“Yes, of course.” Nelesquin drew in a deep breath, held it, then slowly exhaled. He did his best to purge himself of anger. Qiro’s realm concentrated and accelerated time. He could exhaust himself fairly easily.

I tire too quickly these days.

He nodded, then stepped forward, piercing an invisible shell and entering the heart of the hill.

Steel chains encircled his chest. His eyes bulged. Unseen forces crushed in on him, sheathing him in steel, then the heat began. His flesh started to burn and itch. If he lifted a hand to scratch, he’d peel his skin off. Millions of glass needles burrowed into him, impaling flesh and bone.

He staggered through and dropped immediately to his hands and knees. Cool green grass brushed his cheeks, caressing away the pain. He gasped, finally able to breathe. A wave of fatigue passed over him. His arms buckled, but he held himself up on his forearms. I will not pass out.

“Welcome, Prince Nelesquin.”

Nelesquin looked up, at first seeing only Qiro’s sandal-clad foot and the hem of his white robe. The fabric shifted from homespun wool to embroidered silk and back, as if the breeze were changing it. The tingle of jaedun undulated with the robe’s transformations.

A shadow covered Nelesquin, then strong arms slipped beneath his and raised him up. “Thank you for coming, Highness.”

Nelesquin patted the silver bones that held him. “Thank you, Pravak.”

The giant vanyesh steadied the Prince, then withdrew. Nelesquin forced a smile onto his face. “I have not come because of reports of discord. I wish to see progress.”

Pravak laughed. “We have done much in the months here.”

Qiro smiled, but Nelesquin ignored him. “I see the building there, belching smoke. Show me what you have done.”

“I am honored, Highness.”

They began walking to the distant black building, but reached their goal only after a handful of steps. Nelesquin could feel Qiro’s smile grow, but his ability to manipulate time and space no longer amazed Nelesquin. Qiro had created a whole world inside a hill so modest as to go unnoted on any map. Given that starting point, how could anything else be truly surprising?

Pravak opened the factory door. Metallic clanking and clanging filled the whole building. The red-gold glow of molten iron gushing from furnaces lit the interior. Vanyesh labored, channeling heat from the liquid metal back into the furnaces. Mechanical creatures hammered and shaped the metal; others hauled the various pieces away to assemble weapons.

Pravak’s silver smile twisted his thin lips. “In Tolwreen, these mechanicals shaped many things, but we had not made them autonomous. Borosan Gryst appears to have made that possible. We were able, in the first month, to decipher what he had done. Then we surpassed it.”

Nelesquin frowned. He’d not been informed that they had gone beyond creating automatons. Annoyance surged through him. He could still guide the project. Even if this meant it took years in the pocket world, the citizens of Moriande would only have won a week or two of respite.

“Show me, please.”

Pravak led the way through the factory. “It was your brilliance, Highness, that allowed us to make this breakthrough. You see, Borosan Gryst inscribed instructions for the automatons on thaumston — alloy slates. Thaumston provided the magical energy and channeled it into specific tasks. The automatons, however, were limited in their actions because they had a limited number of strategies to choose from.”

“I understand, but I had nothing to do with that.”

“No, Highness, your brilliance was in how you created the Durrani. They cannot use magic as we do, but it is as if they are living thaumston.” Pravak pushed another door open. “And with all they know, they are able to do much more than any automaton.”

The door opened onto an enormous arena. Below, on the sandy arena floor, two dark steel bears circled, fully three times Pravak’s height when they reared up. Metal flesh moved fluidly over muscles, and paws blurred as they flicked out toward an enemy.

Nelesquin forced himself to breathe calmly. Never have such weapons walked the earth. “Explain what these are.”

“Your Durrani have called them dari. The Durrani drive them from within, fully protected and very powerful.”

“ Dari, of course. It means fierce in their tongue.” Nelesquin’s eyes narrowed. “What determines the shape?”

“It is what we have chosen, Highness.” Pravak smiled. “We chose to honor Quun and Erumvirine.”

“Splendid.” Nelesquin glanced at Kaerinus. “What do you think?”

“Impressive, though they lack in one regard.” The vanyesh opened a fist and a butterfly rose from it. It beat its wings twice, then disintegrated into jeweled dust. “They’re not terrifying.”

“You’re right.” Nelesquin pointed at the bears. “They need to be nastier. Make them man-shaped, with animal’s heads and paws.”

Pravak nodded. “You are wise, Highness.”

“Craft for them suitable weapons. Clubs and axes.” Nelesquin frowned. “How vulnerable are they?”

“They are not invulnerable, but neither are they easy to kill. Sink one in a river, the pilot will drown. A ballista can drive a bolt through him or a big stone will crush him. Fire will roast the man inside.”

“Yes, yes, all risks to be avoided.” Nelesquin smiled. “Can others use them?”

Pravak’s face darkened. “It is possible. Within them we have placed many cards and tablets, each of which allows a warrior to invoke a spell. A few of the vanyesh have found it possible to operate one of them, but…”

“What?”

“Several of them have vanished within the machines. We open the dari and there is no trace of them.”

Nelesquin frowned. “You will test more. Use conscripts. And you will train more. Create nine armies of these dari. We will burst Moriande wide…What is the problem?”

Pravak sank to one knee and bowed his head. “Master, I have sought to create one army, but Master Anturasi tells me this is impossible. He says we cannot create more than a handful.”

“What?” Nelesquin spun on Qiro. “Why do you thwart me?”

The old man’s eyes blazed. “I have done everything you ask. I create this place. I make time move faster. I facilitate the creation of these gyanrigot. I have done everything, and I get nothing in return. I have asked only to be given my workshop again, but do I have it? No!”

Nelesquin pointed to the bears wrestling below. “Do you not see that these are the means to attain what you desire?”

“Do you not see that you don’t need an army of them to end this siege?” Qiro waved off Nelesquin’s concern. “You can have a company of them. It is enough.”

“How dare you tell me what I can and cannot have?” Nelesquin lunged for Qiro, but the older man backed away. Kaerinus grabbed Nelesquin’s belt and held him back. The Prince spun, slapping the vanyesh ’s hands away, but it was enough to vent his anger. He snarled, then turned slowly and regarded Qiro carefully.

“This is not, Master Anturasi, about what I need. It is about what you can provide, isn’t it? You have created this world, but you did not anticipate the need for iron.”

Qiro’s chin came up. “I was led to believe you wanted to breed more of your creatures.”

“Fair enough. Neither of us anticipated this windfall, but it should not be a problem.” Nelesquin brought his hands back together. “Create us another world, one with enough iron.”

Qiro’s nostrils flared. “I cannot.”

“Cannot or will not?”

“Do not use that tone with me. I told you that I needed my tower, my workshop. I told you another controlled it and that limited me. When I created this place, I was able to make it a microcosm of Nalenyr. I drew upon the riches of this nation to shape this place. Had I wanted to, I could have dragged all the iron in the world to this place as if I were a magnet.”

Nelesquin spoke through clenched teeth. “And now you are prevented from doing that?”