Ascension (The Gryphon Series)

by Rourke, Stacey

  “Out the back! Go!” I hollered and frantically waved her on.

  I hit the door a second after she disappeared inside and purposely pushed it wide open. As quick as I could I dodged and weaved through the obstacle course of tennis rackets, soccer goals, tackling dummies, and Lacrosse sticks. When my speed trumped Alaina’s I caught her wrist and dragged her out the back door.

  “Stand back!” I hollered as I slid the door shut and held it tight. The door shook as surges of moles crashed in to it. The twins—reverted back to human form—and Red joined me at the door to help hold it steady as it bowed under the crushing weight of its growing number of occupants. The wood frame of the door began to splinter. Lumber cracked. Bolts popped free and soared through the air like stray bullets.

  “Celeste, it isn’t going to hold!” Alaina shrieked.

  “Just … a … little … longer,” I stammered through clenched teeth.

  “We can’t fight them all,” one twin hollered, his pale face red with strain.

  “If this wall gives!” his equally flushed brother finished.

  A section of sheet metal popped free in one corner. Claws scraped against the metal. In moments, they would have their second exit.

  “Times up, boys!” I spun around and seized my sister-in-law. “Red, light it up!”

  I had enough time to push Alaina to the ground and throw myself on top of her before the barn exploded in a geyser of fire and debris.

  Chapter 19

  I moved through the horrific scene with numb detachment, the incessant ringing in my ears alienating me even further. A baby-faced cop of indeterminable age bent over me. Smoke stung my eyes, causing his mask of concern to warp and churn in a funhouse mirror effect. “Are you okay, miss? Your head is bleeding. Do you want the EMT to have a look at you?”

  A weak shake of my head was all I could muster as I rose on shaky legs. The officer caught my arm to steady me.

  “I’m fine, help the others,” I mumbled and brushed his hands away.

  Lights flashed from hordes of emergency response vehicles on the scene. Firemen worked tirelessly to extinguish the blazing barn. Cops questioned witnesses and struggled to determine the whereabouts of every student. EMTs tended to the injured. Parents and worried onlookers lined the yellow tape perimeter, waiting for news about their friends and loved ones. Gabe, clad in a fresh GHS T-shirt and shorts, inspected Alaina for signs of injury. One blink and he morphed before my eyes into a red-eyed beast that bared his fangs and dipped his head to his bride’s throat. I blinked hard and he was my brother again, dotting relieved kisses to her tear streaked cheeks.

  I’d managed to keep her and the baby safe. The same couldn’t be said for the rest of Gainesboro. I spun in a slow circle. Lost. Floundering.

  Across the field the locker room door opened and Rowan eased a visibly sore—but very much alive—Caleb from the school. All this death. All this destruction. But I’d saved Caleb. Why had his life been spared when others hadn’t? Did I try harder to protect him because of my own feelings? If so, what kind of horrible monster did that make me?

  A hand clasped my wrist and whirled me around. Blue eyes bright with tears stared back at me. “Celeste, what about those players that disappeared? We can find them, right? We can’t let what happened to Alec happen to them!”

  Blood dripping down my arm. Death’s grin splitting open his throat and gushing life everywhere.

  I think I nodded … can’t be sure. Turning back around, I ambled through the mayhem.

  Kendall stuck close, her tone rising with concern. “Are you okay? You’re head wound hasn’t healed yet. Do you want me to ...”

  Her question trailed off, taking my line of thought with it.

  “Any that weren’t in the barn I took care of myself.” I squinted at Terin and tried to comprehend her words—or where she’d come from. “They won’t find anything except charred equipment and tar in the wreckage or on the field. We contained the outbreak as quickly and efficiently as possible, thanks to you. You did well, Gryphon Girl.”

  Red and blue lights. Anxious faces. Yellow tape. In no way could this be considered a job well done.

  “I think we need to get her home.” Kendall tried to take my elbow, but I shook from her grasp and stumbled away.

