Invincible (The Aerling Series Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

something like this. I know your
father’s death has caused you a great deal of pain, but running after this boy
will not change that.”
    “But, I can help save him,” she pleads.
“You know I can.”
    Sighing, Cedrick looks back to us. “It is
your decision whether or not to allow Sloane to travel with you.”
    “Can I actually do that?” Olivia asks.
“What did she mean about the babies?”
    Despite the anxiety apparent on Cedrick’s
face to see us off and on our way, he takes a deep breath and does his best to
explain. “Olivia, the reason we value Escorts so much more than the Caretakers do
is because we understand their full purpose. Most choose to remain here to
carry on their work as Escorts by transporting Aerling infants to the human
world to be raised in safety.”
    “That’s how Aerlings get to Earth? I’ve
been wondering about that for ages,” she says.
    So have I. Now that Cedrick has explained
it, I feel rather stupid for not figuring it out on my own. Even so, I still
question the reason behind the practice. “Why do you send Aerlings to Earth?
Wouldn’t they be safer here rather than in the middle of Sentinel territory?”
    My mother steps up next to me and places
her arm around my shoulder. “We have no choice, Mason. Aerlings were created to
protect the human world. We must be in contact with the winds we were born from
to develop our powers, to survive.”
    “What?”
    “Mason,” my father says, “an Aerling
infant will die if it remains here because it cannot contact the source of his
or her life force on Earth. Before Tū grew powerful enough to create the
Sentinels, it was not dangerous for the children to go to Earth. It was still
difficult to give them up, but they were able to grow and develop their powers
enough to create a wind spirit.”
    “Why the wind spirit?” Olivia asks. “Why
is that so important?”
    Cedrick tackles that question, seeming
eager to get this done with and see us heading back to Earth. “Because we are
cut off here without the wind spirit. The spirit remains on Earth, linking us
to your world and keeping us alive. Without it, we would die just like the
untrained infant.”
    A great sense of heaviness presses down on
me at his words. If I hadn’t managed to create my wind spirit, it wouldn’t have
mattered whether Olivia figured out how to get me home. I would have died as
soon as we got here. Conner, Shane, and Molly are facing the same hurdle.
Suddenly, the idea of returning to the Aerling world, not helping them or being
there to know how they are doing is an unbearable notion.
    “Then,” Olivia begins, “can I really take Sloane
with us? If I can, why wouldn’t I be able to take more? Certainly it would be
useful to have a few people more capable than we probably are to help us out.”
    Cedrick looks uncomfortable at her words.
“Normally, no. An Escort can bring their Aerling home, but not take them back
to Earth. They can take Aerling infants because they are not yet connected to a
particular Escort.”
    “Then, what makes you think I can take
her?” Olivia asks.
    “I don’t know for sure,” Cedrick admits,
“but you were able to bring Robin here and the barrier was breached. You are also
Tāwhiri’s heir. It may be possible.”
    Sloane stares at Olivia hopefully. Her
fingernails are digging into her hands as she clasps them together tightly,
pleading. Olivia looks over at me, and I can only shrug. The help would be
appreciated, though I’m a little concerned about Sloane’s intensity. Still,
this is going to be far from easy and I hesitate to turn her down.
    “Well, I guess I can try,” Olivia says. As
soon as the words leave her mouth, Sloane dives at her, wrapping her arms
around her and telling her thank you over and over again. It’s something of a
struggle to push the girl back enough to talk to her. “I don’t know if it will
work for sure.”
    “I know,” Sloane says eagerly. “It’s
enough that you’ll