Chapter 26: Maces and Talons Part 2
Hiccup, Hicca and Astrid were still on Viggo's ship. They were just overcoming the ambush they walked into and the loss of Heather, Windshear, Henry and the Flightmare.
Hiccup was looking over the side of the ship still processing what just happened. "I don't get it. How did Viggo get away?" He was shocked by this outcome. "How did we lose Heather, Windshear, Henry and the Flightmare in one night?"
"Let's face it, bro, Viggo outsmarted us. Which is very shocking." Hicca said to her brother, as they've never been outsmarted before.
"I don't even want to think about it, what they're going to do to Heather, Henry and those dragons." Astrid said, rubbing her arm.
"Me neither." Hicca asked in worried about what Viggo will do to their friends.
Soon the Fishlegs, Raeda, the Thorston twins and Henry's dragons appeared.
"You guys find anything?" Hiccup asked the riders.
"Any clues or trace on where they went?" Hicca asked as well.
"No, the fog was too thick." Fishlegs answered as he landed. "They used it as cover and just vanished."
"That Viggo had it all planned from every detail." Raeda concluded.
"We should've just pulled Heather out, guys." Astrid said. "I knew something like this was—"
Hiccup placed a hand on her shoulder. "Astrid, she wouldn't have come with us." Reminded her.
"It could be worse. We could've brought the Dragon Eye." Tuffnut commented as Ruffnut then elbowed him. "Ow!"
Hiccup and Hicca raised an eyebrow at Tuffnut from that question. "How do you know we didn't bring the Dragon Eye?" Hiccup asked.
"Yeah, Tuffnut. How did you know we didn't bring it?" Hicca asked as well.
Tuffnut blinked when he realized his mistake. "How did I know you two didn't bring the Dragon Eye?" He repeated as his sister then kept elbowing him again and again. "Ouch!"
The Haddock Twins shrugged off, seeing Tuffnut's point. "Yeah, okay, you're right, I didn't bring it." Hiccup admitted.
"We don't always bring the Dragon Eye with us when we go into battle." Hicca added.
"Thank Thor." Astrid said in relief.
"If we lost that, it would've been an even bigger disaster." Raeda added, knowing that losing Heather, Windshear, Henry and the Flightmare was bad enough, but losing the Dragon Eye to the Hunters as well would be even worse.
Snotlout then appeared landing on the deck. "No kidding. Then, Viggo would have Heather, Henry, Windshear, the Flightmare and the Dragon Eye." He said, counting them off his fingers.
Hiccup's eyes widened. "Which is still back on Dragon's Edge, completely unguarded." He realized.
"Well, this day just keeps getting better and better." Raeda sighed.
"We have to get back to the Edge, now!" Hicca said as they all mounted onto their dragons but then she noticed that Lockjaw and the others weren't moving and looked out to see with worry.
She then walked over to them and placed a hand on Lockjaw's snout, "Don't worry Lockjaw, we'll get Henry back. I promise, but right now we need to make sure the Dragon Eye is safe."
The Five Dragons rumbled in understanding as Hicca then mounted onto Midnight and took flight as the others followed behind them.
(Linebreak)
They quickly returned to Dragon's Edge and arrived just as the sun rose. When they got there they found the entire place trashed, the Dragon Hunter had got there first and turned the entire place inside out.
"Look at this." Fishlegs said. "I feel violated."
"I know, those Hunters have absolutely no respect for privacy and great art!" Raeda exclaimed as she found her hut completely ransacked.
"This is the last part of Viggo's plan." Hiccup said, looking out to sea with his arms crossed with Hicca next to him.
"That ambush was just a distraction." Hicca added while Henry's dragons are behind them.
"Lead us away so the rest of the Hunters and armada could stay behind and come after the Dragon Eye." Snotlout summarized.
"You have to admit, this guy is a master strategist." Raeda commented.
"How did we not see that?" Hiccup moaned.
"Hiccup. You are the last person to use the Dragon Eye after me. We gotta check your hut." Hicca reminded her brother that she gave the Dragon Eye to Hiccup after she used it to learn what healing herbs are best used on dragons.
The Haddock Twins made their way over to Hiccup's hut to locate the Dragon Eye, but there was no sign of it at all.
"It's gone." Hiccup said after checking his chest. "They got it."
"Are you sure you put it away after you got it from the Thorston twins?" Snotlout asked.
"Got it back from the Thorston twins?" Hiccup frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Hicca then frowned in suspicion, "Snotlout?" She asked.
Snotlout realized what he said as he gave a sheepish chuckle. "Well, if they didn't, I think I might know where it is." Raeda said as she walked up to them while giving Snotlout a bored expression.
(Linebreak)
Raeda then led them to the cave where she and the others spent last night and the entire place was just as wrecked as the rest of the Edge. There was food all over the floor, crates and barrels smashed and spread across unevenly on the floor.
"Wow. They really wrecked this place." Hiccup said.
"They must've been pretty desperate to find the Dragon Eye." Hicca added.
"This is pretty much how we left it." Snotlout honestly said to them.
"Except, I don't remember that sword being there!" Tuffnut exclaimed, gesturing to a sword that was through an apple in the mouth of a stuffed yak.
"No, no, no, no. Remember, we were playing Pirates versus Vikings and your Bjorn was the Pirate Captain?" Snotlout reminded him.
"Oh-oh, right." Tuffnut said, chuckling. "That is one great game." He then looked at the Haddock Twins and the others. "Yeah, this is pretty much how we left it."
"So the Dragon Eye should still be around here." Raeda said.
They began looking through the wreckage and Tuffnut pulled the Dragon Eye, which was covered in black goop and feathers, out of the wreckage.
Hiccup and Hicca just stared at it. "What on earth is on there?" Hiccup asked.
"Boar rind grease." Tuffnut said. "Don't worry. It'll buff out." He then spat on it and rubbed it against Ruffnut's back and presented to them, except still quite a lot of the grease was still on it. "See? Well, takes a while."
