Ascension (The Gryphon Series)

by Rourke, Stacey

  She didn’t need my added drama, her plate was already full. I bent down to dot a kiss to her forehead and scooped up the picture frame that lay in her lap. I knew the photo well. It was taken on our family trip to Disney World two years before Dad “died.” The smile it brought to my face was automatic … but short lived. Reality sucked the joy from my memory. Even then, as Dad hammed it up in a Goofy hat in front of the castle, he knew what was coming for us. Our fate had already been decided. Behind that silly smile was a man that passed up the chance to adamantly refuse this life for his kids. The Garrett blood line branched in other directions; he could’ve insisted they find someone else. Yet, he didn’t. That fact made all our memories of him a lie. I laid the picture on the end table face down; doubtful I would ever bring myself to look at it again.

  Physical and emotional exhaustion zapped what remained of my energy. I dragged my heavy feet toward the stairs. All I wanted was to crawl into bed and pretend this horrendous day never happened. Tomorrow everything would be just as it was. I would wake up to Keni snoring softly across the room. Alaina would be downstairs, trying to decipher the astounding magic that allowed the coffeemaker to know she wanted a cup precisely at eight a.m. Gabe’s biggest worry would be the baby bombshell he didn’t even know was coming. Alec and Caleb would still be gone, their return completely out of my control—which I now viewed as a blissful state of ineptitude on my part. And Dad? He would still be dead in the traditional sense of the word. Yesterday was a simpler time. Oh, how I missed it.

  At the top of the stairs I paused and cast a curious gaze toward my closed bedroom door. Soft musical cords drifted down the hall, coming from my room. A spark of hope rejuvenated my depleted energy.

  “Keni?” I gasped, my voice rising to an excited giggle.

  I sprinted the last few paces and threw open the door to find … nothing. In her rush to finish primping, Keni must’ve forgotten to turn off her iPod. Sadness seeped back in to drown my fleeting joy. I filled my lungs to capacity and exhaled a slow, shaky breath through puckered lips.

  “I didn’t know her iPod could play anything besides Katy Perry,” I muttered as I crossed the room to shut it off.

  Only then did I really hear the song. My hand hovered over the pause button, but hesitated as the music strummed a familiar chord on my battered heart.

  The song, by Flogging Molly, was a haunting ballad about leaving this world. I’d heard it once before, but not by the original artists. It was at an Irish pub called Mulligans where I watched Caleb belt these same lyrics to a robustly receptive audience. I closed my eyes and allowed myself the torturous bliss of picturing him. Ebony hair falling in his eyes. Sweat dripping from his brow. His deep dimple dipping in as he smiled my way and sang a verse meant just for me. I squeezed my eyes shut to linger in that moment and clicked the music off. Silence enveloped me and hushed my screaming emotions.

  Seeking a reprieve from this awful day, I opted out of changing out of my Council appointed attire and fell into bed. I sat up long enough to click off the light before flopping back down … right on to something small and crinkly. With an exasperated groan I rolled yet again to switch the light back on. Propped on my pillow, like a pretty—if now slightly bent—present, sat a scroll tied in a red silk ribbon. Experience had taught me this was far from a gift. Most likely it would contain some foreboding message that would warn of a big, nasty coming for me. Of course the wording would remain cryptic enough to miss the mark of being remotely helpful.

  My head fell back as I hollered at the ceiling, “I’m getting real tired of your crap, Today!”

  I toyed with idea of ignoring the scroll. I could tuck it in my nightstand and consider it lost in transit until morning. Even as I untied the ribbon and unrolled the thick paper, I knew that would be the more desirable option. But, I’m the Conduit. Few things in my job description fall into the category of “desirable.” With one last longing look at my beckoning pillow, I sighed and gazed down at the inked message.

  The time for secrets has passed. To prepare for the end, you must know the beginning. Use the discus. Call on ‘Audrina’.

  “Surprisingly straight forward,” I marveled as I dug it from the front pocket of my shorts where it warmed a spot against my hip. It may not have been the best idea to take it to the Spirit Plane, but with all the unanswered questions about it there was no way I was going to leave it unsupervised.

