Lu raised an eyebrow. “Please. I know the rules of interrupting a sensitive moment. I wrote the rules. As a member of the Council, I just wanted to let you know we’re beginning and humbly ask for your attendance.”
“You made all of those decisions in a few hours?” Connor asked.
“Ummm… yeah, man. Morrigan and Miyanda moved that meeting along with an agenda. They had an itinerary and everything.”
Connor grinned and he and his mother and father followed Lu into the large meeting hall.
Everyone was gathered to hear the first official assembly and the decisions that had been made by the Council. Connor and his family took a seat in the front of the room with Orion, Laren, and Katie.
As Connor sat down, he was surprised to see Laren and Katie carrying on a civil conversation.
“Are you kidding me? The way you can shoot lightning bolts out of your hands—that’s definitely one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen,” Laren said.
“Really? But you have all the fighting experience. I mean, I saw you out there. I think there were actually guys running away from you. The way you took down that giant.”
Both girls stopped talking as Connor took his seat.
“Katie and I were just catching up on battle details.”
“I heard…” Connor laughed. “So what’s next for you, Katie? When this is all over, I mean. Are you going to stay on The Island? Take the cure and go back to lead a normal life?”
Katie shook her head. “No, I think that I’ve been given this gift for a reason. It’s my responsibility to use it now. Morrigan will need help restoring and securing Karnag and my mother is still alive. I can’t lose hope for her. I know that woman I loved and looked up to for eighteen years is still in there somewhere.”
Connor smiled and nodded as he looked at the girl who had grown up so much in the last few weeks. He was beginning to wonder if she was the same person at all as a gavel was pounded, cutting through his train of thought.
They were all silenced a second later as Morrigan stood from her seat at the head of the makeshift Council table.
The crowd quieted out of respect. Morrigan wore a long red robe, her brown hair falling behind her in soft curtains. Lu and Miyanda sat to her right, Randolph and Zheng to her left.
“Thank you for coming at such short notice. A great victory has been won by all of us at great cost to our families. After the meeting, there will be a celebration dinner and a time for us to remember those who have fallen. You are all free to leave The Island whenever you like. We have decided to hold a short meeting to let you know what steps the Council will take to ensure that our battle, our sacrifice, was not in vain.”
Connor sat straight in his chair. Morrigan’s last words forced him to remember Vercin’s counter argument for ruling humans. That he and previous Judges only stepped up when things were at their worst. What steps were the Council planning to take to ensure this would not happen again?
“Zheng and Miyanda have volunteered to stay back with a group of warriors to round up the fleeing inmates of Karnag who escaped the battle. I will personally see to the fortification of Karnag along with Katie Hubar, ensuring another breakout will be impossible in the future.
“As for those who have already been captured, especially Julie Hubar and the doctor who created the virus that inhibits our Elite gene. They will be imprisoned again. A sentencing hearing will occur later for their term of imprisonment. I know it’s not a perfect system for imprisoning our own kind but it’s a start. I’m looking forward to setting in place a way for inmates to prove that they have changed. Perhaps even introducing a rehabilitation system to help them and reintroduce them back into the world. This will be another item the Council will have to deal with and address in a future meeting.”
Morrigan took a breath and looked directly at Connor with a fond but weary smile. “There’s still work to be done but today we start to rebuild. Once again, chaos has risen and a Judge has led us out of darkness. But Connor Moore is not just any Judge. He is the chosen one and I do not think that his work has ended yet. Isn’t that right, Connor?”
Puzzled looks were exchanged all around. More than a few glances turned from Connor to Morrigan and back again.
No one was more surprised than Connor himself. Not only that Morrigan was right but that he still felt a sense of responsibility. Even though Vercin was dead, he knew he still had more to do. He was meant for more than rising as a Judge and then fading back into the shadows. In a strange way he had Vercin to thank for helping him see this.
An awkward silence filled the great hall as whispers where exchanged in all directions.
“Connor,” Morrigan started, “if you need more time to—”
Morrigan’s voice trailed off as Connor found himself standing and then making his way to the front of the room to address the Council and the gathered assembly. He stopped by Morrigan.
His heart was beating as fast as words came to him and disappeared. He looked at Morrigan through narrowed brown eyes and a tilted head. “How did you know?” he whispered.
Morrigan moved to take her seat but before she did, she whispered back, “I was the one who foretold the prophecy, Connor. You are not a Judge, you are the Judge. Speak from your heart.”
Connor was left standing in front of the room as eager eyes looked at him to catch the very first words from his lips. He knew what he needed to say but he didn’t know how what he felt would work on a realistic basis.
Morrigan’s words to speak from his heart echoed in his ears.
“We have all been given a great gift. To be born with these abilities as Elite humans, we stand apart from our human counterparts. Throughout history we have lived side by side with them but have hidden our abilities. We have remained content to stand in the shadows until things get so bad that we are forced to step in or let the world destroy itself.”
