I Own Nothing
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Chapter 18
In The Cells
The cell Astrid was in was nothing more than a carved out section of basalt with an iron door. The only thing she could see through the bars was a large stone skull, twisted into a face of anguish that was staring right at her. No matter how she tried to look elsewhere it was always staring at her. While Astrid was not unfamiliar with skulls, in fact she wore some metal ones on her clothes; its eternal unblinking gaze was creeping her out, which was undoubtedly the intention. The dungeon was sparsely lit by red lanterns, giving the place a menacing and uncomfortable atmosphere.
Her Chief and his family were in separate cells nearby, but there had been little conversation after the first few hours of their captivity. Occasionally Snotlout would start whining, which prompted his father to shout at him to be a man and suffer in silence, advice which he and Stoick seemed to take to heart. While she was glad when he stopped, she could not exactly blame him for being scared.
She had no way of telling the time, but she had tried to fall asleep three times she guessed they had been in the cells for about three days. There were no windows to the outside where they were, and the only sources of light were the red lanterns, which were never extinguished. The scraps of food were delivered only delivered when Dagur felt they should be, and it seemed he often changed his mind about when that was. Nobody came down to interrogate them, and the guards only passed by on occasion. There was only one way out of the dungeon, so as long as it was guarded nobody had much reason to go near the cells. All she could do was think and pace.
As she paced around her cell, which was so small she could make several revolutions in the span of a minute, she could think of only two things: what had happened to those on Berk, and what was going to happen to them? Fears for the lives of her parents gripped her. Had they been taken too? Were they all right, wherever they were? Every night her dreams had been filled with her parents bleeding and decapitated corpses. Every day she had made great efforts to not think about those and try to reassure herself. Alone in such a haunted looking cell, however, it was all too easy to let fear take over her.
Outside on the ramparts of the main fort, the laughter from the guards was suddenly interrupted by a loud screech.
"NIGHT FURY!"
"GET DOWN!"
The dragon dove right into the midst of the guards as they hugged the wooden floor. With bolts of plasma flying in every direction the men scattered. One turned around and lunged forward with a spear only to be sent flying by the dragon's powerful tail.
"Oh no! Night Fury! Get down! Some people never learn! Get 'em, Bud!" The King shouted from Toothless's back.
They rushed along the rampart, dodging arrows. The alarm had been raised now and more guards rushed up. The King heard the loud clatter of metal and wooden weapons. He quickly scanned the fortress walls. More guards were on it. The swarms of arrows and spears would fly thicker in moments. They needed cover fast.
"This way!" Toothless darted leftwards and out of sight behind some crates.
Drago had been up on the watchtower when the attack began, and he took the situation in at a glance. He could sense this was an opportunity he had long wanted and he roared from the tower "I want him alive! 10 gold coins to he who brings him to me alive!" Money proved to be a great spur, for some 20 Berserker guards ran after the two.
Dagur arrived, thrilled at the prospect of a dragon fight. "Get them! Surround them!" He ordered. "Get the pikes out!"
One guard looked behind a crate, only to receive a shield in the face.
"Gotcha!" shouted Hiccup. Without pausing for breath he darted forward and shot fire from his gauntlets as he spun around. The Berserkers leapt back screaming, several with flaming clothes.
"They're coming in on the right too!" Toothless shouted. Hiccup looked and saw sure enough nearly two score guards approaching, shields up and pikes out. He turned leftwards and saw the same thing. He looked up and saw more archers aiming right at them. He ducked behind the crates just in time. They were pinned down and had enemies approaching on the left and right.
"Right, Toothless get out of here!" He said. "Blast them all you want but get out of here!"
"Are you sure about this?" Toothless shouted at him.
"Of course not! Now get going!" The King roared. With a shriek Toothless rose into the air, so swiftly and so unexpectedly the startled guards who were loading their bows dropped their arrows. Hiccup meantime flung a crate into the men approaching and made a desperate run into the breach he had made. Alvin the Treacherous suddenly leapt before him and pointed a sword right at his chest.
"One more move, boy and yer skewered!"
