The Judge (5 page)

Chapter 11

Connor raised his eyebrows. “You really had to love her to be able to turn your back on the Elite race and the Council.”

Caderyn looked deep into his son’s eyes. “I love her with every fiber of my being. I would have spent another century in Karnag, in that dark hell of a prison gladly if it meant being with her for only a few more hours.” It was Caderyn’s turn to lower his gaze as memories of the woman he loved shook his firm resolve against emotion.

“Are you going to go back with me to see her? When this is all over?”

Caderyn squinted as he looked past Connor into the clear sky, “No—no, I’ve put her through enough. I could never ask her to forgive me for abandoning her.”

“But—”

“Come on, this isn’t my therapy time. This is your time to be training. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

“What, now?”

“Yeah, there’s no time to lose.”

Connor took a deep breath, every muscle in his body tensing, bracing for the rage to move forward. His vision blurred for the briefest second and turned red. He could see the world around him now in varying shades of crimson as his fangs grew.

The power inside of him quivered at being let free. The gene that made him so much more than human woke from its sleep and wrapped Connor in power.

Connor was alive with tingling, unlimited animal strength. He felt jittery, even anxious to direct his power and strength at something, someone.

“Good,” Caderyn said. “More, let it consume you.”

Connor felt like he was on some kind of drug as the power washed over him in waves. His hands started to shake as he could feel the rage inside of him build. The beast within wanted something to expend its energy on. Connor could feel the rage begin to boil over.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Hold it, Connor! Embrace the power!”

Connor fell to his knees panting, shaking his head slowly in defeat. “I can’t. It’s too much. There’s too much to control.”

“Maybe you don’t need to control it.”

Connor looked up from the place on the grass he knelt. “If I don’t control it I’ll turn into a mindless animal. I could hurt someone.”

“And that’s why you need to find that one thing to hold onto. For me it is and will always be my love for you and your mother. You need to figure out what it is for you. When that urge to lose control comes you need to grab onto whatever it is for you that will keep you grounded. Whatever it is that motivates you, whatever moves you forward, that’s what you need to hold onto. ”

Connor nodded, finally beginning to understand what his father was talking about. He was struck by how genuine and sincere his father was without sounding preachy or demanding. Not for the first time Connor found himself wondering how different his life would be if he had had Caderyn in his life the past eighteen years.

“Come on, Connor. That’s enough for today. I think you’re beginning to understand what this is going to take. Zheng and Orion may be able to help you as well.”

Connor took Caderyn’s extended hand. The two Judges made their way back to the abandoned temple where Orion and Zheng had set up camp.

In the short time Connor and Caderyn had been gone Orion and Zheng had the entire camp set up and ready. Part of the temple’s roof was still intact and their supplies and bedding were ready inside.

Orion was starting a fire and preparing a meal while Zheng sat quiet with his legs crossed and eyes closed. He sat on top of the deteriorating temple wall seemingly oblivious to the world around him. 

“Back so soon?” Orion asked with a twinkle in the eye not covered by his black patch.

“We knew if we didn’t get back soon you’d eat all the food, ferryman,” Caderyn said.

“You know me too well, Judge.”

“Connor, have you seen the view?”

Connor looked up at Zheng and walked over to where the King of the Island sat on the ancient stones. “No. Are you sure it’s safe up there? I mean whoever had the job of maintaining this temple is kind of slacking.”

Zheng opened his amber eyes. A smile played across his lips at the young Judge’s comment. “I assure you it’s safe. Come up and see.”

Connor raised an eyebrow and gingerly placed a foot on a portion of the grey stone wall that looked like it would buckle at any moment. To his surprise it held, and so did the next hand hold and the next step after that. Soon Connor was on top of the wall next to Zheng. What he saw took his breath away.

The Island’s rolling hills and diverse landscape spread out in front of him. To his left he could see the glistening ocean and to his right a tiny building he knew was the palace. Connor squinted and tapped into his Elite gene, allowing him to see farther than any human would ever be able. The palace was alive with motion as tents were set up in the visiting courtyard and monks wearing bright colored robes ran about preparing for more guests to arrive.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Connor agreed as he tried to find any sign of Laren in the palace. There was none but instead he found a tiny figure slashing at bushes and trees with a long stick. Connor smiled as he imagined what Reap was playing at.

An idea hit him like a anvil and he kicked himself for not realizing it before. “Zheng, The Island has special healing powers, right? I mean, you said it yourself. That’s why Reap is here and he’s getting better.”

“That’s correct, Connor. However, if you are trying to get at the idea that The Island will heal Larentia from whatever Vercin did to her, I’m sorry to say that it won’t.”

“But why? How do you know?”

Zheng rose to his feet and placed a comforting hand on Connor’s shoulder. “The Island has powers to restore natural imbalances. Whatever was done to Larentia Abelardus was anything but natural. I’m sorry.”

Connor broke the King’s amber gaze and looked back at the palace.

“We will find a way to help her, Connor. But first we need to teach you to be the Judge you were born to be.”

Chapter 12

Connor helped prepare the evening meal as the sun made its way through the sky. Dinner was a simple affair of meat, bread and fruit. None of the men wasted time with utensils. Instead they dug in, appeasing their appetites that demanded food after their long trek up the mountain. Connor found himself enjoying the company of his father and the other two men who acted more like brothers than anything else.

As dinner came to an end and the sun was disappearing under the horizon Orion stood up and stretched. “Ready for round two, Connor?”

Connor also rose to his feet. “Round two?”