"Did you snatch this while we were chasing that boar of yours?" Hicca accused.
"Maybe." Ruffnut said.
Hicca took the Dragon Eye from Tuffnut and glared at him and his sister. "I can't believe you took this without telling me or Hiccup. You know, all you have to do was ask and you could've used it. It belongs to all of us." She pointed out.
"Yeah, you two, do you know what could've happened if Viggo got a hold of this?" Snotlout asked.
"Hey muttonhead, you weren't like this when Ruff stole it in the first place." Raeda reminded.
"Seems to me if I hadn't removed the Dragon Eye from your masterful hiding place, we'd be having a very different conversation right now," Ruffnut pointed out, crossing her arms.
"Let's just be thankful for the small mercies that the Dragon Eye is still here after what just happened last night." Raeda said, seeing the bright side of the Thorston Twins, and Snotlout left the Dragon Eye in their secret cave.
"Yeah. A small mercy." Hicca said while she and Hiccup made their way outside and leaned against the entrance to the cave. A hundred different thoughts entered through their heads.
"Hey. You two okay?" Astrid asked, placing a hand on Hiccup's shoulder.
"Yeah…" Hiccup said, then shook his head and walked off. "No." He honestly said.
"This is all just one huge mess." Hicca sighed.
"Astrid, we let this happen. We put Heather and Windshear in that position. We risked the Dragon Eye being taken. I fell for Viggo's plan. And Henry got captured when he tried to help us." He sighed. "Hicca's right. It's a mess."
"You're right, it is." Astrid admitted. "But, if there's a mess, we clean it up. All of us. Together."
"We can get the A-Team from Berk, load up whatever weapons we can and go in, dragon's blazing," said Fishlegs as he and the other Riders exited from the cave.
"Can I bring Macey?" Tuffnut asked. "She's been begging to come along on a mission."
"I've got plenty of arrows in my quiver." Raeda added.
"No guys, we can't yet. That's a good way to get captured." Hicca said, speaking up. "Viggo has already proven that he's a master strategist and deceiver and we've never faced anyone like him before. Dagur and Ryker charge in, rarely thinking ahead, but Viggo actually does plan to strategize." She pointed out.
"Hicca's right, we're not going anywhere. Nobody is going anywhere." Hiccup said he and his sister then saw the stunning looks on their faces. "Not yet anyway. Think about it. We do what we do really well. We're a pretty smart group. We're fast, we're fearless and we ride dragons."
Toothless and Midnight warbled in agreement.
"But this guy, Viggo, he manipulated us like a bunch of inexperienced little kids. If we have any chance against him, we can't go in dragons blazing like we usually do. No, that could get Heather, Henry and Windshear killed. That could get one of us killed." Hiccup finished.
"Well, I, for one, and definitely against getting us killed," said Tuffnut raising a hand. "Or at least my getting killed."
"Yep, I have to agree." Ruffnut said. "And not just because we're twins and we always think the same thing."
"But Hicca and Hiccup are right. Viggo is way too smart. And after that stunt he pulled last night, he might be expecting us sooner than we expect." Raeda said in agreement with the Haddock Twins, seeing their point.
"So you two just want to leave Viggo to hunting and hurting dragons at will?" Astrid asked in disbelief. "You both want to do nothing?"
"We didn't say that, Astrid." Hicca said.
"We want to do the right thing." Hiccup said. "And that is going to take some thinking."
"A lot of thinking for Viggo's case." Hicca finished.
The Riders then watched as the Haddock Twins walked off in deep thought.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, on the Dragon Hunters' Island, Ryker approached the Flightmare that had been de-muzzled and placed in a cage.
"All right, Dragon. Dinnertime." Ryker said as he tossed a bucket of glowing algae near its cage.
The Flightmare just banged against the cage trying to get itself free. Ryker just pointed his spear at it. "Viggo wants you to eat up, like a good little boy. If it was up to me, you'd starve."
"Come now, big brother." Viggo said as he approached Ryker and the cage. "This dragon is our guest. His value to us is immeasurable. We must treat him well, keep him happy." He said as he then grabbed the bucket and placed it in the Flightmare's cage. It just snarled at him and began eating out of the bucket.
"The bigger question is, what to do with our other two guests." Viggo said.
"The traitor and the runaway," Ryker growled. "Whispering Death tunnels for the traitor. Drop her in. Watch them tear her to pieces. It could be entertaining for the crew. Boost morale."
Viggo shook his head. "I'm not concerned with entertaining the crew." He said as he got to his feet and began stroking his goatee. "They must stay sharp. It's only a matter of time before Hiccup and Hicca formulates their parry."
Ryker just gave him a blank look. "Counter-attack, big brother." Viggo said, rolling his eyes. "Thank Thor he blessed you with strength of body."
Ryker just growled.
"Leave Heather be for now. She will prove useful." He then looked at the Flightmare. "Almost as useful as our glowing friend here."
"Ay, and what about Henry?" Ryker asked. "He might try to escape like last time when he freed those five dragons." He added when Henry escaped the first time.
"True. But we now have precautions for that unlike last time. And seeing how the Dragon Riders tried to save him during our confrontation, they attempted to rescue him along with Heather." Viggo said as he stood up. "And knowing how my son is bonded to those dragons for so long, they might ally themselves with the Dragon Riders to rescue him. So let's leave him be for now." He finished as he and Ryker looked at the Frightmare as the dragon roared at them.
(Linebreak)
Elsewhere on the island, Dagur was taking Heather, who had her hands cuffed, towards one of the cages.
"This should keep you nice and cozy until we bring this Dragon Rider nonsense to its horrifying conclusion." Dagur said, shoving her towards one of the cages.
"Dagur, we come from a proud and historic tribal Vikings." Heather said, trying to reason with her brother. "Berserkers, we don't turn on each other. We stand for each other. How can you just ignore that?"
