"Sorry for the wait, guys," Zoey apologized, the forest stretching out in all directions. "Had some loose ends to take care of first. The Fists know I'm alive now that Lucas and I busted you out… so the last thing I need is the enemy tracking that chopper to the Roost."

"The Roost," Dan echoed. "You seriously have your own base?"

"My friends and I need a spot to lie down, don't they?"

"Okay, I'm gonna be a one-upper here," John commented. "Friends? As in… you have your own team, too? Who are these guys?" Zoey just chuckled at his surprise. "Tell you what: why don't I tell you all a little more about me before we get to them?"

"Gladly," Val agreed. "What's your story, Katniss?"

The blonde lifted a brow. "Who?"

The raven-haired girl's jaw dropped. "You seriously haven't-?! Ugh, never mind. Just go ahead…"

"Okay…" Zoey cleared her throat. "When the Bloody Fists appeared and started targeting our family, there was little warning. But once I heard the rumors of assassination, I managed to get the Fists off me by faking my death. I've been off the grid for years."

"Off the grid?" Dan repeated. "You must have known you couldn't hide from them forever."

"I realized that," Zoey answered. "When they started to spread and grow into the force you all know. So I decided to flee abroad once I remembered that only one person in the world could help me… my Uncle Henry."

Dan was still. "My father…"

"You all know he's missing. It's been like that ever since he went on another archaeological expedition. I've been going through his notes to try and retrace his steps, hoping to track him down. The bad news is I didn't come close to finding him… but the good news is I found someone else: his old colleague, Professor Ryan Davidson."

Val's eyes widened. "You know the professor?"

Zoey instantly noted her reaction. "You met him."

"We did," Dan confirmed. He lives in a Swedish castle with a bunch of dragons, is an expert on them and their history… and preserved our family history. He's proven himself trustworthy."

"That he has," Zoey agreed. "He was the one who convinced me to take action instead of hiding away like so many of us. So, I trained for a few years under his tutelage… and he helped me bond with Silverstar after I found her in a mercenary camp. It was a while before we were comfortable with each other."

"Y'know, I think he mentioned having an operative when we were with him," Ben piped up. "That was you, wasn't it?"

She nodded. "Once I was done, I headed back to the Americas… but the professor gave me a list of people who could help me." John gave her a confused look. "Uh, what kind of list? Did he tell you to look for us?"

"Not you guys," Zoey clarified. "I only learned about you when I saw the news about New York. The people I found make up my Riders."

"Your Riders," Dan echoed. "It's still hard to take in. First, I found out I have a cousin, and now I learn she's in charge of her own team? That's a lot…"

"So who are 'your' Riders, anyway?" asked Julie. "From what I heard back there, they're happy to hear you're alive."

Zoey responded with a light chuckle. "Yeah, that's them. I'll introduce you when we reach the Roost, which should be right through…" She pushed aside some low-hanging leaves and emerged into a clearing…

…which housed a sparkling waterfall and a cave entrance. Everybody had awestruck gazes as they stepped outside, marveling at the sight of wild dragons gathered around the water's edge. Various species roamed freely- arriving and departing as needed- while others were perched on trees and small platforms jutting out of the waterfall cliff. One such perch housed a sky-colored Windstriker, which wasn't alone. A lightweight, armor-clad, red-haired young woman with hazel eyes nestled on its back, a metal spear in hand as she surveyed the land like a sentry.

Her gaze landed on the new arrivals and she lit up in a confident smirk, patting her dragon on the chin. The creature obliged and shot off from the perch, gently gliding to the ground below. "Lancer to all wings…" She began with a chuckle as she vaulted off the Windstriker. "Spectre has come home to Roost!" The rider and Zoey warmly embraced, relieved laughter escaping from them both.

"Ah… it's good to be home, Riley," Zoey grinned. "The place is just as beautiful as I remember."

