“Are you with me, Golem? When that train comes, I need you to stop it. Please. There are people aboard who need us.”

  She heard nothing for what felt like ages. “Golem?” A gust of wind passed by. Moments later, the golem became visible to all and was on the tracks, directly in front of the oncoming train.

  A shrill screeching split the air as the brakes on the train clamped tightly. The train began a slow deceleration.

  Golem was a giant and had proven to be powerful already. But seeing that train flying toward him worried Kateřina. Some sort of projectile launched from the front of the train, exploding upon contact with Golem’s body. The shockwave knocked her to the ground, and she covered her head with her arms to protect it from possible shrapnel. A new noise caused her to give up her cover. Golem flew toward the train, covering hundreds of feet in a few seconds. It grappled with the engine, adding more stopping power to the already enabled brakes. But even with the giant’s might, the train was still set to roll far beyond them.

  “It is not enough!” Nikolai shouted. “We need to move further down!”

  The darkening skies flared as if a second sun had dawned before them as flames came to life and then roared from the back of the golem’s feet and arms. Kateřina shielded her eyes, but soon peeked out to watch the phenomenon in wonder. Golem placed tremendous pressure on the head of the train, yet he did not cause the train to derail. He controlled his flames and movements perfectly, never using too much force in a single direction.

  What are you, Golem?

  As the flaming mass of steel and metal rolled toward them, Kateřina and the others rushed away to avoid being caught in the blaze. She dove to the ground as rocks flew their way. One landed with a heavy thud a few feet past her.

  Finally, the train slowed to a stop.

  An eerie silence followed. Those inside the train were likely taking stock of themselves and trying to recover from the shock of the event. Though Kateřina felt dizzy from all the commotion and deafening noise, her conscious mind managed to focus on the task. This was precious time they needed to get the passengers off the train to safety. She surveyed the side of the train, jogging as she traveled down its length.

  There.

  Josef stepped out of a carriage alone. He looked ragged and weary. But he’d survived. Before she realized what she was doing, she ran up and wrapped her arms around his neck. He tensed at the sudden show of affection but relaxed in her embrace momentarily before separating.

  “We have to move quickly. There are a lot of people on this train.” He hurried to the next carriage and smashed his hammer at the lock. It snapped off, and he pulled open the container to reveal hordes of people who had been pushed inside like cattle. They looked hungry, tired, and terrified. Though once they saw it was not soldiers who had opened their confinement, hope brightened their faces.

  “Come with us!” Josef extended himself to help the first one out.

  Bile rose in Kateřina’s throat. She had expected prisoners in less-than-ideal conditions. But the Germans were not even treating these people as humans. She watched in horror as each man, woman, child, and elder stepped down from the cart onto the grass. They were ordinary people of no threat whatsoever. Not captured enemy soldiers or influential persons whom the Germans would want to usurp. These were people. And they were being led to their deaths or a fate that could be considered even worse.

  “Help, please!” Josef broke into her thoughts as he directed her toward an older woman struggling with the step down. As Kateřina moved over, a loud thud sounded from the front of the train. The older woman startled, and Kateřina had to use all her strength to keep the woman from tumbling down through the grass and stones.

  “The golem stopped it after all,” Josef noted. “It’s drawn their attention. It is giving us a little more time than I expected. It is amazing.”

  “You have no idea!” She shook her head as she recalled the flames. Though now she couldn’t help but worry. The golem was mighty, but what would he do on his own? Neither she nor Josef was near him. Up ahead at the front of the damaged German train, the golem was surrounded by enemies.

  Josef watched the warm glow from the front of the train subside. The golem cast a silhouette as it was left in the dark of late evening. The engine of the train was twisted, crumpled, and lay in a heap on the ground at its feet. The amount of effort and resources required to repair it would be better spent buying an entirely new locomotive. But the train had stopped. Their plan, for now, was working.

  The golem’s great head turned this way and that, looking for something. Was it Kateřina? It moved around the scrap pile it had created and toward the field surrounding the train. Soldiers scrambled from the wreckage and surrounded it, weapons drawn. It paid them no mind.

  Josef gritted his teeth and glanced back to the slow-moving crowd of Jewish captives. It was extremely fortunate that the golem was drawing all the attention. No one had even noticed the resistance fighters had started emptying their carriages. However, what would become of the golem? He shuddered to think of what would ensue should they take command of the creature. If they even could.

  The golem shifted, catching the soldier shooting at it off guard. A bullet sped toward the golem, striking its ceramic exterior. Normally, such an impact might crack or damage ceramic, but the bullet fell to the ground, deflected by some unseen force. As more bullets were fired, each proved ineffective, like mere blanks. Josef knew he should be assisting the crowd but was compelled to watch the machine’s reaction.

  It turned as if scanning the area and taking note of everyone it saw. As quickly as a bird taking flight, the golem vanished. Its body was now completely invisible to their eyes. The men waved their guns about as they searched desperately for their unknown enemy.

  Where is it going?

  He shook himself. Now that the golem had chosen to go invisible, he could not know what it was doing. But for now, he could not worry about it. He came to the side of a younger girl struggling to keep up with the crowd and hoisted her onto his back.

