For Milady

NINETEEN: Old Friends

NINETEEN: Old Friends

Hiccup was on edge when he should be at his most happy, for he was-finally-back in the air on Toothless's back. The dragon was crooning in excitement and stretching his wings more than he would usually, forcing his companions to exert themselves to try to keep up.

"Slow down!" Dagur called, feeling Sleuther strain to match the Night Fury and reluctantly, Hiccup reined Toothless back, gently stroking the flattened head to reassure the dragon that he was overjoyed to be back on his back again. He glanced over to his right and saw Heather concentrating on scanning the horizon for ships, her hood and scarf concealing her face and he mused on how long she had lived alone, consumed by anger and a thirst for vengeance. It was Astrid who had helped her reconnect, the similarities between the two women forging a powerful bond that meant Astrid was even willing to lie to him to help her. It was same bond he had with Toothless.

"You okay?' he called to her and she looked up.

"I guess...seeing you and Toothless so badly hurt has just made me worry what could have happened to Astrid," she called over, her voice concerned. "And these hunters are vicious." His mind slid back to Garff and he shuddered.

"They're maybe even worse than Viggo was," he admitted as Toothless gave another couple of wingbeats. "But I have no idea what they are after..."

"SHIPS!" Dagur yelled and Hiccup glanced in the direction he was pointing...then banked Toothless to land on a sea-stack overlooking the vessels. They landed and Hiccup leapt from the saddle, shifting to the edge of the sea-stack and crouching down whipping out a spyglass and scanning the vessels. And then he felt anxiety crawl down his spine...for he recognised the ship. Thor knew, he had spent long enough from his cage staring at the masts and sails, at the device on the canvas that flapped in the breeze. As he watched, the familiar menacing shape of the Captain strode across the deck, gesturing brusquely to the crew to tack to port and close on a trio of vessels that were floating in a sheltered cove. Hiccup stared and his eyes widened in shock-for standing in the centre of the deck of the other ship was the masked Viking.

He drew back, lowering the spy glass and breathing hard. Dagur crawled alongside him.

"These them?" he asked and Hiccup nodded.

"He was the one...who took me to Ryker," he mumbled quietly. "He took out Throk and hit me with one of those darts. The Hunters had them as well..." He paused. "And he was going to hand me to Ryker but he stupidly tried to double-cross him so he hauled me away. He used a chain like a leash. He...jumped me and we fell over a cliff. He was hanging onto my leg...and when my hands were slipping, I had to make a decision." He swallowed. "I untied my leg and let it-and him-drop. I thought I had killed him."

"But you hadn't," Heather reminded him and there was a pause. His shoulders sagged.

"I was willing to," he admitted in a shamed voice. "But for him to be able to survive that fall-I mean, he was fighting off all of Ryker's men solo-and winning...he's a one man army." Dagur leaned forward and fixed the man in his memory.

"I never saw him with Ryker-but he may have dealt with Viggo," he murmured.

"I think he was at the dragon auction as well..." Hiccup added with a frown. Then he froze as another figure walked onto the deck-a very familiar shape that had Hiccup freezing with shock. The neat, short dark brown hair and manicured beard were horribly familiar-though the puckered scarring on the left of his face and the whitened left eye were shocking. He stared. "Viggo," he said.

The Berserker siblings stared at him and then peered further down at the ship, spotting the altered shape with shock. Heather frowned.

"Something is going on," she said, voicing everyone's thoughts. "Why is he here-with the man who kidnapped you, Hiccup? What is the connection to the people who captured and tortured you? And why is Viggo so far south, talking to someone with no dragons to sell?" Breathing hard, the young rider never took his eyes from the scarred shape and sighed.