  The persistent warble of their chatter blended with the ringing in my ears. The world seemed too loud. Filled with too much pain. Too much blood …

  The prickles of pain that radiated from my temple didn’t concern me. I should hurt. The forces of Hell should unleash their fury to make me suffer for what I brought on to this town. This was my home—my safe haven—yet I couldn’t protect it. I’d made a rash, impulsive decision when I crossed the Countess. This was her warning shot, fired to mark the beginning of her retaliation. True terror had come to Gainesboro … and I had extended it the invitation.

  Chapter 20

  I woke in my own bed with no comprehension of how I got there. The sunlight barely had time to break through sleep’s thick fog before yesterday’s harsh reality came rushing back. The world wasn’t the same place it had been. Here the hero didn’t always get there in time. Innocent people died. My best was no longer enough.

  I pulled on the first clothes I grabbed, paying little mind to if they were clean or dirty, and ran my fingers through my hair. Primping seemed irrelevant in the face of an apocalypse. I forced my lead feet to make the trip downstairs where I found most of Team Garrett in the living room. Grams sat on the edge of her favorite recliner, sadness cloaking her usual sparkle. She leaned forward with her elbows on her knees and intently listened to the news anchor’s description of yesterday’s catastrophe. On the floor beside her, Keni stared wide-eyed at the television. Tears zigzagged down her cheeks that she made no attempt to wipe away. Gabe stalked from one side of the room to the other, his shoulders taut with tension. Alaina chewed on her cuticle and watched him as he paced.

  The only words spoken were that of the debonair news anchor as he read the teleprompter with insincere concern. “Officials are still looking for clues as to the whereabouts of the two missing teens from yesterday’s explosion. Police encourage anyone with potential leads to contact the Gainesboro Police Department.” Individual photos of each boy flashed on the screen captioned by their names: Danny Cristal and Aaron Stevenson. “The families are holding a candlelight vigil at one p.m. in front of Gainesboro High School to pray for the teens’ safe return and for all those effected by yesterday’s tragedy.”

  “Should … should we do something for those families?” Kendall wiped at her cheeks with the back of her hand.

  “I believe a casserole of some sort is customary in a situation like this, isn’t it?” Alaina wore the expression of someone genuinely trying to help, despite her own fear and confusion.

  “I think they’d appreciate answers more than a freezable entrée,” Gabe rumbled as he stalked.

  “So, tell them the truth.” Four sets of eyes spun my way. “Point the finger at the girl that got those boys killed. We can grant their families a little justice by letting them finish me off. It’ll save the Countess the trouble of doing it herself.”

  “No one blames you, Cee,” Gabe argued, yet the firm set of his jaw and his flaring nostrils made me wonder if he was being entirely honest with himself.

  My shoulders sagged under my own guilt. “That’s not true. I blame me enough for all of us.”

  “Stop it,” Grams murmured the phrase in an almost inaudible whisper … at first. Then, cold steel seeped into her tone. “Stop it this instant. You can’t risk a pity party. It will make you sloppy and get you killed.” She sprang from her chair, and in three quick strides was in my face shaking her magenta finger nail about an inch from my nose. “I’m telling you to snap out of it and I mean now. Your brother told me what you did yesterday. You are a hero and I’ll slap ya ‘til my hand blisters if ya try to argue otherwise!”

  “But if I hadn’t picked a fight with the Countess … if I just handed o
ver the discus …”

  Grams folded her arms over her chest and pursed her lips in annoyance. “You’re a smart girl, Celeste. Do you honestly believe that woman, with her hate-filled heart, would’ve gone to the Spirit Plane, killed the Gryphon, and let her rage die there?”

  My memory called up the image of young Audrina’s anguish ridden face right after she witnessed the grisly deaths of the entire herd. The Council had swooped in and saved the beast that acted as the executioner to all she held dear. If she had any mercy left in her, it wouldn’t be shown to them.

  “She would’ve killed every man, woman, and beast there, and it still wouldn’t have been enough.” I brushed my hair behind my ear and purposely stared at the floor.

  Grams pinched my chin between her thumb and forefinger and tipped my face to hers. “The Countess and her minions are to blame for yesterday’s mess. Her sins don’t belong to you, so don’t you even think about picking them up. Should you have rushed off to face her alone? No. No one will ever consider that your finest moment. But, it doesn’t make you a killer. It makes you human and prone to mistakes. No one is going to fault you for that. Ever. Do you understand me?”