Hiccup slowly raised his hands in surrender.
Toothless watched from a nearby sea stack as his rider was disarmed, bound, and dragged away. It tore him to pieces to watch but he could not and would not avert his gaze until Hiccup was out of sight.
"This had better work!" he said bitterly, "If they hurt my human in any way I'll pay them back a hundred times! If they kill him I'll—I'll—I don't want to think about it! Oh this had better work!" In frustration he looked up at the sun and shouted "Would you go down already?"
Astrid heard shouting and sounds of metal being scrapped around. She stared at the entrance of the dungeon and eventually saw guards dragging a new prisoner into the room. To her horror she recognized it was Hiccup. Other sounds told her that the others had recognized him as well. Ignoring them, the Berserkers threw the Dragon King into a cell and walked off laughing.
"Cozy looking place, huh? I imagine the Christians would describe it as being 'Hellish'" Hiccup said loudly. His flight suit had been removed and he was wearing nothing more than a simple shirt and pants. Astrid grabbed the bars and tried to make eye contact with him.
"What's going on? What's the plan? Is there a rescue coming?"
"Don't talk ta the traitor," growled Spitelout.
Stoick might have had similar feelings, but was able to detach himself from them for the moment. "How did you get caught?" He asked. "What's going on? What's the plan?"
"You'll hear about it when he tells it to us." Drago Bludvist entered the room, flanked by Dagur and Alvin the Treacherous, a man as large as Stoick with a wild black beard.
"Hello, boys," Hiccup said casually, "fancy meeting you here. Do you come here often? The view could do with some improvements, but there's a rich atmosphere that makes one think very philosophically about the afterlife."
Alvin cackled. "Think yer jokes'll save you, kid?"
"Not in the slightest."
"I must say I'm disappointed, my dear little Brother. That was a pretty pathetic rescue attempt." Dagur laughed. "Yeah, very pathetic indeed! As pathetic as a mushroom!" He cackled wildly and then abruptly frowned and pointed a finger at Hiccup. "And I hate mushrooms! Just as I hate people who attack my forts and steal the dragons I'm trying to kill!"
"Yes, well, when I found out that my father and friends were in trouble, I kinda rushed into action without really thinking about it." Hiccup admitted, blushing and bowing his head in embarrassment. "I was too upset to think straight. It's been known to happen. I went to Berk and nearly got killed because I wasn't thinking straight, you know."
"Oh brilliant," Stoick grumbled.
"So ya thought ya could save yer friends by yerself and a Night Fury?" laughed Alvin.
"Yeah, not one of my better plans, I must admit…"
"But there's more to that plan, isn't there?" Drago unlocked the cell door and moved closer to him. "This is just stage one, isn't it?"
"If by that you mean someone else is coming to rescue us, I have no idea, though it's likely. You guys do realize that you kidnapped the Chief of Berk, right? Berk isn't going to take that lying down, you know."
Astrid was listening wide eyed. Was there hope of another rescue?
"Oh we know that. Don't worry, your friends will be taken care of soon enough…but not before we take care of you!" Drago's expression turned from a sneer to pure hatred. "Ever since Fort Flay you've been a thorn in my side; hampering all of my plans, wrecking my weapons…and now you're going to pay!"
Hiccup looked up sharply. "Fort what?"
Drago hit him in the head. "Don't play dumb with me! Now, what's your plan?"
"What makes you think he's got a plan?" Dagur sneered, "This is Hiccup the Useless! Stoick's little runt and disappointment! My little brother and disappointment! We just foiled his plan! We foiled it like a piece of bent tin! O Happy days!" He laughed again.
"He's got a plan, fool, because anybody bent on rescuing someone would stop and think things through at some point! For instance, why'd he insist that the Night Fury get away?" He hit Hiccup again. "What's the game, boy? What are you up to?"
"Augh!—I didn't want Toothless to get caught by you guys, all right!"
"Makes sense by those stew-pid moral standards of 'is," Alvin laughed, "but keep goin', Drago, ah em enjoyin' this!"
"Get me a whip," Drago ordered.
