End of the line.
“There are two ways that your army will retreat: by you calling them off or by your head rolling.” I pressed one talon to her chest and applied just enough pressure to pin her to the ground and hold her there. “Let go of the hate. It’s not too late. Call them off, Audrina.”
The woman I held at my mercy had brought me unlimited torment and anguish, yet this moment held no triumph. Only sadness at the darkness that had slithered into this once innocent soul. Its roots had twisted so deeply that no healing light could ever reach her wounds that had festered centuries ago.
Bloody tears leaked from the corners of her eyes as her face twisted in a mask of hate. “You took everything from me. Hate is all I have left.”
“Then you’re already dead,” I whispered and pulsed one hooked claw straight down—directly into her heart.
Her breath lodged in her throat, but couldn’t find its way past her parted lips. Expecting a mystical counterattack, I tensed as her shaky hand reach for me. Instead, the tips of her fingers gently stroked the side of my down covered cheek. As life tugged free the ribbon of the ties that bind, Audrina sought solace in the memory of a once dear friend.
Cautiously, I bowed my head to hers. Our foreheads pressed together as we listened to the soft symphony of her slowing heartbeat.
“I am so very sorry, my friend … my sister.” It may have been me that uttered that final goodbye, but the message came from a linked third that ached for his own closure.
With her last, gasped breath she forced out three final words, “I … hate you.”
Her hand fell from my cheek, leaving it cold in the absence of her touch, as her body disintegrated in a gush of black tar.
The soldiers she left behind took advantage of the opportunity and blinked away in puffs of smoke. Some fled before they could meet the same fate as their leader, while others claimed their long withheld freedom the moment it was offered. No one followed or gave chase, but gaped—as I did—and questioned if it was possible this was truly over.
Exhaustion set in fast, zapping my strength with the same unstoppable pull of the setting sun. Yet, my work wasn’t done. Grams still balanced on the edge of life and death and I was the only one that could ease her down from that precipice. Before fatigue and the tolls of my injuries could claim their spoils, I dragged myself to Gram’s side and curled up beside her. With one wing draped over her fallen form, I channeled all the love I felt for this amazing woman and let it pour out of me in a glow that rivaled Terin’s brightest inferno. I gave her all my love, strength, and power—all of me—and slowly slipped into oblivion.
Chapter 28
Floating. Bobbing. No longer limited by the strict constraints of time or space.
Was I here?
There?
Did it matter?
I was still alive. I’d figured that much out by popping back into my body from time to time. Quick stops, like visits to the local Quik-e-Mart made only out of necessity. I never stayed long. It was excruciatingly painful and smelled funny … yet another similarity to the Quik-e-Mart. Instead I drifted, lost in a fantastical journey where the past, present—and, heck, maybe even the future—spun me in a dizzying waltz.
The smells of the forest surrounded me. Floral and pine intermingled. Every color in the rainbow was represented in the collection of wildflowers that peppered the soil. It seemed that the trees, in their massive size, had taken a step back to give their tiny friends a place to prosper.
Foliage rustled to my right. A comically large black wolf trotted out of the tree line. When he reached my side, he flopped down on his butt and leaned his chin to my chest. A soft whimper snuck from his muzzle as his glowing red eyes drooped with sadness. “I’m sorry, Cee,” the beast whined in Gabe’s voice. “I tried to stop Grams. I really did. I never meant for any of this to happen.”
I scratched behind his ears, causing his leg to thump his appreciation. “Silly boy, you’re a lion not a wolf.”
His long tongue lobbed out between menacing canines in a manic grin. “The only difference between a lion and a wolf is that the wolf kills under night’s dark veil to hide the pleasure he takes in it.”
“How ominously creepy!” I giggled and held up a stake that had suddenly appeared in my hand. Burned into the grain of its smooth sanded sides were the words Cerberus mors sequitur. “Want the stick? Go get the stick!”
I threw it overhand into the tree line. The monstrous pup bounded to his feet before floating after it in a ghostly haze of black.
