by S. M. Welles
Daio clawed for a hold at first as he tried to catch his breath, then jabbed his fingertips through the wood beams. He corkscrewed his legs and freed himself of Aerigo’s grip and knocked him off balance.
Aerigo defensively held up his arms as Daio swung one of the patio chairs at his chest. The thick plastic shattered on his forearms. Eyes blazing, Aerigo ripped the chair from Daio’s one-handed grip, then hammered him with it as if he were trying to split wood. Daio protected his head with his forearms and the elongated chair snapped in two, as well as shattered where it had careened into flesh. Daio remained free of further harm.
Aerigo chucked what remained of the chair well over the railing—probably over the side of the ship, too—and tried to stamp a heel into one of Daio’s knees. Daio rolled toward the railing, seized it in both hands, then ripped all eight feet of it free and stood. He paused a moment, his face etched with concentration, then chest passed it at Aerigo, pinning his arms to his sides.
Eyes on the railing, Daio swirled his hands in front of his chest as if he were spinning two horizontal wheels in opposite directions; the railing coiled around Aerigo’s chest and just above his wrists. Daio dropped to one knee and slapped the patio floor with both hands. The wood rippled as if it were made of water, starting at his fingers tips, and worked its way within a fraction of a second to Aerigo’s booted feet. He sank through the wood up to his knees.
Eyes wide, Aerigo stopped trying to force his way out of his metallic bindings to catch his balance. He teetered backward, then used whatever his legs had sunk into as leverage to right himself. He tried heaving one foot free. Wood groaned and began to splinter under the strain.
The moment Daio rounded on Roxie, it dawned on her just how vulnerable she was cowering in her corner. Daio stood between her and the door, and by the painstaking slowness of Aerigo’s progress to free one foot, he wasn’t in any immediate position to help. Roxie needed to run. But which way?
Then again: if Daio could make her feet sink through solid objects, then there was no point in running. She needed to make her stand and hold out as long as it took for Aerigo to jump back into the fray. How could she hope to beat the magic both men had just employed? Roxie had to keep herself alive long enough to—
“Ah, I love irony!” Daio said, waving Aerigo’s dagger at him, then turned back to Roxie.
Roxie blindly reached back and felt the edge of the table in her hand, then hoisted herself to her feet. Her head was stricken with a bout of dizziness. Roxie fell against the table and slumped to the floor. Her breathing grew heavier as she stared at the stolen blade.
“Just stay put, kid,” Daio said. “This won’t take long.”
Roxie forced herself to stand. She wasn’t ready to accept death. She didn’t want to feel cold metal slip between her ribs.
“Kill her and I kill you!” Aerigo yelled with so much force that Daio flinched.
Daio lost his grin to a pensive frown. He tilted his gaze in the direction of where the patio railing was supposed to be.
Aerigo freed one foot and chunks of wood and cement littered the patio. Despite his attempt to lunge toward them, his other foot remained firmly stuck. His restricted movements turned from furious to desperate, and his glowing eyes shifted to golden yellow.
“We’ll see,” Daio said. He turned back to Roxie. “Our fight isn’t over yet.” He raised Aerigo’s dagger.
Daio took a deep breath and delivered the thrust. His attack veered off-course when a sweltering burst of air caused him to lose balance. The dagger thunked into wood just to the right of Roxie’s ear. Daio tumbled into her, squishing her into the table and knocking the wind out of her. She pushed him off, heaving as hard as she could, and the enigmatic gale force wind helped flick Daio over her head and out of sight. The hot wind held her pinned to the table a moment longer before it died down.
Roxie looked to Aerigo for an explanation. Both feet were free, yet his torso was still clamped inside the railing. His eyes were glowing that same molten color as they briefly had when she’d woken him on the bus. The molten glow disappeared.
“Are you able to get up?” Aerigo said, his deep voice full of concern.
Mouth slightly ajar, she nodded. How did he—?
“Can you stand? He’s coming back!”
“I’ll try crawling.” She rocked onto her hands and knees.
Aerigo made fists and forced his arms to spread. The railing squeaked and groaned as it bent like clay. He heaved the railing over his head and tossed the thing off the ship.
