Chapter Thirty-Seven:
Dwale
"I'm Accalia." The girl said first, and Astrid opened her mouth in shock at the deathly beauty of this girl, who had stepped further into the sunlight. Her brown skin was rich, as if made of ebony, but what sparked more indignation were her eyes, of an electric blue shade. Hiccup couldn't help but think about Jack's eyes paling in comparison to this devastatingly beautiful girl.
The other two boys were her sharp contrast, equally beautiful, however their skin was pale and golden locks framed their angelical faces. Twins. "I'm Leo," Said one boy, the other following close. "This is Lonza."
Hiccup and Astrid stared at them, dumbstruck. "I'm Hiccup." he said.
"We know." Lion said. "You must come with us."
Astrid nudged Hiccup's ribs quietly. "Let's go!" she hissed.
"You can't leave." The girl Accalia said simply, and Toothless emitted a menacing growl, to which the girl remained impassive. "And you can't fight."
As she said it, Toothless body began to shrink. Hiccup snapped to him in fear, but uselessly, as the dragon diminished until he was the miniature size of the boy's palm. "What are you doing?!" He yelled, and Astrid waved her wand — no spell came out.
"Essentio!" Hiccup cried, but his wand had been rendered useless.
"Let us out of here!" Astrid yelled, braving her wand against the children, which remained still as if made of rocks; ineluctable. They stared at their magical wands, now two pieces of wood, as powerless as any other stick from that forest.
Hiccup got back on his feet, placing Toothless over his shoulder. "You called us here…" He spoke, and the children only stared, coldly.
"We are all instruments." Leo said. "Your reason awaits further down your path. What you seek lies not ahead, but under."
"We need to get out of this place." Astrid insisted, sprinting towards the open section of the dome, but her hands got caught up in the invisible wall that shaped in her path; trapped.
"How do we leave?" She asked angrily, but with a resigned tone.
"Your path is not forward, but down. Descend deeper into the abyss, and you'll find your way out."
Hiccup gazed at Accalia darkly, but there was a light of understanding. "You're not… one of the living." He said. "Are you?"
"We neither live, nor die." Leo responded.
"Therefore we cannot be killed." Accalia concluded.
"How do we go down?" Asked Hiccup.
It was Lonza who stepped ahead, not bothering to eye either of the wizards, before he stepped on the platform at the centre of the dome, and a small opening gave way in the rocks. A dark pit caved way into the ground, neither Hiccup nor Astrid could tell how deep it went.
"Why did you bring us here?"
"You'll find out." Accalia replied.
Astrid and Hiccup shared a dreadful look, the girl silently pleading him not to, and the boy resigning to his fate.
"You want to try fighting them?" Hiccup asked, and with a sigh, Astrid was forced to accept the trap. There was no other way out.
Hiccup leaned towards the hole in the floor, swinging his legs into the dark pit, giving one last look to the children, who still gazed at him emotionlessly, before he leaped into the abyss.
His fall lasted for five roaring seconds before he got caught by an angular surface of earth, landing painfully on a dark cave. The light coming from the hole he had fallen true was not enough to show him further than a couple of feet. Astrid dived in a few seconds after, landing much more gracefully than him as she rolled on her back, snapping back to her feet.
"Show off." Hiccup muttered under his breath.
"What is this place?" The girl drew her wand from her cloak, giving it a questioning look before casting "Lumus!", and finally, the wand blinked in an incandescent light.
"Now you decide to work?" Hiccup gave a betrayed look to the wand, before pulling his own. In the dim light, he glanced at his wrist watch, noticing how something curious happened as suddenly, the pointer that marked the seconds seemed to struggle to move clockwise. "How strange," He said, tapping the glass of the watch with the tip of his wand. "Reparo!"
But apart from the small crack on the glass, nothing else changed the setting, instead only moving slower, perhaps five or even six seconds for every small twitch on the pointer's movement.
"You don't think maybe it can…" Astrid looked at the entrance again, perhaps wondering if their magic would still fail them if they attempted to return, but she immediately knew it would. "Nevermind…"
Hiccup pulled Toothless out of his cloak, and he realised the small dragon was terrified of his size, of his powerlessness. "Essentio!" Back to its regular size, Toothless gave an annoyed growl, shaking his head incredulously. "I know, they did make you look pathetic." The boy snubbed at his dragon, which smacked the back of his head with the tip of his tail.
