Omphalos (Hiccelsa)

Chapter 31

"She's also not an idiot." Ophelia pointed out, "She...she did find us. I know her father is mostly brawn and all, but her mom is like a boss at reading the stars and stuff. She probably knows where we are better than us. The last thing we would want on this trip to get lost."

Calder and Ophelia continued to argue like this for a couple more minuets, and the whole group stayed silent, trying to pick up on their argument. Finally, Calder caved. He spun around to the girl.

"Fine. What can you tell us?" He demanded.

"I can do better than just telling you." She said, waggling her eyebrows, and from her bag withdrew a thick map. She stood up, brushing dust from her clothes, and going over to a tree, coming back with sap on her fingers. With skilled fingers, she attached the map to a flat-ish rock face with the sap, brushing it out.

"Don't tell me that's the official map for the war meetings." Calder nearly had a heart attack.

"So what if it is? I happened to sneak in there after my dad and everyone left. They had plenty of maps lying around. They won't notice this one." She said assuredly. Calder clearly looked uncomfortable, but nodded, eyeing in on careful marks that were clearly Hiccup's handiwork.

"Can you explain to us what these scribbles mean?" Sigrid said, "Unless you brought a legend of what the heck Ophelia's dad was thinking, none of that will help us at all."

"Did you think I would just steal a map and be done?" Fulla chuckled, "Dear, please." She held up her hands, "Okay, so right here is Berk and the rest of the islands." Fulla said, finding a long and thin stick to point to a couple of landmasses in the water. Fulla traced some lines up the map, "Now, from the looks of the body, they reckoned he'd been dead for about two weeks, because of the current states of the currents in the sea. I mean, it's under the assumption that he died the day they send him into the water, but why would someone risk their whole point by letting someone alive into the water, if they might get away?"

"Two weeks away?" Randolph wheezed, "That's not a lot of time. I mean, did they have the hope to be on us by that time, or...?"

"Well, from their message, I think that was everyone's first reaction. This guy had some plant-life on him that one of the village recluses identified as coming from way down near England. So I mean, I don't know if a body could float that far in that fast, so I think they dropped him somewhere and they're waiting....probably around here." Fulla pointed to a cove, "That's what the most popular opinion of the leaders are."

"It's the most likely location." Calder said, scratching his chin, "Anywhere else and someone would see them and send message. But what are they waiting for?" He asked, turning to her.

"Not even the leaders could figure that one out." Fulla shrugged, dropping the stick and rubbing her hands on her dress.

"There has to be a reason." Gustav said, "I mean, maybe they ran into ship problems?" He offered hopefully.

"I don't think your optimism is doing much, Gustav." Calder said, "Well," His fingers traced the map, "That area is less than a day's flight away from where we are. See? I think this is us." Calder pointed to a forest shore on one of the masses.

"We're actually going to find them, maybe." Sigrid sucked in sharply, "I mean, hell, I didn't think we'd find them!"

"We should sleep tonight. Tomorrow we need everything sharp, our wits, our energy, our skills." Ophelia pointed out.

"So does this mean I'm allowed to stay?" Fulla tapped Ophelia's shoulder.

"Fine." Calder replied, "But this is a war mission, not a romantic vacation, so if I see any funny stuff going on with my brother-," he began, much to Ull's chagrin.