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Chapter Sixty-Seven: The curse of the Naradid

When Kate opened her eyes she was confused.

But who could blame her.

Everything was still a little blurry and unfocused but it got better the more her brain woke up.

She was aware of a dull throb in her shoulder but it was nothing in comparison to the agony she'd been in…how much time ago?

She didn't really know which led to her second question? Where was she?

She was lying on something soft, fur probably. But the ceiling and the walls around her didn't look solid. She assumed she was in some kind of tent. The walls were a soft dark red. A small fire was burning in the middle of the tent and the smell of dried herbs and medicine filled her nose. Otherwise there were some chests on one side of the tent, another cot and a work-table as well as an assortment of baskets. Wonderful carpets and colorful rugs covered the floor. Oil-lamps spread a soft glow. She tried to sit up.

Everything turned and swayed but she forced herself to stay upright.

Slowly her surrounding adjusted again.

The tent was surprisingly spacious. It was nice and warm.

The sound of cloth being pulled aside made her head turn.

Across from her sick-bed a woman entered the tent. Another surprise. She was dark skinned and old. Her grey hair was braided into a long plait and decorated with what looked like falcons feathers. Her eyes were the color of amber. Her face was wrinkled but looked friendly. She was dressed in colorful red robes with golden embroidery on the sleeves. Around her waist hung a lose cord-belt from which many vials, a small knife and some herbs hung.

She was leaning on a huge walking stick.

She looked surprised when she saw Kate up and awake but smiled.

"Welcome back child." She was talking in the common tongue, a language not many spoke nowadays seeing that most nations tried to have as little contact with others as possible. But if you were a Kings daughter and had to learn diplomacy, then you had to know a language everybody could understand.

During their travels with Hiccup Josh and George that had never been necessary. Whatever the others had said, it had reached her in her mother language, even though she knew that George didn't speak it.

She guessed it was all part of Hiccups magic.

"What…what happened? Where am I? Where are my…friends?" she asked slowly. Her voice didn't sound like hers at all. Like it hadn't been used in a long time. She grimaced as she used her sore throat.

The old woman smiled and handed her one of the vials from her belt. "Drink, it will help. And do not worry; they were all in best health."

When she said that the ground suddenly started to shake, a loud screeching noise filled the air, shortly followed by battle cries.

She nearly dropped the vial in shock.

"What…what was that?" she whispered.

The woman grimaced. "Don't worry, they can handle it. You are safe here. Now drink."

With shaking hands Kate emptied the small vial.

Outside the ground continued to shake. Explosions boomed through the air, people screamed, angry and fierce but also desperate.

But the woman stayed calm so Kate did too.

"I have to see after the others but I send someone to redress you wound and bring you something to eat." Kate nodded. "Thank you. Thank you so much." The woman smiled. "I'm a healer child. I committed myself to help those in need, regardless from where they are or who they are. Sadly not many share this attitude." With that she was gone.

Carefully Kate started looking around, craning her neck, which hurt like hell.

But she spotted her backpack next to her bed. With slow movements she managed to pull it close enough to open it.

All her belongings were still there, except for her weapons.

At the bottom of the back she found a large piece of cloth, decorated with the royal family seal of Derandolia. It was her comfort blanket from when she was just an infant. Her mother had made it before she'd been born.

Whenever she held it, she felt close to her.

When she needed comfort no one else could give her, she would burrow her face in the soft cloth.

Right now she needed her mother.

More explosions and the ground continued shaking.

Deep she breathed the smell of the blanket in.

To her great despair it barley smelled of home anymore and it long ago had lost her mother's smell.

All she could smell was smoke, dirt, sweat and rosemary.

The tent opening shifted again and a very pretty girl entered. She first eyed her and then the blanket.

Then she tried a smile and slowly walked over to her.

She was carrying a small kit with her and knelt next to Kate on the ground. "Hey" she said in a much accented voice, "Thea sent me to look after you. May I?" she asked gesturing at her shoulder.

Kate nodded and started to take the top she was wearing off.

Carefully the girl began to unwrap her shoulder. The flinched when again something seemed to break outside. "What is that?"Kate asked. "Nothing." The girl said. Her tone made it quite clear that she didn't want to talk about it.

Kate looked down to her shoulder to see the damage.

Her shoulder and arm were numb so she didn't feel anything but she saw that it was still swollen and the skin had not yet returned to its normal color. But the three holes in her shoulder had closed. Not healed yet but on the way. But she could tell they would scar.

She chewed on her lower lip and looked aside as the other girl started to put some kind of ointment on the holes and rewrap them.

The girl smiled and nodded. "It's healing nicely. A few days and the holes will be closed fully and if you start exercising your arm there should be no permanent damage."

"Thank you." Kate said silently and smiled back.

The girl nodded again and asked: "You hungry?" Kate nodded shyly. Actually she was starving. "Yes."

