The next day, Hiccup, Astrid, and myself were all in the air, flying towards the single ship Viggo had left behind from the skirmish in which he'd captured Windshear and the Flightmare. Hiccup, after cleaning up his hut, had allowed Nightshade and I to bunk in his hut, which I was thankful for. I had a bedroll already to sleep in, but it was nice to have a roof over my head. Not something I often have since leaving the Hunters. I only occasionally slept in inns.
Anyway, I left Arrow back on the Edge with Heather, who was more than happy for the baby dragon's company. She was still pretty upset about Windshear's capture, but ready and determined to get her back as soon as all the Riders were ready to raid Viggo's base. Hiccup left the other Riders to finish cleaning up the Edge, which we all did a fair amount of the previous day, much to their dismay. I found it kind of funny.
Astrid spent the whole trip sparing looks in my direction that seemed quite untrusting and aggressive towards me. I guessed that she didn't appreciate my comments on how rushing into combat, as Vikings usually do, wasn't a smart idea. It wasn't uncommon for Vikings and Anglo-Saxons to clash, both in England and up here. Vikings often looked down on Saxons for being weak and cowardly, and Saxons often looked down on Vikings for being savage and bloodthirsty. Whilst I certainly found the lack of intellectuals amongst the Viking population a challenge to deal with at times, I wouldn't say I looked down on them. Perhaps I gave her that impression at some point yesterday.
"So, Seth…" Hiccup spoke up, sensing the tension between us. "Why don't you tell us about that mask you wear?" He suggested with a nervous grin. I looked at him for a few seconds, my eyes shifting over to Astrid for a second before I sighed and spoke.
"My eyes don't do well with high speed flight or direct sunlight." I explained. "The lenses of the mask are made of Slithersong Amber which was heated and hammered thin. They dull the light of the sun and protect my eyes from the wind. Makes it easier to navigate and aim my bow when there's bright light or heavy wind." I went on.
"Well, that's interesting, isn't it Astrid?" Hiccup asked his fellow Rider, who huffed.
"Getting used to the wind wasn't that hard, and sunlight isn't a problem if you're not looking at the sun directly." She told me, going along with the conversation in her own backhanded way. Two can play at that game, sweetheart.
"Perhaps you'd think differently if you fought with a bow and arrow." I told her. "Or if you rode a dragon as fast or manoeuvrable as Nightshade." I added, my smirk hidden under my mask. There's no way Astrid didn't pick up on it though. Stormfly also seemed to sense being insulted and growled in my direction. Nightshade responded with a hiss, letting her tusks out. Stormfly immediately backed away, her expression showing primal fear of a predator, something Astrid was not happy to see. She just huffed and hovered her dragon closer to Hiccup.
"Hiccup, something's been bothering me." She told him. "How do you suppose an Anglo-Saxon managed to tame and train such a dangerous and powerful dragon?" She asked him. "And how is it that he knows so much about the Dragon Hunters?" She went on. "For that matter, how does he know so much about Viggo himself? He's said several times that none of us know Viggo like he does." She sent a glare my way.
"Come on Astrid, I don't think-" Hiccup started before I cut him.
"It seems the female proclivity for passive-aggression is prominent amongst you Vikings as well, isn't it?" I asked calmly, not sparing either of them a look.
"Excuse me?" Astrid asked through a hiss, gripping her saddle tighter.
"If you have something you'd like to ask me, Astrid, just do so." I told her bluntly. "I don't have the patience to deal with your passive-aggression or backhanded comments. Just say what you're thinking, and save all of us a massive headache." That earned me another glare, along with a silent pause. It seemed she expected me to just move on to an explanation, but I had no intention of answering questions that I wasn't asked. Or rather, I had no intention of adhering to her passive-aggressive comments. Contrary to my previous statement, I have a fair amount of patience, more than most people. I just refuse to waste it on the passive-aggression and disrespect of others.
Astrid seemed to pick up on this, and growled under her breath. "Fine." She hissed. "How did you train Nightshade?" She asked, her face indicating she had a sour taste in her mouth.
"Excellent question, Astrid." I said, my sarcasm clear. "It's not an overly complicated or glamorous story." I said honestly. "I was shipwrecked on a deserted island, with nothing but the clothes on my back, and my bow and arrow. After several weeks surviving on that island, Nightshade was shot down and wounded by Dragon Hunters. She crashed into the forest." I started, stroking Nightshade's neck. "Using some eels, I scared a pack of Grockles off in the direction the Dragon Hunters were coming from, which drove them off the island, and went looking for her. I found her half-conscious in a small clearing."
