The Conduit (The Gryphon Series Book 1)

by Stacey Rourke

  “Good idea! What’s happening? Has he found him yet?”

  “I don’t know, Keni. I have to be able to focus.”

  “So focus already. What’s the hold up?”

  I opened my eyes and stared at her.

  Keni flipped her hair and huffed. “Oh. Well, I don’t need conditions to be perfect to use my power, but whatever. Focus away.” I rolled my eyes and tried again to channel him. I had just found Gabe’s essence and was about to open myself up to it…“Tsk, I broke a nail. It must’ve been when I sparred with Gabe. Craptastic.”

  The severity of this situation was lost on Kendall.

  “Why don’t you go inside and find a nail file?” I suggested through clenched teeth. “I’ll let you know as soon as I find out anything.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

  “Yes.”

  “At least you’re honest,” she said with a lift of her shoulder, and she hopped up to go in the house.

  Finally, I was able to get a lock on Gabe. The lion hungered for the kill. I found it comforting to be connected to him. It assured me he was safe. I stayed with him as he caught a whiff of another animal that made his carnivorous stomach grumble. I sensed his disappointment that it wasn’t the victim he longed for. Time passed. The lion hunted. His tension grew with every moment the panther failed to appear.

  “He’s getting frustrated,” I murmured to myself.

  “Why would he be frustrated?” Keni’s voice made me jump in my seat. I’d been so focused I didn’t know she’d come back out.

  “My best guess is that the panther isn’t taking the bait.”

  “Which means he could be anywhere.” Keni had been leaning up against the porch railing. In one graceful motion, she windmill kicked her long legs over the rail, then dashed off to do a quick scan of the area.

  “Don’t show your wings unless you have to,” I called after her. “We don’t want to scare the neighbors.”

  “Go in the house and lock the door until I get back!” I wasn’t used to taking orders from my little sister. Yet seeing as she had invincible feathers and I didn’t, it seemed like as good a time as any to start.

  Back in the house, I didn’t know what to do with myself. The Seeker could be anywhere. He could be watching me right now…

  Fear shivered through me. I snatched the remote from its resting place on the coffee table and clicked on the TV. I didn’t care in the slightest what was on but needed the noise to distract and sooth me. My fidgety hand clicked the channel up button incessantly.

  Flip.

  Flip.

  Flip.

  Flip.

  Flip.

  A pair of menacing cat eyes on the screen caught my attention. I stopped and backed up to the program. It was a documentary on the hunting style of predatory cats. A lion stalked a herd of wildebeests.

  “The fierce predator singles out the weakest member of the herd,” the narrator explained. “In this case, the baby.”

  The remote slide from my hand and clattered to the floor. The baby. Kendall!

  I raced for the door and flung it open. There stood Kendall in an unperturbed, unruffled state.

  “All clear. Whoa! Okay.” I grabbed her in a tight bear hug. “Everything ok, Cee? I was only gone for a minute.”

  “Yep. Just had myself a nice little panic attack.”

  “Planning on letting go of me any time soon?”

  “Nope. Gonna be a minute.” I squeezed her and took a few deep breaths. When my heart rate dropped and the ringing in ears stopped, I released her from my death grip. “Sorry.”

  “Quite all right.” She laughed and handed me a stack of envelopes. “Here, I got the mail. Now I need a drink of water. It’s like a hundred and fifty degrees out there.”

  I followed her into the kitchen, flipping through the mail as I walked. Somewhere in the middle of the stack was a plain, white envelope with “Kendall” scratched onto it. There was no return address or stamp. Someone hand delivered it to our mailbox. Fearing it might explode or release some terrible parasite, I dangled it between two fingers.

  “Recognize the handwriting?” I asked.

  Her forehead creased and her wings instinctively popped out, knocking over a dining room chair. “No.”

  With her indestructible wings curled around her, she took it from me and tore it open. Inside was a lone piece of notebook paper. No big kaboom or scary white powder.

  Whatever was written on the paper brought a new light to her face. Her wings retracted and her eyes sparkled. “It’s from Keith!”

  I expelled a sigh of relief. “What does it say?”