"You get it, Alvin,"
"You get it! It's yer dungeon!"
"Yes it is—and that means I give the orders!"
"Oh for the love of—I'll get it myself!" Drago stepped out.
"You know, there's no real need to," Hiccup laughed nervously, "I'm sure we can come to some kind of…mutual understanding, perhaps?"
"Then tell us what we want to know," Alvin sneered. "Where are your dragons hiding?"
"Somewhere safe."
"Why didn't ya bring 'em with ya?"
"So you'd never get your hands on them." Hiccup snarled.
"Is that so?" Drago returned carrying a long and thick cat-o-nine tails. He eyed Stoick. "Stoick's little runt, right? You would hate to see your kid in pain, wouldn't you, Stoick?"
"He's not my son," Stoick replied coldly, "Beating him will get no reaction from any of us," Whether he meant this or was bluffing Astrid could not determine.
"Ah, well, it doesn't matter. Nice shirt, you've got, boy. Very nice indeed." Astrid heard cloth being ripped. "Well, well, well, look at that back! Quite a few scars on you, huh? Adoncia's doing, I imagine. She'll be very glad to see you again. Now, boy, where are the dragons and what's the plan?" There was a crack of a whip. Hiccup stifled a cry. "Where are they?" Another crack. "What are you up to?" Hiccup continued to hold his tongue. Astrid clenched the bars so hard her hands hurt.
"Harder, Drago," Alvin suggested.
"My pleasure." The crack of the whip became louder and this time Hiccup couldn't stop himself. His screams echoed through the dungeon.
Snotlout had a clear line of vision of Hiccup. He was so horrified at what he was watching that he could not look away.
"Don't break," Stoick whispered. Over Hiccup's screams nobody heard him.
At last Drago lowered the whip. Hiccup lay on the ground whimpering.
"If I kept going you'd get used to the lashing. So let's take a pause with the whip."
"Stop it!" Hiccup moaned.
"Tell me what I want to know!" Astrid saw Drago pick the boy up like he was a doll and punch him in the face. "TALK!"
"With a mouth full of broken teeth?" Hiccup spat. Drago threw him onto the floor and kicked hard him in the chest. It was a wonder his ribs did not break. "WHAT IS YOUR PLAN? WHERE ARE THE DRAGONS HIDDING?"
"I DON'T KNOW! STOP IT, PLEASE!" Drago raised the whip and brought it down with an even louder crack.
Suddenly Astrid could not take it anymore. "Leave him alone!"
"Yer gonna be next if ya don't shut up!" Alvin snapped, "Ya might jest be next ennyway!"
Drago picked up Hiccup and threw him to the floor again. There was a sickening crunch.
"Don't break, son," Stoick whispered again. He had to remind himself not to break either.
"Does this upset ya, Stoick?" Alvin sneered, "Does it pain ya to see yer son in such agony?"
"He's not my son," Stoick growled loudly, "I disowned him, remember?"
"And ya don't have any fatherly e-fection left? And I thought I woz 'eartless! Well, Miss 'offerson? I've 'eard it said this kid used to worship ya! Does it not pain ya to see 'im like this?"
"I doubt it!" Hiccup spat, "She fought against me on Berk, didn't you know? She's not an ally of mine!"
Astrid kept silent. 'Don't give them satisfaction.' she told herself, 'don't give them satisfaction.' Her silence and his own words did nothing for Hiccup, as Drago went back to using the whip again.
"TALK YOU RAT!"
"AUGH!"
"TALK!"
"Let me help! My poor whip is longing to have some human flesh for company!" Dagur said, holding up his own whip. The screaming grew worse as they increased the ferocity of their strikes.
"TALK!" Drago roared again.
"ALL RIGHT ALL RIGHT, THERE'S A FLEET COMING HERE IN THREE DAYS, JUST PLEASE STOP IT!" Hiccup was in tears now.
Dagur suddenly looked concerned. "A fleet! What fleet? How big?"
"Forty ships, at least…" Hiccup groaned.
"And they'll be 'ere in three days, ya say?" Alvin grinned, "Plenty o' time to prepare!"
