AN: So, this is the plan: My parents left for the whole weekend to check a few things out, there is a fair in the city and I have the house for myself. Pretty cool. So that means writing, going to the fair, staying up late, watch movies, eat, write more, go to the fair with friends, eat and write more and then I do, maybe, my homework Gosh I love it when I'm alone at home.
Hope you like it,
Love Kate
Chapter Seventy-Two: Spill all my secrets
"This…this is sad."
"It's depressing."
"It's a ghost-city."
"A destroyed ghost-city."
"This is where my people are originally from. Thousands of years ago. Before the first war rose and before Brave went away. Before Namhera started to hunt them."
.
After three days traveling through the desert, which had been thanks to Hope, not so bad as when they had done it for the first time, Hiccups nose had finally caught the familiar smell of sea-water.
And only hours later the desert slowly transformed into a savanna, then into clear woods and finally they had reached the sea.
Whooping with joy they had jumped into the blissful wet liquid and enjoyed the coolness of the water on their sore skin.
Well, all but Hope had. She had never seen so much water stretching on forever, no matter where you looked.
But finally they had managed to coax her knee-deep into the water.
And they had laughed at her surprised expression when she had tried to drink it and realized how salty it was.
After nearly two hours in the water, they slowly made their way northwards along the beach with their feet in the surf.
The sun was low and covering the horizon and water in warm orange light. Overhead the sky was purple and green and yellow and blue.
Hiccup breathed deeply. He had missed this.
But when they rounded a headland they stopped dead in their tracks.
"Oh…" Kate whispered
"…my…" Josh mumbled
"…gods!" Hiccup breathed.
"What the hell happened here?" George asked.
They were standing in a crescent-formed bay, ringed bay flat hills. On both ends headlands reached far into the water, cutting the bay off from the rest of the coast.
It was like stepping into another world.
The sand was black. The trees were only skeletons. The water was grey and dead.
But worse was the sight of the fallen city.
It was maybe twice the size of the Berk village.
But it was hard to tell. The stones were black and rotten, long had the houses collapse. Only fundaments were left.
The leftovers of a harbor lay just below the surface of the sea.
Hiccup even thought he saw the wreck of ships on the ground of the bay.
A dark atmosphere hung over the place. There was not a single living thing. Not even the singing of a bird. This was a dead piece of land. And he knew only one power in the world able to cause this kind of harm.
"A dragon's fire." Hiccup said silently as an answer to Georges' question.
Slowly they made their way over to the city. No sunlight reached them.
It was dreadful place.
The sound of their steps was muffled by the thick layer of ashes and sand. They were soon covered in grime.
When Hiccup looked back he saw their footprints clear in the black ground.
"There hasn't been a single living soul here for years." He whispered.
"It's a ghost city indeed." Kate said silently.
No one dared speaking out loud.
Hope carefully touched one of the walls that still stood.
When she pulled back there was a white patch on the wall and a thick black layer of grime and ashes on her finger.
Hiccup made another few step forward and reached a huge round place. It looked like a plaza. But when he made another step forward, there was a sickening 'Crack' underneath his feet. He lifted his feet to see what he had steppe don and felt bile rising in his throat when he saw it.
Bones.
Lot of bones that littered the ground and that filled the whole plaza under the layers of rubble, dust, ashes and grime.
Hiccup averted his eyes from a skull that seemed to look at him with its hollow sockets.
"Another city that fell to those beasts. They are not as harmless and innocent as you would like them to be." Josh mumbled behind him. "Just shut up for once." Hiccup mumbled back.
Hope stepped next to him. Silently she looked at the plaza.
"Legend has it that his was once a grand city. Independent from the other nations. Rich and well know. Other countries envied us. Then the war came and we fleet the city.
When news reached us that the war was over we returned. We were so many. But then, one day…hellfire rained down upon us. Over the half of us died. The rest ran. Our numbers have decreased since then further and further. And this place was forgotten, left behind, left to the elements and time." She finally mumbled.
Namhera nudged her in the side.
Over the last days the two of them had formed an incredible strong bond.
"I know you didn't mean to. And besides, it's been ages since then. One shall not dwell in the past." Hope said.
"Should we make camp here for tonight?" Kate asked silently.
"Let's not. Places like this give me the creeps." Josh begged.
