The Conduit

by Stacey Rourke

CHAPTER 29

  Bypassing the fancy, arched entrance of the theater, we crept through the trees and brush to the rear door. It was nothing more than a service entrance, which I automatically assumed would be locked.

  “Do we kick it in?” I asked.

  “Before we destroy property and stuff, maybe we could check to see if it’s unlocked,” Kendall replied. Gabe snorted and nodded.

  I held my breath as I tried the door. It opened easily and without setting off any blaring alarms. I started to expel a sigh of relief when Gabe gave a low growl beside me. “What?”

  “Unnn-lllokked,” he grumbled in his menacing vibrato.

  I stared into the pitch black doorway that gave away no clues as to the building’s contents. “Maybe we’re not as unexpected as we hoped.”

  Gabe pushed past me and led the way into the darkness. If the gigantic lion with razor sharp teeth wanted to lead the way, I was totally okay with that. I followed close behind him. Keni brought up the rear. Gabe’s slow, shuffle-footed steps told me even his feline night vision was being put to the test against the thick, heavy darkness. With no hint of light anywhere, I didn’t realize he stopped moving until I smacked into him.

  “Ooof!”

  “Ssshhhhh!” Kendall shushed in my ear.

  “Heeeerrrrrre,” Gabe rumbled.

  Something lay up ahead that only he could see. To get up to his line of sight, I placed one hand on his back and followed by touch up to his head. I grabbed Kendall’s hand to drag her along with me. A sliver of light shined through a gap in the heavy stage curtain.

  “The footlights are on,” Keni whispered.

  It was the middle of the night, the backdoor was unlocked, and the lights were on. Combine that with the fact that it was off-season for the campus, and there was only one answer. Barnabus had lured us right where he wanted us.

  “It’s a trap.” My mind clicked away at what our next move should be. Barnabus staged every element. He certainly had to know we were there. Fighting under his terms would give him yet another advantage. Running suddenly didn’t seem like such a bad idea as long as we could snatch Alec first.

  Still worried about the possibility of facing an entire army, I crept toward the curtain. I cautiously peeked around the heavy fabric. My vantage point allowed me to see more than half of the theater and the entire stage. It was empty. The space out of my view wouldn’t accommodate a horde of people. But Barnabus might be there.

  I turned back to Gabe and Keni. “His army isn’t here.”

  “So what do we do?” Kendall leaned in so I could hear her hushed tone.

  “The odds are not in our favor.” My skin prickled with anxiety. “I say we find Alec and then run like heck. If we can get Barnabus on our turf, we can give ourselves an edge.”

  “Back to the mountains?” Kendall asked.

  I nodded even though she couldn’t see it. “We’ve been spending so much time there, we know the area. And we don’t have to worry about innocent people getting hurt.”

  “Hooowww?” Growled Gabe.

  “We’ll just have to watch each other’s backs like we did with the fog monsters. Keep our eyes open and our feet moving. What do you think?”

  “Let’s do it.” A rush of air indicated Keni had expanded her wings out wide behind her.

  Gabe snarled his agreement.

  My heart thudded in my chest as I spun toward the lights. I replaced my trepidation with determination as my foot touched the polished wood stage. Speed and tenacity was key if this was going to work. With Gabe and Kendall behind me, I approached the center of the stage, scanning every inch of the theater. I saw nothing but rows and rows of empty seats. Even my former blind spot sat vacant.

  My spine tingled as my eyes fell on the orchestra pit directly in front of the stage. As outward appearances go, it was a perfect hiding spot. But that wasn’t why my skin suddenly crawled. There was something down there. I knew it. Something lurked in the deep shadows of the brick cavity. I slunk in the direction of it, crouching low as I approached. Mere steps from the edge, I saw a flutter of movement. I froze. My hands balled into fists so tightly my nails dug into my palms.

  Out of the blackness shot a hand that clawed desperately at the brick wall. My heart skipped a beat and my bladder threatened to fail. Another hand hurriedly followed suit. The battered and scraped hands found an edge to latch onto and held tight. Disheveled, strawberry-blonde hair, streaked with blood, briefly appeared, then vanished as he lost his hold.

  “Alec!” I fell to my knees to extend my hand down to him. “Give me your hand!” I glanced over my shoulder at my sister. “Kendall, help me pull him out!”

  “What the heck do you need my help for?” She questioned as if I had somehow forgotten my own abilities.

  “One second, Alec! We’re going to get you out!” I spun on my momentarily dense sister. Through my teeth, I hissed, “As far as he knows, I’m just a normal girl that cannot lift a grown man with one hand, remember? So, help me.”

  “Oh! Right!” She agreed and crossed the stage toward me.

  The large paw of a jungle cat blocked her way. Gabe jerked his head in the direction of her wings. Catching his meaning, she swiftly drew them in. As she came to kneel beside me, Gabe-lion slunk back behind the thick curtain. That was for the best. The last thing we needed right then was his appearance to startle an unsuspecting Alec.

