Zojja sighed. "You can control the golem with your mind."

"Precisely," Snaff said. "Very experimental. No one else is even close to doing this sort of thing. It's difficult not to wax poetic about one's own inventions." He carried the golden laurel to his apprentice. "Would you be so kind, my dear? After all, it does does have your head." have your head."

"Fine," Zojja said, taking the golden laurel. She slid it down until the ends rested on her ears and the middle cradled her skull. The moment gold contacted skin, the powerstones began to glow.

"It's working!" Snaff said, clapping his hands as if he had expected it wouldn't. He turned and pointed toward the golem's forehead. "It's working! You see?"

The large powerstone in the golem's forehead glowed with crimson light. Ripples of energy spread out across the golem's face, somehow seeming to soften the stone. When the ripples rolled across the creature's eye, a black iris formed, and a pupil opened, s.h.i.+ning red light.

"It can see!" Snaff cried.

The golem lurched up from the table, metal feet pounding stone, and took a booming step toward Eir.

"Look out!" she shouted, and dragged Snaff back from the gigantic foot.

Growling, Garm retreated as well.

But Zojja stood unmoving in the path of the golem. Well, not actually unmoving. She lifted her leg, and the golem took a thunderous step toward her. She lifted her other leg, and- "Look out!" Eir shouted, s.n.a.t.c.hing Zojja out of the path of the golem.

The golem's foot boomed brutally just behind Eir.

Zojja squirmed in Eir's grip, her feet kicking the air as if she were a child having a tantrum.

Behind Eir, the golem broke into a loose-limbed run.

Eir held Zojja out at arm's length. "What's she doing?"

Snaff's voice sounded distant and sad. "She's running away."

Eir turned to see the huge golem bounding up the staircase, heading for the skylight above. Every kick of Little Zojja's legs became a step for Big Zojja-who just then vaulted out of the ziggurat.

"Help me chase her down!" Snaff shouted, running for the stairs.

Eir glanced from him to Little Zojja, whose feet were still flailing. "What do I do with her her?"

Snaff pointed to a small door. "Lock her in the closet until we get back!"

Carrying Little Zojja to the closet, Eir shoved her inside and slammed and locked the door. Moments later, small fists were pounding inside the closet, and big fists outside the ziggurat.

"Hurry! The golem's getting 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 is your baseline 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 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 this time. 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 dis...o...b..bulated 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 b.u.t.t. "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 friend is not so much the word. More like is not so much the word. More like role model. role model. Even Even idol. idol." Klab wore a sick smile and seemed to throw up in his mouth.

"Really, Klab, I think you might be wise to give up larking about in the sky. A bit dangerous, don't you think?"

"A bit," Master Klab allowed as he mopped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Maybe I should go back to my study of frostometrics."

"Yes, excellent idea. Iceboxes are are more your speed." Snaff turned toward Big Zojja. "Come along, now. Let's head back to the laboratory for a few more adjustments." The golem nodded and followed its master. Once they were out of earshot of Klab, Snaff began to mutter, "I've got to solve the problem of s.p.a.cial dislocation experienced by the pilot-that and the business about flailing legs and arms and all the dangers they present. Can't just be locking pilots into closets . . . more your speed." Snaff turned toward Big Zojja. "Come along, now. Let's head back to the laboratory for a few more adjustments." The golem nodded and followed its master. Once they were out of earshot of Klab, Snaff began to mutter, "I've got to solve the problem of s.p.a.cial dislocation experienced by the pilot-that and the business about flailing legs and arms and all the dangers they present. Can't just be locking pilots into closets . . . unless unless they were mobile . . ." they were mobile . . ."

"What are you talking about?" Eir asked, regaining her breath.

"Mobile closets," Snaff muttered, grinning.

Eir blinked. "I don't know what that is."

"A cage-no, a c.o.c.kpit. We'll put it in the abdomen-you know, with a harness and all so that the driver can kick her legs and punch her arms as much as she likes and ride along in safety!"

Eir nodded. "You think you could make these machines controllable?"

"Of course."

"Because, in wartime, a machine has to be completely in control."

"Yes, of course," Snaff replied, adding innocently, "What's this about?"

"You have these . . . hypercephalic-"

"Cephalolithopathic."

"Yes . . . these golems that people can control with their minds. And I need warriors who can fight the Dragonsp.a.w.n-"

"Your point being?"

The norn sighed. "Here's what I propose: I'll carve your head, so you can have a golem just like your a.s.sistant, if you'll agree to march these golems against the Dragonsp.a.w.n as your . . . um, what do you call it?"

"Beta test?"

"Right."

The asura inventor sighed contentedly. "It's just the sort of arrangement I had hoped for."

STRANGER DANGER.

Who said that?" Logan asked, silencing Rytlock with an upraised hand. "Listen."

Only the crackling fires spoke in the dark canyon. Neither warrior could hear anything else, let alone see beyond the pyres.

"Wasn't me," Rytlock growled. "Sounded womanish."

"It was was womanish," said the voice. womanish," said the voice.

Rytlock and Logan drew their weapons.

Logan stepped away from the pyres, war hammer ready in his hand. "Who is it? Show yourself!"

"I am am showing myself," the woman replied flatly. "I'm standing right here. The problem is you're fire-blinded. If you want to see me, step away from the light." showing myself," the woman replied flatly. "I'm standing right here. The problem is you're fire-blinded. If you want to see me, step away from the light."

"Yeah, right," Rytlock snarled.

"Why don't you you step step into into the light?" Logan asked. the light?" Logan asked.

"You want all three of us to be fire-blinded?"

"Yes."

There was a sigh. Then she emerged from the veiling darkness-a pet.i.te woman with silvery hair and porcelain skin. She wore glossy travel leathers crossed with vine motifs, which clung tight to her young body. Her spike-heeled boots also looked like dark seedpods, lifting her three inches taller than she would have stood.

"A sylvari," groaned Rytlock. "Always trouble."

Logan stepped toward her. "What are you doing here?"

Her eyes shone like jade. "Talking to you."

Logan blinked. "No, I mean, why why are you here?" are you here?"

She sighed. "You asked me to step into the light."

"See what I mean?" growled Rytlock.

"Which is a bad idea since the smell of blood is drawing predators from miles around," she continued, "and those pyres are like beacons to bring the ogres."