Celadonian Tales Vol: 1 Blood and Brass by Walter Shuler Page B

but there were gears and rods intermixed with the arms and legs, and peeking out from the edge of the breastplate.
    "Come, gentlemen, let us approach the spectacle!" There was a note of joy in Thorne's voice. He had the air of a child about to exhibit a new discovery to a beloved parent, all brittle pride tinged with trepidation. Haem, Suldred and Thorne took seats not far above the sandy floor of the amphitheater. Suldred eyed the clockwork man with suspicion, and Haem could not blame him.
    Haem glanced at Thorne, but all of his attention was focused on the bronze man standing in the center of the floor. Thorne raised one hand, "You may begin."
    To whom was he speaking? Haem glanced around the amphitheater, but saw no sign of servants or anyone else.
    A whirring noise called Haem's attention back to the floor of the amphitheatre. The strange metal man had moved – was moving! Tentatively, it took a step forward, moving toward the wooden wall. Haem held his breath – what witchery was this? Next to Haem, Suldred gasped. A glance at Thorne showed a self-satisfied smirk.
    The automaton moved forward until it stood just in front of the log wall. Thorne stood now, pointing at the beams with one hand, "Destroy them!"
    His voice was commanding, authoritative. The metal man pulled back one arm, then thrust it forward. A shower of splinters was followed by a thump as the wall toppled to the sand. A gaping hole showed in the wood, where the thing had punched through.
    "Automaton, forward!" Thorne ordered. The gleaming automaton obeyed, moving faster now. It approached the stone wall with confidence.
    "Destroy it!" Thorne's voice was a whip-crack in the still air. That gleaming arm shot forward once more. A loud CRACK filled the air and dust billowed around the automaton. When it cleared, the wall still stood, but a ragged hole showed the damage caused by the automaton.
    "Forward!" Thorne ordered once more. The clockwork man moved past the shattered stone wall to stand before the mock knight in his gleaming armor. Haem wanted to hold out hope for the knight, that glinting symbol of Celadonian power. He had a bad feeling, though. "Destroy it!" Thorne's cried. The automaton did not hesitate, but hit the armor, punching through the breastplate like a finger through stale bread. Sand spilled out the hole hissing as it fell to the arena floor.
    Thorne faced Haem, a smile stretching his lips. "Well, Lord Northwarden, I can only hope that my little demonstration has impressed you enough to wax eloquent before good King Rickard."
    Haem stared at the gleaming metal monstrosity that stood on the floor of the amphitheater. "A lord in control of such a device would have a definite edge on the field of battle," he ventured.
    "Well then, my lord, what would you say to an entire company of my metal men?" Thorne clapped his hands together twice. A low rumble filled the amphitheater, thunder in the distance. Within moments, the entrance doors of the amphitheater swung wide, giving birth to a marching band of bronze men. They marched in time with one another, their footsteps pounding out across the distance.
    Haem sat in stunned silence as the automatons stomped into the arena, dust billowing in the wake of their metal feet. He quickly counted and was astonished at the number – the company numbered a full one-hundred. With such a force at Thorne’s command, what was there to stop him from rebelling? Was that Thorne’s intention? Was this demonstration a show of force, rather than an offering to his patron?
    Haem's emotions must have showed on his face, for Thorne glanced at him, and quickly clapped his hands, ordering the century of automatons to return from whence they came. Did the man fear revealing too much of his plans? Haem's brow furrowed. Beside him, Suldred sat in stunned silence.
    Haem spoke up then. "What makes them go?"
    Pride suffused the Thorne's face as he admired his own creations. "The secret is in the runes incised into the body