Shield of the Gods (Aigis Trilogy, Book 1)

by S. M. Welles

  A molten glow rose closer to his boots, and a strong scent of sulfur filled the air.

  Brago sucked in a deep breath.

  As soon as the dragon finished filling in his lungs, Aerigo grabbed a top-jaw tooth and swung out of the way of the fireball. He straddled Brago’s snout and the fireball sailed like a comet into the darkening sky. The dragon snarled and reached for him with both foreclaws. Aerigo pushed into a backward roll, slashing down at a reptilian eye with his dagger as he passed it. He rolled to his feet, then grabbed one of the dragon’s blade-like horns. He yanked on it as he jumped for the nearest building. He smashed the side of the dragon’s head into the granite and let go. Brago let go of the building with his hind legs and dropped to all fours on the street below.

  After shaking its head several times, Brago glared at Aerigo from below with its good eye. It snorted smoke. The dragon hesitated, then turned its massive body and fled into the sky.

  Aerigo pulled his broken sheath out of a pants cargo pocket and sheathed his dagger, then stuffed both items back into the pocket. He put one foot on the edge of the building and looked down. No one populated the streets below; just a few fires and piles of rock. And corpses. Aerigo bent his knees, took a deep breath and concentrated. He focused his gaze on the horizon, then launched himself into the air with arms outstretched.

  As soon as he was clear of the building behind him he began to grow as fast as he could, all the way to his limit. His giant feet hit the cobblestone street close to the building in front of him. He braced his giant hands in front of his bare chest and fell against the building. The stone groaned under his weight, but didn’t crack. Aerigo found his balance, shrank to normal size, then resumed his chase.

  Rooke told Roxie to slow down. “Are we there?” she asked, panting a little. The combination of running and holding her giant form taxed her stamina. After a while, it had felt like she was running around with a body suit full of weights.

  “Close enough,” Rooke said. “You can put me down, now.”

  They weren’t far from the monumental pillar that marked the center of Phailon. They stopped at the edge of a large circle of grass with stone sidewalks lined in and around it. There were no trees, but the open space was welcome after the slightly claustrophobic city streets. Roxie gazed upon the height of the obelisk and could barely make out its tip and the icon floating above it. It was like trying to look at the top of the Empire State building. No direct sunlight touched the obelisk and only few stars could be seen through the thick smoke and blazing fires raging further east, south and north. Even more than before.

  Roxie heard a muffled sob from her hands, and realized that she was still holding Rooke. Roxie put him down gently on the grass, shrunk to normal size, and stood by his side.

  “Why would anyone destroy such a beautiful city?” he asked, tears rolling down his cheeks. “This is my home.” He stared at the destruction around him, his only comfort being the central pillar, which remained untouched. Rooke sank to the ground and lowered his face in his hands. “Why?”

  “The city can be rebuilt,” Roxie said comfortingly, but had no clue how to reverse the greying. Somehow the pillar alone remained pure white.

  “My home! My life... it’s all grey and ruined.”

  “Rooke? Are you going to be okay?”

  Rooke bolted to his feet. “Gem! My precious Geminina!” He pelted away from Roxie as if he was being chased by an Elf.

  “No, Rooke! Wait! Don’t go that way!” The ground trembled beneath their feet and his pace faltered. Roxie ran to catch up with him. “It’s in ruins over there. Please stop!” The ground shook again, harder. As they stumbled together over the quaking ground, Rooke stopped and turned to Rox. He looked like he had lost all hope—flushed with grief and exhaustion—and afraid that his wife was dead.

  “Rox! Rooke!” A desperate voice yelled to them across the clearing. It was Aerigo near the front of the pillar. “Get out of here!”

  Roxie started to call his name, but had to duck as a dagger whistled by her head. It flew past her face and buried itself in the heart of the person she was supposed to protect. Roxie stared in horror at the ornate hilt protruding from Rooke’s chest.

  Rooke sighed one last breath. He was dead before he hit the ground.

  “No!”

  Aerigo sprinted toward Roxie as two dark, winged shapes rose into the sky from opposite sides of the obelisk.