  “He wants to see me tonight at the library. He says we have a lot to talk about and he hopes I’ll meet him there at six. Oooh, and he misses me.” She hugged the note to her chest.

  I hated to be the bad guy, mostly because it meant I would have to listen to her whine, but I didn’t have a choice. “Keni, in the entire history of mankind, that is absolutely the worst idea ever. The Seeker could be anywhere. We have to stick together. You’re going to have to reschedule for a night when our lives aren’t in peril.”

  “I can’t!” she moaned. “If I blow him off tonight, he might not give me another chance! And with this new superhero thing, our lives are always going to be in peril! I have to go, Celeste! Pleeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzz!”

  Trying to reason logic against fifteen-year-old hormones—a losing battle if ever there was one. “What if you run into the Seeker while you’re with Keith? Do you actually want to risk him getting hurt?”

  “No, of course not. But we could make a deal,” she bargained. “You could keep spying on Gabe’s emotions. When you feel him get a lock on the panther and know everything is, like, all clear and stuff, I can go. If not, I’ll stay put.”

  I hated to make any kind of agreement with her; however, this did give me a workable excuse to use. “Okay, but if I can’t get a definite read off of Gabe, you stay here without any whining. Deal?”

  “Deal!” She gave me a quick squeeze then skipped across the kitchen toward the stairs.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I have to decide what to wear, duh!”

  “Yeah, there won’t be any whining at all when I tell her no. Right,” I grumbled to myself as she disappeared up the stairs.

  I had no intention of letting her step foot out of the house. But the girl could fly. There was only so much I could do to physically keep her here. My options were screaming, chasing after her, or dangling off her as she flew. My maturity must be a work in progress because I didn’t consider any of those things beneath me.

  To placate her and check in on the status of things, I went back outside to channel Gabe. His frustration remained the same. Just like before, I stayed locked on to him until the afternoon sun began to hang its weary head. The dusky sky meant six o’clock must be drawing near. The unpleasantness of telling Kendall “no” wasn’t far off. Yippee.

  Out of the blue, a jolt of adrenaline shot through me. Gabe was on the chase and after blood. He closed in for the kill. I could feel his desire to sink his teeth into the tender…

  Ok, gross. Quickly, I shut myself off from the Gabe-lion. Whatever he was about to do was going to be messy, gory, and gruesome. I really didn’t want to experience that with him.

  As if cued, Kendall danced out the front door. Up on point, she twirled an arabesque, her violet sundress fanning out around her. She ended in a deep curtsy, then flashed me her best angelic smile. “So, can I go?”

  “He’s in pursuit right now. But he hasn’t caught him yet. In no way is this even remotely close to settled.” I hoped her better judgment would finally show itself. No such luck.

  “He’s as good as caught!” Kendall relaxed her posture. “And we know right where the Seeker is now. So there’s no reason I can’t go. I’ll make it quick and be back before you even know I’m gone. Please, Celeste? I really will hurry back. I promise!”

  She fol
ded her hands to beg and pleaded with her eyes.

  As inopportune as her timing was, she did have a point. We knew right where the Seeker was. Gabe had him engaged in a bloody, toothy battle. If that changed, I would know. I could get down the street and around the corner to her quicker than the panther could get within threat range. As much as I hated to admit it, a short visit probably couldn’t hurt.

  “You have half an hour,” I stated. “After that, I won’t hesitate to find you and drag you home by your stupid, perfect hair. Understood?”

  “You’re the best, Cee!” she gushed then flitted down the stairs and pranced toward town.

  With her gone, I did my best to relax. I got myself a glass of sweet tea and returned to the porch to watch the sunset. I thought the picturesque scene would help calm my frazzled nerves. It failed tragically. As soon as I lost sight of Keni, I began to rethink my decision to let her go. I had put too much confidence in my new, untested, and therefore unreliable, ability. I glanced through the screen door at the wall clock inside. She had been gone for ten minutes. I would be true to my word. She had twenty minutes left, then I was going after her. I gazed back at the beautiful pink, purple, and gold shades that decorated the horizon and hoped for the best.