Towering trees snapped and creaked in protest as torrential winds kicked up and forced them to bow in half. My feet were blown out from under me. I pinwheeled through the air. Leaves, sticks, and an overturned umbrella cycloned around me. Riding in the umbrella, like it was their own little boat, sat a leprechaun and a parrot locked in a heated debate.
“The Council Master granted me amnesty. Her own father is allowin’ me tah return with her,” the leprechaun boasted.
“Well,” the parrot snarled and shoved his wing on his hip in a show of indignance, “isn’t that convenient. Now I get why you insisted on the pact and didn’t even attempt to talk her out of her daft plan. You knew if she did something stupid she’d win herself a one way ticket to the Spirit Plane with you right there beside her.”
The wee little man’s face reddened as his bushy brow furrowed. “Thar’s more to this than that and ya know it.”
“Oh, I’m very well aware of your motivations, lad. Noble as they are.” The brightly colored bird spat the word ‘noble’ as if it left a bitter taste on his pointed little tongue.
“And ya’r an expert on nobility, are ya?” The leprechaun’s three-inch chest puffed in anger.
The parrot stretched one wing out and turned the tip inward to admire the brilliant colors of his own feathers. “It’s easy to play the part of the hero when ya set the stage yourself. Isn’t it, mate? I’ve played that game. I know the score. But remember that every time you gather her in your arms and hold her tight I’ll be out here waiting … and biding my time.”
The scenery changed again. I succumbed to the wind as it whirred around me then stilled with an abrupt halt that sent me stumbling to regain my footing.
Before me the sun raised its head to the day in a celebratory explosion of perfect pinks, warm yellows, and streaks of brilliant orange as it burned away the light fog that settled over the sleeping earth. This provided a magical backdrop for the sprawling estate before me. I stared at the modern day castle with a soft grey stone façade, Colonial blue peaked and tiered roof, and acres of perfectly manicured lawn and flawless flowerbeds that surrounded it.
The grand front door opened and out rushed a tuxedo clad Gryphon. Light burned within him, illuminating his amber eyes, as he peered down at me through his monocle. “I regret us meeting like this, my Conduit, but I am so very proud of you. If there is anything at all I can do to make your stay here more comfortable, please just speak the words.”
I hooked my index finger in the curl of his beak and turned his massive head one way then the other. My lips pursed as I consider him. “I’ve never played Parcheesi, but you strike me as someone that would be an excellent Parcheesi player. I bet you hear that all the time.”
The light in his gaze brightened to near blinding. I tried to raise my arms to shield myself, but found them both secured to a stainless steel operating table in a stark white hospital room. In the corner the Gryphon and Phoenix sat cross-legged on the floor playing with their Conduit action figures. Terin’s was a good likeness; mine looked like a cross-dresser. The light danced before me as my father ducked into view clad in a miner’s hat and lab coat. He removed the top of my head like plucking off a cap and set in on the table beside him.
Snatching a tongue depressor from his breast pocket, he gently poked at my grey matter. “I don’t understand. The transformation and journey here was stressful, but her mind just seems … broken. I had hoped bringing you here would ease
the transition a bit.”
Caleb stood beside the bed with my still beating heart in his hands. “With all due respect, Mr. Garrett, I love ya’r daugh’r more than anything.” He punctuated each sentence by casually tossing my heart in the air and catching it in his cradled hands. “I never knew true peace until I found it in ‘er eyes. But if ya think I’m enough fer her ya really don’t know her at all. You and ya’r wife gave her deep rooted family ties. The physical scars of what transpired will fade. It’s bein’ torn from all those she holds dear, without even a goodbye, that shattered ‘er.”
Dad tugged my brain from my head, blew the dust off of it, and polished it clean with the sleeve of his jacket. “How do we help her? We can’t undo what’s been done.”
