Chapter 14

Yuryi Still has the Narrative

Following breakfast, as we hadn’t eaten prior to our conversation with Grigor, I went on the Internet and started doing some research on where the Dragon Queen actually lived and where to find a good hotel near there. The hotel in the town nearest to where she lived was not one that I would choose to use except as a last resort. In the meantime, Yvonne had gone to start packing for the trip. She would require several hours to select and pack everything that she was taking. I could pack what I was taking in twenty minutes or so.

Having decided on a hotel and determined how to reach it, I needed to know how soon she would be ready to leave before calling the flight service about a plane. On reaching our bedroom, I was surprised to see that she already had two bags packed.

“When do you think we will be ready to leave?” I asked, interrupting what she had been doing.

“I’ll be ready by tonight. We’ll need to inform the twins probably tonight or in the morning. When can we leave?” she asked.

“I’ll need to make a reservation at the hotel that I’ve selected, and I still need to contact the flight service to see when they can have a plane here,” I told her.

“Where is this ‘flight service’ located? Is it local?” she asked.

“No, it isn’t local. They are located in Cincinnati, but they fly all over the States and Internationally to Europe and Asia,” I told her.

“Really?” she asked. “How large are their planes?”

“They have several types and sizes of planes for the different destinations and passenger requirements,” I told her.

“Alright, we’ll have to see when they can have a plane here, I guess,” she said.

“I’ll call them and then the hotel to reserve a room,” I told her. I called the flight service from the library where I had done my research, as the twins and Grigor were using the den.

“M ... Charter Service. How may I help you?” the female voice on the line answered on the third ring.

“Good morning, this is Yuryi Lawristan. I need a plane to carry myself and an assistant from Duluth, Minnesota to Atlanta, Georgia. What would you have available in the next few days?” I asked.

“Just a party of two?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“And luggage or other items?” was next.

“Just carry-ons.”

“Are there any other requirements?”

“We will need a vehicle for transportation around Atlanta,” I informed her.

“How large a vehicle, sir?”

“A medium size SUV will be fine,” I told her.

“Will you require a driver?”

“No, I wouldn’t think so, I can handle that,” I told her.

“What parts of Atlanta will you mainly be visiting?”

“We’ll mainly be in the area east of Atlanta proper for our business,” I told her.

“Very good, sir. We can have a Pilatus PC-24 at the main airport in Duluth in two days at 12:00 noon, if that is acceptable. You will be flying into PDK -DeKalb Peachtree Airport. It is located in the Chamblee area northeast of downtown Atlanta and easily accessible to the Interstate,” she told me.

“Yes, that’s fine. Is Captain Jack still flying for you?” I inquired.

“Captain Jack retired three years ago. I notice from our records that you flew with him a number of times to Europe. You haven’t flown with us much in the last few years,” she commented.

“Yes, with cell phones and the Internet, I haven’t done as much flying as previously,” I told her.

“One last thing, sir. Will you need a plane to return to Duluth when you are finished in Atlanta?” she asked.

“We aren’t sure how long we will need to remain in Atlanta. It would be better if I call you later when we have learned how long it will require to finish there,” I told her.

“Lastly, is this flight to be billed to your regular account?” she asked.

“Yes, the same account as previously,” I told her.

“Thank you for flying Charter Air. Have a good day, and a good flight, sir,” she said before disconnecting.

Following that, I called the Hampton Inn east of Atlanta and reserved a room with a king size bed for a week starting two days from then. Yvonne was finished packing when I returned to the bedroom.

“We are set to fly out at noon in two days. I have reserved a room in the hotel for a week, and there will be an SUV ready for us to pick up when we land,” I told her.

“I still need to check on the route to our hotel from the airport,” I told her. After a bit of work on the computer, I finally got Google maps to work the way I wanted and printed out the map and directions to our hotel from PDK and also to the Queen residence. Following that, I went up to pack my clothes.

That evening, following dinner, we took the twins to the small parlor for a discussion. Yvonne did the talking while I mainly just stood there.

“We need to talk following dinner,” she had told the girls as we ate.

“We have work to do,” Ilene told her.

“It will have to wait. This is more important. We WILL go to the small parlor once we are finished here. That is an order,” their Mother told them to unhappy looks from them. In the parlor, Yvonne got to the reason for being there immediately. The twins were seated, but she remained standing.