  It occurred to me that there was a simple solution to calm my tension. The icky parts between Gabe and the Seeker were most likely over. I just needed to tune back in. Once I felt Gabe’s sense of satisfaction, I would know it was safe and everything was okay. I closed my eyes and sought him out. What I found instead was deep disappointment and revisited frustration.

  Wait, what does that mean?

  I frantically calculated situations in my head that would lead him to those emotions. Only one made sense. The Seeker had gotten away. Panic shoved its way in, and I desperately tried to keep it at bay.

  That doesn’t mean Kendall’s in danger. I internally reasoned. Gabe saw the Seeker in the mountains. You have time. Get a grip, so you can calmly go get her.

  As I rose to do just that, the game drastically changed. I heard a door creak open and instinctively glanced up. My breath caught in my throat. Keith moseyed casually from his house to the garage. The same Keith that was supposed to be at the library with Kendall right then. My legs were already in motion while my brain tried to put the pieces together. I made it across the street in a flash and roughly grabbed the scrawny boy by his forearms.

  “What are you doing here?” I demanded.

  “I … I live here,” he stammered, his eyes as big as saucers.

  “You told Kendall to meet you at the library!” I screamed, terrified because I suspected what his response would be.

  “No … I … I didn’t.”

  Releasing the frightened boy, I spun and ran with every ounce of strength in my body.

  “Is she okay?” He yelled after me.

  No, she‘s not. And it’s my fault.

  CHAPTER 22

  My bare feet slapping against the blistering blacktop made each step more excruciating than the last. My lungs ached and I had a stitch in my side, yet I ran on. I had to.

  As I sprinted into town, I opened up my direct line to Gabe. I shoved my panicked, urgent feelings out to him. Please, please let him get here in time, I pleaded to the heavens.

  My foot found a pothole on Gore Avenue, and my ankle wrenched to the side. I caught myself with my hands as I fell. My ankle throbbed and my palms were bloody. I righted myself as quickly as I could and hobbled on.

  The library came into view, spurring me to limp-run even faster. My eyes scoured the yellow building for a glimpse of her. No movement, no people, nothing. They couldn’t be inside, the library closed at five.

  Evil, malignant beings don’t really care about closing times or locked doors, my inner voice corrected. If he wanted in, he got in.

  I yanked and shook the doors with all my might. They were padlocked with a thick, steel chain and determined not to budge. I cupped my hands around my eyes and looked inside. I saw nothing but books. If he took her somewhere else, I had no way to find her.

  Or do I?

  My chest tightened. Opening myself up to that, knowing there was nothing I could do to help her, would be agony. But I had to find her. I braced myself for the worst and reached out for her.

  Like a cold, hard fist ramming into my chest and squeezing my heart, her feelings came to me. She was terrified, fully believing that she was about to die. Tears sprang to my eyes and streaked down my cheeks.

  Try to concentrate. Where is she? I closed my eyes and focused.

  My head snapped back as her location revealed itself to me. They were three stories up on the roof, and the door in front of me was locked. I darted around the building, desperately searching for another way in. Finding a back door, I grasped the handle and shook. Nothing. No time to lose, I kept moving. I continued around the building, trying every door and window for some way to gain entry. I wound up back where I started, with nothing to show for my efforts.

  I glanced around frantically hoping to see Gabe or a three story ladder. Neither of those things magically appeared. There was nothing I could do to help her. I would be willing to trade my life for hers if I could just get to her. But I couldn’t. I reached out for Gabe, feeling a strong, steady confidence from him. He felt certain he would make it in time. A blood-curdling scream from above argued otherwise.

  “Kendall!” I shrieked. “Gabe’s coming! Just hold on!” I doubted she heard me, but I had to try.

  Her scream became a choked gurgle—then silence. I hunched forward, my fingernails digging into my face. I had to do something. In seconds, it would be too late.

  “In a manner of speaking, he can read your mind.” My psyche provided Alaina’s words when I needed them most. The Gryphon knew what I was thinking! Boy, did I have an earful for him.

