Chapter Eighty-Eight: Failed Rescue
"Changewings!"
The others flinched slightly as the heavy volume hit the table in front of them.
Hiccup sighed and flopped down in the chair in front of them.
"An invisible, acid-spitting, hypnotizing, very territorial dragon. And it's probably not alone. I bet they guard all of these islands and that's why no one's ever been able to get out of here alive. Invisible enemies you cannot fight. That's great. Just great."
The others made huge eyes at the realization of that.
George was the first to compose himself.
"Does the book say anything about how to train them or weaknesses that we could use against them?"
Hiccup sighed.
"It says, and I quote: "These territorial dragons are one of the most dangerous in the known world. They are very protective, vicious and aggressive. They are gregarious animals and protect each other. Their acid can burn through anything; their hides can match their surroundings perfectly, their claws are like razors, their teeth are coated in poison and their stare can hypnotize even grown boulder-class dragons long enough to strike and kill. They have heightened senses, antlers that are flexible like whips and overall a vicious temper. There is no known way of training these beasts. They respond to no common means and dislike other dragons of all kinds. It is wise to forgo them. In case of an attack there are zero survival chances." End of quote. So, I don't know about you guys but this is pretty straight forward."
"But somehow, whoever it was, the people on that island must have trained them. Is there really nothing you can think of?" Conner asked.
"Nothing." Hiccup said sadly.
"But that doesn't mean that we're giving up either. We need to make another round. See the Islands from all its angles, find out about the security and who runs this island. That means hours ob observation and spying. With Changewings on this island we'll have to be extra careful. They are mostly night-active but they come out during day too. They eat whatever they get and well, yeah, you already know the rest."
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They decided to start their observation already that night and Hope, George and Kate sat out for the first round.
They returned hours later in the slightly diming light of the evening, exhausted with little news.
"There is no security. Really, none. No people patrolling the streets at all! But we already knew that. Otherwise we saw people rowing out onto the lake to fish and they actually caught something. Really big fish that looked like tunas but were something else. Other than that it's really creepy how calm and peaceful it is. Everybody is so happy. I think the greatest tragedy today was the pile of horse-dung one lady stepped in." George said as he dismounted Fighter.
Hiccup nodded. "Thanks. We'll take it from here. You go and sleep."
They nodded but before Kate vanished at the stairs she turned back around.
"Hiccup!" she called.
He turned around.
"Yes?"
She chewed on her lower lip.
"I'm not quite sure if I'm being paranoid or if it is really something but….I had a closer look at the harbor. There…there are awfully many ships down there, don't you think? I mean, for such a small island with so little people…" she trailed off.
Hiccup shrugged. "Honestly, I can't remember much about the harbor."
She nodded.
"Anyway, goodnight." She said.
"Goodnight. Sleep well."
She hurried the stairs down and he mounted Toothless's back.
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Hiccup, pressed flat onto Toothless's back raced across the red skies above the Isle of Tomorrow.
Below him was the village.
It was bigger than he'd seen at first glance.
He estimated that maybe two-hundred to two-hundred-and-fifty- or eighty people lived here.
The outer houses had one stories whereas they rose in height the closer they got to the center. At the center there was a five-story tall mansion with rich decorations and a fancy design.
The symbol of a sun was carved into the front doors, the shingles and painted on every window like a coat-of-arms.
Yellow and purple flags hung all around town.
They met up at the beach again.
"So, what do you think?" Hiccup asked.
"And idiot could take this island." Conner snorted.
"My thoughts exactly." Josh said grimly.
Hiccups eyes trailed to the outlines of the boats. Kate's words rung through his heads. Something's wrong with those ships.
He pushed the thought aside.
"Alright, then I guess it's time for the rest. Let's mount up and scout the forest closely but be careful. At the slightest sign of danger or even activity, make sure you are hidden or flee, do I make myself clear? No need in warning them ahead of time that we're here."
The other two boys nodded and together they rose again.
They flew in an arrow-formation. Hiccup ahead with Josh and Conner flanking him on both sides a wingspan behind him.
