Chapter Eighty-Six: Paradise in Hell
Hiccup lowered his looking glass.
"So that's it." He said. "The 'Isle of Tomorrow'."
"It looks a lot like Paradise." Josh commented.
"It's far from that." Hiccup replied and passed the looking glass to George.
"And somewhere on that island your friend Illiona is held captive?"
"In that mountain to be exact." Hiccup said and pointed ahead.
.
Two nights ago they had dared to sail into one of the wider passages in the wall of constantly lava-spitting volcanoes that was not as dangerous as the others and had found a wide bay, wide and deep enough to hold their giant boat. It was well hidden by tall volcanoes looming over them forming a semi-circle with a direct escape-rout to the open sea and smaller winding path to all sides that could not be sailed by any sorts of boats because there was constantly lava falling down from the brims above those paths and hitting the water below, making it deadly dangerous to pass.
This bay sort of was their operation base now.
And last night Hiccup had send Illiona a dream-message that they were close and that she should be ready.
She had told them not to contact her anymore because the people that held her captive where already suspicious of her and that they should beware the invisible guarding monsters, whatever that meant.
So earlier this day Hope, Conner and Kate had set out for a first scouting mission but had come back empty handed.
After a quick lunch the remaining three of their team had saddled up and taken their first glance at their current location.
It was a mesmerizing sight, no doubt but it was also very creepy.
This archipelago was nothing but a collection of volcanoes, sometimes connected by land-bridges.
Water-paths sneaked through them.
Some volcanoes were tall and had wider open round craters filled with magma like some sort of fiery lake.
Others had smaller openings, looking like chimneys that spit magma and lava every now and then into the sky with a lot of energy.
The ground shook the whole time. Everywhere there were pools of the molten stone and they had to be careful not to walk to closely by because every now and them a bubble of magma on the surface of those small pools would spontaneously burst, firing small drops of the burning hot lava everywhere. They also had to watch where they stepped should they walk or the ground would break away under their foot, revealing yet another pool of fire just a few feet underneath them.
Sometimes they even came across small pools of boiling hot water that smelled strongly of sulfur.
The air was hot and it hurt breathing.
Soon they were covered in ashes and were sweating lakes.
The rocks were either black or dark brown, the earth was dry and dusty and where there were no volcanoes or anything similar there was wasteland.
Nothing living, nothing friendly, just hostile surroundings wherever you looked.
There was no sun in the sky, just the steam and that ever present orange glow.
Hiccup had already forgotten what trees looked like or clouds or anything colorful.
His mouth was as dry as the desert they had escaped three weeks ago.
.
They had wanted to give up and continue their search tomorrow when and exploding volcano had forced them to reverse course and while doing so they had flown over the highest chain of volcanoes yet and had spotted something that hurt Hiccups eyes.
Blue.
After nothing but orange and grey and black for days the sight of crystal-clear dark blue water that sparkled slightly was overwhelming for their eyes.
They had landed their dragon on a ledge overlooking the small ocean-like pond in front of them.
It was unreal.
Actually everything they had seen so far was unreal but this topped it all.
Ringed by the tall black volcanoes the sparkling blue looked unrealistic, like something from a dream.
Something so…beautiful couldn't possible exist in such a hostile surrounding.
But that wasn't all.
In the middle of this mini-ocean lay an island.
But it was nothing like the volcano-islands all around them, no.
It was covered in lush green forests, wide grassy fields, it had white sandy beaches and a single grey mountain rose like a needle from the east-shore into the sky.
A small village was located near the shore. The houses seemed to center around one huge mansion.
There were docks that ran far into the middle of the mini-ocean and there were lots of boats of all kind there.
They even saw people doing their normal daily duties without as much as a wink at their spooky surroundings.
It was Paradise in the middle of hell.
.
"That mountain?" George asked.
"So you see another one?" Hiccup asked sarcastically.
At the east end of the 'Isle of Tomorrow' grew a single mountain skywards like a giant grey needle.
It was tall but thin and looked absolutely smooth. From here Hiccup could see no caves or any entrances or holes in general.
"We need to circle around to get an overview." He said and put the looking glass back into his pocket.
"In broad daylight? Good idea." George said just as sarcastically.
"Hey guys, let's play nice, alright? Hiccup is right, we need a look around but also George is right when he says that doing this in broad daylight will get us caught. So I say we go back, eat and drink something, tell the others what's going on and then come back and look around. Sound good? Because I am tired and thirsty and hungry and need a bath."