  My chin betrayed me by quivering. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Good.” She gave me a warm maternal grin and patted my cheek with her palm. “Now go get some breakfast. I think there’s some biscuits and gravy left.”

  The couch springs squealed in protest as Gabe flopped down next to Alaina and gathered her in the bulk of his arms. “Nope, sure isn’t. I finished those off at my post-breakfast snack.”

  I got a strong whiff of Grams floral perfume as she leaned in to whisper, “Check the powdered milk box. I think there’s still a few granola bars hidden in there.” One thing we had all learned by living with a lion: If you don’t ferret food away, you don’t eat.

  “Again, this is breaking news out of Gainesboro.” The smarmy news anchor’s words rooted me where I stood. “In light of the terrorist acts that devastated the small town yesterday, officials have implemented a city wide curfew beginning at four p.m. All businesses are expected to close down one hour prior, with residents in their homes and off the streets by the scheduled curfew time. This measure is temporary and will be discontinued as soon as possible suspects are in custody, or the threat of further violence is no longer a concern. Police ask for all residents’ cooperation in this matter. We will bring you updates on this latest development as well as the weather forecast after this break …”

  “Where’s everyone else?” I struggled to keep my tone low and calm despite my rising apprehension.

  “The Glee Club is in my room,” Grams explained. “The twins got singed pretty bad when their friend went inferno. I patched them up the best I could, now they’re in there resting. Their friends are watching over them.”

  “Terin and Big Mike?”

  “They went to give their report to the Council Master,” Keni volunteered without tearing her stare from the news coverage.

  “And Caleb and Rowan?” I purposely saved them for last to show how much I was not fixating on them.

  Alaina pulled her finger from her mouth and wiped it on her jeans. “They ran to the grocery store to stock up on supplies.”

  “What?” I threw my hands in the air and shrieked my frustration. “All that lovey-lovey, Mo Chroi garbage yesterday and now they’re right back to this male-menstrual crap?”

  Kendall’s eyebrows shot up and disappeared into her hairline. “Okay, I pride myself on inane teenage ramblings and even I didn’t get that one.”

  “You know what? There’s nothing to get,” I raved and stomped into the foyer. “We’re in war time and two soldiers broke rank! They put themselves and the rest of our team in danger by taking off. Right now I need people I can trust. I don’t have time for reckless and stupid!” I crammed my feet into my well-worn tennis shoes and tied the laces with as much aggression as a person can put into that particular act.

  Gabe sauntered in behind me, casting a long shadow through the room as he leaned against the door frame. “So you’re going to go gallivanting off on your own to tell them not to gallivant off on their own?”

  I sprang to my feet, hyped up on my own irritation. “In case you hadn’t noticed I’m in the middle of a rant. Stop trying to inject common sense. You can either come with me, or get out of my way.”

  “I just don’t understand the flack you’re giving these guys for making a potato chip run.” Gabe peered at me over the roof of my S-10 as he slammed the passenger door shut with enough force to shake the truck.

  “Shockingly, Gabe, this has nothing to do with snack foods.”

  My brother gasped in shock and faked a swoon.

  I ignored his antics and stomped to the front of my truck. My gaze wandered over the jam packed parking lot. “I have a bad feeling about what’s coming next and I’m not the only one. Look around. These people are preparing for the worst and they don’t even know the half of it.” I nodded my head at a young mother across the lot. making faces to entertain her cherub faced daughter as she filled her trunk with diapers and formula. “She’s making sure she can care for her baby above all else. And that old woman? She’s preparing for some sort of catastrophe that will require outlandish amounts of toilet paper and beef jerky.”

  “Hey! That’s the good stuff from the deli! If she took the last of it I’m popping her tires with my teeth.”

  I looked up at him from under my furrowed brow. “Can you at least pretend to take this seriously?”

  “Sorry, Cee,” he shrugged as he readjusted his GHS baseball cap. “But I think you’re overreacting. Sure, crap got bad yesterday, but policing our own seems unnecessary.”

