Chapter 17
~ Hiccup's POV ~

I strapped up my leathers and crept toward my bedroom door.
I knew there would be two guards on the other side.
I swung the door open and they immediately tried to collar me me, but, all the intense training for Eddval's army had prepared me and I struck them both to the ground with quick, slick and silent gestures.
Grabbing a long thin knife from one of the soldiers, I continued down the hall.

As we had planned, Ryker and Stumpy were at the door with more unconscious door guards at their feet.

"Nice work." I smirked, glancing over the six men on the floor.

"Piece of cake." Whispered Ryker with a deep, but quiet, laugh bouncing off his words.

The three of us crept through the quiet, eerie night toward Dragon Cave, if all went according to plan, Mackenzie, Luca and Erik would be there.
At the Mouth of the huge dark cave, were the three warriors I had grown so fond of.

"You made it!" I cheered with a laugh.

"Yeah, twenty-six of Eddval's men later...this place is guarded like the man himself," groaned Mackenzie, massaging her shoulder, only to receive a half-hearted laugh from Erik alone.

"Let's go in."

The tunnel was dark and smoky and held a significant stench of rotting bodies and Night Fury faeces.
Holding our breath, we six crept down the tunnel being careful not to disturb the wrong dragons or frighten them if they did awaken.

First to be found was Killer, then Buccaneer and Regal with Primrose, then there was Ronan and Hero and last of all we went to find Toothless.
We reached my dragon's cage to find it totally empty.

"What?! He was here last night! They haven't moved him since he arrived! He could be anywhere!" complained Luca running his finger through his hair.
I knew that feeling well, fear taking over courage.
I had dealt with it all my life, never understanding why everything was going wrong.

I rested a hand on his shoulder to quiet him as Mackenzie folded her arms. "What about the Rack?"

I gulped and took a step back. "I don't know what that is..."

They all exchanged anxious glances of disbelief and, yet, total belief at the same time.

"It's a torture chamber. A circular room on the bottom floor of Strike Tower, Eddval has his victims tortured there so he can listen to their screams below his feet." whispered Erik quietly, wincing at the thought.

"Is this....room....used for dragons also?"

The silence answered my question and then it was further confirmed by a distant roar.
I immediately ran back up the tunnel.
Stumpy grabbed me by the arm and dragged me to a noisy half.
"Stop! It's too risky! You can't go running into Strike Tower!"

I yanked myself from the small man's grip and shook my head. "No. Nothing is too risky when my best friend's life is on the line." I decided, sharply jerking my arm away.

I ran on, despite their protests. I was faster than the others now, my long legs carrying me further and out into the cool night air.

The Tower was in the middle of the island and it didn't take me long to reach it, besides the few patrolling soldiers who were marching around doorways and such, I made it without a single skirmish.
I burst through the large door of the eerie building and yanked my sword from the scabbard at my hip. "Aggghhhh! Show your face, Skullhunter!" I yelled, my ferocious anger driving me forward with more revengeful bravery than I had ever felt before.

A single torch lit on the opposite side of the room from me giving just enough light to reveal three silhouettes.
That of a man, that of a woman and that of a Night Fury.
A couple more torches were lit and I could see their faces.

"Mackenzie...?" I whispered, my voice low and breaking with disappointment.

"Always the perceptive one, weren't you Hiccup. Too blind to even look past the emotions to let wisdom guide you. I knew you would come right here so long as Toothless was in danger." She sneered.

I felt the sword start to slip through my fingers, but I stood straight and gathered my bearings. "I should have known that you were lying...it wouldn't have been the first time."

I realised this was the same room I had been in when Eddval had made me one of his own by bribing me with Avril's life.
The Rack seemed a fitting name for such a place.

"All this time...you've been planning this...I should have known." I hissed, my voiced laced with venom.

"You're right you should have, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. But, now, that's in the past, let us talk about my plan that you have so kindly reminded me of. When you killed my brother, I had no other choice than to take you down...It took me a while to find the right message, a decoy, a child, which I assume you received, or else you would not be here." smirked Eddval cruelly.

"Eva! She was a decoy!" I snapped, everything coming to the surface.

"Oh you are the perceptive one, Mackenzie was right! But, when you arrived with your girlfriend at hand, who, seems to have listened to you, she left you. What a lovely family you have! I had everything I needed at my fingertips."

"Don't talk about my wife like that! She is more dangerous than you could ever imagine..."

"If she's anything like you, I have nothing to fear. Anyhow, she's not here, which means, I can finally get what I set out for. Your heart on my spear! But, first, let us have some fun..." He chuckled.

Eddval shoved Mackenzie forward into me just as a cage of spikes thrust up from the floor around us until they reached the ceiling so neither one of us could escape.

"Eddval!" cried Mackenzie in shock and fear, gripping two of the spikes, watching him fearfully.

"You think I really cared about you when you had done nothing worth your life? No...Let the games begin. Fight! I want to see him dead on the floor, Star!" yelled Eddval angrily, a big evil grin plastering his face like a bloodstain. "If you win, I'll let you live."

