Shield of the Gods (Aigis Trilogy, Book 1)

by S. M. Welles

  Despite having dressed like all the other racers, Roxie and Aerigo stuck out. People gaped and moved aside. Many whispered behind their hands and pointed (a bit rudely, Roxie thought) at their feet. Aerigo’s name escaped in awed voices and excited whispered from many lips.

  Roxie fought the urge to squirm under all this extra attention, and her anxiety was making her eyes glow. She looked to Aerigo for support. He looked positively regal, his every stride expressing both strength and confidence. He walked like a hero. No wonder he gives people hope… She tried to follow his example, staring straight ahead with her chin level and shoulders back, and walked close beside him. Before she could get much practice, Yayu said, “There are my sons!”

  Ahead, two young men with the same nose and smile as Yayu jogged up to their father.

  “Time to warm up and stretch, visco,” Roshi, the one on the left, said to Yayu. The brothers could have passed for twins if the one on the right wasn’t a good two inches taller.

  The taller one held out a hand to Roxie. “C’mon, I’ll lead you to the warmup area. I’m Soen.”

  “Okay.” She took it and he escorted her at a jog through the crowd, parallel to the starting line, and into a less congested area where huge shade trees were bunched in one spot. Between the trees and the track, rows of stands were filling with people from all over the continent. A hint of cooking food perfumed the air.

  “Let’s go right over to the trees, Roshi,” Soen suggested to his brother.

  “You read my mind!”

  They stopped at the base of an oak tree and Roshi led them step-by-step through an elaborate stretching routine that left them limbered up and ready to run.

  Twenty minutes into the warmups, Aerigo broke away and strode over to the base of one of the trees.

  “Hey, Aerigo, what’s up?” Roxie asked.

  “We’re almost done,” Roshi said.

  Aerigo craned his neck, then widened his stance and punched the tree trunk. The whole tree shivered, sending clumps of leaves to the ground. Aerigo let out a frustrated growl, then leapt for the lowest branch and climbed out of sight.

  Roxie mirrored Yayu’s and his two sons’ looks of wide-eyed confusion. She held up her hands when they looked to her for an explanation. Roxie pushed to her feet but got only halfway by the time Aerigo landed on his feet on the grass. “What the heck was that about?”

  Aerigo turned around and punched the tree again, the muscles in his arms and shoulders bulging. The trunk cracked and more leaves showered on them.

  “Spies,” Aerigo said in a low voice. “I couldn’t follow their world-hop trail. It leads somewhere I’m blocked from going. Probably Nexus’ realm.” He closed his eyes and took a calming breath.

  “Should we remove ourselves from the race?”

  “Too many people have seen us. It’d be a great insult to withdraw now. On the other hand, Din’s presence will afford us some protection once he gets here. We’ll be fine.” Aerigo brushed the crack with his fingers, whispering an apology to it.

  The two Aigis returned to Yayu and his sons and, after a quick explanation from Aerigo, finished stretching.

  “Let’s go find the rest of our Clan and get into our startin’ positions,” Yayu said. “Rox: you and Aerigo have been assigned to our Clan.”

  She gave him a blank look.

  “C’mon. I’ll explain it to you on the way.” Yayu held out a hand to Roxie and she reached for it. As Aerigo yelled, “No, don’t!” Yayu face-dove into the ground and Roxie rocked onto her back.

  Yayu sat up and started laughing. He patted Roxie on the shoulder. “Now I see why you broke all those hair ties. It’s so easy to forget how strong Aigis are! I’m afraid you’re goin’ to have to help yourself up or ask Aerigo.” He nimbly popped back to his feet, clamped his shoulder and started rotating it. “You almost dislocated my shoulder there, missy.”

  “Sorry.” Roxie stood as well.

