Riders of B E R K

Part 14: Gatecrashed

The clouds overhead lit with brilliant pinkish lightning and another explosion sounded. Two dragons exploded from the clouds, tumbling in opposite directions. One was the Skrill with Dagur hanging on while the other was the jet shape of Toothless, writhing and bucking as Hiccup tried to wrestle him back under control. I could hear him cursing as his broken hand and healing ribs were wrenched by the violent ride and swung my binoculars up.

Toothless was bucking and fighting, swerving across the sky and I could see his auburn head snap as they wrenched side to side. "TOOTHLESS! BAD DRAGON!" he shouted and I tried not to smile: it was such a ridiculous admonishment to a ferocious and out of control extinct mythological creature. I could hear the General shift his weight beside me: he was clearly angry.

"GET OUT OF THERE!" he shouted down the com and the other Riders tried to obey-but the Red acid-spitting dragon swung round, his edges blurring against the roiling sky. Seriously? The damned thing could camouflage as well? I saw a muzzle-flash against the darkening sky and another and I frowned as the dragon swooped up, leaving the Riders in disarray. Snotlout and Gustav's dragons burst into flame and I gasped. I later learned that their bodysuits were flameproof and heat shielded which was the only thing preventing them from being cremated as the dragons both went wild and began to attack the others.

The Skrill fired again, lightning scorching across the skirmishing dragons. Hiccup gave an incoherent shout as they dodged and I saw him wrench the Night Fury's head round to face the Skrill. The Night Fury growled as he recognised his enemy and he barrelled towards the purple and grey dragon, roaring fiercely.

"Oh brother- you really should up my offer!" Dagger sneered over the com.

"Kinda busy right now, Dagur. Howsabout we talk after you're in jail?"

"From what I hear, you'll be in there with me. Care to warm my sheets?"

"Ugh! I'm volunteering for solitary confinement!"

"Can I join in?" Eret's sneering voice butted in as the huge beetle-like dragon swooped between the two. His armour seemed to shrug off the arching lightning as he had his own dragon launch a fireball at the Skrill. "Hey, Dagur! Why don't you fight a real soldier-not that scrawny clown!" The purple dragon dodged and gave a furious roar. Hiccup waved an arm furiously.

"Get out the Loki-damned way!" he snarled. "The only way I can keep Toothless is focussed is on the Skrill! Oh crap..." And then the Night Fury roared and suddenly rocketed up into the clouds, writhing and bucking against the saddle and his Rider.

As I watched, I saw a lumpy brown dragon with a cute face and a club-like tail zoom in with a very bulky rider perched upright on its back. I was shocked to recognise Fishlegs in an unflattering brown bodysuit and he bravely cut between the fighting Monstrous Nightmares to calm things down. Behind him, a strange dragon with a bulbous body, whited out eyes and a long, whip-like tail circled Gustav's raging dragon and its older Rider-Bucket, I think-shouted at the youngest Rider to get him back in control. The final dragon was all-white, spiny and furious, breathing icy breath at Snotlout's dragon. The Nightmare pounced forward and the two dragons clamped onto each other and rolled, crashing to the glen and rolling on the greyish grass and heather as they fought.

Toothless roared down towards the ground, almost crashing but pulling up at the last minute. Hiccup was being tossed around like a rag doll: I couldn't imagine how he was hanging on. I suspected his prosthesis clamped into the tail assembly helped but it couldn't have been doing his injuries any good. "HEATHER! Can you get Savage back from the others?" He sounded tired but the girl on the silver dragon whipped round and slammed into the large Nadder, driving him away from Cami's dragon. Immediately, Cami and the twins began to shepherd Gustav back and force the enraged dragon to the ground.