Chapter 19

To Battle Darkness

Eustace clumsily arced out of the darkness shrouding the island, and angled himself toward a nearby sandbar that rose above the waves. As he neared the spit of land the pain from his cracked ribs and the blade running through his shoulder caused him to seize up, his wings faltering and his form dropping out of the sky. The sand cushioned Eustace's landing, but when falling from a couple hundred feet it made little difference. Eustace plowed through the sand, sending up showers of grit as he skidded to a halt, wings splayed out pitifully across the sand. ::Ooooohhh, I hope Hawken knew what he was doing,:: he groaned. ::I hope I know what I'm doing.::

He lay there for a few minutes, trying to regain at least the strength to sit up, and then he turned and, gingerly, grabbed the hilt of the sword.

::OW, Ow-owowowowowowowow!:: The pain nearly made him let go, but Eustace knew nothing was going to get better if he didn't get this over with, so he held tight, braced himself, and pulled.

The sword stuck for a moment, then slid out smoothly, and as soon as it was clear of the puncture Eustace felt a jolt of energy ripple through him, the stab wound closing up and his ribs cracking back into place and healing, eliminating the pain he had felt there. Eustace lay in shock for a minute, trying to wrap his head around what he'd just experienced, before shaking it off and focusing toward the island further across the ocean. If his cousins and, dare he admit it, his new friends, were to survive, he had to get the sword he now held in his claws (shockingly clean, he noticed, considering it had just been slicing through muscle and arteries) to the table they had been speaking of. He lifted himself back up onto his feet and, testing his replenished strength, pushed off of the sand and back into the air, hurtling toward Romandil. Unbeknownst to him, he wasn't alone, being trailed by one of the many entities that had come to call the blackened island behind him home.

::This fight has only just begun; I am far from finished with you! Don't plan on escaping this land, it won't happen!::

Every draconic head cringed as Jormungandr screeched out the threat, leaping out of the water in great arcs as he hurtled toward the boat. I raced toward Caspian. "He's coming back this way, if we want any chance we need to get into a more open"-

::Hah!::

My sentence was cut short as the serpent's head left the water again and curved over the boat, coming down like an anvil and nearly crushing the railings, His body followed as he slithered over the ship, blocking the view of the stern. As Jormungandr came up again and wrapped around the boat a second time, Caspian and I were cut off from the bow as well.

::Going somewhere?:: the serpent hissed almost gleefully, beginning to squeeze. I could hear the wood beginning to creak and snap from the strain, but it was a strong ship, and would hold for a short time.

::Hawken! Help!:: I heard almost immediately afterward, and spun to see both Thorn and Meatlug trapped underneath Jormungandr's coils. I grimaced and leapt upward, powering down with wide wings. ::Hold on!:: I yelled, and powered a wing beat downward, thrusting myself toward the bow. Hiccup was there with Toothless and the other Pevensies.

"See if you can distract Jormungandr and bring his focus to the front of the boat," I ordered, and pointed behind the creature. A tall spit of rock jutted out sharply from the sea, and the bow was sharp and angled enough to do damage on a strong impact. "If we can get him in front of us, we can ram him! It should at least be enough to stun him and make him drop off the ship." Edmund reacted first, climbing up toward the bow. Hiccup closed his eyes and grimaced, before they snapped open and he focused on the serpent, whistling to Toothless and pointing at the bow. They both rigged up completely and Toothless climbed up on top of the prow of the ship. I turned and motioned to Susan. "Come with me, you'll get a better shot from the back." She nodded, and as I changed fully to Night Fury she climbed on.

I set down next to Drinian, who brandished a sword and a furious look, shooting me an expression of slight apprehension. "Do I have orders here, or will we let this beast crush my boat to pieces?" he snapped. I pointed toward the rock outcrop. "We'll ram the serpent. Focus the prow to that point a best as you can. He may be a lot of extra weight right now, but we have a couple of distractions and you should be able to still turn the boat." He nodded, and I turned back to Susan as she climbed off.

"Just before we hit, try and get him somewhere in the head. It'll busy him long enough to keep his neck right in front of the prow." She nodded, and I leapt off the stern and glided back toward the middle of the ship. "Now, for my part."

