The Conduit The Gryphon Series - By Stacey Rourke Page 0,72

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 on to 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