"Why would you scare the Hunters away?" Hiccup asked. "In that situation, I would have been grateful for any human aid." He said, confused.
"I didn't speak Norse at the time, for one. Plus, they were all carrying weapons, and yelling at each other. They seemed like bad news." I explained. Hiccup seemed to understand where I was coming from. "Anyways, when she saw me, Nights very nearly decided to fry me then and there, but the eels I had with me stopped her." They both looked at me with wide eyes. "She was hungry." I said before they get the wrong idea. "I didn't know most dragons hate eels at the time. Nightshade doesn't. I gave her the eels, and then she ran off. I noticed that her tail was injured, which was why she didn't fly away. So, the next day, I brought her a massive amount of eels and fish, and tied a makeshift splint onto her tail, which helped her tail feel better."
"Not too different from how Toothless and I first met." Hiccup said with a smile, patting his dragon's head. Toothless purred happily in response.
"Hm. After that, she started sleeping closer to my campsite, and we interacted on an almost daily basis. Sharing our kills, hunting together, and eventually, flying together." I went on reminiscing. "After a couple of weeks, we felt we were ready to move on from that God-forsaken island. I hopped onto her back, and we flew off in a random direction. We've been together ever since." I smiled down at Nightshade, who looked back at me with soft eyes. Soft for her anyway. "Satisfied?" I asked the Nadder rider.
"Not even remotely." She responded. "How do you know so much about Viggo and the Dragon Hunters?" She asked, looking me in the eye.
"If I'm being completely honest, that is a good question." Hiccup admitted, looking at me. I was silent for a moment before answering, wondering if I should really tell them the truth.
"I used to work for him." I finally decided to just up and say it. Hiccup was shocked to say the least, and I could tell Astrid wanted nothing more than to grab her axe, but in a surprising bout of self control, she didn't.
"You're a Dragon Hunter?" She asked, giving me a death glare.
"Astrid…" Hiccup said to her hesitantly.
"I WAS a Dragon Hunter." I corrected her. "When Nightshade and I first left the island we were stranded on, Viggo shot us down within minutes of us taking off. We were hauled onto his ship and placed in cells after I passed out. When I woke up, I was escorted to his chambers where he offered me a job."
"Why would he do that?" Hiccup asked thoughtfully.
"I'm a hunter, Hiccup. It's who I am, it's in my blood. I was 8 the first time I picked up a bow and arrow." I explained. "Viggo saw that in me and knew I could be of considerable use to his operations. After I accepted, he agreed to put a roof over my head, teach me to fight, and how to speak Norse." I gave a slightly depressed sigh at the memories. "He was good to me. We were comrades, friends. I was happy." I admitted.
"What made you decide to accept his offer?" Hiccup asked softly.
"You mean besides the fact that Viggo would likely have taken Nightshade and just dropped me back on the island? And that I really needed the money?" I asked sardonically. "Like I told you, Hiccup, I'm a hunter. It's in my blood." I reminded him. "And I don't think you or I have the same view of dragons." I noted.
"What do you mean?" He asked, confused.
"I love Nightshade, I really do." I assured him. "And Arrow as well. But, where you guys love and respect dragons as equals, I… don't." I said after a moment, surprising them. "At least, not the same way you do." I reiterated. "To me, dragons are animals, and yes, they are a cut above mundane beasts like boars or yaks, but they still live their lives on instinct and emotion more so than sentient thought like you or I." I explained. "Granted, dragons like Toothless and Nightshade are far more intelligent than most dragons," I conceded. "To me, they are still animals, not people."
"Which is why you have no qualms hunting and killing them." Hiccup concluded, a surprising amount of understanding in his tone. Astrid, who'd been silent throughout the exchange, looked thoughtful, though still not happy about my words.
"Yes." I affirmed. "To me, hunting and killing a Zippleback for its hide is not any different to hunting and killing a boar for its meat." I went on. "Remember, many dragons are predatory themselves. Skrills, Slithersongs, Changewings, Cavern Crashers, and all manner of dragons will hunt and eat other dragons. Even Nightshade and Toothless are predatory." I explained.
"Wait, what?" Hiccup looked at with wide eyes.
"Night Furies in the wild are known to consume smaller dragons like Terrible Terrors, Night Terrors, and Smothering Smokebreaths when they can't find enough fish." I told him. This was quite a surprise to him, I'd imagine. "And I've seen Nightshade hunt and consume literally all of the dragon species you have on your island, save for a Night Fury." I added.
