Adventures of Elsa Jade ~ Chapter 4 ~ Dragon Riders (Part 2)
Part 2 of Chapter 4, featuring Cazi the Conqueror (as Axtar) and Hyrith!
BTW, am I way overthinking the length? Would Chapter 4 have been too long if I had combined Parts 1 & 2?
CHAPTER 4 (part 2)
The rogue Night Fury was headed straight toward the strangers. And they obviously thought I had told it to attack them. Fire and Ice was gaining on it… we might have time to intercept it… The Viking who had given the battle cry earlier charged forward on his Monstrous Nightmare. The two dragons clashed midair, spinning and clawing at each other. Fire and Ice was going so fast that we were barely able to avoid them, but then we rammed straight into the girl riding the Skrill. Electric shock jolted through me and I fell off Fire and Ice, landing on Fáfnir’s back. He was getting better at his timing. The Skrill and the Scauldron had teamed up against Fire and Ice – the Scauldron spraying water, and the Skrill shocking her. Fáfnir and I swooped upward to avoid a spine-shooting Nadder. I jumped off Fáfnir and landed standing on the Skrill’s back, with a knife in each hand. Nobody messes with my dragons.
The Skrill rider punched backward with her dagger as she turned. I slid into a kneeling position, under the blade, and thrust at her with my right-hand dagger, the left held high to block her weapon. She pushed my knife aside with her left hand, grabbing my wrist. I spun to the left, reversed my hold on the dagger, and jabbed at her as I wrenched my arm out of her grasp. Continuing my spin, I dodged the blade aimed straight toward my head, jumped forward, and slammed into her, knocking us both off the Skrill. She wedged her foot between us and kicked hard. The Scauldron caught her, and I fell onto Fire and Ice. Unstrapping the bow from my back, I fired at them. The Scauldron’s rider deflected my arrows with his sword. They seemed ready to charge, but at a signal from the group’s leader, they paused.
I looked around. Fáfnir was on the ground, unhurt but held down by the leader’s older, larger Night Fury. The rogue dragon was tied with bolas, growling and snapping at anyone who approached but otherwise out of the fight. The Vikings held their positions in the air, weapons pointed at us. Fire and Ice and I were surrounded.
I signaled Fire and Ice to land. There was no way we could fight our way through so many warriors, let alone rescue Fáfnir. I just hoped they preferred taking prisoners instead of killing them.
The Vikings landed, still covering me with their weapons. The leader walked over to me – just out of range of my daggers – and removed his mask. I gasped. He looked like… but no, it couldn’t be. There was no way the son of Stoick the Vast would be leading a group of dragon riders. The chief of Berk hated dragons even more than I used to. Besides – I almost smirked – Hiccup wasn’t nearly as tough as this warrior.
But as soon as he spoke I knew I was wrong. “We are the dragon trainers of Berk, on a mapmaking expedition. We had no intention of harming you or your dragons. Why did you ambush us?”
“I was under the impression that the Vikings of Berk were at war with the dragons.”
“We were, until… well, it’s a long story. But we discovered that dragons are really gentle, amazing creatures that can become friends for life.” He glanced at Fire and Ice. “I’m guessing you know that also.”
I nodded. “That’s true. But how did you convince all of Berk?”
“We found out why the dragons were attacking us. There was a giant dragon on their island, which forced them to bring back food or be eaten themselves. We defeated it, and now many of the dragons live with us on Berk.” Hiccup paused. “So… about the ambush?”
I explained that I had no idea why the rogue Night Fury had attacked them. I had guessed there were dragons living in the caves on the valley walls, but had never seen them up close until today. “Having Fire and Ice behind you was just for insurance. I had no idea who you were, and I have more enemies than friends these days. I didn’t tell her to attack; she must have thought you were threatening me.”
I could tell some of the Vikings were still skeptical, but to my surprise, Hiccup seemed to be taking my story seriously. He told the others to stand down, and his Night Fury cautiously let Fáfnir up. Fáfnir trotted over to me and stood eyeing the other Vikings suspiciously. The Scauldron’s rider approached us, his sword drawn but lowered. He glanced at Fire and Ice. “May I?”
I shrugged. “Sure.”
He reached out tentatively and stroked her. “It’s not every day I see a tame Chilling Horror.”
I did a double take. This was the same Viking that had known to cover his eyes when Fire and Ice attacked. “You know Chilling Horrors?”
“‘Course I do. In my opinion, they’re one of the most dangerous dragons out there. Which is why they’re called the Star of Death. They choose their riders by attacking them, and if you survive and beat one in combat, it’s completely loyal to you.”
Which was exactly the way I met Fire and Ice. “So, their strong point is their stealth, right?”
He nodded. “They always attack from behind, and your only warning is a shrill shriek and its shadow, which looks like a mountain with a star on top. And if you look directly at its breath when it attacks, it blinds you for a while.”
“So… why do they fight their chosen rider? I mean, it makes a cool story, but there’s got to be an easier way to say hi.”
He chuckled. “It’s a test. If you can beat the Chilling Horror, it knows it can trust you to protect it, no matter what.”
That made sense. Actually, it deepened my respect for Fire and Ice.
“I’m Hyrith, by the way.”
“Hi. Elsa Jade.” It was so weird, conversing with people after the months I’d spent with only my dragons.
The Skrill’s rider walked over, her dragon following. “And I’m Axtar. This is Sparklebolt, my Skrill, and the Scauldron is Waterspout.”
I greeted her. “That was some pretty impressive combat. And I’m sorry about the ambush.”
“So am I.” She grinned. “The fight was just getting good.”
We all laughed, and were in the middle of debating who would have won when Hiccup joined us. He explained that there was now a school on Berk for new dragon trainers, and that I could join if I wanted. I was a little hesitant; some of the Vikings were still suspicious of me because of the ambush. In the end, however, I agreed. Going with them would give me a chance to prove I was trustworthy, and there was no longer a reason to live as an outcast. I would keep Rúndalr in case I ever needed a refuge, but it was time for me and my dragons to return home.
(all 3 pics by goldenfury360 (aka Hyrith))
by SoulStereo
(free lineart base found 
by me
Sefarva blinkie by DuskDaybreak
Good job, as always.
:D
You never fail me!
A simple heads up:
Hyrith wasn't there when dragons were at war with dragons on Berk. He was living on the Golden Isles till it got attacked, and everyone got killed...
I came around after Hiccup defeated Drago.
Simple reminder... you don't need to edit your story.
Also, you could include Backbiter. I guess he would want to see a new friend, since he's sorta lonely on berk...
You are a great writer!
I enjoyed writing about Axtar & Hyrith!
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That makes sense. I had you at Berk between httyd1 and httyd2 (like, Elsa Jade left Berk, httyd1 happened, Hiccup started School of Dragons, you came to Berk, some students went on an expedition and this story happened). But bumping up the timeline in the next chapter shouldn't be a problem... actually it might make something else I was working on a bit simpler :)
And I think 2 Chilling Horrors in the same story would be epically cool ;) Backbiter can definitely come in soon.