Shield of the Gods (Aigis Trilogy, Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

weapon.”
                  Aerigo said, “You do have quite the task before you but you’re not a secret weapon.”
                  “But what does he think you’re going to teach me?” Roxie asked softly. “He said I was supposed to be a threat or something.”
                  “You are a threat to his agenda, but not necessarily in a violent sense.”
                  “What do you mean?” She closed her eyes but Aerigo’s voice kept her conscious.
                  “To put it simply: Daio, his master and their allies want people to die. Baku, many others, and myself don’t want this to happen. We need your help to save lives.”
                  Roxie’s mouth barely formed the words “sounds complicated,” and then she passed out.
                  Aerigo drew closer and put a hand on Roxie’s forehead, evaluating her energies again.  Her skin was hot to the touch, but it felt like change; not illness. “She shouldn’t wake up anytime soon. She’s changing into a proper Aigis.”
                  “She’ll be able to do everything she’s supposed to soon?”
                  “Correct.”
                  “Is it safe to move her? We need to talk but I don’t want to disturb her sleep.”
                  Aerigo scooped Roxie into his arms. “Where to?”
    The old woman led him across the living room, down a flight of stairs and into a typical teenage girl’s bedroom. The walls were covered with movie posters, pictures of scenery and people, and a couple of stuffed bookcases. In one corner of the room near the ceiling hung a net overflowing with stuffed animals. Below it was a twin bed neatly made. Aerigo laid Roxie on the comforter of striped pinks and reds with stars, hearts, spirals and wavy lines all over it. Grandma took the throw blanket from the foot of the bed and covered Roxie from the shoulders down, then kissed her granddaughter’s forehead.
                  “So you’ve come already,” she said softly, sorrowful.
                  “Yes. It can’t be helped.” Aerigo felt both grateful and saddened by Grandma’s foreknowledge. Grateful because his arrival was less of a shock, yet saddened because no amount of warning would make the family parting any easier to accept.
                  “Don’t you think she’s a little young?”
                  “What did Baku tell you about Rox?”
                  “Come.”
                  Aerigo followed Grandma back upstairs and took a seat at the kitchen table when she gestured to it.
                  “I’m making some herbal tea. Do you want any?”
                  “Please.”
                  Grandma filled up a teakettle and set it on the gas stove to boil, then calmly walked around the counter and down the hall, into her room. A moment later she returned and dropped a folded piece of paper on the table, then returned to the kitchen. “One morning, when Roxie was still a newborn, I went to her crib to feed her and found her holding an envelope in one tiny hand. I couldn’t come up with a reasonable explanation for how the letter got there, much less without disturbing a baby.” Grandma retrieved two ceramic mugs from a hanging cabinet and set them by the stovetop. “If you’ve seen enough of the world around us, you’ll understand that magic isn’t a reasonable explanation.” She took out a couple of tea bags from another cabinet near the stove and deposited one in each mug.
                  Aerigo gave the lady a comprehending nod. “I’ve been to quite a few worlds. Some have magic; some don’t, like yours. It’s just the way things are.”
                  “I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read the letter. I didn’t know whether to believe it or not until