{"id":4866,"date":"2017-01-30T00:01:35","date_gmt":"2017-01-30T05:01:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tellest.com\/?p=4866"},"modified":"2017-02-15T12:30:53","modified_gmt":"2017-02-15T17:30:53","slug":"golem-maker-city-part-four","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/golem-maker-city-part-four\/","title":{"rendered":"The Golem-Maker of the City, Part Four"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Golem-Maker of the City<\/strong>
\nBy Aaron Canton<\/strong>
\n\u2014Part Four\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

The next day was bright and sunny\u2014Laika\u2019s favorite weather\u2014and she smiled out the stairwell window as she descended to the guild\u2019s lobby, a set of six one-foot-high golems in tow behind her. \u201cI\u2019m going out, Mr. Renzeya!\u201d she called once she\u2019d reached the bottom floor. \u201cI\u2019ll be back for lunch!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sounds fine,\u201d responded Renzeya, who had poked his head into the lobby with a knowing grin. \u201cJust don\u2019t get into trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho? Me?\u201d Laika chirped, affecting an expression of injured innocence. \u201cI would never!\u201d<\/p>\n

Renzeya\u2019s grin grew as he gestured to the door. \u201cGo then,\u201d he urged. \u201cI\u2019m sure you don\u2019t want to keep your friends… or anyone else… waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laika giggled before hurrying outside\u2014stopping for only a moment to let her iron golems by the doorway bang their staves a few more times than usual, just for a little added ceremony\u2014and then rushed towards the square. Her new golems chased after her, with only a couple bits getting caught in the rough cobblestones of the road and breaking off. They were fairly simple golems which she\u2019d whipped up just since last afternoon, but she knew they were good enough to serve her purpose. \u201cCome on!\u201d she urged them as they advanced. \u201cWe gotta go take back the square!\u201d<\/p>\n

The golems saluted as they ran\u2014she\u2019d got them trained to do that, at least\u2014and as she sped up, they matched pace until they all were tearing through the streets at a rush.<\/p>\n

They reached the square in just a few minutes, where the situation looked much the same as it had the previous day. Most of the kids, Laika\u2019s friends included, were clustered on the square\u2019s sides and staring longingly at its center while the half-dozen mage apprentices watched Brandon waving his wand in a tightly-controlled pattern. Normally, Laika might have been curious enough to wait and see what kind of spell Brandon was casting, but she had a mission to complete, and they were losing precious minutes of playtime. \u00a0Instead, she skidded to a stop by her friends and murmured to her golems. \u201cNow! Go now!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d Matthias asked as the golems hurried away into the crowd, cutting between people\u2019s legs and even knocking a few people aside as they ran. They were short enough that they vanished almost immediately, and within thirty seconds, Laika knew none of her friends could see where they\u2019d gone. \u201cThey\u2019ll break your golems again\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNope!\u201d Laika grinned at him. \u201cI\u2019ve got a plan to get rid of them!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA plan?\u201d Thomas grinned. \u201cAwesome. Need any help?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNope! But if Lyra wants to write a song about it later, that\u2019d be really neat!\u201d Laika turned to Lyra, who blushed\u2014she was comfortable performing other people\u2019s pieces, but composing and playing her own made her lose her confidence, so Laika always tried to remind her how good she was at it\u2014and then gave a quick nod. Laika beamed at her, then spun on her heel to face the square. \u201cHere I go. Wish me luck!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood luck!\u201d said all three of her friends at once, and Laika\u2019s smile grew. It was nice to have friends, she thought. She\u2019d never had them before\u2014she\u2019d been stuck in a shed making golems from dawn to dusk\u2014but now that she did, she wouldn\u2019t let anyone hurt them. Not even big kids with magic like Brandon and his gang. After all, she was strong too\u2014more than strong enough to stop the bullies in their tracks.<\/p>\n

And she had just the plan to do it.<\/p>\n

She squared her shoulders and then advanced towards the square\u2019s center as she had the previous day. \u201cHey, Brandon!\u201d she called. \u201cI wanna talk to you!\u201d<\/p>\n

Brandon sighed then turned toward her as a lazy, cruel grin spread across his face. \u201cAgain?\u201d he said. \u201cWhere\u2019s the golems? Learn your lesson?\u201d<\/p>\n

Laika shrugged. \u201cI wanted to make a deal with you!\u201d she chirped, counting seconds in her head. \u201cSo that you can use the square sometimes and we can use it sometimes. How\u2019s that sound?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA deal?\u201d Brandon looked at the other mages, most of whom were chuckling by this point, before turning back to her with a sneer. \u201cAnd why, exactly, should members of the Vestigo Guild listen to a little kid like you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d said Laika, trying to match the conciliatory tone Reynoll used in his diplomatic negotiations. \u201cThere must be something<\/em> you want…\u201d<\/p>\n

