Shield of the Gods (Aigis Trilogy, Book 1) (5 page)

             
“Where’s your nearest shower tub?” Aerigo said.

             
“This way!”

             
Roxie recognized the path down the hall, and then the acoustics of the bathroom. She opened her eyes when she felt the ceramic tub touch her skin, then screamed once her full weight settled on it. She gasped for breath as she tried to find a way to take in air without it hurting. Every bone in her body had to be broken, or almost broken. She hugged her arms to her chest and raised her knees so her feet were flat in the tub.

             
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Grandma called down the hall.

             
Aerigo reentered the bathroom with a large bottle full of a clear oil. “Hold out your hand and rub this all over her.” He popped open the cap and squeezed a generous portion into Grandma’s hands. “Rox, I apologize. This is going to feel worse before it feels better.”

             
Before she could voice her question, she understood what Aerigo meant. The oil felt like it was burning her skin off. Roxie screamed again and started begging them to stop. The fire spread over one arm and leg, then the others, over her stomach and back and neck and face and hands and feet and hips and knees and ankles and elbows—everywhere. Roxie stopped her pleading and broke into sobs. She wished she’d never run off.

             
Roxie heard her grandmother sniff when she took in a breath between sobs. She squinted open her eyes and discovered she wasn’t the only one crying. Then she noticed Aerigo’s eyes were aglow, strangely with a swirling of blue and red, the colors of sadness and anger. She’d never seen her eyes do that, nor been told they have. They glowed one color at a time; not two.

             
“Turn on the water and set it to just below room temperature,” Aerigo said.

             
Grandma turned the handle and water gushed over Roxie’s toes, whose heart started beating faster as she watched Aerigo pour more oil in the water. Thankfully, the touch of water brought relief instead of pain. Roxie tried stifling her sobs in hopes of encouraging her grandmother to stop crying as well.

             
“Plug up the drain then please go pack some change clothes and travel items for Rox.”

             
Grandma wiped her eyes, then stood. “Where are you going?”

             
“Away from here. New York City. The sooner we leave, the sooner you’re safe from Daio. He’ll follow us and leave you in peace.”

             
“Take the train. It’s the fastest way to get there. Roxie can show you the way to the station.”

             
“Can’t you come with us?” Roxie asked in a hoarse voice. The water filled the tub enough to cover her feet, which were the only parts of her body that had stopped hurting.

             
“It wouldn’t be wise,” Aerigo said. “We have to leave as soon as you can walk.”

             
“But bones take weeks to heal! And who knows how long until my knees will work again.”

             
“You’re a proper Aigis now. You heal a lot faster than a human can.”

             
Somehow news of her healing powers didn’t bring any comfort. Grandma left the bathroom.

             
Aerigo kneeled beside the tub and tested the water. “Feeling any better yet?”

             
“Just where the water’s touching.” Sobs still snuck out of Roxie every few breaths. Overall she did feel a little better, however she felt like one massive bruise holding together a bunch of fractured bones. Aerigo cupped water in one hand poured it over Roxie’s knee, then gently rubbed it a couple times. It hurt to the touch. Aerigo poured another handful of water over Roxie’s knee and rubbed again, but that time the pain lessened. He repeated the process until she informed him the pain had gone, then started working on the other knee. Once the tub was full, he shut off the water and rubbed down Roxie’s entire body, minus (to her relief) where her shorts and sports bra covered her. The pampering felt good enough to let her shut her eyes and rest.

             
“We can’t afford to have you fall asleep just yet,” Aerigo said with a hand resting on Roxie’s shoulder. His eyes were now glowing a pale blue. “I apologize for having to push you like this after all you’ve gone through.” He unplugged the drain and stood. “Change your clothes and say your goodbyes.” He left the bathroom and shut the door.

Chapter 5

Pursuit

              Soon after Aerigo closed the door, Roxie heard a knock. She sat up slowly, fearing any sort of movement would cause excruciating pain. Her joints and muscles felt no worse than someone who’d returned from a rigorous day at the gym after a weeklong vacation. Uncomfortable, but bearable. “Come in.”

             
The bathroom door opened and Grandma poked her head in, her hazel eyes puffy and watery. Roxie’s eyes and nose stung at the sight of her grandmother but she swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m sorry.”

             
Grandma pushed the door wide, plopped a folded towel and pile of Roxie’s clothes on the toilet lid, dropped to her knees beside the tub and wrapped her frail arms tight around her granddaughter. She began sobbing over Roxie’s shoulder.

