Chapter Sixty: Just sand
Josh woke Hiccup an hour later and said in a dark voice: "The flood has already swallowed half the beach." "And the wind?" Hiccup asked as he strapped his harness tight and knelt down next to Kate, checking her forehead.
She had, to his great dismay, developed a fever.
"Didn't really change." "Better than nothing."
Hiccup got back up and threw a glance out of the cave.
Josh was right. Half the beach was swallowed by the water. The wind still tugged at his cloths.
He sighed and with a last look at the heavens he turned back around to Josh.
The older boy looked anxious and seemed to wait for him to say something.
"Saddle u. We're leaving as soon as possible.
Everything was ready. Bags were strapped to the dragon's backs and secured. They all were clad in thick layers of clothing.
Lastly, Hiccup carefully picked Kate up and cradled her against his chest as he walked over to Toothless.
Carefully he arranged her limp body in front of the saddle and secured her to both the dragon and himself as he sat down behind her.
Kate wasn't unconscious but neither was she fully aware of what was going on around her.
He tried to make it as comfortable as possible for her.
He hoped the cold winds would help her cool down a bit.
George sat on Nightlights back, slightly pale but he was on the back of a dragon on his own.
Small steps, Hiccup thought.
He nodded at them.
"I don't know what will happen up there. So be aware, you have to make it across yourselves. I'm not sure how much any of us can help if one of us get's into trouble."
They nodded.
Hiccup took a deep breath.
"See you on the other side."
Going up was fairly easy. They used the updraft and sailed along the seemingly never ending wall upwards.
But it got rougher with every meter they left behind them.
Soon all three dragons and their riders struggled with the wind that dared to knock them out of their saddles.
Atop that it was moist and freezing cold.
Hiccup had long lost the feeling in his nose tip and his cheeks burned like fire.
His fingers were stiff around the saddle.
In front of him, Kate's whole weight leaned against him and she was mumbling things in her fever induced state.
The wind stung in his eyes and he could barely see through the tears that streamed down his cheeks.
He vaguely made out the shapes of Nightlight and Zhang somewhere around him but he didn't know if they still carried their riders.
Guilt settled over him.
How could he have put them in danger like that? Without thinking? Without contemplating what would be the best?
Because he'd been focused on what would be best for Kate.
He looked down at her.
The tips of her hair and eyelashes were covered in frost and she was shivering violently.
Because he had to save his friend.
He hadn't thought. He'd just done it.
He looked up just as they broke through the last cloud.
The air was thin up here and he felt dizzy.
Underneath him Toothless made a comforting purr that vibrated through his whole body.
He laid one hand on his head and shouted over the loud wind: "We can do it."
Sadly he didn't share the confidence that rang in his words.
And suddenly the time seemed to stand still.
Hiccups breath caught in his throat and the dizziness good worse.
Toothless roared and flapped his wings in the shape of an eight, hovering in the air for a few seconds.
For a second everything was going in slow motion.
"Holy mother of Freya!" Hiccup whispered.
In front of him rose the top of the cliffs.
Ragged like the teeth of a giant, covered in snow they broke through the milky white clouds.
Snow stung in his face but he ignored it.
This was nothing he'd ever seen before.
This was a part of the earth as untouched as it had been the day it was created.
It was dominated by raw power and Hiccup suddenly felt very small in the shadow of this mountainside.
He shivered but not because of the cold but of the sheer adrenalin that floated through his veins and the excitement that rushed through every fiber of his body.
This was new, this was exciting, and this was an adventure.
He leaned down so his lips were on one level with Kate's right ear.
"Remember when I told you it would be dangerous and that there would be many adventures? Well you said: "Signe me up!"." He stopped a moment and then said fondly with a smile: "You are about to miss the best thing yet. But when we go home one day, and I promise, you will go home one day, then you can gloat about the fact that you flew over this damn obstacle. This…is the biggest adventure yet. But you must hold on a little longer so there will be many more."
Kate just gave him a low groan
Next to him Zhang appeared out of nothing with a snow-covered Josh on his back.
"What's the matter?" he shouted over the wind.
Hiccup pointed at the passage in front of them.
"Dear…" the rest of Josh's swear was lost in the wind as Nightlight catapulted herself next to them.
