The Judge (4 page)

Chapter 9

“I don’t know what happened. First I thought she was in shock when she found out about the news of her father but—but that’s not all. Her eyes faded while I was looking into them.” Connor leaned against the wall outside of Laren’s room.

“Morrigan and Kora know medicine better than anyone I’ve ever met, Connor. She’s going to be fine. She’s a strong girl with an even stronger heart,” Caderyn said, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder. “She’s in the best of hands. You should get some rest. At the very least, change into some dry clothes and get something to eat.”

“No. No, I want to be here when she wakes up.”

Caderyn already knew better than to try to convince his son to leave. “Okay, I’m going to see if there’s any news on Vercin or his movements. Our attack is sure to ruffle his feathers. And Connor…”

There was something in his father’s voice that made him blink and refocus his attention. “I know you’re worried about Laren. Take this time to be with her and say whatever you need to say. But we have to start training you soon. The day we meet Vercin face to face is quickly approaching and unless we teach you to truly take hold of your Elite power, we won’t stand much of a chance.”

Connor took a deep breath and nodded. He knew his father was right but he wanted to be selfish for as long as he could and stay by Laren’s side. “I know. I just—I just want to be here for her.”

Caderyn smiled like he knew exactly what Connor was feeling. He left him there and walked down the hall. His tall lean frame was soon lost to sight, leaving Connor alone with his own thoughts.

There was something that was itching his subconscious. Something that the man guarding Laren’s cell had said before Laren had killed him. He had said he knew something about “experiments.” Before Connor could process this memory further and really delve into what that could mean, if anything at all, he jumped as the door beside him opened.

“Morrigan? Is she okay? What’s wrong with her?”

Morrigan looked exhausted from the effort to open the portals, the energy she expended on the beach, and now staying by Laren’s side for hours. “She’s okay. She still has a healthy pulse. By all normal medical standards, she’s in perfect health.” Morrigan hesitated.

“But?” Connor asked, letting his voice rise further than he had intended.

“But,” Morrigan continued, “she received a few scrapes and small cuts during her time as a captive and the fight that freed her. Don’t worry, the wounds aren’t life threatening but they aren’t healing, either. It’s like her Elite gene has ceased to work. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

Connor wet his lips, trying to find a solution to the answer. But whatever way his mind turned, there was nothing. “Can I do anything to help?”

“Her mother is inside with her now. You can go in if you’d like. Laren’s sleeping.”

Connor nodded and gave an attempt at a smile. “Thank you, Morrigan.”

“Of course.”

Connor gently gripped the outside door handle and slipped into the room. The room was large with dark wooden floors and tall windows. Kora, Laren’s mother, was sitting in a leather chair next to a bed with white linen. Connor slowly approached, taking pains not to make a sound to disturb Laren’s sleep.

“It’s okay, Connor,” Kora said, her tear-stained face betraying her words. “She’s in a deep sleep. You won’t wake her.”

Connor again tried to smile as he approached the bedside but he knew it was a smile anyone could see through. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Abelardus.”

Kora shook her head. “Connor, you have nothing to be sorry for. You brought back my baby girl. For that I can never repay you.”

Connor swallowed hard. “But she’s—I mean, I wish I could have—”

“You wish you could have saved her? Could have protected her from whatever it is that was done to her?”

Connor’s head fell to the ground and he studied the floor. “Yes.”

“Trust me, I know the feeling. You did as much as you could. Laren is a fighter. I know that she’ll pull through.”

Connor stood by Kora, looking at the sleeping beauty that lay on the bed in front of them. Laren had been cleaned and wore a soft white gown that matched her sheets. Her eyes were closed. Even breaths made her chest rise and fall in a steady beat. “Morrigan said she was in perfect health but that her wounds aren’t healing?”

Kora nodded and pointed to Laren’s slender right arm that was placed over the sheets. There was a small scratch, no more than an inch long. The scratch had barely ripped the skin. “‘Wounds’ are a strong way to put her scratches and bruises but it’s almost more disturbing this way. As a member of the Elite race you know we’re privileged to an accelerated healing process.”