Connor took a deep breath. All eyes were glued on him. He licked dry lips as he pressed on. “I’m not saying we should make ourselves known to the human race. I’m not sure they’re ready for that yet, but I do think we have a responsibility to do more than sit back and abandon our brothers and sisters that inhabit this world.”
Nods were beginning to come forward as those in the room saw where he was going. It wasn’t the cheers of approval he had received in previous speeches but at least they weren’t throwing tomatoes at him.
“Before Vercin’s death, he ordered his most manipulative and conniving men to infiltrate the ranks of human politics and power to rule the world. I think we owe it to ourselves, to the next generation, but most importantly to those who fell during this confrontation to take a stand and stop this from happening again. Because I promise you if we do nothing, it will happen again.”
Connor must have struck a chord. More heads began to nod and whispers of agreement floated to the top of the vaulted ceiling.
“Like Morrigan said, this is only the first step. We won’t be perfect as we learn and grow, but trust me—this is the right step. A plan will have to be set in motion but I think the Law can be upheld without us abandoning the world of men to a rule of fear and death. We have all sacrificed so much, but if we stop now, all of it will be for nothing. But I can’t—I won’t do it without you. We stand together or not at all. What do you think?”
A moment of silence passed so intense that Connor could hear his own quick heartbeat in his ears. Then applause erupted from the crowd. Whoops and hollers of agreement and pride in the man they called Judge. It was decided then that the fate of the world would not be abandoned to the rule of men like Vercin.
Chapter 42
“Remind me again how all of this is possible?”
Connor was stunned as he stood staring out of the top window of a high rise in the heart of New York City. A scene that was black and white from the greens of the jungle they had left on The Island just hours before. Through huge paned glass windows he looked out at the sprawling metropolis below.
; “You’re forgetting my family owns most of the property in the surrounding area. Remember how we first met?”
Connor dropped his bags and turned to look at Laren. She was standing with her arms crossed and a raised eyebrow. Connor tried to remember the last time it had just been the two of them without having to hurry off or the fear of being interrupted by anyone.
He took the opportunity to grab her in his arms and swing her around the penthouse. She laughed out loud. A sound Connor had missed.
“What’s gotten into you?” Laren said, breathless as Connor placed her on her feet with a huge grin. “Where’s the serious Judge giving speeches?”
“That guy’s still here. He just needs a break.”
“Well, Mr. Moore, if anyone deserves a break, you do.”
“We both do, an uninterrupted break. Well, at least until tomorrow when Lu and Randolph get here.”
Connor knew there would be plenty of time to worry about the future but for now he was alone with the woman he loved. He stepped in closer and wrapped large arms around Laren’s slender waist.
“You are up to no good,” she teased.
“Remember our first kiss?”
“Every day.”
“Well, I’m looking forward to revisiting that memory over and over and over again.”
Laren and Connor looked out the large window at the city. Laren rested her head gently on his chest. “Is this real life? Did we actually do it? I feel like it’s too good to be true, too perfect. Like I’m going to wake up and it’s all going to shatter right in front of me.”
Connor rested his cheek on her head. “It is real. This is the future that we fought for and together we’re going to keep it, no matter what comes our way.”
Epilogue
“Okay, Ralph, I’ll see you tomorrow. Yeah, going to get some sleep, I’m dead tired.”
She waved goodbye as she exited out of the back of the old beaten down diner. Wrapping her thin coat around her waitressing uniform and the cheaply made nametag that read Cynthia, she started the long walk down to the corner parking structure where her car waited for her.
The cold bit at her and for a moment she grabbed onto the thought of a toasty car with a heater and comfortable seats. Then she remembered her vehicle had neither one of those things and was more likely to break down on the way home than provide warmth.
It’s okay, she told herself. A few more added shifts like this one and maybe you’ll be able to get a new heater.
Just the idea of buying something cheered her, even if it was a car heater. It was while she was thinking about the simple pleasure of the inside of a warm car that she first heard the footsteps behind her.
It was three o’clock in the morning. She had just gotten off working the late shift for the first time. It was dark and the streets were empty except for her and the steps that now followed her own.
Her imagination was getting the best of her down the lonely street as images of vampires and zombies caressed her mind. To put these fears to sleep, she quickly turned to look over her shoulder.
Two men followed behind her, hidden mostly by the dark. Even though they walked in and out of the sparsely placed streetlamps the night never seemed to catch enough of them for her to make out features. They weren’t running but definitely walking faster than she was. They would catch up to her before she made the parking structure.
Calm down. Not everyone is a murderer or thief. They’re probably off work just like you and just want to get their car and go home.
These ideas were shattered as the footsteps behind her picked up in speed and the men closed the distance.
Some inner flight mechanism she didn’t know existed kicked in and she ran. There was something that told her the men were chasing her. Why? She had no idea. She could be wrong but the panic was there, the feeling that she was prey to these men was more real than anything she had ever felt. Just like a sheep instinctively knows the wolf is its natural born predator, Cynthia knew these men were after her.
