Shield of the Gods (Aigis Trilogy, Book 1) Read Free Page A

her peers and teachers, and Grandma a lot of awkward grief. She studied the stranger with the aid of a dim streetlight. The man was a half a head taller than she, bore a clean-shaven face and scalp, and had broad shoulders and lots of muscle. He wore a T-shirt, cargo pants and combat boots, all black, and he had a backpack and canteen slung over one shoulder. His belongings, along with the small sheath strapped to one arm, gave her the distinct impression that he wasn’t from her part of the world. But that didn’t matter. They were two of the same… something. “Are we aliens?”
                  “Pardon?”
                  “Aliens. You know: people from another planet.” As soon as Roxie said it, she realized how absurd she sounded. She felt her cheeks flush.
                  The man let out a soft laugh and shook his head. “No. We’re Aigis.”
                  “But you’re an alien, right?”
                  “No; just an Aigis.”
                  “Are you from Earth?”
                  “No.”
                  “Then that makes you an alien. What planet are you from? And why do you speak just like I do?”
    The man laughed again. “I’ve learned how to quickly adapt to contemporary dialects. What’s your name?” Then, eyes widening as if he’d just remembered something, he took off his pack and laid it on the ground. He unzipped the side and started rummaging around.
                  “Rox, sir,” she replied. “And yours?”
                  “Aerigo.”
                  Interesting name. “What’s ‘Aigis’ mean?”
    “Shield of the gods.”
    Roxie stood dumbfounded, unsure how to interpret that information. “What’s that mean?”
    “A lot of things. I’ve been looking for you for the past two weeks. I need your help.”
    “Why?”
    “I was instructed to find you and train you.”
    “Really? By whom?”
    “Someone named Baku. He’s our ally.”
    “Bah-coo?”
    “Correct.” Aerigo stood and turned to face Roxie, a glass bottle in his hand.
    Eyeing the bottle, Roxie began to ask about what she needed to train for, but she cut herself off and instead said, “Wait! Two weeks?” That’s how long the pull in her mind had been bothering her. How much of a coincidence could it be if Aerigo had been looking for her just as long?
    “Yes.”
    “From which direction?” This was one of those dumb questions, but Roxie just had to know.
    Aerigo glanced at the night sky. “Judging by your sun, I came from a generally eastern direction. I crossed an ocean people called ‘the Atlantic,’ or ‘el Atlantico.’”
                  Roxie then realized the mental pull was gone. Instead there was a sense of completion—not to mention relief. However, she took a couple of steps along the sidewalk, turned around, then braced herself as she walked back.
                  Nothing. She was free to walk wherever she wanted.
                  Aerigo looked at Roxie expectantly.
                  “For the past two weeks I’ve had this strange need to travel east. No clue why. And now that I’ve met you, it’s gone.”
    Aerigo’s face brightened with recognition. “You were subconsciously guiding me to your location.”
    Roxie gave him an unconvinced stare.
    “It’s called magic,” he said. “Although—”
    “Magic’s real?” Part of Roxie had often wanted magic to be real so she could magic her eyes into glowing and fading on command. Of course this never worked.
    Aerigo gave the young woman a faint smile as he put the glass bottle on the ground and reached for his canteen. He unscrewed the cap and cupped his free hand, ready to catch the water as he upended the canteen. The water fell as Roxie expected, but as soon as it almost touched Aerigo’s palm it began to collect as if it had fallen into an invisible