The Judge (18 page)

Chapter 39

Connor woke up with a start. He was lying in his bed. The blinds were drawn to hide the bright sun and every inch of his body was sore and bruised. His left wrist was wrapped and hung in a sling across his bare chest.

It was only as he moved to stand that he noticed a chair beside his bed and a small figure staring at him with a smile.

“Reap.” Connor grinned through a split lip. “How long have I been out?”

Reap raised a tiny fist and started to count as he raised one finger at a time. He quickly disregarded this idea after running out of fingers on both hands. “I think fourteen or sixteen hours.”

So much had happened over the course of the last few weeks and still so much more needed to happen before he could rest. Memories of the previous day hit Connor at once; the battle, Julie’s defeat, and Vercin’s death. Vercin’s reign was over but he had left chaos in his wake. There was so much to do. Connor was almost upset with himself for being out for so long.

Questions flooded Connor’s memory as another wave of pain coursed over his body.

“Reap, how is everyone? My father, Zheng, Randolph?”

“They’re okay. Hurt like you. Some worse than you but Morrigan and my mom are fixing them all up.”

Connor let out a long breathe that he didn’t know he was holding.

“You have to get up and get ready. They’re all meeting right now. I told them you should be there but they said for me not to wake you up but now I don’t have to because you woke up on your own.”

“They?”

“Yup. Everybody is getting together to meet, you know, to decide all the stuff that happens now.”

Connor had to smile again as he caught on to exactly what Reap was saying despite his interesting way of delivering news.

“They said you had to sleep and should get rest but I thought you should be there. I mean, you are the Judge. Spero did good, right?”

Connor was struggling out of bed. Every inch he moved sent another wave of pain through his body, especially his wrist and arm.

“Spero did great, Reap.”

The small Abelardus grinned, knowing his pet helped.

Connor very slowly and painfully lowered a shirt over his head. Taking off the sling, he maneuvered his arm though the hole one inch at a time. Reap moved to make himself useful by opening up the blinds and grabbing Connor’s shoes and socks.

The simple acts of dressing had exhausted Connor. Despite this he knew that if a meeting was taking place he should be in attendance, not lying in bed.

“How do I look?” Connor asked as he stood up with a grimace.

Reap tapped a small finger on his chin and shook his head. “Your face looks horrible and your hair is really messy.”

Connor started to laugh at his friend’s honesty but stopped short as the gyrating motion his chest made sent more stinging sensations of pain through his battered body.

Connor stumbled to the side bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. Reap was right; he was a mess. His Elite gene had already aided in the healing process but scabs still crossed his face, a thin growth of stubble marked the beginnings of a beard, and his hair shot up in every direction like he had been electrocuted by a sorceress.

With one hand, Connor patted down his hair, pushing the front to the side and the rest forward or down. He exited the room looking to Reap for approval.

“Any better?”

Reap put out a hand showing a tiny space between his thumb and pointer finger.

“Well, buddy, it’s going to have to do. We have a meeting to get to.”

Chapter 40

Connor knew the only room large enough to house all the members of the Elite families that were on The Island at once was the large hall where Vercin had met his final end.

Connor made his way there now, accompanied by Reap. As they neared the location, Connor could hear voices ahead. One voice in particular made him smile. It was Morrigan.

“We cannot take leadership of a Council unless it has been properly voted on by all of the families. Our history—”

“Morrigan,” Lu’s voice cut in. “You know I have nothing but respect for you and our traditions but what better time to set a new Council than now?”

A rumble of murmurs agreed with Lu.

Connor passed entries into the large hall on his right and headed towards a door that would lead him into the room in the rear so as not to disturb the meeting taking place.

Connor stepped through the back entryway to the hall getting an exact look at what was going on.

The hall was packed shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of Elites from every family. Most of the attendees Connor recognized from the battle. He didn’t see anyone without a cut, sling or bandage of some kind as he entered. Towards the front of the room a raised podium was placed with Morrigan standing behind it.

Morrigan was about to speak to Lu again when she noticed Connor enter. Now, instead of addressing Lu, a large smile spread across her lips. She extended an open hand towards Connor. “Ladies and gentleman, our Judge has returned.”

Heads turned and eyes of varying degrees all held one thing in common, admiration. The room erupted in applause as Connor sheepishly nodded and made his way to the front of the room and a beckoning Morrigan.