"Well, I let it enter my noggin and then I pay no attention. Right? I mean, that's how you ignore something," Dagur admitted.
"But, you don't. You can't. I know you, Dagur," said Heather desperately. "We share the same blood. You are too smart to ignore anything, Brother."
"Can I ask you something, Sister?" Dagur asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Of course. Anything."
Dagur then leaned in close towards her. "Where were all these lovey-dovey family values when you were trying to blow up my ship and kill me?!" He demanded.
"I didn't know you are my brother at the time. And if you remember, you destroyed my entire island." Heather pointed out.
Dagur was slightly taken aback, because he had forgotten that. "Hm. Good point." He then looked at her curiously. "Are we okay, you and I, on the whole thing? Still some lingering feelings of skepticism?"
Heather just remained silent and looked away, not able to look him in the eye. Dagur then shot into the cage and slammed it shut. "Thought so."
"Wait. What are you doing?" Heather asked.
"If there's one thing I've learned out here over the years, it's that I can only trust one person." He then leaned in closer to a cage. "And you know that person is?"
"Dagur." Heather said sadly.
"Correct!" Dagur yelled. "Dagur! That's who I trust. He's so trustworthy. He's faithful. Tried and true, that Dagur." He said.
"I'm your sister. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you." Heather pointed out.
"Really?" Dagur asked.
"Yes." Heather answered.
"Oh, good." Dagur said as he then turned and glared at her. "Then start moving your mouth and don't make any more trouble! You know, you're really giving the family a bad name."
Heather sighed as he walked away.
(Linebreak)
Somewhere else, Henry is sitting in a cage on his own while doing nothing but flipping an old bone he found.
"I hope you are feeling comfortable, son." Viggo's voice is heard as Henry looks up and sees his father in front of his cage while giving a smirk with his arms behind his back.
"You always were one to offer such great hospitality, dad." Henry said as he glared at his father.
Viggo gave a small chuckle. "I suppose that's true. But from how long you've been away, I figure it was best to catch up, like father and son." He said.
"Why, so you can use the information you would get from me to try and use it to your own benefit?" Henry guessed as he kept his glare.
"Oh, Henry. You know me so well. We did play Maces and Talons together." Viggo said with a smirk. "When I heard from Ryker that you were with the Dragon Riders, I suspected you might give us something you know of them more useful than Heather."
"I gotta be honest with you, father. Before I met the Riders, I saw many islands, met new people and dragons, but I wasn't always with them before they met Ryker and the other Hunters since I was on Berk." Henry said as he glared at him. "I went out on my own after Ryker captured some of them after I helped the rest escape when you captured their friends." He added before giving him a hateful look. "Besides, I know that you are just here to ask me where they kept the Dragon Eye since your men didn't get it from their base." He finished.
"And I take it you don't know where it is then." Viggo guessed.
"The Dragon Riders are the only ones who used it. I was on Berk during that time before I went off on my own. Besides, even if I knew, I would never tell you." Henry said while turning his head around.
Viggo gave a chuckle again. "You are my son, so fierce and determined. While it is a shame that you don't know where the Dragon Eye is, you're still of use to us." He said.
"Really? Like me taking your place as leader of the Dragon Hunters? Like that's gonna happen." Henry sarcastically said, not looking at Viggo.
"Oh, I don't doubt that." Viggo said. "But what I meant was, you and Heather will be useful to us, like this." He then showed him a Maces and Talons piece.
Henry turned his head and saw the piece, having played this game plenty of times growing up, recognized it, "No." He said in shock with wide eyes.
"Yes." Viggo said with a smirk as he had a quite the surprise for the Dragon Riders.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Hiccup, Hicca and Astrid were making their way over the open sea.
"Hiccup, Hicca, what are we doing?" Astrid asked.
"Before we face Viggo again, we need to learn more about him." Hiccup said.. "Let's take another look at his ship. Maybe we missed something."
"There has to be a clue he left behind." Hicca added.
They soon landed on Viggo's ship and began to search it from top to bottom. They finally reached the break and still found nothing that gave them any idea on Viggo.
"We've been through this place before, guys." Astrid reminded them. "They took everything when they left."
"You have to have noticed, Viggo never actually puts himself in danger?" Hiccup asked as he looked around. "He fights with his intellect." He said.
"Yeah. Viggo didn't even fight with brawns." Hicca added. "All he did was plan every move, accounting for every scenario. Take Heather."
"You two think he knew she was working for us all along?" Astrid asked.
"I think, at some point, he found out, and then used her to manipulate us." Hiccup guessed.
"From what I gather from Heather's info and Henry's warning, they described Viggo as a cunning businessman who never gets rid of something that could prove useful tips, whether it's men, dragons or anything else potentially valuable." Hicca said as she paced up and down. "Also if something has ceased to be useful he discards it rather than leaving loose ends."
"Sounds about right." Hiccup agreed with his sister.
Then they noticed Toothless and Midnight are making their way to one of the cells
"Whatcha got there, you two?" Hiccup asked as they made their way towards him.
They found a crate or a box of some kind covered by a piece of cloth. Hiccup removed the cloth and discovered it was a game board and one that he recognised. It was Maces and Talons, but he only had five pieces one on each island and in the middle was two of them, broken pieces.
"Maces and Talons," said Hiccup looking at the game board. He then looked at the different pieces and recognised them instantly. "The 'Viking King' and the 'Healer'. That's supposed to be me and Hicca, trying to save the Traitor and the Hostage."
"Who's that, then?" Astrid asked, gesturing to the last piece.
"The Chief of the Marauders," Hiccup answered. "If I had to guess, I'd say Viggo."
Hiccup then picked up the broken pieces of the Traitor and the Hostage. "And these pieces? This is the 'Traitor' and this one is the 'Hostage'."
"Also known as Heather and Henry." Astrid said.
"I suppose this is how he strategised his battles and movements," Hicca mending down on the game board.
"It's almost like Viggo wanted you two to see this," said Astrid looking at Hiccup and Hicca.
