Dragon's Slave (HTTYD Fanfic)

Chapter Twelve: The End of an Era

Vera wrapped her arms around Astrid's waist, her face pale and haggard. Stormfly looked back at the two people riding her and snorted, sending out a tiny plume of flame.

"So you're telling me," repeated Hiccup as Greenflare came level with the Nadder, "that there's a big dragon in there called the Mindling who enslaved you, and all these dragons, with its mind."

"It sounds stupid when you say it like that, but yes." Veraldai nodded. "That's why I drove Astrid and Toothless away and tried to take over Berk. It wasn't me."

Hiccup sighed. The story seemed so preposterous, but somehow, he couldn't help but believe it was true. "Fine. If  there is this 'Mindling', how do we defeat it?"

At this, Vera trembled, falling slightly forwards. She looked terrible.

"I don't know."

"How do you not know?" cried Astrid, scowling. She didn't really believe Veraldai's excuse, either, but for now, it was the best they had. It would certainly explain why the dragons were bonding together in two distinct groups- one of them was under the Mindling's control, the other serving Comet, who had flown back to her place at the forefront of the battle.

"The Mindling didn't exactly give me the way to destroy it if its master plan went wrong!" responded Vera, glaring. "I was just a slave. A useful slave, yes, but it saw no purpose in telling me things I didn't need to know."

"It's just a dragon. It can't be that smart," scoffed Astrid.

Veraldai's eyes flashed mahogany fire, and she scowled.

"You don't understand. This dragon is more intelligent than all of the Berkians put together. Look how well its plan worked! It simply lacks the brute strength that Comet used to take the Berkian dragons back. If it had her power, it would be unstoppable."

"This volcano." interrupted Hiccup, looking at a small lavaflow that had appeared on the mountainside. "What's keeping it stable? It looks like it'll either go dead or erupt any second."

Vera suddenly had a spark of an idea in her eyes. "In the center of the mountain is a big lavapool, nestled inside a crater. There's always Gronckles and that other one, the one with the split jaws-"

"We call them Catastrophic Quakens."

"Yeah, Catastrophic Quakens, all of them eating rocks and burping their lava into these big Gronckle Iron cauldrons. Then they pour it into the crater. I think that's what's keeping the Mountain of Fire from exploding, or going completely silent."

Hiccup realized what she was saying. "So if we could get the dragons to overfill the lava pool.."

"It would erupt!" cried Astrid, finishing the statement. "Killing the Mindling and setting the dragons free!"

Suddenly, Greenflare began to falter, falling down and flapping his exhausted wings in vain. Hiccup had pushed the poor Mimic Spitter too hard.

Greenflare crashed in the ash and volcanic glass of the mountain's slopes, and lay there, breathing heavily, his forked purple tongue lolling out of his jaws. Hiccup worriedly clambered out of the saddle and went to kneel by the Mimic Spitter's pale blue head.

"I'm sorry, boy. I pushed you too far. We've been flying for so long. You'll be all right, I promise."

The dragon gave a low but not unpleasant moan, and opened his yellow eyes to look at his rider. Hiccup saw a pleased satistfaction in them, then he closed the lids once more.

As Stormfly landed, Hiccup unlatched his canteen from his gauntlet and picked up Greenflare's big, heavy-snouted jaw, pouring the liquid down the dragon's throat. He swallowed it gratefully, making a keening sound before flopping on the dirt once more. His breathing became deeper and steadier, and Hiccup realized that Greenflare had fallen asleep.