Connor tried not to grimace as slaps on the back and hugs were absorbed. Reap did his best to shield his friend as he walked in front of Connor with his hands held up yelling through the applause, “Stop! Stop! Don’t touch him, he’s still hurt! Look at him, he looks horrible!” But the boy’s yells were lost in the applause and cheers from the crowd.

When Connor and Reap finally did make it to the front of the room, more hugs were waiting for him. Every familiar face, all his family and friends were in attendance.

His mother was the first to gently embrace him. “Connor, they told me you would be out for hours with your gene healing you. If I had known you could have woken up, I would have stayed.”

“Mom, it’s okay.”

“I don’t think anything would have kept him from waking up and being here,” Caderyn said, also air-hugging his son. Caderyn looked in worse shape than Connor with a swollen jaw and bruised face.

Laren kissed him gently on the cheek and whispered in his ear, “Love? Did you let my little brother fix your hair?”

They both had to stop from grinning as Miyanda, Lu, a wounded Zheng, Orion, and Randolph all said hello to their hero.

Katie was last as the applause died down. She hugged him quickly. “I knew you would save us.”

Everyone now looked at Connor as if he was prepared to give some kind of speech. The hall was silent as Connor looked out into the sea of faces.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb the meeting that was taking place but I overheard the possibility of electing a new Council here and now.” Connor looked at Lu and winked at him, an act he immediately regretted as even that small action made a scab by his eye itch.

“I think for the first time I’m going to have to agree with Lupus Abelardus. What’s holding us back from electing a Council immediately?”

A roar of affirmation rose to the ceiling.

Connor raised his one good arm in the air and motioned for silence. “As a recent member of our race, I would like to put forward my humble motion for Morrigan Hayes to act as head of the Council and representative for my family.”

Another loud applause and it was all but set in stone. Morrigan gave Connor a smile that spread from her eyes down to her lips. “Thank you, Connor, but if we are going to elect a new Council here and now, we should keep to our customs and do this properly.”

“Is there anyone else who would like to nominate a candidate for either head of the Council or representative for my family?”

Not a sound.

The rest of the nominations and elections went forth as quick as the first. By lunch a new Council had been elected by the Elite race. The members were Morrigan, Miyanda, Lupus, Zheng, and Randolph.

Connor couldn’t think of five better suited people to lead. Dozens of matters still needed to be addressed but the first step had been taken. Plans to reconvene were announced. There would be a break for the Council to discuss the fate of the captured inmates and what to do about those still loose on The Island.

Connor found himself sitting at a table eating a mid-day meal between Zheng and Orion. Both men were in as bad if not worse shape than Connor. They grunted and winced as they struggled to eat.

“We sound like old men.” Connor laughed as he accepted the pain of chewing if it meant more delicious food in his stomach.

“I am an old man,” Orion said through his thick beard.

“He is an old man,” Zheng agreed.

The three men laughed and moaned again. It was while Connor was getting over this last joke that he realized with Zheng on the Council, The Island would be in need of a king.

“Zheng,” Connor said, “can you be king while on the Council at the same time?”

Zheng used a napkin to wipe his mouth and long goatee. “That is a great question. I have decided to hand over rule and protection of The Island to someone who I believe is worthy of the calling.”

Connor waited in silence for him to continue, a pineapple slice halfway to his mouth.

“I asked Caderyn first but he has other plans. So I have decided to ask Orion.”

“You told me I would be a great ruler to lead The Island and you couldn’t imagine anyone else for the job,” Orion said.

“And that is all true, after Caderyn turned the position down.”

Orion glared at his friend for a brief second but then shrugged his shoulders, turning his attention back to the food.

“But then what about the ferryman? Who is going to be the intermediary between the world and The Island?” Connor asked.

“Oh, I have someone in mind. He’s a little young for the position, but heck, I figure if he can hang out with a dragon, then that’s enough job experience for me.”

Connor turned with a grin to the end of the table, where Reap sat between his mother and brother eating vegetables with a grimace.

Still smiling at the future ferryman, Connor was reminded that his father had turned down the role as king of The Island. “Zheng, did my father tell you why?”

“He did but I think that you should hear it from him rather than myself.”

The way Zheng chose his words and the manner he tiptoed around the subject piqued Connor’s interest. His father and mother were sitting near Morrigan and Miyanda laughing at some joke. It was good. It was great to see people laughing again, especially those who Connor cared about so much.

