Free The Trials (The Elite Series) by Jonathan Yanez

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.”

Chapter Twelve
     
     
     
    “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