Riders of B E R K

45: Day of the Hunter

Forty-Five: Day of the Hunter

I awoke with a groan, disorientated. Automatically, I felt for my weapon-and came up dry. Instantly, I sat up, reaching for my com: gone. I scanned the small metal room: featureless, blank...and devoid of Hiccup. I achingly scrambled to my feet and tried to remember how I got here...

...falling tangled in the metal and carbon fibre net, hitting the ice-cold water and sinking...glancing over to Toothless and seeing the dragon struggling as we were reeled under the water and into the sleek ship...being dragged from Stormfly...struggling against our captors...watching Hiccup fighting to protect his dragon...a man clubbing him unconscious...something hitting my head all all going black...

I quartered the cell, rubbing my head. Whoever else our captors were, there were much more efficient and organised than Alvin's people. The door was a standard hatch-but locked and I had the sense of movement and knew were travelling...though I had no clue where. I just hoped the others were able to follow our implanted trackers. And I was worried...not for my dragon but for my boyfriend, because he wasn't here and he had been riding the Night Fury that everyone seemed after. My fists clenched and I slammed them against the walls, scamming in rage.

Breathing hard, I leaned against the door and stared across the empty room. I missed Hiccup. But I didn't want to brood: I needed to find a way out of here. So I curled my fingers and tapped against the metal wall...H...I...C...C...U...P... I knew he knew Morse code and hoped he was listening. And I prayed he was in any sort of a state to answer.

Eventually, having paced back and forth and listened at the hatch, I settled back on the floor, facing the door and waited, trying to close my eyes and clear my mind: it was a technique I had been taught during my martial arts training. Of course, possessing a ferocious temper, it clearly wasn't something I practised on a regular basis, but I knew now I needed to think clearly. We had no intelligence, no coms with Base and I had no idea where our dragons were. My CO was missing and I needed to work out what was happening.

Finally, I heard footsteps approach and got to my feet as the the clang of the lock being unlatched echoed. The heavy metal door swung in and a tall, black-clad shape was shoved in, stumbling unsteadily and legs almost collapsing. Hiccup lifted his lead determinedly and staggered forward, his teeth gritted and face very pale. I hastened to his side, gratefully feeling his arms catch my shoulders but he held me at arm's length and I felt the first frisson of concern at the lack of response.

"Are you...?" I asked. There was a pause.

"I am fine, Rider," he said coldly, his forest green eyes sweeping coolly over me. I stared at him and wondered what was going on: his tone was completely different to any I had heard.

"What...?"

"As I said, not very bright but very gullible," he said coldly, staring at me but talking to someone else. I saw movement behind him and a big guy appeared: taller than Hiccup by half a head with shaven head, dark, cruel eyes and a stripe of a beard across his chin. Another man-slightly smaller with the same cold dark eyes, weird beard and very tightly cropped back hair followed, his manner imperious.

"You said she would trust you," the smaller man said, his tone cruel but amused.

"Yes-she underestimates me, just like everyone else," Hiccup said in a bitter voice. "But she also imagines she's in love with me. She's a new Rider-but she has the next fastest dragon, which is why I get landed with her. But you can see...blonde, brainless and completely gullible." I stared at him, feeling betrayed at his words.

"H-hiccup?" I asked, hating myself for stammering. He looked at me mockingly.

"Did you expect me just to take it...again?" he asked me shortly. "Expect poor little Hiccup to be tortured and just accept it? To protect BERK when BERK doesn't protect me? To be someone else's punching bag again when my own father wants to ground me and throw me in jail? When the great General wishes I didn't been born?" His tone dropped. "Maybe it's time to give him reason to regret that!"