The girl huffed impatiently, shooting a look of contempt for both the boy and the dragon before taking the lead, walking into the darkness. The more they walked, the more the cave seemed to merge into something structured. The walls were made of stone, but it was so thoroughly carved, darkly and sinisterly beautiful.
As they ventured deeper into the corridor, the more bizarre things appeared to be. The pointer in Hiccup's watch would struggle even further against his time, six seconds drifting into ten, then twenty seconds. Blackness surrounded them ahead and behind, not a single sound from the upper world.
Eventually they found themselves at a strange dead-end, the cavernous corridor trapping them.
"Amazing, all this so we get to stare at walls…" Astrid muttered, but Hiccup took one step ahead. His hand glided over the stone surface, where strange letters were carved into it.
"Astrid look at these markings…" He whispered, and the girl brought her wand closer, the light bringing out the rest of the words. Runes.
"This is definitely older than the thirteenth century;" She said. "Is this 'hope'?"
Hiccup examined the word. "It looks like it… and this says 'abandon'…"
"Is this 'gates' or 'doors'?"
"No, I think it's 'entry'…"
Then Hiccup's curious face fell, his mouth open in shock. Both wizards froze, eyes glued to the carvings.
Astrid spoke first. "Tell me this isn't what I think it is."
"Abandon all hope… ye who enter here."
Dean Thomas held Jack trapped in a cold and shadowy vault inside one of Gringotts' many corridors. The wizard had his wand still aimed at the boy's face, which although he tried not to show it, deeply annoyed him.
"It would be better if you just finished me," Jack said. "Instead of throwing me around."
"How long did you plan on lying about yourself?" Dean asked coldly. "Hiding this parasite in you, associating with that monster…"
"Bold of you to assume I associate with Gothel." Jack retorted, and Dean scoffed.
"Yeah, you knew her name; she asked for you. I don't trust you."
"Seamus does." Jack said before he could stop himself. Dean's wand aimed closer to his face, enough to touch his forehead. A glint of anger shot through Dean's eyes.
"You might as well have put him in danger tonight. Don't you dare think I am ignoring that fact." Jack remained silent as Dean scolded him. "Seamus only trusts you because so does Granger. You are lucky he will be in your hearing. Most wizards are voting for your execution right now."
A heavy silence fell between the two of them, Jack breathing deeply as Dean pierced him with his eyes, as if trying to convince himself not to kill the boy with his bare hands.
"I didn't mean to put anyone in danger..."
"Save that for your hearing." Dean cut him, gazing instead to the wall in front of them. Then he shot back at the boy, grabbing him by his cloak. "I also heard what Granger said about you being her 'only hope'. I call the bulls on that, but there's too much at stake; so you better tell me now, are you what she is looking for?" Jack stared at him perhaps even more scared than he had ever done in the past. Dean shook him again. "Are you?!"
Jack breathed out again. "I don't know." He said with as much honesty he could gather in himself, and for a second, he could have sworn he saw hope in Dean's face. But then it faded, his semblant falling back into his angry scowl.
"If there is anything you are not telling me then you better spill it to the Wizengamot."
The doors to the hall opened, and Jack was relieved for stepping away from Dean. Then his mouth fell open. He was in a large dungeon, torches lighting the dark walls with a dim cerulean glow. Empty benches rose on either side of him, but ahead, in the highest benches of all, were many shadowy figures. They were whispering hurriedly, but as Jack entered the room, followed by Dean who shut the door behind himself, a sinistrous silence fell.
From the benches, a cold male voice boomed.
"Have a seat, mister… There is no name?"
Five steps from where Jack stood, the unmistakable curly black locks of Gothel stood out from a metal chair, however the witch did not bother to look back at him, instead gazing ahead with a determined look.
High above on the ceiling, the boy saw the dementor drifting in circles, held by a solid Patronus charm. The spell seemed to block any frost the boy imagined that would appear along with the creature. Jack then noticed the other metal chair standing next to Gothel's in the middle of the Hall, cold looking chains hanging from its arms. He gulped before carefully sitting on it, and before he could protest, the chains gained life, loosely holding him in place by his wrists and ankles.
