The Conduit
A Gryphon Series Novel
Written by Stacey Rourke
All rights reserved. Published by Anchor Group. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.
Copyright 2011 Stacey Rourke
Published by Anchor Group
PO Box 551
Flushing, MI 48433
Anchorgrouppublishing.com
Edited by Melissa Ringsted
Cover by K.C. Designs
For Ellie and Maddie.
May you both grow to be the heroes
of your own story.
I love you.
Prologue
At certain moments in life reflection is mandatory. I found being squeezed in the scaly claw of a three story dragon to be one of them. As he shook me like an uncooperative toy, my rattled brain wondered how life had led me here. Could I have done anything differently to maybe not die horribly at the hands of Mr. Big-Green-and-Ugly?
But as my constricted lungs burned and ached for even a whisper of a breath, I knew there was no way I could’ve avoided this. No matter where I went. No matter what I did. They would’ve found me. It was inevitable.
A searing pain in my side signaled that my recently mended rib had cracked again. I opened my mouth to scream but could manage no sound. My head wobbled so hard it felt like it might snap off my neck. Black spots danced before my eyes. With them came flashes from a life that wasn’t mine.
With tentative steps the girl walks through the smoldering, charred remains of her tiny village. Her bare feet are burned and blackened, but she doesn’t waver. She lays a delicate hand on the shoulder of the half-eagle/half-lion creature that saved them all. Well…most of them. Some of the blood spilled in this emerald Ireland valley had been fatal.
His rants turned into nothing more than a ringing in my ears. One by one, my senses gave up. They retreated into the dark abyss and waited for me to join them there.
A look of steely determination overcame the girl’s dainty features. “You didn’t let us stand alone, and I will not let you.”
The Gryphon snapped his beak and shook his enormous head. “No. This war will rage on long after your mortal life has ended. I have foreseen it.”
“Then my heirs shall take up the cause as well!” She lifted her soot-covered nightgown enough to allow herself the movement needed to go down on one knee. Her glorious, ivory wings stretched out wide behind her as she pressed her fist over her heart. “It is my pledge to you that the O’Garren family will join you in this crusade. My people will be your warriors until we find victory or death.”
The pain lessened. Peace replaced it. That pledge, made centuries ago, is what led me here. If the break-ins hadn’t happened. If I had stayed in Michigan. I’d still find myself here, losing my grip on whatever tied my spirit to this world. Of course, now I knew that those break-ins were them looking for me. And they followed me to Gainesboro. As the last of my strength and energy drained from my body, the thought of my new home made me smile.
Gainesboro, Tennessee. That’s where it all happened. That’s where I learned the truth. That’s where everything changed. That’s where my destiny found me. And now, it’s where I would die.
Chapter 1
Long shadows stretched out on the ground as the sun began to set behind the mountains. The competing snores of my brother and sister provided a soundtrack for the drive. I exited the highway and then took Gore Avenue right into the bustling burg that is Gainesboro with its staggering population of 849 residents. Seriously. The hub of the city took up less than a mile and looked like a scene from a Norman Rockwell painting. Red brick buildings lined the street, each decorated with their own colorful awning of choice. Large chain stores hadn’t found this little corner of the world yet. The store owners here manned their own registers and called every customer by name. The most charming aspect of the town was the library. A bright, sunshine-yellow stucco, it stood three stories tall with elaborate, white moldings that had been carved with painstaking detail. Situated on top was a beautiful, Victorian-style clock tower. The ornate building might have looked odd in this minute town if not for the scenery that encompassed it. Gainesboro is nestled in the Appalachian Mountains, completely surrounded by their splendor. And now it would be our home. After a series of break-ins in our otherwise family-friendly neighborhood in Sterling Heights, my Mom made the decision to send me, my twenty-year-old brother, Gabe, and my fifteen-year-old sister, Kendall, to live here with our paternal grandmother. Mom would join us in Hicksville, USA, just as soon as our house sold.