Connor was familiar with the gift their Elite gene gave them. Being able to heal from almost anything in a few hours was something he was still trying to wrap his head around. From dislocated shoulders to knife wounds, Connor’s healing ability had only ever taken hours to heal him. Even now the knife injury he had received from Laren’s rescue was no more than a dull ache. The cut itself had already scabbed over.

“Her eyes,” Connor said, grimacing as he remembered the shadow that had fallen across Laren as he held her.

“Her eyes have dulled as well,” Kora agreed. “It’s like her Elite gene was forced dormant. It’s like—“

Kora’s voice faltered as Connor finished her sentence. “It’s like she’s human.”

Kora nodded, pursing her lips and fighting back a wave of tears.

“I don’t know what Vercin did to her but I will find a way to help her, Mrs. Abelardus. I promise.”

“Connor, I know you will.”

“I want to stay with her for awhile. You need rest and maybe some food.”

Kora hesitated, looking at her sleeping daughter and then back at Connor. “All right. Thank you, Connor. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Take your time.”

Kora smiled and exited the room as Connor took her seat. He stationed the chair directly next to Laren’s right side. He couldn’t help but let worry and fear creep through his consciousness like a spreading disease.

What if Laren never got better? What if she stayed human and started to age and you never did? What if this is only the first step in whatever they did to her and it’s going to get worse?

Connor was exhausted. They had gotten back from the raid on Vercin’s castle late that night. Morrigan and Kora had taken hours examining Laren. Connor had to guess that it was sometime early in the morning.

His eyes were heavy. He fought the sleep with all of his being, even getting up to walk around, but he was waging a losing war. After a few hours of battling his exhaustion, Connor’s eyes closed.

He wasn’t sure if he was asleep for a few minutes or a few hours before he felt his left arm being pulled. It was a gentle tug more than a rough jerk. “Connor. Connor, it’s me… wake up.”

Connor rubbed his eyes and sat up straight in his chair. Morning sun was just beginning to show through the large window. Connor turned to see who it was at his elbow. Reap stood there with a huge smile on his face. His eyes were brighter than normal. Even with his sister in a questionable state beside him, the boy was happy about something.

“Reap? What’s going on?”

“Connor, I named the dragon.”

“Oh, really? And what name did you choose?”

“Spero.”

Reap looked at Connor like he had just discovered the secret to clean energy. His joy and excitement was coming off the boy in waves. Connor didn’t want to take any thunder away from his small friend so he played along. “Spero? That’s a great name, Reap. Why Spero? Does it mean something?”

The small boy nodded his bald head. “It means ‘hope’ in Latin. I though that with everything going wrong and Vercin freeing all the bad guys that we could use some hope.”

Connor shook his head at the wisdom the boy held. “Reap, I think that’s a great name. How is Spero doing, anyway? I haven’t seen him lately.”

“Oh, he’s doing great. He’s changing, actually. I think being here on The Island is—”

“Reap, is that you?”

Both Connor and Reap looked up at Laren, who was sitting propped up on her elbows.

“Laren!” Reap said as he jumped onto the bed and wrapped his older sister in a warm hug.

“Ahhhh… you’re getting so strong. Reap, don’t squeeze me too hard.”

The little boy chuckled as he let her go. “Yeah, I’ve been getting stronger every day. If I want to grow up to be as strong as Connor I have to get better, right?”

“That’s right,” Laren said, kissing him on the cheek. “You will be.”

Reap sat by Laren for a split second before he jumped off the bed like he had forgotten something. “Oh, I need to tell Mom and Morrigan that you’re awake. I’m sure they want to see you to make sure you’re okay.”

Without another word, the ball of energy known as Reap bolted from the room, leaving a smiling Connor and Laren in his wake.

“Sometimes it’s hard for me to remember he’s so young,” Laren said.

“I know. There’s no doubt he’s getting better. The Island is curing him. How are you feeling, Laren?”

Laren took a moment to answer the question. She looked down at herself. She examined the bruises and cuts on her arm before she turned her fading eyes on Connor. “I feel—I feel sore and tired. Is this what you had to go through all the years you were human?”

Connor flashed a smile despite their circumstances. “Yes, that’s what humans experience.”

Laren brushed her long brown hair past her ear. “Am I human now? Is that what they did to me? But how? They were able to nullify the Elite gene?”

