The Dotard

by Greg Curtis

  “Now, let's get that leg moving.”

  With that Py grabbed her foot and started lifting her leg, stretching it further than Carrie would have thought was possible. Certainly further than her leg wanted to go.

  “Ow! Do you have to be so rough?” Carrie complained.

  “We do if you want to fly again!”

  “Fly?! I'm human! And it's not a wing!”

  “Arms, legs, wings – they're all the same.” Py carried on stretching her leg out. “So stop your complaining.”

  “Just what sort of a wizard are you?” Carrie gasped out once the woman let her leg ease back a bit. She was brutally strong despite her small stature.

  “Sorceress. And a good one. I help the children to fly – and they complain a lot less than you. But then I suppose they do more stretching than you. Your muscles are so tight. Don't you do any exercise?!” She started pushing her leg up again.

  “They're probably too scared to complain!” she retorted through clenched teeth, ignoring the comment. At this rate she thought, Py was going to have her toe touching her nose! And Carrie just wasn't built for that. But she had to admit that the woman's spells that she wove as she manoeuvred the leg were helping. The healing warmth in her injured hip and thigh felt wonderful, and after the treatment she did feel better. Then again, that could just be the feeling of relief once the torture was finished.

  Py didn't seem concerned by her charge. Nor by her yelps of pain as bones and muscles were pushed beyond what Carrie would have thought they could withstand. She just kept working the joint, getting the flexibility back into it as she claimed. And Carrie put up with it as always. Every day the woman did the same thing to her and until she decided to leave, or Py deemed her fit enough, she guessed it was going to continue.

  So Py continued with her daily torture and Carrie endured it with as much grace as she could manage, while all the time she was really waiting for the snapping sound that she knew would be the clue that her bones had finally given up bending and simply broken. But that wasn't the sound that ended the session. Instead it was the yells of the other patients.

  Carrie turned her head to see what the noise was about, and immediately forgot everything else as she looked out through the open flap of the tent and saw a twenty-foot-tall figure of iron in the distance. It was running toward them. Py stopped as well.

  “What's that?!”

  “Iron golem,” Carrie answered her grimly, realising that the next battle had started early – well before they were ready. “My grandfather's sent it. Get me up!”

  But why had he sent only one she wondered as Py started lifting her upright. This didn't seem like the attack they'd worried about as they'd built up their forces.

  And then she realised that the golem was coming for her! In that moment her grandfather's words were clear in her memories. She was the hostage the demon would use against him.

  “Shite! It's coming for me!” She yelled out. But was it her grandfather in his confused state thinking he was protecting her? Or the demon inside him trying to turn her into a hostage again? And did it even matter which? The result would be the same.

  None of that mattered though she realised as Py finally got her to her feet, and weapons started firing. A lot of weapons. There was a battle to be fought. Unfortunately, the rifles didn't have any effect on the golem. Possibly the range was too great. But more likely – it was made of metal. Ice might chip at least under the impact of a bullet – but the metal would barely dent.

  Then the wizards burst into action and she watched as the iron golem seemed to lift into the air as if it had been picked up by an invisible giant, before smashing head first into the ground. The force of the push was so great that the impact of the golem hitting the ground sounded like a cannon firing. Even that didn't stop it though. Carrie watched in disbelief as the huge creature slowly righted itself and then started coming for her again.

  Someone hit it with a burning white-hot ray of light and instantly she saw the metal start to flow down its front. Finally, she thought! Something was working. But she could also see that it wasn't stopping in its rush to get to her.

  Soon people were running to get out of its way, as the golem quickly crossed the one and a half leagues between the town and the camp. It was fast! Much faster than the ice golems. But like them it had no regard for those who got in its path, and when it finally reached the front lines, it sent anyone in its way flying. Carrie heard more rifles firing, saw more plumes of smoke rising into the air. And whoever had struck it with that first attack of force, tried again. This time the golem was sent tumbling backward at least fifty paces.

  But as before, once it had righted itself, it got up again. And then it continued on its path. By then metal was flowing in small rivers down its front. But it didn't seem to even notice.

  Carrie's heart started racing. This thing was tough! Much tougher than the ice golems. Tougher even than the drakes. And her grandfather was surrounded by a wall of them! Suddenly all their preparations didn't seem like anywhere near enough. Here she was, surrounded by all these extra Priests, soldiers and wizards. And they couldn't defeat even a single one of these beasts?! Carrie knew they were in trouble.

  Lightning flashed down on the metal golem, and still it didn't seem to notice. Two more rays of that blinding brilliant light struck it and more metal began flowing down its front. Still, it didn't stop. It didn't even seem to slow down. The only thing that halted its progress was whoever was tossing it away with his blows of force. But it was only temporary and each time it was picked up and smashed into the ground, it got up again.

