Chapter Twelve

A/N: We're about halfway through! I'd just like to thank everyone for all the great reviews, favorites and follows! I really appreciate it and am glad you're enjoying the story! Now, on to chapter 12! A pretty exciting one, if I may say so myself.

Night is quickly closing in. The sky is a dull shade of purple, muffled by storm clouds and a heavy fog. Berserker Island looms below them, looking dangerous and foreboding with all its steep cliffs and sharp mountain peaks. Their docks are crowded with battleships, preparing to head for Berk...

Astrid glances at Hiccup. The two of them, plus their dragons, are hidden within the clouds, allowing the ever-growing darkness to mask their presence. "Are you ready?" She whispers, even thought it's impossible for anyone else to hear her.

"Yeah." Hiccup's expression is intense, his eyes focused and steely as he gazes over his enemy's home. "Remember the plan." He tells her.

She puckers her lips, still not very happy with her position in Hiccup's 'master plan'. "Right, right...shadow you from the sky. Only get involved if completely necessary..."

He smirks at her. "It'll be fine. If all goes according to plan, I'll be in and out in five minutes. No big deal."

She nods, tightly at him. But despite her soldier-like attitude, her eyes are soft when she says, "Just be careful."

"I will." He assures her. Then, with a pat on Toothless's side, he says, "Take me down, bud."

They land in a valley of stones. No grass or trees grow there, just rock and dust and sand... A perfect place for the jet-black Night Fury to hide while he waits for his Rider to return, hopefully carrying the Book of Dragons with him. Hiccup unbuckles himself and slides out of the saddle, offering one last glance to Astrid. He forces a smirk and waves, playing off the nervousness that's toying with his stomach.

She and Stormfly are still hovering in the air when she says, "You have fifteen! If you're not back by then, I'm coming after you!"

"Got it." He answers.

With that, the girl and her dragon vanish back into the clouds. He can't see them but, surely, they can see him just fine.

Toothless coos, sadly at his Rider. He wants to go with him, protect him, but knows his presence would only draw attention. Hiccup smiles at his best friend and scratches the Night Fury's chin, the way he likes.

"I'll be alright, bud." He whispers. "Just stay here. I'll be back."

Toothless coos and nuzzles Hiccup's chest. His very own 'be careful' before the young viking turns away and scrambles over the massive boulder that seperates the valley from the town.

His prosthetic scrapes against the stone, giving him much-needed traction against its steep surface. Hiccup grunts in effort as he finally manages to pull himself to the top of the boulder. Laying on his belly, he scans the village in front of him for any sign of patrols. Seeing nothing so far, he swings his legs around and slides to the ground, landing with a muted thud in the slush that lays on the other side.

So far, so good... He sprints to the piece of cover: another, smaller boulder. Staying low, he peeks around the corner. He bites back a gasp as a bright, golden light suddenly appears at the center of the town. Upon closer inspection, he sees that it's a guard holding a lantern. Well at least they'll be easy to spot... He comments, dryly.

A moment later, the patrol disappears again. Hiccup doesn't waste any time. He sprints into the town, diving behind an animal barn beside someone's house. Inside, he can hear the snorts and grunts of pigs as they slosh around in their muck.

From there, he crawls to the other end of the barn, peering out into a narrow, back alley behind a row of houses. Icicles dangle on the lips of the roofs, dripping water and making deep puddles of mud. Hiccup will have to avoid those, unless he feels like making a whole lot of unnecessary noise... Carefully, he steps out into the alley, silently hating the fact that he'd be trapped if a guard came from either side. He would have nowhere to run. Swallowing back his fear, he quietly jogs through the alley, avoiding the puddles so he doesn't make too much sound. But despite his effort, his clunky boot and metal leg still succeed at making him quite a noisy presence.

Almost there... His eyes fall on the familiar house, set right up ahead. When he was here with his father a few years ago, that is where Dagur and his father lived... Hiccup can only hope Dagur hasn't moved since then.

The house's lights are off. Dagur must be at the docks with his troops, preparing for the war. But, of course, if Hiccup has anything to do with it, that war will never occur. He sets his jaw, determined to make sure no one he cares about gets hurt. Even if that means putting himself in danger...again.