Connor was at a loss for words. “I—I don’t know. Morrigan and your mom were in here most of the night trying to figure out what’s going on. Do you remember anything from your captivity? Anything that might be able to help us?”

Laren took a deep breath and bit her lower lip. “I was alone most of the time in my cell. They barely talked to me and I got just enough food to survive. There are times, though, that I don’t remember. There are chunks of memory missing. They could have done something to me then.” Laren shuddered visibly, “They could have done anything to me then.”

Connor saw Laren’s fear at the loss of memory. At the thought of what could have been done to her during that time. He was out of his chair and sitting beside her in a second. He pulled her into his arms and she rested her head on his chest. “It’s going to be all right. We’re going to figure out what happened to you. We are going to find a way to revers it. Don’t lose hope.”

“But Connor, if I am human… if there’s no way to reverse it and I’m destined to—to die in the next century—how can a Judge who will live for hundreds of years be with a human?”

Connor could only imagine what Laren was going through. He looked down into her once bright and shining eyes that were now dim green. His heart broke. Laren was going through something now that no Elite had ever had to face before in history. She was struggling to understand her own frail humanity and the life that was now set before her.

“Laren, you can’t think like that. Don’t lose hope. There is a way—”

“Connor, I know what you’re doing.” Laren separated herself from his embrace. Gently, she placed a palm on his strong jaw. “You don’t have to reassure me. I’m not going to lapse into a mental breakdown because of this but I’d be a fool not to consider the possibility of being human and—and staying human.”

Connor bit back more words of encouragement. Instead, he nodded. He was searching for the right words but his search didn’t take long. “I love you, Larentia Abelardus. Elite or human, mortal or immortal, there is no one on this earth… or Island, that I would rather be with.”

Laren smiled at him and leaned in for a kiss.

The door to the room opened as Kora and Morrigan walked in. Connor’s face turned red as he sat bolt upright and cleared his throat.

All three woman in the room shared a chuckle. “Oh, excuse us,” Morrigan said with a smile, “a very young messenger informed us that Laren was awake.”

Connor stood up from the bed as he looked at the two older women. “Oh yeah, I, um… I was just going. I, uhh—”

“Connor,” Kora said, “it’s okay. I was your age once, too.”

Morrigan raised an eyebrow at Kora.

“Well, I was, no matter how long ago that is now.”

Connor knew that the words from the older Elite women should make him feel better but his heart continued to race as he stared into Laren’s mother’s eyes.

It was Laren who intervened and saved Connor from any further embarrassment, “Mom, please. You can see how nervous you’re making him. Connor, I’ll see you soon.”

Connor recovered enough to smile. “Okay. I’ll be back to see you as soon as I can.” He nodded to both Morrigan and Kora as he closed the door behind him.

Chapter 10

With barely any sleep, Connor made his way through the palace halls. His body was asking, almost demanding that he collapse into a coma. There was nothing Connor would like more but he knew he had duties. His life as a Judge insisted he attend to certain responsibilities first and foremost. 

After Laren’s safety he had to worry about Vercin and the movements the former Judge was sure to be making. Connor found himself wandering to the conference room in the palace. Hoping someone would be there this early, he tried the door handle. The door gave and Connor walked in to find the King of The Island.

Zheng gave Connor a quick smile as he looked up from a map that was laid over the large circular table that took up most of the conference room. “Up early, or have you even slept?”

“I got a few hours. How are we looking? I mean, despite that we have the most powerful Elite in history preparing for war. Has there been any word of Vercin or his movements?”

Zheng grinned and shook his head. “It seems our rogue Judge has been quiet in the human world, at least for now. I heard about Larentia. Is it true? Is she human?”

Connor shrugged, feeling the tension in his shoulders build as he thought about the situation . He shook his head. “We aren’t one hundred percent certain yet but it looks that way.”

Zheng took in a long breath and slowly exhaled. “If Vercin has found a way to neutralize the Elite gene, then we are in more trouble than we thought.”

Connor knew exactly what Zheng meant. If there was going to be a war, if he and his followers were going to confront their enemies physically, then they would need the power in their Elite genes more than ever. Without the strength the gene provided their defeat would be all but certain.