Drago kicked the boy. "It's pathetic how weak you are. It's a marvel someone like you survived this long. If you had live in my land you would have been dead decades ago."
"Tell me more about the fleet coming," Dagur ordered as he kicked Hiccup. "Tell me!"
"Berk called out for help…I asked them to give me a chance to save you first…the idea was if I succeeded it would prevent more bloodshed…if I failed they'd come for all of us…"
"And the dragons?"
"They aren't coming. I didn't want any dragons involved except Toothless…and he's far away now…and nobody else wanted them to come..."
"Do ya believe 'im?" Alvin asked.
"I never believe anyone who's an enemy." Drago growled. "And it might be too soon for a rescue to get here. But we can't afford to take the risk. Start preparations."
"I give the orders here!"
"Then give them."
"And jest wot are we gonna do 'bout the runt?"
Drago smiled. "I'm not finished with him yet. But we'll come back later. For now, let him lay there like the pitiful rat he is, knowing that he's failed in everything and that his talking has doomed any hope of a rescue. And to know that if he'd just had more strength and willpower he might have succeeded!" This was directed at the prisoners. Drago kicked Hiccup into his cell and slammed the door and locked it. "Goodbye for the moment, your majesty!" The three of them left laughing.
For a while nobody spoke. The only sound was Hiccup's labored breathing. Then Spitelout suddenly pounded his fist against the door.
"Augh! That's fantastic! Jest fantastic! Our only 'ope of escape and it's been ruined by a pathetic weakling!"
"Oh shut up!" Astrid shouted.
"Why should I? We're never getting' outta 'ere now!" he spat in disgust, "I 'ope you're 'appy, 'Dragon King!' Thanks to you our fleet is gonna sail right inta a trap! I'll be sure to tell any survivors that join us just 'ow they were captured! Maybe Dagur will let us wring your filthy neck for this, because I'd really like to! See what a pathetic wimp you have for a son, Stoick?"
"Leave him alone, Spitelout!" Astrid snarled. "Hasn't he been through enough already?"
"Astrid…" Hiccup moaned,
"And she's defending him! He's a demon lover, traitor, and a weakling, and she still defends him! Just look at him, Stoick!"
"I'm looking, Brother," Stoick said softly. Hiccup limply raised his head and looked at his onetime father.
"A true Viking would never 'ave cracked under torture!" Spitelout sneered. "You make me sick ta think my blood is in ya! I can't even stand to look at you! I just 'ope they finish ya off soon enough so you can't do us any more 'arm, you piece of FILTH!" He spat at Hiccup and turned away. Nobody saw the look of absolute terror he now had on his face.
Astrid fought to keep tears running down her cheeks. "How could you…he's just been tortured…and you've done nothing to silence him!" She screamed at Stoick, "He's your son!"
"I've said it before, and I'm going to repeat it for as long as I live: I've never had a son!" He winked at Hiccup, but nobody else saw it. Astrid was furious.
"A fine bunch of people you are! You try to capture a good man who's done you no harm and then nearly killed him even when you knew he was your own son, and now, after he comes to try and help us and gets flogged for it, what do you say to him? You make me sick, all of you—especially you, Stoick! And I don't care if I'm not going to be Chief anymore for saying that, because I'm not sure I want it now if this is what it means to be one!"
"Oh, are ya upset?" Spitelout sneered, hoping the fear in his voice was not evident, "Go on and cry like a big baby, girl! Ya know, Stoick, ya could still make Snotlout yer heir. We've got no use for a crier as our Chief!"
Stoick did not reply to this. Astrid's words had felt like a knife in his chest.
"We're doomed," Snotlout moaned quietly, "We'll never get out of here."
Hiccup suddenly began moaning.
"Don't do it, please don't do it—I don't know anything!" he kept repeating.
"What is he whining about?" Spitelout asked in disgust.
"Stop it, please, I don't know!" Hiccup's body began contorting and squirming.
"Hiccup?" Astrid asked nervously.
Still repeating his earlier words his body began to violently shake as if he was having a seizure.
