The Trials (The Elite Series) (12 page)

It was impossible to see Zuna’s small figure from where they stood but Connor and his gr
oup could hear her clearly. “Randolph, your heart is in the right place and your intentions true, but if we face Vercin now, he will destroy us. There are only two ways for our way of life to remain, either through the strength of four sorceresses, or the raw power of one as he. To attack him now would be folly. Another sorceress must be trained or Connor must finish the trials and the Elite race flock to his banner, there   is   no   third   option. Since Katie, Morrigan,   and   myself are the only sorceresses known and Julie Hubar is still missing, then that leaves us with the young man in the back of the room as our only hope. Connor, will you please come forward with the stone?”

Everyone in the room looked at one another, first puzzled, and then one by one they turned around. Connor accepted the box holding The Island’s crown from Orion. Holding it in the crook of his right arm, he walked down the aisle toward the Council. There was a weird energy in the air. It was a mixture of fear from the events unfolding and joy and excitement to see Connor’s return.

Connor reached the front and saw Zuna sitting beside Miyanda, Morrigan, Katie
, and Randolph. She smiled at him. “Mr. Moore, were you successful in your second trial? Do you have the Zhanshi king’s crown?”

“I do,”
Connor responded, struggling with his left arm that was still in the sling to open the box.”

Randolph was beside him in a second
, taking the box in both hands. “Here, I got it.”

Connor smiled at his new friend, the man who was trying so hard now to atone for his past sins
. “Thank you.” Connor lifted the latch and the room was bathed in a low, glowing blue light. The audience oohhed and ahhed at the spectacle, as they all rose to their feet and tip toes to catch a glimpse of the precious stone.

“Connor
Moore has completed the second trial by bringing back the crown of the Zhanshi king,” Adolpho said, rising from his seat. “Let all here bear witness.”

The room gushed applause, shouts
, and whistles. The same room that had a few moments been so distraught with fear and worry over Vercin was now cheering their champion, who gave them hope for the future.

Connor smiled, left the box in Randolph’s h
ands, and turned to address the Council. “I made a promise to Zheng, the Zhanshi king, to return the stone as soon as I could. I would have it go back now under the charge of Orion the ferryman, and I would ask the Council to choose the third stone now. Randolph and Zuna are both right—I have to complete the trials and I’m running out of time.”

The C
ouncil smiled for the first time the entire meeting as Connor stood in front of them, requesting to leave again. He was still a mess. His left arm hung in the white sling. His Elite genes had mended the ligaments and tendons but the arm was still stiff and sore.

“Al
l right, Connor,” Adolpho said, motioning to two of his Elite guards. “Bring the vessel and let us choose the last stone.”

Another round of applause came from the crowd as Connor stood smiling. He was almost there
. One more trial stood between him and the right as Judge and the ability to unite his people. Kora’s voice sounded somewhere in his consciousness.
Even if you are able to complete all three trials, you would still be defeated by Vercin unless, you learned to fully embrace your Elite gene and control the inner beast.

He was abou
t to bring Kora’s words to the Council but the two guards arrived before he could, bearing between them the large cauldron that held his third and final trial.

Adolph
o rose from his seat and the room became silent. One robed arm reached deep into the vessel’s mouth and Adolpho pulled out the last stone. Holding it up for all to see, Adolpho read, “Connor Moore’s third and final task is to bring back the keys of Karnag.”

As usual
, whispers and chatter broke out in the audience, but unlike the other two trials, Connor had an idea what this one was. Karnag was the prison the Elite nation had set up to house their own. It was a kind of jail Elites were sent to, since no regular prison could hold them. It was the prison in which his father was held captive.

“If the C
ouncil will indulge an old woman?” Zuna asked over the hubbub of the room. She slowly made her way to her feet, heavily supported on her cane. “With Connor on his last trial, Vercin is sure to intervene and take out the best hope we have at defeating him. I would like to accompany him. Oh, and I would request Katie Hubar come as well.”

Connor visibly saw Katie’s mouth drop. “Zuna, there is no n
eed for you to make the journey,” Morrigan said, “I will go.”

“I’ll go
, too,” chimed in Lu.

“Me too,” added Laren, Miyand
a, and Randolph simultaneously.