  Kendall and I reached down for our friend. With the lights on the stage and none in the pit, it was impossible to see exactly where Alec was. “Alec, can you grab our hands?” I asked. I felt a weak grip close on my hand. I grabbed it firmly with one hand, wrapping the other hand securely around his wrist. I looked at Kendall, “You got him?”

  “Yep.” With that, we both heaved him up out of the hole.

  He landed on his knees on the stage, which gave me a clear view of the wound on the back of his head. His hair was matted together with blood, the hair and skin torn away in a spot the size of a half-dollar. I felt myself turn green as I assessed the large gash and the bloody mess surrounding it. It became crucial I distract myself by examining Alec’s condition elsewhere. I found no other visible injuries.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “I think so,” he slurred, a clear sign to the contrary. He rolled, or more accurately fell, from his knees onto his rear. On his face was the same dazed and confused look Gabe had worn right after I socked him in the face. “We have to quit meeting like this,” he garbled and tried to stand.

  Keni and I grabbed his arms to steady him. “How’s that?”

  “In mid-head injury,” he laughed weakly.

  With Alec in our possession, we could move on to step two of our plan—run. Barnabus hadn’t shown himself yet. Maybe, just maybe, he didn’t see us come in. He could be on an evil guy coffee break or something. I didn’t care what was keeping him. I just wanted to make a quick getaway.

  “Let’s go,” I said to Kendall. We completely supported Alec’s weight. His arms hung limp around our necks.

  “Where are we going?” Alec murmured.

  In retrospect, I should’ve just said we were leaving, but instead I made the error in judgment of telling him, “We’re taking you to the hospital.”

  He had been shuffling along with us but instantly planted his feet and became immoveable dead weight. “No way. You didn’t go to the hospital when you hit your head. I’m not going either.”

  “Your injury is way worse than mine was.”

  “Nope. Not goin’,” he declared stubbornly.

  “You might have a concussion or need stitches,” Kendall argued as she readjusted his arm to get a better grip.

  “I said the same thing to your sister.” Alec tried to make his wavering voice sound firm.

  “Okay,” I tried negotiating. “I told you I would go to the hospital if my Grams said I needed to. So let’s go see her and see what she thinks.” We didn’t have time for this. If Mister Bigshot Reporter didn’t start cooperating, I was going to
toss him over my shoulder and carry him out.

  “Nice try,” Alec said. “Your Grams is in the hospital.”

  “Celeste, we gotta go!” Kendall exclaimed urgently, her eyes frantically scanning the room.

  “I know!” I shot back. “Alec, what does your Mom do?”

  “She’s a beautician. Her name’s Marcie.”

  “Oh…hey!” Kendall perked up, pointing to her new ‘do. I glared in response. We didn’t have time for her “hey, small world” moment.

  “Great,” I stated. “We’ll go see your Mom. If she thinks you need to go to the hospital, you go. Okay?” This made no sense. His mother was a good three hours away. I hoped his head injury had him foggy enough that he wouldn’t remember that.

  “Okay,” he relented and unplanted his feet. With him cooperating, we scurried for the exit, practically dragging him. He noticed and slurred out, “What’s the rush?”

  We ignored him and kept moving. The door was in sight. Our chance for escape only a few steps away. Then the theater went black.

  “Whoa, did I just pass out?” Alec asked.

  “No. The lights went out.” Every muscle in my body tensed. The darkness was no coincidence. It wasn’t a friendly janitor flipping a switch. It was a man with murder on his mind, letting us know that the games were about to begin. “Kendall, get Alec outside. I’ll go see about those lights.”

  “No way. You need me to help you turn the lights back on.” She adapted her argument for Alec’s sake.

  “Get him out of here, then come help me find the switch.”

  “You two are making an awfully big deal out of the lights. Aren’t we leaving anyway? Leave ’em off; conserve energy,” Alec garbled.

  “No can do, Alec. But we’ll take care of everything, all right?” I reassured him.

  “Whatever,” he murmured.

  “He definitely needs a doctor. Stay with him, Keni. Come on, Gabe.” Fur brushed my leg as my lion bodyguard fell into step beside me. Together we strode back out onto the stage.

  This time we didn’t have the aid of the footlights as we ventured across the lofty stage. Each step we took in the thick darkness was made with the utmost caution, on high alert for when Barnabus would strike. Without warning, a blinding spotlight snapped on, pointed directly at me. I brought my arm up to shield my eyes and squinted to see past the offending light. Its brightness blinded me to anything beyond it.

  From the shadows came a voice. “So you are the one. The little girl I have been searching for. My mentally-deficient minion was right. We did calculate your age wrong. No matter now though, is it? All that really matters is that I have you.”

  His voice sounded shockingly ordinary for a three hundred-year-old villain. Not that my legs weren’t trembling in fear because, believe, me they were. I mustered up every ounce of courage I had to reply, “I knew you were a coward when you attacked my grandmother. But are you really so scared to face me that you have to hide?”