"It's a challenge for him to us." Hiccup commented. "He's daring us to play."
"He is trying to show us his plan." Hicca said as she grew really worried.
"Why did he break Heather and Henry's piece?"
"To send a message." Hicca said grimly.
Hiccup nodded. "Exactly, because if the Viking King refuses to make a move, the Traitor and Hostage dies in the end. The Traitor and Hostage always die." He said grimly as he then dropped the pieces onto the small island on the game board.
(Linebreak)
They soon returned to Dragon's Edge with the Mace and Talons game board. The moment Fishlegs saw the game board he looked at Hiccup excitedly.
"Hiccup, Maces and Talons!" Fishlegs squealed. He then looked up at Hiccup excitedly. "Does this mean…"
"No, Fishlegs." Hiccup said.
"But Maces and Talons was designed to test the abilities and decision making expertise of future chiefs in the heart of battle." Fishlegs explained.
"Except, Fishlegs, Dad didn't send us this." Hicca pointed out.
"And I'm not taking over as Chief of Berk." Hiccup said firmly. "Viggo left this for us. He wants us to play Maces and Talons with him."
"Viggo's here?" Tuffnut spoke up.
"We got next!" Ruffnut yelled.
Hiccup had to push the twins back to prevent them from meddling with the board. "Guys, no, no. He's not here and we're not using the board." He said and the Thorston twins stopped and looked at him. "We're playing for real. With real people."
Hicca then reached for the Traitor and Hostage pieces and showed it to the others. "Viggo is forcing our hand. He wants us to play for Heather and Henry's lives."
"And what happens if you don't play?" Fishlegs asked.
Hiccup and Hicca looked at Astrid and then Hicca dropped the pieces of the Traitor and Hostage onto the board.
Fishlegs stared at the board and got the idea pretty fast. "Oh, no, no, no. Well, you two have to play, Hiccup and Hicca. You both just have to," he said looking up at the Haddock Twins.
"And we need a strategy." Snotlout pointed out.
"And smart strategy to outthink Viggo." Raeda added.
"We do, Snotlout and Raeda." Hiccup agreed. "And that strategy has to be different than any he's ever seen or tried."
"And we better think of one quickly or else Heather and Henry are done for." Hicca said as she gave an anxious look at the Traitor and Hostage pieces.
(Linebreak)
It was afternoon on the Dragon Hunters' Island and Viggo and Dagur were playing a game of Maces and Talons. However, instead of using a board, they were actually using Hunters and Berserkers as pawns.
"Come on, Dagur. Think," Viggo encouraged as he sat relaxed on his throne. "I know there's a brain and all those scars and tattoos."
"I am thinking. This is my thinking face." Dagur said as he turned to the field. "All right, I'm moving my long ship next to your Dragon Hunter's King ship."
Dagur's Berserkers then move towards a single hunter who was acting as the King ship.
Dagur laughed as they surrounded the Hunter. "What do you think of that?"
Viggo just sat there motionless. "I think you've forced me to relocate seven of my Hunters. Interesting move."
"Yes! I knew it," Dagur yelled triumphantly. "I hereby take all seven. They're mine. All mine! And for good measure, I sentence them to life in Berserker prison."
Viggo sighed. "If you must. Henry usually tried to think of a new strategy when we played." He then leaned in closer to Dagur with a slight smirk on his face. "Now, how many Hunters are there in Maces and Talons?"
"Eight."
"And you've just captured seven of mine."
"Yes, I did. Give up?" Dagur asked smugly.
"Well, I would." Viggo said, still very calm, "However, you do not fail to realize that my one lone Hunter has a mace to your Viking King's head."
Dagur turned just in time to see a Hunter slamming his mace on top of the Berserker that was acting as his Viking king and knocking him out. He then turned to Viggo, who had an even larger smirk now.
"Game over." He then got off of his throne and began to walk off, "You see, Dagur, a player has to be willing to sacrifice every one of his pieces to be victorious. Everyone. Pieces, as with people, are expendable. No one is irreplaceable."
Dagur's eyes widened as he had a feeling that Viggo was indicating that his usefulness was soon coming to an end or that Heather's was too.
(Linebreak)
Later that night, the Haddock Twins and the other Riders, while Henry's dragons are back on Dragon's Edge to protect and guard it, were making their way towards Dragon Hunter Island.
"All right, remember guys, Viggo is a master of deception. We have to be one step ahead of him at all times or it's game over." Hiccup said.
"And game over means bad news for Henry and Heather." Hicca added.
"Sounds a little to me like it's already 'game over'." Tuffnut commented.
"Yep, that was my interpretation." Ruffnut agreed.
"Can you two muttonheads realize that 'game over' means done for in reality?" Raeda questioned the Thorston Twins in annoyance.
"No." The Thorston twins answered obliviously.
Then out of nowhere arrows zipped beside them and they found themselves doing zigzags trying to avoid getting hit.
"Whoa! Where are those coming from?!" Fishlegs asked.
They looked down and saw more arrows shooting at them through the clouds.
"Beneath the cloud cover." Astrid observed. "They must have ships down there."
"How did they know we were up here?" Fishlegs asked, puzzled.
Then everyone felt heat and a burst of light coming from Snotlout. They turned and found that Hookfang had ignited just so Snotlout could keep warm and they all glared at him.
"Seriously, Snotlout?!" Raeda exclaimed.
"What?" Snotlout asked. "I was chilly. Now I'm warm and toasty."
"And you'll be dead and buried if Heather and Henry are killed because you couldn't stand a little cold." Hicca warned, gritting her teeth. "Capisce, Cous?"
Snotlout gulped. This was the first time that anyone had seen Hicca threatening anyone or with such fire and anger in his eyes.
Thanks to Snotlout the Hunters now knew they were coming and were shooting arrows through the clouds. Fortunately, since they were still in the cloud cover and fired at the Hunters below which were shooting randomly.
