I awoke right as the room started to be faintly illuminated by the first rays of the sun. After I shook Phantom awake we sneaked out of the house, without waking my parents up, and headed to the middle of the village just to see Hiccup and the others landing there.
We left immediately since, apparently, the sooner we left the sooner we got back. I wasn't complaining.
Hiccup was still not so happy about the idea but he didn't say anything about it, guess because he really wanted to best this Viggo guy. Honestly, I think all felt like that.
The flight to the Hunters' island was pretty boring and quiet, well besides the twins who kept joking and talking about Thor knows what as always. But overall it was calm, calm until it was dusk and we had to be getting closer and closer to the island. You could practically feel the tension and anxiousness pouring off everyone with every passing moment.
My eyes were searching for the island that had to appear soon in the horizon and I was the first one to notice it.
"There!" I exclaimed and pointed the flat looking island with a mountain peaking on the northern side of it, ahead of us.
All turned their attention to where I was pointing and Hiccup spoke first.
"Alright, stay sharp guys" then he moved his attention to me, the twins and Snotlout "We're just scouting first, then we adapt the plan to what we have to deal with"
I gave a nod and bit back the urge to roll my eyes.
As we flew high above the island, observing their defenses and deciding on what was the best course of action, I couldn't help but be awed by how the village– no, town looked like. It was big, bigger than any I've seen before (and the only one I've seen before was my aunt's), with what looked like stone paved streets and alleys illuminated by what I could only guess were lanterns attached to the walls.
Most of the houses looked like they were made out of stone, with some older looking ones made out of wood. In the middle of the town was a larger one made out of a dark stone from what I could tell, it was like one of the mansions my aunt told me about, just smaller than how I imagined it.
There were two ports, one bigger on the southern part and one smaller on the eastern side. The town was concentrated on the southern, eastern and center parts of the island, while the northern and western sides were covered with a dense forest and the snow covered mountain.
My fascination had to end though because soon enough we were flying towards the forest from where we would attack.
We definitely did not expect to find there men who started to fire arrows, spears, nets, chains and boulders at us once they saw us getting closer and closer to landing in the cover of the thicket.
The island was better defended than we thought. But it wouldn't stop us though. We had to do this and there was no turning back as the dragons started blasting the catapults, bola launchers, ballistae, men and outposts.
All was going alright, the catapults and most of the ballistae were destroyed, the men were running for Hel and soon we would be able to land without any trouble.
Phantom dove closer to one of the last groups of hunters and shot some blasts in front of them to scare them off (we didn't want to kill any of them), but failed to realize that it was just what they wanted us to do.
All of the sudden all the arrows, bolas and chains were concentrated on us and when Phantom did some twirls to avoid being hit, I fell off his back and was plummeting to the stony ground screaming my head off.
"ANNE!"
I closed my eyes tightly, almost ready to accept my fate, when suddenly something snatched me by the right ankle. I screamed for dear life as we soared back in the sky and my shrieking stopped abruptly when I heard a familiar voice.
"Oh shut it Anker! You want to make me deaf or what!?"
I struggled a bit to look up but managed to do so anyway. Whom I saw made me smile like a fool, I really didn't think I'd be happy to see her again.
"Ingrid! How in the name of Thor have gotten here!? All thought that you and Heather were gone for good!"
"It's a long story. I'll tell you everything when we get back to the Edge!" and with that her dragon dropped me on Phantom's back as he hovered in the air under them.
I winced slightly but pushed it aside and scratched the Sand Wraith's neck.
"I haven't thought you'd fall off, you really need to hold onto that saddle"
I chuckled a bit "It's fine" then I looked up to Ingrid and at the others "Let's get this over with"
We all dove down and blasts the remains of weaponry, scaring the remaining men in the process, then we landed between the trees.
I hopped of Phantom's back and snapped my attention to the front, to the hunter that Phantom was growling at, hunter that had an arrow aimed right at my friend. I stepped fast in front of the Sand Wraith and raised my hands as if in surrender and spoke "We just want to talk to Viggo. That's all. No need to keep on with this fight"
The hunter glared at me and gritted his teeth, not lowering the bow.
I rolled my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose as I stepped to the side "Phantom, if you will…"
He didn't even think twice before blasting the space right in front of the man's feet making him drop the bow, then pouncing on him and baring his teeth in a warning snarl. The guard was now visibly trembling and his eyes were wide with fear.