Chapter 41

Afternoon approached quickly. The new Council had spent the better part of lunch and the last few hours deciding behind closed doors how to move forward. Decisions had to be made for the future of the Elite race. The gathered Elites would soon be heading home to mourn their losses and honor their loved ones’ memories.

Connor was walking down a long hall with his mother and father when the conversation at lunch with Zheng reminded him his father had passed up a very prestigious position.

“Dad?” Connor said, stopping short and realizing that this was the first time he had chosen that title to address the man who walked hand in hand with his mother.

Caderyn must have noticed as well because he hid a smile. “Yes?”

“Ummm… so I heard that you were asked to be the new king of The Island but you turned it down?”

Caderyn nodded as they continued to walk forward. “That’s right. I was going to wait to tell you after the Council meeting but I guess this is as good a time as any.”

Caderyn slowed his pace, still holding Rebecca’s hand, and motioned Connor to follow. The trio stopped in a small alcove down the hall. It wasn’t the most private of places as people made their way to the large meeting hall, but it would do.

“Our world is changing, Connor. A new era has begun with the forming of a new Council, enemies that still need to be tracked down and… a way for an Elite to chose to dormant his or her gene and live life as a human.” Caderyn said this last part as he looked at Rebecca and smiled.

His father didn’t have to say another word. The hesitation before he spoke about the cure, the way he looked at his mother with nothing but the deepest love for her in his eyes.

“I want to spend my remaining years with your mother. I want to grow old with her. I want to live a normal life and never have to worry about being separated from her or you again. I know it might sound selfish but I’ve made my decision. It’s a decision that we will all have to make sooner or later.”

Connor felt a smile spread across his lips all on its own. He saw how genuinely happy his mother was again. Through the years, his mother had been content and a very happy person. The expression that seemed to emanate from her was something else. It was a happiness that only being with one’s soul mate could bring. It was a feeling Connor knew well as he thought of Laren.

“I don’t think it’s selfish at all. I think you two deserve to be together after everything you’ve been through. I’m so happy for you both.”

Tears were running down his mother’s face as she sniffled and embraced him in a gentle hug. “Connor, I’m so proud of the man you have become and the person you will be.”

Caderyn placed a hand on Connor’s shoulder. “We both are, son.”

“Cough, cough.”

The Moore family separated as Connor turned to look at Lu. “When you want someone’s attention, you’re actually supposed to cough, not just say the word ‘cough.’”

Lu raised an eyebrow. “Please. I know the rules of interrupting a sensitive moment. I wrote the rules. As a member of the Council, I just wanted to let you know we’re beginning and humbly ask for your attendance.”

“You made all of those decisions in a few hours?” Connor asked.

“Ummm… yeah, man. Morrigan and Miyanda moved that meeting along with an agenda. They had an itinerary and everything.”

Connor grinned and he and his mother and father followed Lu into the large meeting hall.

Everyone was gathered to hear the first official assembly and the decisions that had been made by the Council. Connor and his family took a seat in the front of the room with Orion, Laren, and Katie.

As Connor sat down, he was surprised to see Laren and Katie carrying on a civil conversation.

“Are you kidding me? The way you can shoot lightning bolts out of your hands—that’s definitely one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen,” Laren said.

“Really? But you have all the fighting experience. I mean, I saw you out there. I think there were actually guys running away from you. The way you took down that giant.”

Both girls stopped talking as Connor took his seat.

“Katie and I were just catching up on battle details.”

“I heard…” Connor laughed. “So what’s next for you, Katie? When this is all over, I mean. Are you going to stay on The Island? Take the cure and go back to lead a normal life?”

Katie shook her head. “No, I think that I’ve been given this gift for a reason. It’s my responsibility to use it now. Morrigan will need help restoring and securing Karnag and my mother is still alive. I can’t lose hope for her. I know that woman I loved and looked up to for eighteen years is still in there somewhere.”

Connor smiled and nodded as he looked at the girl who had grown up so much in the last few weeks. He was beginning to wonder if she was the same person at all as a gavel was pounded, cutting through his train of thought.

They were all silenced a second later as Morrigan stood from her seat at the head of the makeshift Council table.

The crowd quieted out of respect. Morrigan wore a long red robe, her brown hair falling behind her in soft curtains. Lu and Miyanda sat to her right, Randolph and Zheng to her left.

