless to fly up to give them a flying start. "Alright, bud, let's set these guys free." Hiccup pressed himself against Toothless as they dove in, breaking open the metal door with a single plasma blast.
He took just a seconds glance at the miserable caged dragons before getting to work, opening every cage with the lever hanging above them. "Let's go! You're free!" He secured himself and dashed back at the entrance, hearing the rest of the dragon's joyful roar from behind him and he grinned.
He, along with Astrid and Fishlegs, herded the dragon's away from the ships, leaving Snotlout and the twins to follow.
"I keep saying don't underestimate them and what do you do? YOU UNDERESTIMATE THEM!"
Ryker ignored the chieftain, swiftly lifting his arm to deflect the Nadder spine with his metal arm brace. His blank face eyed the retreating dragon riders coldly, a sneer threatening to form on his lips.
"Somebody is giving them information." Those riders could never have known they were going to leave before the rose, they could never have even known their location. As far as he knew their so-called base was miles away, perhaps even more, and their plan to sail as soon as possible couldn't possibly have been discovered when they were cooped up in an island for days. Not a ship was seen sailing the seas with that storm controlling the raging waters. Unless...
He looked up and narrowed his eyes at the dark haired rider speeding past them. "Someone who knows our every move."
He watched the boy chief's sister chase after one of the riders, shooting his dragon but missing entirely but managing to separate him from its dragon. Ryker grit his teeth at that. She was in range and yet she missed, not even making a move to finish the job as the rider fell towards the water, only to be caught by the two blond siblings riding the Zippleback.
Ryker remained watching the black haired girl despite the yelling of his men hauling in the Monstrous Nightmare that was netted. He only ripped his gaze away when an explosion happened on the front deck, giving the three riders their chance to escape. He stomped his way towards Dagur when the blonde rider with the Nadder appeared and faced off against Heather.
"Finish her!" He gave a frustrated growl when that damned dragon with metal scales dropped down to the deck after a single spine hit it on its tail. The dragon riders slowly disappeared as they flew towards the horizon.
Ryker walked in front of the girl and her dragon, not flinching as it hissed. "What were you doing up there?"
Heather stood and got close to him, glaring. "You have something to say, Ryker?"
"Something didn't look right."
"Yeah, which part? You giving her a heads up I was there or you doing nothing, leaving me exposed?"
Ryker unsheathed his blade from his back with a growl. He was sick of the girl's tongue. Four days of being stuck on the same island, four days of heavy rain, four days worth of dragons collected, only to be ruined by those dragon riders in a few hours. "Look here, girl, I've lost enough dragons to those dragon riders and if we weren't lucky enough to land on an island full of em' every couple of days, I would be returning to Viggo empty handed and believe me when I say that you won't feel so welcome without those dragons. Now loosen up your tongue before I do it for you." He made a move to give her a warning when he felt a pair of hands grip his arm tightly. He looked over his shoulder to find the young chief himself.
"Now, now, let's not get too crazy," Dagur said as Ryker wrenched his arm away from the deranged red-head, watching as he walked next to his sister.
"You're talkin to me about crazy?" Ryker scoffed in disbelief.
"Let me put it in another way. If you touch one hair from my sister's head, I'll run you through and wear your rib cage as my battle armor," Dagur finished with an evil grin, staring straight into the dragon hunter's eyes.
Ryker grunted in annoyance as he placed his blade back in his sheath, glaring heavily at the still grinning Berserker in front of him. One of the hunters hurried towards him, gaining the groups attention.
"We're headed back to the island."
Ryker scowled. "On whose orders? We're a ship full of dragons short from our quota."
"Viggo's. He says that you come immediately before it arrives at the base. He's waiting."
Ryker's hands balled into fists and he glanced at the siblings. "We'll let him settle this. Set the ships to full sail! I want us there before sundown!"
Heather watched the man walk away, trying to calm her racing heart. That was a close one. She heard Dagur let out a breezy sigh. "What do you know about Viggo?" If what Ryker hinted about Viggo was true, then she wanted to be prepared and get as much information from Viggo for the riders in the Edge and for herself.
"Oh. Just that he's pretty much the opposite of our Rykie."
"How so?"
"Svelte. Smart. And, when I say smart, I mean supposedly cleverer than me, which is almost inconceivable, it's really hard to fathom and I'm still gonna need some proof," Dagur stammered which escalated into his maniacal laugh. "It's impossible! Who could be- But that's what they say."