Daio landed between Roxie and Aerigo, then spun to face her.
Aerigo grabbed Daio by the shoulders and brought his spine down on a raised knee. Daio let out a sharp cry and fell onto the patio floor.
Aerigo slowly, purposefully circled Daio’s writhing form. He moved like a stalking tiger just waiting for the opportunity to make the kill, eyes blazing red, and muscles bulging with rage. He jerked his dagger free of the table and stood between Daio and Roxie.
“Rox, get inside now.”
Leaving one had clamped to her throbbing skull, Roxie reached for the hand Aerigo had put out and used his aid to hoist herself. It felt like her forehead was going to split. She winced, but pushed through the pain as she made for the door slowly enough so she wouldn’t lose her balance.
“I knew I shouldn’t have put my back to you, Aerigo,” Daio said, then let out a laugh.
Caught off guard by the laugh, Roxie stopped in the doorway. Daio spun in place like a top. Next thing Roxie knew she was on her back, staring skyward with the wind knocked out of her. Her head throbbed with renewed vigor after she banged it on the floor. Tears blurred her throbbing vision. She had a feeling she needed to defend herself really soon. As she pushed to her feet, Daio raise his hands, his fingers curled like claws at Aerigo. Something like black transparent ropes shot out from his palms and the ends wrapped themselves around Aerigo’s wrists and ankles. He struggled against his new bonds and discovered he could move in any direction but closer to Daio, who was rapidly chanting under his breath.
Aerigo forced his arms forward and leaned in with all his weight. The length of the transparent ropes writhed like snakes under the strain.
Daio chanted his archaic words louder, forcing the big man back once again.
Aerigo tried maneuvering around Daio, but Daio used his heels to twist his body to keep himself facing him. Aerigo stopped when Daio had his back to Roxie.
“Argûs mero fer’anzha!”
“Shevisz!” Aerigo spat back. It sounded like a command.
“Nhah!”
“Shevisz!”
“Nhah!” Daio yelled. “Dji sho mi ghuz den!”
Aerigo went red in the face as he strained to bear down on Daio. He let out a guttural roar.
“Just stay captured you stupid, stubborn Aigis!” Daio let out a slow breath that quavered under his shaking body. He sucked in more air then yelled, “Provelin!”
Roxie flinched from the thunderous explosion, then found herself on the ground for the umpteenth time. Rising to her feet, she discovered Aerigo was missing. But a sprawled-out and conscious Daio wasn’t.
She started backing into the suite when Daio rose.
“What the heck is going on?” Luis said. “Who’s that?”
That halted Roxie’s retreat. While she knew she was the primary target, she feared Daio might go for anyone else out of necessity. Kill all the witnesses. Roxie stood her ground and hoped to whatever was out there that Daio would present her with another opportunity like kicking him below the belt.
“I admire your bravery,” Daio said, and trudged closer. “But—ah, I knew you’d try that again.” He donned a wicked grin, yet his eyes were sunken with fatigue.
Roxie now had her foot caught in his grasp and her balance wavered a moment before she drove all her weight onto her seized foot and was back on both feet.
Now that they were face-to-face, Daio grabbed her by the throat.
Roxie pried
at the crushing grip. She tried to cry out for help but couldn’t get any air in or out. Her skin grew clammy and she began to feel lightheaded.
“It really is a shame,” Daio said sincerely. “You are rather good looking, and I like your spirit. But to be honest: you wouldn’t stand a chance against my master. Baku’s decision to create you was a desperate, last-ditch effort. You can’t even beat me.”
After her legs gave out, Daio let go and gasped. Roxie dropped to her knees and sat on her heels as she clamped her neck. Her head still felt no better, but the crushing attack on her larynx hurt more than her pounding head. One of Aerigo’s strong arms was coiled around Daio’s neck, the other hidden. Daio limply clung to the arm around his neck. Blood trickled from both corners of his mouth.
Jake started crying and ran somewhere out of Roxie’s peripheral vision.