"Does that mean…" Astrid trailed off, giving Nightshade a nervous look, her previous animosity temporarily forgotten as her eyes flickered between Nights and Stormfly.
"No. Nights is a predator, but she is trained and disciplined. She won't eat any of your dragons, and making sure she doesn't eat any of the wild dragons on Dragon's Edge will be a simple matter. She'll be fine with eels and fish." I assured both of them. I'm not sure if it did any good, so I decided to move along with the conversation. "Anyways, I trust that your question has been adequately answered, Hiccup?" I asked.
"Uhm, yeah." he nodded, still thoroughly surprised by my story. I think I just really hit home how different our two peoples are to him. Or, at the very least, how different I am.
"I have one more." Astrid said, her tone suggesting she was still unsure how to feel about me. "If life was so great as a Dragon Hunter, why did you leave? For that matter, why are you helping us fight against Viggo now?" She asked. It was clear her suspicion and distrust were not assuaged. I could only let out another sigh in response before I answered.
"Take a look at this." I told her, reaching down to the sheath attached to my right calf. From it, I pulled a medium sized knife, a Germanic Seax to be specific. It was fairly standard as far as a seax goes. Wooden handle, hidden tang, straight blade with the edge longer than the spine, etc. One thing was different though; the blade's material.
"A seax?" Astrid observed as I tossed the knife over to her. She caught it expertly. "Wait, is this made from dragon bone?" She asked in disgust, seeing the material.
"In a manner of speaking." I conceded as she tossed the knife back, clearly displeased. "It was carved from the tooth of a Whispering Death, the first dragon I ever brought in for Viggo. It was a gift from him." I explained, sheathing the blade. "One of the guiding principles I live by when hunting is to use every last piece of my prey without waste. As best as I can at least. My grandfather taught me that that's how a hunter respects the dead." Memories of my deceased grandfather were always a bittersweet thing to think about. "He also taught me that I must never let my prey suffer, for any reason. If I was anything less than absolutely certain that I would end the animal's life with one shot, I should not fire at all."
"What does this have to do with Viggo?" Astrid asked, clearly impatient.
"I'm getting there." I rolled my eyes. "See, I knew Viggo used dragons for more than just skinning and selling, but I was under the impression that the dragons in question were domesticated and trained, and in some cases, that was true." I conceded. "But it was only recently that I found out just how barbaric some of Viggo's operations really were." I said, clenching my fist. "Force-feeding Gronckles to produce metal 24 hours a day, ripping the spines from Deadly Nadders and Razorwhips for ballista tips before the spines were even fully developed, chaining Speed Stingers down to milk their venom until they ran dry, and all manner of things." I shook my head at the unpleasant images in my memories. "These are just some of the barbaric practices Viggo has in play, all in the name of profit. All of those things could be accomplished humanely and safely, but he does it this way because it produces more profit in less time." Astrid and Hiccup were horrified by what they'd heard.
"How long have you been on the run?" That one was Hiccup.
"About six months now." I said after a moment of thought. "I hunted for Viggo for almost three years. Towards the end, I'd started to notice what was going on. I'd found a couple of the operations that were like that, and reported them to Viggo. At the time, he put a stop to them, though in hindsight I'm sure he just did it to keep me happy and then restarted the operations elsewhere." My anger spiked, and I squeezed the handle of my saddle a little harder. "Then one day, I was roaming the caves beneath the island, and found the Whispering Death that I'd brought to Viggo in the beginning. He was in such bad shape. They'd been ripping out his teeth to produce and sell knives like these." I said, unsheathing my knife again. "Whispering Deaths never stop growing new teeth, and given that their teeth can cut through rock, they make fantastic blades, arrowheads, and the like. The Hunters were merciless, feeding him just barely enough to stay alive, and the condition of his mouth was horrific when I found him. There were more tooth stubs than actual teeth, and he was bleeding like you wouldn't believe. They weren't even properly pulling the teeth out, they were just breaking them right off." I growled as I sheathed the blade once more.
"That's… horrible." Hiccup looked sick. Astrid wasn't any better.
"Agreed. It was then that I knew I couldn't stand at Viggo's side any longer. I was his top Lieutenant. He and Ryker were the only ones I took orders from." I shook my head with a sigh. "I had the men release the Whispering Death immediately, under threat of Nightshade's wrath. As one would expect, he reacted violently when he realised he could move again."