I turned on Grams’ street and smiled. She had on every light in the house, as if we could miss our target destination. Every year she had a fresh coat of paint applied to her story-and-a-half house to keep it a vibrant robin’s egg blue. Frequent paintings kept the gingerbread trim and front porch a brilliant white. Since we were little, the upstairs of her house “belonged” to Gabe, Kendall, and me. On our visits, Keni and I shared the room that overlooked the front yard, while Gabe got the back bedroom all to himself. Just last year, Grams relented to our nagging and retired our cartoon character bedding for more grown-up prints. Next on our list was convincing her to get rid of the Snoopy shower curtain in the upstairs bathroom.
After I gave Gabe a quick shove to wake him, I climbed out of the truck and inhaled the rich mountain air. Hints of pine and wild flowers mingled in the breeze. It smelled like relaxation.
Gabe rubbed his hands over his face and buzzed head to chase the sleep away and then reached over the seat to shake Keni awake. She fell asleep with her face mashed against the side window. As her heavy lids struggled open, she attempted to untangle her long dancer’s legs from the back seat before her brain had awakened enough for such a task.
“What? We…here?”
“Yep,” I answered as I stretched my arms out wide.
The front door squeaked open as Grams bounded onto the porch. From the neck up, she looked like a typical grandma, her short, wavy, grey hair even worn in the standard old lady ’do. However, instead of a floral print apron or high-waisted pants, our Grams had on a zebra print muumuu she customized to fall just above her knees and a pair of hot-pink wedge heels. We stopped cringing at her choice of attire years ago. Everything about her reflected her feistiness, and we adored her for it. In addition to the crazy way she dressed, she lived for fun, and always spoke her mind—often to our chagrin. She, like me, measured in at just over five feet tall and only broke the hundred pound mark by a pound or two.
“There you are! There you are!” she shouted. “Celeste, pull that truck into the garage. We’ll unload it in the morning. Gabe, Kendall, get your fannies in here and kiss your Grams.”
They both happily obliged.
Relieved to have the twelve-hour drive behind me, I took a few minutes to appreciate the beautiful surroundings. Quaint, impeccably-maintained houses lined the street and created a wonderful, small-town ambiance. I meandered to the garage and reached for the handle. Before I could give it a yank, a light appeared in my peripheral vision. I swiveled around to investigate. Above the neighbor’s oak tree flew a glowing ball of light. The unidentified orb couldn’t be a shooting star; it was too low to the ground. But it resembled one. I thought it was a small asteroid about to crash to earth — until it darted from one side to the other. Whatever this thing, it appeared to be alive. In an elaborate motion, it swooped down and buzzed past my head. I squeaked and covered my head with my arms. What the heck was this thing? I’d he
ard bugs in the South were big, but this was the size of a house cat! It swerved in again, this time close enough to brush against my hair. That garnered a squeal as I lurched to the ground in the fetal position. It whizzed past my head one final time. Then silence. Of course my brother had to pick that moment to appear.
“Whatcha doin’?” he asked. I actually heard the smirk in his voice.
“Big mutant lightning bug!” I yelled.
“Your courageous display must have scared it off, ’cause I don’t see anything,” he snickered. “But if you’re worried it’s going to come back for another vicious attack, I could pull the truck in. You can go hide inside.”
With my arms still shielding my head, I tossed him the keys and rushed inside.
“Whoa! Where’s the fire?” Grams asked as I flew in the door.
“Tennessee bugs are terrifying!” Safely inside, I relaxed and gave my beloved grandma a long awaited squeeze. “Hi, Grams.”
“Hi, baby. Don’t worry about the bugs here. They might be big as a Volkswagen, but they squish just the same. Now, come grab a plate. I ordered pizza.”
Grams’ heels clicked against the hardwood floors as I followed her to the living room. The pizza box waited for us on her glass-top coffee table. As soon as Gabe came back in, the three of us kids swarmed the tasty treat. We didn’t bother with the plates but gathered around the box to eat. Mom would never have let us get away with that. Grams just hung back, a safe distance from the feeding frenzy.
