“Oh, Katie. Right,” Laren shook Katie’s hand politely. “You used to go out with Connor, didn’t you? Didn’t he break up with you? Or was it you that broke up with him?”
Chapter Two
Connor’s mouth almost dropped to the floor as Katie struggled to grasp the intention of the woman shaking her hand. Although Laren’s question seemed simple enough, there was definitely a hint of sarcasm added.
“We went out, and a few months ago I broke up with him when we thought we were going our separate ways to college. But we’re not going away to separate colleges anymore. Are we?”
The two girls stared at each other and Connor knew he had to do something before their eyes changed colors and fangs took the place of their perfect pearl teeth. “Well, glad you two got to meet each other finally. I have to get to the front of the castle. Apparently I’m supposed to kill a dragon with the help of someone who doesn’t really like me and, oh yeah, Randolph is coming, too.”
Connor grabbed the book Morrigan left for him on dragons in one hand and his backpack in the other, then awkwardly eased himself between Laren and Katie.
He took a few steps down the hall and thought the two girls might just stand in the doorway forever until he heard a pair of footsteps behind him and Laren’s voice. “Connor, wait up.”
Connor slowed his pace and allowed the girls to catch up. Laren walked on his left, Katie on his right.
“Did Morrigan give you that book? What’s it on? Dragons?” Katie asked.
“Yeah, she explained where they were and how they managed to exist today, but nothing on how to kill them.”
“Don’t worry. Lu will help with that. And Connor?” The hesitancy in Laren’s words made Connor slow his pace further and turn his head to look at her. “I know you and Lu aren’t the best of friends, but you can trust him. He can be a sarcastic jerk sometimes, but deep down, way, way, down there somewhere, he’s a good guy.”
Connor smiled and nodded. He knew he wasn’t among the people Lu would call ‘friends’ however, Lu had offered to help him control his Elite gene over the past few days and now guide him, so that was some improvement. Maybe this was the first step on them becoming allies; unlikely, but maybe.
Connor, Laren, and Katie soon reached the main hall, where Elites rushed about and a large crowd gathered by the castle’s entrance. The hall was immaculate, thick carpet vacuumed, every tapestry balanced just right, and enough lights in the chandelier overhead to see through the darkest night.
Just before they reached the crowd of Elites at the castle’s main entrance, Katie grabbed his hand and made him stop. She looked into his brown eyes, her brow knit with worry. “Be careful, Connor Moore. Don’t do anything stupid, or if you do, just don’t get hurt. I’ll be waiting for you when you come back.”
Connor nodded and smiled as she embraced him. He could practically feel two holes being bored through the back of his head and into Katie’s skull from Laren’s gaze behind him.
As the two separated, Connor turned to say good-bye to Laren. She gave him a quick yet tender hug just as meaningful as Katie’s warm embrace. “Go get ‘em, Judge.”
“I will.” Connor smiled.
He left the two girls standing side-by-side and continued on alone to the huge double doors that led outside to the castle’s courtyard and the beginning of his first trial.
The gathering crowd cheered and yelled for him as he entered their line of view. Minus Christof and Faust, everyone else was in attendance. The five Council members smiled and clapped along with the crowd. Morrigan stood talking with Lu at the open door of a limousine. Randolph wore a blank stare, already inside the car.
Connor did his best to smile and seem happy as he passed the group of well-wishers. It was a stretch of emotion for him. How happy was he expected to be as he left on his mission to kill a dragon or be killed by a dragon?
The walk seemed to take an eternity as he waved and nodded to the Elites who were in attendance. Finally, he reached the limo door held open by Morrigan.
“You have the book, right?” Morrigan asked.
“Yep, in my backpack.”
She nodded. “Between the knowledge in the book and what Lu can tell you, you should manage well.”
In a very unlike Morrigan fashion, she opened her arms and grabbed him in a motherly hug. “Remember who you are. Remember the strength that courses through your veins. Don’t doubt yourself, I have never doubted you and you have never let me down.”