Heather had begun to smile at the sound of her brother's laugh but caught herself before it became too obvious. She refused to believe that his deranged personality had begun to grow on her. She decided that she should switch to another person of interest, seeing as she's getting almost nothing about Viggo.
"How about this client Ryker's still getting heated about? Heard anything new?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah, right, I got news, little tiny news, but still news," Dagur shrugged. "Apparently our mystery client is, as you've heard, taking a short visit to meet with Viggo, I'm guessing to collect the dragons but since more than half of them have escaped they'll sure be disappointed."
Heather furrowed her brows. "But don't they hold auctions for the dragons? Why would Viggo make an exception for one person?"
Dagur shrugged once again, making Heather let out a small breath to release her annoyance. "Who knows? Not me, for sure. I mean, I only got bits and pieces from the others so it might not be true." He suddenly turned to her with a raised brow. "Why the sudden interest?"
"N-Nothing. I mean, it's not like I'm the only one who's curious. Aren't you?" She replied, managing to quickly hide her surprise when Dagur rounded up on her. He was unpredictable like that.
Dagur stared at her for a moment more, vivid green eyes seem to stare into her soul and he suddenly let out a laugh. "Of course! Why else would I be listening to all this juicy gossip?"
Heather gave him a hesitant smile before she was suddenly held tightly in his muscular arms. "Isn't this great? We're finally having some bonding time! The two of us together!" Dagur happily said and pulled back to look at her with a grin, a hand on her shoulder. He suddenly narrowed his eyes, surprising her as his face turned dark and his voice low, "What were you doing up there?"
It was the sudden shift of his mood that caught her off guard and her mind took too long to process his question. Luckily, Dagur suddenly laughed and exclaimed, "Gotcha! You are too easy!" She refrained from letting out a sigh of relief, catching herself as Dagur threw an arm around her shoulders. "Now, let's go meet this Viggo Grimborn," he exaggerated his name, laughing madly as he walked away.
Heather let her smile drop as she stared at her brother's back.
They arrived at the island just as it turned dark, only adding to Ryker's annoyance. The island was farther than she thought and she was sure that the place was not very well known as she saw the dangerous path they had to tread with their ships. The signs of many shipwrecks proved that no one had lived to speak of the island's location.
While the hunters unloaded the cargo, Ryker ordered them to follow him and so here she was, walking down a spiral path that leads to the lone tent in the middle of a pool of water. The rib cages of large dragons decorated the path, making make-shift stairs and she suppressed a shiver.
They reached the large tent, seeming to be held up by the bones of another dragon, its skull placed menacingly in the front. She could see Dagur eyeing the place and smiled as if he were impressed, while she put up a blank face as they neared the tent.
Ryker opened the flaps and she was greeted by the sight of Viggo Grimborn himself, sitting in front of a table, not even looking up at them as he fiddled with a small carved item in his hand. Heather tensed at the sight of the leader of the dragon hunters.
"They say there are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true. The other... is to refuse to believe what is," he held up the item, finally looking up at the newcomers with a smirk. He got up from his seat and walked towards them, stopping in front of the trio as he stared at the game piece."Maces and Talons. I began playing with my grandfather when I was just a boy. I always insisted upon being the Honorable Viking Chief. I could never understand how he bested me time and time again."
She caught Dagur looking at her with a raised brow as if he were asking if this really was Ryker's brother. She had to admit, the man did make such an enigmatic introduction and she was immediately intimidated, though she refused to show it. She turned to look back at Viggo when he began to speak again.
"For years, I assumed his skill transcended mine. I believed what wasn't true. But, you see, in Maces and Talons, as in life, the line between good and evil is often unclear." He struck the piece against the hanging lamp, holding the piece up as the light swung back and forth, making the room eerier than it was. "Black and white can become gray so easily. What one soul considers evil, another might consider righteous. The Honorable Chief who fails to see this is found to be... the fool." He had returned to his desk to place the piece back on the board, striking it down with one of the small mace piece.
Heather bit her tongue as he turned to look at them once more, catching the glint in his eye as he strode towards Ryker with open arms. "Welcome. Brother!" Ryker returned the embrace, though Heather could see that he clearly didn't enjoy it.
Viggo pulled back, holding his brother's chin, his expression was darker. "You're late. Lucky for you, our special guest has yet to arrive." Ryker grunted, the corner of his lip twitching downwards. "You must be weary, brother. I understand that the dragon trade is an exhausting business."
