Right When All Seemed Fine

At the finals, Patrick and Furia will receive a call that will put their own knowledge and perception of things to the test.

Right When All Seemed Fine

 

I was sitting on my chair filling my test. It was the very last one from the actual semester; I just had to finish this exam to never come back to college… or at least until next semester’s inscriptions.

 

I pressed my pen on the paper to write an answer when suddenly…

 

Two plus two are four, plus two are six…

 

What the hell?     I thought.

 

George Washington!

 

Furia!! What the hell are you doing!?

 

I felt her, laughing, then said… For the fifth time, Furia; I won’t go until I complete this exam!

 

Come on Patrick, you only need to fill a quarter to pass it.

 

Yes, but I don’t want to just pass it; I want to ace it. Now let me finish this already… and no more interruptions…

 

Furia reluctantly answered… Well then…

 

Thank you.

 

I sighed and read the question again to recover the idea I lost thanks to Furia. After arranging the words in my head, I proceeded to answer the question. But at the second my pen touched the paper my phone rang. I hit the table with both of my fists while saying…

 

-In the name of…!!

 

Every other student in the classroom stared at me, including the teacher, a short man who earned the students’ respect by iron hand and thanks to an amazing ability to catch cheaters. I quickly pressed my left hand on my pocket and by tact I found the button on my phone to hang up the incoming call.

 

-Sorry, professor… the pressure.

 

-No phones or talking during exams, Mr. Darst.

 

I nodded and sighed heavily. Oh Furia if you are related to this…

 

To what?

 

My phone just rang! Who are you involving now? Just stop it, seriously! It’s not funny anymore!

 

I’m sorry, but I didn’t make anyone call you… I stopped when you told me to last time…

 

You really mean it?

 

Yes, Patrick.

 

Alright; I’ll finish this as soon as possible and get the hell out of here.

 

See you later, Pat!

 

I closed my eyes and sighed heavily to then read the question and quickly answer it. There we go… now nothing will disturb me… then I proceeded to read the next question. I began to write the answer, but when I was halfway, my phone dared to ring again.

 

The professor walked to where I was and said…

 

-Phone.

 

I handed him the phone. He then hung up the incoming call and turned it off before saying…

 

-You will retrieve it once you finish the test. You disturb order one more time and I will be forced to nullify your test. Do you understand?

 

-Yes, professor.

 

The professor then walked away and kept overlooking the classroom. Well… now nothing else will disturb me. This time I was right; I completed the test without any further disturbance. I stood up, handed in the test and recovered my phone. The first thing I did was contacting Furia and telling her that I finished. She replied with a joyful “Finally!” While I waited for her, I checked who was so desperate to reach me. No way it was my father, he knew I was on a test; the same with Elvis. And my friends were taking that very same test. The only left possibilities were…

 

Alan?

 

My mind froze for a moment when I saw that he was who called me the two times my phone rang, plus two more after the phone was turned off. He also sent me a message that contained: “Call me as soon as possible.”

 

I proceeded to call Alan. Not even a single ring was able to sound as Alan answered his phone right away.

 

-Patrick, finally you give life signs…

 

-Yeah, was on a test… you know how it is. So, what’s up?

 

-We need to gather up.

 

-This doesn’t sound as a regular monthly meeting.    �"I said, beginning to concern.

 

-It isn’t. Something horrible just happened.

 

-What? What happened?

 

-A dragon killed his own rider in Miami.

 

I didn’t know how to answer to that, for a moment I thought that I might have misheard him, but the words were crystal clear. Then Alan spoke again…

 

-It confused me too. It was being transmitted by all the news channels when I called you so you could see it.

 

-Why would a dragon kill his own rider knowing that…

 

Alan then said interrupting me…     -The dragon didn’t die.

 

That was worse than the first new… I had to make him say it again because this time I was surely mishearing him.

 

-Wait, what?

 

-The dragon didn’t die; a couple of riders from The Government captured him.

