The Gift Of Power | Wattys 2020 (Dance of Power Trilogy: Book 1)

A Debt Incurred, A Debt Repaid

Holy Crow, 9k words in this one! You ready for it?

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Nobody moved as an uncomfortable silence settled over the group. The tension of the moment seeming to thicken the very air of the cavern. Despite his powerful new lungs, Hiccup was almost struggling to breathe. Completely overwhelmed by the suffocating emotions that were washing over and through him. This woman was his mother. The mother that he had believed to be dead. The mother that he had been forced to live without for the last twenty-two years.

Looking at the woman that had abandoned him as a baby, Hiccup finally felt his anger well up and take over. Crushing all of the other emotions beneath its massive weight. As he struggled to control the rage that was writhing in his gut, Valka turned to him again. A pleading look in her eyes as he remained still and silent. All of them dangerously oblivious to the storm that was quickly spiralling out of control.

"Hiccup, I am so sorry. You must understand," she pleaded. "I just couldn't go back once I had met Cloudjumper. I couldn't keep living in that land of kill or be killed. I know that I left you. I know that it was wrong, but I just had to. I honestly thought you would be better off without me."

She was searching the flawless illusion that was his concealed face. Hoping to glean some insight into his thoughts. Her words feeding the uncontrollable monster inside. The other two simply standing by and watching nervously. Both unsure just what Hiccup might do now, as Valka reached out a tentative hand towards him again. Ilweran's own hand lifting slightly, like he almost wanted to stop her.

A strange feeling was growing in Hiccup's chest as he gazed back at the red haired woman and the hand she held out between them. A hot and uncomfortable sensation of something that didn't belong. Almost as if he had swallowed a piece of food that was too large. It made him feel as if he needed to cough. When he opened his mouth however, a feral and animalistic snarl ripped from his throat instead. The sound coming out distinctly threatening and unmistakably dragon-like as he felt his lips pull back from his teeth. It actually brought him up short for a moment as everyone gaped at him in shock. "Huh, that's new," Hiccup shot at Toothless.

His blood brother actually rasped a chuckle at that before wrapping his tail around Hiccup. Toothless then pulling Hiccup gently back a few steps from the group and giving him some much needed space to get control of himself. Holding Hiccup in place, Toothless gave himself a moment to study this human that had abandoned his rider. Noting the similarities that marked her out as Hiccup's kin. Then he allowed a pointedly similar snarl to escape his throat as well. Narrowing his acid green eyes at the woman in anger. She had already lowered her hand, but now she took a hurried step back as she gaped between the rider and dragon in obvious unease.

Toothless could feel Hiccup trembling in his rage, even as the dragon tried desperately to calm him. Could see the images flashing through Hiccup's mind. Violent scenes of him using the dark magic of Guruthos to punish this woman that dared try to apologize for turning her back on a child. As if you could ever make up for that. He wanted to hurt her, make her suffer as he had, and he did not even really need his swords to make it happen. If Toothless couldn't calm Hiccup soon, there would be no stopping him. The darkness underneath seeing its chance and rising up to take over.

Maybe he should allow the dark tendrils of decay to slowly envelope her, rotting her flesh as she struggled against them. Or cut out her heart and feed it to Calmacil as he forced her to watch. Guruthos binding her soul to her body until Hiccup finally decided she had suffered enough. Perhaps sending the fiery tendrils of the bond magic into her instead. Letting it burn through her body and consume her mind as he stole her essence to add to his own. She would not be able to stop it. She would die screaming her agony...