  “Josef! You came!” He recognized the small voice in his ear. It was Hermina’s youngest, Amalie. He felt incredibly relieved to have her in his grasp. He was equally horrified that the young, innocent girl had been subjected to such savage circumstances in the first place.

  “Of course. I would never let anyone hurt you.” He forced a smile at her. “Where is your mother?”

  “I don’t know. She got taken somewhere.”

  His eyes darted around, aiming to find her. In the darkness, it was hard to recognize anyone. All he could do was hope everyone had made it off the train.

  Shouts in German came from the direction of the engine. He didn’t know many words, but he understood they had said something like “being opened,” which he could only assume referred to the carriages. He and the other Jews had a decent head start, but with elders and children, they would need help to stay in front of the soldiers. They needed distractions and protection. His mind rushed like a whirlwind as he tried to think of possibilities. Where were Nikolai and the other rebels?

  More shouts sounded from behind. This time they sounded like commands. The soldiers were indeed on their tracks now. Someone touched him from behind, and his heart dropped. He spun only to see Hermina. Her face was flushed, and she was breathing deeply.

  “Thank God for you, Josef,” she whispered as she followed close behind. “And you have Amalia. I was so scared!”

  “I have her. Are your other children safe?” he asked.

  “Yes. All of them are being taken care of. But how will we get away?”

  Josef shook his head. “We did not have time to come up with a full plan. Every step has been a choice made at the moment. Even Petr died to get us this far. Our only hope is to hide these people in Petrin Hill.”

  “Back toward Prague?” Hermina gasped.

  “They will look for us in the countryside. It is the only option until we find somewhere better. But it will mean nothing if they chase us down now. I’m sorry it’s come to this. I did all I could.”

  Hermina’s pace slowed until she was barely moving. He stopped and looked at her, calling quietly for her to come along. But she shook her head.

  “Please, Josef, watch her. Watch all my children. Take them to safety.” Before he could protest, she darted to the side and started being noisy. She shouted and yelped as she ran.

  No! She can’t!

  “Mama!” Amalia cried out, and Josef immediately covered her mouth. He wanted to run after Hermina, but with all the noise she was making, the soldiers would be on her location swiftly. He couldn’t bring Amalia into that, no matter how much he wanted to stop Hermina from doing this. His eyes blurred, but he fought back the tears as he ran again.

  The Germans shouted upon seeing her, and they altered their course. They’d capture her in minutes. Josef cursed Hermina and then blessed her. He hated how she was the one to sacrifice her freedom to save them. He would have done it. He should have done it. He could have done the same thing if he had passed Amalia to her.

  I will find her again. I will save her.

  The distance between him and the German soldiers grew, but the shouting took a turn. Hermina’s hollers turned to pleading. Gunfire sounded out. Josef’s blood turned cold. Hermina’s cries for mercy were cut off. The reality of the situation came crashing down on him.

  They were not taking prisoners, not anymore. Anyone who was caught would be executed on the spot. Man, woman, or child. The soldiers robbed three children of their mother without hesitation. They were monsters. Complete monsters.

  I was wrong.

  Josef caught up to an able-bodied young man. He passed Amalia over to him, despite her protests. He searched the crowd for someone in particular. Someone with something he needed. It wasn’t long until he found Kateřina. He rushed over to her and grasped her shoulders firmly. “The transmitter, do you have it?”

  “Who did they shoot?” Kateřina all but shouted in a panic.

  “The transmitter,” Josef commanded. “I need it now.”

  Kateřina fumbled in her pocket. “I didn’t need to use it. Golem did as I asked. It must be nearby. It has to—”

  When the device emerged, Josef snatched it and made his way to an open spot. He activated the transmitter and held it to his mouth. “Golem! Reveal yourself and come to me!”

  Golem appeared between bowed trees it had been pushing aside. It was only a dozen yards or so behind them. It took only a few long strides for the machine to stand before him.

  If you were so close, why didn’t you save her? He shook his head. That didn’t matter now. He put the transmitter close to his mouth. “Golem. Chasing us are soldiers. Kill them.”

  “Josef!” Kateřina cried out in shock. “What are you doing? We need it here to protect us!”

  “They killed Hermina!” he shouted back. “She ran off to save her children, save us. And they killed her! A kind woman, a mother!”

  The golem had yet to obey his command. It stood there, looking at them. Its arms twitched, and it almost turned a few times. It was like its body was trying to follow Josef’s order, but its eyes were trained on Kateřina. Watching her. It was like . . .

  It doesn’t want to leave. It wants to stay with us.

  Kateřina scowled deeply.

  Who cared what a machine wanted? It wasn’t human. It was a tool, a weapon his grandfather had made to help them. This was the way it needed to be used. “Golem!” he screamed into the transmitter. “Kill the Germans chasing us!”

  It was as if a switch flipped on Golem. Its eyes dimmed and then changed from blue to orange. Its strange, fluid movements turned robotic as it faced its pursuers. Its arms opened up in shifting mechanisms to reveal hidden guns and cannons. It looked around, fixing on a soldier in the distance. Without warning, it raised an arm and released a barrage of bullets. The projectiles tore through brush, trees, and soldiers alike.