George looked extremely pale and half-dead with exhaustion.
But he nodded at them.
"Well, let's go! Last one in the other side makes dinner for the next week!" Hiccup yelled and leaned forward in anticipation.
If you'd asked Hiccup later, when he was older, what happened on that mountain, he'd claim he didn't remember.
Truth be told, Hiccup would never be able to forget what had happened.
As they flew through the ragged stones with the wind howling around them, tying with them like a breeze does with lose leaves, Hiccups nerves were as thick as steel.
It wasn't like they were attacked or followed, no, it was nothing like that.
But flying through the unknown, not knowing where the wind could change to the next second or if there suddenly would be an obstacle in their way was way more nerve-wracking then any fight, and any escape.
It made the storm over the 'Horrible-Death-Lands' look like a day at the beach.
They zick-zacked through the maze of uncertainties and just when Hiccup thought they were never going to make it out, light broke through the stone and they were catapulted with a last gust of wind out.
For a moment Hiccup lost his orientation.
Toothless free-falling down, on the other side of that seemingly insuperable cliff.
But they were still falling, twisting.
But Hiccup was an experienced rider.
He didn't panic anymore.
But who was panicking was Kate, who decided now would be a good moment to not be delirious.
Hiccup didn't know how much she actually understood.
But she let go of a piercing scream and started to thrash around.
That unfortunately got into Hiccups way and he had problems steering Toothless back into the horizontal.
Kate's arms flew around and she gave him quite the punch in the face.
Fortunately his face was still rather numb from the coldness in the mountains.
It still hurt.
"KATE! Calm down! It's me! Everything will be alright!" he shouted, desperate to gain the control back.
The spinning and twisting and falling got worse each second Kate wouldn't sit down.
"I'm really sorry Kate, but it's for your own good. And mine!" he shouted and slightly squeezed her wounded shoulder.
The effect was immediately even though Hiccup hated himself for it.
Kate passed out after a short gasp and a weak struggle.
It was a child's-play from then and they touched down safely on the ground.
But having solid ground back under his feet wasn't so good for Hiccups stomach. Choking he fell from the saddle to his knees and retched.
It was disgusting but Hiccup didn't care.
He was aware of two heavy things setting down near him but he concentrated on emptying his stomach.
When he finally finished he go up and swayed.
The blood rushed too fast through his body.
He was glad to see that none of his friends looked any better.
Still George somehow found the strength to walk up to him and punch him in the face.
Hiccup nearly fell down but last second he caught himself.
He spat out blood and glared at George.
"What the hell man?" he growled.
"I should ask you the same!" the other boy sneered back though he swayed as badly as Hiccup did. They must've looked like two drunkards.
"How could you have lost control like that? Hm? I thought you were the oh-so-great-dragon-rider!"
"Kate woke up and panicked I had to calm her down first!" Hiccup growled back.
He had the desire to strangle that insolent boy.
George seemed to be thinking something among the same lines.
"You could've gotten her killed!"
"Why would you care? You care for nothing but yourself. Ever since we left Port East you've been complaining and making things hard."
"Have not!"
"You did. I gave you the chance to go, to stay behind!" "On a deserted island!" "So what? I gave you the opportunity. And I saved your live!" "It would have never been in danger if you had never abducted me!" Hiccup threw his arms in the air and exclaimed: "Thor love it, you're going there again?"
There were only millimeters apart now and both boys wanted to draw their swords but neither did.
The silence of their still staring contest was interrupted by Josh saying: "You guys! Come and check this out. You won't believe it!"
Maybe it was his tune, maybe just the fact that he spoke, maybe something else but the two opponents stood up and turned around to where he stood.
Hiccup hadn't paid attention to where they had landed, because he'd been occupied by George and his childish antics.
They seemed to stand on some kind of foothills. Behind them were the endless cliffs and mountain ranges.
But it was the sight in front of them that shut them all up.
Beyond the foothills there was nothing but huge stones and behind those…sand…and behind that…sand…and behind that…just the horizon.
The sun was just setting.
It got darker every second.
Yet everything glowed in a beautiful orange-red light.
But as far as the eye went…there was nothing else.
Just sand.
AN: Reviews please! Tell me if it's good or not!