"We must be close to the island." Hiccup said.
"From this many Hunters shooting dragon root arrows at us, I say we are." Hicca added.
"Uh, Hiccup, Hicca…" Astrid said as she pointed below them.
They saw a break in the cloud cover and saw the island below them and it looked like a well-fortified base of operation.
"Viggo's base," Hiccup yelled.
"Are you sure that's it? It looks kinda deserted," said Fishlegs. Then all of a sudden flame shot out of nowhere creating a wall of fire blocking their path. "And I stand corrected."
"Um, did anyone else recognize those flames?" Raeda asked.
They looked down and saw at the base were four Typhoomerangs and several Hunters were stabbing them with the tip of their spears.
"Typhoomerangs dragons!" Hicca called out in surprise.
"He's using flipping Typhoomerangs as blow torches?!" Snotlout asked in shock while trying to avoid getting burnt by the flames.
"I thought you liked it toasty," Astrid smirked.
"I like toast-y not toast-ed." Snotlout retorted.
The Hunters kept on stabbing the Typhoomerangs whenever they stopped meaning that there was no opening through the wall of fire.
"I have to say, you two totally undersold this guy, Hiccup, Hicca." Tuffnut said to the Haddock Twins. "He's even more devious than—"
"Look out!" Hiccup yelled as he, Hicca, Radea and Fishlegs dodged a blast of fire from the Typhoomerangs below.
"We can't get through with them forcing the Typhoomerangs to shoot their fire at us!" Raeda pointed out.
"Maybe we should turn back? Find a place to regroup? There's no way we're getting through that." Astrid suggested, gesturing to the wall of fire they were in front of.
"No. All this is just a distraction," Hiccup told them.
"It's fire, Hiccup. Actual fire," Snotlout retorted.
"I'm gonna have to concur on that one," said Tuffnut looking up at his helmet which was smoldering.
"No, guys. Hiccup is onto something." Hicca said, having the same thought Hiccup is thinking.
"What I mean is, Viggo doesn't want us to retreat." Hiccup said as he zigzagged through the columns of fire that would erupt from below. "It just seems that way. He wants us to get past the fire and the arrows. He wants us to find Heather and Henry. And then his game really begins."
"Well, if he wants us to get through, he's got a funny way of showing it," said Snotlout trying to avoid getting burnt by the columns of fire.
"He doesn't want us to get through. He wants us to go around and attack him from the back."
"Where he'll be welcoming us with a trap just like he did before." Raeda realized.
Snotlout blinked. "Oh. That sounds way better. But that's not what we're doing. Is it?" He asked
"Nope," Hiccup answered, He then looked at the columns of fire. "We're going in this way. Straight into the fire."
He then looked at the other Riders, even his own sister, as they just stared at him as if he was insane. "Um, I think I must have a hearing problem bro, because it sounded like you said you wanted us to fly straight through the fire!" Hicca exclaimed.
"I did." Hiccup said to his sister as he turned to the others. "Now, I know you guys think I'm nuts."
"Yes." Snotlout said.
"Defitenly." Raeda added.
"The fire from the Typhoomerangs is like a giant tornado." Hiccup explained.
"Wait. I see where you're heading." Hicca said, now seeing her brother's idea. "If we fly right into the eye of it, the only place where the fire doesn't reach, it'll be hot, but it won't burn us." She finished.
"Inside it?!" Snotlout yelled. "This whole plan sounds completely theoretical!"
"My fine sister and I have performed said feat of daring many times throughout the history of Nut." Tuffnut assured.
"Yeah, for fun!" Ruffnut added. "It does work. As long as you don't panic while you're inside."
Everyone just stared at the twins wondering how they manage to live for so long after doing so many daring feats.
They soon flew down the tornado of fire and apparently Snotlout and Fishlegs ignored the Thorston Twins advice and were screaming their heads off as they flew down it.
"Whoa! Hold on Meatlug!" Fishlegs cried as he covered his eyes.
The twins on the other hand were standing on the neck of their dragon with excitement all over their faces.
"Yahoo!" Ruffnut cheered.
"Incoming!" Tuffnut called out.
"This has to be the craziest plan those two ever made!" Raeda yelled as she and Sparkfire flew through their tunnel.
The Haddock Twins and their dragons are the last ones to go through.
"Okay, guys. Let's do this." Hiccup said to his sister and their dragons.
"For Heather and Henry." Hicca said in determined as the Haddock Twins and Toothless and Midnight flew straight into their own tunnels as they flew straight through the middle.
The Hunters try to find the Riders but it has likely disappeared without a trace.
"Where'd they go?" A Hunter asked, puzzled. He then looked at the other Hunters. "Cease fire! Cease fire!" He ordered his men.
At once the Typhoomerangs stopped their attacks, but once the flames dispelled they saw the Riders hovering above them.
"Hello, boys. How's it going?" Snotlout asked smugly. "Fire!"
Too later the Hunters realized they had been tricked and the Riders started blasting them.
"You guys free the Typhoomerangs. We're going after Heather and Henry." said Hiccup.
"Let's go." Hicca said to her brother as Hiccup nodded and the Haddock Twins flew off.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Viggo was sitting in his tent in front of the Maces and Talons game board and suddenly there was a huge explosion followed by the ground shaking. Out of the corner as he saw Ryker entering.
"They're here, I assume?" Viggo guessed.
"Not the way you'd planned." Ryker informed his brother. "They went through the fire. Right down the middle of it."
Viggo actually looked impressed. "Brilliant. Simply brilliant," He complimented. "Those children do know their dragons, I give them that."
"Are we gonna do something?" Ryker asked, who didn't share his brother's sentiment. "Most of the troops on the other side of the island."
"Come on now, big brother." Viggo said, getting up. He then walked past his brother and patted him on the shoulder. "What fun would a game be if saddled with an inferior opponent?"
"Whatever you say, little brother." Ryker complied.
Viggo went outside and seconds later Dagur met up with him.