Connor hugged her back, and as the two let go, he nodded. “I won’t let you down.”
“All right, kiddo, let’s go,” Lu said impatiently. He was dressed in camouflage pants, black boots, and a green cut-off shirt. With his aviator sunglasses, he looked more like an army Ranger than Connor’s guide.
Connor stooped and entered the dark limousine. Randolph sat at the far end of the dark cab, completely ignoring everything else except the phone in his hands. Connor took a seat and Lu followed, closing the door behind him.
It was Connor’s first time riding in a limousine, and to be honest, he didn’t know what the hype was all about. As the driver pressed the gas, the ride was like any other he had taken. In fact, he preferred the comfort and familiarity of his own truck back home.
“Where are we going?” Connor asked.
“The limo will take us to the airport, and from there we have a long flight to the Amazon.”
The inside of the limo was quiet after that. It seemed neither Lu nor Randolph were keen on talking at the moment. That was fine with Connor. He stared out the window at the rolling landscape. His mind was wandering to the conversation he had with Morrigan, and then his mother, the day before.
“Understand I did not change any of her memories or manipulate anything that was already there. All I did was add a new memory for her. She’ll remember the college calling and asking you to come in early, as is customary with all their student athletes on scholarships. She remembers saying good-bye to you and that’s all.”
“You promise? It didn’t hurt her? I mean, not at all, did it?”
“No, Connor. I promise all I did was add one memory. I know it might seem like lying, but it’s for the best. She would be in danger if she knew that we existed. I also decided to send Joe and Pete back to help her with the store and look after her. They’ll be leaving the day after tomorrow.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course.” Morrigan pushed her cell phone into Connor’s hands and walked out of the room, gently closing the door behind her, providing him with all the privacy he needed.
Connor stared at the bright silver phone. He knew he couldn’t say anything about being an Elite or a Judge, it just seemed so wrong to lie to her. He decided to be as honest as he could without endangering her with the knowledge of the Elite species’ existence. Taking a moment to remember his mother’s store number, he pressed the phone to his ear.
“Moore’s Flowers and More. This is Rebecca speaking. How may I help you?”
“Hi, Mom.”
“Connor, Oh hey, sweetie. How are you? How’s the new school?”
“It’s good, I’m, ummm, I’m learning a lot already.”
“Great, how are your new coaches?”
“They’re awesome. My new coach’s name is… Morrigan, and she’s been helping me… adjust. How’s the store running without me? Are you all right?”
“Connor, your mother is capable of running a store without you, you know. Everything is fine. Don’t worry about the shop. You just concentrate on school and sports. Have you made any friends yet?”
“I think so. There are a few people starting to come around.”
Connor heard his mother muffle the phone and whisper to someone in her store. “I’m sorry, I’ll be right with you. It’s my son… he just left for college and he’s calling me.”
“Listen, I know you have to get going. I just wanted to say hi and tell you I’m okay.” Connor hesitated, but couldn’t help but think this could be
the last conversation with his mother if he failed the first trial. “And I wanted to tell you how much I love you. More than love you, how much I respect you. I know it couldn’t have been easy to raise me by yourself and how much you’ve had to sacrifice for me. I’m going to make you proud. I won’t let you down.”
The phone was silent on the other end. Then his mother’s voice came back full of emotion. “Connor, I don’t know what to say. I love you, too, son, and if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“I love you, Mom. I’ll call you again as soon as I can.”
“Love you, too, Connor. Be safe.”
Chapter Three
The limousine continued to glide through rolling hills and open fields on the vast acreage of the Abelardus property. The sun was high overhead and the weather outside contrasted the mood inside the limo perfectly. Outside it was bright and fresh. Clean air seeped through the cracked windows and added an exciting breeze. Inside the limo it was dim, and the moods emitting out of Connor’s two traveling partners were bleak and foreboding.
