away!” shouted Snaff as he ambled up the stairs.
Eir dashed up behind him and hoisted Snaff to her shoulders and vaulted through the skylight. She emerged in hot, humid Rata Sum.
“There she is!” Eir exclaimed, pointing upward, toward the city center.
Big Zojja climbed the stairs with the loose-limbed excitement of a child who was running naked.
“Can we catch up?” Snaff asked dubiously.
“Of course,” Eir replied.
Garm shot out past her and vaulted up the switchback stairs. His black jowls hung loose as he tore past the stony slope where Master Klab had launched his puffball. Beyond it, Garm closed in on Big Zojja. He nipped at her heels, snarling.
The golem turned her uncanny stone head down toward him, eye beams scanning. Then she broke into a real run, leaving Garm behind.
The great wolf slowed to a stop and stood there, panting, waiting for his master to catch up. When Eir arrived, they ran on together.
“Some would call this an anomaly,” Snaff murmured as he bounced on the norn’s shoulders. “But to have an anomaly, you have to establish a baseline.”
Eir glanced at the inventor. “ This is your baseline ?”
“I put it down to high spirits,” Snaff said with mock cheer. “When you’re used to having legs that are two feet long and suddenly have legs that are ten feet long, well, you want to take them out for a stretch, don’t you? It’s not an anomaly.”
Just then, gongs sounded from nearby towers. The clangor spread outward until all of Rata Sum was ringing. Asura voices joined the cacophony, resolving to a single word: “A-no-ma-ly! A-no-ma-ly.”
Snaff snarled, “Haven’t they been listening ?”
Emergency crews poured out of the sides of the cubes, looking around in shock to see what sort of mayhem had been unleashed this time.
Big Zojja bolted onward, cracking tiles and shattering stones on the bridges. She rushed across one of the giant stone cubes, then vanished around its edge.
“No!” Snaff shouted.
Eir ran up to the edge of the cube and skidded to a stop, with Garm beside her. They looked down at the jungle far below.
Snaff squeaked, “Where is she?”
Eir blinked. “If she fell, there should be a golem-shaped hole in the jungle.”
“She’s up there!” Snaff shouted, pointing.
They all looked up along the slanting edge of the giant cube. There, Big Zojja teetered, heading for the top.
“She’ll fall to her death!” Snaff shouted. “We’ve got to get up there!”
Eir grabbed on to the side of the cube and began to climb. Garm scrambled up alongside her.
Snaff meanwhile wrung his hands. “I’ve murdered her. That’s what I’ve done. I’ve quite simply discombobulated my apprentice. And she was a genius! Oh, wretched man that I am!”
“Shhh,” said Eir.
“What?”
“Shhh! She’s just ahead.”
At the peak of the stony slope stood Big Zojja, with legs fully extended and arms lifted high and stony face raised.
Snaff wailed, “The posture of an idiot! I’ve reduced Zojja to an idiot!”
“Shhhh!” Eir reiterated.
Snaff fell silent.
In the hush, the asura, the norn, and the dire wolf watched breathlessly as a great white puffball drifted up over the edge of the pyramid. Wind-filled bags of silk surrounded the terrified figure of Master Klab. At the base of the puffball, a dozen or so skyhooks hung, testimony to the failure of rescue krewes.
Big Zojja stood on the block of stone, lifted her golemic arms, snagged a few of the skyhooks, and hauled down.
The moment that the puffball reached the top of the pyramid, Master Klab unbuckled his harness and fell at Big Zojja’s feet. “Thank you! Thank you! Where is your master? Where is your creator?”
Snaff stepped up behind the bowing man and tapped him on the butt. “Ahem. That would be me.”
Master Klab looked behind him and managed to sputter, “Oh, yes! My good friend Snaff.”
“Good friend?” Snaff replied.
“Well, friend is not so much the word. More like role
Eir dashed up behind him and hoisted Snaff to her shoulders and vaulted through the skylight. She emerged in hot, humid Rata Sum.
“There she is!” Eir exclaimed, pointing upward, toward the city center.
Big Zojja climbed the stairs with the loose-limbed excitement of a child who was running naked.
“Can we catch up?” Snaff asked dubiously.
“Of course,” Eir replied.
Garm shot out past her and vaulted up the switchback stairs. His black jowls hung loose as he tore past the stony slope where Master Klab had launched his puffball. Beyond it, Garm closed in on Big Zojja. He nipped at her heels, snarling.
The golem turned her uncanny stone head down toward him, eye beams scanning. Then she broke into a real run, leaving Garm behind.
The great wolf slowed to a stop and stood there, panting, waiting for his master to catch up. When Eir arrived, they ran on together.
“Some would call this an anomaly,” Snaff murmured as he bounced on the norn’s shoulders. “But to have an anomaly, you have to establish a baseline.”
Eir glanced at the inventor. “ This is your baseline ?”
“I put it down to high spirits,” Snaff said with mock cheer. “When you’re used to having legs that are two feet long and suddenly have legs that are ten feet long, well, you want to take them out for a stretch, don’t you? It’s not an anomaly.”
Just then, gongs sounded from nearby towers. The clangor spread outward until all of Rata Sum was ringing. Asura voices joined the cacophony, resolving to a single word: “A-no-ma-ly! A-no-ma-ly.”
Snaff snarled, “Haven’t they been listening ?”
Emergency crews poured out of the sides of the cubes, looking around in shock to see what sort of mayhem had been unleashed this time.
Big Zojja bolted onward, cracking tiles and shattering stones on the bridges. She rushed across one of the giant stone cubes, then vanished around its edge.
“No!” Snaff shouted.
Eir ran up to the edge of the cube and skidded to a stop, with Garm beside her. They looked down at the jungle far below.
Snaff squeaked, “Where is she?”
Eir blinked. “If she fell, there should be a golem-shaped hole in the jungle.”
“She’s up there!” Snaff shouted, pointing.
They all looked up along the slanting edge of the giant cube. There, Big Zojja teetered, heading for the top.
“She’ll fall to her death!” Snaff shouted. “We’ve got to get up there!”
Eir grabbed on to the side of the cube and began to climb. Garm scrambled up alongside her.
Snaff meanwhile wrung his hands. “I’ve murdered her. That’s what I’ve done. I’ve quite simply discombobulated my apprentice. And she was a genius! Oh, wretched man that I am!”
“Shhh,” said Eir.
“What?”
“Shhh! She’s just ahead.”
At the peak of the stony slope stood Big Zojja, with legs fully extended and arms lifted high and stony face raised.
Snaff wailed, “The posture of an idiot! I’ve reduced Zojja to an idiot!”
“Shhhh!” Eir reiterated.
Snaff fell silent.
In the hush, the asura, the norn, and the dire wolf watched breathlessly as a great white puffball drifted up over the edge of the pyramid. Wind-filled bags of silk surrounded the terrified figure of Master Klab. At the base of the puffball, a dozen or so skyhooks hung, testimony to the failure of rescue krewes.
Big Zojja stood on the block of stone, lifted her golemic arms, snagged a few of the skyhooks, and hauled down.
The moment that the puffball reached the top of the pyramid, Master Klab unbuckled his harness and fell at Big Zojja’s feet. “Thank you! Thank you! Where is your master? Where is your creator?”
Snaff stepped up behind the bowing man and tapped him on the butt. “Ahem. That would be me.”
Master Klab looked behind him and managed to sputter, “Oh, yes! My good friend Snaff.”
“Good friend?” Snaff replied.
“Well, friend is not so much the word. More like role
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