The Scarecrow by Sean Williams

Author:Sean Williams
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ligature Pty Limited
Published: 2021-11-16T23:25:45+00:00

5

Enter a Dragon

Tap tap tap. So went the pebble at the end of Pukje’s thread within minutes of Quirk’s departure. Ros ignored the irritation even though it was concentrated right between his eyes. He too was concentrating, on following Quirk’s progress through the jumble of buildings and into the Scarecrow’s laboratory. The man walked quickly and muttered unintelligibly to himself along the way. Occasionally he slapped an open palm against his thigh as though urging himself to go faster.

When he reached the laboratory, he knocked and waited for the order to enter. He left the door open behind him. He obviously thought there was no one else in the fort who might spy on what took place within.

Ros’s point of view was unable to cross the threshold but he had a perfect line of sight through the open door. The Scarecrow was working on the tangle of new charms, rearranging its parts into something resembling symmetry. The machine designed to devour Escher was obviously incomplete. Two gaps remained that would need to be filled before the Scarecrow would be ready to begin its work on the golem. At the rate it was working, those gaps might not be empty for long.

‘The boy declines your offer,’ said Quirk, bowing low. ‘He is stubborn and wilful.’

‘Gahh,’ hissed the Scarecrow in annoyance. ‘Strength makes him confident beyond all reason. Such is the way with humans.’

‘What will we do now, Master? We can’t just let him go.’

‘Indeed. That would be inequitable and dangerous. Without an agreement between us, who knows what he might reveal? And we cannot simply kill them now because the girl-thing escaped. We must reach an agreement.’

‘What would you have me do, Master?’

‘The boy-thing’s mind is clearly addled. Bring me the man-thing instead. Perhaps we can reason with him.’

‘But he is unconscious.’

‘Find a way to wake him, then.’ One sharp-tipped hand waved in irritation. ‘Go, go! You disturb my concentration.’

Quirk bowed and left the laboratory.

Ros opened his eyes and reached up to take the dangling pebble. There would be a short time to talk before Quirk returned.

(Tell me how to break the charm around the Scarecrow’s laboratory,) he said as soon as the connection was open between him and Pukje.

(Why?)

(So I can keep my side of our bargain.)

(All right, but it’s not easy. The Scarecrow’s barrier is a very old one and is in constant use. It’s as much a part of the laboratory as the stone in the walls, and would be as hard to break. The trick is to make a window.)

(How big?)

(Not nearly big enough for you fit through, I’m afraid. Maybe the size of an apple.)

Ros considered Pukje’s answer for a long time.

Pukje interpreted his silence as disappointment. (I’m sorry, Ros,) he said. (That’s all I can tell you. I don’t know everything.)

Ros looked up, struck again by the contrast between Pukje and Escher. Where one had claimed ignorance on no subject at all and yet withheld the truth at every opportunity, the other made no bones about his fallibility and had yet to lead him astray once.

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