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Hiccup tried to double over as Ryker punched him in the gut, but the chains kept him up straight. All he could do was try to regain his breath and endure the pain.
“I told you, I don’t know where the lens is,” Hiccup panted once he could breathe again. “My Riders and I have searched this area and found nothing.”
“Then why were you still here?” Ryker asked. In actuality, the Dragon Eye lens in question was in Toothless’ saddlebag, but Hiccup had had Toothless run off during the attack. They’d wanted just Hiccup for once, not Toothless, and had been happy to let him go free. The problem was, Toothless couldn’t fly on his own, and Hiccup was the only Dragon Rider on this island. No backup or help was coming for him. He had to think his way out of this one.
“It’s part of Berkian territory,” Hiccup responded. “It would only make sense to patrol.”
“Hm, that would explain why there’s just you.” Ryker paced a little in front of him, hands in fists. No, the reason it was only Hiccup here with none of his friends was that he had figured out the puzzle to where the lens was in the middle of the night and had run off without waking anyone. When he returned, beaten and bloodied, they would keep him under lock and key for a while to make sure he wouldn’t pull one of these stunts again. Hiccup was regretting doing just that. “But I know you’re lying. I know you know where the Dragon Eye lens is.” Ryker stopped pacing, pounded his fist into his hand. “So tell me.”
“Eat shit,” Hiccup spat. And then he spat for real, right in Ryker’s face. The man grunted in surprised, wiped off the spittle, and then once again punched him in the gut. There was a snapping sound that came with it, a pain like nothing else that flared through Hiccup’s abdomen and had him crying out when he could breathe again. Tears welled in his eyes, but he wouldn’t break to this man. Ryker was the easier to deal with of the Grimborn brothers. He would just punch his way through things instead of using his brain. Hiccup could out-think him. And as far as he was aware, Viggo wasn’t around.
“You’re just a lying brat, Haddock,” Ryker told him. Hiccup didn’t like being called a brat. It made him feel younger than he really was, like he wasn’t an adult dealing with another adult. Yes, Ryker was older than him, but they were both men here.
Hiccup took a furtive look around the cave they were in. Ryker had found some stalactites to chain him to, leaving him standing. And he’d taken his prosthetic, so he was forced to use the chains for balance. Lanterns on the floor lit the place around Hiccup. He couldn’t see much farther into the dark. Maybe if he tugged on the stalactites enough they would come down. But no, then that would endanger him. He couldn’t possibly fight Ryker when he had only one foot to stand on. Ryker and Hiccup weren’t the only two in the cave either. Two Dragon Hunters stood guard on either side of Hiccup, and three spanned the entryway. Maybe he could cut some sort of deal with Ryker.
“Fine,” Hiccup said. “Maybe I know where the lens is, but if you keep beating me, I won’t tell you.” It was hard to breathe with the pain in his abdomen from an undoubtedly broken rib. Blood ran from his nose and his left eye was swollen shut. Ryker certainly knew how to use his fists. So far, the other Dragon Hunters had only manhandled him a little bit to get him into this position. It was Ryker who was doing the talking. And the hitting.
“That’s not how this works,” Ryker said with a shake of his head. “I stop beating you when you tell me where it is.”
Hiccup pursed his lips in thought. He didn’t like this. Not one bit. How was he supposed to get out of here alive and in one piece? He couldn’t count on Toothless. The dragon was brave, sometimes stupidly so, but Hiccup had ordered him to stay away to avoid death or capture. Hopefully he would listen. He couldn’t take on the amount of Hunters that Ryker had with him. The ones in the cave were only a small portion of them.
“Ryker, what is it you think you’re doing?” The familiar voice shocked Hiccup out of his reverie. He looked to the entryway of the cave to see Viggo striding in. Where had he come from? How had he learned of this? Perhaps he had come to check on Ryker and was surprised to see that he had Hiccup captive.
“Questioning Hiccup. What does it look like I’m doing?”
Viggo stood with his hands behind his back, looking around the cave. He only gave Hiccup a cursory glance. He turned to Ryker. “And what are you questioning him about?”
“The whereabouts of a Dragon Eye lens. My men tracked it to this spot and found Hiccup and the Night Fury prowling about.”
“And where’s the Night Fury?”
Ryker pointed to Hiccup. “He set it loose.”
Viggo looked around the cave again. His eyes latched onto Hiccup. “Leave us,” Viggo commanded of Ryker and his men, eyes not leaving Hiccup. It made a shiver of fear run through his body.
“What? I just about had it! Viggo, just-”
“I said leave .” Viggo shot a glare at his brother.
And, just like that, Ryker backed down. He motioned for his men to follow him, then left the cave. Viggo and Hiccup were alone, the lanterns flickering light across their features.
Viggo came up to Hiccup, again looked him over. Hiccup didn’t know what to expect from him. Certainly talking, mind games to try to weaken him and get him to reveal the lens.
