Back on Track

A new member joins Patrick, Furia and their comrades in the investigation of the dead rider. Yet a long trip awaits them before they can even start.

Back on Track

 

That same night I called Alan and told him about Francesco’s call. He and Oliver would come to Lubbock the next morning. Then we would all travel to Corpus Christy and meet up with James. We would then use the ship to travel to Miami, Florida.

 

Regarding to Elvis’s job, he quitted, his boss didn’t allow him being off so long. Coming with me was his renounce; once we get done with our mission, he would work for dad until getting another job. As for me, I would simply not get inscribed in the next college semester and will postpone my studies until further notice.

 

That morning, dad, Elvis and I woke up early and had breakfast. Once we finished, dad saddled Sahara and suited up, he had a meeting with his customers to arrange the terms of their deal… while Elvis and I just sat at the porch as Furia and Pyro came by. When father was about to depart, each of us gave him a hug. Father bid farewell to Furia and Pyro before wishing us all, good luck and saying that he loved us.

 

After dad and Sahara took off, I felt weird; seeing him getting further and further away was so strange. That time I had to leave home because of being hunted by The Government was in a rush, a runaway. This was the first time I ever experienced a goodbye. Furia licked the side of my head as she said… It isn’t as if we weren’t going to come back, silly.

 

I pat the side of her head, and turned to Elvis and Pyro, then said…

 

-Last night Alan contacted James and told him about the situation. Alan and Oliver will come here and then we’ll wait for Francesco’s Agent. At the second we are ready, we’ll travel to Corpus Christy. Elvis, Pyro… Welcome to the rodeo.

 

Elvis and I proceeded to go back inside and pack some stuff for the travel and then saddled up our dragons. In a matter of minutes after, Alan and Oliver arrived. They strapped off and jumped to the ground as I greeted them and their dragons: Helios, a bright yellow dragon, and Tyranis, a grass-green dragon, respectively.

 

They saluted us in return, and then Alan said...

 

-So, Elvis, are you going to come with us?

 

-Indeed I am, Alan.

 

Alan then looked at me, and I said...

 

-He has trained well.

 

To what Alan answered…

 

-We trained you, and you trained us all. If you say he's ready, he's ready.

 

We proceeded to wait for Francesco's Agent; it would surely be someone local and would arrive at any time. We talked the matter, Alan and Oliver sparred with Elvis; they were impressed by his abilities, yet Elvis had never sparred against more than one target. After long, Elvis met the ground a couple of times.

 

At early noon Francesco's Agent arrived; it was a no older than thirty years old, military-like woman; like taken out of an action movie: pretty and with the strength of breaking an arm. She was wearing a leather jacket and Ray-Ban aviator shades. Her dragon was soft gray and had a menacing look on his eyes. Once the dragon landed, she introduced herself while jumping off from the saddle...

 

-The name's Alena Stanford, this one here is Sanjay (the dragon nodded). I'm here in the name of Francesco Silvestro to support the one called... Patrick Darst.

 

-That'd be me, ma'am. This is Furia...

 

Alena took off her shades, shook my hand and nodded to Furia, who nodded back. She greeted the team and their dragons. After giving them a quick glance and putting on her shades, Alena said...

 

-So here in Team Awesome we have the Double Scarred Rider, two Dragon Society members, a Guardian and Pipsqueak, here. Ya think yourself fit for the ride?

 

-Bet you I am.      -Said Elvis.

 

-So Pipsqueak's got attitude, awesome.   -Alena turned to me and said...   -What's the plan, Double Scarred?

 

Elvis was beginning to get bothered by Alena's attitude and grunted.

 

-Corpus Christy; we have friends there who will provide us with a ship to travel to Miami.       �"I answered.

 

-Alright, who else are we waiting for?        -said Alena.

 

-We are ready here, now we just ride.       -Snapped Elvis while climbing onto his dragon.

 

With a careless tone and without even turning at him, Alena said...

 

-Stealing another people's questions isn’t a shortcut to earn my respect, Pipsqueak, even less if that person is a Double Scarred Rider. You are lucky to be directly related to Rider Patrick.

 

Elvis kept silent in shame, he just looked lightly down.

 

I could use my higher status to order Alena to refer to Elvis by his name, but that would be like just handing him a status. After that, he wouldn't get to be nothing but "The Double Scarred Rider's brother". I am sorry, big brother; you are strong enough to earn up respect, so I will give you the opportunity to do so.

