The Conduit (Gryphon Series) (26 page)

“That’s a dragon! He turned into a dragon!” Kendall squealed and wrapped her wings around herself. “No one said anything about dragons! I don’t do reptiles! And dragons just plain suck!”

As freaked out as I was, I really didn’t want my shield to fly away. “Yeah, but as dragons go, he doesn’t look that big!”

The dragon snorted out a malicious chuckle. Then, as if to deliberately prove me wrong, began to rise up out of the pit. Up and up and up until all we could see before us was a wall of rutted, deep olive scales. His head brushed the ceiling of the lofty theater as he towered over us. No denying it—he fit into the category of massively, undisputedly gigantic. Kendall was right
. Dragons do suck.

The immense lizard swerved his lo
wer body slightly. A long, whip-like tail, complete with flesh-impaling spikes, swung at us. I grabbed the back of Alec’s shirt and pulled him along as we dove to safety.

“He’s pretty friggin’ big, Cee!” Kendall snapped at me.

“Size doesn’t mean anything! The bigger they are…” My sentence got interrupted by the dragon belching flames at us. “…the larger the flames they spit! Kendall shield!”

Kendall leapt in front of us, her wings our umbrella of protection. I watched her face as the flames cascaded over her. She didn’t seem to be in pain, but the exertion from the force of the erupting fire took its toll. I grabbed her upper arms to help support her. Her eyes met mine, but all she could manage was a brief nod.

Noticing that his wrath was being diverted, Barnabus stopped. Kendall didn’t budge from where she was anchored, anticipating his next strike.

“Pretty birdie,
” Barnabus growled. His voice morphed into the satanic hiss Grams mentioned. With one jagged claw, he pointed at Kendall. He slowly raised his finger. At the same time, Kendall’s feet left the ground. By her shocked, wide eyes, I knew this flight schedule had not been on her itinerary. Barnabus circled his extended digit, and Kendall spun around to face him. “Now move!” He demanded and flicked his finger. Kendall flew through the air, forcefully colliding with the wall. Had her wings hit first, she would’ve been fine, but she hit head first. I watched in dismay as she slid down into a heap on the floor.

“That’s better,” Barnabus hissed. In a swift
, fluid motion, he ducked around us. His enormous body curled around the stage and blocked the exit. “You must be as dim as the Gryphon. It was so easy to lure you here. I just needed the right bait.” His claws closed around a stunned Alec.“Hellooo, Bait!”

“
No
!” I screamed as his grasp tightened.

“You never told me just how you feel about this boy,” Barnabus said in his malicious purr. He stood to his full height, his captor in tow. “Do you love him? A crush, perhaps?
Or, maybe just a naughty lusting? What is it?”

I was speechless. My earlier sarcasm completely silenced by my panic and terror. It was my job—no, my calling—to stop this from happening. But my emotions had me petrified into immobility.

Barnabus’ eyes twinkled with joyous evil. “What seems to be the matter child? Do you not yet know how deeply your feelings for him lie? Well, it is my experience that the saying is very much true.” With his free hand Barnabus placed one dagger-like talon directly under Alec’s chin. Alec whimpered. “You never know what you have until it’s gone.”

Alec let out a blood curdling scream as the gargantuan beast slowly and methodically dug its claw into his tender flesh. Blood rained down and pooled on the stage at my feet.

CHAPTER 31

My head swam. Alec’s agonized screams were cut off as blood spewed out of his mouth and over his lips. The magnitude of the horrific events before me reduced me to a paralyzed lump. Thankfully, Gabe sprang into action. He soared through the air. Teeth barred. Claws readied. As our chestnut-maned lion latched on to Barnabus’ hand, he became a ferocious blur, biting and slashing with vengeful vigor.

Barnabus let out a pained holler and dropped Alec, who fell to the ground with a sickening thud. He lay stil
l. I hoped he passed out in mid-trauma and not that the rescue came too late. Barnabus turned his full attention to Gabe and tried to shake off the enraged cat. The sight of Alec’s body lying there like a discarded toy made me snap to. I took advantage of the diversion and quickly hooked my arms under his armpits to drag him outside. I made a conscious effort not to look at the gaping hole in his head or the blood that covered him and left a trail behind us. Going with the superhero stereotype, I wasn’t supposed to puke or pass out in the face of adversity. Right now those were both very strong possibilities.

Through the darkened backstage and out the exit into the cool, crisp night air we went. As soon as I got him outside
, I checked for his pulse. I had to know for sure if my failure to act cost him his life. Scared to see if his face had been reduced to hamburger, I opted for his wrist. Even that was covered with warm stickiness from the blood that seeped everywhere. The drumming through his veins was weak but steady. He desperately needed medical attention or for Kendall to heal him. I would personally see to it that he got one, if not both of those things. Just as soon as I took care of the three-story reptile that desperately needed a butt kickin’. I sprinted back to rejoin the battle.

Back in the theater
, Barnabus whipped his spiked tail across the stage at Gabe, fixated on impaling him. The lion’s fur was visibly wet with sweat as he darted, leaped, crouched, or dived to avoid each lash.

“Hey, Lizard Breath!” I yelled. “Don’t tire yourself out before you and I get a chance to dance!”

The head of the massive dragon swung toward me. “You’re absolutely right. I should not be wasting my time on this flea-ridden pest.”

The villainous dragon stomped at me. The floor vibrated under my feet. Gabe—my sentry—ran to position himself between Barnabus and me. That lethal tail swung again.

“
Gabe! Look out!
” I screamed.