I turned to Mackenzie just as her foot came flying into my face and slammed me to the floor.
I jumped up and knotted my fists defensively, but I couldn't hit.

It was wrong to hit women! It just wasn't right!

"What's wrong, Hicc, scared to hit me?!" she sneered swinging her boot under my leg knocking me to the floor again.

"No...I don't want to hit Heather...I know she's still in there, and I don't wanna hurt her." I murmured under the strain of aches.

"Heather's dead!" she screamed punching me hard in the face and sending an aching pain through my jaw.
While I was standing to my feet again, she had worked up another punch and kick causing me to face-plant all over again.

"I can do this all day..." I wheezed through quick breaths and stammers.

After four more kicks to the gut and the chest and two punches in the stomach and the face, Heather had me pinned to the floor.

"So can I..." Laughed Heather, her black hair brushing over her face and blocking all else from view but our green eyes locked together.

"No you can't...Heather was always a terrible liar." I smiled.

She punched me again as the words left my mouth but it wasn't the punch that caused us both to scream.
It was the opening of the floor beneath us as Strike Tower crumbled and plummeted into the darkness of the earth below...

~*~*~*~
~ Earlier that night ~
~ Astrid's POV ~

I landed Stormfly on the beach so Solomon and I could climb off and Eret and Snotlout followed on Hookfang.
We needed light, swift dragons and the smallest amount of us possible to even make it to the island in the first place.

Solomon lead us along the small cove beach to a cave opening closed off with swinging vines and other plants.
The tunnels were too small for our dragons to come with us, Solomon said they used young Whispering Deaths that weren't fully grown.
It made sense, they were smaller and easier to handle.

"Stay close, it's gonna be dark in here."

Solomon directed the way and Eret brought up the rear along the dark and dingy tunnel.
The foul smell filled our noses and poisoned the clean air.
I wondered how Solomon had spent many of his days down here? I loved the fresh sea air on the coast line, not the darkness below the island.
I couldn't even imagine subjection to it.

"Right, make this quick, Sol. This place gives me the willies." retorted Snotlout with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I know...Right, this way. Watch your step." Gestured Solomon, pointing toward a slightly smaller hole with a flick of his hand. "This tunnel should lead us directly under Strike Tower."

"Are you sure?" asked Snotlout worriedly.

"My father helped build the old Watch Tower, I know what I'm doing." snapped Solomon.

"Don't get your beard in a twist! I was just asking!" Whined Snotlout, his voice sounding like a retreating coward.

"Wrong choice of words Snot, considering you're the only one here with a beard...well...some of a beard anyway." whispered Eret from behind with a snigger.

Solomon and I stifled a laugh but Snotlout folded his arms over his broad chest before giving the giving Eret an elbow to the chest.

"What's that sound?!" I asked excitedly as a rushing sound could be heard in the distance.

I pushed past my guide and ran ahead to the end.
I reached the end and it was too late before she could stop myself.
An underground ravine ran through the tunnel with a drop of about fifteen foot.
I slid over the slippy, wet edge, grabbing an old root on my way down. My scream echoed through the tunnel and the others skidded to the edge in fear.

"Astrid grab my hand!" yelled Eret as he reached down to me as far as his arm would stretch. He had the longest arms and still he couldn't get to me.

"No!" I shouted back, scrunching my eyes shut and gripping tighter to the root.

"Astrid! Listen to me! I can't get to you! Reach!"

I shook my head quickly and looked down to where my feet were swinging over a river of rushing water. "I can't do it!" I cried desperately.

Eret tried to stretch further but, he couldn't get any closer without falling off himself.
Solomon pushed past Eret as time was running out and threw himself over the edge. He wrapped an arm around my waist, clinging to the root also. "Hold on, Astrid! Eret, on the count of three, grab my hand!" he yelled over the sound of the waves beneath us.
Eret nodded and reached down again.

"One, two...three!" Solomon let go and Eret grabbed his one arm to drag him back up.
Slowly, we slid over the muddy bank to safety.

Both of us were shivering because of the cold water that had splashed us and we were stained with streaks of black dirt. "You look like you've already been to the Battle and back..." chuckled Snotlout through the awkward silence.

"What did you think you were doing?! You nearly got yourself and Astrid killed." demanded Eret in frustration.

"Nearly. We're still here. Besides, she wasn't going anywhere. People generally paralyze when they're afraid." Solomon retorted confidently.

Eret rested his hands on his hips and glared at Solomon as the man pulled himself to his feet, an arm still around my shoulders.

"How did you know that would work?"

"I didn't..."

I pulled away from Solomon and looked from Eret to Solomon and back again. "Thanks...both of you...Now how do we get out of this accursed tunnel?"

Solomon smiled gratefully and pointed to a small rotting plank that stretched out over the ravine. "Only one way across."

"Are you mad?" asked Eret with a dramatic wave of his arms.

"Possibly..." Solomon whispered as he began tip-toeing over the creaky plank of old wood.

"You have got to be joking!" I sighed exasperatedly.