 

-Seems to me you two are going to get along just fine. We better get going if we want to get there by the end of the week.

 

I said while climbing onto Furia's saddle.

 

Then everyone climbed onto their dragons and took off. Around an hour later in the air, we decided to land before exhausting our dragons. We kept going on foot until noon, our dragons hunted, we ate and talked, then at afternoon we took off again until evening. We unsaddled our dragons, collected branches and made a bonfire, and then Tyranis lit it up.

 

The only topic everyone avoided was the past. It was like we all did nothing more in our lives than the ordinary plus our interesting anecdotes and personal stuff. It is awesome how even the strongest ideal or vocation is left behind when people are united by something bigger.

 

We were all sitting around the bonfire, facing it as we had dinner. Our dragons rested behind their proper riders, making a much bigger circle. This time no one talked, our eyes were locked on the dancing fire and our food... each of us roaming our own thoughts in the company of our own dragons.

 

The dragon must have spent a lot of time with the fake-rider... otherwise the news wouldn't have aired as "the dragon killed its OWN rider". That kid must have stolen that dragon long ago...

 

Suddenly Furia interrupted my idea... We have too little information, Patrick. Don't get to conclusions just yet.

 

I'm just trying to foresee what we are dealing with. It might be big...

 

Yeah it might, and it also might not...

 

Furia...

 

Furia arched up her neck and raised her head while saying... Listen to me, Pat, I know what your father told you, and he's right, but if you take it the wrong way, we might not even solve this at all due to meaningless prejudice.

 

I sighed, turned to her and said... Maybe you are right. Let's get to the mine first, and then we start digging up gold.

 

Yet we can ask the others their opinions; Alena is an experienced Guardian, ask her what she thinks.

 

Alright...

 

-So, Rider Alena...

 

-You can call me Alena, Double Scarred.

 

-Well, Alena, what do you think about this... a rider-less dragon...

 

-It's interesting... though I haven't given it much thought so far.

 

Seems to me you can learn a thing or two from her.

 

Very funny, Furia...

 

Elvis, Alan and Oliver joined the discussion and then we spent half an hour sharing theories; all of them as likely as the previous one. We left the topic and randomized the conversation until we all went to sleep. I climbed onto Furia's back and slept there.

 

A couple of days later, by noon, we arrived to Corpus Christy and met James, his brother Bruno, his cousin John, and their dragons at the harbor. As we landed in front of them, James said...

 

-Just like in the old days, isn’t it guys?

 

We strapped off from the saddles and greeted them. Once James saw Alena, his face turned to pure hate as a powerful shout came from him…

 

-YOU!!

 

James generated a sword and lunged at her. Alena quickly blocked the stab with a shield. James’s dragon, Glario, attacked Sanjay. Alena backed away and so did her dragon as Alan, Oliver, Elvis and I got in James’s way, while our dragons got in Glario’s way and protected Sanjay. Bruno’s and John’s dragons joined our dragons and faced Glario.

 

John and Bruno held James as he struggled to free himself while yelling.

 

-It was her!! Get off me!

 

Bruno’s and John’s eyes got wide open with surprise while they held James and tried to calm him.

 

-Calm down James! Calm down!!

 

A couple of moments later, James stopped struggling and Bruno and John let him go while getting in front of him. I was completely shocked towards the scene. From where in the heavens does James know Alena?

 

-From where do you know her?     -I asked James.

 

-She is the one who killed my cousin Abraham!!

 

 

Six Years Earlier   (A year and a half before Furia was born)

 

James and his cousin Abraham were in the car on the way to San Antonio, Texas when James said…

 

-Abraham… I know you don’t want to be related to The Dragon Society and all, but, at least pay attention to the details. You know how important it is for us to find a Rider.

 

-I’ll keep my eyes open cousin; it’s the least I can do for you after you supported my decision of leaving the family business at the harbor.

 

-That’s nothing, Abraham. I really hope you find what you are looking for.

 

-I wish you the same. How ironic it would be if I find my egg in San Antonio?

 

James chuckled and said…  -I’d love to see your face if that happens. You, who were so “I’m not joining the Dragon Society; I want to live my life, blah, blah, blah…”

 

They laughed and continued talking until arriving to San Antonio. James left his cousin in his new home and hit the road again on the way back to Corpus Christy.