"When was the last time you were here?" the girl chuckled. "The Roost hasn't been as lively without you!"

"There's so much I need to catch you all up on," Zoey sighed before she turned to the others. "Riders! Meet Riley Crosse and Trace, my second-in-command and vanguard. She's as loyal and honorable as they come, not to mention a strong witholder of ancient traditions."

The young warrior sheathed her spear onto her back and bowed. "It is a great honor to be in your presence… especially in the presence of a living, breathing Night Fury." Dan didn't miss the smirk that crossed Nightwatcher's face and the proud glint in his violet eyes. "And, uh… it's our honor to be in your presence. I guess…"

Another slight chuckle came from her while she rolled her eyes. "Nonsense. My blood isn't as legendary as yours." Dan perplexedly stared at her. "I'm sorry, your blood?"

"The professor didn't have me track down just anyone," Zoey explained. "Throughout their adventures, the old Dragon Riders have forged many alliances, from former enemies to previously undiscovered peoples from beyond their lands. While he was uncovering the natural history of dragons with Uncle Henry, Professor Ryan was curious about what became of those tribes following the Great Homecoming."

"Uh…" John droned, leaving Zoey to pick up on his confusion. "That was what he called the dragons' exodus to their ancestral homeland. Before Henry's disappearance, the professor had gathered evidence- rare as they were- of who carried the strength of these allies within them. Riley here is one of those few: she carries the blood of the Wingmaidens inside her."

"You mean… the dragon Amazons?" Val echoed in shock. "You're descended from Atali?"

Riley only shook her head. "I'm not certain. Whatever data the professor managed to find was inconclusive. Without dragons as an integral part of their lives, the Wingmaidens degraded into myth as history progressed… as did another faction." Dan raised a brow. "What other faction?"

"ZOEY!" A cry from the cave turned everyone's attention there, and two figures sprinted at full speed. Two tan-skinned people- a strawberry blonde-haired girl with green eyes and light armor and a dark-haired boy with a similar eye color wearing heavy armor- practically threw themselves at Zoey like pets excited to see their owner, nearly knocking her down.

"Oomph! H-hey, guys…"

"Your radio signal was quiet for so long," the boy whispered. "We were so close to fearing the worst." The girl pulled away while wiping a tear from her eye. "We're so glad you're okay… but did you manage to find what- Oh my god, Silv!" She darted towards the Night Light and dropped to her knees, caressing Silverstar's face while looking over her scars. "You poor girl…"

"She'll be alright," Zoey whispered, patting the girl's shoulder. "She had some good people taking care of her." They glanced in the indicated direction and the boy's eyes widened. "Whoa… you're the guys from the news!"

"You heard of us?" John asked before playfully elbowing Ben's arm. "See? Perks of being famous, dude!" Now that the duo's full attention was on them, the riders could see a pair of claw gauntlets and a greatsword on the boy while the girl wielded twin short blades across her back and a belt of throwing knives. A pair of dragons emerged from the cave to stand by their side: a red-orange Triple Stryke and a white-blue Snow Wraith.

"My scouts," Zoey spoke up. "Tony and Brittany Austin. And their dragons, Blaze and Frost. They used to be agents for the Order before Mordred destroyed their leadership. They'd been lying low before I found them… and like Riley, their lineage was also difficult to narrow down. You're familiar with Dagur the Deranged and Mala, queen of the Defenders?"

"Of course," Dan replied. "I take it these two are their blood?"

"Born and bred!" Tony confirmed while Brittany placed a hand on her hip. "If Zoey needs a place scoped out or a target she needs eyes on, she comes to us," the girl explained. Her brother was quick to follow through as soon as she finished speaking. "But that doesn't mean that's all we're good at," he prompted, extending the claws on his right wrist.

"Whoa…" breathed an awestruck John. "I need me some wicked gear like that…" Julie nervously swallowed as she saw Brittany's arsenal, her eyes darting over the various blades on her person. "Oh, god… and I thought Val was the one with a body count…"

"Relax," Brittany said, waving her hand. "I'm really not that bad when you get to know me."