A Night Fury blast rang out, and I could hear Edmund yelling at Jormungandr at the top of his lungs, Hiccup joining in as well. Jormungandr's reply was far darker and more sinister. ::So, the two who called this form here think to jeer at me. How nice to serve yourselves up at easy reach.:: I had landed on the deck again and couldn't see what happened, but I could hear Toothless screech and Lucy scream, "Edmund!"

I shot upward for a moment, just in time to see the serpent strike the very prow of the ship, ripping off the draconic head decoration that adorned the front. I nearly boiled over when I heard Edmund yelp in fear, but as I watched the snake throw the prow to the side, Edmund screamed out again, "I'm still here you pathetic worm!" from within what was left of the prow, Toothless and Hiccup hovering above.

Slowly the ship lined up with the rocks, and as Hiccup, Toothless and Edmund kept the monster's attention focused on him, I turned to see Susan nock her arrow and take aim. Taking that cue, I morphed Lightning Blazer, and waited for her to release the arrow. If I reacted too soon, I would cause Jormungandr to spasm and crack the ship instead of fall off.

The arrow was released, and flew straight through the air, sailing just barely past the mast and Toothless' hovering wing, and drove deeply and directly into Jormungandr's left eye. The wound began smoking with that unholy mist, and the serpent reared back in agony and rage, preparing to strike again. ::You will DIE for that!::

Instead, as he struck forward, his back collided with the rocks and the now even more jagged prow of the boat slammed into his neck. Toothless was smacked down by his head careening to the side, and Edmund came crashing down toward me. I leapt up for a moment from my point and caught him, setting the boy safely down on the deck as I turned and aimed for the now loosened coils of Jormungandr. The boat began to drift back into slightly deeper waters from the impact and my opportunity opened, so I powered up and sent a crackling bolt of electricity straight into his side. The reaction of imitated flesh and conductive salt water with the bolt did the rest.

Jormungandr screamed and finally slid off the boat, jerking and convulsing in the water as the electric current ran its course through him. Everyone watched cautiously as the serpent writhed and squirmed in agony.

"Hawken, Caspian, look over there!" Fishlegs yelled form where he knelt checking Meatlug. He was pointing at the water, in the direction of the main island. From the land came lines of sickly yellow-green light, pulsing their way toward the serpent. As they collided with him and raced up his neck, Jormungandr's writhing slowed and stopped, and the light congregated around the gaping hole in his neck and the damaged eye left by our defense. Everyone began to back away as he took several deep breaths and rose up again out of the water, glaring from a distance for a moment.

I looked at my friends and yelled out, "In the air! Everyone get in the air now!" They nodded, but froze before they could get moving as a hideous cackling noise sounded from the demon. We looked to see the serpent tower over us again, tongue flicking almost tauntingly.

::You are full of tricks, that much I will give you,:: he jeered, ::but I will also say that so am I.:: From his neck a hood of skin flared out, supported by flattened bones that stuck through the sides and ended in sharp points, and similar spines jutted out down his back. The image of a skeletal worm crossed with a deformed cobra came to mind as I viewed the monstrosity before us.

"Oh, my God," Hiccup whispered. I glanced at him, but didn't have time to say anything before the serpent fixated on him and Toothless. "Look out!" I screamed, leaping forward and ramming into the pair, pushing them out of the way as Jormungandr struck downward, crashing into the now cleared deck. Astrid and Caspian took a chance, both leaping forward and each slicing down with the weapons in their hands. The blades cut through the tubercles that hung from the serpent's jowls, severing a handful and making him scream again as he jerked back, the protrusions lying on the deck. As we watched for a mere moment, they slowly dissolved into the same smoke again.

I looked at Astrid. "We can beat this," she said affirmatively. I nodded, and pointed to the dragons. "Get in the air and dive-bomb him," I said. "I'll attack from below."