             
In her seventeen years’ existence, Roxie couldn’t recall Grandma ever crying so hard. Sure she got teary-eyed watching a movie or two, but never anything this uncontrolled. Should she hug her back? Snap at her to stop crying? Cry with her? Just get up and walk away? Roxie gingerly returned the hug, not wanting to cause more inadvertent damage. She rubbed the dear old woman’s back. Her grandmother’s thin back muscles tightened with every sob. Grandma hugged her even harder. Her sobs became interwoven with unintelligible words. After several repetitions of the same vocal patterns, Roxie realized what her grandmother was saying. She let go and Grandma sat up as well. “Why are you apologizing?”

             
“I’m sorry,” she said in a thick voice. “I wanted to be—be brave and strong for you on this—today. For so long.” She took a deep, wavering breath and repeatedly rubbed her eyes. “But when Aerigo carried you in... you were all black and blue. I thought you were dead.”

             
“I’m still alive, Grandma,” Roxie said.
Although I don’t know how.
She tried to imagine how she’d react if she’d seen Grandma in her place, and knowing that was only the beginning. Scared, worried and at a loss for how to help. Just the same. “Maybe you
should
come with us. Wouldn’t it be safer? And you wouldn’t have to worry about me as much.”

             
Grandma managed a smile as tears kept coming. She placed a hand on Roxie’s cheek. “I would love to come with you but I need to stay here.”

             
“Why?”

             
“You have a hard task set before you. I’d only be a distraction. It’s more important you focus on what lies before you.”

             
“But I’ll be distracted worrying about you worrying about me.”

             
Grandma let out a tear-choked laugh. “Human or Aigis, my family’s blood is definitely a part of you. Excessive worrying is a family trait.” She wiped her face again. “Get dressed, dear. If you need any help, just call for me. I’ll be in the kitchen packing the both of you some travel food. Bring out your toothbrush and hairbrush when you’re done. I haven’t packed those yet.” She rose, then closed the bathroom door behind her.

             
Roxie pushed herself to her feet with aid from the side of the tub, her every movement marked with the pain of muscle strain. It would have been easier to ask for help to get dressed, however she wanted to prove that she was still able to take care of herself. She shimmied out of her soaked shorts and undergarments, toweled off, and donned her fresh outfit consisting of a girl’s tee, a white lace strap tank top to go underneath, and beige capris. Brushing her teeth took two arms since she couldn’t seem to raise her elbows level with her shoulders. Brushing her hair required the same effort. She decided to let her hair air-dry and to put it back in a ponytail later.

             
Roxie left the bathroom with both brushes in hand. She found Aerigo at the kitchen table, buckling his boots. In the living room, Grandma placed a plastic grocery bag next to a backpack. The old woman looked at Roxie’s hand.

             
“I’ll take those,” she said, extending her own hand.

             
Roxie crossed to the couch and handed over the brushes.

             
“Say your goodbyes,” Aerigo said. He looked pensive as his gaze fell on the backpack. Then he shouldered his own pack and placed two white objects on top of a piece of paper on the table. The objects looked like quarter-sized pedometers with three fingertip-shaped indents and a small dial on each. Aerigo pushed in his chair, gave Grandma a meaningful look, then headed out onto the porch.

             
“Are you ready to go, dear?” Grandma said.

             
“I guess,” Roxie said.

             
“You have some oranges and muffins in the bag. I gave you one of my credit cards as well but please don’t go crazy with it.”

             
“I won’t.”

             
“Aerigo wouldn’t let me call a cab to take you to the bus station. He said you didn’t have the time to wait for one.”

“Bus station? I thought you said train.”

“He didn’t want to take the train. He said the tracks made it easy to follow the both of you. Are you well enough for the walk?”

             
“Yeah,” Roxie said, but she wondered if she could manage seven miles. She felt sore enough to be carried. She went to the back door and slipped into her running sneakers, although her eyes longed for her slippers lying next to them. Tucker hopped off the couch and sat by the slippers, watching Roxie. He started purring and lazily flicked the tip of his tail back and forth behind him. “I’ll miss you too, you weirdo of a cat.” Roxie scratched Tucker behind the ears. He closed his eyes, enjoying the attention. It looked liked the lines of his mouth were curled up in a smile.

             
Grandma handed over the backpack and grocery bag of food.

             
“Thanks,” Roxie said, straightening up. “What did Aerigo leave on the table for you?”

             
“I don’t know, but don’t worry about it. Just take care of yourself and listen to Aerigo. Everything you need is in your backpack.”

             
“I will.”

             
“It was an honor and a pleasure to raise you. I’ll miss you dearly.”

             
“I’ll miss you, too.” They hugged, though gingerly in Roxie’s case. The memory of causing her grandmother pain would never let her forget her enhanced strength.

             
“I love you very much.”

             
“I love you, too.” Roxie wanted to cry but for some reason felt too empty to produce any tears. “Bye,” she said, then let go and waved as she headed out the back door. Grandma waved back, then took Tucker in her arms.

             
Aerigo was waiting at the bottom of the porch steps. Once Roxie reached him, he started walking. She fell in step beside him.