Randolph sat with his legs crossed next to an enormous designer suitcase. He tucked his phone away and now sat reading William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies.
Lu was sitting next to Connor, silver aviator sunglasses facing out the window near Randolph’s seat. Connor soon found himself wondering if Lu’s gaze was pointed at the European scenery or at their traveling partner. If Connor had to guess, Lu was thinking about the Catskill incident and how Randolph had been one of the Elites that ambushed him and his sister. They wouldn’t even be here now if Connor hadn’t interfered.
“You were really going to kill us, weren’t you? I mean, in the forest a few days ago, you were going to kill me and my sister,” Lu said evenly to Randolph.
Randolph didn’t even hesitate or lower his book to look at Lu. “Yes, we were. If it’s any consolation, I didn’t want to and it wasn’t my idea, but just like you, I will stand by my family until the end.”
Lu looked over at Connor. “Well, at least the psychopath’s honest.”
Connor, Lu, and Randolph sat in silence for the majority of the trip. After the limo exited the Abelardus’ extensive property, they pulled onto a highway, and now found themselves maneuvering through light traffic, old buildings on either side of the road.
“Anyone hungry?” Lu asked. Not waiting for an answer from either one of them, he pushed a button near the handle of his door and spoke to the driver. “Can you pull over somewhere so we can grab a bite to eat, please?”
“Yes, sir,” came the simple response from the other end as the car slowed down and exited the highway.
Connor had only his eyes to tell him their location. Small buildings that looked like they were hundreds of years old were built almost on top of each other, children played in narrow stone streets, and the noise of modern day human life was everywhere. Connor hadn’t realized how much he missed the simple noise of everyday life. Children kicked a soccer ball in the street, tiny cars honked at one another, and the world was normal again.
The limo finally came to a stop in front of a small café, with large red and white-striped umbrellas and a quaint seating area outside.
Without hesitation, Lu exited the vehicle, followed by Connor and Randolph with his suitcase in hand. “We’re not staying long, you can leave your bag in the car,” Lu said, eyeing his traveling partner mysteriously.
Randolph cleared his throat. “I’ll be using the restroom before we eat. Should I explain myself to you as if you were a small child? Would you like me to give you details on what I plan on doing in the restroom?”
Lu visibly clenched his muscular jaw and instead of answering his nemesis, ignored him completely, choosing a seat at one of the small tables. Randolph smirked as he turned to walk inside the café. Connor raised his eyebrows and sat down as the waiter came and provided them menus. The tension in the air between Lu and Randolph was as thick as fog. Connor felt that at any moment the two would be at each other’s throats, and if he wanted to complete the first trial, it would be up to him to separate them, if he could.
The menu was in a language Connor couldn’t read, but as the waiter returned, chatting in his native tongue with Lu, it was clear at least one of them would be able to converse. Randolph reappeared, his suitcase firmly in hand, and ordered from the waiter as he took his seat, not even bothering to look at the menu. When it came his turn to order, Connor pointed a hesitant finger at the white and blue menu and what was his best guess at a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich.
Lu, Randolph, and the waiter all shared a laugh as Connor reddened. “What?”
“The waiter is telling you that you can’t order the location. You’re pointing to the café’s address,” Lu said, grinning.
“Well, how am I supposed to know what anything is? I can’t even read this.”
Lu rattled off a few words and the waiter smiled and took off inside the café. “Don’t worry, Judge, I got you covered. You won’t go hungry before you tackle your first trial.”
Connor gave Lu a dirty look that only made Lu laugh again. “Oh, so tell me, Randolph, now that we’re all good friends, what did you plan on doing after you killed my sister and I? Start a war with the rest of the Council and their families? Were you going to try and turn some humans and create an army?”
“Let it go, Lupus, I don’t need to explain anything to you.”
“You don’t need to explain anything to me or you can’t? The more and more I think about it, the more and more I realize you’re just a pawn in this game.”
Randolph narrowed his bright blue eyes.
