Ascension (The Gryphon Series) (16 page)

“We’re gonna lose more that same way
if we don’t do something fast, lass!” Rowan’s scream snapped me from my stunned reverie.

Between
thrashing bodies I caught a flash of red at the south end of the field as I rose to my feet. “
Gabe
! What’s that?” 

“
Equipmmmmmment sssssssstorage,” my lion rumbled then sank his teeth into a mole that made the mistake of lunging for his face. Black wetness dripped from Gabe’s twitching muzzle as he reduced the beast to ooze.

“It have a back exit?”
Rowan’s hands linked with mine. He flung me around, adding a helpful boost to my high-kick that knocked a towering mole-man tumbling back into the hole it had emerged from.

Gabe
’s tawny mane shook as he jerked his head in confirmation. “Alaaaaaina in theeeerrrrrre. Ssssssaaaave herrrrr.”

“I’m hoping I’ll save us all,
” I muttered, mostly to myself.

I searched the field for any
handy Glee Clubbers. Overhead the twins circled in lizard form and unleashed a bloody fury on new moles that tunneled from the ground.

I waved my arms over my head until I caught their attention.
“Get Red and get to the barn.
Now
!”

A rol
l of their necks switched their direction. They soared off, emitting a high-pitched call that echoed through the night.

Rowan
’s back slammed into mine as he stumbled out of slashing distance of a mole claw. “What are you cookin’ up in that pretty little head of yours?”

“I need you to make me irresistible to them.
All
of them.”

“
Are you out of your head
?” He caught a charging mini-mole in a reverse head-lock and snapped its neck. “There’s too many. I’m not gonna help you kill yourself. ”

I
spun around to send a mole flying with a potent back kick, locking eyes with Rowan in the process. “Row, I need you to trust me. Give me a five second head start and
do it
!”

Doubt and fear swirled in the depths of
his eyes, but reluctantly he nodded. I took a second to mouth the words ‘thank you’ before tearing off. I pumped my arms, but fought to maintain a human speed. Past my lion sentry. Past Terin and Red’s sporadic blazing land mines. Past the exhausted football players fighting for their lives. I wanted to help them all and this was the only way I could think of to do it. Mentally, I counted Rowan’s instructed lag time.

One Mississippi.

Two Mississippi.

Three Mississippi.

Four Mississippi.

Five.

I risked a glance back. The effects took hold before my eyes.
Every last mole-beast gazed after me with visible need twitching their slobbery muzzles. They moved slow at first, their speed quickly building as they rushed after me with the combined force of a shore bound tsunami.

“
Not your best idea, Garrett
!” I screamed at myself as I sprinted for the barn.

Alaina
peeked out the sliding barn door as the thundering footfalls closed in.

“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,” o
ne 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 m
uster 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 t
he 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 t
ried 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 p
rickles 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 over
the discus …”

Grams folded her arms over her chest and p
ursed 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 w
itnessed 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 a
nd 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 hi
s 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.”

“Al
l 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 auto
matic 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.

Gr
ey 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.