The Trials (The Elite Series) (7 page)

The dragon was over his initial bout of joy and now cautiously lumbered towards Connor and Miyanda. Connor stood his ground as the animal approached, and Miyanda, although she would deny it later, took a step back.

The dragon stood so close to Connor now,
he could touch it if he wanted. Yellow eyes searched him, and razor sharp teeth separated to make room for a sloppy tongue that licked not only Connor’s face but his entire body.

Startled
, Connor put out his hands, and out of instinct, scratched the dragon’s snout, laughing. “Oh dude, that’s gross! Okay, okay you’re welcome.”

The dragon seemed to like the sensation of being scratched because his eyes nearly closed as he lowered his head into the strokes.

“I wouldn’t believe it if I weren’t seeing it—I still don’t believe it,” Miyanda said.

Connor looked over his shoulder with a boyish grin
and pointed a thumb at the dragon. “What do you think your mom and grandma are going to say when they see us coming back with this guy?”

The trip back to Miyanda’s
camp went without a hitch. Miyanda led once again, stealing looks over her shoulder whenever she could at the large reptile that walked next to Connor. It sniffed Connor now and again and seemed to welcome the rub or pet whenever Connor extended a hand. The dragon was a different animal all together than the one that had charged him in the crater. Connor wasn’t sure if it was because he had saved the animal or perhaps the dragon knew somehow who he was, that he was a Judge. Whatever the reason, the most important thing was that Connor had managed to complete the first trial without provoking an all-out war with Miyanda’s Elite tribe or being eaten by a dragon.

Like most return trips
, it seemed like they reached the tribe camp faster than it had taken them to reach the dragons. First the members of the Elite tribe ran scared, then they panicked and grabbed their weapons, and finally they stood staring in disbelief. Connor, Miyanda, and the dragon walked into the tribe’s camp like they were arriving for afternoon tea. Seasoned warriors both young and old gripped spears, bows, and clubs, terrified as Connor, Miyanda, and the dragon walked just a few feet from them toward Zuna’s hut. They didn’t have to go far as the old woman, her daughter, Lu, and Randolph approached to meet the returning heroes.

Tarana smiled at her daughter
. Randolph rubbed his eyes and Lu slapped Connor on the back. “Ha, wait till my father sees this!”

Zuna smiled
. “Connor Moore, you have not only fulfilled the first trial, but you have done so in a way that did not require killing a creature my tribe has sworn to protect. You have our thanks and alliance. When the tribe is called, we will answer.”

“
Thank you, Zuna.”

As Randolph, Lu
, and the rest of the village hesitantly approached the dragon, curiosity just barely overcoming fear, Zuna took Connor aside.

“Connor
, you must go soon. Two more trials still await you and you need the Elite race to recognize you before Vercin makes his move. Many will flock to Vercin’s call, but fewer will be so eager to run to him if there is another Judge, one that has completed the trials and proven himself. You have to give our people hope, give them a leader. Tell the Council all you have learned here. I know he’s not high in your list of friends, but you can trust Randolph. His heart is not as dark as you may think, just loyal to his family.”

Connor raised an eyebrow.

Zuna smiled. “You’ll see. He is misguided and loyal to a fault, but he has a good heart. Also tell Morrigan I said hello and—”

The two were interrupted by a loud exchange coming from Taran
a and Miyanda. The latter had her dark muscular arms crossed in an act of defiance as they conversed in their native tongue. Tarana caught Connor’s eye. “Connor, please tell my daughter that she is not welcome with you. That she will only get in the way.”

Miyanda turned to Connor
, not saying a word, but her violet eyes spoke a message of their own. Her eyes reminded him of Laren’s, not in color but in strength and determination. And because of this, he made a split-second decision to do whatever he could to help her. “Actually, Tarana, it was because of Miyanda I was able to find the dragon. Without her help, I’m not sure I could have done it, and with your blessing, I would like her to come back with us to the Abelardus castle.”

Tarana looked stunned as a huge pearl white grin spread across Miyanda’s face. “Mother?” Taran
a asked, looking at Zuna.

Zun
a nodded in agreement. “It was not by chance Connor’s journey led him to stumble across our path. Miyanda may have a part to play in this story yet.”

The four were interrupted by a large growl and crash as the dragon’s thick tail obliterated a
nearby tent and locals fled in every direction.

“Now
, Connor Moore,” Zuna said, smiling. “Your next task is getting the dragon back to the Council.”

“How are we going to do that?” Connor asked
. “We’d need a boat or some kind of military aircraft at the very least. How are we going to hide him?”

“Oh, ye of little faith,
” Lu said, grinning. “Why don’t you leave this to the big boys? You’d be surprised what a few hundred thousand dollars can convince people to do. If only we had a phone or some way to communicate with the outside world I could have a cargo plane waiting for us at the airstrip and a diesel truck with a flat bed to haul this guy,” Lu said as he threw a thumb in the dragon’s direction.

