I liked lightning, electricity always held a certain spot in my heart. It was the fires of creation so I have been told. Its effects are instant and seem to work well with creatures that have bodies. Most earth bound creatures have to have vessels to live in, these vessels have muscles and a nervous system, electricity seems to do a lot of damage to that system when you have 20,000 volts of it.
I raised my outstretched hand and unleashed the energy I had gathered. An amber bolt of lightning raced from the palm of my hand and went straight for the centaur’s chest.
The centaur just barely got the broadsword out and in front of him before the bolt hit. The broadsword must have been enchanted because most of my blast was absorbed by the sword and deflected harmlessly into the air. The amount of electricity that did get through staggered the beast and had him, I guessed it was a him, down on three legs.
The smell of burnt hair reached my nose while I began to get my feet under me. I was hurrying to get to the driver’s door when I heard the centaur bellow, shattering the rest of the Neon’s windows. It wasn't a whinny like I thought would be appropriate from a centaur, being half horse, but it sounded more like a mix between a lion and a mama grizzly, only much louder.
I managed to get the driver’s door opened and looked back to see the centaur had recovered and was barreling down on me with the full intent on skewering me with his blade.
I made a sound that was manlier than it came out and began to scramble past the steering wheel to the passenger side door when I heard a loud and deep bong. Like the sound you used to hear from the game show with the gong.
There was a flash of light and I realized that Nathan was standing outside at the front of the Neon with both hands pressed together in a palm-to-palm pushing motion. His forehead was already breaking out in sweat and a look of pure determination was on his face.
"I can’t hold him off much longer; it would be nice if we got the hell outta Dodge!" Nathan said between clenched teeth.
I looked back and saw the centaur attempting to push his way through an invisible wall. The centaur stood holding his sword with the tip pointed towards the invisible shield. Where it interacted with the containment field, there was a blue glow at the point of contact.
I looked at Nathan and gave him the one, two, three with my fingers and he nodded, releasing the centaur. He scrambled towards the passenger side door.
At the same time he let go of the charging centaur from his prison I used a bout of energy to rip up the pavement the centaur was on, angling it up and away from our car, making it about four feet wide. I created a ramp and the centaur used it along with his own momentum to launch himself about twenty-five feet in the air and over our car.
How he took the fall, I can’t say since I used the distraction to get the trusty Neon up and moving. As I turned onto the main road that would take us to the interstate, I heard a god-awful noise that sounded like a centaur crashing into a diner. It was music to my ears.
I got the car up to speed then quickly got on the highway leaving a raging centaur and a shocked morning breakfast crowd behind.
It wasn't even 8 am.
Gauntlet Rite of Ascension Page 31