“I can,” the Gryphon rumbled as he used his formidable talon to replace toy Celeste’s arm that snapped off in a rough slap fight with the plastic Gabe-lion. “I could bind her powers. They wouldn’t be gone, but dulled down to practically nil. A cloaked reality could give a fresh start to all involved. It wouldn’t be a permanent fix, as soon as she remembers what she is she’ll have to come home, but for a little while she could have the normal life she so desires.”
Another set change, this time of a court room with the Gryphon at the gavel and Caleb beside me as my public defender. “Do it.” Enthusiasm brightened his emerald eyes, making the golden highlights sparkle.
“Do not be so quick to make that request, boy. She will have no memories of you, or you of her. Whatever you feel for each other now will be lost.”
“For a tick.” Caleb’s strong jaw set in stern determination. “Then I’ll find her and make her fall in love with me all over again.”
My father gave the Irishman an approving smile from the jury box.
“You know it will be brief?” The Gryphon adjusted the powder white wig that slid down over his feathered forehead. “Her abilities will make it impossible for her to stay there. Once they break through the binding, her reprieve will be over.”
Caleb tipped his head back to meet the creature’s gaze directly. “She needs this. Even if it only lasts fer a day, grant it to her. Please.”
My father raised his hand and the Gryphon nodded his permission for him to speak. “What of Gabe? The iron touched him. How will we know if it was enough to infect him?”
“Time will tell. If so he will be a problem that must be eradicated.” The Gryphon raised his gavel, seemingly oblivious to the panic-stricken reaction that robbed my father’s face of its color.
“Wait!” The room exploded with light as the Phoenix, in customary bailiff attire, approached the bench. “Old friend, I beg of you … take my Conduit as well. I could never offer her an option such as this and she is more than deserving.”
The Gryphon dipped his head in a formal bow. “A noble request I would be honored to fulfill.” The feathers across his face ruffled and smooth as he held his head high to address the room. “Say your goodbyes, my friends, temporary as they may be. The Conduits shall be granted one more chance at a future ... and whatever it may bring.” The gavel fell and the lights blinked out.
Chapter One
“Ter!” I hopped on one foot as I wiggled into my jeans. “Your crap is all over the floor and I can’t find my other shoe.”
My roommate groaned from under her pillow, but didn’t budge from her blanket cocoon.
Pants in place, I nudged her with my knee then went back to rifling through our miniscule dorm room. “Terin, don’t act like you can’t hear me. I know I had two shoes. As tradition would have it, they come in pairs. Come on, I’m gonna be late for class.”
A tangled mess of orangish-red hair emerged from the blankets. With an annoyed groan, she half-heartedly dug under her bed then whipped a pair of wedge heels at me.
I stared down at the beaded, plum-colored footwear. “Those aren’t mine. I can tell because they have a heel and don’t lace up.”
“Borrowed yours. Lost one,” she grumbled into her pillow.
“Don’t you have, like, all the shoes, ever? Why would you need mine? And how do you lose one shoe?”
“Had a date with a short dude. Yours were the only flats in the room, so I borrowed them. Halfway through the night they gave me blisters. I took them off, one didn’t follow me home. Simple as that.”
I flopped down on my bed and reluctantly slid on the wedges. “You’re buying me new Chuck Taylors.”
One hand shot out from under her comforter in a thumbs up. “New tomboy shoes, got it.”
“I’m going to break my leg in these things.” I turned my foot to the side to check out the height of the heel. “Hey, don’t forget you have class at three—World History . You remember class, right? Those rooms we pay lots of money to sit in and be talked at? The one you have today, as the name suggests, discusses the history of the world. Or as you may know it, the class you only show up to on test day and still manage to ace.”
“History is easy. It’s just remembering crap that already happened,” was her muffled, yet deeply moving, reply.
“Text me if you can’t remember where the lecture hall is,” I called to her as I flung my scarf around my neck and wobbled out the door.