  “No need to apologize. It was an accident. Now follow me.” Yayu led them towards the starting line. “There are ten Clans in this continent, and they’re each broken down into hundreds of tribes. My family belongs to the Yuan tribe, which is part of Clan Ormolu. The village we live in is named after our Clan. Clan Ormolu was the first to be founded at the beginning of our days, many thousand years ago. Nine more Clans were established after ours. Not everyone got along for one reason or another, and there is still a hint of unrest among Clans to this day. But our annual races have chipped away at such hostility for the past two thousand years. Esisumet gives us a reason to get along.”

  “How do you decide who hosts the race each year?”

  “’Till now Ormolu always has, but of late there has been talk of lettin’ other Clans have a turn. I guess it’s time things changed,” he admitted as they stopped behind the starting line.

  “Change is usually good.” Roxie said.

  “Is it just me or is the wind picking up or something?”

  “It’s not just you,” Roshi said.

  “Din’s here,” Soen said.

  “Hold on to somethin’,” Yayu said with a smile.

  All the racers and onlookers turned to face into the wind. A swirling light materialized in the air above the stands. The wind picked up speed and Roxie felt like she was going to be blown off her feet. She leaned back, everyone leaning with her. When she thought she was about to get sucked into the light, the wind stopped. The starting zone was quiet enough to hear a distant sneeze.

  The light increased in intensity until it blazed like a sun, then burst out in all directions with a loud boom, buffeting everyone with a brief gust. The light faded back and in its place radiated an energy that induced excitement. The source of that energy was a giant glowing person, shaped like the inhabitants of Sconda. The starting zone exploded with the thunder of applause and cheers as the people welcomed their god to this special occasion. Roxie couldn’t help but join in. As she cheered she felt Din’s eyes rest on her. They held the same airy quality as Yayu’s, but with what seemed to be the light of day shining from within. They gazed straight into hers. She stopped breathing. The power of his gaze stunned her as if someone had just knocked the wind out of her. She had to stop clapping to catch her breath, and Din graciously released her from his gaze. Baku’s gaze had never stunned her like that. Did a god have to be a giant, or were they all just different or something?

  “Well met, everyone!” Din said, his voice as resonant as a sports announcer’s. “It’s a pleasure to see you all and I can’t wait to get things started, so let’s get the necessary details out of the way.” His smile filled everyone with more energy and anticipation. The Scondish people hopped in place, bounced on the balls of their feet, snuck in last-second loosening of the joints, and shook out their wrists and rolled their necks.

  “There are two-thousand participants in this year’s race, so the points system goes as follows: the first five hundred competitors to cross the finish line earn their respective Clans four points, the next five hundred earn three points apiece, the third group of five hundred earn two, and the fourth group of five hundred earn one point. Good luck to you all. Have fun! And don’t worry—I’ll be the one who is keeping score.”

  A ripple of laughter swept through the audience.

  “As far as rules go, I desire a clean competition and anyone caught cheating will cost their Clan twenty points. There is to be no using Ambura to boost your performance and be careful in the underground section of the track. It’s a little slippery. Oh, and anybody who drops out of the race for any reason still earns their respective Clan one point. Good luck!” The crowd cheered as Din’s form first glowed brighter, then slipped out of focus. In the next instant he was as big as the average Scondish person. He floated cross-legged in the air and, despite his normal size, his voice could still be heard as clearly as before. “Runners: start jogging!”

  The throng of racers started heading down the straightaway between two rows of stands facing each other. Roxie more tipt
oed than jogged as she made an effort to stick next to Aerigo. He wore a contented look while his eyes lit with excited determination. I’m so getting left behind like the first day we got here.

  After the front of the pack reached the far end of the stands Din sprang upright in mid-air, raised one arm high over his head, pointing an index finger towards the sky. “Runners, are you ready?”

  Roxie felt the collective energy around her surge with one more burst of excitement. She stretched her legs into a full jog. Shouts of joy and encouragement erupted from the stands. Oh crap! This is it!

  “GO!” Din’s arm snapped down, unleashing a stampede.

  The stands erupt with cheering as Roxie sprinted down the straightaway, so closely surrounded by other runners she grazed arms and elbows of other runners as they passed her.