  Roxie turned around to see an Elf brandishing a scimitar and heading straight for her. Aerigo rushed past her and seized the Elf by the front of his tunic, lifting him off his feet with both hands. Aerigo punched the Elf in the stomach and the Elf dropped his scimitar.

  There was one fiery explosion, followed by another somewhere behind them. The ground vibrated. The Elf in Aerigo’s grip looked up at the sky, his face lit up by the sooty glow, and smiled. Aerigo chanced a quick glance behind, then stared in horror.

  The two black dragons were attacking the central pillar—the pillar Leviathan had sent both Aigis to protect.

  The Elf broke free of Aerigo and reached for his other scimitar. He raised the blade. Roxie grabbed the Elf, her eyes aglow, and squeezed his wrist with both hands. Bones snapped and popped under her hands. She ignored the urge to let go out of disgust. The Elf let out a howl, dropped his weapon and reached for his cloak.

  The dragons pounded the monument with their fiery breath and armored tails, sending chunks of stone crashing to the ground below.

  The Elf dashed something at the ground that exploded, creating a thick cloud of smoke. Roxie flinched and let go of the Elf to cover her face. Within seconds the smoke dissipated and the Elf was gone. “No!” Roxie clutched at her bleeding shoulder, which hurt anew.

  The pillar began to crack at the base.

  Leviathan breathed in sharply. He stopped moving and stared ahead, his mind racing telepathically to his world Phaedra.

  Baku and Din stopped, too. “What’s wrong?” they asked simultaneously. The three had been flying through outer space towards one of Din’s worlds.

  Leviathan’s eyes widened in horror. “My icon!” he rumbled hoarsely. Before he could say anything more, he stiffened as if turned to stone.

  “What’s happening to him?” Din asked.

  “He’s been petrified,” Baku replied. “Something’s happened to his icon.”

  The monument shift on its foundation. It started to tilt to the east, toward both Aigis. For some crazy reason Aerigo ran over to where the pillar was falling and stood with his arms outstretched, like he was ready to catch it. Roxie thought of running up beside him. Maybe there was enough time for him to pass on some more magical knowledge. But she stayed put. Something just half as big as the obelisk would leave her as a bloody smear.

  Nexus watched the monument tilt, feeling nothing short of pleased. Yes, he had lost three trolls and a handful of Elves, but they were expendable. Aerigo wasn’t dead, but he would be very soon. He was going to be crushed. Nexus wanted to laugh aloud at his genius, but held it in for dignity’s sake. He gazed at the once beautiful city, now grey, flooded with water, fire and smoke.

  ‘The destruction of this city pleases you?’ A voice asked inside his mind. It was his mother, Kara.

  ‘Of course,’ he said. ‘Why wouldn’t it?’

  ‘Was it really necessary to destroy it?’ Kara materialized in the air beside him. Her dark hair waved about slowly, even though the wind was blowing hard.

  ‘It was part of my plan, Mother. Just watch.’ He smiled at his handiwork.

  ‘Well, I’m glad to see you happy, again.’ She floated before him, kissed him on the forehead, and vanished.

  Nexus’ ego swelled.

  * * *

  The air around Roxie changed. It felt static, as if a thunderstorm were nearby. Aerigo’s muscles tensed and bulged as if he were already holding up the pillar. The air grew hotter and thicker as well, and then Aerigo roared, either in pain or rage—or something that caused Roxie to run towards him,
but she stopped when his body became enshrouded in what looked like a glowing fog. The fog shot out in all directions like snaking arms. One arm reached for Roxie’s face and swiped the air in front of her eyes as something held it back. The arm got sucked back towards Aerigo and joined the fog’s upward and outward growth. The fog took on the shape of a ghost as it grew hundreds of feet tall. A pair of muscled arms formed with big hands reaching for the obelisk. A head rose over the shoulders like a growing thunderhead cloud, eyes, nose and a mouth, all of the features replicating Aerigo. Legs clothed in his pants, boots and metal bands straddled the open grassy area, one far to Roxie’s right, and one to the left. The astral projection—or whatever it was (Roxie decided to settle on that term)—grew far bigger than she’d ever seen Aergio as a giant. It was two-thirds the height of the monument, with its arms reaching just a little higher. Aerigo’s astral arms, projected against the dark sky, reached up for the obelisk.