“Yuryi and I are leaving for Atlanta the day after tomorrow. The two of you will remain here and continue your studies with Grigor.

“On the 10th of May, Olaf and Nora will take you to the testing site. That has already been arranged,” she explained.

“Going to Atlanta?” the twins immediately demanded. “What is in Atlanta that is so important?” followed that.

“We are going there to see the Dragon Queen,” she told them.

“The Dragon Queen!” they parroted.

“Yes, the Dragon Queen and to be married,” she told them to even more confused looks.

“Why there and not here?” they demanded still confused.

“There are problems with the laws in Minnesota,” she told them.

“Really! ... Why?” they asked. Yvonne closed her eyes and appeared to be praying for patience.

“What is all of this about, Mother?” Julia asked.

“If you must know, I’m pregnant, and Yuryi doesn’t have a birth certificate. They didn’t issue them in the year 802 AD when he was born. He is also a Dragon, and the Queen will assist us in getting things done,” she told them in an exasperated voice. The twins were definitely shocked by this revelation.

“Dragon?... 802 AD!” they finally managed to ask.

“Yes, to both,”

“But that was almost 1300 years ago!” Ilene squealed in disbelief. “No one can live that long,” she exclaimed.

“Dragons can. According to Yuryi, the original, old Dragons are all some 4,000 years old,” she told them to more shocked expressions.

“And you’re pregnant?” Julia asked in a quieter voice.

“Yes, I believe so. The Dragon Queen will be able to tell for sure,” she told them.

“But what will happen to US?” they both moaned.

“When you finish the tests, Olaf will bring you back here. You will stay here. When you receive your test scores, you will be able to apply for entrance to the colleges you have chosen, if the scores are high enough. We should be back by then.

“If you are accepted at a college, you will need to finish applying and determine what scholarships or grants you can obtain. If necessary, you may need to get jobs while attending college to help pay your way. Yuryi is willing to help with your finances like tuition, but he will not be paying for all of your expenses.

“If you still can’t get into college, you, both of you, will need to get jobs to support yourselves,” she told her daughters.

“Jobs ... work?” they asked in upset voices.

“Yes, work. You are both nineteen now and need to start making your own way in the world. College is one way to do that. The job market is another. It is past time for you to start earning your own money,” Yvonne told them in a cold voice with no sympathy at all. The twins returned to their rooms very subdued.

“It’s often harder to tell females that they are out of the nest than males,” I told Yvonne who was also upset.

“I never had that problem. I’ve never told you about my family or rather lack of a real family,” she told me, having calmed down some.

“I was abandoned by my parents at the age of two. The state took me in, and I was placed with a couple of different families for a time before finally being sent to stay with one family for a number of years. They had a daughter about my age but no other children. I was with them until I was 18 years old. The state stopped paying them then, and I was out on my own, just that quickly. It was just as well. Their daughter hated me and made my life miserable when her parents weren’t watching, which was often. It went on the entire time I stayed there. They only kept me because of the money the state paid them.

“I had realized that from about ten years of age and had started making plans then, so I was ready when the day came. I’ve never been back to see them or heard from them,” she told me in tears. I took her in my arms and held her until she was better. It appeared that we had both had a rough childhood. We eventually went up to bed for the night.

The next morning, we received a call from the air service.

“Mr. Lawristan, there has been a change in your pick up point at the airport. Instead of being picked up at the North Business Ramp, you will now be picked up at the FBO (Fixed Base Operations) Ramp. It will be somewhat easier to get to,” the voice on the phone informed me.

“That’s fine,” I acknowledged before disconnecting.

“Do we know where either of those locations is?” Yvonne asked, as she had heard the conversation.

“I’ll need to check,” I told her. Later, I spent considerable time on sites for the Duluth Airport, but finally managed to reconcile a couple of different maps of the airport and establish not only where the FBO ramp was but how to reach it.

“We’ll need to leave early. It will take time to reach the departure point,” I told Yvonne later that day. The twins were still miffed about us leaving, and that they would probably need to work while attending college.

The day of departure, we were up early. I sent the bags to the Timeless Zone after breakfast, and we checked that we had everything that we would need on the flight. Olaf got the SUV ready, and we were on our way by ten o’clock. The airport wasn’t that far, but I was sure there would be a lot of confusion and problems to deal with. Olaf dropped us off in front of the terminal and returned home.