After training with Astrid for a while, we headed back to the main building. Inside, Hiccup was already deep in conversation with the twins, both of them talking over each other as usual.
I walked closer. "What's going on?"
They all looked up at me, and Hiccup's face immediately lit up with that familiar excitement. "The Dragon Eye," he said. "We were reorganizing the lenses, trying different alignments—and it revealed a new island."
He adjusted the lenses again, and the Dragon Eye projected an image onto the table. It showed an island not too far from where we were staying—jagged cliffs, dense forest, and strange markings I hadn't seen before.
The twins leaned in, grinning. "Imagine the stuff we could find there," Tuffnut said.
"Or the things that could try to eat us," Ruffnut added happily.
I studied the image quietly. An island this close, revealed only now… that meant it wasn't just any island. Whatever was there mattered.
Hiccup glanced at me. "What do you think? Worth checking out?"
I felt that familiar tightening in my chest—the feeling that came whenever I recognized something before it happened. This island wasn't random.
"Yeah," I said carefully. "Definitely worth checking out."
The moment I really looked at the image, my stomach tightened.
I knew that island.
The sharp cliffs. The dense greenery. The way the shoreline curved inward like a half-closed jaw. There was no mistaking it.
Death Song Island.
A flicker of confusion passed through me. They should have already discovered this place. By this point in the timeline, this island shouldn't be a mystery anymore. The thought lingered, uncomfortable—but I pushed it aside. Dwelling on it wouldn't help anyone right now.
I glanced down at Viper and crouched beside him. "Stay here," I said quietly. He hissed in protest, tail flicking once, but I shook my head. "I'll be back."
Reluctantly, he settled, eyes following me as I walked away.
A few minutes later, I mounted Toothless behind Hiccup. With a powerful leap, Toothless took off, wings cutting through the air as the Edge quickly shrank behind us. The rest of the riders followed close behind, their dragons spreading out into a familiar formation.
The wind rushed past my face as the ocean stretched endlessly below us. Hiccup was focused straight ahead, completely unaware of what waited on that island.
I wasn't.
As the distant shape of the island began to rise from the horizon, my grip tightened slightly.
Death Songs. Amber traps. A place where dragons didn't just hunt—they captured.
And this time… things weren't going to play out the same way.
As we drew closer to the island, a sound drifted through the air.
It was… beautiful.
Soft. Harmonic. Almost calming.
My stomach dropped.
"No…" I muttered under my breath.
Before I could say anything, Hookfang suddenly roared, his wings jerking wildly as his flight path spiraled out of control.
"What's going on with Hookfang?!" Snotlout shouted, panic clear in his voice. "Buddy—buddy, pull up!"
Stormfly screeched sharply, banking hard as Astrid struggled to keep control. "Stormfly, fight it!" she yelled. "What is that sound?!"
"The dragons are losing it!" Fishlegs cried, gripping Meatlug's saddle as she dove. "They're not responding!"
Toothless snarled, his wings stuttering as he fought the pull harder than the others. "Easy, bud," Hiccup said urgently, gripping the saddle. "Easy—"
The ground rushed up at us.
"BRACE!" Hiccup shouted.
We hit hard.
Toothless skidded across the clearing, and I was thrown from his back, rolling through dirt and sharp gravel before coming to a stop. Pain flared through my side as I pushed myself up, just in time to see Hiccup stumble to his feet nearby.
"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted—then her voice cut off.
A sharp crack echoed through the air.
"Incoming!" Ruffnut screamed.
I looked up.
Amber.
A glowing blast shot straight toward us. Hiccup and I dove in opposite directions as it blasted past, slamming into the clearing behind us.
"NO—!" Hiccup yelled.
The sound of impact was sickening.
One by one, the riders were frozen mid-motion—Astrid reaching for her axe, Fishlegs shouting Meatlug's name, Snotlout half-standing in his saddle—each of them encased in hardened amber along with their dragons.
The twins stared in horror.
"Well," Tuffnut said weakly from inside the amber, "this is… new."
"I hate this island!" Ruffnut yelled, her voice muffled.
Hiccup stood frozen, breathing hard, staring at his trapped friends. "They're stuck," he said, voice tight. "They're really stuck."
The song grew louder, echoing through the jungle like a predator calling its prey home.
I clenched my fists.
"Okay," I said, forcing myself to stay calm. "Listen to me, Hiccup. That sound? That's what did this."
He turned to me sharply. "You know what's happening, don't you?"
I met his eyes.
"Yes," I said. "And if we don't move—now—we're next."
Somewhere deeper in the trees, something massive shifted.
And the song changed.
The melody shifted—slower now, more deliberate—rolling through the trees like it was searching.
I grabbed Hiccup's arm. "We don't have much time."
He turned to me, eyes wide. "Then start talking."
"That dragon," I said quickly, keeping my voice low as we backed away from the clearing, "it's called a Death Song. It hunts alone. Smart. Territorial. And that amber?" I nodded toward the frozen riders. "It uses it to trap dragons—keeps them alive for later."
Hiccup swallowed. "Alive…?"
"Yeah," I said grimly. "Which means we can still save them."
The song echoed again, closer this time.
Hiccup winced. "Okay. How do we not end up like them?"
"We stay downwind, keep moving, and whatever you do—don't let Toothless charge a blast," I said. "That sound makes dragons lose control. If it hears Toothless, it'll target him next."
Hiccup glanced over his shoulder. "You're saying it wants Toothless?"
"It wants any dragon it thinks it can trap," I replied. "Night Fury just happens to be a jackpot."
A low rumble rolled through the jungle.
Branches snapped somewhere to our left.
Hiccup tightened his grip on his sword. "Please tell me you have a plan."
I exhaled slowly, forcing my nerves down. "We find higher ground, break line of sight, and draw it away from the others. Once it moves, we double back."
"And the amber?"
"That stuff's tough," I admitted. "But it cracks. We just need time."
The song changed again—sharper, focused.
I looked toward the trees.
"It's hunting us now," I said.
Hiccup nodded, jaw set. "Then let's make sure it picks the wrong targets."
We moved.