  Roxie dropped to her hands and knees and narrowed her eyes. Strong, hot winds swirled around her with tornado force. Aerigo must’ve summoned a thunderstorm in the shape of him or something, except tendrils of this “cloud” kept lashing out, as if trying to break free of its molded form. More arms reached for her and Rooke’s corpse. Roxie crawled over to the corpse and huddled next to it.

  Suddenly, Roxie felt like Aerigo was standing next to her, even though she could seem him at the base of his astral projection. A transparent dome appeared around her, shimmering like a soap bubble. The tendrils that reached out for her slid over the barrier feet away from her face. Magic barrier. Thank you!

  One dragon dived for where Roxie huddled. The swirling winds buffeted it, but the dragon didn’t veer off course as a piece of Aerigo’s astral projection went after it. A tendril shot out from the shin and wrapped itself around the dragon’s neck. The dragon somersaulted midair, then was flung back in the direction it came as fast as an arrow.

  Aerigo’s astral hands caught two corners near the top third of the column, making a low rumble and sizzling noise. The second dragon flew at Aerigo’s flesh and blood body, a fireball leading the attack. The fireball got swept away in the swirling winds, but detonated close to Aerigo. The astral projection flinched, then put pushed its power against the tilting obelisk. Aerigo’s physical feet crushed the rock beneath him, causing him to sink up to his knees in dirt and stone.

  The approaching dragon got sucked into the vortex, just as his fireball did. Two more tendrils broke away from the main projection and coiled themselves around the dragon before throwing it after the first beast.

  Roxie flinched when the sidewalk around her shuddered beneath her feet. When she opened her eyes, the ground was marred with spider web pattern of cracks. “Oh great! And I just fixed the whole damn cliff, too!” The sight of Rooke’s corpse, which she couldn’t bring herself to touch, sobered her frustration.

  Once the astral projection’s elbows were level with the shoulders, the obelisk stopped tipping over and the swirling winds grew more violent. Roxie gripped one of Rooke’s arms to keep him from being swept away. She dug her free hand in one of the milleau of fresh cracks and held on tight.

  Aerigo heaved the column upright, slow and steady. There was a low rumble as the far edge fell back into place. Aerigo’s astral hands peeled away, then he placed them on the sides of the pillar. The astral head bowed with its mouth wide open, its massive shoulders rising and falling with each breath. Aerigo’s real body mirrored his projection. He took a deep breath, then lifted his head. The pillar began to glow white, then faded, red lines glowing where it had cracked. Aerigo dropped both sets of arms.

  Roxie realized that she had been holding her breath. She exhaled with relief.

  The astral form slumped its shoulders and began to dissolve like a storm cloud breaking apart. The air calmed down and cooled off as the last of Aerigo’s phenomenal energy was spent. His giant projection evaporated. He bent over, hands on his knees and gasping air.

  Roxie let go of Rooke and ran over to Aerigo. “Are you gonna be okay?”

  He forced himself upright, and winced. “Just a little tired.”

  “Just a little?”

  “We gotta get off Phaedra.” Laboriously, he walked over to where their packs lay.

  “Why?” She followed him.

  “Nexus is trying to kill us. And he’s started by tiring me out.”

  “He did a good job of that.” Roxie folded her arms, which set the cut on her shoulder throbbing.

  Aerigo pulled out a plastic bottle with a clear liquid in it and stood. When he turned around, Roxie noticed a big cut on his bare chest. “What happened to you?”

  “The trolls.” He squirted some of the liquid into a cupped hand. “Put your hand down.”

  Remembering her ordeal in her grandmother’s bathtub, Roxie hesitated before obeying. She clenched her teeth as Aerigo rubbed the cold balm onto her injury. Roxie squirmed in pain and fought back a yelp. Aerigo took his hand away and Roxie saw that the cut was healed. She touched it, testing for any sore spots. Her skin was pink and whole. “Ow, by the way.”