A loud commotion suddenly erupted from outside the tent, catching their attention. Heather moved aside as the flaps opened to reveal a man dragging behind another dragon hunter. He threw the fearful hunter to Viggo's feet with a grunt, the leader of the dragon hunters stared at him with an unimpressed face, brow raised. Heather watched intently at the scene as a sick feeling entered her gut.
"Even more so when profits wane because inventory goes missing." Viggo unsheathed his blade making the man jump.
"V-Viggo, I only borrowed the hide to exchange for food. It wasn't missing for more than a day!" The man stuttered, fearfully staring up at the man. Heather's breath hitched as the blade was held a hair's width from the man's face and forced the man to stand, staring him down. She could almost smell his fear. She glanced at her brother to see him barely masking his grin.
She was silently relieved when Viggo stepped back, lowering his sword, she feared she would've left the tent if something… gruesome took place. The man was led back outside after a nod from Viggo, voicing out his gratefulness at his mercy. Heather was completely surprised at that but quickly hid it as Viggo turned to look back at them.
"We're not animals," Viggo said, leading them out. "Rest. Much to discuss tomorrow."
She made a move to follow when a hand firmly landed on her shoulder, stopping her. "She can stay."
The two paused and she saw her brother eye the hand on her shoulder wearily before taking his leave, Ryker about to follow when he was stopped again by his brother. "Oh, and if our guest arrives, inform me right away." His brother grunted his affirmation and left.
Heather put a blank front as the hand shifted to wrap his arm around her shoulders. "Come. Walk with me."
Dagur watched the mellow scene with a sneer, ripping the meat from his yak leg. Even the meat here was tasteless. Ryker had left him without a word to check their supplies, now he stood, leaning against a barrel with the view of the docks and the sea before him. He was a hundred times more cautious about this Viggo character after meeting him. What's with that long monolog for anyway? Couldn't he have just said 'hey' and throw a welcoming party or something? Not to mention the way he looked at Heather, he thought angrily, sinking his teeth deep into the leg until he felt the bone. Who does that guy think he is?!
He suddenly paused and squinted, trying to make out the moving speck towards the horizon. For a few moments, he waited until the speck turned came closer, turning into a silhouette shape of a small ship. A sailboat, in fact, that looked like it could only hold three men- two if they weren't so broad shouldered.
The commotion on the deck indicated that they had spotted the foreign transport as well. He saw Ryker giving out orders and preparing the archers as he stood at the end of the wooden quay, sword at his side as the intruder neared. He leaned further back at the trunk, discarding his yak leg and watch the action unfold, sure that the larger man could handle one lost boatman. Dagur decided to get a better seat for the action about to occur, walking down to the end of the dock. Ryker noticed him and sneered, making him grin innocently.
"Ready the arrows!" Ryker ordered as the sailboat swam closer and Dagur rose his brow in surprise as he found the boat empty. He quickly took out his ax, shifting into his battle stance and inched closer to the boat. He watched Ryker cautiously lean to check the contents of the boat. Nothing but thick ropes and empty barrels.
Giving the boat one final scan, Ryker turned towards the hidden archers and waved a hand. "Stand down, it's nothing but a stray boat. Bring it in. We could tear it apart for firewood."
A loud thud came from behind them and Dagur immediately spun around, swinging his ax. The intruder stepped back to avoid the weapon, causing a reaction from the other hunters as the sounds of arrows being assembled cut through the night. Dagur took a moment to eye the person. They were covered by a furred cloak that looked like it was from a bear, from front to back, and a large hood hung low so that not even he could see it unless he crouched underneath to take a peek but he doubts he would see a face with the shadow it collected. There was nothing the stranger really showed since the cloak covered their entire body. If they stood still it would look like any other fur cloak standing on display, for not even their feet could be seen.
"Hold your fire!" Ryker shouted as he stood next to him, eyeing the figure with distaste and crossed his arms. "So you finally decided to show up, eh?"
Dagur eased up as he didn't hear any hostile tone in Ryker's voice and continued to eye the still figure. He was starting to get fidgety as the cloaked man stayed still as a statue. He saw the one sided staring contest between Ryker and the newcomer and decided to cut in, "So, uh, who is this exactly?"
"Our special guest," Ryker scoffed and walked towards the newcomer. "Follow me. Viggo's been waiting for you."