  I know you can hear me, so listen up. You picked me to help you and to risk my life against all odds. But if Kendall dies, the deal is broken. I don’t care what my ancestors vowed to you, I make my own destiny. I will not lift a finger for you if you don’t help me keep my family safe. Do you hear me? Do you understand? If she dies, it’s YOUR fault and I AM OUT!

  I don’t know what it looked like when it happened. There were no witnesses that could later regale me with tales of my transformation. I do know what it felt like. If a rogue storm cloud had invaded the clear night sky and threw one bolt of lightning straight at me, the feeling would’ve been comparable. An intense, jarring energy jolted through my system. Every muscle in my body went rigid with the surge. My head flew back. My arms and legs locked straight out. I trembled and quaked; my stomach rolled at the intensity of it. Then I fell to the ground in a heap.

  I stayed slumped on the ground, deliberating over whether I was dead or not. It seemed dead would hurt, and I had no pain. As a matter of fact, I had never felt more alive. Sitting up, I gazed down at my hands and forearms. I turned them over and back again. They looked exactly the same. There was no outward sign of change. Yet, everything was different. The power was there, just below the surface. I could feel it.

  I rose from the ground on legs that were no longer clumsy or unsure. They pulsed with strength and unimaginable capacity. I peered up at the ledge of the rooftop and bounced on the balls of my feet. That was all it took. I rocketed through the air. The wind whistled past my ears. The library rushed by in a blur. Three stories, no waiting. I landed gracefully on the edge of the roof.

  I tarnished my spectacular entrance by letting slip a flabbergasted, “Whoa! Did you see that?! That was awesome!”

  I glanced around for someone to second my emotion. The grisly scene before me shocked me back to the matters at hand. Kendall was on her knees, her back pressed up against the clock tower, her hands tied behind her. In that position she couldn’t deploy her wings and shield herself, a fact I was certain the Seeker had exploited. Her attacker was in human form. His spiky black hair the same shade as the pelt of the panther. His skin the grey pallor of death. He glared at
me with frightening, solid black eyes. His hand was weaved into Kendall’s long blond hair, yanking her head to the side to expose her bloodied neck. Cutting into her flesh was a glossy, ebony claw that curled out from his index finger. Blood dotted the front of her violet dress, but she was alive.

  “Good.” he sneered. “The other sister has arrived. Now we can figure out which is the Conduit and which gets to die.”

  Logic told me I was no match for him. My body seemed to know otherwise. It eagerly anticipated the fight. Seeing Kendall’s terrified expression, I flicked a hint of the power I felt coursing through me at her. Her eyes widened, and a slow smile spread across her face. She peered up at her attacker.

  “You know,” she whispered. “I think you may be in trouble.”

  An enraged snarl ripped out of the Seeker. He released his hold on my sister and stalked toward me. “I don’t care who or what you are. You are a puny, insignificant being, and I would like to taste your blood. ” He spat the words at me as he morphed into the panther.

  “Here kitty, kitty,” I taunted and beckoned him with the curl of my finger.

  The panther charged across the roof, his teeth bared. I inwardly trembled but stood my ground. About five yards away, he pounced. He flew through the air at me claws first. To my own astonishment, I acted on instinct and sprang into the air. My mind reeled as I corkscrewed around to deliver a round-house kick straight out of Fight Club. My foot connected with his jaw in a bone-crushing collision.

  The wicked panther let out a yelp of pain as he skittered backward across the roof. I landed softly, and rushed at him. With wide, anxious eyes, he watched me come. His gigantic claws struggled to get traction on the cement roof as he retreated. To gain ground, he morphed into human form. His jaw hung at a cockeyed angle; my kick apparently unhinged one side. Gross.

  I put on the brakes as he approached the edge of the roof. He had nowhere to go. “You and I both know it’s over,” I stated. “Why don’t you step away from the edge and we’ll have a nice little chat about your demon buddies?”

  His face sagged in a sickening grin. “I know who you are. Believe me when I say there is nothing but pain coming for you.” With that, he did a reverse swan dive off the side of the building. I ran to the edge and watched in disbelief as he did a free fall toward the pavement. His arms and legs flailed until the moment when he exploded into a cloud of black smoke. It dissipated rapidly and left no trace of the black-eyed man.