Deception (A Dragons Race to the Edge Fanfic)

Chapter 9

You laid on your bed, your head spinning and muscles aching. Ember looked anxiously down at you. The other riders had carried you back to your hut, when Ember had dragged you back to the clubhouse in a frenzy. It was good to know that they cared enough to give you bandages and bring you food. But, then again, there hadn't been any objections when you'd told them you wanted some time to yourself. But, maybe you were being a bit harsh. It had been just over a day since Ember had rescued you from Viggo's boat. Well, you said rescued but, surprisingly, Viggo hadn't really made any attempt to harm you. In fact, he'd saved you. You still weren't quite sure why. You quickly scolded yourself. It must be to do with some devious plan he had. He would get you to trust him and then betray you – that's the kind of thing Viggo would do.

Before they had left you to yourself, the other riders had informed you that they had managed to defeat Ryker. You tried not to let disappointment show on your face, as you did your best to congratulate them. You didn't want Ryker to defeat them, of course not! But you felt quite disheartened at how easily they had managed to defeat Ryker without you. Especially after you failed so miserably against him yourself. It made you feel even more disconnected from the group than before, but you guessed you hadn't improved the situation by telling them that you wanted to be alone. As you had previously decided, you didn't tell them about Viggo. You simply told them that Ember had found you on the beach, after Ryker had tried to kill you. You let them believe that somehow Viggo had managed to slip away unnoticed during all the commotion.

The previous events of the evening seemed to have been forgotten. But you were sure Astrid was still bitter about it. The only person who seemed to really care about you was Heather. But, even then, you knew that she would always side with Astrid, if it came to choosing between the two if you.

Four Days Later:

Finally, you were back on Ember! It was midday, and you were back in the air. Your body still ached, but at least you had almost regained full function of all your limbs again, and the bruises were starting to fade. Beneath you, the deep ocean was churning relentlessly. The strong wind pushed against you. You flattened yourself against Ember to make yourself more streamlined, as you sliced through the air at speed. You had missed the thrill of flying, and the wind in your face. Excitement and adventure were the main reasons you enjoyed being a Dragon Rider, besides the dragons of course. You certainly didn't do it for the company of other riders, that was for sure. Adjusting and tilting your angle on Ember in perfect synchronization as he flew, you performed a barrel-roll dive, pulling up seconds before you hit the waves.

You had been flying for several hours, and had not once got bored of the thrill it brought you. Feeling breathless, you swooped back to the cliff of the island, and jumped off Ember, panting slightly from the rush of adrenaline. You couldn't hide the glow of exhilaration on your face, as you looked out across the ocean. But, at that moment, you saw a shadow in front of you, and turned around to see what had cast it. As you turned, you saw Windshear coming to a smooth landing on the cliff. Heather dismounted her dragon, and walked towards you. You relaxed a little, feeling more comfortable with Heather than any of the others.

"Hey!" she greeted you warmly.

"Hi!" You replied, wondering what she was doing here.

"What have you been doing out here?"

"Flying Ember. After being stuck inside for four days, I needed some fresh air." You admitted.

"I understand. It's pretty peaceful out here."

"Yeah," you replied, "I spend a lot of time out here."

"I can see why. Anyway, I came to tell you that Hiccup wants to speak to you."