"Agreed. Let's move on a little bit. I'm sure we'll find something behind the headland." Hiccup suggested.
No one disagreed.
The gloomy atmosphere had settled down on them.
George, who was walking in front of everybody stopped suddenly and asked: "Didn't you guys say that no one has been here in ages?"
"Yes, why?" Hiccup asked, too tired to play one of George's games.
"Well, seems like that's not true. I don't think we are alone here." George whispered and pointed ahead.
They stepped next to him.
Hiccup cursed under his breath. He was right.
Marks, similar to those they had left behind them, covered the area.
George kneeled down and inspected one.
"At least two dozen men, if not more. They're all very big and heavy. These marks are fresh. A few hours at most."
"How do you know that?" Kate asked incredulously. He gave her a smile. "I'm a hunter sweetheart. It's like breathing for me."
The look of awe that Kate gave George annoyed Hiccup suddenly to no end.
"Alright Mister Hunter, enough with your amazing skills" Hiccup said and lifted him back up from the ground by the arm "they don't help us much. We need to know where they are now. And if they pose a threat to us."
George suddenly swallowed hard.
"I can answer that too." He said silently.
"Really. Again by reading tracks?" Hiccup asked sarcastically.
"Not really. They are standing right behind us." George said rather dryly.
They all swirled around.
"Hello dragon-boy. Missed me?" Alvin the Treacherous asked before he fired with his crossbow at him.
Something stuck Hiccup in the chest.
It was no arrow. Just a thin metal dart, too small to do any harm, yet painful enough to make him gasp. He suddenly felt very drowsy and the next thing he knew was darkness.
.
.
.
. (Dun-dun-daaaaaaaa)
.
.
.
His head hurt when he came around again. His mouth was dry and his teeth hurt. What had happened?
He sat up, groggily and looked around.
The others were with him, still unconscious.
Hiccup assumed that Alvin had just drugged them with the darts.
He couldn't see their dragons or their weapons.
His hands were shackled in front of him but his feet were free.
They were in a windowless room with one door, which was probably heavily guarded. The only light came from a small oil-lamp hanging from the ceiling.
He tried summoning a flame to melt the shackles but nothing happened. Instead a very cold prickling feeling shot up his arms to his chest and squeezed his heart uncomfortably.
So no magic. Great.
He was honestly worried. Last time he'd seen Alvin, he'd burned his hand and ship.
He really had hoped they had died months ago on the VENDETTA.
"Hiccup?" came a sleepy question next to him. "That you?"
Josh was slowly waking up.
"Hey man. Time to get up." He whispered.
"What happened?" "I guess we were drugged." "My head hurts." "It'll pass." "And the others?" "Unconscious but fine otherwise." "That's good."
Suddenly the doors opened and he blinked against the sudden light. Wow, it looked like they'd been out the better part of the night.
Standing there dressed in furs, metal breast-plate and thick boots, one hand replaced by a wicked looking hook, stood Alvin the Treacherous. The door closed directly behind him. No chance of escape.
Hiccup stumbled to his feet and growled at the man.
But Alvin just laughed.
"Ah…runt. Nice to see you again. How have you been?"
Hiccup wasn't fooled by the pleasant tone.
"What are you doing here Alvin?"
Alvin sneered, all pleasantries forgotten.
"I am looking for you. You don't think I forgot? Because I didn't and I will never forget it!"
"Listen, I'm sorry but you left me no choice. And if you have to take this out on me, do it but leave me friends out of this."
Alvin bellowed with laughter.
He stopped abruptly and charged at him, grabbing him by the collar and pressing him against the huts wall, his smelly breath hit Hiccup full force. Next to them Josh tried to get up but the drug was not strong in his system and he fell back down. Alvin ignored him. He glared at Hiccup, who was too stunned to move.
"You think this is about what happened in the southern sea on that fisherman's boat?" Hiccup was too afraid to answer.
"No you little cockroach. This is about more."
Alvin suddenly started gagging and sizing and twitching and slowly his face melted into a new one.
Pale grey wet skin, black holes for eyes, teeth like a shark, spikes forming a crown on his head, no ears, no nose and no hair.
"It's you." Hiccup breathed.
Darkness smiled.
