But Koth either didn’t notice or did not acknowledge the jab. He walked over to the guide and brazenly knocked on his forehead. “Yep, he’s metal,” Koth said. He turned to Venser. “Well,” Koth said. “Where are we now? Is this the goal of all your superior leading?”
“You have nerve,” Elspeth said to Koth. “I’ll give you that.”
Koth gave Elspeth a wide smile. “I feel good for the first time in a day.”
“What is on the walls?” Venser said. He had not noticed the walls because they were shrouded in shadow, but he moved closer for a look and was shocked at what he saw.
Koth moved closer to the wall. “They are bones, of course,” Koth said. The bones were stuck to the wall in a certain pattern, four sideways then four vertically. The pattern covered all the walls, except where ribs and other bones were set in circles or triangles or other geometric patterns. Eventually the bones changed to machine shapes and more cogs.
Nobody said anything. There were enough bones for hundreds of humans to have used. And thick, black, rubbery tubes ran around the bones and through them. At some places the bones were obscured by curtains of smaller black tubes. The whole room pulsed.
Venser shook his head. “What is that sound?” Venser said, holding his head, which felt like it might explode. Was it starting? He thought desperately. The palsy’s toll?
“I hear it also,” Elspeth said.
“Feel it in my chest,” Koth said.
The guide jerked once, and then stood still.
“That sound is my children running to this place. That sound is all of their feet.”
The booming voice seemed to come from everywhere in the room at once. Venser stood up a bit straighter. “Karn?” Venser said.
The words seemed to hang in the air.
“I have not heard that name in eons,” the voice said.
“It has not been that long, old friend,” Venser said.
“Old friend? Do I know you? What is your name?”
“It is Venser of Urborg.”
“Venser of Urborg,” the voice repeated uncertainly.
“From not so long ago,” Venser said.
“Yes,” Karn said. “I sent somebody for you.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I sent a guide to lead you to me, but I cannot remember why.”
Venser looked to his side, where the guide was staring up at the top of the column with rapt fascination.
There was a terrific clatter as something began moving at the top of the column. Before their eyes, the column began coming apart. Venser stepped back. He noticed small, dark creatures that had been holding the sections of the column on their backs lowering the sections downward, hand to hand. Each of them was a duplicate of the small silver creature they had all followed down into the depths below the Vault of Whispers. Soon the last section of column was set vertically on the floor. A silver figure began climbing down a small ladder built into the metal of that section of column. The large figure was dwarfed beside the huge column it climbed down. It stopped midway down the ladder and launched into a series of violent convulsions before letting go of the rungs and falling the rest of the way to the metal floor.
Chapter 21
Venser rushed over. The silver golem was lying on the floor inside the dent it had created by falling. Venser noticed the other, similar dents in the floor.
The golem’s eyes were silver slits and his wide jaw was thrust out. Karn reached out, took a handful of the metal floor as though it were dough, and pulled himself to his feet, where he stood looking down at Venser. Venser noticed with unease that the silver golem was smeared with black oil. What appeared to be droplets of the material dotted his silver body. Venser forced himself to smile. “We have been searching for you, old friend.”
Karn frowned down at Venser. “You are here to destroy me, I know this.”
Venser held up the palms of his hands. “That is not true.”
“You want to,” Karn shook his head once before continuing. “You want me to become a Phyrexian.”
“We want just the opposite,” Venser said.
“We want you to leave,” Koth cut in.
Venser ignored the vulshok. “We do not want you to leave,” Venser said. “We are here to heal the sickness you have.”
“I am not sick,” Karn said. “I should crush you for saying such.”
“Then leave, why don’t you,” Koth said. “Go away, you are not wanted here.”
Venser stepped closer to Karn. “Karn, it is I-your old student and friend.”
But Karn’s eyes popped open wide and his metallic nostrils flared. “You dare approach,” he shoved Venser, who flew back skittering across the floor and into a wall.
“Now you really are going to leave,” Koth said, “in pieces if possible.”
Koth grabbed one of Karn’s arms and yanked him off his feet. The silver golem looked bewildered as Koth took a step, pivoted, and threw Karn down and onto his back. He hopped onto Karn’s chest and his hand went white-hot in a blink. Koth moved to plunge his hand into Karn’s chest, but Elspeth held his arm back at the bicep. Koth struggled to free himself, but Elspeth had better purchase and was able to keep the arm back.
Karn’s face had once again pinched itself into a malevolent expression. He brought his knee up and slammed Koth in the back, sending him over the golem’s head and into wall, where the geomancer lay still.
With the fluidity of a snake, Karn hopped to his feet and stood facing Elspeth. “They are almost here,” Karn said. “When they arrive I will let my children have their way with you,” he said. His slit eyes moved to the fleshling, who was standing next to Elspeth. “They like skin you know.”
“Stop.”
Venser hobbled up to them. By its strange angle, Elspeth could tell Venser’s left arm was broken. The dented helmet was still under his arm. He stepped to Karn’s side. Karn raised his arm to strike when he saw Venser. But the artificer did not cringe.
“Remember our time together, Karn?” Venser said. “Do you remember exploring the Valley of Echoes? Where we found those scrolls and I could not read the writing, but you could somehow?”
The golem’s face softened. He lowered his arm. “I do not remember that, but I should like to.”
“You are Karn,” Venser said.
“… Father of Machines,” Karn boomed. The echo vibrated the walls.
“No,” Venser said, when the walls had stilled. “The creator of Mirrodin. You are powerful and kind.”
Koth’s crumpled form stirred.
“We are here to heal you from what is attacking you,” Elspeth said.
Confusion spread across Karn’s face, and then in a moment the expression changed again. “Or maybe you will help hold up my column.” Karn reached out and clamped his large hands on Elspeth’s head, one hand on each ear. She struggled, but the silver golem’s grip was immovable. He closed his eyes. When he opened them again they were black and glowing.
“Tell me what you remember of your childhood,” the fleshling said.
The fleshling’s words were not loud, but the strangeness of their context stopped everybody.
Karn blinked and his eyes went back to silver.
“What?” he said.
“Your childhood,” the fleshling repeated. “Tell me about that.”
“My childhood?” Karn said. “Did I have one? I cannot remember.”
Venser glanced uneasily at the fleshling.
