Riders of B E R K

Part 70: Escape from Reykjavik

Seventy: Escape from Reykjavik

Fishlegs and I stared at the screen and the words echoed round the silent room. Then the other guests and the staff began muttering and cursing in Icelandic and gesturing at the screen while I ouched Fish's brawny shoulder.

"Grab what you need and meet me down in the car in four minutes," I ordered him and backed away, speeding for the stairs. He nodded and was pressing the button for the elevator as I vanished up. Of course, I was regretting it by the fourth floor, my chest tight and feeling hot and sweaty but I was impatient-always have been-and I knew had to get out of there. So I burst into our room and glanced around, vanishing into the en suite little bathroom and grabbing our washbags and then the couple of items we had unpacked. We had both packed light and hadn't really unpacked following our scare the previous evening in case we had to leave in a hurry. Literally, all I had to do was shove our toiletries in and grab the bags and we were done. Visually checking the room one last time, I ran from the room and sprinted down the stairs, bursting out onto the street where Hiccup was sitting with the window down, chatting to the Night Fury. He smiled at me.

"You look pleased with yourself," he commented and I shook my head, swiftly filling him in.

"Nordica?" he murmured. "That was what those guys said when they tried to kill us-well, me-in Brussels."

"It's a pretty clever name but it means he's given up pretending to be legitimate," I said, drumming the steering wheel impatiently and checking my watch. "How long is Fish going to take?"

"That may not be the biggest problem," Hiccup commented as we saw three shapes sprint wildly up the road, all red and breathless and about one hill from dropping dead from exhaustion. Snotlout and the twins reached the hood of the car and all just collapsed against it.

"Hey...T..." Tuff gasped and slid to the floor.

"Ditto..." Ruff gasped, sliding to sit alongside him. Snotlout look up pathetically.

"My legs...are dropping...off..." he whined.

"Oh, for the love of..." I grumbled and lifted my com. "Thuggory...where are you?"

"Leaving the harbour as we speak," he commented. "The dragons are all Tranked-it was the only way to stop them breaking out." He paused. "We heard Drago's announcement and I commed the Generals. There will be a plane waiting for you at Keflavik."

"We have Toothless," Hiccup pointed out.

"He'll be able to fly with you as well," Thuggory assured him. "The plane will take him as well."

"He won't like it..." Hiccup pointed out.

"Leave. Now!" Thuggory ordered. "What remains of the Icelandic Crisis Response Forces are heading straight for Reykjavik to fight the dragons and you need to be out of there. The UN Security Council is meeting as we speak as are the security ministers of the EU. You cannot let yourselves be captured..."

"Roger," I said and started the engine as Fishlegs emerged from the hotel, holding his bags and scuttling as only he could. He scrambled into the borrowed SUV and grinned, bright red with the effort.

"How did I do?" he asked breathlessly.

"Ten minutes!" I growled. "We're leaving NOW!" The twins scrambled round and managed to clamber into the back seat while Snotlout looked up in horror.

"But my beauty regime..." he whined.

"Do you want to get stuck in the middle of a war?" Hiccup asked him pointedly. He opened his mouth. "Without your dragon," the auburn-haired rider continued.