"Yes, it's me. Surprise. I told you, things were starting to get interesting and that I wanted to see how you would cope with them. So far you have proven them all wrong. I thought you would leave the girl behind, not figure out the mystery. Well, you learn new things every day. That's alright with me but I know people who will not be happy. By the way, have you heard anything from your… divine… friends?"
Darkness smiled nastily at him.
Hiccup flinched.
"Ah… I'm sorry, touchy topic?"
"Shut up." Hiccup growled.
"Oh, you are in good mood. Obviously got up with the wrong foot."
Darkness smiled at its own joke.
Hiccup used it's distraction to kneel him in the groin.
Darkness maybe didn't feel it but his host did.
It howled and dropped Hiccup who landed on his feet and leashed out with a vicious kick. Kate had taught him nice tricks, he had to admit it.
He hit Alvin's kneecap and the tall man went down.
His face molted back into his own and he growled with pain and anger.
"You…little runt…" he panted "I will skin you alive."
"I don't think your boss would be happy with that."
"I don't care."
"Tough luck."
With those words Hiccup swung his metal leg. With a satisfying sound it connected with Alvins temple and he was knocked out cold.
He knew he would only have minutes from now on until someone decided to check on them.
He turned around to Josh.
During his little conversation with Alvin he'd woken up more and started waking the others. They still looked groggy and usually Hiccup wouldn't go to battle with them in such conditions but he had no choice.
"Guys! Concentration. Fight the drug. We only have a few minutes. The timing has to be perfect."
The nodded.
The first thing Hiccup did was taking one of the axes from the unconscious Alvin.
Within a few strikes he'd broken Josh's chains.
He smirked. They could withstand godly fire but no mortal ax. Everything had its weakness.
Minutes later they were all free.
They took every weapon they could find from Alvin and took their positions.
Hiccup nodded at Josh and George and they started mock-fighting, yelling at each other, Josh imitating Alvin's accent and speech.
They kicked against the walls and shouted profanities, bashing their weapons together.
"Why you little…runt. I will gut you like a fish! Argh….!" Josh yelled and faked going down, falling heavily into the wall while doing so.
Hiccup smirked when he heard the approaching footsteps. He nodded at the girls above him, hanging from eh ceiling.
He himself waited next to the door, back pressed flat against the wall.
The doors flung open and three Outcast came storming in.
Well, they would have stormed in, had it not been for Hiccup who stretched out a leg, making the first stumble, fall to the ground. His colleagues now stumbled over him and made a wonderful dog pile.
"NOW!" Hiccup shouted when they tried to get up.
The girls let go of the ceiling and dropped feet first onto the Outcast, knocking them back to the ground.
Josh and George abandoned their 'fight' and joined the brawl.
They tried to be as silent as possible.
Hiccup nodded when he saw the four tied Outcast in the shed.
"Good work guys. We make a great team!" they nodded, grinning all like madmen…and women.
"No let's find our dragons and stuff and make a run for it."
"You bet!" came the reply.
Though it was light outside it couldn't have been long since sunrise.
Most of the Outcast lay around a campfire, snoring contently.
"Okay, let's split up. Josh and Kate, you go and find our stuff. Hurry up. We go and look for our dragons. We meet over there as soon as possible." He whispered and pointed at the outskirts of the ruined city.
Everybody nodded.
As they made their way through the Outcasts camp, Hope asked Hiccup in a very low voice: "Do these kinds of things happen often?" Hiccup shrugged. "Every once in a while. But don't worry. We always get out eventually." "Oh." He smiled at her. "Already regretting your choice to join us?" She smiled back. "No. Just…wondering." "Don't worry, I keep you safe." She smiled. "I know."
Behind them George coughed.
The turned around to him.
"I really don't want to destroy the romantic…moment…you two are sharing but we kinda have things to do." He grinned.
Hiccup rolled with his eyes but blushed nonetheless. So did Hope.
They found their dragons because of Namheras snoring.
"How can they sleep so peacefully? They are not even chained up. They could have saved us!" growled George outraged but thankfully silently.
Hiccup shook his head.
He tore a thick needle from Nightlights flank.
"I don't think so. They were drugged as well. See…" there was still some of the drug dripping from the needle.
"Oh, give me that, I have an idea what to do with it!" Hope said with luminous eyes.
Hiccup wasn't sure what she was planning but she went from dragon to dragon, pulling out the needles that were still covered with the drug.