As they overflew the forest Conner suddenly called out: "Look, over there." and pointed down.
There, in the middle of the forest, far away from the rest of the village stood a stone complex of three long and wide buildings. They had no windows, no chimneys, just one wide heavy metal door with lots of locks. They were square and had no real roof.
"They look like barracks, just without windows." Josh muttered and flew a little closer to Hiccup.
"Do you think they may be something like a granary?"
"With so much security? I highly doubt it."
"Nothing moving down there" Conner said as he joined them "But I saw signs of recent activity. Torches, still smoldering, and half eaten food and an unfinished card-game."
Hiccup nodded his thanks.
"Well, we better be careful. Maybe someone is still awake. The someone who guards this." H pointed down.
The other two nodded and they hurried away towards the mountain.
They stayed clear of its top this time. They had no desire to encounter Illiona's invisible guardian.
Instead they rounded the mountain until they reached the point where stone and water met.
The light of torches came so suddenly that Hiccup yelped a little.
Quickly they steered into the shadows.
As their dragons hung onto the steep walls of the mountain like bats, Hiccup looked down.
And gasped.
Just below them was a wide entrance in the mountain.
It was flanked by two long rows of torches illuminating the orange-red-glow of the night and casting strange shadows onto the surrounding areas.
But they also illuminated something else.
Two rows of people, one leaving, one entering the mountain, walked beneath him.
Men, women and children alike. Some were just able to walk, some too old to walk. They looked all different, all of different backgrounds and yet in their tattered clothes, covered in dirt and small injuries, all bearing the same empty expressions of pain and misery they looked all alike.
They were either carrying shovels or pickaxes or were pulling heavy carts loaded with something that was covered under heavy cloth.
They were supervised by tall and big men in black clothes with whips in their hands. Whenever one of the haggard, thin and exhausted people, of which some even missed a limb, would so much as stumble or walk too slowly for their liking the whip would crack, shortly followed by a small pained cry.
In their faces, on their necks, their arms and legs was the burned or painted sign of the Slave-Mark.
Slaves.
Just the word made bile rise in Hiccup throat.
He swallowed it down.
The line exiting the mountain was let towards the wood and the barracks they had spotted earlier. So that was why these buildings had no windows and were so secure. They held the slaves.
Just the thought angered Hiccup so much that he wanted to storm down there and whip those guards with their whips so they would see what it was like.
He could hear a child cry.
Josh, who seemed to guess his intentions hissed: "Don't be stupid Hiccup! You can't help them. Not yet anyway."
Hiccup clenched his teeth.
"I swear, I find out who is responsible for all of this and I will tear him or her apart limb for limb."
Conner and Josh exchanged concerned looks.
Of course they were furious too that someone could be such a horrible person to allow this but Hiccup eyes had darkened the friendly green turning darker and darker.
They would never know how their next steps would have looked like and if they had been able to accomplished what they accomplished, had it not been for the brave man that choose that exact moment to try and make a run for it.
Maybe he was desperate or wished to end it all or maybe actually had a plan but whatever the reason, it didn't work.
As soon as h broke from the lien of people heading inside the mountain and ran towards the woods, one guard fast as lightning drew a whistle from his pocket and blew in it.
There was no sound as far as Hiccup was concerned but the effect was immediate.
Trees suddenly started moving, grass bed under the invisible weight of something and vicious growling ripped through the night.
All the slaves froze in their movements, terror etched on their faces.
As for the brave man running…his chase was cut short when something invisible ripped off his head.
Blood spluttered everywhere as the slightly twitching corps fell into the grass.
The head seemed to float in midair until the air started to shimmer and the rest of the dragon materialized, together with eight others, all standing in a semi-circle.
They looked a lot like their friend up on the mountain but they were smaller.
Somehow they looked female to Hiccup.
The one holding the head in her mouth let it dropped and it rolled a few feet.
The guard with the whistle blew it again in different intervals and the dragons flinched, bowed down and howled like wounded animals.
Hiccup watched in horror.