As she spoke, she saw her little golems advance out into the open from the side of the square behind the mages, all of whom were looking at her. They crept closer, their leafy feet completely silent on the ground, and their vine fingers twitching a little as they neared the mages.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh really?\u201d taunted Brandon. \u201c\u2019Cause right now I\u2019m thinking all we want\u2019s to be able to practice our magic in peace. What else you got that we would want?\u201d<\/p>\n

Reynoll had described many times how it could be useful to keep someone talking, and Laika knew all his tricks. \u201cI got a lot!\u201d she said, spreading her arms wide and inviting them to waste time laughing at her instead of paying attention to their surroundings. And sure enough, the big kids laughed and teased her\u2014and the golems crossed more of the square as they snuck up on the mages.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike personal golems to do all our cleaning and chores and stuff?\u201d asked another mage. \u201c\u2019Cause that could be nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brandon thought for a moment, then grinned. \u201cYou know what? I could go for a cleaning golem\u2014in fact, I bet we all could. And hey, I guess if we ever needed more golems to do other stuff, we could just come back here, and you\u2019d make them for us, right?\u201d He chuckled. \u201cSo that we\u2019d leave you alone\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Then one of Laika\u2019s little golems rushed up behind him, reached out with its vine fingers, and ripped his wand from his hand.<\/p>\n

Brandon\u2019s mouth dropped as the other mages drew their own wands, but it all happened so quickly that Brandon\u2019s friends had no time to look behind them, where Laika\u2019s remaining golems were standing. In moments, her other golems pounced and snatched up the remaining wands. They then ran behind Laika, who took the wands and beamed\u2014her magic had worked perfectly. If Mr. Cenard had seen her, she knew he would have been proud. \u201cHow about this?\u201d she asked. \u201cI\u2019ll give you your wands back if you agree to let everyone else use the square!\u201d<\/p>\n

The mages gaped\u2014except for Brandon, who flushed. \u201cGive those back!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot unless you promise to let us use the\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Brandon bunched up his fists and took a big step forwards. \u201cGive,\u201d he hissed. \u201cThem. Back. Now<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laika thought for a moment\u2014then stuck out her tongue at him. \u201cCome get them!\u201d<\/p>\n

The kids around the square gasped, and then Brandon rushed her with a roar.<\/p>\n

He was a big kid, and Laika knew that if she let him land any blows he could really hurt her. But she also knew, from Miss Naphkator, lots of tricks for avoiding that. As he ran at her she waited until the last minute, then dropped into a crouch, and as his fists swung over her head, she swept her arms out at just the right time. He ran right into her grasp, and she twisted to redirect his momentum outwards and send him stumbling away, until he tripped and smashed into the ground. \u201cOw!\u201d he screamed, rolling over and revealing bruises and cuts on his face. \u201cYou jerk! I\u2019m telling!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTelling what?\u201d Laika asked. \u201cYou attacked me! And yesterday you broke my golems first too! Everyone saw it!\u201d<\/p>\n

Brandon\u2019s eyes flashed as he hauled himself back up to his feet. \u201cThat\u2019s not what my friends will say!\u201d he snapped. \u201cThey\u2019ll back me up, say you started it\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd say I somehow got all <\/em>your wands without you noticing?\u201d Laika grinned and waggled the wands at him, though she kept an eye on the other mages\u2014all staring at the scene in shock\u2014just in case they tried to intervene. \u201cOkay, go ahead! Of course, they\u2019ll want to know what happened and I guess you\u2019ll have to explain how my golems beat all of you.\u201d Her eyes twinkled. \u201cSound good?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brandon\u2019s eyes darted back and forth for a moment before his face took on a darker shade of red. \u201cThen maybe I won\u2019t tell. I\u2019ll just wipe the smile off your face\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we can do this again?\u201d Laika dropped into a combat form Naphkator had taught her, and even though Brandon was bigger than her, when he saw her steady, focused stance, he faltered. One hand went up to his bleeding cheek, and Laika smiled. \u201c\u2019Cause you might have had a lot of magic school, but I\u2019ve gotten lessons from a real knight!\u201d<\/p>\n

The mage stiffened, but then his shoulders slumped. \u201cFine,\u201d he hissed. \u201cWhatever. Just give us back the stupid wands, and we\u2019ll leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

