Camicazi returned the day before Saturn's day Saturday.
She was not as cheerful as usual. She drooped around the cell, sighing. Even Fishlegs was worried. Camicazi came and sat next to Hiccup beside the barred window.
"Maybe," she said sadly, "maybe you can keep a Bog-Burglar under lock and key. I don't understand it. I'm the MASTER ESCAPER -- no prison can hold me ..."
"The Romans make good prisons," replied Hiccup.
"The only good Roman is a dead Roman," said Camicazi.
Hiccup sighed. "That isn't true. I'm sure there are loads of good Romans. But all the good Romans are probably quietly minding their own business back in Rome. Anyway, Alvin isn't a Roman, he's a Viking just like us."
165 "Your father really ISN'T going to send a War Party, you know, Hiccup," said Camicazi gently.
Hiccup looked out the window. Camicazi was right. HIS FATHER WASN'T COMING. Maybe he thought that Hiccup wasn't worth it...
"OK," said Hiccup, trying to keep them from despairing. "I think it's time we made another plan."
"I know what we do!" cried Camicazi, drawing her sword with her old swagger back again. "We practice our sword-fighting! We die, yes -- but we die in STYLE!"
"No," said Hiccup.
"But you're a great sword-fighter -- for a boy, of course ..." said Camicazi, disappointed.
"I only sword-fight when there's a point to it," said Hiccup. "No, this is the plan. I have this dragon called Ziggerastica who owes me a favor ..."
"OOOooh, Ziggerastica -- he sounds scary," said Camicazi. "Do you think he can help us?"
"I don't know," Hiccup admitted.
Hiccup felt a bit silly shouting to someone who wasn't in the room, but he did so nonetheless, calling "ZIGGERASTICA!" three times at the top of his voice.
166 "How is this dragon going to get IN here, when we can't get OUT?" asked Camicazi. "You'll see," said Hiccup. Nothing happened for about three hours.
Hiccup wasn't really expecting this plan to work, in his heart of hearts -- he was just trying to cheer Camicazi up. But then there was a faint rustling noise, and the tiny black and red dragon squeezed through the double bars and fluttered around the room.
"Don't tell me," said Camicazi, "Please don't tell me that THIS is the dragon who owes you the favor ..."
"Yup," said Hiccup in astonishment. "That's definitely him.
167 How amazing that he came when I called!"
"This dragon," said Fishlegs "is even smaller than Toothless -- that's really going to help us, isn't it? The entire Roman Army is going to be shivering in its shoes when it sets eyes on a dragon the size of a bumblebee. How can a dragon not much larger than a beetle help us fight a whole Roman Legion?"
"What were you expecting?" asked Hiccup. "A Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus? Hang on, Toothless... what are you doing?"
Toothless was stalking Ziggerastica like a cat following a mouse.
"Toothless, STOP!" yelled Hiccup. "You mustn't eat him, he's our only chance of getting out of here alive!"
But Toothless hadn't had the pleasure of hunting for a couple of weeks now.
He chased a shrieking Ziggerastica all around the room until he finally trapped him in a corner of the ceiling and closed his jaws around him.
168 Toothless hovered just out of reach, one cheek bulging, and Ziggerastica's furiously swinging tail trailing out of his mouth.
"SPIT HIM OUT!" howled Hiccup, frantically jumping up and trying to grab Toothless by the tail. "I mean it, Toothless, this is not a game -- our lives depend on that nanodragon!"
Toothless shot him a naughty look and dodged to the other corner of the room.
The others joined in the chase, leaping after Toothless as he swooped from one side of the ceiling to the other, squealing with delight.
Camicazi climbed onto Fishlegs's shoulders, while Hiccup got on a chair and tried to sweep Toothless in her direction with a broom.
[Image: Dragons.] 169 Unfortunately, Hiccup missed, and the brush cannoned into Camicazi and Fishlegs, who then knocked over the chair Hiccup was standing on and they all landed in a heap on the floor.
Toothless somersaulted across the ceiling in his glee. He laughed so hard he nearly dropped Ziggerastica. He hadn't had so much fun in ages.
"OK," said Hiccup under his breath to the other two, "I've got a new tactic here ...
[Image: Men and a woman.] 170 "We don't have time for this nonsense," Hiccup said loudly. "Just ignore Toothless and everybody gather round me while I tell you our plan ..."
"Oh, I get it," said Fishlegs.
Fishlegs and Camicazi got into a huddle around Hiccup, who started whispering loudly.
Toothless remained on the ceiling, making rude raspberry noises.
Nobody paid him any attention.
Eventually Toothless's curiosity got the better of him, and he flapped down to see if he could hear what was being said -- and Camicazi leaped out of the huddle and grabbed him.
"HA!" said Hiccup triumphantly, looking sternly down on the struggling little dragon. "Now, Toothless, DROP IT."
Toothless crossed his eyes and made a gulping noise with his throat as if he was swallowing ...
"AAAAAAARGH!" screamed Hiccup.
Toothless spat Ziggerastica onto the floor.
"Only j-j-joking," he said.
Ziggerastica was FURIOUS.
Hiccup put him carefully on the table and for five minutes he refused to say anything at all, 171 concentrating on shaking out his wings and removing Toothless's saliva.
"I am SO sorry about Toothless, Your Highness," said Hiccup, thinking that a little flattery might be necessary.
Ziggerastica's voice was icy. "If I didn't owe you a favor O-Boy-With-Legs-Like-a-Heron," he spat, "that dragon would be history..."
Toothless laughed scornfully. "What you g-g-gonna do, tough guy? T-t-tickle Toothless to d-d-death?" "Shut up, Toothless," said Hiccup. "Thank you for coming Ziggerastica. And for looking so very, VERY handsome as well, if I may say so ...You have such kingly legs..."
[Image: Men and a woman.] Ziggerastica looked 172 slightly less cross. He admired his own royal knees with approval.
"And your wings! The finest I have ever seen! I'll explain what I would like Your Highness to do..."
Hiccup told the nanodragon his cunning but truly desperate plan.
The nanodragon was silent for a moment.
"That," he said at last, "is a truly terrible plan." "T-t-told you," said Toothless.
"H-h-hiccup's plans are always terrible..."
"You're still alive, aren't you?" retorted Hiccup.
"Also," said the nanodragon, "that is actually two favors, and I have offered you only one."
"Think how cross the Fat Consul will be ..." pleaded Hiccup.
The nanodragon thought about that. He shook out his black and red spotty wings, and Hiccup began to see the suggestion of a smile on his tiny face.
"Ok," said Ziggerastica, "I'll do it. But don't blame me if it fails...By the way, O-Boy-With-a-Small-Potato, your friends are even uglier than you are! Where did you find these people? Never in my life have I seen anybody who looks so much like a lemon sole..." He pointed rudely at Fishlegs with one wing.
And with that the little nanodragon gave a self-173 161 important wriggle of his behind and flew out the window.
"Did he agree to carry out your plan?" asked Camicazi.
Hiccup nodded, trying to look confident to keep everybody's hopes up.
"The thing is," he said, "I don't think in this kind of weather they'll be able to hold those Games tomorrow anyway. I've seen the arena from the window, and it's knee-deep in water -- the ground is far too wet and slippy for gladiatorial combat. With any luck the rain will make them cancel the whole thing."
[Image: A building.] 174