What was that guy doing?
The man finally stopped and turned to face the frozen slaves.
"I don't think I need to explain myself, do I?" he asked in a gruff voice and pointed at the dragons and then at the corps.
"You are not going anywhere, you filth of the seven nations. You dared to enter our territory, now you have to face the consequences. Now back to work!" he bellowed.
Hiccup froze.
Kate's words rung even louder through his head.
Something's wrong with those ships. Something's wrong with those ships. Something's wrong with those ships.
The ships!
Hiccup resisted the urge to face-palm himself.
Of course.
He'd been to many places. He'd seen their navies. He'd seen the flat boats from Kerala, he'd seen Will's fisher-boat, Conner's father had dozens of different ships in City of Fallen Heroes, the massive boats of Derandolia, in Barn he'd run past the harbor with its warships. Back then he'd never really acknowledged it but now the pictures of all those ports and ships floated into his mind.
Each nation built its ships differently.
And the harbor of the Isle of Tomorrow was packed with hundreds of different ships.
Anyone who dares enter the mist has vanished. Sometimes they find the debris of their ships but even that is unlikely. The people just disappear. My own father once sent boats there. No one returned. It's a death-trap. You'll never get out. Something guards those islands.
That had been the words his friends had spoken few weeks ago in Conner's cave.
Everything fell into place.
Hiccup's gaze was drawn to the cloth-covered carts.
There were gold-mines here.
And the people didn't want to share.
Somehow they had managed to 'train' the Changewings and defended their island and their riches from intruders.
Intruders were captured and used as slaves to win the gold from the depth of the mountain.
They kept their ships so they could sail across the world and sell small portions of their gold unnoticed under different names and origin and at the same time kept the image of the cursed place no-one wants to get near.
It was bloody brilliant.
Cruel, but also bloody brilliant.
But Hiccup didn't have any time left to ponder about it because one of the Changewings suddenly raised its head and sniffed.
It narrowed its eyes.
It turned its head and stared at them.
It growled.
Heads turned.
And Hiccup made the mistake of looking the Changewing in the eyes.
The turned into swirling whirlpool, not unlike Zhangs eyes but much faster and they were way deeper.
And Hiccup was trapped.
His body went stiff.
His heart-rate slowed down dramatically.
He fell.
The impact with the earth was far away. He felt as if he was drowning in those eyes. He couldn't breathe.
Then there was pain on the back of his head and everything went dark.
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When he woke again there were unknown faces hovering above him.
Dirty, weary faces with eyes that long had lost their spirit.
Groaning he sat up and looked around.
He knew instantly that he was in one of the barracks.
It was crowded, semi-dark and it stunk so badly he wanted to vomit.
"Easy lad. That was one nasty hit to the head you got there." One of the faces said.
Hiccup needed a moment to understand.
"You…you're a Viking….you…you speak Norse!" he mumbled.
"Ay lad and so do you." The man said. He was tall and had a big beard, not unlike Hiccups own father but otherwise he was thin and haggard and dressed in rags. The slave-mark was burned into the base of his throat but it looked very old. It was white and smooth.
"My name is Humongous Hotshot the Hero*. All though I have to admit that my hero-days are long over. What is your name my fellow Viking and how come that you are so far away from home?"
"My name is Hiccup. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. Son of Stoick the Vast and Valhallarama the Great, from the Isle of Berk."
"By Odin's beard!" Humongous exclaimed. "The Valhallarama? The great heroine? Daughter of Old Wrinkly?"
Hiccup nodded carefully.
"I once knew here. Eighteen years ago we were supposed to be married but then I got lost during a quest and ended here. I have been a slave ever since. You said Stoick the Vast? Well, it could have been worse." Humongous mused.
Hiccup stared at the man.
"Alright…" he said slowly.
Then he looked around.
"Ahm, can you tell me what happened?" he asked, not really sure what to make of those revelations.
