"I Do.... NOT!!"

Chapter 42: New Hope

   -----Astrid's POV-----
I stayed in the protected underground chamber with the other light furies as the battle approached. We would take care of the gravely injured here, hopefully keeping more of our people from dying. A small family of reapers had crash landed moments ago. They were eret's family. They had fled the reaper kingdom and sought protection here. I could tell something was wrong with eret. He looked horribly sick... but there wasn't much I could do about it right now. We kept them locked up, to afraid to trust them during a time like this. Faint noises of battle echoed above us as we worked on the injured the medics brought us. Our hiding place shuddered as blasts hit the house on top of us. The whispering death tunnels were prepared for escape, and mostly occupied with the berkians and Berserkers that couldn't fight.

Twila looked at the cieling and cast me a worried look. "It's ok. Just keep your mind off it." I told her. Neither of us were currently bonded, so we knew it would be all over if reapers got in here. Heather was sitting in the corner, her head buried in her arms. I went over to check on her. "It was just like this... he died protecting me..." She whimpered. "Who?" I asked. She sighed and pulled a broken charm necklace from her neck. The little carved dragon was broken in half... just like mine. "You probably don't remember. But his name was fishlegs. We got married a year after you disappeared. We had two sons before he died. They are hiding with the others in the tunnels right now. I would have introduced you... but we've been busy. I haven't wanted to bond with anyone else since then. Valka is the only one who could protect herself here." She said sadly. I sat next to her and put an arm around her. "I'm so sorry... a broken bond feels terrible. It's the worst thing I've ever felt. But we have to keep moving. It's the only way we can make it out of this mess. We have to fight for your family." I told her. She nodded and took my hand. I helped her up and we got back to work. Her hands were shaking as she brought supplies and helped move those who had been tended to into the tunnels.

Another tense hour passed as the fight wore on. The injured were building up, the numbers scared us. Things must have been going badly out there for it to last this long. A thumping on the hatch above us made me freeze. Valka brandished her weapon and sent us all back into the tunnels with the injured. I knew I was supposed to go, but I couldn't leave her alone so I sent everyone else ahead and snuck back to the tunnel entrance. Valka was insulting two reapers that dropped through the hatch. I waited and then sank my axe into one of them as Valka faced off against the attacks of the second one. We finished both off just as another reaper dropped through the broken hatch. More followed and I felt myself panicking. I was going to pay for disobeying valka. I didn't care though. I'd rather get hurt and keep us both alive than leave her dead. My weapon dropped to the ground as searing pain split through my head. They were mind jinking me again! I screamed and held my head, trying to fight against the whispering voices.

The pressure and pain in my head grew worse and worse. My vision fogged and the sounds around me faded in and out. "Help..." I gasped, to weak to do anything but lay there and cry. I heard muted shouting, as if I was under water, and felt claws around my waist. Black washed over my vision and I passed out.

------- Hiccup's POV------

"Gah! Hookfang flame!" I roared, slashing the tail off a passing reaper. She roared and lit up, signaling our group's retreat. We were taking heavy fire and losing soldiers to quickly. I shrieked as several reapers descended and grabbed my wings. I hissed as my fragile wing broke again. I dodged swinging tails and called on my powers. The satisfying thunderous Crack of lightning and shrieks of reapers filled my ears. The hissing voices grew in my head and my vision began blurring. I kept flying with my broken wing, dizzy and blind with rage. I smacked into reapers, slashing and throwing then from the skies. I fought until my body gave out on me, my wings locked up and my vision went black.