“No,” Zuna said
, looking each one of them in the eye. “This is the way it has to be. You all have a part to play in the final chapter—this is mine.”

“But
Grandmother—” Miyanda started.

“Enough
, child,” Zuna responded. “I do not need your permission to do what I know is right.” Zuna directed her violet gaze at the Council. “If the Council will please allow it, I will make the trip with Connor and Katie.”

All eyes focused on Adolph
o as he looked to his fellow compatriots for a consensus. Raban nodded his balding head.

“
God protect you, Zuna,” Thema said.

“You have my blessing
, Zuna,” Tien said, smiling at Connor, “but anyone who can defeat Zheng, I do not think needs protection.”

“Go quickly, the three of you,” Arden Hayes said.

“It is decided, then. You three will leave immediately on the last trial, tasked with bringing back the keys of Karnag,” Adolpho said.

Katie looked stunned as she was taken by the hand
and reassured by Zuna. “It will be okay, child, you will see. Connor, I know you must be weary, but if we are to travel to Karnag, we must start right away.”

The next hour was a blur. Connor gave the stone to Orion
, who promised to take it back to The Island and Zheng right away. The group was provided with supplies and Tien made Connor drink a mixture of herbs that would further speed the healing process for both his arm and cuts and bruises.

“Here
, drink this,” Tien said, reaching into the folds of his robe and handing Connor a vial of darkish green liquid.

Connor popped the cork from the top and leaned back from the bottle
’s pungent odor. “Ahhh… it smells horrible.”

“That makes sense
, because it tastes horrible as well, but it will help you.”

Connor took a deep breath and threw back the bottle
, saying a silent prayer that he would not have to taste the medicine as it went down.”

Katie looked like she was in a daze. “It’s going to be
okay, Kat,” Connor reassured her, still wiping his mouth from the horrible tasting medicine. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

Katie nodded but still didn’t say a word.

Laren fell in step with Connor as the group headed to the front of the castle. “Be careful, Judge, I need you to come back in one piece so we can finish that conversation we started in the limo.”

“I will,” Connor promised.

The two were interrupted by a large roar as they entered the castle’s courtyard. “Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about you, boy.” Connor turned to Laren. “Do you think you can keep him company? Maybe play with him and make sure he gets enough to eat?”

Laren laughed
. “I don’t think he’s a dog, Connor, but yes, I’ll make sure he’s taken care of, and I’ll start thinking of some real names for him.”

Connor smiled
and turned to find Zuna and Katie. Katie stood with her backpack in place, dressed in jeans, boots and a dark grey shirt. Zuna was in a heated conversation with both Morrigan and Miyanda. Miyanda’s tall frame was practically shaking and Connor thought he caught sight of tears in her eyes before she stormed off.

As he approached
, Connor could hear Morrigan. “Zuna let me go, it should be me. You told me it was my place to protect Connor, and I have. Let me do it again. I know what you think has to happen, but it doesn’t have to be like this.”

Zuna reached a small
, withered hand and placed it on Morrigan’s cheek. “Morrigan, my dear, this is the way it has to happen. I will do all I can, but it will come down to you and the girl in the end. That is your time. That is your destiny.”

Morrigan looked at her
mentor and hugged her with a sad smile. “I knew I wasn’t going to talk you out of it, but I had to try.”

Zuna gave Morrigan a
violet-eyed wink and turned to Connor. “Well, Mr. Moore, it seems as though we have a great journey to share. Are you ready?”

Connor nodded and he, Katie
, and Zuna began the walk out of the castle courtyard, waving good-bye to all their friends and supporters.

The sun was once again descending, and
the air was warm from its rays as the three exited the castle’s main gate. It wasn’t long before Connor asked, “Zuna, where are we going? Are we going to walk to Karnag?”

Zuna and Katie had fallen a few steps behind
. Katie still wore a blank expression on her face.

“Yes, Mr. Moore
, in fact we will be walking the entire way. Karnag does not exist on this plane. It exists on a plane below ours.” Zuna raised her dragon-headed staff and the air in front of Connor began to shimmer. Heat came in waves at the group as the space only a few feet in front of them started to crack. The air was thicker and soon they were all staring into a hole that descended into the ground. It was no bigger than a door. Dirt steps led ever deeper into the earth, cloaked by darkness.