"Hey-!"
"Comfortable enough? Alright, then let us begin…" He realised that the man in front of the Wizengamot was the blonde wizard who had spoken out against Hermione only a couple nights before. Jack had the vague feeling of recognizing him, the same facial structure and same grey-ish eyes... "Accusatory Extraordinary Hearing of the thirteenth of September, into offences committed under the Decree of Illegal Dark Sorcery and Sinister Beings and the Registration of Magical Creatures by Mister so called Ether and Dame Charlotte Gothel de la Force.'
'As an extraordinary measure to keep the impartiality of the hearing, I will take the place of the Minister of Magic as interrogator; Lucius Malfoy, of the Wizengamot society; Hermione Jean Granger, Minister of Magic in the Second Hearing position..." He spoke this name with an unmistakable disdain. "Dean Thomas, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement…"
"Oh, please, spare us from this formality crap," Gothel spat from her seat, and a few wizards gave small gasps of shock. "I'll be dead before you finish…"
"The defendant is only allowed to speak when spoken to by a member of the court!" Malfoy barked, leaning over the edge. Jack noticed the Dementors' shook a little. Then Malfoy resumed his reading. "I suppose none of you bring Witnesses for defence…"
"Why would I need someone to defend me?" Dame Gothel spoke again audaciously.
"Witness of Defense," suddenly a loud feminine voice boomed from behind Jack. "Azelia Barbara Crowne, here to defend the word of Ether."
Jack's heart could have burst out through his mouth at seeing Azel, walking fearlessly towards him, wearing splendid purple robes and a lethal expression which Jack had only seen once in his lifetime. Again, Lucius Malfoy shifted and fidgeted uncomfortably through his papers.
"Miss Crowne, I- I was not aware that we'd have… Defence…"
"Last minute calling," Azel explained, politeness and venom dripping from her words. From her seat, Hermione bent her head, her hand over her mouth as if trying to muffle a laughter. "The defendant has the right to have a Witness of Defense, am I correct?"
Lucius cleared his throat. "Yes, that would be correct."
Azel simply nodded, staring at an obviously flustered Malfoy through her lashes.
"Right… To the, uh… to the charges, yes..." he fidgeted with his papers some more. "The accusations against entity Ether is that he has, secretly, been under the service of the society of dark Obscurial Wizards named the Order of the Seven, to perpetuate a world levelling curse, and to associate with another infamous dark witch of the Order to attack the New Headquarters of the Ministry of Magic… and of hiding an Obscurial parasite, endangering the lives of fellow peers at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as well as our own in the past twenty-four hours."
"You are… just Ether, of… there is no known address." Malfoy said, glaring at Jack from above his parchments.
"No." Said Jack. "My name is Jackson Overland. You can write that down."
"Right… Overland… There are no records of another Overland, are there?" A witch sitting several benches from Lucius Malfoy shook her head. "Very well. Do you carry an Obscurial parasite, Mister Overland?"
"Yes, I do."
The whispers crossed through the benches of the Wizengamot with an alarming shiver, and Jack felt more exposed than he had ever felt in his life.
"Were you aware of the existence of such 'Order of the Seven' prior to today's meeting with Dame Gothel de la Force?"
"Yes, but I…"
"And still you have willingly come to the Ministry of Magic even though you knew you carried a potentially deadly parasite and that you would meet another Obscurial here?"
"No, I did not." Said Jack.
"You did not?" Repeated Malfoy.
"No, you moron, he did not." Gothel spoke loudly with a roll of her eyes. Laughter and shrieks raised from the Wizengamot as Malfoy tapped his hammer against his desk, shushing them out.
"What are you doing?!" Jack hissed to her.
"The word has not been given to you, Miss Gothel." Malfoy barked.
"I was caught here by accident—"
"—And I am warning you—"
"—just as much as this boy—"
"—that you have no permission to talk—"
"—had no intentions of finding me here.—"
"—NOT ANOTHER WORD!" Boomed Malfoy. The silence fell awkwardly. Gothel smirked. Then Malfoy regained what was left of his posture. "Very well, then, if the defendant was not seeking for Dame Gothel here, which I find highly unlikely, then what was your reason for coming in here?"
