Shield of the Gods (Aigis Trilogy, Book 1) (14 page)

             
“Do you still feel sick?” Aerigo asked.

             
“No. Just very tired and sore.”

             
“Let’s get you back to the love seat then.”

             
Roxie forced her eyes open, then took Aerigo’s hand once again to help her up. She tried walking and found it no longer caused her nausea. She teetered he way to the love seat, with Aerigo holding her up, and gingerly set herself down so as to not aggravate her neck and head injuries. Aerigo supplied a pillow from one of the beds and helped her find a bearable way to lie down.

             
“Okay. I need a few minutes to calm down, and then you and I will talk after you’ve had some time to rest.” He straightened up. “The hole in the hull is crudely patched, but we should make it to port without any further problems. Luis, could you boil some water?”

             
“Sure thing.” The cruise line owner headed for the suite’s kitchen.

Aerigo headed for the bathroom and softly shut the door.

Chapter 12

Purpose

             
Once Aerigo and Daio were out of line of sight of the suite, Daio said, “You missed my vitals again.” The dagger slipped out from between his ribs, which brought relief and new pain. He was forcibly twisted around.

             
Aerigo hesitated.

             
Aerigo’s expression caused Daio to sigh. “Aerigo, just do it,” he said while clutching at his chest. Warm blood dribbled down the small of his back. “I’d rather it be you than him.”

             
The glow in Aerigo’s eyes shifted from red to blue. He stood still as a statue. The grip around his dagger tightened.

             
“Stop being such a softy.”

             
“There has to be another way.”

             
“There isn’t,” Daio said. They both fell silent.
There really isn’t,
he realized with grim sobriety. He coughed a little, then spat out a wad of blood.

             
Aerigo said, “I’ll protect you from Nexus.”

             
“
How?
” Daio snapped and resisted the urge to punch Aerigo, who drooped his shoulders. “This is the will of a god we’re talking about. Nexus
will
get his way in the end. So get it over with already and don’t give him the satisfaction of killing me!”

             
Aerigo’s jaw muscles tightened and Daio waited to receive the final blow, which never came.

             
“Look,” Daio said sharply, then looked away, unable to keep eye contact. He studied the torn-up rim of the patio floor. “I’ve always... admired you... like some sort of older brother.” Daio chanced a glimpse long enough to see Aerigo’s puzzled look before turning his own gaze back to the flooring. “But we haven’t always gotten along. Maybe you could overlook that part. And do me one last favor...”

             
“And how will that bring me peace?”

             
“I’ll have to keep going after you and the girl if you don’t.”

             
Aerigo’s eyes narrowed and shifted back to red.

             
Ah, found a nerve.
Daio took a deep breath and cocked a fist. Aerigo dropped into a defensive stance and raised his dagger. The instant Daio lunged forward he was gripped by a fit of coughing up blood that made him double over. His stomach collapsed onto the dagger’s tip, and he grabbed Aerigo’s arm as all his weight fell onto the blade. Daio grunted when the dagger pierced his heart. The sharp metal flinched with each failing pulse. “Good dog,” Daio whispered, then closed his eyes and let his body sag against Aerigo. With the last beat of his heart, he permanently detached his mind and spirit from their physical husk and flew into the morning sky.

After a long detour to the wrong realm (Nexus’ realm), Daio’s ghost finally found Nexus’ dwelling place: Kara’s realm. It had taken him a lot longer than he thought, but no matter. He had found his master. Kara’s realm was a prairie blanketed in the most beautiful range of wildflowers. A golden light caressed everything from above, and the air was thick enough with flower smells to make any mortal feel like they didn’t have a care in the universe.

Daio could feel his spirit trying to get lost in the scents and pass on when he found Nexus and Kara. He held himself together. He floated up to them and stopped a few yards away. The young god, who still looked tired, was lying with his head on his mother’s lap, his eyes closed. The goddess stroked her son’s curly hair. Kara’s face was full of sadness and love when she looked up at Daio, and his spirit quavered at the sight of her beauty.

“What is it, Daio?” she asked in a voice that initially sounded like several of her were trying to talk at once before condensing into one voice.

“I bring news,” he said in a humble rasp after the echoes died down. He forced a bow, which made his ectoplasm feel like it was trying to disperse.

Those words prompted Nexus to sit up, eyes open and alert. “What have you found?”

“Aerigo,” he began, his voice fading more with every word, “got me.” He paused to keep himself whole and catch his breath. “They are headed—” He took another deep breath, “to Phaedra—” He sucked in more air, “to Phailon—” The strain was too much. His spirit sighed and evaporated, leaving the two gods guessing at the rest of the message.

Nexus smiled, closed his eyes and lay back down. Now he knew what his father was up to. There was some cause for worry, but he believed he had the upper hand. He could finish his nap. Daio’s death wasn’t a setback anyway...

“The child lives,” his mother said as she resumed stroking his hair.

Nexus opened his eyes and tilted his head back. “Yes,” he said, “of course. Why do you say that?” The memory of his orb being deflected from Baku’s flashed across his mind.

“Does she not worry you?” Kara’s voice caused the grass and flowers surrounding them to shiver. “Do not both Aerigo and the girl give you reason for concern?”

“I will not be brought down by a child,” Nexus said, shutting his eyes again. “Nothing can stop me or my war. You’ll see.”

“In time,” she agreed. “I wish you didn’t hate your father so much.”

“He won’t grant me the ability to create my own worlds. There’s no reason for it, and that’s plenty reason enough to hate him. And—” his face hardened “—I especially hate him because he saw us that one time over three thousand years ago, when I was expressing my love for you. My father doesn’t know how to mind his own business.”

Kara’s hair-stroking paused. After a couple of seconds she continued and said, “Phaedra’s one of Leviathan’s worlds.”

