Chapter Seven//Raining Fire

ELSA (P.O.V)

I filled the cylinder the liquid was thick. It left no residue on the sides of the container. Hiccup was across from me, he was still pretty pale. Merida sat by him she had refused to move from his side for the last three hours. Tadashi was positioned diagonally from her. Jack leaned against the wall behind Tadashi. Hiro sat on my left and Rapunzel to his left.

"Does it seem familiar?" Hiccup asked. I frowned my eyebrows and shook my head in response.

I hadn't an idea what it was or why the creators would send it to me. I voiced this after a moment. Hiro was the one to reply, "Usually if the creators wanted to give someone something it comes it the box," he says, "Maybe it wasn't the creators."

Jack snorted, "Who else would it be?" he ran his hand through his hair, "Another factor? Couldn't possibly! I mean it seems unlikely that someone would know who Elsa is and where she's located! It has to be the creators!"

Rapunzel nodded, "Probably some type of test or game, who knows the creators have never been exactly straightforward with any of their plans for us."

She offered out her hand and I handed off the blue liquid. As she studied it Hiccup flipped the card over studying it. "This code I think I've seen it before," He says. Quickly he pulled out his sketchbook flipping through the pages, "I was studying the maze shifts the ones we recorded over the years, and check this out."

He laid down the book the words, ' Float Catch Bleed Death Stiff Push' they were all there. All formed by overlapping maze maps. Hiccup described he had the idea to do so months ago. The words repeated over and over in a pattern until recently.

The Maze shifts had been different changing in a way that was new. In a way that was blocking fights with other factors, "The new shifts keep spelling the same word over and over," He tells us, "It's why we haven't had any factor fights the door to one another are not even opening."

He pointed to the word written under the original code. I read it letting the words rolled off my tongue. "Rise," I looked at Hiccup, "What does it mean?"

"What does any of it mean?" Hiccup asked, "Add that to the list of questions we've been asking for years."

Well, that didn't help. Slumping back in the chair I stared at the gift from the unknown. I felt like I should know what this was like I should know how to use it. Leaning forward again I looked closely but nothing stood out.

Then I saw it. Embedded into the silver lid were small letters. Reaching out I grabbed ahold pulling it closer to read, "Guardians," I whispered.

Jack suddenly pushed himself off the wall moving forward, "What did you say?"

"I think Hiro's right, maybe it's not from the Creators unless they took on a new name," I said, "Guardians? Ring a bell?"

Jack scrunched his eyebrows, while everyone else shook their heads. "Guardians...I...I," Jack shook his head frowning, "Never mind it doesn't ring a bell." I should have pushed, but I didn't. Instead, I turned the liquid around watching it slush side to side. Before I could react Jack took it from me handing it to Tadashi, "Keep it safe until we know more."

Merida snorted, "Which will be never!" This earned a glare from almost everybody. With that, Jack stomped off leaving the rest of us, "Well...I'm gonna go shoot somethin' and hope fer a damn miracle!"

She got up storming out as well. Everyone followed beside me and Hiccup. Who hadn't enough strength to get up? Plus his new prosthetic leg looked kind of questionable. It was made of wood and metal, nothing special.

His eyes remained cast down on his sketch book. It was then I noticed it. On one of the open pages showed a drawing. It was a large creature with wings. I saw it before. It took me a moment but I suddenly remembered.

"That's our factor symbol!" I piped up startling the green eyed boy, "The one in the ring with an arrow in its mouth!"

He nodded softly a distant look in his eyes. I frowned something was wrong. He seemed suddenly shaky but that could just be him running another fever. Rapunzel should check to see if his wound was getting infected.

"Elsa," Hiccup said suddenly, "I wasn't alone...in the maze."

"I know, myself and Merida along with its creatures were in there too," I reminded.

He shook his head, "No...I mean when you found me I had been attacked...well sort of...long story short, I ran into...a dragon I guess...and I kinda injured it...it blasted me and the rocks tumbled onto me, and well you know the rest."

I frowned leaning against the table. My finger pointed to the picture, "A dragon...you told me and Merida that before we..." I pointed to his missing foot. Flinching at the memory.

"Yes...I tried to tell the others but Rapunzel said it was just the blood loss and the medication she gave me," he snorted, "Said I was hallucinating."

I narrowed my eyes. I'd have laughed at the idea of dragons in The Maze if I hadn't been in there. The claw marks on the wall that's what they were from. The beast was what Jack had referred it to. The beast was a dragon.

Why was it rogue in the maze? Dragons could fly from what I could tell. And I've been told about creatures being spotted flying out of the maze. Which shows that dragons only spent nights in the maze. They flew out right before the sun lit the sky.

"I injured it and I feel kind of bad..." he said suddenly.

"By injuring it what do you mean?" I asked.

"It was an accident," Hiccup tells me quickly pushing back his hair, "I took off a wing on its tale."

"Birds," I whispered.

"What?"

"Birds can't fly without both their wings!" I said, "That's why the dragons still in the maze, you immobilized it!"

His eyes filled with guilt, "If it can't fly it can't get away can't get out of the maze."

