The Great Beyond

Chapter 16: Night of the Hunters, Pt. 2 (Reign)

                My heart hammered violently in my chest as I crouched down beside my poor dragon, breathing heavily from the impact of the dragon root arrow. Astrid had tried her best, but Shriek could be a difficult dragon to control, and somehow, it seemed like Ryker knew exactly what we were doing.

Ryker... The mere thought of that man made me want to hurl. I saw the smirk on his face as our dragons got shot—the same one he wore now as he towered over all of us. If there weren't arrows trained right on us, I would've taken my sword and run him through by now.

"Your pathetic tricks won't work on me," he sneered, only making my resentment grow. "I'm a Dragon Hunter! I know that Gronckles are immune to dragon root. I used your worthless escape plan to lure your friends in closer."

I jabbed out my elbow as a Dragon Hunter approached me, attempting to force me to stand up. He grunted, caught off guard, but unfortunately, where I crouched didn't give me enough of an advantage, allowing him to grab me just a second later and force me onto my feet. Still seething with rage, I reluctantly followed, leading the way for Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruff, and Tuff into a cell. The lackey tried to put a hand on me again, sending my anger past its boiling point. I whipped around, glowering at Ryker.

"Where are our dragons?" I demanded, not caring about the fact I could feel my throat ripping apart. "What did you do to them?"

"Oh, if I were you, I'd be more worried about yourself."

My eyes flickered past Ryker, trying to get a glimpse at the cages behind him, when someone passed by that caused my brain to go completely haywire. I hadn't seen that mass of black hair in ages, didn't even know if she was alive or not. But the shimmering silver armor cemented it for me. My heart tried to jump out of its chest as I watched her walk by.

"Heather?" My words came out cracked and strained, relieved to see my sister but also worried about her presence here.

"No way," I heard Tuff whisper.

"Run!"

My entire body completely froze as another figure popped up behind her, flashing a bright, satisfied smile in my direction. What were they both doing here?

"Surprise!" Dagur sang, smirking specifically at me. "Did ya miss me? Of course you did! And, of course, you remember our sister, Heather. You were all buddy-buddy not too long ago."

Heather crossed her arms against her chest, shooting that same smile right at me. Gods, they loved this.

"Hey, family is family," she shrugged.

"Heather, what are you talking about?" My voice trembled now, still trying to collect myself. "I'm your family, too."

"You abandoned our family, Reign," she scoffed, "all for some guy. There was only one real choice."

Heather's words completely gutted me, leaving me feeling like nothing more than a deflated balloon.

"I know it's not Dragon's Edge, but it will have to do." The bars of the cell slammed shut in front of us, igniting that hatred again. "Enjoy your new home, sister. You're going to be here for a while."

My brain completely left my body as I slammed myself against the green bars, starling Heather enough for her to back up. All if a sudden, I was no longer in control of my own body, evidenced by the way I started to thrash between the bars, trying to get a hold on Heather and shake some sense into her.