“I won’t tell you anything,” Hiccup growled.
“No need,” Viggo said. He reached up his hands, and Hiccup flinched, expecting to be struck, but instead there was a rattling noise, and his right arm came loose, the chain dangling from his wrist. He now only had his left arm chained to support himself standing. When that came undone, he tried to stand on his own, but fell forward into Viggo’s arms.
“What are you doing?” Hiccup asked with a grunt. Viggo gently lowered Hiccup to the ground, then knelt by him, took a key from his belt. Hiccup wondered where he had gotten that from. He raised his eyebrows at it.
“Filched it from Ryker when he wasn’t paying attention,” Viggo explained. “Hold out your wrists.”
“What are you doing? ” Hiccup again questioned, holding out his wrists so Viggo could unlock the cuffs.
Viggo didn’t answer. He unlocked the cuffs and let them fall to the ground between them with a clang. Then, he took a handkerchief from his belt, leaned forward.
“May I?”
Wait, Viggo was actually asking him for permission. Permission to do what? Clean his face?
“Um, yeah.”
Viggo reached his hand up, began dabbing at the blood that had been running from Hiccup’s nose.
“I’m sorry about the way my brother treated you. Is anything broken?”
Hiccup was so startled by all this, that at first he just looked at Viggo wide-eyed, unsure of what to say.
“Is anything broken?” Viggo asked again, a slight growl to his voice. It wasn’t a question. It was a command to answer.
“One of my ribs, I think,” Hiccup did answer. This was so strange. Why was Viggo doing this?
Viggo shook his head. “My brother only knows how to punch his way through things, it seems. Again, I apologize that you had to fall victim to it.”
Hiccup cocked his head at him, but didn’t ask him what he was doing. Viggo clearly wasn’t going to answer.
“Is your Night Fury safe?” Viggo inquired.
“I-I think so.”
Viggo pulled away the bloodied handkerchief, frowned at Hiccup’s swollen eye. “That’s going to need ice,” he said. He stood, and Hiccup wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but he went for where his prosthetic was discarded on the cavern floor. He picked it up, then came back over and returned it to Hiccup. Hiccup took it in shaky hands, bent his leg to begin to fasten it on. Viggo remained standing while Hiccup did this, watching him. The feel of his eyes on him unnerved him.
“Now, I can distract Ryker for a short time,” Viggo said.
“Excuse me?” Hiccup pushed himself to his feet. Yep, one of his ribs was definitely broken. It hurt to breathe.
“Are you able to run?”
“Yes?” It was a question. Hiccup didn’t know what was going on.
Viggo shoved him towards the entryway. “Then run, you fool!”
Hiccup turned his head to Viggo, wanting to ask him a myriad of questions, but instead, he listened to him, and ran for it.
It was easy to track Toothless once Hiccup got away from the cave. He checked to see if anyone was coming after him, but it seemed he was in the clear. Instead of worrying about it for the moment, he did his best to find Toothless.
He found him up in a tree.
“Toothless, bud! You can come down!” Hiccup called, hands cupped around his mouth.
Toothless looked excited to see him. He bounded down from the tree, then was sniffing over him, eager and concerned. There hadn’t been wounds on him when Toothless had last seen him. Then, the dragon gave him a questioning look, as if asking how he had gotten away.
“Um, I had unlikely help,” Hiccup told him. He heard shouting from a ways away. “But come on. Let’s go.”
Hiccup mounted Toothless, and together, the two took off, the leap up from the ground into the air jarring Hiccup’s rib. He gasped, tried to catch his breath. He put a hand to his side, panting.
As they avoided the Hunter ships and safely left the island, Hiccup was left to think. Why had Viggo done what he’d done? Why had he helped him? Viggo was strange. Maybe this was one of his games. Hiccup looked behind him, but he wasn’t being followed. So Viggo distracting Ryker had worked. He was in the clear.
There had been… care in Viggo’s eyes when he’d looked at him when they were alone. At least, that’s what Hiccup thought it had been. He had seen it when he was cleaning up the blood that his brother had caused to run. There had been something human in those eyes for once. They hadn’t been cold and calculating like usual.
But maybe it was all a farce. Maybe Viggo was doing it so Hiccup would let his guard down and trust him, even just a little bit. A little bit of trust in an enemy could go a long way towards danger. He couldn’t let it happen.
And yet Viggo had let him go, had even helped him escape. Hiccup was free and up in the air because of him.
No matter. Whatever Viggo’s motives were, Hiccup couldn’t trust him, even if they had had good intentions. Trusting him would be a bad decision. Hiccup had made plenty of bad decisions in his life, but he wouldn’t make this one.
Though, he couldn’t help but feel grateful to the man who had saved him from certain death and set him free.
As Hiccup flew onwards, the clouds opened up, and it began to rain.