The Trials (The Elite Series) (16 page)

A
s Morrigan placed her hands on his broad shoulders, Caderyn, Connor, Katie, Lu, and Miyanda looked on as the air around the two began to shimmer. Brown and red energy started to emanate from Morrigan’s hands as she closed her eyes. Orion bowed his head as the energy became brighter and brighter until it was almost blinding. The space behind Orion began to open until it was the size of a house.

On the other side of the window
, the jungle’s lush landscape appeared. “Hurry through the portal before it closes,” Orion said, eye still closed, head bowed and beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Lu and Miyanda took hesitant steps as they approached the shimmering glass-like window in space.

“Well
, I guess if I have to go, this is as good a way as any,” Lu said.

“
You’re scared?” Miyanda asked in her best attempt to tease and encourage Lu. “Come on, Muscles, let’s go.”

The two walked through the window without another word and looked at
the rest of the group from the other side. Morrigan’s hands began to shake on Orion’s shoulders as she held the spell, “Hurry, let’s go!”

And that’s when Connor remembered the dragon. “We have to take the dragon
—we can’t leave him here.”

The window was beginning to quiver. “Fine
, just hurry!” Morrigan yelled.

Cad
eryn gave Connor a nod as he stepped through with Katie close at his heels. Connor motioned for his nameless dragon, who sat near the castle entrance. “Come on, big guy, let’s go!”

The dragon moved with him. The window was shaking
now—both sorceress and ferryman sweating and grinding their teeth, trying to keep the doorway open.

Connor and the dragon stepped through at the same time
. Instantly they were in the jungle with the rest of their group. There was a loud snap behind them and the window closed, with Morrigan and Orion sprawled on the jungle floor.

“Let’s try and make that a bit quicker next time
,” Orion suggested as he helped Morrigan to her feet.

The dragon seemed
to be the only one completely happy with his new habitat. The jungle on The Island was similar to his own in the Amazon, and he ran, smelling trees and rolling in the thick jungle underbrush. “Looks like Little Connor’s taken to his surroundings well,” Lu observed.

“Little Connor?” Cad
eryn asked Lu with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh
, it’s what I’m calling the dragon until Connor actually gives it a name.”

“I’m working on it,” Connor said as he fell in line with the rest of the group
, Orion in the lead. “How does Vengeance or The Hammer sound?”

Katie turned her head to look at him with a disapproving frown
. “You can’t give him a name for a superhero or a wrestler. He has to have a pet name that fits him.”

Connor walked behind the rest of the group
, the dragon trotting behind him, still smelling his new home. “I don’t know, what do you want to be called?”

The dragon looked at him without a hint of understanding and then nuzzled him with a large snout. “Yeah
, I guess we’ll have to come up with one for you later. You’re so different now, I can’t believe I was ever so afraid of you. You’re just a big teddy bear now.”

The dragon gave him a toothy grin and pranced off to search his new domain.
The group continued to weave their way through the thick jungle canopy, Orion, Morrigan, and Caderyn talking towards the front, Lu quiet in the middle, and Miyanda, Katie, and Connor bringing up the rear.

“You think he’s okay?” Katie asked Miyanda
, motioning toward Lu’s figure up ahead.

“I think what he’s most worried
about now is telling his mother and little brother.”

Connor
couldn’t believe he had forgotten about Kora and Reap, and more importantly, the job that now fell to Lu to tell his mother and brother about their father’s death and sister’s capture. Katie and Miyanda continued to talk, but Connor blocked out their voices as he thought about Laren.
Was she okay? Was she hurt? How were they treating her? He should be looking for her now, not seeking shelter and hiding.
Connor made up his mind to look for her as soon as he could. Morrigan and his father had to understand. They would help him, he was sure they would.

Orion’s shout tore him from thoughts of Laren
. “We’re here!”

Although Connor had seen the large gates before
, they still amazed him. Katie and Miyanda, who had never seen the huge walls of the palace, were speechless. Orion raised a weary fist to the gate and pounded three times. Soon the sounds of bolts and latches unhinging could be heard form the opposite side and the same small monk who had greeted them the first time appeared again. “Oh, so good to see you, brother Orion. Please, brothers and sisters come in.” The small man squinted when he saw Caderyn. “Caderyn Moore, is that you?”

“Yes, it is
, Kwon. Never thought I’d see you again.”

“Oh my! And Morrigan
, as well! This is such an honor. Master Zheng will be so glad to see you all. I must tell him. Please do excuse me.” The little man’s orange robes swished as he turned and his bald head was gone in a few seconds as he ran ahead.

They walked through the large palace courtyard
, where Connor and Zheng’s bloody battle had taken place, up the long set of stairs, and into the palace. The group couldn’t feel more out of place. Filthy couldn’t even describe how they looked and felt after surviving the fire, burying the dead, and then sleeping in the burned down castle.

But
Zheng ignored all of that as he came and embraced Caderyn, Orion, and Morrigan first, and then Connor. He was dressed like all the other monks, his amber eyes worried and happy at the same time. “Connor, you are most welcome to the palace as a brother. Are you well?”

“
Yes, but we need your help.”

“You need not look further, brother. You have it.”

“Thank you, Zheng, and you should tell your men that there is a dragon roaming your jungle, but don’t worry, he’s with us.”

Zheng
gave him a quizzical look, but instead of questioning, introduced himself to Katie and Miyanda. Looking at a worried Lu, he asked, “Would you like to see your mother and brother, Lu? Are you all right?”