“First things first,” Zheng said after a moment of silence. “We need to worry about controlling what we can control. That means taking your training to the next level. You know how to harness, even control the power that your bloodline provides, but to truly embrace your lineage of Judge, you need to be one with the strength.”

“I don’t even know where to begin. You want me to control the power and let it run free at the same time? I’ve seen what happens when people let their Elite gene take over first hand. I remember what Faust looked like. They turn into animals, into killing rage machines.”

“If you want to be as powerful as Vercin, we have to teach you. And what better teacher is there than a man who shares your own blood? A man who saved our kind from a darkness before?”

Zheng’s long black ponytail swung behind him as he motioned with his head at someone behind Connor. Connor turned to see his father walking toward them.

***

“Tell me again why we can’t just train in the palace?”

“Too many distractions. The palace is overflowing with Elites from the five families. All of them preparing for war. We need to go somewhere where we won’t be interrupted,” Caderyn said.

“Okay, well I get that, but do we need to go this far?” Connor readjusted the pack on his back as he looked behind him. The side of the steep mountain they had been trekking through for the last four hours stretched out behind him like a serpent back down the mountain.

“I’m with Connor on this one,” Orion said from Caderyn’s side. “I’m getting too old for this kind of stuff.”

“Calm down,” the last member of their party reassured them. “We’re almost there.” Zheng’s easy manner of speaking seemed to calm Orion as he huffed something under his thick beard and moved on.

The sun was high overhead. The heat was amplified by the moisture in the thick jungle undergrowth. Plants and trees flirted with the travelers on either side of the narrow path they walked through.

The incline to the mountain was beginning to wear on Connor’s legs. Sweat was pouring down his tan face and the backpack he carried felt like he was literally transporting a ton of bricks.

Deep breaths, keep moving. You’re a Judge now. No room for doubt or being weak. No complaining. They will all need you very soon. Let’s go, forward.

Connor’s vision began to redden as he grabbed onto the inner power and pushed himself forward. Eyes to the ground and focused, he pushed on.

The next hour was grueling for Connor. He wondered why the other three men, who were all much older than himself, found the trip so easy. Even Orion, who was complaining earlier, now joked and laughed with Caderyn and Zheng.

Just as Connor was debating whether or not to take the backpack off and drag it behind him, the four men reached a plateau. The area had once been cleared from all shrubs and bushes, but that day was long ago. Now the underbrush was winning the battle to retake the space. A small stone building in poor condition stood in front of the group. Stones fell from the walls and vines crept over broken pillars.

Connor didn’t care what the building looked like as he dropped to the ground. He tore at the straps on his shoulders that had dug indentions into his skin and muscles. The backpack clinked as it hit the jungle floor behind him.

“You okay, Connor?” Orion asked as he gently placed his own backpack beside him.

“Yeah,” Connor panted. “What—what was in that bag? I felt like I was carrying weights the whole way up the mountain.”

“Orion reached over and unzipped the large brown backpack. He grinned like a mischievous child as he reached in and started taking out yards of dense grey chains, each link as thick as Connor’s arm.

Connor’s mouth dropped as he witnessed coils of chain being transferred from the backpack to the ground. He guessed the chains being taken out of his backpack weighed close to two hundred pounds. “You loaded my backpack with steel chains?”

“Yep,” Caderyn said as he walked over and handed his son a bottle of water. “We don’t have much time, so we needed to start your training right away. Endurance, strength, but most importantly, your willpower, will see you through these next few days. Vercin was an enemy nobody could defeat in a physical confrontation. To be able to compete with him, we’ll need to reach a whole other level.”

Connor nodded as he gulped down the cold water, taking time to drain the entire bottle before he got to his feet. “I’m ready. Let’s start.”

“That’s the spirit,” Zheng said as he began setting up camp.

“Follow me,” Caderyn said. “Orion and Zheng will stay behind tonight to get things ready here.”

Connor obediently followed his father through the thick jungle underbrush. Within a few minutes the camp was lost to sight. Besides the varying shades of green all around him, Conner had only his father’s back to follow.