Before Jack could answer, however, another wizard stood from the Wizengamot benches, and he beamed when Dean Thomas spoke for him.
"I brought him in, Mister Malfoy." Said Dean. "My husband and I found him at the scene of the Dragon Rider's attack last night. Ether was the one who saw him."
Again the whispering crossed the hall, and Jack saw Dean nodding once, his face impassive, but Jack nodded at him trustingly.
"Silence, please…" It was obvious by that point that Lucius Malfoy had no control over the Wizengamot. "The sight of the 'Dragon Rider' is completely irrelevant here..."
Then Hermione Granger stood up. "I disagree. I was the one to send a search party to the incident that night, and I asked them personally to bring any possible witness of the incident."
Lucius Malfoy turned beet red, shrinking further into his chair. He coughed. "And was Mister Ether- I mean, Mister Overland an eye witness then?"
All eyes turned to Jack. The boy cleared his throat.
"Yes. I've seen him."
The murmurs started yet again. "I am also concerned about the nature of your name… When intercepted by Mister Finnigan you've claimed your name to be Ether, now tell us why."
"That's personal." Jack said, but Malfoy grinned.
"Not to the Wizengamot."
Azel stepped forward, however. "I don't see why his name change means any difference for today's hearing." She said. "Today is about figuring out whether Jack is a threat to us or not."
Gothel muttered from her seat, "Thank you for acknowledging me."
"Oh, shut it." Azel snapped at her.
"And why the chosen name… Ether, I ask?" Said Malfoy, leaning towards the defendant.
"For my friend, Aster Weiss, killed in the battle at ground zero."
A morbid wave of whisperings and cries crossed through the benches of the Wizengamot again. Azel swallowed drily, blinking away her tears. Malfoy coughed uncomfortably.
"Very well…" He said coldly. "And what concerns about the Dragon Rider… You claim to know who he is?"
Jack nodded in deep sorrow.
"I used to know him as Hiccup Haddock… He was my friend."
"Hiccup Haddock… Son of Stoick the Vast?" Jack nodded silently. "And of Valka Haddock, the Auror? Killed in October of 2018?"
"Precisely." Said Jack.
"Oh, that's just perfect." Said Malfoy, and Jack raised his brows in confusion. "The entire family has been reported dead following the events of the Raptum in 2019. So unless you expect to chase a ghost to keep your side of this bargain…"
"He's not dead, I've seen him." All eyes were glued on Jack.
"And how can we trust your magnificent observation skills, Ether-Jack- I mean Overland, Mister Overland?"
"I would recognize that face anywhere." The boy stated simply, his face now reddening.
"And you knew he possessed a dragon in his… arsenal?"
"Toothless is not a weapon." Jack stated, and another confused murmur raised.
"Toothless?" Malfoy repeated. "What is toothless?"
"His dragon, your honour." The boy said. "I was there when Hiccup took him."
Malfoy eyed him sceptically. "Took him?" Jack nodded. More murmurs ghosted through the benches like a wave. "A full grown dragon… and a fifteen year-old boy just took it?"
"Stoick the Vast was a known dragon conqueror. His deeds in draconology in Norway and Iceland were outstanding." Jack ran his eyes through the crowd. "I suppose you can count two plus two."
A sickened grimace flashed on Malfoy's face, forcing himself into calm. His arrogance still leaked in his questioning. "Was the dragon put under torture?"
"No, sir."
"Abused or mistreated into submission?"
"No, sir."
"How do you expect me to believe that a fifteen year-old wizard could simply tame a dragon, much less ride it?"
"Hiccup has his ways with creatures." Jack said simply, again not wanting to dwell on the boy.
"Make yourself clear, boy, we do not work with half-statements."
Jack adjusted his feet in annoyance. He felt uncomfortable. "Hiccup was passionate… Fairies, hippogriffs, bowtruckles… even Firecrabs. Once Hiccup fell in love with a creature, there wasn't a thing in the world he wouldn't do for them. He'd protect them with his teeth. That's just who he is."
"You sound a bit too passionate in your description, Eth- Mister Overland."
Jack gave out a tired sigh.
"I've been in love with him."