“Yea
h, thanks, Zheng. I’d like to see them.”

“Of course
. Kwon will show you the way, and the rest of you, I’m sure, are weary from your travels. Would you like to shower and—”

“
Zheng,” Caderyn said, interrupting the lord of the house. “Before you become too inviting, you should know that the Council has been killed by Vercin, and by aiding us, you are not only allying yourself with us, but declaring yourself his enemy.”

Zheng
didn’t hesitate at all with his response. “Then we had better get to planning. It sounds like we have a war to wage. But even warlords need clean clothes and food.”

Kwon showed them all to their rooms down the same hall. Connor couldn’t help
but notice Lu didn’t enter his room, instead he followed Kwon to his mother and brother.

“We’ll meet back in the hall as soon as we’re changed and go over the next step with
Zheng,” Caderyn said to his son as he hesitated by his door. “I know you’re eager to take the fight to Vercin and find Laren—you have too much of your mother in you not to be feeling that way.”

Connor gave his father a grin.
“I’ll meet you in the hall as soon as I clean up.”

The shower that Connor had that day was the best he
’d ever had in his life. It was torture for him to rush through the motions, but he knew time was always working against him. Exiting the ecstasy of the bath, he found clean clothes waiting on his bed. Black hair still damp, Connor stepped out of his room and headed for the main hall.

Hearing footsteps behind him
, Connor turned to see Miyanda dressed in similar clothes; sandals, white pants, and a long, wide-sleeved shirt. “Connor, I wanted to catch you and tell you again that my people will answer you if you call on us. Not just because my grandmother was killed, but because you have proven yourself as the Judge.”

“Thank you
, Miyanda. I have to discuss it with the others, but I’m sure we will take you up on your offer.”

Miyanda nodded and hesitated
. “Do you think that Lupus, I mean Lu, will be all right? I’m worried for him.”

Connor once again was struck with the idea that there were more feelings
than mere friends at play—that Miyanda cared for Lu on a deeper level. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. He’ll need us, though. No matter how tough he is or pretends to be, any of us would need help if we were in his position.”

Connor and Miyanda rounded a corner and were once again in the palace’s
large hall. With the exception of Lu, everyone was already there. A feast had been brought for the group and was being put to good use as they sat waiting for Connor and Miyanda to begin the conversation.

“There you two are,” Orion said.

“Sorry, Connor. We were going to wait for you to eat, but…” Katie motioned to the buffet on the table.

“It’s okay
. Sorry I took so long. I thought I was being quick.”

“No need for the apology
, Connor,” his father reassured. “We were just informing Zheng on our current situation.

Zheng
smiled as Connor took a seat and reached for a peach. “First, I want to say thank you for sending Orion back with the stone so quickly. It’s safe once again deep inside the palace walls.”

Connor nodded
. “Of course. That was our agreement.”

“Now that you are all cleaned and eating, tell me what happened and what our next move will be?”

Connor started and with a few additions from Morrigan and Katie, was able to relate the entire story to Zheng. He told him everything; about the last trial, the return to the castle, and the trip to The Island. Miyanda didn’t flinch as Katie and Connor told about her grandmother’s death, but Connor knew she had to be feeling not only a huge sense of loss and sadness, but a degree of anger as well.

“Now we’re here and we need to make a move. Vercin is calling more and more Elites to his banner and he already has an army of the worst kind after
he freed the inmates of Karnag,” Connor finished.

Zheng
sat with his deep orange robes, fingers steepled, lips pursed in thought. “To defeat our enemy, we must understand him and anticipate his next move.”

“He’s already killed the C
ouncil,” Caderyn said.

“Vercin will move again quickly
. When he is done calling as many Elites to him as he can, he will strike against the human world. With the Council gone, there may be a few that would stand against him, but with an army of that size at his command…” Morrigan shook her head.

“The human world?” Connor asked. “You think Vercin will try and take over the world? He’ll make the Elite race
known?”

“Vercin did it before when he plunged history into the Dark Ages
… he won’t hesitate to do it again. If anything, he’s even more dangerous now after his captivity,” Orion said with a furrowed brow.

“So we make a move against him now before he
can move against the humans and—”

“Connor,” Morrigan said in a soft voice. “Seeking him out now would be premature
, especially with the numbers we have. We need to make it known to the Elite race that you are alive and the prophecy lies with you. We need to show them that you have passed the three trials. If we do that, then they will come and we will have an army of our own.”

“But Laren
—he still has Laren. I can’t just sit around and wait.”

Morrigan, Orion
, and Zheng were all frowning, and Connor knew they wouldn’t let him go. “There may be a way we can not only rescue Laren, but at the same time, spread the word to the rest of the Elites of Connor’s survival and success on the trials,” Caderyn offered.

All eyes turned to him. “It’s true a strike against Vercin and his army would be suicide
, but a few may succeed where many would fail. Let me and Connor go to rescue Larentia Abelardus. We can do it quietly and quickly. In the meantime, the rest of you will spread the word, and Orion and Morrigan can bring those willing back to the palace. When we return with Laren, the army will be ready.”

The table was silent as the group contemplated the idea. Flames flickered against the walls and the feast at the table
now lay in ruins.

“It may work
,” Zheng said, speaking first.

“I know I’m not going to stop two Judges when they have their minds set to somethi
ng, so I’m not even going to try,” Morrigan said with a small smile. “Just be careful.”

Connor broke out into a smile
of his own and mouthed the words ‘thank you’ to his father.