Caderyn walked straight ahead, his long grey button up shirt wet with perspiration. He kept a steady pace until he reached an area surrounded by trees. The trees formed an oval around a shallow piece of ground covered in soft grass.

“Connor, I want to talk to you about the raid that took place when we rescued Laren.”

Connor raised his gaze and nodded. “Sure, what did you want to talk about?”

“When we were fighting through Vercin’s posted guards, you had a dozen opportunities to kill the men you were fighting. Instead you chose to let them live. I want to know—to understand why?”

Connor was wondering if his father had noticed his decision to spare life the night before. He was right. Connor had intentionally spared each one of their lives. He had chosen to use the butt of his axe or wound his enemies instead of ending their lives.

The two men stood quiet, Connor looking into the eyes of a father that was truly concerned for him. When Caderyn had asked the question he had done so in a way void of any judgment or even a hint of condescending tone. He was truly curious. Connor chose to tell him the truth.

“I rescued Laren and Lupus from a group of Elites that were going to kill them. This was back home in the Catskill Forest, in New York. Before I understood what I—what we are. I just saw them in trouble. I knew if I didn’t do anything they were going to be killed. I made a split-second decision to step in and when I did—”

Connor paused as he was forced to remember the scene that still haunted him. The pick axe that was meant for bringing life to the earth. The tool used for breaking up land to plant and grow, he had used to kill. He saw the man’s face as he sunk the blade of the axe deep in his skull. He saw his eyes as his soul left his body.

“When I did, I killed a man. I took his life. I ended everything he was and everything he could become. I took away his opportunity to be redeemed. In that one second I took away everything from him.”

“And you dream about him now?” Caderyn asked.

“Yeah, I guess I do. I wish I could be like you and—and just not let it get to me.” Connor hung his head, feeling shame in front of his father for the first time. “You must think I’m a horrible Judge. I don’t even want to kill anyone.”

Caderyn stepped toward his son, placing a firm hand on Connor’s shoulder. “You’re absolutely wrong, Connor. We need leaders like you now more than ever. Orion, Zheng, myself—we have all done our fair share of killing. We have become dull toward what really matters. Your respect for life is one of your greatest strengths, Connor. It’s a blessing, not a curse.”

Connor gave his father a half-hearted grin. If his memory of killing someone and his fear of doing it again was in fact a blessing, it didn’t feel like one.

“You’re on the right path, son. Don’t lose the moral compass your mother has given you. It’s always led you in the right direction, don’t abandon it now.” Caderyn paused with a smile. “But I didn’t bring you up here to talk about that. Connor, tell me what you know about your Elite gene and how you control the power inside.”

Connor looked into his father’s brown eyes that so closely resembled his own. “It’s something I turn to when I need that extra push. It’s always there and I can feel it even when I don’t need it, but it’s quiet until I call it. Kind of like a caged animal, I guess. When I need it, I let it out of it’s cage and then put it back into its cage after I’m finished accomplishing whatever it is that I needed done.”

Caderyn had his arms crossed as he paced back and forth in front of Connor. “Go on.”

“Well, I guess that’s it. I control it so I can use it—”

“That’s what we need to change if you’re going to have a chance against Vercin.”

“What is?”

“Control. If you’re controlling it, you aren’t tapping into its full potential, you’re treating it like a faucet, opening the valve just enough. We need to break the drain and let it go. Like an open fire hydrant.”

“But how? If I do that I’ll lose control. I’ve seen Faust, Lu, and others give into their animal and it always ends with them in a blind rage.”

“It’s strength of will, son.”

Connor’s confusion must have shown because Caderyn stopped pacing and ran a hand through his long grey hair. “You are a Judge, Connor. One of only a few Elites in history to claim that title and one of even fewer to complete the trials. Normal rules won’t apply to you if your strength of will is powerful enough.”

Connor slowly nodded. “How do you do it? I mean, as a Judge, how were you able to keep from letting the power consume you?”

“For a very long time I couldn’t. For years I struggled with controlling the gene until I met a woman who really put things in perspective for me. She was a beacon in my time of rage. Something I held onto even when I felt like losing control, and because of her I was able to harness the power.”

“Who was she?”

Caderyn smiled at his son. “She was the reason I threw all of this away. A woman I think you know very well. She’s your mother.”