“Here
, you two we are going to need these.” Zuna handed each of them a lit torch she seemed to have conjured out of thin air. The handle of her staff began to glow. The light came from the dragon’s tiny mouth, giving the dragon the appearance of breathing fire.

Zuna didn’t wait to see if Connor and Katie were ready, instead she disappeared into the tunnel
, the darkness soon enveloping her light.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Katie said
, shaking her head and giving Connor a look.

“Yes
, you can.”

“No
, Connor. I’m really not sure I can. Being an Elite is one thing. Seeing my father killed in front of me is hard enough. Telling me I’m a sorceress and not knowing where my mother is it’s all I can handle. I don’t know if I can follow an ancient lady into the ground.”

Connor blinked for a moment
, and then a grin spread across his features. Finally a laugh erupted from deep in his chest. He almost dropped his torch he was laughing so hard.

“What? Connor
, this is serious.”

“I know
. This is so crazy I just have to stop a minute and laugh.”

Connor laugh
ed until Katie’s stoic expression changed and a thin smile started to play across her lips. It wasn’t long before both of them were laughing uncontrollably. “You have a dragon, Connor. A… dragon…” Katie said, shaking her head.

“
Oh man, I know! I just came from getting the living daylights beat out of me by some Asian guy!”

“Oh,” Katie said
, bending over with the beautiful pain of laughter. “Now we’re following some lady we hardly know on a journey to the center of the earth!”

“Ah, it hurts
—stop. Stop making me laugh.”

The two b
roke into another wave of laughter before the attack subsided and Connor grabbed his aching sides. Katie wiped away her tears. “We’ve come so far, Katie—we can’t stop now. And we have each other.”

Katie nodded and started down the hole
. “I know. I’m going to go down with you, just promise me that if there are any spiders down there, you’re going to kill them.”

Connor smiled, took Katie’s hand
, and the two walked down the steps through the portal. “I promise.”

T
he air was thick with the smell of earth and rock. The tunnel soon opened up into a much larger system made completely from rock. Soon the two, hand in hand, saw a light glowing in front of them. Within a few minutes, they’d caught up to Zuna.

She nodded at them.
“Connor, if you would, please take the lead. There’s only one way to go, so you won’t get lost. I would very much like to talk to Katie.”

Connor nodded and gave Katie a wink as he continued down the rock path. Zuna was right
, there was only one way to go—down. Deeper and deeper the three made their way into the earth. The rock tunnel they were on weaved back and forth, but always down.

The tunnel was about the size of a
four-lane freeway, and soon smelled like rotten earth and dampness. It was easy to lose track of time as they marched on, but Connor had faith that Zuna knew where she was going.

Zuna and Katie walked a few steps behind Connor and spoke
so quietly they were barely audible. Zuna was doing most of the talking, but Connor chose not to listen. It was tempting, though. With his Elite hearing he knew he could catch every word, but he decided against it.
Let the sorceresses have their secrets
, he thought.

It was im
possible to tell how much time passed, but after what seemed like hours of walking, Zuna called a halt. “Let’s rest here while I explain the rest of the journey.”

There was no argument from Connor and Katie
. They threw themselves down on the hard floor, Katie massaging her legs and Connor took off his sling. His arm was almost back one hundred percent. His Elite gene had done in a couple days what it would have taken a normal human months to heal from.

“So
, you two,” Zuna said, picking a small rock to perch on as she addressed her pupils. “What do you know of Karnag?”

“I know that it’s a prison strong enough to contain Elites
, and that the Elite race has been using it for centuries,” Katie said.

Zuna nodded
in approval and looked at Connor.

“Well
, I’m supposed to steal the keys from this place, and—and I know that my father is imprisoned there, because he married my mother and had me.”

Connor was forced
to remember the first time he had learned of his father’s existence. He had to think once again of the father he never knew being imprisoned, and he tried to force the thought from his mind. Thinking about his father wouldn’t get him anywhere, and with everything that was coming to the surface about his heritage, his destiny, and the fate of his race, he had a hard time understanding how he was supposed to feel.

“That’s
right, Connor,” Zuna said. “Your father, Caderyn Moore, a Judge in his own day, has been imprisoned in Karnag these last eighteen years for breaking the law and marrying a human. Today we will not only steal the keys of Karnag, but we will free your father.”