"Not joking." Solomon gasped through holding his breath, it was too frightening to move more than a few inches with each step.

"It won't carry more than one of us at a time, I'll go, you guys follow." Ordered Sol carefully.
It didn't take the skilled miner long to cross, then it was Snotlout's turn.
He was fearless and also made it to the other side quite swiftly.
Eret gestured to the plank when I gave him a blank look. "Please, ladies first." he smirked.

"You're still a steaming heap of dragon-"

"Just go already!" he laughed giving me a gentle push.

I took a deep breath and tip-toed over not making the plank even twitch until I reached the end.
The log snapped in the middle and I had just enough time to jump off and onto the bank leaving Eret alone on the other side. "Eret!" I yelled over the rush.
He pointed in the direction we were headed and yelled even though we could barely hear him.
"Just go! I'll see you on the other side!"

After a few moments of hesitation, we saw Eret son of Eret turn back and we had no choice but to continue in a threesome.

"How much further?" I questioned as we came to a corner.
Solomon didn't answer, he didn't need to.

We came to a network of thick wooden beams crisscrossing under a dome in the granite island.
It was an underground world...

We stood in awe gazing over the drainage system and waterfalls running through the rock and soil paradise.
In the middle of this round drainage system controlling the water beneath the island was four stakes holding up the under-ground cavern.

"What are we gonna do?" asked Snotlout, fear trembling in his voice and clouding his face.

"We have a problem...There are four stakes, and only three of us. Cutting them and releasing the tower could bring it down in any direction making the chance of survival in here...almost impossible." Replied Solomon tentatively.

I gasped and looked back down the tunnel to where Eret had parted from us, then back to the network with refreshed courage in my eyes.
"We can do this, for Hiccup."

Solomon and Snotlout nodded. "Okay, Astrid, you take the East stake, Snotlout, you take the North and I will deal with the South and the West. We're running out of time."

With another nod of understanding, Snotlout and I hurried along the planks to our posts.
Yanking our axes out, the three of us exchanged looks of being ready and prepared ourselves for the near chaos.

"Okay, on the count of three, start swinging, once your stake is broken, run!" yelled Solomon.

The first cut sent a rumble through the ceiling and startled us slightly, then any swings after ran smoothly and we became adjusted to the noise.
I felt perspiration run down my face as my axe swung into the last slice and a loud crumble erupted above.
I jumped into action but all around me was silent as my mind was completely focused on Hiccup.

I could even hear his voice in my head, echoing from the past.
As the whole underground dome came crashing down, I was pulled into the tunnel by a hand upon my arm.

I found myself face to face with Solomon.
"Thanks!...Saved me again!" I gasped breathlessly as everything tumbled around us into the water below.

"No problem..." he awkwardly laughed, pulling away and revealing Snotlout behind him.

Together we watched the last of the tower come tumbling down into the water.
I hurried to the edge of the tunnel from which we had come out of just five minutes ago.
The dome, the beams, the drainage network, everything was gone and all that remained was a gaping hole in the centre of the island filled with debris and water as light flooded in.
I scanned the water for anything, a sign of life.

"There!" I squealed excitedly as a person, coughing and sputtering, burst out of the ocean.
It was a girl and she clung for her life to a piece of a broken beam floating in the water.
Slowly the girl swam to the edge of the huge hole and began climbing up the side toward the tunnel.

"Here, give me your hand!" Solomon yelled down.

She saw him and gratefully grabbed his open hand and he pulled her up.
She sat exhausted against the wall and I recognized her instantly.

"Heather?!" I gasped disbelievingly.

"My name is Mackenzie...who are you?" the girl coughed in aim to unknowingly deceive us.

"Oh...sorry...You, look very like someone from my past...never mind. Um, I'm Astrid. Have you seen a man named Hiccup around here?"

The girl looked me in the eye and stared for a moment, her one green eye that could be seen through a thick fringe glistened mysteriously. "The prisoner? They killed him." She slyly smiled.

I stumbled back some before falling to my knees in failure, then the tears came flooding.

Solomon knelt by me and wrapped me in a hug. "I'm sorry, Astrid..." He whispered, pulling me closer.

I couldn't even find the words to comfort him or control myself. All I could think of was Hiccup and Lucy, the two most important people in the world.
Then I looked up at the girl who was looking over the edge again. I grabbed her shoulder and yanked her around. "What about the dragon, the Fury?"

The girl shrugged. "I suppose he's in the army."

I looked to Solomon who nodded knowingly. "Snotlout, look after her, we're going to find Toothless. He's all I have left of Hiccup now, and I'm not leaving here without him."

~*~*~*~

Yay! So I've finally updated! What did you think about this chapter? We're deep in the story now, enveloped in it in fact! Are you enjoying it? I hope you are? What did you think about Hiccup and McKenzie fighting? What about how Eddval betrayed McKenzie? What about Astrid falling down that hole and Solomon saving her instead of Eret? Do you think he's jealous? Anyway, watch this space for the next one!

~ Httyd_2014 <3