Without a word of explanation, I raced to the opposite side of the ship and leapt over, changing as I went. Underwater, the ocean around me formed whirlpools as I grew immensely in size. I was now larger than the boat as well, and had weapons to match: the Doomfang, able to travel in both water and air and a breather of ice. I didn't have time to dwell over the details, the thoughts coming subconsciously to me as I shot under the boat and rammed as hard as I could into the underbelly of the sea serpent.

Eustace reached the island of Romandil and glided quickly over the beach that they had been anchored at the night before. Looking ahead toward the path the others had taken, he saw it wasn't visible from above, and so landed, dashing into the undergrowth and running down the path as best as he could on three legs (after all, the fourth he held the sword in). As the arches and crumbling statues passed by, Eustace powered on, hoping he still had time before his friends met their own match. Unseen through the trees, however, the green cloud that signaled the demon began to build in size and snake through the brush in the dragon's direction.

Jormungandr screamed as I threw him to the rocks behind with my impact, before twisting around to face me, baring curved fangs far longer than my own. ::Always a complication,:: he hissed in frustration. ::So you're the one they say is touched by God. You can't even pull off something as strong as me to fight with!:: he scoffed. I smiled as he reared back, two teeth elongating and hollowing out at the front of his mouth. ::Well, it's a good thing demons are so stupid then,:: I drawled in a tone completely unfitting for the situation.

Jormungandr halted at my unexpected words. ::What?:: was all he got out before I struck, shooting the super-cooled liquid of the Doomfang straight into his nose and then down his neck. The ice formed and spread quickly, encircling the serpent's body and racing down him along the rivulets of water dripping off. At the same time it froze the ocean in a massive block to the rocks nearby, setting the monster in place for at least a few moments. Once I finished the blast I dove down and away, coming back up closer to the ship and looking to the dragons that circled above us.

::Now!:: I yelled. Toothless reacted first, followed by the two Nightmares and then Stormfly, diving down and strafing Jormungandr with flames. Astrid and Thorn came in behind, the dragon flaming Jormungandr's head and then releasing a round of quills into his side. Last of all, Barfbelch and the twins strafed the air, the cloud of gas exploding violently and drowning out the serpent's rage.

Unfortunately, we quickly found out two important details: one, a Nadder's spines are not sharp enough to have an effect on the serpent's scales. Two, even a Doomfang's ice weapon is susceptible to flames, so the heat weakened crystals and an enraged, thousand foot serpent made for a fast, violent destruction of the holdfast I'd constructed. Jormungandr burst out of the ice, diving underwater just long enough to douse the flames sticking to his armored head, and then he launched upward through the air, aiming for Hiccup and Toothless again. He missed and came down straight toward the ship below, and had he impacted the force would have snapped it in two. I leapt upward, my own weight enough to knock him away and into open water. Immediately the serpent turned on me, teeth bared, and struck. This time, he didn't miss.

The fangs, though hindered by my own thick scales, sank into my side, and I could feel venom flow directly into my veins. I roared in pain, the chemical mix alighting my side with fiery agony, the very water around me jumping and rocks crumbling from the sound.

"Hawken!" I heard from one of the riders above me. The noise drew Jormungandr's attention again and he turned form me, thinking his battle with me over. I had no choice but to allow myself to begin sinking, as if helpless, toward the seafloor below. In order to remove the venom before it could take any real effect I needed my full concentration, placing a paw over the puncture marks and drawing the venom out as I healed the damage already done. Above the other dragons and riders drew the serpent away from the ship again, flashes of fire visible through the water as they fired over and over, and it gave enough time for me to pull the venom fully out of my system and heal the wound.

The toxin still swirled in a ball by my paw, held by the energy field that had pulled it from my blood, and a new idea came to me. Bending the field I stretched it out, then froze the venom with a concentrated blast of ice, a yellow-tinted spear. If I was lucky the serpent hadn't thought to make himself immune to the venom, and with him distracted I had a chance to use it against its creator.

Swiftly and quietly as I could I rose up and exited the water, gliding above the scene with the toxic spear in my claws, and came up behind Jormungandr. As he struck out toward the figures I barely could make out as Cami and Stormfly in the gloom, I yelled out, ::HEY, UGLY, you missed something!::

The worm turned and spotted me in the air, and his jaws fell open. ::How did-:: was all he got out before I hurled the venom-sicle into his open mouth. The sharp point sank into the softer flesh of his throat and melted into his own blood, the wound and the fiery reaction causing him to scream again. As he did so, in a spasmic reaction he lashed out with the wide fin of his tail, spines extended fully.