Aerigo’s eyes lost their red glow. His expression shifted to grim resolve as he dragged the other Aigis back to the patio and out of sight.
Luis rushed to her side. “Rox, where did he hurt you?”
“My head and neck more than anything,” Roxie said, forcing the words out in a hoarse voice. “But I’ll live.” It hurt to talk but she didn’t care. “So long as nobody else tries to strangle me. Heh.” She then realized she was sitting on a soaked carpet that smelled of ocean water. “Where’d all this water come from?”
Luis looked toward the ruined patio. “It came in with Aerigo. I’m not sure what happened. And I don’t think you should talk until your throat gets better.” To his wife he said, “Anna, could you grab a pen and a notebook?” Then to Roxie, “Can you st—I guess you can. Would you rather lie on one of the beds instead?”
Roxie had stood and started heading for the love seat. “No, the love seat’s comfortable.”
“Don’t talk, remember?”
“Sorry!” Roxie ducked her aching head and clenched her eyes shut. She wanted to smack her forehead, but her throbbing skull reminded her to be gentle with herself. The quick jerk of her head had sent a fire of pain through her neck. Luis guided her to the love seat and she sat down.
“Here you go, Roxie,” Anna said, handing over a yellow notepad and a mechanical pencil. Jake stood next to her, clutching his mother’s other arm. He’d stopped crying, yet tears moistened his face and he regarded Roxie with fear.
Roxie let go of her neck and accepted her new communication tools.
“Anna, would you mind calling maintenance and getting Jake out of here for a little while? Take your cell. I’ll call you when it’s safer.” His wife nodded and grabbed her son’s hand and disappeared beyond Roxie’s line of vision. The suite’s door shut, and then there was silence, except for the ocean breeze.
Luis sat Indian-style by Roxie’s feet. “What was that fight all about?”
Roxie wrote,Not sure. Just got dragged into things the other day.She handed him the notepad.
He read her reply, then asked, “Do you think we’re still in immediate danger?”
No idea. I hope not.
“Did you know that man?”
Just met him yesterday.
“Why was he trying to... to kill you?”
At that moment, the truth that someone had just tried to kill her began to sink in. Unable to write anything, she just stared at her handwriting.
Aerigo’s cautious boot-steps reentered the suite and paused just inside the doorway when Luis and Roxie snapped their attention toward him. Mr. Herschel let out a sigh of relief. Aerigo headed over and crouched in front of Roxie. He analyzed her external injuries with only his blue eyes, which were full of disappointment.
“How’s your head?”
Sore, she wrote back.
“Are you unable to speak?”
Luis told me not to. I’m all hoarse. Roxie surged from the love seat. “I’m gonna be sick.” The mere act of standing doubled her sudden nausea. The bathroom seemed too far for her to make it but she fought to hold it down a little longer. Aerigo’s strong grip on her upper arms helped hurry her over. As soon as she saw her reflection in the toilet’s water, she doubled over and let herself throw up. She heaved several times until nothing more came up, then she coughed and spit out as much acidic and vile-tasting saliva as she could. Aerigo stood over her and rubbed her back.
Once she caught her breath she said, “Can you please leave? I hate throwing up in front of people.” She kept her face hidden in the toilet.
“You have a concussion. I don’t want to leave you unsupervised.”
Groaning, Roxie sat on her heels and rested her chin and forearms on the toilet seat, indifferent to how unsanitary it might be. She flushed the toilet.
“Feel any better?” Luis asked.
“Not yet,” Roxie said hoarsely. Aerigo’s clothes were soaked and dripping water. “Did you fall in the ocean or something?”
“Yes.”
Roxie stood in front of the sink. She felt like it’d take forever to recover from the pain in her head and neck, but she had to admit the nausea had already passed. She still felt rather dizzy, though, and drowsy. Roxie slurped water from her cupped hands and spit, then repeated the process several times for good measure, and used some mouthwash from a travel-size bottle to get rid of the lingering taste. She’d brush her teeth later. She splashed water on her face to get rid the sweat, then leaned against the wall by the bathroom door, slid to the ground and closed her eyes.
“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.
PART TWO
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.