For Milady

FORTY SEVEN: The Fifth Lens

FORTY-SEVEN: The Fifth Lens

The battle with the Fliers was going as well as could be expected-which was really, really badly as, outnumbered three-to-one, the Riders were barely able to evade the barrage of fireballs and blasts that threatened to take them down. Hiccup glanced over his shoulder and then glanced upwards.

"Back into the storm!" he commanded. "They won't follow us!" Immediately, they arched upwards and plunged into the roiling clouds. If anything, the storm had gotten worse, the winds fiercer and rain harder. And lightning was exploding all around them.

"We may have underestimated them," Heather shouted as they dodged Singetail fireballs.

"Yeah-you may make a great chief one day," Snotlout snarked. "Just know-I will NOT be living on your island!"

"Well, that's so comforting, Snotlout-but right now we need to figure out a way to neutralise these guys!" he sassed back, eyes darting from side to side as lightning bolts clustered around them. Snotlout's earlier comment about the metal was starting to concern him.

"I can think of plenty of ways to neutralise them..." Snotlout boasted-but got no further as a huge lightning bolt slammed into him. He jerked and Hookfang gave a shocked roar-before the pair separated and pinwheeled limply towards the sea, far below.

"SNOTLOUT!" Hiccup and Heather screamed at the same time and dived down, with Toothless gently grasping his cousin and Windshear catching the stunned Hookfang before either could slam fatally into the sea. But the pair were stunned and out of it, useless in the fight and swinging the odds even more firmly in favour of the Fliers. Skimming low over the sea, Hiccup led the way, zooming as fast as he dared away from the pursuing Fliers. They were close to a small collection of rocks and as he circled, he saw a wrecked ship, half-resting on the rocky islet with a huge hole in the deck.

"There!" he shouted and Toothless whipped in, followed by the Razorwhip.

Inside, Snotlout recovered much more quickly than the dazed Hookfang and Snotlout gently hugged his dragon, not concerned that his friends were briefly witnessing his usually well-buried caring side.

"It's alright, Hookie-I won't that big, bad lightning hurt you ever again," he soothed the whimpering dragon. Heather rolled her eyes.

"Snotlout-the chances of getting hit by lightning more than once are...maybe, one in a million?' she pointed out.

"Really, Heather? Well, you might want to check your Math-because I count THREE times for me, just in the last year!" She stared at him, her jaw dropped.

"How many times has he been struck by lightning?" she asked Hiccup incredulously. He shrugged.

"Oh, far too many to count," he admitted. "Fortunately, it doesn't seem to have any lasting effects. Woo us!"

But immediately, there was a crash and the whole ship began to shake. Hiccup stared at the deck, which was beginning to part.

"They're getting stronger, more fearless..." he realised and rested his head in his hand. "What was I thinking?"

"That every second they're here is a second they're not heading back for Johann," Heather told him.

"Have I mentioned how much I hate lightning?" Snotlout commented, sitting down and rubbing his forehead. "I mean, I really hate it." Hiccup rose to his feet and looked into his cousin's face, checking he was okay.

"How's Hookfang?" he asked with concern. As leader of the Riders, the Riders and their dragons were all in his charge. Snotlout shrugged.

"He'll be fine," he admitted. "His saddle is toast though-it was made out of metal. Mister Lightning's favourite meal!" He shook his fist at the unseen clouds. Hiccup paused and then looked up.