 

Time proved well for the two cousins for around a year; Abraham found a job where he managed to do what he liked and James kept working at the harbor, looking for eggs and Riders in Corpus Christy. They visited each other from time to time until one day…

 

At late evening, James’s phone rang. He saw on the screen it was his cousin and answered. James was about to salute Abraham, but Abraham franticly interrupted him.

 

-James! I need help! I am going to die!!

 

At the second he heard his cousin asking for help; James got his car keys and locked his apartment’s door while saying…

 

-Abraham calm down, I’ll go help you, alright? Tell me what is going on…

 

-I found the goddamn egg, James! I was inspecting an abandoned building for demolition, and there I found it!!

 

James hit the street and headed directly to San Antonio. On the way he spoke with Abraham.

 

-Ok, Abraham, calm down, you are going to get out of this. I will get there in an hour, maybe a little more. Do you have a car?

 

-No, I am at home right now.

 

-Did you see anyone following you?

 

-I don’t think so…

 

-Can you defend yourself?

 

-I have a pistol.

 

-Ok, you’ll be fine Abraham. And if something happens, just hand them the egg, you heard me?

 

-What?

 

-They are trained killers, Abraham. Do not engage unless it is absolutely a life-threatening situation. Do not hold to the egg, if they find you, just hand it to them.

 

-I understand. I’ll wait for you.

 

James noted the surprise in Abraham’s voice when he told him to give up the egg. He began to worry about Abraham trying to protect his egg and pressed harder the throttle. Once he arrived to Abraham’s neighborhood, James parked his car a block away from Abraham’s house and called his cousin with his phone. No one answered and he began to worry. James got out of the car and fast paced silently to Abraham’s house.

 

When he got close enough, he managed to see the door was open. This is going to end well, this is going to… When he peeked inside, he saw Abraham on the floor and a young woman on top of him pulling a knife out from Abraham’s neck.

 

James wanted to scream, go inside and kill the woman with his bare hands. But instead, he backed off a few steps and bit his left hand in the area between the thumb and the pointer to avoid letting out a sound. He pressed his jaw hardly until he tasted blood while pressing a fist with his right hand.

 

Blood was pumping out while gargling sounds could still be heard. Then one last solid, slightly juicy sound ended everything. I’m sorry Abraham… I am sorry… I… Suddenly, James heard steps getting closer and ran to behind a corner of the house.

 

He looked at the woman, who was walking slowly out of the house, lit a cigarette and closed the door behind her. Then she walked across the street while making a phone call. “Done.” was the only word she spoke before getting into her car and driving away.

 

James quickly ran to his car and drove away, trying to say a thousand words at the same time and only one could be understood, and was the one he repeated the most…

 

“Sorry”

 

 

Today

 

-After that, I had a mental breakdown because of my cowardice. Abraham didn’t even wanted to be part of this and protected his egg with his life while I hid like a mouse. What made me recover was the thirst for vengeance that grew from the idea of getting strong enough to kill her. I couldn’t back then, but I can now.

 

I really didn’t want to go against James, nor did I want to break the peace between the Dragon Society and The Government. I waited for John and Bruno to do something first.

 

-That was very long time ago, James. Things are different now.    �"Said Bruno.

 

-No, nothing is different; we all were going to hunt her, don’t you remember? You were there as well Patrick!      -James said, pointing a finger at me in the end.

 

I remember when James told me about Abraham one night in the Bermuda Triangle, long before the battle. After discovering The Government was just mistaken, I got so glad everything was finally over that I stopped thinking about it.

 

-The Government committed many mistakes, James. We destroyed their world when we traveled to the Bermuda Triangle. They have been paying their debt to everyone all this time.     �"I said.

 

To what James answered…

 

-This has nothing to do with The Government or The Dragon Society, Patrick. If you aren’t going to help me, then back away; this is between me and her.

 

John intervened, put a hand on James’s shoulder and said… 

 

-Patrick is right, James. They were doing what they thought was right, no one can be blamed for that.

 

-Are you guys truly defending her!?

 

Suddenly Alena said…

 

-I need no defense. And I will not excuse myself with the “I was just following orders…” thing, nor will I apologize for something I did on purpose. But if it makes you feel better, I will say that your cousin gave a good fight, he fought till the end without fear. Other than that, I won’t take it personal if one day we find ourselves facing each other.

 

-Believe me, we will.     �"Said James looking at her with killer eyes.

 

John turned to me and said…

 

-You all better get out of here. You will sail with the next shipment in a couple of weeks, we’ll call you then.