 

-What is going to happen to him?

 

-The rider was a fifteen years old kid; his family, along with a large crowd, wants the dragon dead.

 

I sighed and said…     -Right when all seemed fine…

 

-Say it out loud, brother. And one more thing; I think Francesco Silvestro himself will call you soon. Wait for his call and then contact me.

 

-Right… wait; why did you say “you think he will call me”?

 

-See you soon, Patrick.

 

-Alan?

 

I looked at the phone’s screen, just to see the total time of the call then change to my wallpaper. What did just happen? I proceeded to put the phone back in my pocket. When I took my sights forward, I saw Furia landing in the nearest parking lot with Nira, Sythe and Flaris.

 

I walked over and greeted the dragons; they looked at me with confusion. I was blank-faced, still digesting what had been told to me. Furia began to worry when I saluted her and said…

 

Patrick, are you ok?

 

Yeah, I just… I have a lot to tell you. Then I spoke at the other dragons while I climbed onto Furia’s saddle…

 

-Flaris, Sythe, Nira; I can’t wait for the guys this time. Would you tell them I had to go?

 

The dragons exchanged looks and then nodded at me.

 

-Thank you all, we’ll keep in touch!      -I said as Furia turned around, then she fast paced and took off.

 

After half a minute of silence, Furia said…

 

Please tell me you didn’t fail the test…

 

What? No… the test was fine…

 

Furia inclined her head to the right and fixed her eye on mines. Are you mad at me?

 

I smiled and said… I am not mad at you, Furia. Let me just arrange the ideas…

 

She hummed a bit and said… Alright.

 

A few moments later I explained to Furia all that Alan told me. When I finished, her mind ended as blown as mine was just a couple of minutes before.

 

After a few moments, Furia commented… This will develop awfully for young riders all over the world. Now all dragons will be considered dangerous and with meaningless murder tendencies.

 

I am afraid so, Furia.

 

Will you wait for Francesco’s call?

 

I’m beginning to believe that we will be called, yes.

 

We had planned to roam the city for the rest of the day, but after landing on the first place; the looks the people gave at us were so disapproving… they didn’t expressively do it, but they were signaling and blaming me, the one who brought dragons, for the death of that kid. We decided then to head home and roam the lands while dad and Elvis arrived to lunch, then I would tell them about Alan’s call.

 

When I finished telling dad about the call, he was disgusted by the idea of me leaving again to get involved with some campaign. He talked to me about my future, about my life, my studies. When he finished I said…

 

-This is who I am, father. This is my past, present and future. I belong to no other place.

 

After a few moments of silence I said…

 

-Why are we talking like this? It isn’t as if I am going to go forever; I just have to find out what is going on…

 

-And solve it. �"Father said interrupting me. He then continued- If I am not mistaken, when Furia born, it was just a dragon… just… a simple… dragon. It was for some time, but then what happened? You became a most wanted, a terrorist, a public enemy, Patrick; without mentioning all what you went through and discovered. This doesn’t need to happen a third time for me to know there’s something more. Or does it sound simple to you that there’s a rider-less dragon?

 

This time it was my father who left me speechless. I didn’t notice that I was underestimating the issue at hand. It did make me feel immeasurably embarrassed.

 

He had foreseen this… After hearing how I talked about the issue like it was just something for me to do, my father drove the conversation to this point and modified my perspective of things. I thought that he wouldn’t step against my decisions after all I had gone through; how foolish I was… I let peace take away all what I learned in combat.

 

Suddenly dad said…    -I wouldn’t let you go unprepared, son. Now you can count with my support.

 

-I want to step in.       �"Suddenly said Elvis.

 

Dad and I were both surprised by Elvis’s intervention and turned our sights at him. I didn’t know how to answer at this. I thought of watching first what father would do, but when I looked at him, he was already looking at me.

 

-Patrick?        -Elvis was waiting for an answer, looking at me.