  My palm dampened with sweat as I held the discus: shifting it, weighing it, considering it. Whatever secret this glass object held was huge, big enough that I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to know, but the time for trepidation had passed. With my heart jackhammering in my chest, I raised it about an inch from my mouth. I moistened my dry lips before whispering, “Audrina.”

  Gold shimmering light exploded, taking up every square inch of the room. Reality became nothing more than the faint backdrop of a whole new world. Golden particles bonded together to recreate a majestic oasis untouched by modern man. Within the haze formed habitats of rock and clay surrounded by lush landscapes.

  Grasping the discus tightly, I rose from my bed. As real as if it were happening right before me, I heard a child’s peal of laughter accompanied by thundering hoof beats.

  “Holy crap, I’m in Narnia,” I gasped as a family of half-human/half-horse centaurs galloped into view. The first over the crest of the hill was a palomino stallion whose skin and coat were a deep shade of bronze. Platinum locks glistened in the sun as he flipped his head, giving me a glimpse of features so perfectly chiseled even Hollywood would swoon. Trotting up behind him came a beautiful strawberry roan mare. Long, auburn waves bounced from her shoulders with each stride. A beaming smile warmed her lovely face as her foal ducked and weaved between her legs. The baby’s hair perfectly matched her mother’s, but her heart-shaped mouth she got from her father. Her human arms and equine legs were still plump with the adorable chubbiness of the toddler phase.

  Their laughter rang through the valley as they raced toward the small row of makeshift homes. The stallion’s ears perked at a rustling in the grass just a few paces away. With no alarm or hesitation, he trotted over to investigate. I rose on my tiptoes to get a better vantage point. The hologram-like figure bent down and pushed the tall weeds aside. There, nestled in a bed of orange and purple wildflowers, lay a baby gryphon. Its wide yellow eyes blinked into the bright sunlight. Its down-covered head cowered into a fuzzy shoulder at the strange new creature towering over it. Familiarity lassoed the core of me and gave a firm tug. A slow smile spread across my face. Even in this alternate world the bond was a tangible entity all its own. That wasn’t just any gryphon. He was mine.

  The stallion bent his front leg to allow himself the motion needed to lower to the frightened Gryphon. Cautiously, he offered the back of his hand. Gryphon’s hooked little beak twitched as he sniffed. Whatever he smelled gave him the confidence to rub the top of his head against his new friend’s hand. The centaur chuckled and eased the cub into his arms. Gryphon, the future Protector of the Divine, fit perfectly in the cradle of the stallion’s strong arms.

  Brush snapped under the stallion’s hooves as he trudged back to his family. His cherub-faced foal pranced to his side to peek over her daddy’s arm. He crouched enough for her to reach one arm up and stroke Gryphon’s silky soft wing. There was something familiar about this lovely little girl with her eyes the color of warm molasses … yet, whatever it was skirted along the shadows of a memory and prevented me from pinpointing it. Gryphon nuzzled into her hand and purred softly. She tipped her face up to her father, happiness beaming from her grin made even more adorable by the freckles that decorated the tops of her cheeks.

  Truth emerged from the shadows and pulled back its cloak to reveal its horribly rotten, festered reality. I’d witnessed that smile before, but only after years of malice and wicked scheming had jaded it.

  “The Countess,” I murmured to the ghostly images oblivious of my presence.

  “Can we keep it, D
addy?” my mortal nemesis begged with big puppy dog eyes.

  Her mother and father exchanged a look. Dad’s eyebrows raised in question as Mom’s face folded in a concerned scowl.

  “We know nothing of this beast or if it is friend to our kind.” The mare’s hooves pawed at the ground as she fretted.

  “He’s a helpless baby.” The stallion cocked his head and cooed at the bundle in his arms. “We can’t leave him alone to die. What kind of example would that set for Audrina?”

  Audrina? What a beautiful name for someone so vile.

  “He can sleep on my mat!” Audrina bounced on her front legs then pulled back in a tiny rear. Her hooves clacked against each other as she wobbled and almost went over backward. The mare caught and steadied her rambunctious youth.