All around the square other kids burst into applause, and Laika almost cheered at her own triumph. If she\u2019d just beaten him in a fight like Miss Naphkator had suggested, he could have tattled, but now he couldn\u2019t do that without embarrassing himself by admitting he and his friends had all lost their wands to Laika\u2019s magic. And if she\u2019d just used her magic to take their wands like Mr. Cenard had proposed, Brandon might have attacked her friends in revenge, but now he was too scared to do that. So he was giving up… and she hadn\u2019t even had to bribe him with any golems to do it. \u201cSee?\u201d Laika teased as she sorted through the wands. \u201cI knew<\/em> I had something you wanted!\u201d<\/p>\n

The mages all swore, in front of all the other kids, they would never try to stop anyone from playing in the square again. A couple seemed hesitant, but then Laika threatened to break their wands over her knee and they quickly gave in. She returned the wands after that, but not before carefully carving a strip from each of them with a pocketknife so she could still prove she\u2019d had the wands at one point by showing how the strips fit the damage to each wand. This way, if Brandon went back on his word and tried to tattle, she\u2019d be ready. Brandon scowled when she carved a piece off his wand, but he could do nothing about it except jam his wand into his pocket when he got it back and then turn around. \u201cLet\u2019s go,\u201d he growled. \u201cThis square sucks anyways.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBye!\u201d called Laika as the mages scurried away, the other kids jeering too. \u201cDon\u2019t come back unless you wanna mess with me again!\u201d She grinned, then turned back to the other kids. \u201cOkay, what do you want to do\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThree cheers for Laika and her golems!\u201d yelled Thomas from one side of the square. \u201cHip hip hooray!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c Hip hip hooray!\u201d echoed the other kids.<\/p>\n

Laika grinned, and at that moment, she knew the day was going to be absolutely perfect.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

When Laika returned to the guild a few hours later, she was still chewing the last of the warm honey rolls the others had bought for her, and at the same time, she was humming the new song Lyra had composed. She was just up to the verse about how Laika had thrown Brandon onto the ground with the force of a mighty avalanche when she walked into the guild\u2019s lobby\u2014and saw several adventurers looking at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo?\u201d Miss Naphkator asked, leaning against one wall and cocking a grin at her. \u201cHow\u2019d the quest go?\u201d<\/p>\n

Laika quickly swallowed and then grinned at her. \u201cIt went great! The mages left, and I don\u2019t think they\u2019ll come back ever again! And then everyone bought me honey rolls and candy, and Lyra made up a new song for me, and now a bunch of kids want me to teach them fighting moves!\u201d That had probably been the most fun part of the victory celebrations\u2014everyone had been watching her as she explained and demonstrated how to do the move she\u2019d used on Brandon, and then she\u2019d had her golems help practice with the others until all the kids more or less had it down. \u201cIt was awesome!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope our advice was of some use to you,\u201d said Mr. Cenard. He was leaning on his wizard\u2019s staff near Reynoll, while Renzeya himself was waiting by the entrance to the bar and dining area. \u201cDid you find it helpful?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh-huh!\u201d Laika quickly nodded, and her golems behind her followed suit. \u201cIt was!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell.\u201d Renzeya stepped to one side so Laika could get through the door into the dining area. \u201cIn that case, I\u2019d say it\u2019s your turn, Laika.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy turn?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo tell us your story!\u201d Miss Naphkator grinned. \u201cWe\u2019ve told you plenty of ours\u2014now you should tell us the great saga of how little Laika from the mountains beat a big, tough, Vestigo mage in front of everyone!\u201d<\/p>\n

Laika blinked, for a moment scarcely able to believe it. \u201cYou… want to hear my story?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d said Mr. Cenard. \u201cAfter all, it does<\/em> seem like you\u2019ve had an impressive adventure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps even worthy of being recorded in the guild\u2019s journals,\u201d Reynoll noted.<\/p>\n

The golem-maker slowly grinned at the adventurers around her. And as she headed into the dining area, sitting down in the most comfortable chair and gathering her golems around her so she could point to them as needed during her story, she felt happier than she ever had before.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Golem-Maker of the City By Aaron Canton \u2014Part Four\u2014 The next day was bright and sunny\u2014Laika\u2019s favorite weather\u2014and she smiled out the stairwell window as she descended to the guild\u2019s lobby, a set of six one-foot-high golems in tow behind her. \u201cI\u2019m going out, Mr. Renzeya!\u201d she called once she\u2019d reached the bottom floor. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3274,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[145,146],"tags":[273,525,1470,1454],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Short-Story-Panel.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1UVey-1gu","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4866"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4866"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4866\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4867,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4866\/revisions\/4867"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}