"Well, after the poor fella was beheaded by those beasts, they started to act a little weird and then suddenly you fell out of the sky or so it looked like. Then there was a lot of shouting and then there was something shooting blue lightning at us and then there were suddenly two other boys, both probably slightly older than you with dragons trying to get you up and away. But the guards overpowered them. Knocked you out too."
"Josh and Conner. What happened to them?"
"They were brought to a different barrack."
"But they were alright, right?"
"Yeah. Knocked out but alright."
"Thank the gods."
Hiccup sighed relieved but then he panicked again.
"What happened to the dragons?"
Humongous frowned.
"You mean the invisible ones? They were brought back to their cages…"
"No, I mean the dragons we rode on!" Hiccup shouted. "Did they do anything to them?"
The other Viking frowned.
"You…you ride those kind of beasts? What are you? A spy? Why would you do such a shameful thing?" he growled.
But Hiccup didn't have the nerve to deal with these old prejudices now.
"Listen, I don't have time for this now. Just tell me."
The man narrowed his eyes.
"I didn't see much after the overpowered you and your friends. I was brought to the barracks with the others. About fifteen minutes later you were thrown in. That was maybe an hour or so ago. Hard to say. Time is difficult here."
Hiccup rubbed his hands over his face.
Gods he was tiered.
Then he got up.
He looked around.
"Alright. How do we get out of here?" he asked and eyes the door not too far away from him.
Humongous sighed.
"You don't." he said simply and crossed his arms.
"Even if you get through the door they have the invisible dragons. And you're still trapped on the island. We tried. All of us. If you try to overthrow the Lord you get killed as an example. They always find out."
Hiccup listened attentively. "The Lord?" he asked. "Who's the Lord?"
Humongous sighed and sat down, patting the place next to him.
"Come on, I'll explain it to you."
Hiccup sat down and looked at the ex-hero expectantly.
"If you made your way as far as here, then you know what this place is, what its history is and what lies underneath the island, right?"
Hiccup shrugged. "More or less."
"Well, I'll tell you anyway." Humongous said. "This was once a group of island not to different from our Archipelago with the difference that these islands were volcanoes. One day after a sea-quake these volcanoes exploded. The islands broke apart and changed the whole archipelago. Thousands were killed or made homeless. The people were helpless. There had been always gold-mines on these islands. They didn't know anything but mining. After the accident the other nations wanted to us the miserable situation of the people to strike a deal with them. Help in exchange for own goldmines on the islands. But they never got so far. Everybody that tried to get close to the islands vanished. People started to say that hell had opened and swallowed the people of these islands as a punishment because they were becoming too rich and too proud. Whatever the reason, people assumed this was a cursed place and everybody that had lived her had died."
Humongous paused.
"They were wrong."
He sighed.
"And old lady lived here. She had the gift of Sight and predicted the eruptions but also what would follow. The people, unwilling to ever share what they had thought had been given to them by their god and their god only, made a plan with the help of the Seer. When the time came they hid deem in the mines and sit the catastrophe out. At the same time they sent 'survivors' up ahead to tell the other nations of the horrible things that had happened.
When the catastrophe was over, the other people, who had survived the events with little casualties, came out again. They prepared as best as they could and when the other nations arrived, expecting no survivors, they were overrun by the islander and either killed or taken captive. They took their boats and stuff and rebuilt their island. To keep up the image of the destroyed hell-place they sold their gold under many different names and nationalities to the other nations. Till today no-one has ever suspected anything. Also the interest has decreased. But whoever is stupid enough to come here or unlucky enough to get captured along the way by the insular ends up here. Or dead. Which, believe me, would be a whole lot better. They let you work until you drop dead and then they give your body to the dragons. I've seen it happen. But coming back to your original question: The Lord is a descendant of those leaders. He's as stupid as they come but he's in control of the monsters and therefore of all the people here. He's a fat swine if you ask me but we all have to obey him. Or he makes you pay."
Humongous shuddered at the memory. "Not a nice thing."
Hiccup nodded. Most of what the old Viking had said, he'd figured already out on his own.
"But what about the dragons? Where did they come from? And I know dragons. They don't behave like these do. Especially Changewings don't. They're know to be un-tame-or trainable. What do they do that they have such control over them?"