“Thank you for coming at such short notice. A great victory has been won by all of us at great cost to our families. After the meeting, there will be a celebration dinner and a time for us to remember those who have fallen. You are all free to leave The Island whenever you like. We have decided to hold a short meeting to let you know what steps the Council will take to ensure that our battle, our sacrifice, was not in vain.”

Connor sat straight in his chair. Morrigan’s last words forced him to remember Vercin’s counter argument for ruling humans. That he and previous Judges only stepped up when things were at their worst. What steps were the Council planning to take to ensure this would not happen again?

“Zheng and Miyanda have volunteered to stay back with a group of warriors to round up the fleeing inmates of Karnag who escaped the battle. I will personally see to the fortification of Karnag along with Katie Hubar, ensuring another breakout will be impossible in the future.

“As for those who have already been captured, especially Julie Hubar and the doctor who created the virus that inhibits our Elite gene. They will be imprisoned again. A sentencing hearing will occur later for their term of imprisonment. I know it’s not a perfect system for imprisoning our own kind but it’s a start. I’m looking forward to setting in place a way for inmates to prove that they have changed. Perhaps even introducing a rehabilitation system to help them and reintroduce them back into the world. This will be another item the Council will have to deal with and address in a future meeting.”

Morrigan took a breath and looked directly at Connor with a fond but weary smile. “There’s still work to be done but today we start to rebuild. Once again, chaos has risen and a Judge has led us out of darkness. But Connor Moore is not just any Judge. He is the chosen one and I do not think that his work has ended yet. Isn’t that right, Connor?”

Puzzled looks were exchanged all around. More than a few glances turned from Connor to Morrigan and back again.

No one was more surprised than Connor himself. Not only that Morrigan was right but that he still felt a sense of responsibility. Even though Vercin was dead, he knew he still had more to do. He was meant for more than rising as a Judge and then fading back into the shadows. In a strange way he had Vercin to thank for helping him see this.

An awkward silence filled the great hall as whispers where exchanged in all directions.

“Connor,” Morrigan started, “if you need more time to—”

Morrigan’s voice trailed off as Connor found himself standing and then making his way to the front of the room to address the Council and the gathered assembly. He stopped by Morrigan.

His heart was beating as fast as words came to him and disappeared. He looked at Morrigan through narrowed brown eyes and a tilted head. “How did you know?” he whispered.

Morrigan moved to take her seat but before she did, she whispered back, “I was the one who foretold the prophecy, Connor. You are not
a
Judge, you are
the
Judge. Speak from your heart.”

Connor was left standing in front of the room as eager eyes looked at him to catch the very first words from his lips. He knew what he needed to say but he didn’t know how what he felt would work on a realistic basis.

Morrigan’s words to speak from his heart echoed in his ears.

“We have all been given a great gift. To be born with these abilities as Elite humans, we stand apart from our human counterparts. Throughout history we have lived side by side with them but have hidden our abilities. We have remained content to stand in the shadows until things get so bad that we are forced to step in or let the world destroy itself.”

Connor took a deep breath. All eyes were glued on him. He licked dry lips as he pressed on. “I’m not saying we should make ourselves known to the human race. I’m not sure they’re ready for that yet, but I do think we have a responsibility to do more than sit back and abandon our brothers and sisters that inhabit this world.”

Nods were beginning to come forward as those in the room saw where he was going. It wasn’t the cheers of approval he had received in previous speeches but at least they weren’t throwing tomatoes at him.

“Before Vercin’s death, he ordered his most manipulative and conniving men to infiltrate the ranks of human politics and power to rule the world. I think we owe it to ourselves, to the next generation, but most importantly to those who fell during this confrontation to take a stand and stop this from happening again. Because I promise you if we do nothing, it will happen again.”

Connor must have struck a chord. More heads began to nod and whispers of agreement floated to the top of the vaulted ceiling.

“Like Morrigan said, this is only the first step. We won’t be perfect as we learn and grow, but trust me—this is the right step. A plan will have to be set in motion but I think the Law can be upheld without us abandoning the world of men to a rule of fear and death. We have all sacrificed so much, but if we stop now, all of it will be for nothing. But I can’t—I won’t do it without you. We stand together or not at all. What do you think?”

A moment of silence passed so intense that Connor could hear his own quick heartbeat in his ears. Then applause erupted from the crowd. Whoops and hollers of agreement and pride in the man they called Judge. It was decided then that the fate of the world would not be abandoned to the rule of men like Vercin.