 

-Thanks John. (I replied and turned to my group) Mount up everyone, we are leaving. (Then I turned to John again)  I am truly sorry for this, John.

 

-Never mind Patrick, this was going to happen anytime; the only things that come by themselves are old enemies and taxes.

 

-We’ll wait for your call, see you soon.

 

Alena, Alan, Oliver, Elvis and I, we climbed onto our respective dragons and flew away. We arrived to a farm at the outskirts of Corpus Christy and unsaddled our dragons; they then proceeded to hunt.

 

That was why we always tried to avoid talking about the past. All of us have provoked pain in someone else’s life by taking a relative’s life. All because of a great misunderstood. That’s one of the reasons the actual peace between The Government and the Dragon Society was so unstable and fragile. We could just tolerate each other without asking a lot of questions.

 

The team spent the next two weeks in that farm. The owners invited us to dinner every night and we talked about dragons and our actual mission. We met their sons; one was a little younger than me and the other one was a little kid. Both of them had their dragons. The big brother was a Rider; he worked as a deliveryman with his dragon while his little brother still went to school, he and his dragon still too young for riding.

 

Some may say it is better to find the egg at adolescence, that’s the Rider-age for riding. When someone found the egg at adolescence, he/she only had to wait seven months for the dragon’s age to match the rider’s. But when someone found the egg earlier than that, like at infancy, the dragon’s age matched the owner’s way sooner than that. That dragon owner had to grow old enough, along with his dragon, to be ready to ride. It’s a game of balances; when Furia was ready to be ridden, she was three months old. In the scale of seven months to match with my age, that was her adolescence.

 

Finally my phone rang one morning… It was Bruno, he told me the ship was about to sail. We flew to the harbor and landed directly on the ship, while the motors were being started. We didn’t have time to thank them nor to bid farewell. Bruno called me this late on purpose, if we would have lasted a little more at the harbor, James would have probably started another scene. It was a horrible way of sailing away.

 

No one from James’s family could take part on the mission because of their jobs at the harbor, except James himself, but he would surely try to kill Alena at any moment; so we continued the same way we started.

 

The day went by slowly; some of the crew members weren’t very talkative when Alena was around. Either they saw James signaling her as Abraham’s killer, or they heard it from those who did or from James himself. Alena was always with Sanjay on the deck when she wasn’t with our group.

 

At evening I was leaning against the deck’s security banister, my sights switching from down, looking at the waves hitting the ship, and frontwards, looking at the orange tones of the horizon caused by a hiding sun. My mind flowed without course; memories of my previous sailing blurred by my desire of clearing my mind and enjoy the landscape.

 

Furia, who was swimming, flew up to the ship and landed next to me. She shook her wings, making a little rain towards me and bringing me back from my mind.

 

Hey there, Pat. What are you thinking?

 

Just, remembering our previous sailing.

 

I turned to her and, for a moment, my sights headed to the scar on the side of her chest, then back to her eyes. Furia lowered her head and lightly pushed me away with the tip of her mouth.

 

Go get the saddle and let’s go for a flight.

 

I let go a little chuckle of embarrassment. I was letting myself get too worried about all this. Luckily for me, Furia did know how to save me from myself. I went for the saddle and readied up; once I was strapped, Furia took off.

 

I forgot what a mere flight was. After the revelations to the world and after I was free to go out of my father’s lands, I flew with Furia to wherever I had to go; be it a sudden grocery, to college, to hang out with Jake, Sam and Simon…

 

This time, with nothing in our minds; just the wind, Furia and I in the world, an epic smile grew on my mouth and a fierce look on my eyes. The strength of the wind without the sensation of having to get somewhere… flying faster and faster without the idea of someone waiting for us… It wasn’t about being alive, it was about living… it wasn’t about being a Rider, it was about Riding.

 

Suddenly I saw Elvis closing in with Pyro, and eventually the whole gang was in the sky. We kept flying and doing tricks in the air even after nightfall. That night, Elvis, Alan, Oliver, Alena and I, we took our dinner to the deck and ate along with our dragons, making one different dinner apart from the ship’s dinning. We spend the time making jokes and telling funny stories until going to sleep; which I did on Furia’s back. I guess we all needed that mere-flight.

 

The trip would last just a few days; Furia and I mere-flew one more time before arriving to the western waters of Florida. The ship wasn’t going to stop; it had its own trajectory; it got as close as possible to Cape Coral and that was our stop. The group saddled up, bid farewell and thanked the ship’s crew, and then took off towards the beach.