Hiccup pokes his head around the corner, making sure there are no patrols outside Dagur's house. The streets are empty. Eerily so... He frowns. Where is everyone? With narrowed eyes, he thinks, Something's not right here...

But before he can further contemplate the creepy silence of Berserker Island, another patrol rounds the corner. He steps into the center of town, glances back and forth a couple of times and then vanishes down the same alley he came from.

Hiccup shakes his head, furiously. No time to get distracted. Gotta get that Book! With that, he slinks around the corner. Standing in the center of the town serves to make him quite nervous. He feels exposed, defenseless. He wastes no time in jogging up the stairs that lead to Dagur's front door and pressing his ear to the wooden surface. Inside, he hears nothing. He reaches down and grabs the doorknob, twisting it until the door creaks open.

Astrid sighs for the hundredth time since Hiccup left. She drums her fingers, anxiously over Stormfly's saddle. Why did she ever agree to such a dumb plan?! Why didn't she press her opinion harder?! She could be there with him right now, making sure he's safe, watching his back. But no. She'd allowed him to convince her his plan was perfect. That he was simply trying to keep everyone safe by going alone. She was stupid! She should have gone with him! With an irritated groan, she shuts her eyes. Too late to fix it now... She remembers. Hiccup should already be there by now...maybe even on his way back.

Suddenly, Stormfly lets out a series of chirps. She tilts her head to the right, then the left, perking her little ears as if listening to something far away.

"What's the matter, girl?" Astrid asks, her heart kicking into over-drive at the nervous way her dragon is acting. "What do you hear?"

The door makes a horrible creak as it swings shut. And yet, Hiccup sighs in relief. He made it. Now all I have to do is find the Book...hopefully, Dagur doesn't have it on him. With that resolve in mind, he gazes around the front room. There's not much in here, other than a small fireplace and a couple of rickety chairs. Evidently, Dagur doesn't spend much time at home. Of course, that only serves to increase Hiccup's fear that he might be keeping the Book of Dragons elsewhere. I have to try. He tells himself. You never know. It might be here...

He takes a few steps inside, squinting through the darkness. I really shouldn't turn on a light...but it's so dark in here. I'll never find anything like this. Biting his lip, he shakes his head. No. No lights. I'll just have to look really carefully.

Hiccup walks across the room, already positive the Book isn't in that room. He can plainly see the empty tables and dusty shelves. No books there... The next room is a small sitting room. There are a few tables in there...no books though.

"You have fifteen minutes! After that, I'm coming after you!"

I need to hurry. I already spent fives minutes just getting here...and this house is pretty big. He picks up his pace as he heads for the stairs. Dagur's bedroom is up here if I remember right...he must be keeping the Book in his room. He quickly climbs up, fleetingly scanning the dark bedroom before running inside. It's actually a pretty cluttered room...this might take a while.

As Hiccup kneels down to look under the bed, he misses the slight movement in the shadows behind him, doesn't hear the pair of boots that silently cross the wooden floors, stopping right behind him.

"Come on...where are you...?" Hiccup hisses, under his breath as he goes to stand up.

The figure's hand reaches out. Something held in its fist. "Well, well, well..."

Hiccup's body freezes as something touches his back.

"And here I took you for a coward, Hiccup..." Dagur pauses, eyeing the knife that's just brushing Hiccup's spine. "A dead coward." He moves a little closer to the paralyzed boy. For once, he's not wearing that sadistic smile of his. No. His face is smooth, unreadable. And for some reason, that's more frightening than his smile.

Hiccup's heart thunders, loudly in his ears. This is it... Dagur is going to kill him. He's sure of it.

"You know, it's almost too bad." Dagur sighs, dramatically. "I never thought the day would come when you would actually grow a backbone. Enough of one to sneak into my house, to boot!" He clicks his tongue as if disappointed. "But it seems this day came a little late. We're at war, Hiccup." He reminds him in a cold, clipped voice. "And you're about to become the first casualty."

A/N: Ooooh! The cliffhangers! XD