"Hiccup, snap out of it!"
"Stop it, please! I don't know anything!" Hiccup screamed. He clenched his head as if it was going to split open and rolled on the floor, violently changing directions at random moments. "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"What's the matter with him?" Snotlout screamed.
"He's gone crazy!"
"Hiccup, what is it?" Stoick could not keep the worry out of his voice.
"Hiccup, it's all right!" Astrid shouted, "Whatever you're thinking of, it's not happening!"
"LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"Oh for Thor's Sake, shut up, Useless!" Spitelout pried a rock out from the wall and threw it at Hiccup. It hit him on the back, making him cry out in pain, but it had the desired effect. The spasms suddenly stopped and Hiccup began to take deep breaths.
"What was that?" Astrid screeched, but Hiccup slumped into unconsciousness.
Spitelout was happy. "Well, at least we've got some peace an' quiet now,"
But all too soon the silence became as unsettling as it had been before.
Outside on the docks Drago outlined his plan for Dagur and Alvin.
"I want him to escape. We won't make it easy, of course, but I want him to get away."
"X-see-a-cuse me?" Alvin cried. Dagur was likewise astonished.
"Yes, escape. Don't you get it? What will give us the best chance of success? His dragons. And where are his dragons? I don't know, and neither do you. So how do we find his dragons? By having him lead us to them, of course!"
"And just how do we do that?" Demanded Dagur, "If he escapes we'll never catch him! None of our ships can go that fast!"
"An' could we not jest git the island's spot by beatin' it out o' 'im?" Alvin added with a grin.
"Yes, I fully intend to beat it out of him, but he might pull something first."
"Then let's go beat it out of him now!" Dagur cried, "Beat him to a pulp! Bash his head in and break his arms!"
"Tomorrow," Drago replied. "Let him go hungry and recover a bit before we open the wounds again. And he won't be escaping on dragons, I promise you that."
"An' why not?" demanded Alvin.
"Because like you, Alvin, the boy is a fool—only in his case it's because he cares too much. He will not bring his dragons here where they might risk getting hurt or falling into my hands. And even if he did, he would know that the other prisoners would refuse to ride them—and even if they did not, we will ensure the harbor is well prepared for a dragon attack, so that no dragon can land near the dungeons without getting killed. And he knows we will. So if he will not and cannot bring dragons here, the only way they can escape—if they escape at all—is by boat. So they will get onto a boat and sail off, and we will follow at a discreet distance."
"Then they'll meet up with dragons and he'll fly off," Dagur objected. "Or that fleet will come and protect them!"
"A fleet can't get here that quickly, you fool. That was all a bluff. And if they meet up with dragons, by that time Adoncia will have returned, and she will follow him on her Razorwhip. If they do not we will keep them in sight. He has to go back sooner or later—and we watch and wait until he does! So prepare all our ships for a long voyage and arm them to fight dragons! And post the guards!"
"I give the orders here! This is my island!"
"An' I am older then you, boy. Ah should give them orders, an' ah say we beat it outta 'im right now!"
"I am older than both of you, and we will do this my way or else I'll feed you both to Adoncia's dragon!" Drago roared. He turned away to bark orders to some Berserkers.
"What a temper," Dagur whispered to Alvin.
"No kiddin'," Alvin agreed.
"What if we just killed him right now?"
Alvin shook his head. "Not until them dragons are under our control."
Hours passed without number in the cells. Nobody spoke. Hiccup had regained consciousness a while ago, but aside from a little moaning and twitching he showed few signs of it. Astrid had asked him how he was feeling and he asked if she was being rhetorical. She decided to let him save his strength and did not press the matter.
If ever anyone had felt despair, it was here in these dungeons. The hope for rescue had died when Hiccup had cracked under torture. Now they were faced with the prospect of a long stay, and were worried sick about those who were coming into the trap their captors were preparing. Astrid wanted to cling to any shred of hope, but in this evil looking dungeon, with the skull still staring at her unceasingly, with all the dark thoughts passing through her head, it was very difficult to be optimistic. Even trying to tell herself that such thoughts were just what the enemy wanted her to think did not help much.