  Aerigo was no longer running next to her. A stab of fear hit her. It gave her the extra boost she needed. She found herself able to keep pace with those around her as the runners spread out.

  The track arced left to skirt a line of trees, touched a riverbank and circled back towards the city for another straightaway. The entire track was dotted with colorful banners and packed with onlookers that cheered as the racers passed.

  Roxie noticed something she had missed when she’d been on the run from Daio back in Buffalo: everything not moving with her looked like it was stuck in slow motion or suspended animation. This effect made the crowds on the sidelines look rather comical, as only a fraction of a single clap was seen before she had to look ahead again. The pennants looked frozen in time under a blazing blue sky, yet the multitude of hair, beads and string bouncing all around her showed clearly and looked like they were whipping along at normal speed. Wasn’t everything supposed to be a streaky blur? Maybe it was magic keeping her surroundings in focus.

  The land around this portion of track was level. Ormolu could be seen above the tree line ahead. Thatched roofs peered at her over the trees and between pennants. Dozens of people watched the event from the tops of their homes.

  The next straightaway was free of trees but climbed a moderate slope of lush green grass with dark grey boulders sticking out at random. The uphill climb slowed Roxie down, and more people passed her. She reached the top and caught a glimpse of the next section and how many runners were ahead of her. The track went straight downhill until it reached another slope, bent right, then wrapped around the new rise and disappeared behind it. Rather discouragingly, it seemed like half the racers were ahead of her. Roxie tried to sense where Yayu and Aerigo had gone to, but failed to pin them down. It was too hard to concentrate at the pace she was moving and there were too many people to sift through. Not to mention that she was starting to get winded.

  As Roxie sprinted down the hill, her mind absorbed a mass of sometimes conflicting information as to where she stood in the line of the competition, and tried to calculate the result if she kept up her present pace. She was going to come in last, she was sure. Roxie knew she had been told just to enjoy herself and not to worry about winning or losing. But still: Aerigo had also told her that they needed to give people hope. What would they say if she came in dead last? No hero with the power to move super-fast ever came in last. Sure, the people of Sconda weren’t exactly typical runners, but she was supposed to be special. She was no brave soldier, far less a hero, but failing to even try to do well didn’t suit her. Roxie reached deep inside, concentrating hard, and tapped the reserves of energy she had been holding back unconsciously. She began sprinting even faster than before.

  She overtook one fiery mane of hair after another. With each one she passed, she spotted one more person to put behind her. She circled the next hill in one breath. The track stretched into a straightaway of treacherously uneven ground. The competition sped along it without faltering.

  Her determination propelled her along, sometimes over rocks and around others, passing more people than she could keep track of. She had to have gotten much closer to the front of the pack, but she had no idea how much farther there was to race. The track arced right at the end of the lumpy straightaway, went straight over what looked like a tunnel entrance, made a full circle and continued underground. Roxie shot a quick glance at the circle. It was built on an embankment like the NASCAR racetracks and was loaded with people. She had to pass as many of those people as she could.

  Her bare feet sprang over the soft dirt coating the track, and it felt cool to be running not quite right side up. Gravity was pulling her one way, but momentum kept her from falling sideways, just like the water in an upside-down bucket being swung around. Roxie kept passing more people.

  After being used to so much light, she went temporarily blind after she entered the cave. Glow worms dimly lit the route, but they didn’t help too much. The rocky ground was coated in dirt and something slimy. It reminded her of walking barefoot on slippery ocean rocks that became exposed during low tide.

  Unlike the people of Sconda, her feet weren’t specially equipped for gripping. She didn’t manage to pass anyone in the cavern, yet no one passed her as she wound right, then left, then right, along a five-stride straightaway. She veered left again and her foot struck a chunk of slippery rock, hard. It shattered under the force of her stride. The impact knocked Roxie off balance and her own momentum made her fall. She tried to catch herself in the dark, scraped her hand and one knee, and skidded into a somersault. She leapt back to her feet, scarcely breaking stride. There was a growing throb and hot sensation in her right foot, but she ignored it as she rounded the last turn and was dazzled by sunlight.

