Selene

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Curious Case of Eanchainn Mush

"May I introduce you to..." Myrddin swung the door of the small cottage open. "My lab! Don't touch anything it might explode."

Books, wires, jars, bottles, levers, tubes, rocks, and bowls of dry powders were scattered all over tables and benches in the single roomed hut. A large cauldron sat on a stone cold hearth, and Myrddin carefully shimmied around it all, searching for something.

"Sis he's as cooky as you," Dagur teased.

Heather glared.

"Where's this 'acquaintance' you were talking about?" Hiccup demanded.

"On his way I'm sure," Myrddin said absent mindedly. "He uhh, he's not a real punctual sort."

Liam glanced over the open books and gave a surprised gasp. "Wait. That combination of sulfur coal and saltperter- you were trying to replicate an Armoredrillos' powder blast?" He held up the page. "using my notes on the dragons??"

"Uh, yeah." He gave a sheepish grin. "Wouldn't mining be a breeze if we could just blow away the boulders and rocks the way Armoredrillos do?"

"Did it work?"

"No. They must have a different formula for the explosive itself, the black powder they use to spark it is not much more than a light show."

"I'm, I'm flattered you'd use my work for your experiments... especially the way your father felt about it." He rolled his eyes. "A big waste of time."

"Aw, you know I always looked up to you. Anything you left behind I hid away for myself. Ah here it is!"

Myrddin ripped a small book out of a pile of loose papers in a box. "My notes on Eanchainn Mush's headgear."

"Halò uh, Mgr. Dùr," A voice called from outside. Both Myrddin and Liam looked up. "Tha mi an seo mar a dh 'iarr thu."

"And there he is. Come in Mush." Myrddin replied in Norse with a wicked grin. "We're going to pick your brain."

"Oh no, again?" An answer came back in the same language. The door opened regardless the hesitant words and in walked a man with some very special headgear indeed.

"Everyone this is Eanchainn Mush. Mush, these are Savage Norsemen. And a Roman and my uncle." As he spoke Myrddin plucked up a hammer and chisel.

"Nice to meet y'all." Mush said, unphased. "What's with the dragons all hanging around outside?"

"They ride them."

"Cool."

"As you all can see, Mush here has had an unfortunate encounter with a gronckle." Myrddin walked over and tapped the solid mass of metal on Mush's head. "Which resulted in this permanent headgear. Story goes..." He found a piece of the shell that stuck out and wedged the chisel in.

Chink!

"Ow."

"he was walking along in the woods one day and stumbled across a mama and her babies..."

Chink!

"Ow."

"Who blasted him with this here molten metal, but instead of dying like anyone in their right mind would after their skull's been melted, Mush brushed off and got on with daily life."

Chink!

"Ow."

"You don't have a skull??" Six voices said in unified horror.

"Nerp," Mush said proudly, hands on his hips. "They're overrated." Chink! "Ow."

A little piece came away.