Suddenly Hiccup stirred.
"Do you think night has fallen?" he asked in a raspy voice.
"Wot does it matter?" Spitelout snapped.
"It probably has," Astrid said dully.
"Who cares?" Snotlout asked. He sounded like one who had resigned himself to his dismal fate and had given up on any hope of escaping it. "We're never getting out of here."
Astrid heard a gentle clinking sound. It was followed by the squeal of rusted hinges. She turned around and saw a sight she was completely unprepared for: Hiccup had somehow gotten out of his cell and was staggering towards hers!
"So what are you in for?" He was somehow able to smile and grimace at the same time. Astrid watched in astonishment as he held up a piece of metal and began picking the lock to her cell door.
"How in the—?"
"The first rule to escape," he said as if giving a lecture, "is to always have two separate means of opening doors. In my case, a picklock hidden in the prosthetic—and there we go!" He pulled her door opened and dragged himself over to Stoick's cell.
"You had a picklock? Why didn't you use it before?"
"We have a better chance of escaping at night." He lowered his voice.
"And 'ow do we know this ain't some trick?" Spitelout demanded once he was freed, only to have Hiccup put a finger to his lips. Spitelout's voice shrank to an angry whisper. "You already ruined the first plan and you'll probably ruin this one too!"
"You're welcome, by the way. Stay here if you like it so much. I'm leaving." He turned and began hobbling towards the dungeon's entrance. Spitelout turned to his brother.
"Stoick?"
Stoick gestured to follow him.
"They've got a guard out there." Hiccup whispered to him. He was learning against the wall for support.
"I've got it." Stoick stepped carefully into the next room. By sheer luck the guard in there had his back to him. He never knew what knocked him out.
"He's gonna feel that one tomorrow," Astrid chuckled, "what now?"
"Stoick, get his keys. My weapons and gear are being kept in a chest over—ah, there it is!"
Quickly the chest was opened. It took a bit of effort and gave him no small amount of pain to get his flight suit back on and arm himself. While he did so Astrid took the sword from the unconscious guard. It felt good to have a weapon back in her hand. Stoick and Spitelout meantime had taken a table and pulled the legs off, making crude but serviceable clubs, one which they gave to Snotlout.
"Right," Astrid swished the sword around to get the feeling back, "let's get out of here!"
Stoick nodded. "Agreed. Our best hope is to steal a ship and be out to sea before they know it." He glanced at Hiccup, who was leaning against another wall for support, "think you can keep up?"
"Yes, but our best hope is to get to the watchtower."
Stoick frowned. "Why the watchtower?"
"Because that's where our rescuers will be meeting us."
"What rescuers?"
"Can we discuss this later?" Hiccup whispered impatiently. "I'm going to the watchtower. I promise you, I know what I'm doing! And whatever you do, don't go to the docks! You'll only get yourselves killed!"
"Why? Why should we trust you?" Spitelout demanded. Hiccup, with difficulty, drew himself to his full height.
"Because I'm the only chance you've got." He began walking away. Astrid glanced at the others and went after him.
"Nice to know you've got some confidence in me," he murmured, "are the others coming too?"
"Reluctantly. Hiccup, why the watchtower?"
He put a finger to his lips again.
The passage they entered was well lit by torches contained in stone skulls which seemed to be staring at them. They went slowly, scanning every spot for enemies, but the passage was deserted. The only sound came from their feet, which to them echoed much louder than it actually did. The clang of Hiccup's prosthetic foot made the most noise, and in their tense situation it set their nerves even more on edge. Everyone was relieved to reach the end of the passage and the door.
Hiccup gestured for the others to get close to him. "This is the door out of the dungeon." He whispered, "Once we're through it we cross a room and we're outside. We're likely going to get into trouble now." He did not need to remind them to get ready to fight. "Remember, if the alarm gets raised, run for it. If we have to separate for any reason, make for the top of the watchtower and you'll be fine." He carefully maneuvered his picklock around the keyhole and pushed the door opened slowly. He risked a glance and quickly pulled it shut again.
