Chapter Four: The downfall of the Red Death
Something, probably a huge rock, hit Toothless and sent him swirling around through the air, as the Dragon Queen emerged from the collapsing volcano.
She was a hideous sight. Big, ugly, scarred, bad breath, giant yellow teeth the size of his father, four eyes on each side of her head, giant slimy nostrils and skin, thick as stone.
Its scales had the color of the stone, but you could still see the blood red shining through the layers of dirt, garbage, rotting food and stone.
The worst thing about her?
She smelled like rotting food and dead bodies.
Hiccup gagged.
.
The Red Death roared.
For years and years it had been slumbering in its pit, being fed by others.
But this Night Fury had the nerves to destroy her home.
Oh, she was mad! She would make that dragon and that tiny figure on his back pay!
Yes, she had smelled the human. It had been a long time since one of those had entered her domain. She was never very fond of them, for they were mostly nothing but skin and bone. Some were meaty but she preferred sheep and fish and yaks.
But this one would pay an even worse prize.
And the Night Fury!
Letting a human ride his back like he was some kind of farm-animal.
Had this dragon lost all of his dignity?
Red Death expanded her wings and launched herself in the air.
How tiny they were, compared to her size!
.
Hiccup held on to Toothless for dear life. They were flying so fast, he couldn't see much because the wind made his eyes tear up.
But over the roaring of the wind in his ears, he could hear something else roar too!
The Red Death was right behind them. And it was mad.
Hiccup considered that if someone would drop giant boulders or a whole volcano on him, he'd be pissed off too. But he wasn't a gigantic dragon queen.
He could suddenly smell something that wasn't the deodorant of the Red death. It was familiar. A smell that filled his lungs and in the last second he recognized it and sent Toothless into a straight dive, right under the column of flames that left the Red death mouth.
He could feel the heat in his back, smell the gas.
The fire lit up the sky again and Toothless dodged it again, diving underneath the Red Death.
Its downside was even more hideous.
The giant dragon tried a quick turn but it had been on the ground for so long and was so massive that it just tumbled through the air, losing its balance and falling backwards down to earth, flapping wildly with its wings.
It roared, opening its mouth wide. Hiccup could see gas gathering in its mouth and they dodged another flame column.
And suddenly, in a moment where time seemed to stand still, Hiccups brain remembered something.
Something important.
Something the strange man had said and something he'd experienced himself.
His gaze still on the new gathering gas he murmured: "Of course. Not so fireproofed from the inside. The Terrible Terrors."
He was so distracted by his new realization that he didn't see the new fire storm. Luckily Toothless did and dived, but it was so unexpected, Hiccup fell out of the saddle, hanging just by the safety rope of his riding gear.
Toothless shrieked loudly and tried to help his rider to get back up in the saddle again.
But the sudden shift of weight had thrown them out of their flying direction and brought them closer to the fire.
Hiccup screamed when his left leg got caught in the firestorm.
It was one agonized scream that made Toothless finally get halt of his rider with his front paws and he shoved him back into the saddle.
Then he dived, straight away from the flames and the Red Death that finally managed to stop her fall and went into a dive behind them.
.
Hiccup had never felt such pain.
His hands held tight onto the saddle and his eyes were tight shut. Still the tears spilled out and rolled down his cheeks but the wind blew them away.
His leg felt like it was burning. Which it probably was. But he didn't dare to look.
He could smell the burned flesh and the smell made him want to vomit right there and then. He didn't dare move or look at his leg.
"Toothless" he screamed "We have to end this right now!"
He felt nauseous. But he forced it down. They couldn't stop now. The Red Death was right behind them, closing in with every second.
Death was certain.
"Toothless! Remember the Terrors?" Toothless grunted. "The very same bud. She's just bigger and uglier!" He could swear that Toothless laughed.
"Then let's do it bud. If we go down, we take her with us!"
As they went down in their dive, time seemed to slow down.
Hiccup was aware of everything that was going on.
The wind wiping around him, the pain in his leg, dulled by the adrenalin, Toothless's warm scales under him, the leather of the saddle at his hands, he flames around them, that lit up the night, the smell of ozone and gas, he was aware of all of that.
He didn't need to turn around to know that this was the right moment.
He felt Toothless tense underneath him. He felt it to.
Hiccup grabbed the saddle even harder.
"NOW TOOTHLESS!" he screamed and the dragon turned mid-dive and faced the dragon queen.
Hiccup could swear he saw surprise in her eight eyes, before they narrowed down again in rage.
Her jaws were open wide and green gas filled it.
But it was not yet ready to be combusted. Not by the dragon queen. The process of making flames and burning the gas without the dragon risking its own life was a complicated process.
Many things had to be considered.
That was why, when the Night fury shot two mighty plasma-bolts into her mouth and started the combustion earlier than planned, it had so dreadful consequences.
The eyes of the queen widened in shock.
But it was already too late.
Toothless and Hiccup dived sideways as the Red Death started, first slowly but then faster to be consumed by flames until she exploded with a loud BOOM.
.
The explosion knocked them sideways but luckily farther away from the flames.
Hiccup leaned forward and rested his body on Toothless back. From the corner of his eye he could see another explosion and more flames.
But everything was dull and with the adrenalin fading away he grew tired and the pain came back worse than before.
"Toothless. We need to land somewhere. I don't think I can go one anymore!" he whispered and let himself fall into unconscious.