  The track curved right, and Roxie was breathing hard and fast. She had been holding at an all-out sprint for what felt like forever, and her muscles were beginning to burn. Half her mind was yelling at her to stop—or at least slow down—while the other determined half of her brain urged her to not let up. She couldn’t slow down, not now. Not when Aerigo and Yayu were counting on her. Not when people had been so kind to her. Not when Aerigo was counting on her to help him give people hope. Roxie ran on the balls of her feet and started passing runners again.

  As the track arced left, Roxie fought against the mental demons urging her to quit, sucking wind with every thought and stride. She ran as fast as her limbs could carry her, but her pace had slowed considerably. She was not alone in her pain. Other racers were breathing as hard as she, struggling to make it to the finish line. Wherever that was. Soon, I hope. Other racers started passing her again. She didn’t know how much longer she could go on… The finish line was too far for her to make it… Another passed her. She’d have to walk… end up in last place… And another. Maybe just give up, and—that last person that just passed was sucking wind just as hard as her. What am I thinking?! Roxie summoned all her remaining strength, sprinted into another straightaway and looked ahead, through her own sweat and the shocks of flying hair before her.

  High in the air flapped a huge banner of bright colors and runic markings. Two poles on either side of the track held it up. Her pounding heart leapt at the sight, and the part of her mind that wanted her to keep going knocked out the part of her that wanted her to quit with a solid punch between the eyes. The elation of finishing gave Roxie one last burst of energy. She passed a few more people and crossed under the banner.

  There was a four-note bell chime that rang in her head in an arpeggio. A voice followed. “Congratulations. You have earned your Clan four points.”

  Roxie slowed to a jog and finally to a stop, feeling amused, pleased and exhausted all at once. She walked around to cool down and, in addition to stiffening limbs, was reminded of her fall in the cave. Roxie looked down and saw that the top of her right foot was black and blue all over, and her big toe was bleeding through a crack in the nail. The sight of all that bruising made it too unbearably painful to put any weight on it. She plopped onto her rear on the cool grass. The stinging in her arms, knee and palms flared, and she discovered a scrape on her left thigh from her somersault. Her salty sweat made the open wounds
sting even more.

  A familiar deep voice laced with fatigue said, “Are you alright?”

  Aerigo stood before her, breathing heavily and his amazing physique glistening with sweat. “You seem to ask me that question an awful lot.”

  “You seem prone to situations that wor—require my asking.”

  Roxie looked at him curiously when he stuttered, and he looked away.

  “I have something back at Yayu’s place that can take care of your cuts and bruises, but I’m afraid I don’t have enough energy to go there and back just now.”

  Roxie patted the ground next to her.

  Heaving a great sigh, Aerigo dropped down to face her and sat cross-legged. “Let me see your arms.”

  Roxie sat up straighter and showed him the underside of her forearms.

  He took them gingerly in his hand and examined the scratches with a serious face. None of the cuts were deep, the bleeding had stopped, and her arms were beginning to bruise. “Let’s get you to someone who can clean these.” Aerigo got back to his feet and took another deep breath. That seemed to be all he needed to do to rejuvenate him. He held out a hand for her. “C’mon.”

  Roxie remembered when she’d accidentally pulled Yayu face-first into the grass, and accepted his aid. A decent-sized throng crowded the finish line area as the last of the runners headed down the final stretch. She turned back to see someone walking up behind Aerigo with a broad grin. “Hello, Yayu.”

  “Hello, my dear Aigis. How’d you do?”

  Roxie studied his exhausted face while balancing on one foot, using Aerigo’s arm for support. He and his people seemed to have boundless energy during waking hours, but this race made everyone look ready for a nap. “A voice inside my head told me I earned four points for your Clan.” This has got to be one of the few times I can say I’m hearing voices in my head without anyone thinking I’m crazy.

  “Very good! I had barely caught my breath when Aerigo told me you had crossed the finish line.”