How to speak Dragonese by Cressida Cowell Page B
Authors: Cressida Cowell
Tags: Fiction, General, Humorous stories, Children's Books, Action & Adventure, Juvenile Fiction, Action & Adventure - General, Fantasy & Magic, Ages 9-12 Fiction, Children: Grades 4-6, Dragons, Vikings
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Fish legs gazed at him in utter astonishment. The last time they had seen Alain he had been inside the stomach of the Monstrous Strangulator at the bottom of the underground sea-cavern.* How on earth had he got out of THAT tricky situation? And what was he doing posing as a Roman?
"I see you are wondering," smiled Alain nastily, "how I got myself out of THAT tricky situation."
Fish legs and Hiccup nodded.
"It's an interesting story," spat Alain, his eyes hissing with fury. "I know you'll enjoy it... I cut myself out of the stomach of the dead Monstrous Strangulator with my sword, and then since you had so kindly ABANDONED me without any dragons, I couldn't get out of the cavern by the sea ..."
"We didn't abandon you!" squeaked Fishlegs. "We didn't know you were alive! How could we know?"
Alvin ignored him. "... so I had no choice but to go through the Caliban Caves. THREE WHOLE MONTHS it took me, creeping through the darkness, eating little cavern dragons raw, licking the walls for
* How to Be a Pirate. I would strongly suggest you read this book.
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water ... and then when I finally emerged into the light on your vile little island and stole a ship back to my own land, what happens? My own people SHUN me -- they refuse to have me as their Chief! Because down there in the darkness, in the vile belly of that Strangulator ... something happened to me ..."
Alvin's voice became more and more savage.
"The stomach juices of that infernal creature have made my hair fall out. And whoever has heard of a hairless Viking? I was thrown out of my own Tribe and forced into exile. Luckily, I have some Roman blood on my mother's father's side ... and the Empire has use for a clever person like myself. I told them I had thought of a way they could conquer the Vikings by turning the Tribes against each other."
"TRAITOR!" yelled Fishlegs.
"Exactly" smiled Alvin. "And I also have my own plans for a ... DRAGON ARMY" Alvin drew his right arm out of his toga for the first time. An arm that ended not in a hand but in a huge curved HOOK made out of the most brilliant gold.
"I made this hook," he said casually, "out of a single cup of that Treasure. It was the only thing I
125
could carry through the Caliban Caves. But I want the rest of it -- I need the rest of it...
[Image: Fort sinister]
"With a DRAGON ARMY I can get the Treasure," continued Alvin. "The dragons can swim down and bring it up for me. But you know what I need first, Hiccup ..."
Alvin drew the point of his hook right against Hiccup's chest. "I need the other half of that book of yours, How to Speak Dragonese. I need that book to command the dragons in my Dragon Army. Where is your half of the book, Hiccup? If you tell me I will let
126
you and your fish legged friend live. Otherwise I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill you both RIGHT NOW..."
"Tell me what you've done with Toothless first," said Hiccup.
"Oh, Toothless is very safe," grinned Alvin. "He's locked up in one of my dungeons."
Hiccup gave a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't dead.
"Give me the book now," commanded Alvin.
"If I give it to you, will you promise you won't kill us?" asked Hiccup.
"I promise," smiled Alvin.
Hiccup felt into his pocket and handed Alvin his damp and tattered half of How to Speak Dragonese. He knew Alvin would find it at some point anyway.
"Thank you," sneered Alvin. He unscrewed the hook from the end of his arm and replaced it with his famous sword, the Stormblade.
"Uh-oh," said Hiccup.
The Fat Consul had finally polished off a large helping of roasted baby Puff Nadders in garlicky Dreamserpent sauce, and he started to take an interest in what was going on.
[Image: A fish.]
127
ELEVENSES MENU for His Most Noble Fatness the Fat Consul
HORS D'OEUVERS
Roasted baby Puff Nadders in garlicky
Dreamserpent sauce
Lark's tongue soup with crunchy
nanodragon heads on the side
ENTREES
Whole roast ox marinated in pickled
Slitherhawk and shark's eyeballs
Double Reptoburger
"I see you are wondering," smiled Alain nastily, "how I got myself out of THAT tricky situation."
Fish legs and Hiccup nodded.
"It's an interesting story," spat Alain, his eyes hissing with fury. "I know you'll enjoy it... I cut myself out of the stomach of the dead Monstrous Strangulator with my sword, and then since you had so kindly ABANDONED me without any dragons, I couldn't get out of the cavern by the sea ..."
"We didn't abandon you!" squeaked Fishlegs. "We didn't know you were alive! How could we know?"
Alvin ignored him. "... so I had no choice but to go through the Caliban Caves. THREE WHOLE MONTHS it took me, creeping through the darkness, eating little cavern dragons raw, licking the walls for
* How to Be a Pirate. I would strongly suggest you read this book.
124
water ... and then when I finally emerged into the light on your vile little island and stole a ship back to my own land, what happens? My own people SHUN me -- they refuse to have me as their Chief! Because down there in the darkness, in the vile belly of that Strangulator ... something happened to me ..."
Alvin's voice became more and more savage.
"The stomach juices of that infernal creature have made my hair fall out. And whoever has heard of a hairless Viking? I was thrown out of my own Tribe and forced into exile. Luckily, I have some Roman blood on my mother's father's side ... and the Empire has use for a clever person like myself. I told them I had thought of a way they could conquer the Vikings by turning the Tribes against each other."
"TRAITOR!" yelled Fishlegs.
"Exactly" smiled Alvin. "And I also have my own plans for a ... DRAGON ARMY" Alvin drew his right arm out of his toga for the first time. An arm that ended not in a hand but in a huge curved HOOK made out of the most brilliant gold.
"I made this hook," he said casually, "out of a single cup of that Treasure. It was the only thing I
125
could carry through the Caliban Caves. But I want the rest of it -- I need the rest of it...
[Image: Fort sinister]
"With a DRAGON ARMY I can get the Treasure," continued Alvin. "The dragons can swim down and bring it up for me. But you know what I need first, Hiccup ..."
Alvin drew the point of his hook right against Hiccup's chest. "I need the other half of that book of yours, How to Speak Dragonese. I need that book to command the dragons in my Dragon Army. Where is your half of the book, Hiccup? If you tell me I will let
126
you and your fish legged friend live. Otherwise I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill you both RIGHT NOW..."
"Tell me what you've done with Toothless first," said Hiccup.
"Oh, Toothless is very safe," grinned Alvin. "He's locked up in one of my dungeons."
Hiccup gave a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't dead.
"Give me the book now," commanded Alvin.
"If I give it to you, will you promise you won't kill us?" asked Hiccup.
"I promise," smiled Alvin.
Hiccup felt into his pocket and handed Alvin his damp and tattered half of How to Speak Dragonese. He knew Alvin would find it at some point anyway.
"Thank you," sneered Alvin. He unscrewed the hook from the end of his arm and replaced it with his famous sword, the Stormblade.
"Uh-oh," said Hiccup.
The Fat Consul had finally polished off a large helping of roasted baby Puff Nadders in garlicky Dreamserpent sauce, and he started to take an interest in what was going on.
[Image: A fish.]
127
ELEVENSES MENU for His Most Noble Fatness the Fat Consul
HORS D'OEUVERS
Roasted baby Puff Nadders in garlicky
Dreamserpent sauce
Lark's tongue soup with crunchy
nanodragon heads on the side
ENTREES
Whole roast ox marinated in pickled
Slitherhawk and shark's eyeballs
Double Reptoburger
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