“Want a slice, Grams?” I asked between bites.
“No thanks, I already ate.”
“More for us,” Gabe muttered through a mouthful.
We were well on our way to consuming our individual body weights in the cheesy goodness when Grams rose from her leather recliner. The determined look in her eye should’ve been our first clue something was up, but she lured us into a false sense of security with food. Wiley minx.
“While you’re busy stuffing your faces and therefore can’t argue, let’s go over some ground rules for while you’re here.”
Our chewing slowed. Rules? At Grandma’s house? What kind of backward, twisted dimension had we slipped into?
“First, I am not your maid. As long as you are here, you will pick up after yourselves. Are we clear on that?”
Kendall didn’t hesitate. Her waist-length pony-tail bobbed as she nodded her agreement with enthusiasm.
Gabe snorted. “Yeah. Sure, Grams.”
I swatted at my big brother. Then gave him a pointed look as I stated, “It won’t be a problem, Grams.” I got an eyeroll from him in response.
“Good. Secondly, you need to know your Grams has a life. Like tonight, I had to skip my Salsa dancing class so I could be here when you arrived.” She wiggled her hips to demonstrate.
I quickly dropped my gaze to the table and tried not to visualize Grams Salsa dancing. Beside me, Gabe gagged on his pizza. The image must have crept in. Poor guy.
“That means I won’t be here to entertain you. I expect each of you to keep yourselves busy and out of trouble.”
“You don’t have to worry about me,” Keni declared, her ocean-blue eyes wide and eager like a happy, little puppy. She flipped her annoyingly perfect, golden hair over her shoulder. “I already looked online and found out when auditions for the Community Players production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof are. I would, like, die for the chance to play Maggie the Cat!”
“Good girl, Kendall.” Grams gushed and my sister beamed. Kendall wasn’t trying to be a suck-up. It came naturally. Grams’ gaze turned disapproving as she focused on Gabe. “What about you, young man? Your mother tells me that you have made no plans to go back to college after your little incident last year.”
I paused mid-chew. Grams just touched on a taboo topic. One that could make Gabe transform from playful jokester to snorting buffalo in an instant. He had been on a full-ride football scholarship at Michigan State University when our Dad died in an accident a year and a half ago. A few months later, he decided to cope with his mourning by indulging in a little underage drinking. The result was a DUI, the loss of his driver’s license, plus getting kicked out of school. His dreams destroyed, he moved back home. Since then if anyone even inquired about his future plans, he’d snap and a tirade would ensue.
So when Grams mentioned “the unmentionable,” I braced for yet another blow up. To my surprise, he just gave a noncommittal “Not yet.”
“Do you plan to get a job?” Grams pressed.
“Don’t know.” Gabe shrugged but didn’t look up from his pizza. I couldn’t tell if the tension in the room had actually reached a palpable level or if I was anxious it was about to.
Grams pursed her lips, clearly not happy with how this conversation was progressing. “How did you occupy your time back in Michigan?”
“Sports and stuff.”
“I see. And did you become a professional athlete with one of those million dollar contracts?”
“No,” he said with a sarcastic half-grin.
“Hmmmm. Guess you should probably get a job then, huh?” She raised her eyebrows, daring him to argue. Wisely, he did not.
“Probably,” he answered.
“I could talk to Will Burke for you.” Grams grabbed some napkins off the end table and passed them out. “He’s the athletic director at Gainesboro High. He might be able to find a coaching position for you.”
A spark of genuine interest lit up Gabe’s broad face. “That’d be great, Grams. I’d really like that.”
I marveled at this turn around. Maybe I wasn’t the only one that needed a fresh start in a new place.
“As for you.” Grams turned to me with narrow, pondering eyes. Her hands rested on her hips. “I know you have all the grace of a two-legged race horse, so what the heck do you do for fun?”
Ahh, nothing like the loving banter of family. Just gives me warm fuzzy feelings.