  “My gut tells me I’m not. We have no idea when the next strike will come or the severity of it. For now we need every member of our team close, whether they like it or not.”

  “All right,” Gabe’s giant mitts raised in surrender, “enough with the high pressure sales. Where you go, I go, Mon Capitan. Let’s go save your boyfriends from the dangers of the self-checkout lane.”

  “Technically neither one is actually my boyfriend,” I mumbled to Gabe’s back as we traipsed toward the store.

  “Not Kendall. Don’t care,” he stated in no uncertain terms and marched on.

  Not twenty feet from the automatic doors my steps faltered. Like warped waves of steam rising off hot asphalt, the glass store front seemed to expand and contract before us. I squinted hard and shielded my eyes from the sun in hopes it was a trick of the light or even my twisted imagination getting the best of me.

  “Gabe, do you see—” My query was cut off by an ear-splitting explosion that shook the earth beneath my feet.

  Gabe’s hand closed around my wrist as he yanked me behind an SUV to avoid the shards of glass and clumps of stone that rained down.

  “There’s people in there!” I shook free of his grasp and bolted around the Tahoe, headed for the gaping store front.

  Grey haze burned my eyes and made it impossible to see further than an arm’s length in front of me. My lungs screamed their pained protest at the rubble filled air. Tugging the neckline of my T-shirt over my nose and mouth, I eagerly gulped the slightly filtered air.

  Up ahead the fog churned. I blinked hard and tried to clear my watering eyes enough to determine if it was movement or settling debris. A glimmer of gold. The soft curve of a hunched, but well-muscled, back. I opened my mouth to call out to Rowan but could manage nothing except a hacking cough.

  With a forceful jerk he spun my way. Unfortunately, he wasn’t alone. His white knuckled grasp dug into the scaly shoulders of a nasty looking demon. He whirled the beast around … and flung it at me.

  “Celeste!” Panic raised the pirate’s voice to a fevered pitch as soon as he saw me.

  Claws that would make Hellboy feel inadequate flailed in the air as the demon that appeared to be half-man/half- Alaskan King Crab hurdled my way. Before my deficient grey matter could comprehend what was h
appening, the jagged hook of the beast’s claw slid into me like melted butter. I gaped down, wondering why there wasn’t more pain but dreading the answer. Slowly, its head cocked to the side. Black marble eyes rolled with euphoric glee as a malicious grin of filthy, fish-reeking teeth split his face. It yanked its claw further up, popping something vital inside me. Searing pain seized my chest as I fought to claim in even a whisper of a breath. Higher still the beast sawed … until the hook of its claw lodged itself between two of my ribs. Its crustaceous brow creased as it tried to retract its appendage with a forceful yank, but found it stuck tight. A choked gargle bubbled in my throat. The constant tugs, which grew more agitated by the minute, made it a legitimate fear that my back was going to rip out my front at any moment. Still, the claw didn’t budge.

  Black spots swirled before my eyes. Coppery warmth spurted from my mouth and dribbled down my chin. I couldn’t heal with the skewer still in and the stupid man-sized shell-fish got it good and stuck. The creature grew frantic, yanking with a force that would soon snap bone. Acting out of desperation, I slapped a hand to the hard shell of the demon’s chest. Focus and concentration were staples for my telepathy. Right then I lacked both. All I could hope was that the pure, raw desire to stay alive would be enough. Sure enough … the demon stilled. Black eyes clouded to grey. A loud crack broke through my foggy cognizance. My captor’s still beating heart ripped from its chest cavity and flew into my waiting hand. A beat later, assailant and heart alike popped like over-inflated water balloons and doused me with their remnants.

  I stared at the black ooze dribbling down my arm as my knees crumbled beneath me and I folded to the ground.

  “Celeste? Lovey! Stay with me.” Caleb appeared above me, the back of his hand grazing my cheek. “Will get ya tah a healer. You just stay awake.”

  Soft fur from Gabe’s muzzle tickled my shoulder as he nudged me with his massive head. A throaty whimper escaped his quaking jowls.