For Milady

FORTY EIGHT: The Hunt

FORTY-EIGHT: The Hunt

He shouldn't be enjoying it, flying with his wife and friends in the familiar formation...with Camicazi filling in the gap in the phalanx on her Nadder, Daggerspine...but he was. Because everything that had happened, from the hazy but wonderful morning he awoke with Astrid, through the nightmare of the revelation about the arranged marriage, the choice he had been forced to make, through captivity and torture, violence and despair, to reunion and the magic of his daughter's safe birth, the wedding, the return and now finally his father's injury-all of it had made it clear that he was grown up and their time on the Edge was coming to an end. No matter his wishes, Hiccup would have to go home and be the Heir he was duty bound to be. He would have to learn to be Stoick's successor and he knew, one day soon, he would kneel as Gothi marked the Chief's symbol on his brow with his proud father standing by as his son became the Chief.

But for now, they were arrowing through the clouds towards Dramillion Island, his daughter and her nurse in mortal peril from an evil man who had fooled everyone and was now using every nefarious and evil means he could to snatch control of the dragons and rule the Archipelago for himself. Astrid was at his side, cold and focussed as only Astrid could be, her axe thirsty for the blood of the man who had slaughtered her mother and endangered her child. And he felt no less rage at Johann for taking his daughter but he knew he had to be the voice of reason, the man who tried the peaceful way-because he couldn't allow Johann to steal that from him, along with everything else. But a small portion of Hiccup-the son of seven generations of Viking Chiefs of the Hooligan Tribe of Berk-was really hoping that the answer would lie in using Inferno to separate Johann's sneering head from his shoulders.

The group were focussed and the usual banter was quiet, because everyone-even the twins and Snotlout-knew what was at stake now. But what they didn't expect, as they broke through the clouds, was to see the shores of Dramillion Island...with Johann's entire fleet and a whole flock of Singetails descending on its shores. Pulling Toothless up, Hiccup took a shuddering breath, his eyes wide with shock.

"How the Thor did they get here?" he muttered. The others hovered at his side and stared.

"So what do we do?" Cami asked.

"We go on-and find that Titanwing Dramillion before Krogan and his men do," Hiccup decided. "Snotlout, Ruff, Tuff-sink that armada!"

"You just said the magic words!" Snotlout exulted and he and the twins swooped down towards the ships as Hiccup turned to the others.

"Astrid, Cami, Fishlegs-with me!" he commanded. "Let's find that dragon!" And they arrowed through to the interior of the island to locate the dragon. Behind them, there were explosions and the twins were whooping and blowing up every ship they could get while the cries of "Snotlout and Hookfang! Oy! Oy! Oy!" were echoing across the bay. But as they circled round, the twins shared a look.

"That figurehead on that ship looks very lifelike," Ruff noted.

"He actually looked like he was crying..." Tuff added and they sighed then swung round again...to see the battered shape of Gruffnut, lashed to the prow of the Hunter ship. Tuff's eyes widened. Gruffnut! The older cousin he had idolised and who had repaid him by stealing his identity and trying to steal Barf'n'Belch. But the man was insanely pleased to see them.

"Cousins! Oh I knew you'd come, thank Thor!" he exclaimed as Ruff rolled her eyes. She had seen through Gruffnut almost immediately and had spent a lot of time trying to cheer up her brother who was always disappointed when their cousin visited, usually taking Tuff's money, valuables and self-respect.

"I thought we had disowned you!" she yelled. But Tuff had already drawn his axe.

"No Thorston shall remain in danger when another Thorston is available to save him!" he shouted dramatically and jumped across, methodically cutting his cousin's ropes. He helped him back onto the Zippleback. "Now hang on!" he advised Gruffnut.