"Uh, there's a rumor going around that the Dragon Riders broke through the Typhoomerangs," he said.
"You're sure about that?" Viggo asked sarcastically.
"Yeah. And thinking the four Typhoomerangs flying into the horizon are a pretty good indication," Dagur gestured to the Typhoomerangs that was flying away.
"Dagur, you did do what I told you to do with the prisoner?" Viggo asked.
"Of course. But, I'm still thinking—" Dagur tried to speak but was cut off.
"Stop thinking," Viggo said, turning towards him with a fixed expression. "All thinking has been done. You simply need to do what you're told, follow orders. Can you do that?"
Dagur glared at him as he walked away and out of the corner as I he saw Ryker walking out of the tent.
"You're the bigger brother, right?" he said.
Ryker sighed. "That I am."
"Don't ever just want to kick the living yak dung out of him? And run that Henry guy through?" Dagur asked.
"Of course I do. And I could." Ryker admitted. "Easily. But I don't."
"And why would that be?" Dagur asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ryker then marched up to him. "He's my brother and Henry's still my nephew. Always remember that, Dagur." He said.
Dagur then watched as Ryker walked away.
Meanwhile, the Haddock Twins began flying over the island trying to find the area where they keep their prisoners. Despite avoiding the ambush there were still several Hunters here and there and they had to avoid being hit by their arrows.
"Whoa!" Hiccup yelled as some arrows flew past him.
"Watch out!" Hicca warned.
Toothless quick return and fired a plasma blast making the Hunters duck for cover. Midnight shot her own plasma blast as she also whacked her tail at some hunters, knocking them unconscious.
Then suddenly the Haddock Twins saw a bright glow in the distance and realized at once that it belonged to the Flightmare.
"Let's get a closer look." Hiccup said, looking at sister as Hicca nodded.
They then headed towards the light and landed on the ground and found the entire place covered with cages.
"If they were going to keep Heather and Henry prisoner and well-guarded this would be the place." Hicca said as the twins dismounted.
Hiccup nodded in agreement and looked back at Toothless and Midnight. "We'll be fine. You two stay here and keep them busy." Hiccup said to their dragons.
"We'll get Henry and Heather." Hicca finished.
Then the two young Vikings ran across the cages that were housing dragons, under normal circumstances they would try to free them, but their main priority was to find their friends and rescue them.
"We'll come back for you all later, I promise." Hicca said.
Of course, the dragons weren't too happy about this and this was proven because one Deadly Nadder almost struck them with its spikes. They kept on looking through the cages and suddenly they saw the Flightmare.
"What have they done to you?" Hiccup asked, looking for the bars of the cage.
The Flightmare had a muzzle over its mouth preventing it from spewing its mist, but strangely there was a small little hole within the muzzle which was slightly confusing. The Flightmare then slammed into the cage causing Hiccup to retreat a little.
"Hiccup, as much as I want to free this dragon, we don't have time for this." Hicca said.
Hiccup didn't like it but Hicca was right. "We'll be back, I promise." He assured the Flightmare.
"Just, sit tight." Hicca said as they left.
'Like I got a choice.' The Flightmare grumbled.
The Haddock Twins kept on looking through the cages, but they found no sign of Heather or Henry.
"We'll never find them this way." Hiccup said.
"Keep searching, they gotta be here somewhere." Hicca encouraged.
Hiccup looked around and then saw a trebuchet. "That's it."
Hiccup then pulled out his shield and fired the grappling hook which wrapped itself around the trebuchets arm. Hicca laced her arms around Hiccup and with one good pull they were launched straight up into the air. From there they could see a cage with a figure sitting inside it and Heather's double bladed axe.
"Got her." Hiccup said.
They landed on the cage and somersaulted off it before making their way towards Heather's cage. They quickly broke the lock off it and opened the door to approach Heather, who had a blanket over her head.
"Heather, thank Thor you're alright," Hicca said in relief.
"Come on. We've gotta find Henry and get outta here." Hiccup said.
Hicca then pulled the blanket off her, but only to discover that it was not Heather sitting there and instead it was Viggo.
"Welcome, Hiccup and Hicca." Viggo said.
Hiccup raised the shield and Hicca went with her battle staff. "Where's Heather? And where did you put Henry?" She demanded.
"Hm. Bad news. Heather and my son will not be joining us tonight." Viggo said as he stood up and looked directly at the Haddock twins, who looked at him in shock at what he just said.
"What?!" Hiccup asked in shock.
"Henry's your son!?" Hicca questioned.
"I suppose my son never told you. Mmm, hurtful but unsurprising." Viggo said as he continued. "But, on the positive side, you two have far exceeded my expectations. Good on both of you." He complemented Hiccup and Hicca as the Haddock Twins then saw hunters appearing out of the bushes aiming arrows at them. "So many guards, so little time." Viggo said with his hands behind his back. "But, please. I am enjoying this. I'll give the two of you a head start."
"Really?" Hicca asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Why would you do that?" Hiccup asked.
"Because, I am nothing if not a good sport." Viggo said with a smirk. "And if I didn't, the game would end here. And what would that be?"
Hiccup and Hicca didn't waste any time and started to run as fast as they could.
"We need to come up with another idea, bro." Hicca said to his brother..
"Agreed. Think, Haddock Twins, think." Hiccup said. He then frowned. "Why would he give us a head start? He knows we have…" This only came to a stop and came face-to-face with several Hunters holding the Flightmare… "Dragons."
"Of course he would use the Flightmare on us." Hicca grumbled.
They got ready to fight and then out of nowhere came Toothless and Midnight.
"Thank Thor you're okay, bud." Hiccup said in relief.
"Same with you, girl." Hicca said in relief as well.
"There you are." said Viggo's voice. They turned and found him standing on top of one of the cages. "Didn't get as far as I imagined."
"Game's over, Viggo." Hiccup said.
"It's time to put an end to your little game." Hicca added as the Haddock Twins stood their ground.