             
Aerigo said, “I’m sorry.”

             
Roxie looked at him. His tired, drawn features showed sorrow in his eyes. “It’s not your fault. If I hadn’t run off—”

             
“It’s not that. I meant having to take you away from your family.”

             
“Do you have your own family you had to leave behind?”

             
Aerigo’s eyes glowed blue. “Not anymore.”

             
“What do you mean?”

             
He swallowed and stared ahead. “She’s gone.”

             
“Who? What happened?”

             
They passed under the trees and were touched by a lazy breeze that carried the scent of rain. Roxie turned around and walked backwards as she looked at the sky. Sure enough, swollen cumulous clouds were gathering beyond the rooftops.

             
“What is it?” Aerigo asked.

             
“Rain,” she said, turning around.
Just perfect
, she mused sarcastically.
Crummy weather for a crummy day.
“So what happened to your lady friend?”

             
“It doesn’t matter anymore.”

             
“Your eyes are glowing,” she said. It was strange to be able to say that to someone else. “Clearly it still does.”

             
“Well it shouldn’t,” Aerigo said sharply, then kinder, “It shouldn’t.”

             
Roxie took the not-so-subtle hint and lapsed into silence. They traversed the forest and took a right, headed for Buffalo’s outskirts. Walking loosened Roxie’s limbs, although she felt like she was losing energy, instead of gaining any back. The city engulfed them with cars, people and daylight everywhere, though incoming clouds intermittently blocked the daylight. They plodded deeper into the city.

             
“Do you feel well enough to move faster?”

             
“You mean, like, a brisk walk?”

             
“I mean a jog or a run. All the way to the station.”

             
“I was never much of a distance runner.” Roxie hated long runs.

             
“Daio’s still following us. I don’t know where he is, but he has no intention of losing track of us. The sooner we get to the bus, the sooner we’ll be able to keep a safe distance between him and us.”

             
“How long do you think he’ll follow us for?” They reached the end of a crowded sidewalk and waited for the crosswalk sign to turn green.

             
“Most likely until I do something about it, or he does. But I’d rather just shake him off our trail. Other people will be sent to pick up where he leaves off, so there’s no point in killing him.”

             
“But you said you wish you had,” Roxie said over honking horns and the hum of traffic.

             
“For other reasons. Don’t worry about it.”

             
A couple of cars swept under the red lights as Roxie’s and Aerigo’s crosswalk sign turned green. The two started onto the road and took only a couple steps before Aerigo snapped his attention to their left. He took a sharp intake of breath. “Run!” He seized her wrist and yanked her into motion.

             
Roxie clung to a strap of her pack as they sped down the sidewalk. They bumped more people out of the way than maneuvered around them. “What is it?” They angled into the street, rushing between parallel-parked cars and moving traffic, and the idle cars made a flicky whooshing noise as she sped by. Everyone’s side view mirrors were within inches of clipping their sides. Roxie noticed a peculiar detail: they were keeping up with the flow of traffic—no, surpassing all the cars to their immediate left! How fast were they running?

             
“He’s very close! Don’t slow down; just tell me which way to turn.”

             
“Just stay on this road. It’s up ahead. You can’t miss it.”

             
Aerigo let go of Roxie’s arm and hoisted his pack over his head, then unzipped it and dug a hand inside. He produced his sheathed dagger and threw his pack back over a shoulder. Ahead of them a Camry had partially pulled out of its parking spot but was blocked by bumper-to-bumper cars waiting for the light to turn green. Aerigo veered back onto the sidewalk just behind the Camry. Roxie followed and lost sight of him in the sea of pedestrians, but she didn’t panic. At the very least they’d meet back up outside the parking lot. She slowed her pace and stuck to the sidewalk, not wanting to chance the street or test her reflexes. Roxie couldn’t decide whether to be amazed by or grateful for how fast she could run.

             
“Hey there,” said a voice to her left.

             
Still running, Roxie stole a glance. A man ran alongside her. Bile burned her throat. It was Daio, back down to normal size, but no less intimidating. She searched for the back of Aerigo’s clean-shaven scalp. She didn’t see it anywhere. Another stranger fooled her, but that man was bald as a cue ball and nowhere near as fit. She kept searching.

             
“What’s the hurry?” Daio asked, this time from Roxie’s right.

             
“Why won’t you just leave me alone?” She turned to glare at him.

             
He wasn’t there.

             
Roxie lost her scowl and began to feel vulnerable, along with a sore need to return to Aerigo’s side.

             
“Oh please!” The voice came from her left again, and he was there this time, effortlessly matching her pace and dodging people. “You know why.”

             
“Stay away from me!” She swung at his face. He shied away, chuckling, and put a shoulder-width’s gap between them. Roxie had a feeling he’d backed off out of sport. “What do you want with me?”