The girl put her stuff back in her kit and said: "I see if I find something. I'll be back in a few minutes. Drink this while you wait." She poured some steaming liquid into a mug and handed it her. A few drops spilled over her hands when another explosion shook everything. The girl ignored it.

"It's to prepare and calm your stomach a bit. Bet you haven't eaten properly in a few days." "Try weeks." Kate said smilingly.

The girl smiled and rose.

But before she could vanish Kate called out: "Wait." She turned back around. "Yes?" "I didn't catch your name. I'm Kate." "I know. Your friends won't shut up about you. I'm Hope." Kate nodded. Then she asked: "Are the others alright?" Hope threw a glance outside. "I guess." She said. With that she was gone.

But she returned only a couple of minutes later with a tray full of fruits, dried meat and bread.

"Here, eat up." "Thank you."

For a while both girls were quiet.

Kate observed that every once in a while Hope would glance at the entrance, like she was expecting someone.

Suddenly she said: "It's over." Kate frowned. Then she realized that the shaking and the explosions had stopped.

"It'll be back soon." Hope mumbled, more to herself.

"I need to go and see if I'm needed. I'll send for your friends if you want." "Yes please." "Right. Don't go anywhere." Kate nodded.

It was ridicules how fast the tents entrance flew open and the cavalry entered, nearly falling over their feet, pushing each other aside.

To her surprise it was Josh who reached her first.

He threw his arms around her and hugged her.

He didn't say anything but she knew what he wanted to say. He just looked at her after moving apart, shook his head and said calmly: "I've already lost one family. Don't make me lose my second."

George pushed him aside and smiled softly at her.

He hugged her too but gentler.

"I'm so glad that you are alright. I was worried to no end."

Kate felt her heart flutter at his words. She hugged him back. Beneath all the bad-ass and I-don't-care-attitude George had grown fond of them.

Kate guessed that nothing melted you better together than surviving death.

He smiled at her again and squeezed her hand.

Finally he moved aside and Kate got a chance to see the last of 'her boys'.

Hiccup looked…angry?

He grabbed her wrists and not to gently hoisted her upwards.

"Hiccup…" Josh said warningly.

George was on his feet and looked ready to jump at the Ex-Viking but Hiccup just pulled Kate into a tight embrace. She burrowed her head in his chest and let loose of all her sorrow. She sobbed openly and freely, not caring.

Hiccup had his chin resting on the top of her head, his arms tightly wrapped around her back while she hugged his waist.

"Pull a stunt like that again and I send you back to Derandolia." He growled.

She sobbed and laughed at the same time.

"Really Kate, you can't give up ever again. This was a little too close." He whispered. She just nodded.

He sighed.

"Come on, sit down. We have to tell you a lot, because you've missed a lot!"

…...

"This is the camp of the Naradid. Translated it means 'People who walk the great sand'. They are nomads. Have always been, will always be. At least according to Torren. He says his tribe is cursed. And he's not really wrong when he says that." Hiccup started to explain. "Why so?" Kate asked, sipping from her mug.

"I'm coming to that." Hiccup mumbled and took a bite form the bread. "A few hundred years ago they were a much greater tribe that resided at the shores of Kinkal, exchanging goods with other nations. But then war started and they decided to stay neutral. They moved into the desert where they had nothing to fear.

It's not much known from that time but once the war was over, they suddenly found themselves hunted. They assumed that the gods punished their cowardliness for not aiding in the war. Whatever it cause it, from that day onward they found themselves followed by what they call 'the dark shadow'." "What is it?" "From what we gathered and saw it's a dragon. I looked it up in the Book of Dragons and I'm pretty sure it's a Boulder-class dragon called 'Whispering Death'. They move underground, creating mazes underground. They can eat through anything because of their six rows of rotating teeth." Hiccup explained on.

Kate paled. "Sounds…lovely." "Believe me, it's everything but lovely." "So, what did they do against it?" Kate asked.

"Well one of the few perks of this country is that they practice magic. They cast invisibility-shields and hiding spells and confusion-spells to set it off their track. But it always finds them sooner or later. Those stone columns we passed? Part of the magic. They act as a warning system. Should the dragon pass them, it sends off a magical signal that informs them of its position." "And let me guess, all the ground shaking and the explosions mean that it found them again?" Hiccup looked sheepishly. "Well, not exactly. We…we kinda let it here when we were looking for help. It followed us for days." Kate sighed. "And let me guess again, the people here are not too happy with us because of that, right?"

"Pretty much." Josh said. Kate shook her head. "You really are lost without me, are you?" "We managed to stay alive the past three days since we arrived. Without you." Hiccup pointed out.

"Whatever." She winced when her shoulder started throbbing again. She felt really exhausted from the little talking and the listing.

"You should sleep. You are still recovering." Kate nodded and lay down. "Where are you staying?" "We got our own tent e bit away. Don't worry, when you wake up the first thing we'll do is move you." "What for? So your snoring can keep me awake all night?" she grinned at their dumbfound expressions. "Kidding; sounds wonderful."

With that she was asleep.

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Love Kate