Riders of B E R K

Part 55: New Arrivals

Fifty-Five: New Arrivals

Hiccup's eyes widened at the bold declaration and he looked scared, his face tightening. He dipped into a crouch and Toothless silently nudged him with his muzzle, the gentle nuzzle not calming him.

"I know you're there, Hiccup," Viggo announced.

How? My eyes flicked to him and for the briefest second, I wondered if he had played us false...but I crushed the thought. Because it was so easy to suspect treachery and very difficult to prove loyalty...but he had. He had certainly proven his love to me. And he was trembling because Viggo had treated Hiccup about as well as everyone else had. His emerald gaze flicked to see me and he paused, raising a finger to his lips and gently shaking his head.

"Um, how would that be. Viggo?" he asked calmly, visibly forcing himself to relax.

"You really only think in a linear manner," Viggo mocked him. "You think I didn't expect treachery? You think I hadn't prepared for your escape..." There were noises from the doorway-boots and the snap of metallic firing bolts-and I snatched a quick look to see Ryder and almost a dozen men, armed with Kalashnikovs, lined up behind the younger Grimborn. My hand dropped to my Trank gun and knew it wasn't enough.

"Hmm," Hiccup murmured, quietly pulling the nets from his packs and opening them. "Not so sure about that. Your submarine didn't like what I did to it. We tracked you limping back to Veidimadurinnfloi very...very...very...slowly... That must have been humiliating!" There was an awkward pause at his sarcastic taunt.

"It certainly impacted the bottom line," Viggo said tightly, his dark eyes glittering with anger. I saw Hiccup stiffen at the menace in his tone but he still cautiously lifted an egg off the pile and carefully slid it into the nets, then scanned his keen emerald gaze over the pile. There was another small black egg and a deep grey one and he carefully picked those out. "And I gather Drago was very displeased with your actions as well."

"What can I say?" Hiccup asked lightly. "Not really a people person. Especially when I'm being threatened."

"Shame," Viggo snapped, as Hiccup carefully loaded more eggs into the nets. I was already opening the other net and started gathering eggs...though Hiccup paused and quietly pointed out the ones he wanted. "You know, I expected more circumspection from you."

"Well, I wasn't sure you guys would come back...but there has been consistent cloud cover here for the last three days so it was a fair guess you'd make a run when you were sure there was no possibility of satellite surveillance."

"Aren't you ashamed, spying on the property of another sovereign nation?" Viggo taunted him.

"Not as much as you should be trespassing on said land and stealing valuable biological and historical artefacts from it," he replied calmly. "And honestly, this territory is covered by historic surveillance for the Arctic Fleet Naval bases from the Cold War...and about a hundred satellites launched by people interested in tracking Arctic ice recession and global warming." The first net was almost full now and I was beginning to see his pattern. He was collecting a couple from each type...as well as any which looked like black Night Fury eggs. I recognised Nadder eggs-well, I had been doing the reading he had sent me on my dragon-and noted he was picking from all levels of the eggs, uncertain if any of the levels had better chances of being viable and hatching. I grabbed a couple of extra Nadder eggs-just in case...

"You can't hide back there for ever, Hiccup," Viggo told him in an irritated voice.

"You can always come back and get me," Hiccup invited cheerily. "I'm very comfortable here, thanks!" He fished another unfamiliar purple and orange egg and slid it into the net.