  Then the cannon fired and hit the golem squarely in the chest. And at that point Carrie knew they were in trouble, because it didn't seem to notice that it had been hit. Maybe it had a few more dents and scratches in it, and maybe it took a step backwards, but that was it. It wasn't stopping and she realised as she stood there watching it get ever closer, that as injured as she was she couldn't even run.

  Her mouth went dry as the golem closed to within fifty yards of her, and she readied her most potent attacking spells. But she was saved from having to use it as someone smashed the golem in the head with a glowing silver hammer that swooped down out of the sky. The force sent it flying backwards, tumbling out of control. And when it finally stopped she saw that its face was crushed flat. Its whole head was misshapen. Surely that must –.

  But no! Once again the golem got up and continued making its way toward her.

  It just wasn't going to be stopped!

  The battle just grew more intense as further wizards joined in and the golem was hammered again and again. By now it was grossly misshapen, and there were rivers of metal flowing down its front and it had at least been slowed. But still it kept coming. Even when its legs finally melted it wasn't done. It just kept coming for her, crawling on its metal arms.

  Suddenly the cry went up as another iron golem was spotted heading her way, and her heart stopped beating. If they could barely handle one of these creatures how were they going to stop two? Or three or four? Her grandfather had no shortage of them. There must have been a hundred of them forming that wall surrounding him.

  She had to run! Carrie knew that. And she did her best to do it. But she couldn’t walk faster than a hobble, and even as she “ran” she feared the touch of the giant metal creatures’ hands descending on her shoulders.

  “Get her out of here! They're coming for her!”

  Carrie turned as she heard Edrick yelling behind her. At whom she didn’t know as there was no one there. The other patients were being carried away from the battle as fast as the soldiers could manage. And Py had gone. She was somewhere in the midst of the battle. Edrick was alone.

  “I'm trying!” She yelled back at him, thinking he must have misspoken in the rush of the battle and that he really meant for her to run. But at least he'd realised the golems were coming for her. Then she saw him speak again and realised that not only had he not misspoken, he hadn�
�t been talking to her at all. He was yelling at the empty air to her side. By Sirtis, he'd gone completely crazy!

  But even as she was thinking that the world shifted. There was a sudden moment of spinning and twisting through nameless directions, and then she was falling to the grass somewhere else. The stupid thing was that even as she fell, she knew where she was. She knew that lush green grass and perfect blue sky.

  She was in the magical realm!

  He'd portalled her across! Or at least someone had – because she didn't think he could. Portals were created by complex magic. Big spells with lots of words and gestures that took ages to master. She knew Edrick had started studying it. But she also knew his success had been limited, and when he'd rebuilt the gate, he'd given up. She wouldn't have thought he could do it yet. But there had been no one else there! Who else could have done it save him? And how had he done it? Or had the ghosts he was yelling at done it?

  Carrie lay there on the soft grass, trying to make sense of that and failing.

  Eventually she realised there was no point in trying. It had happened and that was all that mattered. That and getting to her feet.

  It was harder to get up without Py there to help her. But with a little time and some considerable effort she managed it. Once she was standing she spun around in order to get her bearings. She couldn't see Edrick’s house and that was a worry. She didn't want to get lost in this land. But in time she looked to the position of the sun, and compared it to where she would see it at Edrick’s house at this time of day. If everything worked in this realm as it did in Riverlandia, she knew in which direction his home lay. She could even see a tree-line that she thought looked vaguely familiar. And so she set off hobbling towards it. She just had to hope that his house was behind it.

  She also hoped that he wasn't mad after all. That there really were invisible people he was talking to. Because the alternative was that he was becoming exactly like her grandfather. Completely crazed and with his magic growing out of control. Maybe he would become even worse! After all, her grandfather had never yelled at his magic!

  Sweet Lady Light, she prayed! Please let there not be two of them.

  Chapter Thirty

  Carrie was safe. Edrick tried to concentrate on that as he waited for the battle to begin. The faeries had taken her back to his home yesterday and she wasn't able to leave it. Not with her leg as it was, and the steam wagon with him. She was trapped there.

  It wasn't easy to be calm. There were a pair of dancing mammoths doing acrobatics in his stomach. His mouth had gone dry but for some reason his palms kept sweating. It was taking all his courage not to simply break and run.

  Looking around he knew that the others were feeling the same. Though they were trying to look calm, he knew they weren't. None of those who had been through the first battle would know that feeling again for a very long time. The only reason any of them were able to look as calm as they did was that more than half of their army had come from other parts of the realm and hadn't been through that first disastrous battle. The fact that they had a new commander who was snapping out dozens of orders as fast as he could and keeping them busy also helped.

