The Golems
Charles Jeffries
The Golems
by Charles Jeffries
This is a work of erotic fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. This work contains graphic depictions of sexual activity which should be viewed only by those legally allowed to do so, and the author does not necessarily condone or support the recreation of any of these actions or practices.
Copyright ⓒ 2022 by Charles Jeffries.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner, except for the use of short quotations in a book review.
ISBN 978-1-0058-9061-2 (e-book)
First e-book edition, July 2022.
Distributed by Bookapy
Source photo for cover art by Philip Swinburn on Unsplash
https://unsplash.com/@pjswinburn
Series Introduction
In the Kingdom of Arithrakus, the powerful Order of Magical Studies and Applications serves as the Queen's college of mages. Through their extensive archives of scholarly research and practical experience, the Order effectively controls the study and practice of magic across the entire kingdom. Would-be students apply at an early age for training, and any rogue practitioners who are powerful enough (and brave enough) to get noticed are quickly brought into the fold.
Over the years, the Order has gathered a library of stories from their vast network of mages. Some are first-hand accounts. Some are quite dull, while others are more fantastical. Some have been dismissed as the product of a feverish imagination or a brain damaged by years of taxation from intense magical effort. Regardless, the Queen frowns on these stories being made available to the public. Occasionally, however, one escapes and winds up in the hands of an unscrupulous publisher...
This is one of those stories.
The Golems
Isobel stepped back, dusting her hands and examining the evening's effort with a critical eye while her student continued to chip away at the rock from her perch. Celia was scheduled to be examined for admission to the Order at the end of the month, and while Isobel considered her a bright and attentive pupil, she was also lacking in some basic skills that held her back. Isobel wasn't confident she would pass on the first try, and the Order didn't tend to tolerate students hanging around to take the exam repeatedly.
"That's enough, Celia," said the elder of the pair. "They're just golems; they don't need to be perfect. Though I dare say you've done an excellent job with this one's facial features. Your stone sculpting is improving."
"Thank you, Sister." Celia leaned back and mopped her brow with her sleeve, resting on the floating disc she had evoked. Making nine-foot-tall golems involved a lot more stone than usual and meant that working on the head was much tougher. Unless you could levitate.
They had carved three golems that month out of an ebony-colored stone that Isobel had come into possession of. It had the look and feel of polished marble, but there was a softness to the material that made it devilishly hard to work with; just a touch too much force behind the hammer, and bang! There went the arm you'd spent all morning carving. By this point, they had carved enough material for four or five golems, but it took the first week or so for Celia to really get the hang of working with the stone.
"Shall I carve the runes, while I'm up here?"
"No, I'll do it magically. It's critical that they be shaped correctly, since the golem's purpose is contained within the runes. If you slipped up with that chisel of yours, at best we'd have a useless statue on our hands, and at worst... well, the Queen would not be very happy, let's just leave it at that. Go clean yourself up and start working on your lessons. I need you to be ready tomorrow to assist me in casting the animation spell."
"Yes, Sister."
Later that evening, Celia sat in her tiny closet of a chamber and tried to read the spell's incantation for a third time. It's no use, she thought, I can't concentrate in here. I'm going down to the lab to try and focus. Packing up her spellbook and grabbing the tiny winged creature she had carved to practice animating, Celia walked down the long spiral staircase towards the magical workshop.
She was surprised to find the room dark and cold. Celia drew a tiny sigil in the air, and with a wave of her hand dozens of candles sprang to life all around the workshop. In the center of the room she threw a pile of kindling into the fire pit, and with another gesture lit it on fire as well. Several minutes later a roaring fire cut the chill of the basement and began to warm the stone floor.
Across the room, a glass terrarium sparkled in the fire light. Isobel referred to it as her "pet project," a mysterious phrase that went along with her inscrutable demeanor. She'd forbidden Celia from opening the terrarium or touching the plants, but the young sorceress couldn't resist peering in through the side. The tiny sunflowers were so adorable, and whenever she approached they would open their petals and turn to face her as if they were happy to see her. The terrarium also smelled amazing, which Celia guessed had something to do with why she wasn't supposed to lift the lid or play with the flowers.