Katie and Connor both looked a
t Zuna with shock in their eyes. “Oh, you heard me right,” Zuna said. “Caderyn was imprisoned and sentenced to an eternity in Karnag. In my humble opinion, the Council was a bit overzealous in their punishment, but after what happened to Vercin and the power a Judge held if they turned rogue, I understand where they were coming from. Nonetheless, we’ll need Caderyn if we hope to defeat Vercin.”

“But the C
ouncil, they’re not just going to let me bring my father back and pretend everything is okay.”

“I have a feeling that under the present circumstances
, the Council will understand. They may even be a bit receptive and grateful to have another Judge on their side—if your father is willing,” Zuna explained. “You just leave that to me. But you shouldn’t worry about what the Council will say on our return. We should all be thinking about how we plan to get past the guards, steal the keys from the warden, and rescue your father.”

“Guards? I knew this was going to get worse,” Katie said with a shake of her blond
e hair.

“Karnag is home to only the worst kind of Elites
: Law breakers, human killers, and murderers. To insure that these Elites could never escape, a very powerful sorceress much older than myself created Karnag using a spell. She also created Karnag’s guards.”

“Created Karnag’s
guards?” Connor repeated.

“Yes, Karnag
could never be trusted to be guarded by Elites. Our race, just like the human race, is susceptible to treason and bribery. Instead, the sorceress created an enchantment to resurrect the dead and gave them one purpose, to defend and protect Karnag.”

Katie went white
. “The—the dead?”

Zuna nodded
, her violet eyes alive against the flames. She was carrying on the conversation about Karnag’s dead guards like someone would be talking about the possibility of rain or how well their favorite sports team was going to do that year.

“I want to tell you this now because very soon Karnag’s guards will spot us and we all need to be ready. Connor.” Zuna reached into the long folds of her purple cloak and handed him the same axe he
had found in the Amazon. It was cleaned now and shone against the light. It looked deadly and beautiful at the same time.

Zuna handed the axe o
ver as if it weighed no more than a pencil. Connor took the war axe, stunned. Not only had Zuna found it under the pile of rock in the Amazon but she had carried the heavy object in the folds of her robe. Before he could make mention of any of this, Zuna was already addressing Katie. “Miss Huber, do you remember the spells Morrigan taught you?”

Katie bit her lip and nodded.

“Perfect, then we should all be ready. When the guards come, do not hesitate. There is no need for silence as we approach. We cannot hope to hide ourselves. There is only one way in and out of Karnag. We must be swift and not hesitate when we approach. Do exactly as I say and everything will be fine. Mr. Moore, shall we?”

Once again they took up their positions
on the dark cave trail, Connor in front and Zuna and Katie a few yards behind, carrying on a quiet conversation. Connor didn’t even have to try not to eavesdrop this time. He was too filled with thoughts of his father, not to mention the dead guards.

He wasn’t sure if he should feel happy, excited, nervous, angry,
or maybe all of these emotions at once. His father had been a great Judge, but after marrying his mother and having Connor, he turned himself in to the Council to spare their lives and he had been sentenced to Karnag. Was the Council to blame for being so harsh? Was his father to blame for lying to his mother all those years?

T
hese thoughts led Connor no closer to finding a conclusion than when he started. He still didn’t know who to be mad at or hold responsible, and then he was reminded why he pushed these thoughts out of his mind when they bothered him.

Torch in his right hand and war axe in his left
, he continued down the path, forcing the wheels in his mind to ignore the question of his father and instead be more aware of his surroundings. Zuna said very soon the guards would be aware of their arrival and Connor had to be ready for anything.

The flame from the torch only allowed him to see a few yards into the darkness ahead. What was in the inky blackness beyond was anyone’s guess.
The undead?
Connor thought to himself as he gripped his axe tighter,
like zombies?

That’s when they heard the first sound of shuffling feet. Connor paused
. It sounded like a couple of pairs of feet being dragged across the rough, uneven ground. Connor froze and gripped the solid war axe in his hand. It felt good, a perfect friend for the task to come. The noise slowly grew louder and closer, ever closer.