He turned back to face our enemy, his timing truly tragic. A barb from Barnabus’ tail caught him in the chest. The air left his lungs in a heaved gasp. Then he tumbled through the air, caught up in the momentum from the lashing. The defeated lion soared off the stage and shattered two rows of theater seats into kindling as he crashed.

“Would you look at that,” Barnabus tsked, curling his tail up in front of his face. “I ripped off a spike when I slaughtered your meat sack of a brother. What an annoying travesty.”

Barnabus’ goading probably would’ve been more effective if I hadn’t taken that moment to notice that Kendall was no longer lying where she collapsed. I didn’t spot her, but I knew she was back in play.

Barnabus misread my silence as mourning and grinned wickedly. “I feel generous, so I’ll give you a choice. I can kill you quickly and savagely or slowly and painfully. Which shall it be?”

I coated my voice with heavy despair in a performance that would’ve made Kendall proud. “You’ve slaughtered my entire family. Please, have mercy and make my death quick.”

“So be it,” he said with a satisfied smirk, then lunged.

His teeth, hungry for a taste, snapped as he neared. I stood firm. The ugly face of the dragon turned sideways
; his mouth opened wide. He intended to snap me in two. Hot, rank breath assaulted my nose as his jaws encased me. A split second before he could chomp down, I jumped and wedged my arms and legs against the insides of his mouth. He tried to bite down, but I pushed back with all the force I could muster. My right hand and foot dug into the bumpy ridges of the roof of his mouth. A thick layer of gooey saliva squished between my fingers. Unfortunately, that was still the more pleasant side. My left hand and foot got the distinct displeasure of being mashed into his moist, wriggling, sandpaper tongue.

The life of a superhero. Glamorous, no?

I succeeded in catching Barnabus off guard. He spastically flung his head but couldn’t dislodge me from his mouth. I was stuck like a rogue popcorn kernel. The initial surprise wore off, and he became eerily still. A low chuckle rumbled up from his throat, accompanied by the smell of sulfur. I gaped directly down the gullet of the beast. Red and orange flames tore up his throat. I was about to be charbroiled.

Hmmm…I really should’ve seen that coming.

No time to dwell on my lack of foresight, I anchored my right hand and left foot then shifted the opposite limbs. Now both my hands were on his upper jaw. With the temperature rising by the second I latched onto his razor-sharp teeth. Blood ran down my arms as my palms sliced open, but I held fast. As the scorching flames came rushing at me, I pushed off with the balls of my feet. The dragon’s spongy tongue worked as my spring board to flip myself up and out of the way. I landed straddling his snout.

“Get off my nose you nit!” he bellowed as he shook his head.

“No can do, Barney!” As boldly as I declared it, this comment was nothing but empty bluffing. With no history as a bull rider I was completely unprepared for the bucking and rearing Barnabus unleashed. Needless to say, I didn’t stay on the full eight seconds. I careened through the air, the wind whistling past me.

With ease I tucked and rolled to absorb the impact of the fall. I landed behind the stage curtain and scanned the area for some kind of weapon. The only potential prospect was an American flag hung on a thick pole in the corner.

“I hope this doesn’t make me a bad American, but it’s for the good of the people,” I rationalized as I pulled the sturdy pole out of its resting place and snapped it in two over my leg. The bottom half splintered into a perfect makeshift spear.

From the direction of the stage came the ominous, rumbling voice, “Where did you go
, girl? Did you finally come to your senses and run?”

My new weapon in hand, I marched back out onto the stage. “Don’t bet on that happening!”

A quizzical expression played across Barnabus’ face, and my own, as we both took stock of my self-deprecating comment. That moment was fleeting once my enemy noticed I was wielding a sharp stick. His lizard lips curled up into what resembled a smirk. “A stick? That is your weapon of choice? What do you plan to do with that? Pick my teeth?”

I tossed the wooden lance back and forth between my hands. “Actually I was thinking of ramming it through your heart. How’s that sound?”

The dragon lowered its head to my level. I readied my stick for a possible strike. “Do you really think you could do it, child? Take a life? That is a huge burden to bear. I have to say.” His reptilian eyes shifted to give me a paltry once over. “I just don’t think you have it in you.”

I glared up at him. “I really hate it when people underestimate me.”

He hissed out a laugh then stood up to his full height. His massive head craned toward me as he spread his oddly-sized dino-arms wide. “By all means, go ahead. Prove that you are nothing but a lowly killer, just…like…me.”

Any other person in that position may’ve taken a moment to consider what he had just said. The ramifications of the act. If it meant they were evil too. Blah, blah, blah. The only thing I considered was that the ancient, demonic being just gave me a free shot. I didn’t hesitate. I leapt into the air and landed on his midsection. Bracing myself to his chest with my knees, I reared back and used both hands to plunge the spike into him. The pole splintered into thousands of tiny toothpicks in my hands, but failed to even scratch his thick hide.

Barnabus roared with laughter. “Did you really think I would make it I that easy for you?”

“I’m not going to lie, Barns. I was really hoping.”

“And the vigor you attacked me with! That was impressive! You didn’t even hesitate! You truly are a fighter. It is almost a pity I’m going to exterminate you.”

That last comment made me very aware of my proximity to the enemy. I pushed off with my legs and flipped gracefully backward. T
he giant reptile caught me, mid-backflip, in his crusty, scaly hand.

“Don’t run off pigeon,” he purred in that disturbing growl. “I have big
plans for us.” His grip crushed as he squeezed me. I tried to push back against him to no avail. As the pressure of his grasp increased, my breath caught in my throat. A searing pain in my side signaled that my recently mended rib cracked again. Black spots danced before my eyes. My consciousness threatened to give.