She smiled fondly when she picked six of those needles from Namhera. "Put up a fight, did you big one?" she whispered in his ear. The dragon stirred and nudged her slightly.
"Be right back big boy. Go with the others." Namhera made a whinnying noise but Hope shook her head. "None of that. I'll be perfectly fine."
With that she disappeared from where they'd come.
Hiccup shook his head amused.
"She's always up to something. I thinks will be less boring from now on."
George raised an eyebrow.
"You think our life was boring until now? Mate, something's really wrong with your head." Hiccup shrugged.
"Let's get going."
Waking up the dragons was really hard.
All of them were still sleepy and Hiccup had to carry Cone because he was still out cold. He drug had been too much for his little body.
Herding them around the camp, trying not to make too much noise was even harder.
Sleepwalking dragons were loud!
Surprisingly no one raised the alarms; no one saw or heard them.
When they nearly had reached the meeting point, Hope joined them. She looked flushed but grinned.
"What are you smiling about?" George asked suspiciously.
"Nothing. I just bought us some extra time." Hope relied.
"And how did you do that?" Hiccup asked, more worried.
"Oh, you know, I just pinched them all with the needles, drugging them so they will sleep longer. And I barricaded the door to the shed with that Alvin-guy with some boards."
Both boys looked at her with huge eyes.
"What?"
"That was genius!" George smiled.
"Yeah. He's right. Suicidal but genius." Hiccup agreed.
"Why suicidal?" "What if they'd woken up?" Hiccup asked. "I would have clopped them over the head with a stick so long until they would be out cold."
"You are one violent girl. Never took you for one." George said. Hope shrugged.
"Let's go. The others are probably waiting for us already." She instructed and started walking.
George laughed slightly.
"Be careful Haddock, she might be the one who wears the pants in your relationship." "There is no relationship." Hiccup growled.
"And even if there was, she would not 'be the one who wears the pants'."
"Whatever man."
Once they joined the others they exchanged information. Josh and Kate had found their stuff and provisions as well as torches and extra blankets.
They had made it halfway up the headland, away from the destroyed city and the Outcast's camp, when Hiccup stopped.
"Hiccup? What's the matter?" Kate asked.
"I was just thinking…that is a really pretty boat."
He pointed at the three-master that anchored below them in the bay.
The others looked at him as though he was nuts.
"So what?" Hope asked.
"It would be a shame if…someone stole it…"
"Hiccup we can't steal a ship. We're not enough people to make it go." Kate said.
"Then it would be a shame if this would happen." Hiccup said, faked innocence swinging in his voice.
Before his friends could ask what the hell he was paying at he'd conjured a fireball and thrown it with all his might down at the ship.
At first nothing happened but then the sails caught fire and then the deck and soon everything was on fire.
"You are one naughty boy Hiccup." Hope said while shaking her head.
"I give the compliment back."
"Let's just go!" Josh said impatiently. "If I'm freaked out I have gas-problems."
"JOSH! TOO MUCH INFORMATION!" the whole group shouted disgustedly but they smiled nonetheless.
Together they marched onwards, marched north.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Alvin weight the small pocket knife in his big hand. It was simple. A wooden handle and a short metal blade. Nothing special though it was well crafted.
The only interesting thing were the initials in the handle, burned carefully into the wood.
H.H.H. III
"Ye sure it's his?" he growled at his right hand Savage.
"Positively Sir. It was in his bag."
Alvin thought for a long time. Finally he chuckled.
"I know Stoick. He would never let his son out of that god-forsaken Archipelago without him." "So?" Savage asked confused.
"Let's see what daddy has to say when we send him this with…a note…perhaps?" Alvin suggested smiling nastily.
"Oh! A very good idea sir, excellent, would never have thought of it myself, absolutely stunning, fabulous! I can't find the words, brilliant…" "Today if possible Savage. Or I feed you to the next wild dragon we meet." Alvin growled, interrupting his stream of ass-kissing. Savage bowed and mumbled: "Of course sir, yes sir, right away sir." And vanished somewhere.
Alvin moved the blade slightly over his palm. It was dull, not much of a weapon. And yet he knew it was important.
The little brat would soon have nothing to laugh about anymore.
He turned around, stomping away his eyes coal-black and hard.
"Let's see what you have to hide runt."
AN: As always, leave me a review and tell me what you liked and what not. Thank you, love you,
Kate