"Then I need to know you as soon as freaking possible."

The corner of Brittany's lips lifted into an amused smirk. "Wow. I'm gonna remember that one." The Triple Stryke and the Snow Wraith stood by their riders' sides, glancing over the new arrivals. Dan looked over the team again until he spotted somebody else making their way out of the cave: a young black-haired man with a well-toned body dressed in another set of heavy armor and leather pants, spiked bracers covering his wrists and knees. A pair of gray eyes washed over everybody as he approached, allowing Dan and his friends to see a one-handed mace in his right hand.

"Just for the record," he spoke stoically. "I still think bringing them here is a bad idea. And where's the geeky one?"

"Yay," Tony groaned. "The life of the party's here."

"Fred has some duties with the DPS," Zoey explained, her eyes trained on the intimidating figure. Once we're all settled in, we'll send someone to pick him up." The young man didn't look entirely convinced as he gestured in Lucas' direction, causing Zoey to sigh. "I get that, but he's already proven his worth."

He scoffed and turned to Dan's team. "Yeah… to them."

Val cleared her throat and stepped forward with crossed arms, her sapphire orbs glaring at the man. She opened her mouth to speak, but Brittany quickly raised her hand to stop her. "Uh, I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Now, it was Val's turn to scoff. "Oh, yeah? Why's that?"

The young man shot Val a taunting smirk and pressed a button on his mace… causing the head to detach and smash into the ground, a chain connecting it to the rest of the weapon. Val's expression barely changed as she glanced at the flail before staring back at the man's face defiantly.

The smirk returned as he eyed Val again. "I changed my mind," he said, retracting the mace head back onto the handle and holstering it over his shoulder. "I like this one."

"You'll have to excuse Oscar," Zoey told Dan. "He was one of the more… challenging people to get on board. He's not just a heavy hitter but prefers to go his own way at times—unsurprising, given who he comes from."

"And who does he come from?" Ben asked.

"Oscar Wallace is Alvin the Treacherous' descendant," Riley explained. "He was born in Iceland but left to roam Europe… where he made a name for himself in various underground fight clubs. He didn't have a dragon when we found him, but that issue settled itself when a mercenary camp we staked out was destroyed by one he befriended."

Dan looked to the sky. "And where's this dragon now?"

"Hey," Oscar spoke up. "Wrong way, fish boy."

Dan's jaw almost hit the floor. "Fish boy?! Okay, that's a little uncalled-"

The ground beside Oscar exploded before Dan could finish, revealing a grayish steel-green body covered in sharp red spikes. Every dragon, except for Silverstar, Trace, Blaze, and Frost, jolted back in alarm as they were met with bulging white eyes and a rotating abyss of razor-sharp teeth.

HSSSSSS!

The only thing louder than the Whispering Death's hiss was the shrill and sudden shriek that erupted from John's mouth. The teen fell over backward and scrambled behind Cobra and Viper as a shivering wreck, his skin nearly white from the shock. Oscar barked with laughter while Julie tried to console her brother. "I couldn't have made a better entrance myself, Zargothrax! The look on his face was priceless!"

"Not cool!" Julie snapped at him. "I was this close to helping him overcome his Whispering Death phobia!" John slowly peeked out from behind Cobra's head, still slightly trembling as he tried to avoid making eye contact with the Whispering Death. Val had a puzzled expression on her face. "What kind of name is that?"

"He got it from this band he listens to," Tony told her. "Fair warning: it's just one of the many heavy metal stuff he blasts. Some of the local dragons do not approve."

Nightwatcher could relate.

"Wha-" Val spun on him in disbelief as the Night Fury glared at her. "Hey! You take that back!"

He will… when Val promises to make her practices less than an hour long. She should know dragons have sensitive hearing; he remembered how disoriented Terry was when she went all-out on her precious guitar.