Before I could react, the fin collided with Silverwings, who was gliding in for a shot behind. Silverwings tumbled through the air before finally righting himself, before jerking his head around in a panic. ::Thuggory!:: he screeched, and dove downward. I followed his path, and saw Thuggory tumbling, yelling his head off, toward the frothing waters. Before his dragon could reach him though, he hit and went under.

I dove down, parting the water in a spectacular splash, and raced toward the sinking Viking. Thanks to his helmet, sword, and even just the thin armor he wore he was being dragged down, unable to surface. I reached out to grab him, and something latched onto my tail. I turned to see Jormungandr holding me with his own tail, snaking forward to deliver a fatal bite. ::You won't reach him before he drowns,:: he hissed. I jerked my tail, and found it unable to be removed from his grip, so I superheated my scales instead. The water boiled around the appendage and blisters appeared along Jormungandr's skin, forcing him to let go, roaring in pain. As soon as he did, I down own toward Thuggory, who was starting to go limp from lack of air, and stretched my neck out as far as I could.

I opened my mouth and closed it around him, blowing out the water and replacing it with air, then spun and raced toward the ship. I felt Thuggory stir and then cough up a lungful of water, nearly making me gag (which would have been unpleasant for both of us), then gasp on the air he now had access to.

I burst out of the water, expecting Jormungandr to be there to attack, but saw Toothless raking him in flames and drawing his attention instead, giving me the chance to lean over the deck of the ship and drop Thuggory to the wooden boards, spitting out the water in my mouth and burning what was left, including the taste now left in my mouth.

"Do me a favor," I groaned as Silverwings landed next to us, checking his rider over. "Take a bath a little more often." Thuggory smiled weakly and coughed a little, before replied, "Well, thanks for saving my life, and I'll think about it. But you should brush more often too." I scoffed. "I brush every day!" Thuggory was about to reply, but both our focuses were turned as Jormungandr burst out of the water on the other side of the ship, burn marks healing across his face and the blisters on his skin fading. ::I'll shred you here and now!:: he screeched. I started to back away, readying a snarky comment about his temper and trying to figure out the next attack, when I heard-

"NOW!"

Caspian yelled out the command and immediately half the crew on deck released harpoons in the direction of the serpent. Thinking fast I released a pulse of energy, honing in on the spear ends and sharpening the blades to a razor's edge, sharp enough to have a chance at piercing the sea serpent's hide.

They struck true, piercing the scales and driving in deep. Jormungandr screamed and thrashed, jerking the boat through the water but unable to wrench free. He was stuck fast, and a perfect target. Silverwings immediately reacted, taking out revenge for his rider and the bruises that crossed his sides as well, and fired at the demon. He aimed straight and true, and this time there was no diving under the water to escape the flames.

A split second before the inferno hit, Jormungandr's eyes flashed green, like the light that had shone around his injuries earlier, and as the stream of fire hit, it went out, the fuel immediately de-combusting and falling harmlessly off his scales.

::You're not the only one who can change, guardian,:: he hissed. Irritation ran through me, and I dove under, latching onto his midsection and digging my claws in deep. I reared back and bit hard, fangs sinking in as I released a jet of ice at the same time, freezing the demon's very flesh solid, the scales and muscle beneath beginning to crack as they crystallized. The serpent jerked involuntarily, and his tail whipped upward, drawing me out of the water and at the same time smashing straight through the mast.

Eustace ran through the forest, passing underneath the arches as quickly as he could. Ahead he spotted the table, laid out in pristine condition and…..bare? From what he'd heard before it was covered in food. Odd, as there was no way it should have been able to clear off that quickly. He shook off the thought, realizing it wasn't important, and looked down at the other end of the table. The other six swords were still glowing bright blue, and as he neared he could see them and feel his begin vibrating as the energy locked in their structure fought to finally release.

