The Trials (The Elite Series) (2 page)

“Forget what you know about flying dragons that
are the size of mountains.”

“Oh
, you mean those didn’t exist?” Connor asked, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

“No
, they did. Those just died hundreds of thousands of years ago. This is the only species that remains today, hidden deep in the Amazon.”

Morrigan
pointed a manicured finger to a picture of what appeared to be a dinosaur. It looked like a dragon, but was the size of an elephant with smaller wings folded on its back. “Just like everything else, dragons have evolved to survive. This is what they look like now. This species are what the local tribes call
Os Comedores de Man
, ‘The Man Eaters.’”

Connor ruffled Pete’s
ears and the back of his neck. “Oh, ‘The Man Eaters.’ That’s great. Well, at least they’re not intimidating or scary at all. How have they stayed hidden for so long?”

“They live
deep in the Amazon where the locals don’t even travel. They’re very smart. They never stray from their hunting grounds and only a handful of locals have ever seen one, and even fewer have lived to tell about their encounter. There’s also a local tribe of Elites that have taken it upon themselves to protect this last remaining dragon species.”

“A tribe of Elites?”

“Yes, they have remained content to live out their days as the guardians of the dragon, you should know that they will not take your reason for being there lightly.”

“
Awesome. So once I get past the tribe of Elites who are probably going to try and stop me, how do I kill the dragon?”

There was a slight rap on the door.

“Come in, Katie,” Morrigan said.

Connor hadn’t quite figured out how Morrigan always knew who was on the other side of the door. Was it her gifts with magic or perhaps some other kind of intuition?

“The door slowly opened and Katie sheepishly stood eyeing them. “I’m sorry, Morrigan. Is this a bad time? Should I come back later?”

Morrigan was
quiet and thought for a moment. “No, it’s all right.” Turning to Connor, she said, “Take the book on the trip with you and rely on Lupus for advice. Watch Randolph, he may not be past the point of saving yet.”

Without another w
ord and leaving questions in her wake, she rose from her seat and smiled at Katie as she left.

Connor didn’t have any time to wonder what Morrigan had meant about Randolph being past saving before Katie entered the room.

“Have you been working out harder? You look bigger, like more muscle.”

Connor stood up and looked down at himself. It was tr
ue, since being turned into an Elite, he felt taller and there was no doubt that his muscles were bigger. “Nope, it’s the Elite gene. Another perk, I guess. We can eat whatever we want now. No more calorie counting or cutting down on the fats and sugars.”

“You
’re telling me,” Katie said, turning in a full circle. “I’ve been on a cinnamon roll binge and drinking unearthly amounts of chocolate milk. I think I’ve actually lost weight.”

Connor took this as an invitation to look Kat
ie up and down. As soon as he did, he wished he hadn’t. Katie was slender and curved in all the right places. Things were still unresolved between the two and Connor didn’t know how to broach the subject of their complicated relationship or if he even wanted to try.

“You look great
,” a sarcastic voice at the door added.

Katie and Connor turned to see Laren standing in the doorway.

Connor’s heart raced as he looked into Laren’s green eyes. The two girls in his life knew of each other, of course, but to Connor’s knowledge, had never met or spoken. Now he wished he could be anywhere else besides in this awkward standoff. Anywhere, even fighting dragons and tribes of Elite warriors in the Amazon seemed a better option than his current predicament.

“Thanks
. I’m Katie, by the way. You must be Laren.” Katie walked over to Laren and extended a hand.

Connor held his brea
th as they stared at each other like cowgirls in a western standoff.

“Oh, Katie. Right,” Laren shook Katie’s hand politely. “Y
ou 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?”

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 plac
e 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 footste
ps behind him and Laren’s voice. “Connor, wait up.”

Connor slowed his pace a
nd 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.”

“Al
l 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 limo
usine, 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 anyt
hing 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. The
n 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.”