Humongous shrugged.
"They never told us. Heck, I never knew these things existed here until they ate a friend of mine. And that was after I'd nearly been here for a year."
Hiccup frowned.
This was not good.
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Time passed slowly.
Most of the people were so exhausted, they slept deeply. Probably because they had another hard shift ahead of them.
Humongous too fell asleep.
But Hiccup couldn't. He was concerned for his friends. All of them.
The others back on the ship would get alarmed if they didn't return in a few hours. And even if they decided to wait they would still come after them eventually. And Josh and Conner were somewhere else, captured ad surrounded by strangers.
He sat next to a snoring Humongous and wondered if this was going to be his future. Forgotten in some barrack, damned to mine gold for some Lord and probably die young?
He wondered where Toothless and the others were. Humongous had never really answered him. He hoped that they'd gotten away.
But Toothless couldn't fly without him. And he was too loyal. He was probably captured too.
Hiccup buried his face in his hands.
Gods, everything was so messed up.
He clasped his hands together.
"Loki…" he whispered but the words caught up in his throat. He didn't know what to say.
"Loki… if you hear me…what I somehow seriously doubt…but if you do….please. I really need help this time. And please don't come up with some excuse to not help me. Please. I know I said to leave me alone but….but you know I can't do this without your help." He whispered fiercely. "So come on man. Don't be an ass. Show me you changed."
But for an answer there was no time.
The many locks on the door suddenly started to click and bolts moved and the door suddenly opened.
Light flooded inside, blinding Hiccup for a moment so he couldn't see who was entering.
Next to him Humongous stirred.
The other man looked around.
"They can't possibly be here for our next shift. We have at least another two hours." He mumbled.
Hiccup could now make out two guards in armor with long flowing capes making their way through the crowed of sleeping bodies, not caring who they kicked or walked over.
With dread he realized they were making a bee-line for him.
He got up, ready to fight but when he saw their weapons and back-up at the door he hesitated.
The guards stopped in front of him and the taller one growled: "You, intruder. The Lord wants to speak to you, you maggot."
Hiccup growled.
"Tell his Lordship I'm not in the mood and the he better free my friends or thing will get ugly."
For a moment they looked stunned that he knew their language but then the smaller one slapped him hard in the face.
"Don't talk like that you scum." He growled back.
Both of them grabbed one of his arms and dragged him through the slowly waking crowed of people.
Outside three walked in front of them and three behind them.
There was no way of escaping.
The threw him into the empty loading space of a cart before one of them sat down in the front seat and cracked a whip.
Two dragons materialized and started pulling the cart.
Their snouts were tightly bound and they had bleeding gashes in their thick dragon hide.
Hiccup thought he was going to be sick.
"What do you do with them?" he asked pained.
Again he was punched in the face.
His cheek throbbed.
"You don't talk unless asked slave." One of them growled.
"Oh sod off." Hiccup said under his breath in Norse.
"What was that?" another one asked sharply.
"Nothing." Hiccup said.
The ride was relatively short.
They pulled up in front of the big house Hiccup had just noticed last night.
The two that ha escorted him out of the barrack now brought him inside.
They walked fast and Hiccup had to watch here to step so he didn't notice where they were going.
Only when they shoved him into another room and closed the doors behind him he looked up.
The room was relatively empty. Just another door, two windows, a few paintings on the walls and a single throne on which the fattest man Hiccup had ever seen sat.
He looked like a baby whale. No scratch that. He looked like a melon with a neck and head, two short arms and feet. He was dressed in yellow and purple robes with a belt made from iron-chains or something.
His face was red and he was panting hard, even though he wasn't moving.
He fat short fingers were covered in golden rings and his little watery eyes moved over Hiccup with unhidden annoyance and fury.
Hiccup didn't really know what to do. He just stood there, awkwardly playing with the hem of his shirt.
For a moment only the heavy breaths of the fat Lord were to be heard.
The he spoke.
"So you are the one. I don't see much."
