Vance felt the sharp weight of heaviness, of fear and doom press into his chest. As quickly as it had come it was gone. Without reason or rhyme, he ran. Ran up the stairs and out in a random direction.
Before he had left the curve of trees, he saw Karn trot back with his wolves in tow, coming from far. He paused. What was he doing? Where was he going? Why was he running? The sudden burst of fear for a human could be anything ranging from a nightmare to a jump scare. With the day break over their head, she could be sleeping soundly in her room for all he knew.
Karn spotted him before he could turn away. His hand raised and Vance waved in response. Neither of them were the kind to stand on ceremony or pay heed to greetings. He could have turned around, could have gone back but he walked over.
"How was moonbathing?"
"Fruitful." Karn said shortly in typical Karn fashion.
"Interesting choice of words," Vance remarked as he fell in step with his friend, walking the wolves back to the dorm. They entered the dormitories from the other side and walked down the hallways.
"Thanks for leaving us together. I had a private word with Ash." Karn said. Princess Ash was at the backwaters. His feet weren't carrying him in a random direction. Then it hit him again. Private word. Leaving them together? Something heavy settled in his gut.
"Did you clear the air?" he asked, unsure what answer he expected.
"Yes."
Vance wanted to ask the next question but he was unwilling to listen to the answer. Karn looked at the side of his face intently as they reached the doors of their room. The wolved filled in a line and Karn stayed back. Once the door was closed, Karn looked at him again. Vance was forced to ask, "what now?"
Karn looked back at the closed door, "let's take a walk."
Ash rolled sideways before the sharp point of the log hand could touch her. It passed right through her side, grazing her shirt, piercing deep into the ground. The golem's body shifted, arms switched, the stuck joint moved away from one side to another and the free arm moved closer to her with the swirling mud in its body, spine uncharacteristically straight.
"Stop," she heard Mayra not far, with layers of vibrations running through her voice. The golem paused for a moment, both hands merged into one. Ash took the chance to scramble away from the tree that was blocking her path. The golem growled, a bubbling sound in its throat and Ash stumbled over a broken branch. The golem had switched hands, one still stuck in the ground as it reached for her, his other arm extending in tendrils.
Earth magic, a witch with earth magic was close by. She caught the log she had stumbled over and threw it with the weight of her entire body, at the golem. It stuck in the golem's gut, horizontally. It was a short thing. It rotated vertically, swallowing into the golem's body, rendering the creatur motionless for a moment. Ash found the chance to look back at Mayra who pulled out a scale from her shoulder and threw it at her. The thing elongated into a short knife the size of her palm before she caught it. Ash clicked a button on the back when she caught it. The knife rested solid and reliable in her hand, the handle fitting like a glove.
A surge of excitement passed through her, an emotion larger than she could swallow or keep down. As if the anger within her, found a target, a valid reason, a place to unleash. She watched around the golem, in the trees above, in the trees behind, in the darkness as far out as her limited human vision could reach. No one. Multiple witches and warlocks were missing from site. It either one of their creations gone rogue, or someone was targeting her intently. the golems admitted into the university were picked after careful screening. Her father, along with the leader of Sanguine Knights had set those standards himself. Her own golem friend was created to match those standards.
This was intentional. With the sharp focus with which the golem came for her, said as much.
Behind her, she felt a sudden rush and Mayra, hand on her shoulder, fingers brushing her nape, familiar, webbed, in her true siren form, whispered, "just like we practiced."
Ash smiled at the worry tinged in Mayra's tone. "Get Akiye Void. Head of the representatives."
Mayra did not move. She called to her friends, "find Miss Akiye for me please."
Every words rang with urgency and magic. A magic that was was gaining moment with the closeness to the waters and the moon. Mayra's friends scattered quickly, even without the affect of the magic but those around the woods, perhaps hidden from view, keeping away from the tussle, slipped out, looking around. A warlock and a witch dressed messily, stepped out, looking around, movements awkward. The golem recovered, the log had been swallowed by its form, making its shoulder wider, giving him more strength to pull out his sharpened, log hand.
Unfortunately for the golem, Ash and Mayra had moved far beyond its reach.
"Turn and run?" Mayra whispered, both of them half hidden by a tree. The golem looked about, the hollow of its eyes turning this way and that. Unlike the identifiable eye shape, the golem had two small circle for eye which moved from middle to side, unnaturally fast and disjointed. Whoever was controlling the golem was not using much of the golem's senses to explore the surroundings but their own. Which meant they were close. If so, how had they not been affected by the siren call?
They kept backing up slowy, testing the ground behind them for solidity and flatness, refusing to make any sharp sounds.
They were further away now. Far enough to run even if the golem spotted them. It was just a matter of being out of sight now. Deep within the forest someone called, "Akiye? Akiye.Here. Come here. Someone needs your help."
The golem turned its head, away from them. It was now or never. Ash turned and Mayra turned with her. And they ran.
Behind them, they heard the heavy thuds of the golem following them. Ash ran harder and Mayra started talking, "slow down dear. Your are conscious and free to slow down. You feel so tired, a bit of slack wouldn't hurt. Why are you running anyway? What is the purpose...."
The thuds that were getting softer, further away when they heard, "pass the test," loud and clear in a human voice. Was that the golem? Did it speak? Ash had the urge to look back but she couldn't loose focus while running away. They reached the wall in record time. Ash did not wait, she slipped sideways and went to her knees, crawling through the giant broken hole in the wall. Mayra jumped, a hand on the upper part and jumped over. They each came on the other side and kept running. The buildings were before them, the expanse of grass field between the wall and the building expanded longer than she had thought before.