Viggo jumped off the cage. "I'm so sorry you both feel that way. Was I not a worthy adversary? Don't answer that. Your surrender speaks volumes." He insisted.
"No one is surrendering," said Hiccup.
"Unless we're talking about you," Hicca said, pulling out her staff.
"All right, then here's what I propose," said Viggo. "Turn over what you stole from me, what has belonged to my tribe for centuries, and I will give you serious thought to letting you and your friends go free."
"You're talking about the Dragon Eye." Hiccup said.
"'Dragon Eye.' A fitting name when my son said it's name to me when I talked to him in his cage." Viggo nodded. "If you don't mind, I'll use that."
"And as for your proposal I'm afraid we're gonna have to respectful decline." Hicca said with a glare.
"You can have it your way, Viggo. But don't say we didn't warn you," Hiccup said as the Haddock Twins mounted their dragons.
Viggo then nodded to the Hunters holding the Flightmare and before they could do anything it sprayed Hiccup, Hicca, Toothless and Midnight with its mist. Instantly they were unable to move and work completely at the mercy of Viggo.
"You two and your Night Furies played right into my hands," said Viggo as he made his way towards them. "To be honest, I expected more."
He went through Hiccup satchel and pulled out the Dragon Eye. He then showed it to his brother and men and they cheered in triumph. One by one they slowly disappeared back into the forest and Viggo looked at Hiccup and Hicca one last time.
"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third and Hicca Horrendous Haddock, I've enjoyed our time together. I truly hope we are able to compete again," he said.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Dagur was leading Heather, who was still shackled, and two Hunters through a tunnel. He then stopped and pointed down another tunnel and Heather and Hunters walked past him.
"Wait. This doesn't seem right," said one of the Hunters.
The other Hunter nodded. "Aye, Viggo specifically said—"
He never finishes that sentence, because Dagur suddenly slammed the heads of the two hunters together, knocking him out cold.
"News flash! I no longer care what Viggo has to say." Dagur said of the two unconscious Hunters.
He then looked at Heather with an emotionless expression.
Heather had a feeling she knew what he was about to do. "Dagur, please. Don't…" She begged.
Dagur raised his axe up high and closed her eyes as he brought it down. However it never struck and when she opened her eyes she found that he had cut her shackles. She stared at him as he began to whistle and of war came down a tunnel and she turned to find Windshear approaching her.
Heather instantly ran up to her and hugged her. "Windshear! You're okay!" She said in relief.
She then turned and looked at Dagur, who had his back to her. "Henry's in another cell not far from here, go and get yourselves out of here." He said as he walked away. He paused and looked over his shoulder to look at her, before walking off.
(Linebreak)
At Henry's cell, he struggled to break out of his cage as he pushed against the bars with all his strength, but having no luck as the bars weren't budging.
Henry gives up as he sighs. "Why did I think this was gonna work? Dad always plans ahead for these things." He said to himself, should've known better that his father wouldn't make it too easy. "Why'd I bother coming to help anyway when I knew this would happen?" He asked himself before he had a thought about Hicca and her friends.
"Hicca did help me out when Lockjaw was sick. And she and her friends have been rescuing dragons and saving them from my father and his hunters. So, why did I leave them when they first met uncle Ryker when I could've helped them since I know how the hunters work better than anyone?" Henry asked himself as he felt guilty for abandoning the Riders when he could've been more helpful to them since he knows the Hunters longer than Heather and the Riders. "If I ever get out of this cage, I'll find them and help shut this whole thing down." He said in determined, willing to help the Riders fight against his family business.
"Henry!" Heather's voice called out as Henry looked up and saw Heather and Windshear in front of his cage.
"Heather! You're okay." Henry said in relief.
"Stand back, we're gonna get you out of here." Heather said as she turned to Windshear. "Windshear, tailslice." She said to her dragon.
Windshear warbled as she slashed the cage door as it fell down. Henry then walked out.
"Great! Now let's get out of here!" Henry said as he and Heather mounted Windshear as the Razorwhip ran out of the tunnel.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, the mist the Flightmare fired on the Haddock Twins were starting to wear off and they were able to move again along with their dragons.
"Finally, the mist wore off." Hicca said in relief as she tried to get the feeling back into her fingers.
"But now we need to find Viggo now that he has the Dragon Eye." Hiccup said as his sister nodded as they tired and found their footprints leading away deep into the forest. Toothless and Midnight began to sniff the tracks.
(Linebreak)
Not far away inside a cave, Viggo, Ryker and their Hunters were standing in the center of a cavern with the Flightmare.
"What are we doing? Let's kill it and move on!" said Ryker looking at his brother.
Viggo made his way towards the Flightmare and held out the Dragon Eye. Then a Hunter pulled a lever releasing the mist from the muzzled Flightmare which struck the lens on the Dragon Eye.
They suddenly heard noise and instantly knew that it was Hiccup and Hicca heading straight towards them.
"Viggo! Dragon Riders!" Ryker warned.
"Just a moment more." Viggo said as he held the Dragon Eye study as it began to shake his hands and a few seconds later he said, "Release the Dragon!" He ordered.
The Hunter released the muzzle and the Flightmare flew off just as Hiccup and Hicca arrived.
"Viggo!" Hiccup yelled.
"You won't get away!" Hicca yelled next.
Then suddenly the Flightmare attacked them and forced them to retreat down the tunnel.
"Accepting defeat is the most difficult, but necessary, part of competition, Haddocks." Viggo said as they left.
The Haddock Twins flew down the tunnel with the Flightmare in tow, but they were able to get outside. From their position they could see the Riders not too far away.
"Guys, out of the way!" Hiccup yelled.
"What? We just got here." Ruffnut frowned.
Then suddenly they saw the Flightmare heading straight towards them.
"This isn't a very fun reunion." Tuffnut commented as the Flightmare chased them.
They don't get very far, as the dragon sprayed them with its mist and they fell hard to the ground totally helpless.