~~Flashback~~
Per my orders, the men that were stationed in the cavern I'd found all opened the cage that the Whispering Death was confined in. Nightshade crouched along the ground behind me, stalking back and forth as she looked at the Hunters with a savage snarl, her tusks out, with saliva dripping off of them as she hissed. Knowing I would not hesitate to have her attack if they disobeyed me, the men carefully released the constraints on the beast inside the cage.
Half of his teeth were either missing, or broken off, and his scales were paler than they were when I initially caught him. His eyes were droopy and almost dead, but I saw a flicker of life spring back into them as the Hunters undid the constraints. As he struggled to bring his upper body up, the men, in fear, immediately fled out of the cavern. He blinked rapidly, trying to see just what was going on. It wasn't long before his gaze settled on me.
"Hey, big guy…" I said, almost whispering. His eyes narrowed as he took in my presence. No doubt he recognised me. "It's OK, I'm not here to hurt you." I said, taking very slow and careful steps back. He responded by growling under his breath. Though his eyes were completely white with no pupils or irises, it was easy to see the rage in them. "You're OK, you're free now, you can go." I said, gesturing to the open cavern. He didn't seem interested. In a split second, he went from calm rage, to savage fury. He roared at the top of his lungs, and dashed right towards me, firing a jet of flame at me. "Nightshade!" I scream at the top of my lungs, flinching my face away. I knew there was nothing else I could do. Thankfully, Nightshade shielded me from the flame with her wings.
This did not deter the Whispering Death.
Seeing his flames doing nothing, he soared right towards us, and Nightshade reacted just as quick. She swooped by and grabbed me right before the beast was able to crush me with what remained of his fangs. In a manoeuvre we'd perfected over the years, I immediately reached out, knowing Nightshade would swing her tail towards my hand as soon as she saw me do so, and grabbed onto it. Nights then used her tail to bring me to her saddle. It took all of three seconds for her to get me out of the dragon's path and onto her back.
"Let's go!" I shouted, gripping the saddle's handles. As they do whenever we get into tense situations, Nightshade's irises narrowed into thin slits, and she pushed off, right down the corridor in the direction we came from. The Whispering Death was not far behind. In less than half a minute, we shot right out of the cavern's entrance, and up into the sky, pulling a wide turn to see the Whispering Death exit the cave as well. He looked around, trying to find me. It took him a few seconds to adjust to the light outside. It may have been the middle of the night, but it was still brighter out here than it was in there. It didn't take long for him to find me though.
As soon as he laid his eyes on me, he gave chase. Thinking quickly, I had Nightshade pull up, rapidly gaining altitude. Now, I usually wouldn't try the same trick twice on the same dragon, but this guy was way too angry to think straight. He followed without hesitation. We didn't have to wait for him to lose momentum. Numerous Dragon Root arrows were fired at the rampaging dragon as he followed after us. He'd done a bit of damage before he found us, so the alarm was sounded. None of the Hunters were as good with a bow and arrow as I was, most of them had crossbows, which were easier to aim. The Whispering Death was hit and started plummeting in a matter of seconds after giving chase to us.
Seeing this, I gave Nightshade a few hand signals. She knew exactly what they meant. She halted her ascent and allowed the momentum to carry us up for another few seconds before it ran out. Right before gravity took ahold of us, she spun around, facing downwards, and dive bombed, her wings tucked in like a Falcon. That move allowed us to shift into descension far quicker than levelling out and changing directions.
Per the hand signals I'd given her, Nights plummeted straight towards the plummeting unconscious Whispering Death. With just a split second before he hit the ground, Nights swooped by, grabbed him by the tip of his tail, and pulled up with an incredibly sharp turn. The men who were approaching the would-be crash point with nets and other restraints looked confused as Nights and I levelled out over the island.
I could see Viggo and Ryker running towards the commotion, wanting to know what was going on. Ryker already had one of his swords out, inspecting the scene. It didn't take long for Viggo to set his gaze on Nightshade and I. Even in the dark of night, I could see his eyes narrowing as he looked up at us. Our eyes met, and I think it was made clear what was about to happen. Viggo's eyes darkened as I shook my head, slipped my mask on and had Nightshade soar off into the horizon, the Whispering Death still in her grip.
~~Flashback End~~
"I spent the next couple of weeks helping that dragon heal. He tried to kill me several times, but a bit of Dragon Root, and one or two of Nightshade's Tail Strikes took care of that problem." I said, trying to lighten the mood. I at least got a slight smile out of them. "Once I was confident he was going to be fine, I started sabotaging Viggo's operations as best I could." I went on. "And then, Heather asked me to help set up your little ambush, and here we are." I gestured to them.