Eustace burst into the clearing, slowing down as he actually reached the table. Now the swords were rattling in their sockets, and his sword began to glow. Lines of electric blue and silver began to snake their way from the blade toward the table, the rattling of the metal drowning out the other sounds the young dragon would have noticed otherwise: the small battle occurring not far from him on the island as the caretaker Lilianda went head on with spirits finally bold enough to set foot against her, and the rustling leaves as another raced toward him.

He looked around, starting to wonder if he was really the one who should do this; the whole situation made him almost too nervous to go through with it. But, if he didn't, he realized, the only chance he had of returning to normal, and possibly the only chance of getting out alive would be lost, permanently. That thought drove him forward, raising up the sword to lay it in the final position. As he did, the demon made his move. The green cloud of tendrils surged outward, ensnaring Eustace and dragging him back toward the jungle behind.

::A spine! Shoot one of your spines!:: I yelled at Thorn. ::They don't work, remember?:: she yelled back. :No, down here!:: Thorn just shrugged, before dropping down and whipping her tail, throwing one of her spikes in my direction. I grabbed it as it depth charged into the water, and brought it down to where I was attempting to cripple the monster. I focused on the spike, pouring power into it and electrifying the sharp object. Another pulse, and it lengthened, growing to five times the normal length. At this size it was more than enough to damage, and I drove it down, straight through Jormungandr's tail and into the mud and rock below, pinning him in place. Now held in two locations, the serpent couldn't go anywhere. However he still held a couple of tricks in his arsenal.

I rocketed up to find Jormungandr beginning to rip the ropes from the ship, and he managed to twist around just enough to glare at me. ::Even if I go down, and I won't lose this fight, there are always others,:: he hissed. I ignored him and leapt into the air, transforming to an oversize Night Fury for agility. I came up next to Hiccup and Cami, in the center of the group.

"Now!" I yelled. "Give it everything!" We all spiraled downward, powered up, and fired point blank. A massive ball of flames coalesced and hurtled toward the serpent as we flew by. I turned to glance back, expecting his head to become engulfed in a massive explosion. Even if he managed to put out part of it, the force would be enough to damage. That wasn't what happened.

Jormungandr's head was engulfed, but the flames were swirling around him in an ominous ring instead of blowing apart. My heart immediately slowed to a halt.

"Down! Down! DOWN!" I yelled. Everyone immediately dropped, skimming the surface of the water as a massive flash illuminated the area, followed by a shockwave and an incredibly loud explosion. The flame ring blasted outward, igniting the edges of the ship and knocking the slower dragons forward, sending them tumbling. Luckily no one fell off this time, but I still turned as the blazed rolled past, flaring my wings and shielding the other Vikings with them, before turning and jetting ice at the ship, dousing the flames before they could spread. Jormungandr grinned (as best as a sea serpent can), and wrenched his head to the side, hard and fast, ripping out and slicing through more of the ropes that held him to the ship. Then, something new caught both of our attentions.

"Over here you mutant parasite!" Edmund screamed, hanging off what was left of the rigging. Jormungandr rocketed forward and plowed through the flimsy ropes, cracking the already broken mast even more. Edmund dove to the side, landing hard on the deck, but it was enough for what he had intended. Reepicheep swung down on a rope still hanging, using the serpent's new position to his advantage and gashing his eye again. Jormungandr jerked back and hissed in pain before trying again after the boy, but the move had given me a realization I should have had long before. I felt around my shoulders and, sure enough, the small elastic straps were still there. I had completely forgotten in the fray.

"My swords!" I blurted, before catching myself and glancing at Jormungandr, to see if he'd heard my exclamation. He hadn't. I smiled and reached back, carefully grabbing one of the blades on my back and pulling it out and at the ready. Just as I'd done with Thorn's tail-spike, I enlarged it, a 15 foot blade gleaming brightly in the eerie gloom. I spotted Hiccup and Toothless coming up on my right, who signaled for me to get ready. They had the same idea I did, as the pair dove down and swiped the serpent's head, catching his attention and turning his focus away. I shot upward to gain momentum and then turned to one side and dove, flaring just enough as I passed Jormungandr to angle properly and swing my sword, slicing through a group of spines on his side and into the back of his neck. A familiar cloud of mist billowed out, but like the last time, a yellowish glow raced up through the water and engulfed the wound, sealing it almost immediately.