Lu looked over to Zuna and Tarana
. “No chance you ladies could magic up a satellite phone or something like that, is there?”

“Unfortunately not
, Lupus. Magic doesn’t exactly work like that,” Zuna answered.

“Hypothetically, I may have brought said satellite p
hone with me to report in as a back up to the Looking Glass,” Randolph spoke hesitantly.

“Hypothetically
, huh?” Lu asked.

“Hypothetically.”

Lu may not have been a wizard, but he wielded that cell phone like a wand. After a few calls and a king’s ransom, he had arranged transportation for the entire group.

“
Great news, I arranged for the biggest diesel truck in the country to be brought with a hitch and left for us where we left the jeep. There’s a cargo plane at the hanger waiting as well,” Lu said as he threw the phone to Randolph. “Thanks, fancy pants. I almost regret trying to strangle you.”

“Just almost?” Randolph asked as he tucked the phone away
in his pocket.

“Almost.”

“We should leave now, the sun is just beginning to set and the fewer people that see our cargo, the better.”

“Agreed, Judge,
” Lu said with a wink. “Let’s get this dinosaur on the move.”

“Miyanda knows the way back through the jungle. You all be safe, you will need each other fo
r what is to come,” Zuna said as she hugged her granddaughter and waved good-bye to the group.

The trek through the jungle was longer
than any of them save Miyanda had anticipated. The air was humid. Mosquitoes, flies, and other insects buzzed around them insistently. When they finally did reach the spot where they’d begun their walk into the jungle, the jeep was gone and in its place was a giant eighteen wheeler. It was wider with thick wheels to compensate for the extra support, and unlike the jeep, looked as though it were capable of traveling for more than a few miles.

“I’m driving,” Lu said
, walking to the cab and throwing his backpack inside.

Connor
tried to coax the dragon inside but the space that seemed huge to him was little more than a cramped and confined pen for the dragon.

“Oh, come on
, dude. It’s only for a few hours until we get you to the airstrip.”

The dragon took a few steps back and huffed
, eyeing the small cage-like area with fear and loathing.

“Come on
, dragon whisperer,” Lu said. “We got to get going sometime in the next century.”

Connor crossed his arms in thought then boarded the back of the large truck himself. “Here
, look. I’ll stay back here with you. Come on, where’s that tough guy that was chasing me into a rock wall? Come on.”

The dragon took a few steps forward apprehensively
, and with Connor’s coaxing, finally entered the small container.

“Let’s get going before he changes his mind
, guys. I’ll stay back here with him.”

Randolph shook his head in disbelief as he shut the doors to the container
. “Let’s hope we don’t get pulled over and get searched.”

With
Lu, Randolph, and Miyanda in front, and Connor and the dragon in the back, the unlikely group traveled straight through the night and made great time on the return trip to the airfield. They pulled through the entrance as the wee hours of the morning approached.

“You still alive back there?” Miyanda asked as she and Randolph opened the back hatch.

“We’re fine. He settled down after the first few hours,” Connor said, jumping down out of the container. They were on the smoothly paved airfield, no one in sight. Lu had pulled up right next to the biggest plane Connor had ever seen. The large cargo plane was painted black and green and held enough space to carry a whale or a dragon.

The air was still warm and the sky dark as they switched means of transportation.

Connor was still unsure how much the dragon could understand, but it seemed as though the book Morrigan had lent him was vastly underestimating the intelligence of the dragon species. It seemed like the dragon could not only understand what Connor was saying but also read his emotions. When it came time to leave and enter the cargo plane, Connor had approached the animal, talking in a soothing tone and explaining to the creature that he had to get in the plane. The dragon looked into his eyes the entire time, his small folded wings only fluttering the slightest bit. As the animal walked up the gangway to enter the plane, he gave Connor a look that said, “I get it and I trust you.”

“
Who’s our pilot?” Connor asked as they got ready for take off. “And more importantly, how do we know he’s going to keep his mouth shut about our special passenger?”

Lu said, “
Our pilot is me, and no one would believe I was flying a dragon even if I told them.”

Brown, blue
, and now violet eyes looked at Lu in shock as they boarded the plane.

“Are you sure you know what you
’re doing, Lupus?” Randolph asked from the back.

“Randolph
, please, I’ve done this…” Lu’s voice trailed off in thought from his seat in the captain’s chair. “I’ve done this one and a half times before.”

“O
ne and a half?”
Miyanda practically
screamed from her seat beside Connor. “How do you fly a plane one and a half times?”

Lu’s head and
long, wild brown hair popped out of the cockpit door and looked back at his passengers. “Relax, the half time I just had a rough landing. I forgot to put the landing gear down, so I count that time as a half.”