I nodded, "Which means it can't eat, at least not in those walls."

The green eyed boy looked at me in sudden panic, "Do you think..." he paused for a moment, "Do you think it will come here?"

"What do dragons eat?" Maybe I shouldn't have voiced this because fear laced the air.

"I don't know," Hiccup whispered, "You don't think?" He launched up surprisingly without face planting. He wobbled slightly with his new leg. I stood up quickly moving to steady him. "We have to warn the others."

I nodded we didn't even make it out of the tent when a scream erupted. At first, I thought it was human but when I listened it was more of a shriek or wail. "What is that?" I asked.

Hiccup frowned, "It's the box...something isn't right we shouldn't be receiving anything supplies comes up once a month. And as you know we already got our delivery."

Wrapping his arm around my shoulder we quickly exited following the flow of people towards the rising box. We were the last to arrive mainly because Hiccup was heavier than he looked. Jack was opening the box Merida armed with her bow prepared to jump inside. 

I hulled Hiccup to the front of the crowd to get a closer view. Merida leaped in disappearing from sight. When we got close enough to see what was inside we all froze. Merida was huddled over a body. "Its a child," she yelled.

A small boy with brown hair laid motionless. His skin was white his nose a slight off color almost like a peach color. "Is he alive?" a voice asked. Rapunzel had leaped down pressing her fingers to his throat. She turned his head slightly opening his eyes shining a flashlight. The boys eyes were as dark as his pupils.

"He's alive," Rapunzel says, "Move him carefully."

Jack slid into the box helping Merida lift the small child. I heard Merida mutter something about him being cold. Hiccup leaned heavily against me as we watch the child get lifted in. He looked so young and helpless. It was obvious he was younger person the team had received from the expressions on the other faces.  

The small boy was still like stone. I could barley see his chest move up and down from breathing. They laid him down on the grass the lighting was better so Rapunzel gave him another once over.

She paused her fingers slipping into the child palm I narrowed my eyes as she pulled free a small white square. "What is it?" Hiccup asked. Rapunzel looked up meeting his eyes.

"Its a note," she says then she looks at me, "Its addressed to you Elsa."

That's was when the sky darkened and lightning flashed. The ground began to shake and everyone turned towards the entrance to the maze. "EARTHQUAKE!" Someone cried.

"That's no earthquake," Jack says, "Its the maze its changing."

"The shifts have never been this strong," Merida points out kneeling by the pale unconscious child.

"Yeah well the box doesn't ever come twice in such short time," Jack hisses, "Merida, Rapunzel get the boy to the medical hut, everyone else find something to defend yourself, I don't believe the maze is closing tonight, seems it our turn for a factor game. Lock down the supplies, Elsa come with me, Tadashi help Hiccup somewhere safe."

Hiccup was taken from my side and I followed quickly after the white haired male. "Jack, where are we going? What's goin-"  I start.

"Read it."

"What?"

"The note what does it say?" He kept walking and I continued after opening the neatly folded note.

"Uh it says, 'This is the last one, the final trial, you chose the wrong side'," I said my voice shook, "What does that mean?"

"I don't know you tell me," Jack says.

"I don't-" I started.

"Yeah, well if that the case we don't have time to sit and analysis were going to war," Jack walked leading me a way off to the side of the camp. We came across the small wooden cage like structures he opened the door to the structure, "Get in."

It was all he said, it was blunt and cold. I blinked, "What why?"

"For one this is the safest place you could be, and until I have time to question you further you will stay here," Jack tells me, "I sorry but everything was going accordingly until you showed up and I not sure what to make of you yet."

"You can trust me! If I wanted to cause harm I wouldn't have ran into the maze! I would not have saved your friends!" I hissed, "Let me fight."

"That's crazy," he says.

"Yeah well maybe I am crazy!" I replied.

He blinked, "Exactly, that's why you'll remain here now get in."

Obeying orders I was stuffed into the cage and left. Huffing I pressed against the bars trying to get a better look of what's going on.

It was then the sky lit up with numerous symbols below each was a number. It took a moment to realize these were the factor symbols.

They all then shifted to a list a rating scale it was then I knew what was going on. There was going to be a battle and instead of one on one factors it was all of us. And our name glew at the very bottom.

We were in last place. And our odds weren't looking to good.

Something loud sounded and a bursed of purplish light shook the sky and the ground rumbled. Suddenly the sky lit in flames and creatures of all sizes cover the sky. And before I could make a sound it was raining fire and gas.

Like sirens screeching began and the creatures dived flying towards the ground lighting fire to the grass.

"Dragons," I whispered and the same word began as screams as people began to cry out.

"DRAGONS!"

Suddenly the cage shook as something landed on it. Looking up all I could see was red and glowing eyes.

I squeaked and it growled bursting into flames before my eyes. Everything felt hot and my cage exnighted and ashes for burning wood rained down on me.

I was trapped.

Claws crushed the top of the cage and the weight of the monster caused it to start to cage.

Falling to the ground I waited for everything to crash around me I closed my eyes but I could still hear the world around me as it rained fire.

(A/N:I'm sorry I just haven't had the motivation to write.)