Read Online The Judge by Jonathan Yanez - Free Book Online

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