The Rise of Light (Book 3: Together Forever)

Shadowfire

Vera's POV

"You're kidding! You haven't seen him in years!" She shook her head.

"I love him and he's gone. I'll never see him again." I saw the tears escaping her.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

*Flashback*

I was moving stealthily through a forest when I heard the unmistakable roar of a Night Fury. It was a wordless cry of distress. I felt myself bristle as I started moving towards the source.

There was something eerily longing and hopeless about the call.

As I reached the outskirts of a clearing I saw him trapped in iron netting. I stepped back into the shadows as I watched as a couple of villagers poked and prodded the Night Fury, who was in such a mess that he had no hopes of escaping. I strained my hearing for any signs of other Vikings.

"Cursed human hearing," I muttered to myself. 

The Fury was whining as the poked a wound, "Please. Give me mercy."

"Ha! He's crying! We should take it back to the village!"

I stepped out of the trees. The quiet of sundown sent a calm down my nerves as I ignited the sword my Uncle had made me for my birthday. Okay. Enough is enough.

"He's not going anywhere," I spoke loud and clear.

They spun around to face me. "Yes. He is. We caught him and found him. We get to kill him."

"Ya! There's two of us and only one of you! And you're just a girl!"

I scoffed at that last part, "Fine. I'll make a deal with both of you. I fight both of you for him. I'll even take off my armour to make it fairer."

They looked at each other. "Deal. Whoever wins gets him."

I started unstrapping my armour and planted my sword in the ground while extinguishing it. Before I palmed two fighting knives. A pair from the set my Uncle had given me for Snoggletog one year. These two were named þrek and Ástir.

They charged and I scanned them for two seconds each before figuring out a weakness in both.

As the taller one reached me, I ducked and swept a leg out, successfully knocking him down.

The other one reached me and I jumped over his blade before knocking him down, too.

"Surrender?" I asked, sweetly. The nodded quickly.

"He's all yours. Just don't kill us." I smiled in amusement and victory before marching up to the male.

I studied the netting trying to figure out how to undo it. He was shaking like a leaf.

"For a Fury, you're not very smart. I mean honestly. How in Thor's name did you get this tangled up! I don't even know where to start!" He shook even harder and was whining. "Oh, shush! You're making this harder than it needs to be!" He started moving trying to get out.

I grabbed his chin. "Listen here, Fury! I'm trying to free you! But if you're going to keep moving like this, I'll leave you to the fate of those two muttonheads!" I gestured to them.

"How do you speak our language?"

"Unimportant. Now, are you going to keep asking questions or can I free you?" I said while tapping my foot on the ground. He mumbled something to himself that I didn't quite catch. "Good."

I eventually figured out how to undo the trap and then I had trouble untangling the netting.

"There you go. Now. What are you doing on an island littered with Vikings?"

"I was trying to find my way to a place and I needed to rest. What about you?"

"I was in the area and I wanted to see what these people were like. Where are you heading?" He shrugged.

"Figures. You're lost. Let me guess. Itchy Armpit? Dragon Haven? Berk? Ummm, let's see... The Hidden World?" He blinked.

"How'd a human know about the Hidden World?" I laughed.

"You still don't know? Honestly? I'm not human! I'm a Night Fury! Like you! I was born there! Raised there!" He rolled his eyes.

"Humans can't become dragons!"

"Tell that to my mom and Uncle! And I just said I was born a Night Fury. Not. A human. Here I'll prove it!" I shifted, he smelt of a field of violets with just a hint of honey. "See? Night Fury! Anyway. If you're looking for the Hidden World. Head due East for three weeks-ish and then head West-ish for two days. Most dragons in that area will be able and willing to help you the rest of the way. Why do you want to go there anyway?"

"The female I love is there."

"Well. I hope she loves you back."

"Me too!" I took off and he called after me, "Her name is Dreamchaser. If you meet her tell her I'm coming back to her!" I hardly heard and my brain didn't process what he had said.

*Flashback*

"Vera? Vera! What's wrong?"

"What did Shadowfire's eyes look like?"

"Ummm... they were the brightest sapphire eyes I had ever seen and right at the core, there was a ring of violet. And he smelled like a field of violets with a touch of honey."

I stared out at the ocean. The sapphire eyes with a center of violet. They were the same as the Fury I had saved and while others could have eyes like that. No-one could have the same scent.

"It was him, Dream."

"What was who?"

"I-I met this male Night Fury about a month ago. He got himself caught in a trap and so tangled that it took me forever to get him out."

"What does that have to do with anything-"

"He smelt of honey and violets. And he had the same eyes. H-he was trying to come back here, Dream."

Her eyes widened as she stared at me. "H-he's coming here?"

"Well... He might be a little lost. I don't give the best instructions."

"I don't care! I'll ask him to be my mate when he gets here! Because I love him! Wait- What if he doesn't like me like that?"

"Oh, Dream. He doesn't."

"H-he d-doesn't? H-he t-told you that?"

"No. He doesn't. He loves you, Dream. And he told me to tell you that. He told me to tell you that he loves you and he's coming back for you."

"Really?"

"Really. You know what this means, Dream? You're gonna have a mate!"

She nodded as she smiled and cried. "I'm gonna have a mate." 

"Maybe you should wait a little while before asking him to be your mate."

"Yeah... Da might not like that so much." 

"You know he's probably going to ask you."

"Probably." She smiled before we broke into laughter.