He knocked again. And again. And-

  “Who is it now?” A set of heavy stomping could be heard approaching the door until it was forcefully opened on the other side. It was a middle-aged cat-woman with purple fur and hair. Much like Alin, she was missing a feline feature, which was her sharp iris. She was dressed in a mixture of casual and formal pieces of clothing, but both looked expensive.

  She was taken aback when she noticed a dragon in her front yard. Her confusion soon turned to annoyance as her eyebrows furrowed. “Are you here to break the curse on the Onyx Knight?”

  “Yes-”

  “Then goodbye. I won’t answer any questions. Please leave my property now.” She tried to shut the door, but Ryder was quick enough to lodge his draconic hand between the door and the frame.

  “We found the sheet that will break the curse at Alin’s home, but it’s incomplete. We only need to borrow the second sheet. I promise I’ll return it to you the moment we break the curse.” The rider stared firmly.

  The purple-ear widened her eyes and swiftly narrowed back again. “So what? It’s none of my business.”

  “Ya don’t wish to break the Knight’s curse? But yer family-”

  “Why would I want to break the curse when he’s the reason no one had tried to attack the city again? Now, go away before I call the-”

  “What if we do something for you? Will you lend us the sheet, then?”

  She bared her fangs and glowered before letting out a heavy sigh, like a deflated balloon. “Fine. If you can get a conductor called Simon to direct an orchestra with a symphony written by me, then I’ll lend it to you. Don’t bother me until you get a written agreement with his signature on it.”

  “Simon? As in Simon Abbado? The legendary conductor who swore to never direct another orchestra again now that he’s retired?” Findir stepped closer to the door and peeked through the slit.

  “Yes.” She smiled maliciously.

  “Before we leave, can you tell us your full name first?” Ryder pulled out of his arm.

  “Elisha Klawe. Have fun.” The door was promptly shut tight, and her footsteps echoed further with each step.

  “So… How are we going to ask this legendary conductor to direct an orchestra for her? Is she even famous enough to get him to consider directing an orchestra for her symphony?” The rider turned around and asked.

  “If he hadn’t retired, of course.” Findir sighed.

  “Wait, she’s really that famous?” The human raised his eyebrow.

  “Yes, really. She’s Dion’s granddaughter, the only one who had been playing his songs after Cybele passed, and also a talented composer. Everyone in this city knows her name.”

  “Then why didn’t you mention her yes- Nevermind. I assume her mother and her mother’s sisters had tried to get her to help, but she tells them what she said to us as well. Okay, so, where can we find this Simon guy?”

  “I know who we can ask to find him! Follow me!” The cat-man began walking away from the building.

  The dragon rider gang followed behind. “What about persuading him to help us? Any ideas?”

  “Leave this to me, Ryder! I’m confident I can win him over before dinner.” He winked.

  Green growled.

  “Yeah. We’re definitely lucky to have him around." The human spoke through their telepathic connection. "Hmm, I wonder what Purple’s doing right now. I bet he’s sleeping on that moss bed in the jungle again.” He shook his head.

  Brown thought about what Purple told her last night through his own telepathic spell. He said that something hiding in the jungle seemed to be waking up, but she didn’t want to tell her rider yet for fear of distracting him. But most importantly, it wasn’t an issue yet.

X

  “‘Ello Mr. Abbado!” Findir waved at an old man with black fur sitting at the corner of the audience spectating a small orchestra in the plaza. There was another old man accompanying him and holding his hand.

  “Who are you?” Simon narrowed his eyes and shaded it with his hands on his eyebrows.

  The musician began whistling a tune. It started off badly, almost intentionally so, before it became so good that it was pitch perfect. The conductor went from confused to smiling ear to ear when the tune ended.

  “Little Findir! I see you’ve mastered the tune I taught you. How long has it been since your debut banquet?” The old man stood up and shook the yellow-ear’s hand.

  “It’s been 12 years, sir.” Once the shaking ended, Findir performed a graceful bow.

  “My, look at how much of a handsome young man you’ve grown into. Seeing how you’re dressed up,” Simon studied his clothes. “It seems like you did become the traveling musician you always wanted to be, eh?”

  “I did, sir!” The musician smiled as his tail swished.

  “I bet your grandfather’s shouting was loud enough to reach every corner of his estate.” The conductor cackled.

  “No, sir.” Findir pursed his lips. “It was even louder than that.”

  Both of them laughed so loudly that Simon’s partner had to shush them.

  “Who’s this over here?” The old man pointed at the dragon rider gang. “Is it… the Dragon Rider?”

  Ryder nodded.

  “Indeed, he is, sir! He’s also the reason why I’ve decided to seek ya out earlier than I planned, sir.”

  “Oh? Now you’ve piqued my interest, little Findir.”

  “Ya see, the Drag’n Rider’s ‘ere to break the curse on the Onyx Knight!”

  “Oohh? Did you hear that, dear?” The old man lightly pinched his partner’s shoulder, to which his partner gestured him to stay quiet. He pouted and turned back to face the yellow-ear. “That sounds interesting, but… what does that have to do with you meeting me?”

  “It’s ‘cuz one of the ‘key’ to breakin' the curse is bein' held by Elisha Klawe, and she won’t give it up unless you agree to conduct an orchestra for her symphony.”

  “Oh.” Simon’s face dropped. “Have you not heard about my retirement?”

  “I did, sir, but-”

  “I’m sorry, my boy. Even for you, I cannot go back against my word. And, frankly, I’m tired of it. I’m certain the symphony Elisha wanted me to direct is the magnum opus she had talked about for years. And it would be great if the Onyx Knight can finally be put to his deserved rest, but I’m done.”

  “Then, what if-”

  “There’s nothing else in this world that can sway-”

  “What if you get to listen to Dion’s other songs? Ones that Elisha never played?”

  The black-ear widened his eyes. “Are you truly that desperate? So much so that you'd make up a lie?”

  “Not at all, sir. Ya see, Dion’s daughters all kept a portion of the sheets they retrieved from their old family house. However, they had never allowed outside musicians to play any of them. Last night, I visited the granddaughter of one of the sisters, Alin, and played all the sheets there. I know all the songs from Dion that Elisha had played before, and I can tell ya that she had never played these. The sheets in Alin’s possession will only remain as private property until someone can break the curse. So, if ya help the Drag’n Rider, you’ll have the chance to listen to Dion’s songs that no one has had since Cybele’s passing.”

  Simon covered his mouth and entered into a deep thought. He occasionally glanced at his partner. Seeing his hesitation, his partner approached and patted his shoulder. “I know you’ve been itching for one more. The reporters will be a little annoying to deal with, but I know it’ll be worth it.”

  The conductor sighed. “You really are your grandfather’s boy, Findir. Fine. I’ll direct Elisha’s orchestra. I suppose it will be interesting to see how her skills have improved.”

  “Thank ya so much, sir!” Findir bowed as his tail wagged with excitement. When he straightened his back up, he turned and gave Ryder a wink with a little pinky up.