For the first time that night, silence took place amongst the Wizengamot. A falling feather could be heard from the speechless crowd. Jack's heart sank in his chest. "I know who he is. It's like I said, I'd recognize that face anywhere."
It took a while for Malfoy to resume his questioning, fidgeting with his feathers and parchments, his eyes and focus reaching anything but Jack. He coughed once before asking. "Have you kept contact with Mister Haddock, Mister Overland?"
Jack swallowed angrily before looking up. "No, sir. I have not. But I know how I can find him."
When Jack was allowed out of the Hall, Dean personally escorted him towards the door, and the boy began wondering if they would ever talk in a friendly note when Dean pulled him towards the wall, his wand again aimed at his face.
"What are you-?!"
"Don't think it is over yet just because you've got the Wizengamot's sympathy now, Overland." Dean hissed. "They still haven't given you your sentence."
Jack stared at him, breathing deeply. "So I might still get…"
"Unlikely, but it's unknowable without Gothel's testimony. Right now, they'll trial Gothel. Chances are she won't make it out so easily."
Jack pondered on his words. "I only had a bargain;" He muttered. Dean lowered his wand, stepping away from the boy.
"Your bargain with Granger saved your ass tonight. That and this pathetic in-love bollocks. But there are no guarantees it'll remain that way much longer. You better find that Dragon Rider, before they reconsider the suspension of your sentence."
And then Dean turned to the door again, ready to join the Wizengamot when Jack called again.
"Why did you help me?" Jack asked, and Dean didn't bother to look back.
"Seamus seems to like you." He said. "I can't spend another night sleeping on the couch." And with that, he disappeared behind the door.
The dark stones raised in front of Hiccup, Astrid and Toothless, surrounding them in blackness. Hiccup's watch still had not returned to normal, instead it looked like the seconds pointer was now on a sprint to finish the minutes, rounding the numbers like a carousel.
"I can't believe I agreed to come in here…" Hiccup muttered as they strode down the seemingly endless corridors.
"You've been saying that for the past five minutes." Astrid replied. "We agreed there was no return from that point."
"You should have knocked me out, never listen to me again."
"Yup, I'll remind you that you said that."
"Oh, go to hell." He shot, and then both wizards stared at one another through the dim light of their Lumus charms. And then both began laughing like maniacs.
But when their laughter died, and their sense of hearing kicked back in, a new sound took place. Just like it had once they entered the Hacksaw Woods, the sound of a peaceful stream.
"Do you hear this?" Hiccup asked, his wand pointing to the depths of the cave.
"Yes… but I still can't see anything…" Astrid said, squinting her eyes as it seemed that blackness surrounded them from both sides of the cavernous corridor. Until her eyes drifted forwards. "Look up." She murmured.
And then Hiccup saw it, the light from his wand wavered where there should be the ceiling of the cave, as if reflected on a mirror. He realised then it looked like water, like a river suspended above their heads, running neither forwards or backwards, but to every direction their eyes looked. The water was as black as both shadowy ends of the cave, but Hiccup could swear he saw both his and Astrid's reflection on the surface of the river-ceiling.
"What… the actual hell?" Hiccup muttered lowly, and Astrid held her hand tightly.
"Should we follow it?"
"I don't even know where it is headed to…"
And then Toothless growled impatiently. A loud gurgling sound that sang to the ceiling above.
"Do you know what this is, bud?" Hiccup asked, but the dragon didn't react, instead it began jumping on his paws, as if the sound of the stream pained his ears.
"Toothless?" Astrid neared the Dragon, trying to hold his head with her hands, but the dragon shook even more uncontrollably. "What's going on?!"
And then it all happened at once, so sudden that neither of the wizards could tell what came first: a chorus of scattered voices broke out in the corridor, moans of pain that seemed to last for an eternity; they came from above, as if from deep inside the water. Then a strange shift in gravity, and Hiccup, Astrid and Toothless lost their footing, suddenly yanked from the ground - to the point they could not tell where was above nor below; and the stream of the river broke upon them, the water suddenly splashing and raging violently, and they all let out a piercing scream before they were swallowed into a sickening roar.
I hope you've all had a warm and loving holiday. As a Grinch myself, I must say I've had the first Christmas in years when I don't feel like absolute merde. So that's good!
I wish you all an exciting new year