Hiccup and George nodded and together they mounted their dragons.
.
.
When they landed back on the deck of 'The Huntress of the Sea' Kate was already expecting them.
Her hair was wet and open, falling down her back to her waist.
Just now Hiccup realized how much she had changed these past months on the road with him.
She'd never been as graceful as her sister but they both shared a certain kind of elegance and they both were pretty women.
But Kate had outgrown the tiny and slim girl with the shoulder-length hair she'd been when she'd joined him.
She was a lot taller, her hair longer and under the sun of the desert and other places it had become redder. Her aristocratic white skin was tanned and rougher and littered by marks of their travels. Small scars, little blemishes that suited her far better, crossed over her arms.
Her big green eyes were a lot wiser. She'd seen things even the books of her old home and the stories of others could have never prepared her for.
She'd been a little naïve when she'd joined him, thinking this was a little adventure. That this was live and death was something she'd discovered soon but she had stood with him through all of this.
Hiccup sometimes wondered what her motives were. Just to get away from being a princess? Somehow that was a weak excuse in his eyes. But he didn't doubt her. She had proven again and again how trustworthy and loyal she was.
Seeing her standing there in brown pants, a wide white shirt and an open brown waistcoat and boots, with her favorite hunting knives strapped to her hips, he felt a strange warm feeling blossoming in his chest. The little acrobat had changed into a fighter.
Was it pride? Certainly, but also something else.
When they had landed she approached them and asked eagerly: "And, did you find something?"
Hiccup smiled at her. "Yeah, we did. But we'll tell you later. It's kinda strange to explain. Where are the others?"
"Making some early dinner. We didn't know when you'd be back so we decided to make something you could heat up again. Why don't you take a bath while I go and help them and we meet up in say half an hour to discuss things? Sound good?"
"Sounds perfect." He said and before walking past her he gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks." He said. And he meant in more than one way.
Kate brought them towels and after she was gone the three of them undressed and jumped into the water.
The probably only good thing about their location was that there was plenty of warm water. Through swimming was hard with only one and a half legs Hiccup managed it just fine to stay over the surface.
And so they scrubbed of the sweat and ashes and grime and the dirt form under their fingernails and between their toes and combed their hair.
While washing his face, hiccup realized that the scratchy thing on his chin and cheeks was no dried dirt of blood or anything.
He touched it again and felt his throat closing up slightly.
He'd started growing a beard. The first stubbles of manhood had started too grown on his chin.
Had he still been on Berk this would have been celebrated.
Together with the sixteenth birthday it marked the step from child to adulthood.
He dropped his hands and took a deep breath.
This was nothing, just some stubble, nothing worth to get sentimental about.
He'd just shave it off.
He quickly climbed aboard, ignoring the water fight between George and Josh and grabbed a towel before heading to his cabin.
It was small with a cot in the wall. There were two scuttles with a table underneath and two chairs. Next to the door was a closet and there were two small shelves above as well as a row of coat hooks along another wall.
The wooden panels on the floor were covered by a small rug. There were maps on the walls as well. Maps of places he hadn't seen yet.
Three oil-lamps that dangled from the ceiling spend warm light and his bags were piled next to the table. The table itself was littered by his own maps, papers, notes, the Book of Dragons and a half eaten apple.
He quickly dried himself, noticing how tanned his own skinned was and how much he'd grown. All this flying, running and fighting certainly helped you developing some muscles. The things he'd worn when he'd left Berk and which he'd taken with him since long didn't fit him anymore.
He'd found new cloth on the boat that was far better. Sturdy blue pants and a black long sleeved shirt and a new pair of boots. Well, one new boot.
There was a knock on the door.
"Yes, come in." he called out and turned around.
Hope stood there.
She was wearing a white apron over her bright yellow tunic and white trousers. How she managed to keep those trousers white was a mystery itself.
She had the hundreds of tiny braids her hair was divided in pulled together into one and she was missing her golden jewelry.
"Dinner is ready." She said with a smile.
"Thanks, I'll be there in a minute." He told her.
"Don't take too long or there will be nothing left."
He laughed. "Don't worry. I just need to tie my boot and then I'll be there."
While eating George, Josh and Hiccup reported to the others what they had seen.
"I will only believe it when I see it. It sounds…unnatural." Kate said.
"Actually it's not that unbelievable." Conner interrupted. "Volcanic grounds are the most fertile plains there are!"
"That still doesn't explain the disappearing people and all of that." Kate said.
"This place is a mystery wrapped in a riddle my Gran would say." Hope said.