Hi voice was deep and breathless.
Good gods he needed a diet. And exercise. Lots of exercise.
Hiccup didn't answer. There wasn't much that could be said t such a statement.
"Well" the fat Lord said "What do you have to say for yourself?"
Hiccup kept silent.
"Don't think I don't know why you're here Hiccup."
He leaned forwards and huffed. "Oh yes, I know who you are. And know this." He smiled gleefully.
"Nothing happens here without me knowing about it."
Hiccup heart beat a little faster. Was that possible?
"You're here for my Seer. She again contacted someone and you were stupid enough to follow here sweet innocent words into your doom."
Hiccups breath hitched in his throat.
No!
The fat Lord clapped his hands and next to him a smaller Changewing appeared. It unfolded its wings and out tumbled…
"Illiona!"
He couldn't hold it back.
The girl looked up, her cheeks tear-streaked.
She was gagged and her hands bound. Her face was a colorful assortment of purple, blue, green and yellow bruises.
Anger swelled in his chest.
"Let her go or I swear you will regret it!" he growled and stepped forward.
The fat Lord raised a finger warningly and said: "Ah-ah-ah-a! Not so fast."
He snapped with his fingers and the Changewing jumped at Illiona, capturing her under its body. Illiona screamed through the gag in her mouth, fresh tears streaming down her face.
She was absolutely terrified.
The fat Lord shook his head amused.
"She really thought she had me fooled. That stupid girl. Sometimes I think she's more trouble than she's worth. But I've been suspicious for a long time now. She was far too nice."
He examined his finger-nails.
"Ah well, I guess it really doesn't change anything. Right?"
Hiccup really wished he had his sword right now.
"What do you want?" he growled.
The fat Lord laughed.
"Me? Oh I have everything I want, really! I mean, I have more money than I can spend, I have a seer, I'm feared, I can control uncontrollable dragons and with each load of gold that leaves this island my influence grows. Soon I will have allies in all seven Nations and then nothing will stop me. I will slowly overturn it all, build a new world, just like all my ancestors planned it to be."
Hiccup clenched his fists.
"Really? Well, pick a number and wait in line, the idea is popular at the moment. You will have a lot of rivalry." He hissed.
The fat Lord waved his words aside.
"Oh, there is nothing money can't buy. The richest should rule the world, don't you agree?"
Hiccup could hardly contain his anger anymore.
He felt his body shake.
"I really hate people like you. You bring misery upon thousands for your own welfare. You make me sick." He spat and made another step forward but the fat Lord clapped two times, faster than Hiccup had thought he could move, and behind Hiccup the two guards that had escorted him all along stormed in and grabbed him by the arms again.
He tried to shake them off but it was hopeless.
He watched as the fat Lord looked at the Changewing and how it cowered down, Illiona still captured between its legs.
He took a whistle from around his neck and blew inside. Faintly Hiccup could make out a sound but it was way too high for him to hear it properly.
But not for the dragon. It wailed and shook its head, making itself small.
The fat Lord then growled at it and it backed away backwards into a corner.
The fat Lord clapped again and two more guards entered the room through the other door and picked Illiona roughly up.
"Bring them back. I'm sure they have a lot to talk about."
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*How to twist a dragon's tale by Cressida Cowell. And I changed the story a bit but that's not really relevant. I just needed a character and was too lazy to make up my own. I love Fanfiction. They take all the hard work from you. The fat Lord is, by the way, based on the fat Consul form How to Speak Dragonese.
Otherwise folks: Sorry it took so long. But I just couldn't get myself to write it down. Life's so messed up right now and I wished I could just transport myself in one of the stories and leave all the rest behind.
Anyway, I wish you all the best Christmas you can have, whether you celebrate Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning or if you celebrate Hanukah or, if you're an atheist just have a nice day, or whatever religion or society you belong too, I wish you a wonderful time, a good start into the new year and I hope to 'see' or rather hear from you then.
See this as a little Christmas present from me and enjoy.
May you all have a wonderful time,
Yours truly,
Kate Carpenter