I glanced back to see the others land and walked to Phantom. I crouched down and petted his neck as I looked down at the hunter with bits of rage coated in overall a calm manner.
"So, as I said previously, we want to talk to Viggo. I suppose you'll deliver that message to him now. Or does my dragon, here, have to leave you without some fingers, maybe an arm?"
The man shook his head fast "No, no! I'll tell him!" he stuttered out.
Phantom looked at me as I turned my head to him and gave a nod. He stepped off the guard who scurried up quickly and was gone in no time.
I got back up and headed to Hiccup and the others "Well, another thing off the list"
Hiccup gave a nod "Now we just have to wait for him to get here"
"Uh, if you're talking about Viggo then maybe we should just go back to Dragon's Edge"
All looked at Ingrid who, of course, didn't know about the plan so Astrid started to explain it to her. By the time she finished the guard came running back to us.
"Just play along" Hiccup told Ingrid and she gave a nod as they hopped off their dragons.
The hunter came to a halt a few feet away from us, caught his breath and looked at the dragons warily then at me and Hiccup "You wanted to see him, then come on" and with that he started to walk back between the trees.
I glanced back at Hiccup who had a hard expression on, then at the others and finally back to the hunter who was walking in front. It didn't feel right in some way, but we followed nonetheless.
After a bit of walking I heard Phantom rumble slightly.
"Something is off"
My eyes snapped to him and nodded "I know, I can feel it too" I said quietly and eyed our surroundings carefully as we walked past a row of dragon proof cages.
Suddenly I heard some distressed growls and a few shouts from both dragons and riders, when I turned around to look what happened I saw Barf and Belch, Sekweya and Hookfang down with arrows sticking from their sides or necks.
"What the…" I went to rush to them but all of the sudden I heard another two thuds and with that Toothless and Stormfly were down as well.
"Phantom, go! Get help!" I whispered hotly to him and pushed his side to get him to fly away but he didn't budge. He just growled lowly as he kept his eyes fixed on something in the thicket. I followed his gaze and that's when I saw it.
Hunters started to come out from the shadows and began circling us. There was another roar as Meatlug was caught in a net and the next thing I knew Phantom was falling to the ground with two arrows impaled in his side and back.
"No, no, no" I mumbled as I got down and tried to raise his head "Come on…"
I looked to Hiccup with wide eyes and saw him clench his jaw and fists, then all of them pulled out whatever weapons they had. He glanced at me and gave a nod which I returned.
As I got up I pulled out two daggers and got closer to the others. It would be useless to fight but maybe we could hold them off for as long as it would take for Fishlegs and Ingrid to get Meatlug free and fly away to get help. It was our best shot for now.
We were about to charge when I heard some footsteps and a male voice "I am surprised. I haven't thought that you would ever get even close to this island, Hiccup Haddock the Third" the voice chuckled slightly "However, it wasn't very smart of you to come here"
I almost froze and my insides started to churn. I could swear I heard that voice before. Where though…?
I turned around and gazed towards the place the voice was coming from but couldn't see anything because the others were right in front of me, looking at the same spot I was trying to look at.
I gripped the handles of the daggers as I barely saw two hunters step aside and the man walk forward.
Taking in a deep breath I pushed between the twins and Fishlegs and tripped on one of their feet, almost falling in front of the one that stepped inside the circle but he caught me by my forearms.
To say that it was weird was an understatement. It was more than weird.
I let out a shaky breath and slowly moved my gaze from brown boots to silver poleyns, dark blue-gray pants, dark gray skirt with burgundy scales, silver belt with spikes and the symbol of the hunters on the buckle, black tunic, dark brown almost black beard, thick full lips, flat nose and to large brown eyes.
Suddenly I felt like I couldn't breathe, like someone sucked the air from my lungs and they didn't know how to work properly anymore. I kept staring at those brown eyes as he did the same while the whole nightmare was playing once again through my mind.
It couldn't be…
How…
No, no, no, no. NO.
It couldn't be…
I tried to say something but nothing came out of my mouth as I kept staring at him in the eyes.
There was a distant powerful thunder followed by more as the sky was enlightened when lightning struck.
He let out a shaky breath and spoke "Erika…? How can it…"
Erika? No. That wasn't my name.
That certainly wasn't my name.
My heart skipped a beat as I asked carefully "You…?"
