The Conduit (Gryphon Series) Read Online Free Page B

shooting star. Cool.”
    “It wasn’t a star! It was a bird! It glowed!”
    Gabe shot me a questioning look. “What’d you doze off while you were standing there?”
    “No! I’m telling you it was a glowing bird, and it was right there.”
    With one quizzical eyebrow raised, Gabe snorted. “I’m sure it was. Hey, remind me to ask Mom if she hung out near power lines when she was pregnant with you.”
    “I know how this sounds, but I’m telling you the truth.”
    “Whatever you say. If there was something there, it’s gone now.” He wiped his hands on an old cloth from the garage as he walked inside.
    I stood alone in the darkness, watching the trail fade away. I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a message behind it. Sneaking suspicion to ld me that message was “Follow me.”

     
    CHAPTER 4

     
     
    My tires crunched across the gravel as I pulled into the parking area at the base of the mountain trail. The sun blazed high in the sky on this gorgeous eighty degree day, with just a faint whisper of a breeze. I climbed out of my truck and flung my satchel of art supplies over my shoulder. This trip into the mountains held two purposes. The primary reason was to stretch my artistic muscles by sketching some magnificent Tennessee landscape. The secondary reason I wasn’t comfortable in admitting, even to myself. I secretly hoped to get another peek at that mysterious golden eagle.
    I stepped on to the path and felt as though I’d entered another world. One minute I was in the wide open space of the parking area, the next completely encapsulated by the beauty of the mountains. Sunlight filtered through the towering trees to cast a hazy, enchanted glow on the scenery. I breathed in the peace and serenity the mountains offered.
    A short hike later and the soft , bubbling of a brook told me I had reached my destination. I ducked under a low-hanging branch, and my breath caught. It was loveliness defined. There was a break in the trees which allowed beams of light to shine down on the tiny creek like a spotlight. It gurgled rhythmically as the water coursed over its rocky base. Next to the brook, a large tree had fallen. Wild flowers, moss, and leaves decorated their fallen comrade in a beautifully messy arrangement. I wandered over to it and sat down. Then closed my eyes for a moment and tilted my face up to let the sun warm my skin. I inhaled the smells of the forest. Floral and pine intermingled. Every color in the rainbow was represented in the collection of wildflowers that peppered the soil. It seemed that the trees, in their massive size, had taken a step back to give their tiny friends a place to prosper.
    The desire to capture this breathtaking beauty invigorated me. I pulled out my pad and pencils and immersed myself in drawing after drawing. For hours I drew and sketched. Time escaped me. I lost myself in the shadows and details on the paper. When I stopped to stretch my cramping back, I was shocked to discover it was already dusk. Not wanting to be in the woods alone after dark, I bent down to collect my things. Something moved to the right of me. I wasn’t alone.
    Perched not twenty feet from me on a nearby branch was the eagle. A chill ran through me. Birds as a rule aren’t scary. Unless they can light up, in which case uneasiness is justified if not expected.
    I ignored the hair standing up on the back of my neck, swallowed my own trepidation, and called to it. “Hey, pretty birdie.”              
    The eagle responded to my acknowledgment by lifting off its branch and landing on the fallen tree an arm’s distance from me. Up close it was bigger than I expected , a fact that made me bite back a squeal.
    “Aren’t you bold.” I noticed a slight tremble in my laugh.
    Careful not to spook the avian creature with talons that can tear flesh from bone, I moved at a pace that would make a snail look speedy as I reached into my bag for the sandwich I brought. I broke off a piece