  Josef watched it move at incredible speed, bearing down on its targets. It crushed, blasted, and even spewed flames that washed over an entire squad of soldiers. They were more than outmatched. Golem massacred them as if they were helpless and not the manpower of a powerful country. They often didn’t have time to mount any resistance against the overwhelming force. When they did, their meager weapons were ineffective and did nothing but alert the monstrosity to their locations.

  Few Germans survived, but those who did called for retreat. They scattered like roaches, scurrying away from the golem and the escaping Jews.

  No one would be following them any longer. But Josef kept watching. Hatred burned in his heart. He felt nothing but satisfaction as his enemies were crushed underfoot by a machine built by his people.

  Never thought we could fight back like this, did you?

  Rádek sat alone in his workshop. The hidden lab hadn’t changed since the previous weeks, but it felt different. The room had always been large. It was necessary for the construction of something as mammoth as the golem. So, of course, there was always plenty of open space. Before, that space was filled with his and Samuel’s lofty aspirations. Now it felt empty and hollow. But his own feelings didn’t matter.

  He moved his metal limb to grab a small part, but the mechanical appendage twitched and shuddered. He groaned and used his other hand to pick up the part instead.

  His work was quick, even with the malfunctioning limb. He needed to make a new transmitter and fast. What had become of his last device? Samuel had it when the Germans had rushed in before. He didn’t find it on his body, nor did the Germans mention it. If they knew what it was and that it could control the golem, he would probably be dead right now. He needed to assume someone else had it, as strange as that sounded. Upon hearing the golem had attacked a spider tank, that was the only possible explanation. Samuel was a gentleman. The golem had taken after him, somehow. It would not attack. It would only ever move to protect. Whoever controlled it had tested that functionality for him.

  Josef.

  That was the name that came to his mind. Samuel’s grandson was willing to fight. That was where the two differed most. He must have the transmitter. Rádek didn’t mind that the lad was running around with his machine as long as he didn’t kill himself. It kept the golem out of German control, and if a few of those backstabbers got crushed in the process, good riddance.

  “What are you working on now?” a gruff voice asked from behind.

  Rádek groaned, annoyed. Persephone had insisted on keeping one of her men in there with him. A “show of unity” that he had to tolerate for now. The fool was too chatty for Rádek’s tastes but overall harmless. And with the explosives Rádek had hidden near the man’s chair, he had nothing to fear from him.

  “It’s part of the tool we need to track down the golem,” he lied. “It’s very intricate, so I would appreciate some quiet.”

  “How does it work?”

  Rádek wanted to snap at him but barely managed to hold his tongue. He took a deep breath, which only slightly calmed him. “In the time it would take for me to explain it to you, I could finish it instead. Which would you rather I do?”

  The man shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

  Rádek sighed and returned to his work. It was almost complete. All he needed was to install a final component. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small glass vial. Inside was one of the few remaining clay pieces of Rabbi Lowe’s original Golem. With it, his transmitter could speak directly to the spirit within, or at least that’s how he assumed it worked. Even after all these years and technological advances, he still did not understand everything that went into bringing the golem to life. Samuel knew, but the knowledge might have died with him. Rádek needed to regain control of the golem. He could not make another one.

  The sounds of multiple heavy footsteps alerted Rádek. He leaped to his feet and grabbed a few nearby weapons to aim at the door. Persephone entered the room, as he suspected, and waved dismissively to Rádek’s show of force.

  “No need for that. I’m here with news. The golem has been found, so you no longer need to make the locator.” She crossed her arms, her face unusually serious.

  “Where is it, and how did you find it?” he croaked.

  “We didn’t. It found us.” She spat the words as she spoke. “It attacked one of our trains. That train was supposed to be able to withstand cannon fire, but if the report has been told correctly, a ‘giant ceramic man’ has ripped it from its tracks like it was a toy. Sound familiar?”

  Rádek nodded. “Let’s go. We can retake control of it, but I need to get close. Can you accomplish that?”

  Persephone merely turned and waved for him to follow, which Rádek cautiously obliged. He hadn’t finished his second transmitter yet, but maybe he didn’t need to. Not if Josef was there.

  This was it. His chance. Everything was finally in place. Persephone might not trust him, but he didn’t need her to. Her justified fear of the golem was enough to keep her in check until it was too late to stop him. He could initiate the precise command he needed. His goal could be met.

  Time to end this. End it all for you, Tomas. They will finally pay for what they did to you.

  The night sky was constantly lit by the flashes of guns, cannons, and flames. Each of the loud booms and explosions had startled Kateřina at first. Now all she could do was stand motionless, covering her mouth as the gentle golem tore apart soldier after soldier. It was a terrible sight, even for people who intended to inflict vicious harm on others. How long would it continue? Would Josef ever stop the golem or call it back to guard their retreat?

  Kateřina looked for the escaping Jewish people. She couldn’t see them anymore. She wasn’t sure how long she had been watching the golem inflict its destruction. She needed to find them and help guide them to safety. Where that safety was, she wasn’t quite sure.