  The theater boomed with the echo of his loud guffaw. With laughter still thick in his voice, he answered, “Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ll show myself soon enough. I’m thrilled you have a feisty spirit though. It’ll make killing you much more enjoyable.”

  “You’ll have to go through us first,” Kendall stated as she strode up beside me. Gabe took a step forward as well, his lip curling up in a threatening snarl.

  Under my breath, I whispered to Keni, “Did you get Alec to safety?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You two?” Barnabus chuckled. “You two are merely pawns not even worthy of my time.” In the blink of an eye, Gabe and Kendall both went flying through the air in opposite directions. No one and nothing touched them. Yet it seemed an unseen force hooked them around their midsections and flung them across the room. They each disappeared behind the sides of the stage curtain. Two heavy thumps followed by loud groans let me know that their unexpected rides ended painfully. I stood there alone, vulnerable and exposed. “But you, ah, you are the real power. The Conduit. The chosen one—bound to all that is good. Most importantly, you’re my key to unlimited power.”

  The spotlight clicked off. He stood perched on the ledge of the orchestra pit not fifteen feet from me. A wide grin split his face while his mismatched eyes glared with his evil intent. He looked human enough, except for his one clear, blue eye and one solid, black eye and a distinct grey pallor to his skin. The Seeker had that grey look too. Apparently, centuries spent in the Underworld wreaked havoc on the complexion. Deep auburn hair hung to Barnabus’ shoulders, where it brushed against his coal black cloak. He was clad head to toe in black, just as the Seeker had been. My inner smart aleck wondered if the all-black wardrobe was a necessity to remind themselves they were evil. Like if a member of the Dark Army accidentally threw on a powder blue polo shirt, they would get confused and book a tee time instead of trying to take over the world. If I wasn’t terrified I was going to die, I may’ve asked.

  “I have waited for you a long time. Longed for you. Finally, our time has come.” In a grossly intimate way, he devoured me with his eyes. Relief flooded me at the unexpected ruckus from stage-left that broke his gaze, until the cause of it added a mind-blowingly stressful obstacle to this situation.

  “Wha’s going on?” Alec asked as he stumbled onto the stage. Apparently my definition of “get Alec to safety” differed from Keni’s.

  What… did she just drop him out the backdoor?

  My eyes flicked back and forth between him and Barnabus. A wide grin of glee spread across Barnabus’ face as he reveled in my panic. “Who’s that? Hey! You’re the guy that hit me! Wha’s your problem buddy?”

  “Did you enjoy my choice of bait?” Barnabus asked merrily. “I had every intention of finding a nun, small child, or your basic good Samaritan to lure you here. Then I stumbled on to him. This gawky man-child that just reeked of your scent! It was too perfect to pass up. Please humor me, for I must know, is he special to you?”

  I hadn’t answered that for myself yet. The diabolical fiend sure as heck didn’t get to know before I did. “Why?” I asked tartly. “Were you going to ask me out? Because I gotta say my standards are lax, but I draw the line at psycho crack-pot. Sorry.”

  Raw hatred mixed with disgust flickered across his face, which I tried not to take personally. Quickly, his look of mocking and condescension returned. “You have a sharp tongue, girl. I think I’d like to cut it out and eat it.”

  “Eeeew. Dude that’s really gross,” Kendall grimaced as she rounded the curtain. She had no physical injuries that I could see. No doubt her wings took care of that for her.

  “You cannot protect her, you spiky-haired twit,” Barnabus sputtered. “Your presence here is completely inconsequential. I have waited too long. I will retrieve my prize.”

  “Even so. This is where I belong.” She hooked her arm through mine and graced him with an angelic smile. Her normal sweetness and innocence were absent from her eyes. In their place lay steel.

  “Wha’s he talking about? Wha’s going on?” Alec wondered aloud.

  I held up a hand to silence him and addressed the deadly villain across from me. “The Gryphon and all he protects will never be yours Barnabus. We’ll see to that.”

  The corners of his lips curled up wickedly. “But it will. That creature…” he spat the word out as if it left a bad taste in his mouth, “is dense and way too easily fooled. The gossip and murmurings that led him to call on you in the first place were all my doing. I had my men spread the word that we had found a way to enter his precious Spirit Plane and were coming for him. It was all a lie. A lie that seeped its way back to him and motivated him to channel his powers through a mortal. Imbecile that he is, he did it. Now all I have to do is kill you. He’ll be weakened, and we will enter his realm. My army and I will take him down. Then all the power he harnesses and protects will belong to me. It’s almost too easy.”

  “If it’s so easy, why did it take you three centuries to come up with it?” I
asked with venom in my voice.

  He laughed that fiendish cackle again. “It didn’t take long to come up with the plan. The rest of the time I was busy learning a few tricks to aid the process along. Would you like to see one?”

  Okay, little side note here. If a psychopathic killer asks if you want to see a trick, say no. That’s the smart thing to do. I, on the other hand, responded, “Bring it.”