The Lost Boy IV - The Hidden World

19 - Battle of the clans, part 1

''I'm coming, Joke !'' Hiccup said.

''Are you crazy ?! You're gonna get yourself killed !''

''No way I'm letting you down !''

Calmly, he started to climb down, making his way towards his family. He was still pretty far from them, but he kept on talking.

''Remember when I said I'd do everything to protect you two ?''

Joke looked up at him, astounded and touched, but he didn't have the time to reply as a snicker cut them out. Kosmozis was next to him, with Lumiverse. He had two vials filled with Deathgripper venom and didn't wait to put them into the Light Fury's muzzle. Both vikings could see her struggle for a few seconds before her eyes opened again, pupils as fine line that made her look like a zombie.

''Princess !'' Joke panicked while stretching his arm out of the nest in try to reach her.

Kosmozis laughed and grabbed the arm without a warning, then he opened the two nests. Hiccup's eyes widdened as he saw the general fly away with the two prisoners.

''TOOTHLESS !'' He screamed between panick and despair.

Such a scream alerted the black dragon, who spotted the retreating frame of his mate. He forgot about his own fight and pursued them, not before he got back his rider.

Hiccup let go of the structure and dropped in the air to gain some time, Toothless caught him without a problem and left at top speed. They went away from the flying structure, now crashing into the ocean with the two Deathgrippers still tied to it. Toothless couldn't care less for them and shot to the sky, following Lumiverse that was led back to the island.

On Lumiverse' back, Joke was sitting just in front of Kosmozis, struggling like crazy and trying to reach for the muzzle. If he could just pull it off of her, she would get back to her senses, wouldn't she ? But Kosmozis had wrapped an arm around him, enabling him to move his own.

''Stop fighting, my prince.''

''Why don't you just kill me now ?!'' Joke spatted in his face, reaching the limits of his patience.

''Don't be so hurried, I just want to make sure you're really dead, this time. I'm not taking any risk, so we'll do it in a little privacy, should we ?''

He snickered while Joke deathglared at him. He was panting and his forehead was covered in sweat as he was struggling too much for the few energy he had left. That sweat didn't go unoticed by the general, neither the way the young man was trying to get his arm away from his belly. And when Kosmozis saw the plump, he frowned even more.

''What kind of abomination are you ?''

A faint whimper came out of Joke's mouth, caused by the mixture of fear, stress and tiredness. He was feeling his strength diminishing and that made him fear that, soon, he wouldn't be able to defend himself anymore.

Meanwhile, on the ship bridges, the rest of the dragon riders proved themselves quite efficiently when they were actually working as a team. Snotlout and Tuffnut were constantly throwing to the other Snot's mace since Tuffnut had been separated from his sword. The both of them were making severe damages from both sides of the ship they were on.

''Number two, coming through !'' Snotlout laughed.

Three ships away from them, Astrid and Ruffnut were busy opening the cages that had been already closed. Soldiers were gathering behind them, but Fishlegs saw them. He took a hold of a rope and swung on it, smashing all the trappers as if they were bowling. He dropped to the floor next to them, beaming.