"You leave Echo out of this!"

"Uh, so, Zoey…" Dan piped up, hoping to move things along. "You've certainly been busy all these years. We know the Fists aren't a hundred percent gone, but now that we have you, we were hoping…" He trailed off, noticing the concerned expression on his cousin's face. "What's wrong?"

Zoey ignored him and turned right to Riley. "He's not here?"

The other girl shook her head. "No, he's still on mission. The last time we contacted him, he said he needed to go radio silent. That was forty-eight hours ago."

"And you haven't had any updates since?"

"Negative," Riley confirmed. "You think we should check in?"

Zoey was about to respond when she glanced back at her cousin. "Actually… that won't be necessary. Consider it already taken care of." Riley nodded and turned away, leaving Zoey to address Dan and Val. "Looks like you're not the only one missing a buddy here."

"Yeah, I'll tell someone to let Fred know where we are so he can get back to us," Dan told her. "So, who's this last guy?"

"Well, he's more of a new recruit now…" Zoey began. "But before I go on… how much do you know of the dragon black market?"

That was nothing new to Dan. In the initial years following the Resurgence, the criminal underworld began seeing the value in dragons. Claws, fangs, scales, eggs… even live dragons would fetch a heavy price for a lucky buyer, which meant all kinds of mercenaries, big game hunters, or thrill-seekers looking for a big score journeyed for worthy game.

"I've stopped a lot of dragons from going up on auction," he told Zoey, remembering the many missions he and Nightwatcher ran for the DPS. "It's what Hiccup would've done."

"Which he did, right?" Val asked. "During his explorer days. He dismantled a dragon fighting ring, disrupted an auction that would've had Toothless sold off… that kind of thing?"

"Right," Zoey said in a tone that told Dan she wanted to get back on track. "And given how much the Bloody Fists have exploited dragons in the last several months, you won't be surprised that they've taken an interest in these illegal markets. My latest recruit has been searching for any traces of their activities in the underground… and my last communication with him said he found a market down in Miami."

"Miami?" Val echoed. "Alright, so… what, you want us to bail him out?"

"He's more than capable of escaping tough situations," Riley explained. "But his silence has made everyone else worried."

"Yeah…" Tony added. "It'd be a bummer if he got eaten or shot or roasted alive before you had the chance to meet him."

"Does he have a dragon with him?" Dan inquired, which was answered by a nod from Zoey. "Yeah. Although he told me he would go without one long before I picked him for this team. And with what he does, I'm amazed he hasn't gotten himself killed."

Dan and Val shared a curious glance. Whoever this individual was sounded reckless. Perhaps this would be a matter of him finding them instead of vice versa. "Alright, Zoey… we'll bring your friend back. Where's this market?"

"I'll have Brittany send you the details before you get airborne," Zoey promised. "And I'd show you around the Roost with your friends, but I'd prefer not to waste any more time with this matter."

"And," Brittany quickly added, kneeling to the Night Light and taking its face in her hands. "Poor Silvy here needs some much-needed TLC. Don't you, girl? Aw, you poor widdle thing…" A slight croon rumbled through the scarred dragon, who departed only when Zoey gently nudged her away. "She's not in critical condition anymore, but I still want you and your brother to look her over. See if there's any… lasting damage."

Tony stepped forward with a steadfast expression. "And we're gonna figure out what kind of dragon did that to her. It didn't kill her, so my best bet is that it will come to finish the job."

"I… yes. Let me know what you find out," Zoey said hurriedly, turning back to Dan and Val before he could get another word out. "Anyway, are you two up for it?"

"Florida it is," Dan confirmed. "Not exactly a vacation, but we'll get it done."

"And whoever he is…" Val muttered as the two riders mounted Nightwatcher and Spike. The Night Fury and the Nadder took to the skies, soaring past other wild dragons with their next course of action set.