The Infernal Aether (First Draft)

Chapter 17 - A Game of Cat and Mouse

We ran, dodging past carts and darting round corners, as the lumbering giants advanced on us. The Golems were imposing but fortunately what they gained in size they lost in speed and manoeuvrability -- or indeed intelligence. As a result, outrunning them was possible; although I had a horrible feeling that we would tire long before they did.

No sooner had Kate and I found a cart to hide behind than it was was swept aside with one huge fist. We sprinted away once more, this time to the refuge of an alleyway. This in turn led to a series of narrow streets which we used to our advantage, losing the Golem and bringing us back round to the street where Silas stood, enjoying the mayhem he had created.

I saw Maxwell hiding behind another cart and ran over to join him. Mister Jones was nowhere to be seen, no doubt having escaped amidst all of the confusion.

"Gus, Kate," Maxwell greeted us as we threw ourselves to the ground next to him. "Thank God you're safe."

"Pretty easy to outsmart, ain't they?" said Kate. "They're basically just walking hammers."

"It would appear that our friend there has used a very basic Shem to animate them," said Maxwell.

"A what?" asked Kate.

"Shem," I said. "In the folklore it was the word used to give them life."

"That's right," said Maxwell, shooting me a surprised glance. "It is a holy word or form of words, typically in Hebrew, which not only gives life to the Golems but also provides them with their instructions. In the case of these ones, it would appear the Shem is enough to animate them but too basic to give them any form of intelligent thought."

Kate peered round the corner of the cart. "Oh dear," she said.

I raised my head above our sanctuary. N'yotsu was stood in the middle of the street, surrounded by the Golems. He turned warily, fists clenched at his sides, as they advanced on him. I thought back to all the times we had seen him acquit himself more than adequately against seemingly insurmountable opposition. "This could be very interesting," I muttered.

The first Golem raised a fist and hammered it down on N'yotsu. He raised his hands to catch the blow.

The Golem's fist went straight through the block, sending N'yotsu flying backwards. He landed near another Golem, which raised a foot to stamp on him. He managed to roll away from this blow, but not quickly enough. He shouted out in pain as his shoulder was crushed.

A further Golem picked him up and threw him against a building. He hit the wall in a shower of dust and broken masonry. Somehow he managed to find his feet and glared at the advancing creatures with a look of bloody defiance.

"Run," I willed him.

"He said you'd come," shouted Silas from the other side of the street, clearly enjoying the show. "Said you'd try and stop me. Told me to kill you. Bit disappointed though - I thought you'd put up more of a fight."

A Golem swung at N'yotsu and he dodged aside, only to be grabbed by another and held up in the air by his neck. The massive clay fist squeezed and then threw him down against the floor. I feared the worst but N'yotsu somehow -- miraculously -- pulled himself to his feet once more. He had to lean against the wall to keep himself upright, the battle clearly taking its toll on him.

"So this Shem," said Kate. "It gives them life?"

"Of sorts," said Maxwell.

"Then if we take it out I'm guessing it'll kill them, right?"

"It would certainly stop them," said Maxwell.

"Where is it?" she asked.

"You see the slot in the back of their heads? If you look closely you can see a scrap of paper wedged in there. That's the Shem."