  The swell of their laughter trailed off as the fantastical world shattered into crystals that whirled around, over and through me in a glittery tornado. Amidst the swirls came glimpses of history. Audrina and Gryphon as children, running through a field of wild flowers. Gryphon ducked down to playfully stalk his friend, completely unaware that his long tail swished high above the reeds. Audrina clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. He took that as his cue and pounced. The two rolled across the ground together; Audrina laughing until her cheeks bloomed bright pink, Gryphon’s head bobbing in an avian chuckle.

  The moment faded and made way for the next: a subdued evening with the two cuddled together on a sleeping mat. Auburn curls fanned across tawny fur as her head rested on his midsection. His feline body curled protectively around her. Audrina twirled the tip of Gryphon’s tail between her fingers until her blinks grew longer and sleep took hold.

  Time zoomed forward to the adolescent years. Side by side the same two sat, talking as the sun set over a gently rippling lake. Gryphon’s fuzzy down was patchy, revealing peeks of the sleek adult feathers beneath. I giggled to myself, sincerely hoping he filled out quick because his head looked way too big for his long, lanky frame. Audrina, on the other hand, had ripened from her girlish figure to womanly curves. She leaned her head against his shoulder, making it clear to me that time had passed but their friendship held strong.

  My hair danced in the whispering touch of the swirling crystals as the scene flickered once more. This time it settled on a wide view of the village. A herd of at least two dozen centaurs grazed across the lush green hillside. Foals galloped up and down the hill, nipping at each other and flipping their heads in a way that was more equine than human. Round bellied mares lounged against rocks outside their huts, sewing sleeping mats for their expected foals. Off to the side, Audrina chattered away as she plucked berries from a bush and deposited them into a deep clay bowl.

  I ducked my head to peer closer at the full grown Gryphon beside her. Red veins protruded angrily from sunken gold eyes. His gaunt face rested on his paws as he stared vacantly at the berries. I could count every rib that protruded from his hollow sides.

  “Eagle and lion.” I shook my head as the sad reality set in. “He’s a carnivore. He starved himself and denied his instincts to adopt their lifestyle.”

  Then, as if my words reminded Fate of the wicked card she held, it happened. One of the pregnant mares pricked her finger on her sewing quill. Blood streamed down her hand and dripped into the dirt below. Gryphon’s head slowly rose from the ground. He sniffed the air once … then a second time … long and slow, as if intoxicated by the aroma. A low growl leaked from his throat. Slit pupils dilated to pools of black.

  A chill skittered up my spine, causing a rash of goosebumps to spread over my arms. “Oh no.”

  There are no words for the horror that followed. The pregnant mare was first, but nowhere near the last. Her panicked screams alerted the stallions. They galloped over, desperate to pry the bloodlust enraged Gryphon from their mares. With a slash of his claws or snap of his beak, he turned each of their heroic attempts into martyrdom. Men, women, even children fell victim to his insatiable hunger. Only when the last body fell did he still. With a spastic jerk he snapped from the crimson flowing haze and gazed at the horror he’d caused.

  I didn’t know if it was our bond or my own reflecting, but I could feel the gnawing ache of his guilt as if it were my own. He was meant to protect them, and instead became their executioner. The blame was the same as that I bore for Alec … and Sophia. I knew the self-loathing brewing in him as he stared at his bloody paws, because I wrestled with it myself.

  A muted whimper snapped my and the Gryphon’s heads around. There, hunkering in the very spot he’d left her, cowered a terrified Audrina. Tears streamed down her face. Her whole body quaked, yet she pressed her lips firmly together to prevent another squeak from escaping.

  Regret sunk his head as he cautiously stepped toward her. She visibly tensed, no doubt preparing for the end she feared had come. He stretched his neck out, offering his beak in friendship. Just as the sharp yellow hook brushed her arm, she jerked in a sharp recoil. A choked sob tore from her throat as she frantically crab crawled away from him. Only then did he—and I—see why. Streaked down her arm, right where his beak touched, was a smear of blood … accompanied by a lock of auburn hair.

