Adventures of Elsa Jade ~ Chapter 6 ~ Cave Attack
CHAPTER 6
Life on Berk quickly settled into rhythm. I joined flight and combat classes with Fáfnir and Fire and Ice, who both seemed to enjoy having other dragons to hang out with. At night we camped in the woods at the edge of Berk; but Axtar, Hyrith, and several of their friends were helping me build a house and stable. Designing my own house was surprisingly fun. Between that and school, I didn’t have a lot of free time; but whenever I got the chance I took Fáfnir out to look for the mysterious Night Fury with a matching star.
One day, I had just finished a hard test in my mounted combat class (with Fire and Ice), and we were given the rest of the day off from school. It was my chance to travel farther than normal in search of the strange Night Fury, and I quickly called Fáfnir and saddled him up. Fire and Ice started to give me The Look (the sad one that always made me melt inside), but she agreed to stay on Berk when she saw that Backbiter would be staying too. The Chilling Horrors started playing with each other, and I jumped on Fáfnir and took off.
We flew high above the ocean for about two hours. I had rigged a small mirror (one of Heather’s lab inventions) to the front of Fáfnir’s saddle, so I could keep an eye on his star without getting off. So far, there had been no sign of the other Night Fury. I glanced around. The clouds were gradually getting lower and thicker, changing from puffy white clouds to a thick gray fog. It was thicker ahead. Maybe we should turn back before visibility worsened. Glancing at the mirror, I saw Fáfnir’s star softly glowing. A rush of adrenaline surged through me. The dragon was in range, and we were getting closer. No way were we turning back now.
We flew on into the fog, adjusting our heading every now and then to keep Fáfnir’s star glowing. It seemed to be getting gradually brighter. I tensed in excitement, and Fáfnir sped up. I squinted into the thick gray clouds, trying to see anything, but the fog was too dense. Oh well. We were out in the middle of the ocean, so what could possibly –
A huge dark shape loomed up before us. I threw my weight up and to the side, trying to guide Fáfnir around it. We dodged it at first, but the evasive maneuver combined with a sudden blast of wind threw us into a spin. We spiraled through the air, nearing the rocky mass. It was too late to avoid it. I braced myself and tucked my head just as we slammed into it.
A gust of warm air blew into my face. I opened my eyes and stared up at Fáfnir’s face, inches from my own. Behind his head I saw the thick fog, and a few rocky outcroppings. He snorted again. I grunted and pushed myself upright, stroking his head reassuringly. Good – I didn’t seem to have any serious injuries. I looked around and saw we were on the side of a massive natural tower of rock, similar to the ones near Berk. This one was thicker, though, and had several relatively flat spots along its sides. I looked back at Fáfnir – his star was glowing bright silver. Talk about luck; the mysterious Night Fury must have stopped here too. I motioned Fáfnir forward, and we began climbing along the boulders, searching for the dragon. Whenever the star’s glow lessened, we would retrace our steps until it glowed brighter and then try a different direction. It reminded me of the games of “Hot or Cold” that I’d often played with my brother Erik.
The star led us to a large, dark crevice in the rocks – what looked like the entrance to a cave. I motioned for Fáfnir to stay quiet, and listened at the entrance. No noise. The dragon had probably heard us coming. On a hunch, I signaled Fáfnir to get behind some rocks near the entrance. He would stay hidden, no matter what, until I called for him. You never knew when a hidden dragon might come in handy. I then drew my daggers and entered the cave.
It was silent and completely dark, except for the faintly lit section near the entrance. I narrowed my eyes and stared into the darkness, walking slowly forward. I gradually began to hear a sound – slow, heavy breathing. It was coming from up ahead, and it sounded like a dragon. Suddenly, a brilliant blue light shone out from where I guessed the dragon was. I squinted, trying not to close my eyes while they adjusted. The light softened a bit, and I saw the source – a dark Night Fury with glowing spikes and a silver star on its chest. Two things registered at once. First, this wasn’t the dragon I had been looking for. There were no glowing blue rune-like markings. Second, this dragon was a prisoner. The wide leather band secured around its head kept it from opening its mouth, and there were chains around its legs.
I heard the scrape of a boot on the rocky floor behind me. Dropping into a crouch, I pivoted on my left foot, bringing my daggers up to protect myself. The blunt end of a battleaxe swung through the air where my head had been. My attacker had tried for a knockout blow, but one that wasn’t fatal. Interesting. He swung the axe around for another pass. I deflected it with my right dagger, and thrust at his masked face with the left. He deflected with his left hand, turned his hand on my forearm, and grabbed my arm, pulling me toward him. He punched at my face with the battleaxe. I barely deflected the blow with my right dagger, but the blade was sheared off by the heavy axe. I tossed the dagger from my left hand, caught it with my right, and rushed him. His battleaxe glanced off the side of my head, but I was too close now for it to do serious damage. Unless, of course, he changed his mind about killing me. Just before I slammed into him, I jabbed forward and up with my dagger, catching the edge of his mask and slicing it. He let go of my arm and staggered backward, his left hand thrown up over his face. I paused, confused. I’d cut his face, but I certainly hadn’t injured him that badly. Which could only mean he didn’t want me seeing his face. Because I’d recognize him? I opened my mouth to call Fáfnir, but before I could, something blunt and hard slammed into the back of my head. I felt myself falling, and everything went black.
I was floating in a dark haze of pain. What had happened? Something about a Night Fury, and a dark cave. There were male voices, kind of muffled, like the speakers were talking through masks.
“You fool! Why did you show yourself?” A dark, authoritative voice, with a strange accent.
“But we have her now! And her Star Fury must be around here somewhere.” This voice sounded… familiar, somehow. I couldn’t place it.
“I told you to watch and wait. Watch and wait! She had no idea of our existence before your censored attack. And before you ask, no, we’re NOT taking her prisoner! She’ll lead us to the rest if we leave her alone! Taking her now just gives us one Fury, but if we…” The voices faded out and I slipped back into unconsciousness.
Thunder crashed in the distance, and I could hear rain slapping against the outside of the cave. I started to get up, but the suddenly intensified pounding in my head pushed me back down. With a groan, I sat up more slowly and looked around. There was no sign of my attackers or the chained Night Fury, and the light coming in from the entrance of the cave had lessened considerably. I had been here a few hours at least.
The events of the fight came rushing back to me, and I stumbled to the cave entrance. My attackers and their dragon were nowhere in sight. I whistled for Fáfnir. He appeared from behind a large boulder and lunged toward me, looking drenched and very relieved to see me. He shook himself all over me and hooked a wing around my neck, in his version of a hug. I leaned into his strong side. We stood together at the cave entrance, staring out into the fog and rain. I thoughtfully stroked Fáfnir’s star. Someone wanted him, and probably the dragon we had been looking for as well. And they were hoping I’d lead them to the Star Furies.
Well, they were in for a surprise. Because nobody messes with my dragons.
(all 3 pics by goldenfury360 (aka Hyrith))
by SoulStereo
(free lineart base found 
by me
Sefarva blinkie by DuskDaybreak
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