"That's… quite a story you have there." Astrid said, sounding like she was admitting something.
"So how did you and Heather meet?" Hiccup asked.
"We bumped into each other at the Northern Markets about a year ago. Nightshade and Windshear looked like they were about to fight, so we both intervened. We were very surprised to just randomly find someone else who could ride dragons." I said with a light laugh.
"That would have been before you left the Dragon Hunters, right?" He asked, getting an affirming nod from me.
"I didn't actually tell her about my being a Dragon Hunter until after I left." I answered the question I knew they were going to ask. "After we met, we started talking via letters, which we sent with ravens or Terrible Terrors, and we would meet on occasion. Tracking the Flightmare was only one of our misadventures together." I gave a light chuckle. "I would love to tell you more, but we've arrived." I said, pointing at the ship in the distance, the one Viggo left behind after the Hunters captured Windshear.
"Remind me why we're here again?" Astrid asked Hiccup as we got closer to the ship.
"Before we face Viggo, we need to learn more about him." Hiccup responded. "It's why I wanted Seth here with us. We're going to investigate his ship. Maybe we missed something." He explained as we slowed our approach, allowing for easier landings.
It was easy to see that there was nothing of use on the deck, so we went below. It was pretty clear that the ship was stripped clean of anything useful. I doubted we'd find anything here, but Hiccup was right in saying it was worth looking at.
"We've been through here already, Hiccup. The Dragon Hunters took everything when they left." Astrid said as we inspected the cages.
"Standard procedure when abandoning a ship." I informed them.
"Seth, Viggo fights with his intellect, right?" Hiccup ask me as we moved along the room, towards the captain's quarters. "He doesn't put himself in danger, he has others fight for him."
"Most of the time, yes." I nodded. "He's not above getting his hands dirty, mind you. I once saw him take down a rampaging Speed Stinger by jumping onto its back, wrapping a rope around its throat, and pulling until its neck broke." I cringed at the memory.
"That's…" Hiccup tried to find the right words.
"I know, I know." I said with a sigh. "Point is, you're correct. He plans for every move, every possible scenario. Take Heather, for example."
"You think he knew she was working with us all along?" Astrid asked.
"Remember what I said before? He figured it out as soon as he laid eyes on her." I said, my hand on my chin thoughtfully. "Heather's no Dragon Hunter, something Viggo would have seen easily." I explained. "But, instead of just having her imprisoned or killed, he used her to his advantage. Things like that are what make him such a dangerous adversary." I said as I opened the door to the Captain's quarters. I stopped when I saw something on the desk in the middle of the room.
"What? What is it?" Hiccup asked, seeing me stop.
I held out my hand, telling him and Astrid to halt. Slowly, knowing Viggo would very possibly booby trap the table if he left something on it, I approached the table, being careful of where I step. Once I confirmed what was on the table, I relaxed. Something like this is probably a message, not a trap. I gestured to Hiccup and Astrid that it was safe.
"What is it?" Astrid asked Hiccup's earlier question.
"Maces and Talons." Hiccup said, seeing the board.
"Viggo's favourite game." I said. One of the first things he taught me, after speaking Norse, was how to play Maces and Talons. We'd played numerous times.
"The Viking Chief." Hiccup said, looking at the Viking Chief piece on the left of the board. "I'm guessing that's me, trying to save the Traitor." He said.
"And the Chief of the Marauders would be Viggo." I continued for him, looking at the Marauder Chief piece on the other side. "He always plays as the Marauders." I said, picking up the piece in the centre. "The Accomplice." I said. "It allows you to move one of your opponent's pieces and use it against them." I narrowed my eyes. "It's my favourite piece. Viggo knows that. I'd say this is me." I concluded.
"And then, we have the Traitor." Hiccup said, picking up the last remaining piece. It was broken in half.
"Also known as Heather." Astrid deduced.
"Probably." I agreed. "He's calling us out. You and me, Hiccup." I told him. "He's daring us to play." Hiccup narrowed his eyes.
"Why did he break Heather's piece?" Astrid asked.
"Because the Traitor dies in the end." Hiccup explained, shocking Astrid.
"A game of Maces and Talons never ends with the Traitor alive." I elaborated. "It's just not possible.
So, keeping up with the tradition, I'm uploading a chapter on my birthday. I'm getting old, 26 now. :'(