"There are guards. I saw at least 10."
They nodded. Hiccup counted to three on his fingers and with a roar they kicked the door opened and burst in.
Stoick and Spitelout charged the startled guards, slamming their clubs into their heads and bellies. Snotlout followed their example gingerly, which compelled Astrid to help him out.
"Come on, where's the raw Vikingness you're always boasting about?" She shouted as she blocked a sword aimed for his throat. Snotlout recoiled and fell back against the wall. Hiccup, meantime, had fired a grappling hook from his shield into a torture-rack and pulled on it with all his strength right into the guards standing in front of it.
"Come on, Snotlout, I need some help!" Astrid shouted as she blocked another stroke. "Come on!" But Snotlout stayed where he was. Stoick, having finished his opponent, leapt over towards them and landed right on top of a guard. This left his back exposed to another guard, so Astrid leapt into action to defend her chief. In doing so she left her back exposed to the man she had just been fighting. He rushed at her with an axe drawn.
But he only got a few steps when Snotlout lunged at him and hit him in the head hard. Astrid turned around to see her would-be attacker fall unconscious in front of her.
She looked at Snotlout with a genuine smile. "Better late than never,"
Snotlout grinned sheepishly. "Does this mean you'll go on a date with me now?" Astrid responded by jumping towards him and slamming the butt of her sword into the guard sneaking up behind him.
"I'd say that makes us even, so…no."
"Save it for later, you two," Stoick ordered, "like once we're out of here!"
While this was going on Hiccup's actions with the rack and kicks to the head with his metal foot had left the remaining three guards dazed and unconscious. Spitelout seized a sword from a fallen guard and without hesitation went to finish them off, only to find Hiccup standing in his way.
"Not like this!" Hiccup snapped.
"What?"
"I do not allow killing except in self defense! He's unconscious. Killing him now would be murder!"
"What's it matter how a heart stops breathin', so long as it does?" Spitelout demanded scornfully. "They'd do it to us!"
"And that is why I try to show that I'm better than that!"
"I don't like it either, brother," Stoick said sternly.
"You've killed men you've fought against!"
"That was in battle, not in cold blood. That's not the Viking way."
"Neither is trying to kill your disowned son," The King mumbled in Dragonese.
"The Viking way! It's us or them! We're gonna to stay alive only if they don't!"
"Stop it." Astrid ordered. "We're making too much noise."
They all froze in their tracks and looked around, but the room was completely silent.
Stoick whispered. "Where is everybody else? Not that I'm complaining."
"They're probably outside on the walls." Hiccup whispered, "all right, we get through this door and we're out." He began applying his picklock, muttering to himself when it did not get the door opened as it had with the others. While he fiddled with it the others picked up weapons off the floor for themselves. A wooden club would only get them so far in a fight.
All along the floor were a number of blood stained blocks, whips and other torture devices, a rack, and piles of chains. Over in one corner next to an execution block was a basket with blood running down the side. Snotlout looked very sick when he saw it.
"There's a beam on the opposite side of the door." Hiccup groaned. "That explains why nobody else has come and why they didn't run for help. I can't open it with this unless I…" he reached for his belt, but Stoick grabbed his arm.
"Spitelout and I will break it down. Then we run." He backed up to the other end of the room and charged at the door like a bull. He smashed into it with such force it split in half and the pieces went flying.
"Go with what works," Hiccup commented as he stepped over Stoick and tasted the smell of fresh air. He looked around a corner and came face to face with a guard.
"What? Escape! Escape!" The guard screamed. "Sound the alarm! The prisoners are es—" Stoick flung him into the wall, but it was too late to stop the reaction to his cries. More shouts of 'escape!' went up.
"Now ya've done it!" shouted Spitelout.
"Oh shut up and get moving!" Hiccup yelled. He was already making his way down the road when Astrid grabbed him and pointed in the opposite direction. A group of men had their pikes pointing horizontal and were charging right at them.
"Run for it!"
Author's Note: the next chapter will be posted this evening according to Pacific Standard Time.