Jormungandr chuckled. ::Now it's my turn,:: he hissed. With one heave, he jerked his tail upward, ripping it in the process as the spike was dug deep but nevertheless freeing himself from the seabed. Using the remaining harpoons in his side as leverage, he whipped his tail up and around, first catching Stormfly and Fireworm off guard, sending them and their riders to the ship's deck, and then finishing by colliding the appendage with me, sending me spinning as stars burst in my vision.

My head cleared only in time for me to hit the water, watching as the demon lifted up his tail, long and sharp bony protrusions extending along its length, and brought it hard down toward the ship, aiming to cut it right in half. Still floundering in the water, I wasn't going to be able to move in time to stop him either.

Eustace thrashed desperately in an attempt to escape the tightening coils, as whispering voices around him crept into his mind and attempted to force thoughts of despair, surrender and hopelessness into his head. But, the boy was always well known for being incredibly stubborn, so he struggled all the harder, and lashed out instinctively with the sword in his grip.

Reeling back with screams, the demons backed off temporarily as whatever catalyst the metal was infused with reacted with the mist, cutting it down like it wasn't there and releasing Eustace. The sudden opening gave him enough time to dash for the table again and finally lay the seventh sword into its position. Now that it was there, Eustace didn't wait around to see what would happen, instead taking off into the air and powering his way toward the boiling black eyesore of an island across the sea.

The swords, meanwhile, suddenly fell flat and still in the pattern on the table, completing a circuit and seeming to almost bond with the stone they lay upon. Blue and silver lines of electric power coursed through a geometric pattern of grooves between them, pulsing faster and faster and spilling one by one into the next ring of grooves toward the center of the pattern and the tips of the swords. Within a few seconds, the entire network was alight, and a beam of blinding, nearly pure white light rocketed upward, streaks of energy radiating out in every direction. The main beam, however, arced to the side and shot straight past Eustace, startling him, as it aimed for the heart of the black land ahead.

As Jormungandr's tail came down, there was a sudden flash of light, and upon the boat a bluish glow began emanating. I saw Edmund's sword light up, and felt the rivulets of energy coursing along the blade, along with those that Caspian and Peter held. They glanced at each other, and in unison leapt forward, swinging the weapons upward and driving them into the base of the demon's tail.

Everything changed in that instant. Jormungandr had been screaming a lot in this fight as we attacked over and over, but this was entirely different, the cut of agony drowned out and raging despair as silvery ribbons of light ran from the blades in his tail up through his entire body, to his head, and then in a massive pulse beyond into the sea and the clouds of black that hung all around us. Everywhere it hit, a flash rippled outward and a new scream joined with the serpent's, some new demonic entity materializing for the barest moment and then vanishing, leaving nothing but a fading, sinking fog behind.

Jormungandr's time had now ended, and with a final shudder his form went still, and slowly careened backward and into the water, the massive figure dissolving slowly into nothing at all. And lastly, the black clouds that hung on the arches and spits of rock around us began to break apart, and light finally managed to pierce the air around us once more. The war was over. Almost.

The demon that had confronted me face-to-face throughout the voyage materialized before us, clawing at the air as if trying to hold onto the last vestiges it could of a physical form. "This isn't over!" he screamed, aiming one finger at me. "They will find you, in the end, and you will pay for this!" With one final scream of defiance to the world, he vanished completely, the scream echoing off the rocks as the clouds opened up fully, revealing the shoreline of the island and, floating anchored along it with dying streams of green light falling off them, a row of small boats with people huddled within them.

A/N-Sorry for no bonus chapters this week, I was actually very busy and there were no extra reviews aside from a couple of my most loyal readers (you know who you are, thank you!).

But anyway, there you have it: the final battle of this book. We only have 3 chapters left before we move on to the next installment, Time's Revelation. Make sure to leave a review, let me know what you think, and I want to hear your predictions: what is yet to come?