21 You Can’t Keep a Bog-Burglar

21. YOU CAN'T KEEP A BOG-BURGLAR UNDER LOCK AND KEY The spell that Hiccup had cast on the audience was instantly broken. It was as if they had been sleeping, and had suddenly woken up to the reality that they were about to be swept away by the flood. Furthermore, everyone had forgotten about the Sharkworms. The metal netting that should have protected the audience had been broken by Hiccup. The Sharkworms were back in the water again and they were already nearly able to reach the wooden seating. The audience screamed in terror as one of the Sharkworms leaped upward and was almost among them… it lost its grip on the slippery edge and fell back into the water– but the water was rising so quickly it was clearly only a matter of time before it succeeded in getting up to their level. Suddenly the afternoon's entertainment of 'SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST' had taken an interesting twist. The audience who had laughed so

heartily at the tables being turned on the greedy Flashfangs didn't seem so amused to find they themselves had become the prey… They stormed towards the entrance, shoving each other out of the way and screaming for the doors to be opened. The pressure of the water on the doors caused them to open anyway. They burst apart and the water poured out and down the hillside. Fishlegs and Camicazi turned their attention to steering the boat. The flying Hiccup descended and landed beside them on the deck. Toothless appeared from nowhere and perched on his shoulder. 'I am lost for words,' said Camicazi. 'How did you do it?' Hiccup pointed to his shirt. 'Look a little closer,' he said. The Vikings craned forward. Hiccup's shirt seemed to have changed colour. Indeed, when they looked closer still, it seemed not to be a shirt at all. It was made up of millions and millions of tiny winged creatures, all practically invisible to the naked eye and

all clinging to Hiccup's clothing underneath. This was what had caused Hiccup to fly. The numberless armies of Ziggerastica. The little nanodragon himself flew out from his position of command on Hiccup's chest to bow to the Vikings. 'This terrible, terrible plan,' announced Ziggerastica joyfully, 'has worked beautifully. I, Ziggerastica the Mighty, have made it do this! How wonderful I am! How Glorious is my Empire! How numerous and powerful are my peoples!' 'We were lucky, too,' grinned Hiccup. 'I am almost sorry to leave you, O-Boy-With-No- Muscles-At-All,' said Ziggerastica sorrowfully. 'But we are quits now, I have saved your life in exchange for you saving mine and you are still a stinking HUMAN after all…' 'Thanks,' said Hiccup. 'But this has been a great day for the little creatures of the world…' Ziggerastica gave a single command and the

nanodragons instantly rose in a grey mass, like a small thundercloud, and disappeared into the sky. As they rose, they sang a song that the Romans would have been wise to listen to… but they were too busy panicking. A WARNING TO EMPERORS Watch out O Romans with your Empires and your Stinking Breath Watch out for the smaller things of this world For we are going to get you… one day You live your lives up in the skies Building your aqueducts and your coliseums And you never think of US Ticking away in the grasses But we see you And if you bend your ear you just might hear The steady beat of countless feet that come to eat The wall that curls a hundred miles across a continent. That temple built with the tears of millions of slaves And all your most mighty and splendid creations Shall turn to dust in our mouths So watch out O Caesars with Fat Bottoms and Hard Hearts Watch out

'Goodbye, O-Boy-With-Arms-Like-Pieces-of- String…' sang Ziggerastica, 'and may the winds that blow you be strong…' And with that, he was gone. 'Why did you let him go?' shrieked Fishlegs. 'I hate to mention this but we're not free yet, we're still stuck in an arena surrounded by Sharkworms!' 'The Sharkworms seem more interested in the audience,' said Hiccup. 'That's why I got Ziggerastica's armies to eat through the metal netting and to spend all night chomping through the dam. It was all part of my plan, you see– now the dam has cracked, we can simply sail out…' Hiccup gestured to the open doors of the auditorium. The water was pouring out of them in a great river. 'Brilliant,' said Camicazi. 'I've got to admit, that's brilliant… for a boy, of course.' Hiccup was already at the tiller and he pointed the ship towards the open doors of the stadium. The Valhalla Express nosed its way towards the entrance. 'We're going to make it!' yelled Fishlegs. 'We're nearly there!'

The Valhalla Express was halfway through the door… …but Alvin had spotted them trying to escape and given the order to send the portcullis rattling down. It cut The Valhalla Express in two. Fishlegs and Camicazi and Hiccup were thrown into the water on the wrong side of the bars. The sea was breath- quenchingly cold. 'AAAARGH!' shrieked Fishlegs, almost rearing out of the water, he was so terrified of the Sharkworms. 'Climb the portcullis,' ordered Hiccup. The three young Vikings swam to the portcullis and climbed it, Hiccup towing Fishlegs, and with Toothless flapping behind them. Two metres or so up, they clung, dripping and terrified, like four little spiders. Through the slippery bars they had a tantalising view of the freedom of the open ocean, hopelessly out of reach. All around them were the shrieks of the crowd, and clouds and clouds of escaping dragons. (The nanodragons had eaten the locks of those giant cages too.) The Romans were running to their ships and setting sail back to Rome as fast as they could. The Sharkworms were taking over the island,