Miyanda closed her eyes and shook her head.

“It’s going to be okay, Miyanda,” Connor said, trying to convince them both. “We’ll be there in no time.”

“I know
, it’s just my first time flying. You can imagine my people don’t get away much. Thank you, by the way, for convincing my mother that I could come with you. It means a lot, more than you know.”

“Of course, you earned it. Without you I’m not sure what would have happened
to me.”

“If you n
eed anything, with the next trial or whatever, I’m here.”

“I know you are
, Miyanda. Thank you.”

The plane taxied down the runway
, and between the silent prayers of the three Elite passengers and maybe even the dragon, lifted off the ground safely, although it wasn’t until they were high in the sky that Miyanda opened her eyes and stared out the window with a mixture of fear and amazement. Connor took this opportunity to rest and fell asleep.

With a huge sigh
, he came out of his coma-like sleep and looked around the interior of the plane. It was nothing like the jet they had taken there but it was solid and felt safe. Safe minus the identity of their pilot. Connor was trying not to think about Lu in the cockpit, but he’d done a good job so far.

So far,
Connor thought to himself. They still had to land in one piece.

“Connor?” Randolph
said, standing up on wobbly legs. “May I have a word with you?”

“Sure
,” Connor said, arching his back in a stretch and rubbing the weariness from his eyes. He followed Randolph deeper into the interior of the plane.

“I thought I might take this opportunity to speak with you before we land.”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“I know you don’t trust me yet and I don’t b
lame you, but I want you to understand that I had no idea the plan Faust was unfolding was for Vercin. If it’s true, if he has somehow managed to escape and is gaining power, then we are all in very real danger. All of our families.”

Connor nodded
, remembering what Zuna had said about Randolph.

“Connor
, I want you to know that when we land at the castle, my plan is to act as though I don’t know a thing. Faust and Christof still think I’m loyal to them. I can use that to gain more information about Vercin and what he’s planning.”

Connor looked at Randolph in a new light. If he was telling the truth
, then Randolph would be an invaluable asset and he was offering to help Connor at risk to his own life. “Thank you, Randolph, and I don’t say that lightly. I know what kind of position this puts you in.”

Randolph gave him a small smile.
“It seems like I have much to atone for. Hopefully by the time this is all over I’ve done enough to make up for my past actions.”

“Lady and Gentlemen and dragon, this is your captain speaking
,” Lu’s voice came over the speaker. “Please place your trays and seats in their proper and upright positions. Also insure that you are strapped in as tight as possible. We are approaching the castle, and with no landing strip, this could get—interesting.”

Connor and Randolph ran for their seats
, buckling in as fast as they could. Connor pulled the seatbelt strap as tight as he dared without cutting off circulation to the rest of his body. Then he pulled it tighter, risking the loss of feeling in his limbs if it meant his overall survival.

The small window he sat next to showed a green landscape quickly approaching.
Miyanda’s face was a picture of terror as the plane made its descent. The quick decline in altitude made all their stomachs do somersaults. Randolph grabbed the seat arms until his knuckles were white.

The dragon even seemed scared as the plane
’s wheels made the initial impact with the ground. Jarring forward, the aircraft bounced on the uneven surface. Connor closed his eyes, happy he couldn’t see out of the plane as they slowly lost speed and taxied to a stop.

Hatch doors opened as the group exited the plane
on shaky legs. They found themselves mere feet from the castle’s walls and already surrounded by an army of the castle’s black suited guards.

“Yes!” Lu screamed to no one in particular
, throwing his large arms straight up in the air. “Make that TWO and a half plane trips!”

“Move!”
a familiar voice shouted as Laren appeared, classy as ever. She wore high heels and a dark skirt and jacket. “Connor, you’re all right!” Passing right by Lu, she ignored Randolph and Miyanda and threw herself into Connor’s arms. “I knew you would make it back. I knew you would be okay.”

The two separated
, faces beaming. The entire trip, Connor had forced himself to focus on the task at hand but his mind had still wandered to Laren. Now he realized how much he had missed her and it felt amazing to have her back in his arms.

“Oh
, great to have you back, too, big brother,” Lu interrupted the two, mimicking Laren’s voice.

Laren separated herself fro
m Connor and hugged her brother. “Oh, I’m glad to see you, too, Mr. Sensitive.”

Laren’s gaze passed behind
Lu and she noticed Miyanda for the first time. “Oh, I’m Laren,” she said, offering a hand to Miyanda.

“Miyanda
. It’s very nice to meet you.”

A crowd was beginning to gather now, first to see what would bring a plane to a near collision with the castle
, and then to see the conquering hero return from his first trial.

“I thought you were tasked with
bringing back the head of a fire serpent, not the head of some gangly-looking tribeswoman.” Faust’s familiar voice emerged from the crowd. Led by Christof, the two approached the group, smug smiles on their faces.