So this is how an animal feels when it’s being chased.
Despite high heels and carrying a large purse on her left arm, she ran. She ran like her life depended on it because as far as she knew, it did.
Her eyes searched up and down the street for someone, anyone to help her or at the very least deter her attackers with the presence of a witness. Heck, right now she would settle for a witness to just be with her. She had never felt so alone.
The footsteps behind her were gaining. She could see the parking structure in the dark sky but she knew she wouldn’t make it to her car before they caught up to her.
“Help! Somebody help!” she screamed as she kicked off her high heels and continued to run down the dark New York street. The usual busy streets were all but deserted. That’s what happened when you worked a night shift at a sleazy diner in a sleazier part of town.
She had taken the job because it was all she could find. She had added the night shift because she needed the money. Now as the men chasing her gained ground, she regretted volunteering for more work.
Then bad became worse as two more figures rounded a corner in front of her and blocked her path. Mind running faster than her legs, she ducked into an alley to her left and continued to run.
Garbage cans flanked the walls of the alley and the smell of urine and rot made her cringe. Her heart sank as she came to the end, a tall brick wall that rose more than ten feet into the night sky. A wall that said the chase was over.
She turned, her lungs gasping for breath, fishing in her purse for anything she could use as a weapon. Why don’t you carry anything with a blade?
The men had joined at the mouth of the alley and now walked in. She got a better look at them as they approached and what she saw was not encouraging. They were all tattooed from neck to forearms, wearing baggy jeans and expressions that said they had all of the worst intentions.
One man stepped forward ahead of the others as they reached her. He was tall, with sunken-in eyes and a smile that flashed yellow teeth. “It’s late for a young lady to be walking the streets. Not safe, you know.”
“Leave me alone. You can take my purse if you want. Just go.”
There was a burst of laughter from the men as they exchanged looks of wicked pleasure. “Listen to you. Giving orders and taking charge like you’re the one in control. That’s cute. You have spunk. I like spunk.”
“If you like spunk, you should try me. I have spunk by the truckloads.”
The voice was female and strong. The entire group of men wheeled around to see where the voice was coming from. A lone female figure stood in the alley, dark hood over her features, eyes that seemed to capture the faint light and glow yellow.
“Ha, look at us boys. Two for one and this one has those cool contacts,” the leader of the gang said. “Okay, which one should we—”
The female with the hood and yellow eyes closed the distance between her and the man speaking in the blink of an eye. She grabbed him around the throat and lifted him off the ground with one hand.
“You were saying? Which one what?”
The man sputtered and gurgled as the remaining men and the waitress looked on.
The waitress couldn’t believe her eyes. A woman not much bigger than herself with glowing yellow eyes was taking on the group of men by herself.
“We aren’t killing them, remember?”
The waitress jumped and staggered back at the voice. It came from a tall man she hadn’t realized was standing next to her. He wore a similar black cloak and hood masking his features. Two red orbs dully glowed where his eyes should be.
“Yeah, yeah, I remember, but a girl can dream, right?”
The cloaked female dropped the man she held by the throat. He stumbled to his knees, gasping for breath. Glaring daggers at his enemy, he motioned to his men. “Kill them!”
Knives, brass knuckles, and steel bars were in hand as all four men converged on the lone female with the glowing yellow eyes.
/> The waitress knew she should do something to help. She even took a step forward. A gentle but firm hand was placed on her shoulder by the man behind her.
“She’s fine.”
The waitress flinched under his touch at first, but in the matter of a second, the hand became a reassurance more than a fear. “But it’s so uneven. It’s not fair.”
Although the hood shadowed his face, the waitress got the idea that the man was smiling. “Oh, you haven’t met Lar—ummm—you haven’t met her.”
It was true. As the waitress looked back, the battle was almost over. The blur of motion with yellow eyes was making short work of the men around her. Outnumbered four to one and all of them much bigger than she was, they were still no match for her speed and strength.
Bones cracked as her fists met ribs and her feet kicked out to shatter shins. Men screamed in pain as they fell to the ground one by one. In a matter of seconds it was all over.
The leader of the gang, the man who had seemed so sure of himself just moments before, was crawling on his hands and knees to the alley exit. He was pulled back and once again lifted off his feet by the female with yellow eyes.
“Tell your boss, your friends, the other gangs, whoever you see, that New York is under our protection now.”
“Who—who are you?” the man cracked through broken teeth.
“We’re the Judges and this is our city.”
Acknowledgement
Once again I want to thank God for giving me the ability and my wife for supporting me. More than a few times it’s a note from her that motivates me to sit down and carve out another few chapters.
I want to thank my amazing publisher and the entire staff at Limitless publishing. I know how much work and effort go into producing a book and I am grateful for their time.
Family, friends and fans it’s only because of you through; letters, emails, posts and tweets that I push to become a better writer. I won’t let you down. It’s my goal that each book you read is better than the one before.
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