For Milady

THIRTY-SEVEN: Accomplice

"What's the plan?" he asked tonelessly. Viggo rose to his feet, lightly touching the red burn on his neck.

"We infiltrate the base and steal the DragonEye and lenses, making Johann worthless to Krogan," Viggo explained calmly. "And they will destroy each other."

"How do you figure that?" Hiccup asked him, his eyes still searching Toothless for some sign that he had been poisoned. Viggo folded his hands behind his back and paced backwards and forwards, like he was lecturing his men.

"Krogan doesn't work for Johann," he revealed. "He is employed by a mysterious buyer from the North." Interest piqued, Hiccup half-turned to inspect the Hunter.

"Mysterious buyer? Who?"

"Johann would never tell me," Viggo said dismissively. "Perhaps he thought if I know, I would eliminate him and take the contract for myself...which I would..."

"Such honour," Hiccup snarked.

"I am simply a businessman," Viggo replied calmly as Hiccup turned to glare at him again.

"I am sure the DragonEye and lenses will be heavily guarded," he pointed out sharply.

"Of course," Viggo conceded without any anxiety.

"Boobytrapped," Hiccup said.

"Undoubtedly."

"So how do you hope to get near them?"

"With this," the Hunter said, holding up the Maces and Talons piece. The Accomplice. Hiccup stared at him, his gut suddenly bubbling with anxiety. His mind was already flying ahead and he really didn't like the way this was heading.

And he felt less comfortable as they flew towards a distant, rocky island, Hiccup fought his qualms at having Viggo sitting behind him, the image of Astrid with her own axe pressed against her throat playing over and over in his mind. Toothless was flying easily, apparently fine but that didn't stop the young Rider leaning forward and pressing his hand on the dragon's flattened head.

"You okay, bud?' he murmured, feeling the dragon coo reassuringly to his anxious rider. Toothless didn't like the Hunter on his back, having felt the man try to stab his rider once previously and been captured by a bola only hours earlier. If the Hunter double-crossed them, the Night Fury had vowed to use his claws if necessary to rip the man in half, even if it was the last thing Toothless did.

"The symptoms won't start to show for another day-and by then our business should be concluded!" Viggo told him superiorly, sneering at the younger man's glare. "Don't look at me like that, Hiccup! What did I tell you about ruthlessness?"

"You poisoned my dragon, Viggo!" Hiccup growled. "What do you expect? That we're going to be best friends?"

"Toothless will be fine!" Viggo insisted, his tone slightly irritated. "You have my word!"

And how much is that worth? Hiccup thought grimly.

But they flew to a snow-swathed mountain top, amid the blizzard with lightning crackling around. Viggo was confident as he leapt off Toothless, a hefty skinning knife in his hand.

"In ancient times, the Singetail was one of the most feared dragons. However, there was only one dragon whose powerful blast could neutralise the Singetail's fire." He turned to the storm and held up his knife as the lightning bolts crackled around him. "Meet our accomplice!" he announced as a horribly familiar black and purple shape emerged, flapping through the blizzard. Lightning crackled around the dragon and Toothless growled in anger. "The Singetail's only predator-the Skrill!"