"Over here!" Fishlegs yelled.
Flightmare then turned and faced him and by a spurt of mist. Fishlegs was able to dodge it, but Snotlout, who was directly behind him, wasn't so lucky and they too fell to the ground.
"Sparkfire, spineshot!" Raeda called out as her Nadder shoot it spines at the Frightmare, forcing it back before it shoot it's mist at them, causing them to fall to the ground too.
"We need to get that thing out of here, back on its food trail." Hiccup said to Hicca as they flew up towards Astrid.
"And how do we do that, bro? It wasn't easy last time." Hicca pointed out.
Suddenly the Flightmare turned and faced the three of them. Then out of nowhere Heather and Henry appeared on Windshear.
"Heather!" Astrid gasped.
"Henry!" Hicca said in relief, "You're both alive, thank Thor,"She added.
"Sorry we're late!" Henry said before turning, "Now let's get rid of that overgrown glowworm."
"Don't hurt it, girl. We just need to scare it off." Heather said.
Heather then flew up straight towards the Flightmare chasing it down and firing spikes added. Astrid then fired a stream of fire preventing it from escaping and soon it found itself in a four-way sandwich between Hiccup, Hicca, Astrid, Henry and Heather.
Knowing it could not stand a chance against the four of them it blew off towards the open sea in the direction of its food trail. Once the Flightmare disappeared from view Heather and Windshear flew off without even saying goodbye.
"Heather, drop me off with the riders. I'm staying." Henry said to Heather, which surprised her.
"Are you sure?" Heather asked.
"I'm sure. They might need my help and I'm done running." Henry said in a determined expression.
Heather gave a thought before she nodded. "Okay, but I'm not letting the others see me. Knowing them, they might try and stop me from leaving." She said as she looked away, "I just, I need some time to clear my thoughts."
"Take care of yourself." Henry said as Heather steered Windshear to a clearing where the Dragon Riders won't notice them as Henry got off Windshear as the two flew off while Henry watched them go before he looked up towards the Dragon Riders.
"Let's sweep the tunnels! Come on!" Hiccup ordered.
"We gotta find Viggo before he gets too far!" Hicca added.
"Hiccup, Hicca, there's no way he's still down there." Astrid said.
"But we can't let him get away!" Hicca argued.
"You two know Viggo had this whole thing figured out from start to finish. He's long gone by now." Astrid said.
Hiccup and Hicca knew Astrid was right, but they didn't make it any easier. They had lost for the first time in their Dragon Riding careers. The Haddock Twins then roared in anger straight up into the sky so loud that the gods themselves could hear him from Asgard.
Midnight and Toothless flinch from their riders outburst, never heard them yell out in anger before like that as they looked at each other in concern, knowing that the Haddock Twins will have a hard time after what just happened as the four riders flew back to Viggo's island to regroup with their friends.
(Linebreak)
After finding their friends, they met up with the other Riders, sea stacks not too far away from the Hunters base. It was then that Astrid noticed that the Haddock Twins still looked furious at themselves.
"Where's Heather?" Hiccup asked.
Astrid shook her head. "She's on the run." Henry said as he walked up to them, having met up with the riders before they got off Viggo's island..
Hiccup and Hicca look down at the ground in shame and Astrid knows what was wrong. "He got the Dragon Eye didn't he?" The Haddock Twins' silence confirmed it. "We'll get it back, guys. Besides, he has no Snow Wraith key. Without that, it's useless."
"And he knows that," said Hiccup as he took out the Marauder's Chief piece from Maces and Talons. "So, why did he want it so badly?"
"You think he has another way to unlock it?" Hicca asked.
"He knew I would take the key out for ever coming to this island and my mistake cost us." Hiccup said.
"You've only lost one that you have lost the war yet," Hicca. "Besides, not everything went as he planned. We're all still alive, have managed to escape and we now know a better idea of our enemy. I call that a victory."
"He doesn't need a key." Henry suddenly spoke up, "Not anymore anyway."
"What do you mean?" Astrid asked as they and the other Riders turned to Henry, who was giving them a grim expression.
"He doesn't need a Snow Wraith key anymore to unlock the Dragon Eye. He found another way to use it." Henry explained.
The Riders looked at him worried about this discovery. "What? But how can they use the Dragon Eye without a key?" Hicca asked Henry.
Henry looked at them, "Why do you think my dad wanted that Flightmare only to let it go?" He asked.
The Haddock Twins didn't answer as they continued to look at the Marauders Chief wondering why Viggo took the Dragon Eye on what he was planning next and what Henry is trying to say, waiting for him to continue as they have a bad feeling about this.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, on Viggo's flagship, both Viggo and Ryker were sitting in Viggo's cabin looking at the Dragon Eye which had no Snow Wraith embedded in it.
"Well, at least it's decorative." Ryker said. "Not to mention that Henry slipped away again, but at least we now have the Dragon Eye, which is useless without a key, but decorative, nonetheless."
Ryker began to make his way out of the cabin, but Viggo smirked and slammed his fist on the table. The Terrible Terror that was trapped in a cage on it shot out some flames straight towards the Dragon Eye.
Ryker turned as he saw the glow exiting from the Dragon Eye producing a much larger map than normally, it was all in different colors, different markings all across the wall. Viggo smirked at the sight.
Ryker was speechless. "Wait, how did you…" He asked his brother how he managed to get the Dragon Eye to work without the Snow Wraith tooth.
"When the Dragon Eye was constructed, the locking mechanism was given an emergency release." Viggo explained walking up to the wall. "A filament that can only be burned away by the glow of a Flightmare." He explained as Ryker is surprised that his brother knows that.
Viggo then approached the huge map against his wall and placed his hand over it. "Hiccup, Hicca and Henry will come to know that their carelessness will cause every dragon on earth to be slaughtered and sold, including their Night Furies and my son's dragons." He declared as he pulled away from the map, which showed some symbols and a depiction of a Night Fury right in its center.