The Golem's Eye

up the stairs. I could read it in the forced smile of the boy Hyrnek and the reluctance with which he climbed each step. I could see it in the cold, steely look in my master's eyes, and the menacing closeness with which he trod in his prisoner's wake. Oh yes, Nathaniel was trying to make it appear all nice and relaxed, trying to lull the girl into carelessness. Call me intuitive, but I didn't reckon things were quite as rosy as he wanted her to think. Of course, the invisible foliot perched on Hyrnek's shoulders, clutching his throat tightly in its long clawed feet, was a bit of a giveaway, too. Hyrnek's hands were pinned to his side by a thin, scaly loop of tail, so he was unable to speak, cry out, or make any kind of gesture. Thin talons jabbed into his cheeks, encouraging him to maintain his smile. The foliot was busy whispering something in his ear too, and it is unlikely to have been sweet nothings. [1]

    [1] Lesser spirits such as this are often small-minded and vengeful, and take any opportunity to discomfort a human in their power with talk of bloodcurdling tortures. Others have an endless roster of smutty jokes. It's a toss-up which is worse.
     
    But the girl was oblivious to this. She uttered a small cry when she saw Hyrnek appear up the staircase and made an involuntary step forward. My master gave a warning call: "Please stand away, Ms. Jones!"
    She stayed where she was, but didn't take her eyes off her friend. "Hello Jakob," she said.
    The foliot loosened its claws a little, allowing the prisoner to croak. "Hi, Kitty."
    "Are you hurt?"
    A pause. The foliot tickled Hyrnek's cheek warningly. "No."
    She gave a weak smile. "I—I came to rescue you."
    A stiff nod was all she got that time. The foliot's claws had reasserted their hold. Hyrnek's fake smile was back, but I could see the desperate warning in his eyes.
    "Don't worry, Jakob," the girl said firmly. "I'll get us out of this."
    Well, this was all very touching, all very poignant, and I could see the girl's affection for the boy [2]  was exactly what my master desired. He was watching their greeting with eager calculation.
     
    [2] Unaccountable as this was. He seemed a bit wet to me.
     
    "I come in good faith, Ms. Jones," he said, lying blandly. Hanging invisibly around Hyrnek's neck, the foliot rolled its eyes and mouthed a silent chuckle.
    Even if I had wanted to tip off the girl about the foliot, it was impossible to speak to her with my master standing right there in front of me. [3]  Besides, he wasn't the only problem. I now noted a couple of red spheres hovering high up in the rafters. Magicians were observing us from afar. There was no point asking for trouble. As usual, I stood pathetically by and waited for my orders.
     
    [3] Not that I would have, of course. Humans and their sad little affairs are nothing to do with me. If I'd had the option of helping the girl out or dematerializing straight off, I'd probably have vanished with a ringing laugh and a gout of brimstone in her eye. Charming as she was, it never pays a djinni to get close to people. Never. Take it from one who knows.
     
    "I come in good faith," my master said again. His hands were outstretched in a sign of peace, palms upward and empty. [4]  "No one else knows you are here. We are alone."
     
    [4] What you could see of them under his outsize lacy cuffs, that is.
     
    Well, that was another fib. The watching spheres nudged coquettishly behind a beam, as if embarrassed. The foliot made a face of mock outrage. Hyrnek's eyes pleaded with the girl, but she noticed nothing. "And the wolves?" she said curtly.
    "Are far away—still searching for you, for all I know." His mouth smiled. "You can scarcely want any further proof of my intentions," he said. "Were it not for me, you would be nothing but bones in a back alley by now."
    "Last time I saw you, you were scarcely so considerate."
    "True." Nathaniel made what he evidently thought was a courteous flourish; with all his hair and cuffs flapping it looked as though he'd tripped. "I apologize for my haste on that occasion."
    "You still propose to arrest me? I take it that is why you abducted Jakob."
    "I did think it would winkle you out, yes. But arrest you? In all honesty, that is up to you. Perhaps we can come to an arrangement."
    "Go on."
    "But first—do you require refreshment or first-aid? I see you carry an injury, and you must be weary. I can send my slave"—here he clicked his fingers at me— "to get whatever you