“Aim for the head,” Zuna counseled her two traveling partners, not a hint of fear or doubt in her voice. “That’s the only way to
permanently put them down.”

Katie edged closer until she stood at Connor’s right
. Zuna soon appeared at his left. With their combined light, they could see what approached. First, all they could see were just two pairs of feet, but as the figures grew closer and emerged from the darkness; they could make out legs, a torso, and finally heads. The bodies were already half decomposed and the clothes they wore were impossible to distinguish. The things that came at them moaned and grabbed at the air between them. Their lifeless eyes saw only one thing—them.

Connor bottled his fear for a later day
and rushed forward. With a roar that Lu would have been proud of, he swung his axe at one of the things’ neck. The head separated from body with a graceful plop and rolled into the darkness as the body sank to the floor.

The second corpse grabbed at Connor
. Just as it was about to get a skeletal hand on his arm, a bolt of sizzling blue energy burned through the air close to Connor’s ear, burning dead flesh and boring a hole through the head of his attacker. Connor turned around and looked at Zuna.

“Don’t thank me, that was Miss Huber.”

Connor looked at Katie, even more baffled than before.

“I’ve been practicing,” she said shakily as she lowered her right hand.

“Come now, you two.” Zuna said, breaking the silence as she started a light jog. “They know we’re here now and more will come. We must be swift.”

Connor and Katie fell in beside the spry older women as they traveled ever deeper into the darkness.

“How many of them are there?”  Connor asked.

“How many dead people and Elites are in the world?” Zuna replied.

“Oh.”

“And that is why we must not try and make a stand, they would overwhelm even the greatest warrior.”

“If—if they bite us, will we become one of them?” Katie asked.

“No
, dear. They aren’t zombies, they’re just dead.”

As the trio ran deeper into the darkness
, the sound of approaching feet to either side and behind them became more evident. A few times they were faced with the undead blocking their path, but so far it wasn’t anything a few axe swings or bolts of energy couldn’t handle.

“What is that? A
laser beam from your hand?” Connor asked as Katie raised her right arm. A few inches from her palm, a blue flame formed, then shot out at her attacker.”

“Kind of, it’s more like focused energy
. Pretty cool, huh?”

“Very cool.”

“Here we are. Zuna stopped as the tunnel opened into a huge cavern. The space was so large Connor couldn’t see where it ended. A dull, greenish light that emitted from the walls lit the scene before them. There was a sea of undead figures surrounding a huge stone fortress that sprung from the cave ground.

It was
as if someone had taken the Abelardus castle, made it ominous and foreboding, and tucked it deep below the earth. And that wasn’t even the worst part.

The worst part was they had absolutely no time
to think about their next move as the sea of undead moved towards them in front and the sound of pursuers behind them became louder and louder.

“What now?” Katie had to shout over the shuffling and snarling
of the undead army.

“Now,” Zuna said
, as calm as if she were attending a church potluck, “we clear a path.”

Bolts of Katie’s blue magic and Zuna’s purple magic shot left and right as Connor allowed his Elite gene to show itself and he cleaved a
path through the sea of undead through red eyes and clenched teeth.

Connor made sure not to let the power consume him,
afraid he would lose control like he had on The Island. Instead, he gave the rage inside of him a short leash, ensuring he stayed in control.

Body parts flew left and right as Connor dropped his torch, grabbed the war axe with both hands
, and cleaved his way through the crowd. Hands and teeth shot at him from every direction, but whenever one came close, a blue energy bolt would whiz by and save him.

Connor’s arms burned as he cleared a path towards the dark castle
’s tall walls. There didn’t seem to be a way inside, no gates, windows, or doors were visible as they approached. What seemed like an eternity passed before the trio was able to make it to the castle’s closest wall.

“Now what?” Connor panted as sweat dripped from his brow and into his red eyes.

“Now you buy me some time and I will figure out a way in,” Zuna answered.

“Connor!” Katie shouted as the mob of figures regrouped and converged on their location.

“Stay close to Zuna, and stop whatever gets past me,” he told her.

Katie nodded
. In place of the sweet girl he had grown up with was a black-eyed sorceress. Katie was stronger than he’d ever guessed. He knew how scared she was, but she had put everything aside and answered the call. “Why are you standing there like an idiot?” she asked through short fanged teeth. “Look out!”