  Aerigo looked at her affectionately, and started to pour the last of the healing balm into his palm.

  “Wait!” She took the bottle from him gently. “Here.” Roxie squirted the substance into her hand and gently rubbed the open slash on his chest. Aerigo squinted his eyes and clenched his jaw, and Roxie felt his muscles tense and relax under her hand. Once he took the empty bottle from her, she realized she could stop touching his chest. “All better?” she asked, flushing.

  He nodded. “Thank you.”

  Chapter 27

  The Next Beginning

  Rooke’s corpse lay on its back with an ornate dagger protruding from his chest. His head was tilted to one side, his face relaxed, almost happy. Happy to be back with his wife, Roxie guessed. His legs were skewed and blood seeped from his mouth and the stab wound.

  Aerigo bent down and pulled out the dagger, then chucked it aside. He folded Rooke’s hands over his rotund belly and straightened out his head and legs. Limping his way back to Roxie, he said, “It’s time to leave,” then fell to his hands and knees.

  Roxie knelt beside him. “Aerigo! Are you okay?”

  He was breathing hard. “I forgot how… draining that was.”

  “Let me help you up.” Roxie wanted to panic. Who knew how many more enemies were nearby, closing in for the kill? Aerigo didn’t object. In fact he put one arm over her shoulders and they stood together. Aerigo was sticky with sweat and his skin felt like he was fire. “To Baku’s?”

  “No. Too obvious. He knows me well enough to know that’s exactly where I want to go.” Aerigo took a deep breath, raised his free arm and tried to pass into another world. His arm shook and he almost collapsed again. He bent over gasping for breath. “I can’t—you gotta do it.”

  “How?” she said.

  “Stretch out your arm and spread your fingers. I’ll direct us to where we want to go.”

  She did and he rested his arm and hand on top of hers, his sweat gluing them together.

  “Do you feel anything?”

  Frightened. “Yeah.” Something like a fabric wall pressed against her palm. It felt solid, yet flexible.

  “Find the center and push it with your mind.”

  Center? She felt around as if she were looking for someone with her mind, and accidentally found what she was looking for. The discovery startled her and she almost lost track of the door as her hand brushed upon something round and more solid than the rest of the fabric. “Push the round thing?”

  “Push it hard.”

  Roxie pushed at it and nothing happened. She pushed harder and the door responded by pushing back. No wonder Aerigo had almost collapsed. It felt like she was trying to push a ten-ton block. When the door pushed back it felt like deep water pressure trying to crush her skull. She braced herself, then pushed harder, and the air in front of her began to look watery and swirl. The door pushed back just as hard, sendin
g them both stumbling backwards. They caught their balance and Aerigo plopped his arm back on top of hers.

  “Again. You’re getting it.”

  For some reason, the door’s stubbornness annoyed her. She imagined herself reaching out with both arms and visualized both her hands on the firmer center. As she physically leaned forward, she visualized throwing all her weight into the center of the door.

  The shock of world-hopping jolted them, and then they were standing in a new world.

  “I did it!” Roxie exclaimed, half disbelievingly. A willow forest lay ahead with remnants of a campsite underneath the largest tree. The surrounding land was covered with rolling, grassy hills.

  Aerigo’s head fell onto Roxie’s shoulder and rested there, his burning cheek against hers. His weight bore down on her shoulders, and he began to breathe easier.

  Oh goodie. For once I’m not the once passing out and having to be carried around. Roxie bent her knees and grabbed Aerigo by the back of his own, then straightened up and trudged over to the campsite.

  As soon as Leviathan was freed of petrification, he excused himself from Din and Baku to what tragedy had befallen his city. He instantly transmitted himself to Phailon, hovering next to the pillar.

  Half the city had been reduced to a smoky ruin and the remainder was scarred with wreckage. Phailon’s great pillar was intact but there were giant scorch marks in the shape of hands hundreds of feet from the top. The Dragon God flew over and grabbed at one as he tried to contain his rage.