“Yeah, you lugged those chains all the way up here. It would be a waste not to put them to use.”

Connor looked at Zheng and Caderyn with confusion. Orion wasted no time in looping one chain around a thick tree trunk and the other around a temple pillar.

“Like I said we have a very short window to train you,” Caderyn said. “Chaining you up will let you release your beast within and allow you to practice truly embracing the power. Chained, you won’t have to worry about hurting anyone or running off in the jungle.”

Connor was exhausted from the trek up the mountain but he knew he had to push himself further than he ever had before if he was going to succeed. “Okay, so how does this work? You guys chain me up like a bad werewolf movie and I howl at the moon?”

“Something like that,” Zheng said as he maneuvered his orange robes and motioned for Connor to stand near the chains Orion had set.

Connor obeyed. He felt a bit reluctant as Orion and Zheng fastened the thick steel chains around his wrists and forearms. Every fiber in his body screamed at him not to let someone chain him.

Caderyn fed the small fire they had made earlier and set torches around the perimeter of their camp.

Light battled the jungle’s darkness in a slow dance as the three men formed a half circle around a chained Connor.

“Not too tight? How does it feel?” Orion asked.

“I feel like I’m being sacrificed to King Kong,” Connor said as he tested the chains. The chains were tight and held his arms at shoulder level.

“King who?” Zheng looked to his two friends for clarity.

“You need to get off The Island more often,” Orion said.

Zheng shrugged.

Caderyn took a step forward. Sleeves rolled up and hair pulled back into a ponytail, Connor’s father looked more like a university professor than an Elite Judge hundreds of years old. “Focus now, Connor. You can let go fully. The chains will hold you. Morrigan placed a spell on them. Let go now and search for whatever it is that will keep you grounded. I wish I could tell you what it is, but you have to find that for yourself, and through raw strength of will, hold onto it.”

“Okay.” Connor gritted his teeth as he woke up the force inside. Chains rattled and fangs sprouted as the Elite Judge gave into his full potential for the first time. Confident that he couldn’t hurt anyone and that he would stay rooted to the spot, everything fell away. All that Connor could feel was raw strength.

The feeling was intoxicating. Vision red, he let go of any and all control and let the beast have him. Roaring into the night sky, the beast took over.

It was freeing. Connor felt invincible. He felt the freedom to do whatever he wanted with no thought to consequences or responsibility. Roaring, he strained against the chains.

The steel dug into his flesh and Connor’s beast relished in the idea of physical exertion. Arms behind him, Connor put his head down and raged against the constraints. Every muscle in his tight body pushed forward. His feet fought to find traction in the jungle’s hard packed earth floor.

Through red eyes and a heaving chest, Connor could hear his father’s voice, “Fight it, Connor! Hold onto what you keep closest to your heart. This isn’t you, only a piece of you. Embrace the power but never forget who you are.”

Connor could hear his father and understand the words he was shouting but the raw power was so intoxicating it was hard to search or think about anything besides the feeling of invincibility.

That’s when the chain on his right arm gave. The chains themselves had been tempered by Morrigan’s spell, rendering them invincible themselves, but what wasn’t as secure was the large tree on one side and stone pillar on the other, Orion had used to secure the chain. The tree was old and it’s trunk was thicker than most but still it was no match for his strength.

With a snap that sounded like thunder the tree gave way. Ripped from the earth, the tree flew through the air and over the camp. Wood, roots and dirt flew in every direction. Conner’s arm whipped the attached chain across the camp, sending Zheng, Orion and Caderyn diving for cover.

Connor saw all of this like he was in a dream. He was aware of what was happening but powerless to do anything about it. That’s when he remembered his father’s words about finding something to ground him, something to hold on to and remind him of who he was and what he was and who he had to be. Fighting to hold onto something, Connor thought about everyone depending on him. Hundreds, thousands of Elites who looked at him to lead them though this dark time in their history. The millions of people who would be affected by Vercin’s reign if he could not be defeated.

Connor focused on this but it wasn’t enough. He could feel the power lessen, almost bend as he fought to  ground himself with this thought, but it wasn’t strong enough. Then he saw Laren in his mind’s eye. She was smiling, every strand of hair in place, encouraging him to be stronger, to be the man she knew he could be.

Before Connor could try and use Laren’s image to calm his rage, strong arms grabbed him from all sides. The three men who had taken him to the mountain tapped into their own Elite gene and tried to calm the enraged Judge before he tore free. Connor felt arms around his torso arms and neck.

This was the exact wrong thing to do as Connor lost all concentration on his image of Laren. The rage focused on one thing and one thing only, freedom.

Orion was holding the chain that had ripped free from the tree, his one good eye shining a bright red. Zheng was holding the opposite chain that was tied to the pillar as cracks like a spider web formed on the stone’s surface. Caderyn was wrapped over Connor’s back, shouting in his ear, “Enough, rise up and be the man we need you to be. You can do this, Connor, I know you can!”

Chaos broke in the camp as Connor’s potential was tapped. Throwing his weight behind his right arm and swinging it forward, Orion went flying into the night air like a comet.

Right arm and the chain still connected to it free, Connor lashed out. The thick steel chain went flying toward Zheng, who barely ducked under the blow. The chain connected with the already weakened stone pillar, breaking it into dozens of pieces that buried Zheng.

Caderyn had seen where things were headed. He adjusted his grip on Connor’s back into a headlock. Connor felt his windpipe constrict as he struggled to breathe. He reached behind him and got a handful of his father’s hair before everything went black.