第二十四章：红鲱鱼的眨眼（拐弯抹角）(6)

column of glass about a foot or so below where the Jewel was suspended, swinging at it with all his might, as if he were swinging at a tree in the Hooligan forest. The first swing took a big glass chunk out of the column. The second, a larger bite. And on the third swing of the sword Hiccup ducked as the entire column of glass came down with an almighty musical crash, tinkling little pieces raining down on him, and the echoes ringing out in that gigantic underground mirrored cavern like a pealing of bells. Before Hiccup reached out to take it, he hesitated. What if he were to take the Jewel, and it were then to fall into the wrong hands? But what if he did not take the Jewel, and there was nothing then to stop the anger of the Dragon Furious? He put his head in his hands. How I wish that I were not the one who finds the Lost Things! thought Hiccup passionately. Why does it have to be me who makes these choices? Most of us are lucky not to be Kings and Heroes, because we do not have to make the choices that

Kings and Heroes have to make. Hiccup chose to take the Jewel. Hiccup tore a piece off his shirt and wrapped his hand in it so he could draw the Jewel out of the mound of shards of glass. He held it up, so that the light shone brilliantly off the golden amber depths, and carefully swept off the powdered glass with one finger before putting the amber Jewel around his neck and dropping it down his fire-suit so it wasn’t visible. And then he said: ‘Thank you, Grimbeard the Ghastly.’ I don’t know why he said it, for there was no one there of course. But there was a beat of about two seconds. And the hairs on the back of Hiccup’s head stood up. ‘Hic-cup…