 

Soon I found the correct words…           -You are in, brother.

 

Elvis sure was excited; I could see it in his eyes. But the one saying the next words was my father…

 

-Are you sure, Patrick?

 

-Yes.

 

For two days we just waited. By the time, Elvis was well skilled with Aerial Combat. He just kept working and we trained in the night… while Furia and I traveled and roamed the city. Some people looked at us with contempt, while some others, with and without their dragons, asked me what could be going wrong… I only told them what I was completely sure of: That kid wasn’t the legitimate owner of that dragon. He got that dragon in a way completely off the protocol and that exactly was what brought him his unfortunate fate. I also met with my friends from college one time, and we just talked about the weird new. I ended telling them that there was nothing to worry about as long as they had found their dragons the right way.

 

One afternoon Furia and I were roaming in a farm and decided to go under a tree to rest; and then we both fell asleep. Suddenly we both woke up to the sound of my ringing phone… I answered the phone and heard not just a voice… The Voice.

 

-Hello?

 

-Greetings, Rider Patrick. �"At the moment I heard that voice, both Furia and I stood up from the ground and my eyes got fixed on hers for a moment.

 

-Rider Francesco.

 

-It’s been a long time since the last time we conversed… How is your family?

 

-We are doing alright; the one-item-to-sell law favored my father, granting him the breeding rights for the bovines.

 

-I am pleased to hear good news from you, Rider Patrick. It is a shame I will answer to your good news with bad news… Have you knowledge of the events of Miami, Florida?

 

-Yes, I was informed by the Dragon Society. Any updates? it has been a couple of days…

 

-No investigation has been started, Rider Patrick.

 

That was awfully unexpected for me.

 

-What? Why?

 

-I am not a legitimate authority, Rider Patrick. I, along with the Dragon Society, tried to take control of the situation, but the authorities stated they would like someone more... reachable… to take control of the situation; their words.

 

-Both entities are out of the system, out of the authorities’ control… seems to me they want someone to blame in the case of something going wrong.

 

-(He chuckled) Time hasn’t taken away your sharpness, Rider Patrick. After all what you have done for the world; I did not want to put you and Furia on the lines again. But I now have to face the fact that there is no other option… I have to invest this responsibility upon you… if you and Furia accept it.

 

My eyes got fixed with Furia’s once again, but this time for a little longer than a couple of seconds. The look on Furia’s determined eyes drove a smile on my face, and then I said…

 

-I, Patrick Darst, The Rebel Rider, and my dragon Furia, Wings of Liberty, will take the responsibility and make it our quest. And as members of the Dragon Society it is an honor for us to serve once again.

 

I felt behind my eyes that feeling that I thought I would never feel again… that feeling of fierceness that makes you untamable.

 

-I knew I could rely on you and Furia, Rider Patrick. This time you will not operate as an underdog; you will count with the support accepting this responsibility is bound to. An agent in representation of my person will meet you by tomorrow morning. How will you proceed now?

 

-I will first gather up with the Dragon Society and plan a course of action. After that, I will update you with any discovering we make on the situation at hand.

 

-Good… I wish you and Furia the best of lucks. Farewell, Rider Patrick.

 

-Salute Tanith for me, and farewell, Rider Francesco.

 

Then the call ended, and not even a second passed before Furia jumped out of the shadow from under the tree and let out a strong roar of emotion, ending upright on her rear legs and with fully open wings.

 

Yeah!! We are back in business!!         Furia yelled.

 

For a couple of seconds my eyes got locked on her stance; pride and determination flowing through us. Then Furia went to all fours and walked back to me. I trotted out from under the tree and met her midway. So, what’s next? She asked. To what I answered while climbing onto the saddle… We head back home, gather up with the Dragon Society and sail away!

 

Furia fast paced and jumped to the air with an epic roar. We flew home with our hearts pounding with ferocity… once again with a goal in our minds, a campaign to get through.