“Is it? Daio’s been there before.” Nexus bolted upright. “That gives me an idea!”

“What kind of idea?”

“More mischief, of course.” He lay back down. “But I need some time to properly think this through.”

              It seemed like only five minutes later when Roxie felt someone tap on her shoulder.
Can’t the chat wait a little?
They tapped again.
Guess not.
She yawned, which hurt, and opened her eyes. A ceramic mug rested in front of her face. She sat up when she smelled a flowery herbal scent. “Oh, thanks!” she said in a hoarse voice. She accepted the mug from Aerigo and took a sip.

             
“That’ll make your throat better.” He moved to sit next to her. “Your body will take care of your other injuries just fine on its own.”

             
She looked into her mug and frowned. “Will adding sugar ruin it?” She glanced at him and he straightened up as he considered this option. He took the mug and walked off. Roxie examined the broken patio doorway as Aerigo went to administer to her tea. Luis must have persuaded the crew to lend him a broom while she was recuperating. Her host started sweeping up the glass and splinters.

             
Aerigo reappeared and handed Roxie her mug. He watched while she took a sip, and once she gave him the nod of approval, sat down next to Roxie on the love seat. He took a sip of tea himself. “Where do you want me to start?”

             
She stared into her toasty mug. There was Daio to understand, things that Baku had said to clarify, the Aigis side of herself to learn more about, the dangers that surrounded her, and this mission or task, or whatever they were on. So many mysteries and blank spots. “What the heck did I get pulled into?” Her voice already sounded improved. “Wow, this stuff works quickly.”

             
“And we heal quickly, too.” Aerigo took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I don’t have all the answers.” He sipped at his tea and stared at the wall ahead of them. “And what answers I do have, I’m reluctant to tell you just yet.”

             
“To be honest, I’d rather you just tell me. I’d like to understand why people like Daio would want me dead.”

             
At that, Aerigo gazed at her with sympathetic eyes.  “It’s not an encouraging answer.”

             
“Just go ahead. Be blunt.”

             
He lowered his mug into his lap. “Once I’ve trained you—properly—together you and I will pose quite a threat to someone else’s plans, or rather a prophecy.” He took a noisy sip and Luis ambled by with a loaded dustpan full of dirt, glass and splinters.

             
“Don’t mind me,” Luis said, popping a smile. “The patio’s all clear if you want to sit out there and talk more privately. We have two new patio chairs the staff kindly provided for us, but we’re still missing the railing until further notice. So tread carefully out there. You can grab any of the bed blankets as well. It’s still a bit nippy with the breeze.”

             
“Thank you,” Aerigo said, but made no move to stand.

             
Roxie forced herself to smile, even though she felt sore, tired and depressed. “Are you training me to help you fight someone?” she asked Aerigo as Luis walked off. “I know what you said about what Daio said about you teaching me stuff, but I don’t think you told me everything that day.”

             
“I didn’t. I’ll be training you to harness the powers you were supposed to be born with. The powers only an Aigis can wield—powers that will help you walk away from a fight, and whole more often than not.”

             
“Sounds like I’m going to have to help you kill people,” Roxie said unhappily.
Eye for an eye and the whole world will be blind.
She didn’t know who originally said those words, nor who taught her the meaning of the phrase. War begat war; not peace. If she killed the people who were killing the people she was defending, then someone would try to kill her out of revenge. She didn’t want to live her life with her back to a wall.
Come to think of it, my life already feels like that.

             
“I know you’re not a soldier, nor do I wish to turn you into one. I want to train you to be able to defend those who can’t defend themselves against the will of a god.”

             
“The will of a god?” she said, taken aback. The sight of the sodden carpet brought up Roxie’s memory of her being almost strangled to death, along with what Daio had said to her. “Is Daio right about me being some feeble attempt to...” She searched for the right words. “Stop Nexus?” She couldn’t deny the sincerity in Daio’s tone, and started feeling sick again. When Aerigo said nothing, Roxie looked up to see him giving her a raised eyebrow. “I couldn’t even beat
him
!”

             
“You just need time,” he said. “Time to learn, time to get stronger, time to prepare yourself to face challenges like today. Don’t defeat yourself before you even try.”

             
“It’s hard not to.”

             
“Look,” Aerigo said firmly. “You
are
a last resort. I won’t deny it. However, since Nexus decided to throw Daio at us from the moment I started searching for you, this tells me that he’s afraid of you.”

             
“I think I’m more afraid of him than he is of me.”

             
“That’s okay. While you were sleeping, Luis told me that you tried to hold your ground against Daio after he threw me off the ship.”

             
“I didn’t last very long.”

             
“That’s beside the point,” Aerigo said. “Why did you do that?”

             
“I didn’t want Daio to go after Luis and his family. I figured they’d die too if I didn’t do something about it. I felt obligated to protect them. They were never supposed to be a part of this.”

             
“And that decision right there shows you have all the courage you need. Rox, you have what it takes to embrace your role as an Aigis. Don’t let the fight between me and Daio discourage you.”

             
“But what about the ‘desperate’ part he mentioned?”

             
“He was just trying to intimidate you.”

             
And did a good job of it
. But Aerigo had made a good point about her reflex to protect Luis and his family, so maybe she had more to her than she realized. “So I’m not part of this prophecy, right?”

             
“Our purpose is to see that this prophecy is never fulfilled.”

             
Well that’s a little different.
After all the books Roxie had read, the protagonists were usually included in one prophecy or another. “And who has prophesied what?”

             
“Baku’s son Nexus has prophesied a war, ‘a war between all creation that will bring Baku’s side down once and for all.’” Aerigo shook his head. “This isn’t good.”

             
“What does Nexus mean by ‘Baku’s side’?”

             
“Not every deity acts kindly toward the mortal realm.”