“You are, though, aren’t you? I mean the way your two friends just threw you under the bus, volunteering you to come along to save their own hide? Isn’t it obvious? You being the one to come here puts you on the bottom of the bad guy totem pole, right?”
Randolph sat silent and shook his head before his eyes wandered off, signaling his loss of interest in their current conversation.
While they waited for their food to arrive and even when it did, sandwiches for Connor and Lu and a salad for Randolph, Connor tried to forget his current task and enjoy being out of the castle.
It was his first time out in public since being turned into an Elite and the world felt different. Smells were stronger, he could see further if he chose to, and he was no longer like the many people he now saw bustling about. He was an Elite, a Judge tasked with protecting not only the Elite race, but by doing so, the human species as well.
“It’s a short ride to the air strip from here,” Lu said over the last bite of his meal. “We should be there before the sunsets.”
Lu paid the bill with a black credit card and the trio once again entered the dark interior of the limousine and continued their journey.
Lu was right. Another hour of silence and passing scenery brought them to a stop at the chain link fence of a security shack that led to the airfield. A sharply dressed guard waved them in when he recognized whose limo it was. The car rolled through the entrance. The airfield consisted of a small landing strip and a few well-maintained buildings. The driver took them straight to the runway and a waiting jet that hummed with anticipation of flight.
As the limo came to a stop Lu grabbed his backpack and opened the door. Bright light pierced the limo’s dark interior once again. Connor stepped out into the warm sun, his own backpack in hand. Randolph followed, hoisting his large suitcase with one hand. Although Randolph was slimmer than both Lu and Connor, it was clear he did not lack strength. His suitcase was bulging and still he lifted it as though it was no more than a few pounds.
“You realize we’re going to the Amazon and not a five star hotel, right?” Lu asked over his shoulder as he walked to the jet.
“I’m surprised you could fit all your hair products into such a small bag,” Randolph returned.
Lu stroked his ponytail and smiled. “Girls love the long hair.”
The two were interrupted
by a young female pilot and attendant greeting them at the staircase to the jet.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Abelardus. Where will we be going today? Another trip to Las Vegas? Amsterdam, perhaps?”
“No, no, not today, Samantha. We’re going to the Amazon basin.”
The red headed female pilot raised her eyebrows. “Yes, sir. Where exactly in the Amazon? So I can chart the quickest route?”
“We’ll start in Bolivia and work our way in from there.”
The pilot nodded and left for the cockpit.
“Can I help any of you gentlemen with your bags?” The attractive female attendant asked.
“I think we’ll manage, Holly. Thanks, though,” Lu said.
She nodded and watched as the men walked up the short flight of folded steps and entered the jet’s cabin. Lu’s easygoing nature and politeness with the pilot and attendant surprised Connor. For as long as he’d known Lu, he had simply written him off as a sarcastic bully. Maybe there was more to him than Connor had given him credit for.
Connor wasn’t sure what he was most impressed by as they entered the jet, the outside or the inside. The jet was as nice as any room he had ever been in with leather chairs and thick carpet. Randolph, Lu, and Connor found seats a comfortable distance away from each other and soon the jet began its taxi down the runway. Connor’s stomach did a small backflip as the plane’s wheels lifted from the ground.
The plane gained altitude quickly, and before Connor knew it, they were soaring through the air. Connor had only been on a plane a few times in his life, and never on a jet or anything as remotely smooth as his current ride. He pressed his nose and hands against the small window like a child and searched for the Abelardus castle he knew was somewhere below. He was unable to find the castle, but content to look at the scenery beneath. Soon he was brought back to the harsh reality of his current situation and forced to put himself back into a mindset more suitable for a Judge.
Connor opened his backpack and pulled out the large, worn Dragonicon. It was more like an encyclopedia than a book. The pages’ tattered and yellowish color held testament to its age and usefulness. The first few pages were a table of contents, listing what Connor guessed was every dragon species that had ever existed.
The Trials (The Elite Series) Page 2