  They were ready. Or at least they thought they were. They now had ten thousand soldiers, and every one of them had rifles loaded with new ammunition. Stuff that had been enchanted with a spell of penetration so that even if it smashed into an iron golem, it wouldn't be stopped. It should tear through the metal as if it was air. What the hundred cannons would do would hopefully be even more impressive.

  Five hundred Priests and Brothers now stood ready to begin their chant, and no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't see the slightest sign of doubt on any of their faces. Not even when over a hundred of their fellow Priests had died not that long before. That impressed him.

  Wizards were there in large numbers too. They at least had the good sense to look worried. But they had also been the ones who had prepared most carefully for what was coming. Whatever it was. They had covered the land between them and the town with traps. Big ones. They had practised their spells diligently and planned out which ones they would use and when. Each of them had three spells rehearsed and ready. One for the iron golems. One for the drakes. And one for whatever else might end up coming their way. It was the last that worried him.

  Edrick too had his three spells ready. The first was one that they were terming an acid splash. It was long range and vicious on metal, and given a little time, it should dissolve one of the iron golems completely. But he wasn’t sure that they had the time, which was why he'd also set up a window of far seeing. It would allow him to see the golems the instant they left the shelter of the ruined town, so that he could immediately cover them in the bubbling green acid.

  Edrick would have preferred a more instant spell. Something that punctured the golems through or blew them up. But when the others had been showing him the range of spells they had, this was the one that had made the most sense to him. It was a simple, effective spell. He could cast it quickly and easily; almost without thinking. And he wouldn't get it wrong.

  For the drakes he had bone lock, a simple spell that should lock their joints so they couldn't bend. And if they couldn't bend they couldn't fly. That would bring them crashing to the ground, helpless and vulnerable to whatever other spells they could throw at them.

  His third spell was one of simple piercing. A spinning spear of force that would shoot out and skewer whatever was coming for him. Be it drake, golem or anything else, the spear would tear through the toughest of flesh, leaving a one-inch thick hole right through it. He didn't know if that would kill everything. But most things didn't survive such injuries. Especially if it pierced their heart. And as with the other spells, this one also came easily to him and was quick to cast.

  Edrick was as ready as he could be. Though he still didn't know what they'd be facing. And it was too soon! They should have had another day to prepare. But after the attack on Carrie the previous day the new Commander had advanced the time frame.

  “Stop fidgeting! You're making everyone else nervous!” Fae rebuked him sharply. She had a habit of doing that.

  For some reason she'd decided to stand nearby, keeping an eye on him no doubt. Perhaps she was worried he might start talking. Revealing her people's secrets.

  “And you're making me nervous!” he snapped back at her. And then he regretted it. Not because she would be hurt – he doubted she could be. But because everyone else had seen him snap at her – and they couldn't actually see her. As far as they were concerned the mad wizard was simply talking to thin air again. In fact, it was worse than that. Now he was arguing with it!

  “You know you could end this yourselves. Just finish it with a wave of your hands.” Edrick kept his voice down and tried not to move his lips or gesture. But it was hard when the Faerie kept refusing to do what he knew they could. What they should. Especially when he was sure it would be so easy for them. After all, there were at least several score of them wandering around the camp – though none of them were able to be seen by anyone but him.

  “No, we can't,” Fae told him calmly. “I've told you before. We have rules. Limitations. And the most basic is that we don't get involved with other worlds and other people. It was someone from your world that created this mess. It is for your world to address it. We are only here for one reason. One moment. We cannot allow the demon to go free. And it will break free. That has always been its intention and you are too weak to stop it. it will try to make this world its own. We will stop it the moment it tries to escape the wizard because it would be a threat to other worlds. But we will not interfere in your battle before then.”

  Edrick groaned quietly. They had the power to stop a god, and yet they wouldn't act to save the innocent victims of that god. He didn't understand that. He told her as much under his breath – again.

  “The Lord of Death is not a god. Not exactly. I've told you that.”

  “He seems to have the power of one!”
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  “No. His power is immense. But it is not the power of a god. It is the power of the universe.” It was her turn to look as though she wanted to groan.

  “Well, that sounds so much better!”

  Fae ignored the sarcasm and continued. “You are a simple people. You see gods where there are none. Or rather, there is a god but He does not choose to be seen. The only way we know of him is from the fact that we live in worlds created by him. Worlds that have rules. Rules for example, like gravity.”

  “Now gravity is an immensely powerful rule. A property of the universe, it is built into its very fabric. But you do not call gravity a god. You do not give it a name or attribute a particular nature to it. It's just what pulls you down to the ground.”