Miyanda shot daggers at the two men as they approached.

“I know what I was tasked with bringing back, I’m awaiting the Council,” Connor said.

Randolph had so far remained quiet, now he took a place next to Faust and Christof and th
ey whispered amongst each other, no doubt talking about the trip and the success of the first trial.

“Wait no longer
, Mr. Moore.” Adolpho and the other four members of the Council stepped forward. “Were you successful?”

Connor smiled as he walked to the rear of the plane and reached
for the release lever. “Don’t be alarmed—he’s not going to hurt you.” The confused crowd, along with the Council, looked on. Connor flipped the lever and the cargo hatch to the plane slowly opened. There was a rumble and the plane shifted ever so slightly. The Elite crowd gasped as the dragon’s large head peered out of the open doors, eyes blinking, and still very much alive.

“Come on, come on
, big guy. I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” Connor coaxed.

Out of his element
, the dragon was still an impressive figure, but to Connor, who had seen the wrath the animal was capable of, it was a shocking difference. His large yellow eyes shifted around the crowd uncertainly as he gingerly stepped from the plane and onto the soft grass that surrounded the castle.

There were screams and gasps as the crowd realized that Connor had brought back the animal alive. The dragon sniffed the air and let out a roar. Not a roar of anger but more of a
nervous hello.

There was silence as the E
lite crowd tried to believe the impossible. Most of them had heard rumors that a species still existed but had either passed it off as fairy tale or chose to ignore it altogether.

“Does this me
an I passed?” Connor asked the five members of the Council.

Adolph
o tore his eyes from the magnificent creature and nodded half heartedly, more befitting a shy young man than the head of the Council. “Yes, Connor, yes. You certainly did pass.”

There was a cheer and applause from the crowd
, started by Laren. Connor smiled as he placed a hand on the dragon’s large muscular shoulder.

The moment of joy was
short lived and soon turned once again to duty and responsibility. The dragon couldn’t very well fit inside the castle, and with this many Elites around, it wouldn’t be a wise choice even if he could.

“Is there somewhere on the grounds the dragon can stay?” Connor asked Lare
n and Lu. “Until we can arrange for his transportation back home?”

“W
e can just kick Laren out and he can have her room,” Lu suggested.

“Or,” Laren said
, shooting a dirty look at her brother, “Or he can stay in one of the large storage sheds on our property.”

“I like my idea better,” Lu
said, ignoring his sister’s playful glare. “But I guess Laren is right. I’ll make sure he has a nice place to stay and get him something to eat. I bet he’s hungry.”

“I’ll go with you,”
Miyanda volunteered, in an awkward kind of way as she broke eye contact with Lu. “I mean, you might need help.”

“Sure,” Lu shrugged, missing
the obvious signs of affection in Miyanda’s eyes.

The crowd began t
o break up, most of the Elites following the dragon, Lu and Miyanda. They were eager to see as much of the dragon as possible. Randolph and his two cousins left in another direction, shooting dark looks over their shoulders and speaking in even darker whispers.

“May I h
ave a word in private with the Council?” Connor asked Adolpho as the remaining crowed of Elites engulfed him and a wave of well-wishers patted him on the back in congratulations.

“Yes, of course
. Meet us in the Council chamber.”

Connor nodded
. “Where is Morrigan? It’s important that she is there as well.”

“She’s training her new apprentice
. I’ll send for her.”

“
New apprentice?”

“You’ll see.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Adolph
o nodded and disappeared into the crowd with the rest of the Elite Council.

Arden,
Morrigan’s brother and the Council member representing Connor’s own bloodline, remained a few steps behind the Council. “Way to go, Connor, we never doubted you. Well, a little bit.” He winked. “But not much.”

“Thanks—I
think,” Connor said, smiling.

“
You should stay for a while, Connor, it would be good to be seen with the rest of the Elite race. Connor nodded. He knew what he meant, no matter what happened, the Elites needed to like, even love him if he was going to lead them against Vercin one day.

It was
exhausting; handshake after handshake, and even a few hugs were only the beginning of the crowd’s congratulatory reaction. Connor retold the story twice just so everyone was sure to hear. Wide-eyed, the crowd clung to every word as Connor retold the encounter with Miyanda’s tribe and the capture of the dragon. Mouths were covered as he related his capture in the jungle. They gasped as he told them of hunting and then being hunted by the dragon that ended in a rockslide. Finally, laughter erupted from the crowd on Lu’s piloting skills and the rough landing.

He
was an easy person to like. Even dirty and sleep-deprived,     Connor’s   strong   frame    and handsome  features  made him a pleasant figure. After he had told the story the second time and the sun began to s et at his back, he knew he had to go. There was too much that the Council didn’t know, too much that they needed to know if they were all going to survive Vercin’s return.