Free The Trials (The Elite Series) by Jonathan Yanez Page B

so far remained quiet, now he took a place next to Faust and Christof and th ey whispered amongst each other, no doubt talking about the trip and the success of the first trial.
    “Wait no longer , Mr. Moore.” Adolpho and the other four members of the Council stepped forward. “Were you successful?”
    Connor smiled as he walked to the rear of the plane and reached for the release lever. “Don’t be alarmed—he’s not going to hurt you.” The confused crowd, along with the Council, looked on. Connor flipped the lever and the cargo hatch to the plane slowly opened. There was a rumble and the plane shifted ever so slightly. The Elite crowd gasped as the dragon’s large head peered out of the open doors, eyes blinking, and still very much alive.
    “Come on, come on , big guy. I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” Connor coaxed.
    Out of his element , the dragon was still an impressive figure, but to Connor, who had seen the wrath the animal was capable of, it was a shocking difference. His large yellow eyes shifted around the crowd uncertainly as he gingerly stepped from the plane and onto the soft grass that surrounded the castle.
    There were screams and gasps as the crowd realized that Connor had brought back the animal alive. The dragon sniffed the air and let out a roar. Not a roar of anger but more of a nervous hello.
    There was silence as the E lite crowd tried to believe the impossible. Most of them had heard rumors that a species still existed but had either passed it off as fairy tale or chose to ignore it altogether.
    “Does this me an I passed?” Connor asked the five members of the Council.
    Adolph o tore his eyes from the magnificent creature and nodded half heartedly, more befitting a shy young man than the head of the Council. “Yes, Connor, yes. You certainly did pass.”
    There was a cheer and applause from the crowd , started by Laren. Connor smiled as he placed a hand on the dragon’s large muscular shoulder.
    The moment of joy was short lived and soon turned once again to duty and responsibility. The dragon couldn’t very well fit inside the castle, and with this many Elites around, it wouldn’t be a wise choice even if he could.
    “Is there somewhere on the grounds the dragon can stay?” Connor asked Lare n and Lu. “Until we can arrange for his transportation back home?”
    “W e can just kick Laren out and he can have her room,” Lu suggested.
    “Or,” Laren said , shooting a dirty look at her brother, “Or he can stay in one of the large storage sheds on our property.”
    “I like my idea better,” Lu said, ignoring his sister’s playful glare. “But I guess Laren is right. I’ll make sure he has a nice place to stay and get him something to eat. I bet he’s hungry.”
    “I’ll go with you,” Miyanda volunteered, in an awkward kind of way as she broke eye contact with Lu. “I mean, you might need help.”
    “Sure,” Lu shrugged, missing the obvious signs of affection in Miyanda’s eyes.
    The crowd began t o break up, most of the Elites following the dragon, Lu and Miyanda. They were eager to see as much of the dragon as possible. Randolph and his two cousins left in another direction, shooting dark looks over their shoulders and speaking in even darker whispers.
    “May I h ave a word in private with the Council?” Connor asked Adolpho as the remaining crowed of Elites engulfed him and a wave of well-wishers patted him on the back in congratulations.
    “Yes, of course . Meet us in the Council chamber.”
    Connor nodded . “Where is Morrigan? It’s important that she is there as well.”
    “She’s training her new apprentice . I’ll send for her.”
    “ New apprentice?”
    “You’ll see.”
    “Okay, thank you.”
    Adolph o nodded and disappeared into the crowd with the rest of the Elite Council.
    Arden, Morrigan’s brother and the Council member representing Connor’s own bloodline, remained a few steps behind the Council. “Way to go, Connor,