The wind nipped with the chill of fall, making me grateful I’d remembered my scarf. The leaves were changing to regal jewel tones of ruby, topaz and amethyst, adding a touch of elegance to the regal, stone buildings of the Rhodes College Campus. When I first viewed brochures of Rhode’s castle-like buildings, and renaissance style décor I had immediately fallen in love. That infatuation grew deeper with each passing day.
As I passed under the archway in the Robinson-Blount Residence Hall Quad, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I glanced at the caller ID and smiled before answering, “Hey, Grams. What’s up?”
“Hi baby!” The smile in her voice was audible and made me miss her that much more. “I know you’re probably busy, but I need to know if you’re coming home this weekend.”
“Not sure.” I gave a brief wave to a girl I recognized from my English 101 class. “I’ll have to see what assignments are coming due and if I can afford to sneak away. Why? Big things happening in Gainesboro? For, like, the first time ever.”
“Ha-ha,” Grams deadpanned. “The Y is offering a self-defense class and I want you to come and take it with me.”
The mental image of Grams in spandex practicing high kicks caused an impromptu cringe. “Oh, yeah. I’m definitely busy.”
“Celeste,” she snapped in her best intimidating matriarch tone. “You are a tiny little girl on a very large campus. You need to learn what to do if someone ever attacks you.”
Knowing I was a good three hours outside of pinching range loosened my tongue more than I would ever dare in person. “No worries, Grams. They gave me a rape whistle at orientation. If anyone attacks me I can play them a haunting tune that will leave them spellbound so I can make my escape.”
“I don’t think you’re taking this seriously enough.”
“And I don’t think you realize how talented I am on that whistle.”
Grams chuckled in spite of herself. “Sakes alive, girl, would you at least make your grandma happy and try to make it?”
“I will do my best.” I tucked a rogue lock of hair behind my ear as I hopped the curb on to the sidewalk. Mid-step, my left wedge heel caught in a crack in the cement, causing my ankle to wrench sharply to the side. I tumbled forward on a collision course with the pavement. “Ahh!”
Strong arms caught me. I inhaled a scent that teased at a memory that remained just out of reach. Leather melded with fresh air and soap. My head rose slowly. Emerald eyes. Hypnotizing. Magnetic. A shadow of something that resembled recognition fluttered across the face of this raven-haired Adonis.
“Celeste? Are you okay? What happened?” Grams chattered in my ear.
His moist, inviting lips parted to mouth the words, “You okay?”
I managed a nod. “These aren’t my shoes,” I offered in a breathless explanation.
Heat bloomed in my chest and rushed to my face and ears. I clapped a hand over my mouth to stifle the nervous giggle that bubbled up from my chest.
“That was audibly awkward.” Grams chuckled. “And what was with your voice? Was that the asthmatic seduction technique?”
I adjusted my satchel on my shoulder and resumed my trek to class. “We can’t all have your mad skills, Grams.”
“I got game, son!” she whooped.
“Play on, player.” I laughed and yanked open the door to Clough Hall. “Alright, I’m almost to class. Give me the sixty second version of the Garrett Chronicles.”
“Hmmm. Let’s see.” I could hear her acrylic nails tapping against the table. “Kendall got the lead in the community players production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. She beat out Phyllis Perkins, you remember her? She plays bingo at the senior center, has the face of a Bassett Hound.” I snorted a dry snicker but didn’t interrupt Gram’s ramble. “Anyway, let’s see, what else? Oh, Alaina is getting big fast! I swear that girl is swelling like she’s got a whole litter in there! Don’t you dare tell her I said that. It’ll just upset the hormonal beast. I’m telling you, she must be running Gabe ragged. That boy sleeps constantly! He’s even started coming over here on his lunch break just to get a few more minutes of shut eye.”
“Must be all those middle of the night food runs.” My voice echoed through the hall as I clicked across the tan and black checkered floor. “On that note, I have to say goodbye. I’m almost to Art History. I’ll text you and let you know if I’m in for the crotch-punching class.”
Ascension (The Gryphon Series) Page 19