The sky had lightened. The witch or warlock had to maintain certain distance with the golem to command it. They would have to step closer to the wall. They were half way between the wall and the building when they heard a splatter. A splatter, not a thud. Ash chanced a look back, unobstructed by anything ahead and the sight behind shocked her into disbelief.
All over the grass, the golem mud splattered everywhere and each splatter was a tiny ball rolling on the ground towards her at a speed faster than the golem could run at. The logs had fallen against the wall, blocking the hole. There was no way she could outrun the golem or the miniature form. It was high level of control and deep roots of magic.
Before reaching the back of the building, she turned around, better an open area than an enclosed alley between two buildings. She turned with the knife in her hand, hoping to hit the small rolling splatter into even smaller parts. the more the parts, the harder it would be for the witch and warlock to follow.
"Whose is there? Come out and how yourself." Mayra commanded, insisting ardently. The allure in her voice was much stronger than a regular command. Ash knew multiple creature would turn up. In fact, anyone within hearing range, would rush over.
The first rolls of mud, shot into the air, forming thin sharp icicles, aiming for her. Ash raised her knife, knocking each one away with a soft clang. Thoen the rest of them began to come together, climbing on top of each other, rising in height. If she turned around, one of sharp shaped mud might pierce her but it wouldn't hurt her severely. If she stayed until the golem was reformed, it would hurt a lot more.
She began moving back, one eye on the problem, her blade and arm moving constantly and other on her escape. There was no more mud left for the golem's master to attack her. They were close to the alley when the entire golem was reconstructed. It was shorter, about their height and leaner, without the logs holding it together. Smaller and lighter meant faster even though each step would cause it to loose more mud. They had to outrun it until its existence vanished.
Mayra had other ideas. "Help," she screamed. The helpessness in her voice took Ash by surprise. Suddenly, from behind the golem, Akiye floated into the air, her arms spread, hands open, eyes wide and fixed on the golem as the logs raised into the air.
Ash screamed, "no," but the logs were each raising for the golem already. Ash grit her teeth, and ran into the alley, half her attention behind her. The length of the building was easily maneuverable, plain and empty. She kept looking back as the log punched past the golem, leaving two gaping holes, and fell on the ground. The big hole closed quickly and the second log stuck in there. Ash slowed, the golem would take some time now, to absorb the log.
How wrong she was. Her first mistake, her only mistake and she paid for it.
The golem did not stop moving. Instead, it dragged forward with the momentum of the log and flipped forward, coming at her with double speed. Myra jerked her out of the way but the end of the log hit the ground and the golem rolled over. It's head banged into Ash's hand and face forward facing her- empty. The golem's head had turned mid fall, hollow eyes and muddy mouth clamped over her wrist. She caught her balance and slipped her arm away from the creature. But she couldn't get all her arm out. The golem's toothless mouth stuck on her elbow, impossible to slip out. Mayra caught her arm from both sides of the golem's mouth and yanked. Ash shifted the dagged into the other hand and slammed it between the golem's eyes.
Akiye flew into the alley after them, mouth moving in an incantation. The golem was thrown into the air and thrown out back into the grass field.
Air rushed past her and she saw Vance in passing. Another gust of white rested before her eyes. She met Karn's big eyes, surprise written all over him. His big hand caught her wrist and pulled her arm straight, gently. Throbbing pain spread around her elbow as she let her arm be guided into a straight position. A circular part of her skin around the elbow was caked in dried mud that clung to her skin. She patted the skin but the mud refused to fall.
But Karn's hand reached above it, hovering midway. "what is that?"
Ash looked where Karn stared and found the large fingerprints of the werecat from the other day. She pulled down the sleeve quickly but Karm had seen it clearly. "did someone hurt you? Who did this?"
In the distance, Ash heard a loud bang and the sound of sharp splatter. Vance stood between a circle of mud, not a speck on his body as he looked back at them. There was a small piece of wood on his hand. Golem functioned on a single enchanted object placed in their body, break the object and the enchantment that was golem, would be broken. For the first time when their eyes met, Vance did not look away. This time it was her.
Was she to say thank you or wish he was besides her instead of Karn? Karn looked at her with transparent concern. Her heart contracted. Softly, she pulled her wrist out of Karn's hold and smiled, "Thank you for your concern."
Akiye's hand hovered over the mud mark too. "This will spread. Golems can infect others. By the next full moon, the mark will spread."
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Vance towards her. Not her, she told herself. In typical Vance fashion, he was most likely to walk away since his duty as knight was done.
"We should see the high priestess immediately." Karn said. Ash shook her head and pushed off the wall.
"I will be well. I cannot be infected." saying, she let the arm fall and turned to leave, walking slowly, letting Karn and Akiye fall in step beside her. Ash looked at Mayra, who understood her quickly. Mayra blinked once and moved around her, blocked her path, facing the group of three, "thank your for all you have done for the princess. What she really needs right now is rest. We promise we will see the high priestess, the first thing when we wake up and keep you updated."
Mayra bowed for her, low and deep. Ash smiled and ducked her chin in short bow too, unable to talk, tired down to her bones. She kept her eyes carefully away from Vance when she looked up.