  “No.” My eyes filled with tears and I shook my head as if I could somehow will this away.

  Avian eyes widened as Gryphon spun, then reeled back in shock.

  They were at the top of the heap. Possibly even his last two kills. The strawberry roan sprawled lifeless over the palomino stallion.

  His knees buckled and threatened to fail him. Devastation clouded his features. His beak opened and shut without a sound leaking out. With a stumbling side-step, he lurched toward his former friend. “What have I … I didn’t mean to … Audri—”

  “No!” Behind him, Audrina rose up on wobbly legs. Emotions swirled across her face until the most powerful of them took hold … rage. It sharpened her gaze to deadly steel. Madness staked its claim in her deep enough to burn on for centuries through various planes of existence. “You shall never again speak my name. The girl you knew, the one that loved you, died today. You killed her along with everyone else that ever mattered. They were my world and you reduced them to nothing but a pile of meat! For that, I will see you suffer!”

  Gryphon craned his neck to face her. His face crumbled in grief.

  With one hoof she pawed at the ground—challenging him. “A beast that could kill those he loved so easily has no soul!” she spat. “But I promise you this, I will sell my own if that’s what if takes to kill you.”

  He nodded his head with resolute sadness, as if accepting her reaction as just. “You deserved a life in a palace filled with beauty. A Count for a husband that would dote on your every whim, be it expensive shawls or those berries and cream you adore so much.” He fought through his own anguish to get the words out. More than once, his deep gravel voice broke with emotion. “Because of me all you have now is a heart full of pain … and hate.” He bent his front legs and bowed before her, offering his head that she so desperately wanted on a spike. “Strike true, my sweet Countess, and may you find peace in my death.”

  She stared down at her former friend with death radiating from her glare. Yet … she hesitated. A rogue tear streaked over her freckled cheek. I had a sneaking suspicion it was caused by the ache she felt for her childhood friend. The last being left for her to take refuge in…

  She physically shook off her melancholy with an equine flip of her head. Rearing up on powerful legs, she screamed a pained cry at the late day sun, then lowered her head and charged. Three galloping strides in, she abruptly pulled up short. Grass and rock kicked up under her skittering hooves. It wasn’t better judgment that halted her charge, but a wall of ivory feathers.

  Four tanned and toned chests glistened with their own inner light as the Council’s shirtless henchmen stood firm and arched their wings up high behind them.

  The Countess fumbled over her feet. A shocked gasp sneaking past her gaping lips. “A … angels?”

  “No
t quite.” Out from behind the shirtless entourage strode the Grand Councilwoman. Youth had done nothing to relax her pinched features. Yet, she was brazen enough to show a risqué peek of ankle from beneath the bottom hem of her ebony gown. “However, we do answer to the same side, and that side has special plans for this one.” She gave a curt nod in the direction of the splayed out Gryphon. “Therefore, I can’t allow you to harm him.”

  “If your cause is a noble one you must know what he’s done!” The Countess’s almond shaped eyes darted from one crony to the next, scanning for a weak spot to break through. “The crimes that he must answer for!”

  “Indeed, I do.” The Grand Councilwoman sauntered over to Gryphon’s side. He hadn’t moved, but his alert gaze was fixed on the new arrivals. If the gore splashed across his beak gave her pause, she didn’t show it. She placed her hand under his beak and tilted his head up in one direction then the other to inspect him. “You are what is known as a Protector of the Divine—a title that will mean a great deal more once your training begins. All you need to know is that each Divinity Guard, such as yourself, is sent to live among mortals for a spell. After all, it’s not merely divine artifacts you will protect, but also the most divine object of all … the mortal spirit. You were meant to familiarize yourself with them and to interact, which you did beautifully. However, that is not the lone point of this exercise. You also were to face your greatest temptation.” She released his beak and wiped the blood smear that remained on her palm on her feathered skirt. “Gryphons have only one natural born enemy. One animal whose blood can awaken the beast within him …”

  “Horses,” I rasped, as bile rose in my throat. “That’s why they aren’t allowed on The Spirit Plane.”