I pushed a strand of uncooperative brown hair behind my ear. “Until I head off to Rhodes in the fall, my plan is to sketch, veg, and basically give my pre-collegiate brain one last chance to be mush before it’s forced to study and actually learn stuff.”
Relaxation of any kind had been foreign in my life for a while now. After Dad died, I put my college plans on hold and concentrated on taking care of my family. Mom needed all the help she could get, so it hadn’t really been a choice. With time, things calmed down enough for Mom to begin prodding me to put the focus back on my education and my goal of becoming an art teacher. First, I wanted to have a nice, relaxing summer. Then rejoin the land of the living as a freshman at Rhodes College in Memphis. I couldn’t wait. Eighteen seemed a good age for my life to finally begin.
Pleased with how our “orientation speech” had gone, Grams plopped back down in her recliner. “Sounds good to me. You should head up to the clearing. You’ll find plenty to sketch up there.”
I wiped my face with my napkin to remove the remnants of the pizza slices I’d killed. “The clearing?”
Grams kicked up her foot rest and grabbed a gossip magazine off the end table. “Grandpa and I used to take you kids there when you were little, remember? Just outside of town, there’s that walking trail that leads into the mountains. You follow it up and you’ll find a clearing right next to a little brook. It really is lovely. I don’t know why I don’t go up there more often. Ooh, another celebrity baby bump watch! I love those.”
Gabe quirked his eyebrow in Grams’ direction and laughed. There was no question as to why Grams didn’t hike anymore. Grandpa was the outdoorsman, not her. When he passed, so did her hiking days. But I did remember our trips into the mountains and all the amazing things we saw. It would be the perfect place to find inspiration for my drawings.
“That’s a great idea, Grams,” I admitted. “I’ll definitely check it out.”
Grams set the magazine in her lap and folded her well-manicured hands over it. Her eyes crinkled with a warm smile as her gaze shifted from Kendall, to Gabe, and finally to me.
“Kids, I think this is gonna be a pretty unforgettable summer.”
Chapter 2
We spent the following morning unloading the truck and settling in. That lasted until early afternoon when Grams’ “stories” came on. Then we were kicked out of the house and told to go find our own fun. Gabe and Kendall set off with their own agendas. My plan had been to check out the trail and stretch my artistic muscles—until I saw the mess that my darling brother left me.
While Grams’ house was always neat and tidy, the garage held the truth of her pack rat tendencies. I hadn’t realized how tightly Gabe wedged the front of my truck in amidst the clutter until I attempted to back it out. The wheels of my S-10 moved back an inch and a landslide of knick knacks, boxes, and outdated furniture pelted down on my tiny truck.
Fan-freakin’-tastic.
I climbed out, shuffled my way through the mess, then stood back to survey the damage, turning my head to look at it from all angles.
“What on earth happened?” Grams exclaimed as she rushed out of the house. “Oh! Celeste! What the heck did you do?”
“Just thought I’d rearrange the garage by ramming my truck into stuff,” I grumbled.
Grams grimaced. “How bad is the damage?”
“I won’t know until I unbury it. But from the way that armoire is leaning, I’m guessing there’s going to be a nice dent in the side panel.”
“Let me go DVR my stories, and I’ll give you a hand.”
“No, that’s okay. Go back to your show. I caused the destruction; I can clean it up,” I said and gave myself a mental forehead smack.
If Gabe was home, I would’ve made him help. This was his fault. But he’d gone up to the high school to look into an assistant football coaching position Grams found out about. I would go it alone.
Another exasperated groan and I got started. I cleared a path to the armoire, righted it, and checked out the damage. Not too bad, just one dent where the corner of it impacted. I could live with that. I noticed a chunk of wood sticking out from under my tire and squatted down to investigate. A chair must’ve fallen in the avalanche and I backed over it. Shrapnel from the chair carnage impaled my tire. It was hissing its way flat. That I couldn’t live with.
The Conduit (The Gryphon Series Book 1) Page 1
