Rise Of The Godking 45 The Courtyard

Standing in front of a small clump of crystals that was different from any he had seen yet, Daneel couldn't stop himself from fidgeting while the enforcers around him stared, as if watching something they had never imagined they would see in a million years.

One of them looked to be the leader. Big, gruff, with a coa.r.s.e beard and long hair, he looked Daneel up and down and said, "If I didn't know better, I might even have thought that the great Master sent you down to check on all of us! What an interesting slave you are. Officially, you are still one, right?"

Daneel nodded, his face betraying none of the troubling emotions on his mind.

"Still a slave, but rising to the third layer already! It was surprising to see you come here, itself, but somehow, you're going even further… just see that you don't fall down. If you do, from such a height… I doubt that you would survive."

He laughed, and the other enforcers laughed with him. Daneel had been studying this group ever since he had come to the second layer; they were a peculiar bunch, risen from the very slaves and Refinery workers whom they were supposed to control, but with no pity for either group. They even took pleasure in inflicting pain even though many of them had lived the same lives as those they were hurting, presenting a curious case if one wished to study humanity.

'Maybe… people tend to consciously forget where they came from. They deny their origin by showing their power over those who were at the same place they were, once. In doing so, maybe they can sleep at night with a smile, a.s.sured that they've definitely stepped away from such a fate?'

He knew that he was only thinking idle thoughts to distract him from the major worry on his mind. When the crystals in front of him flashed, he looked up, intent to be put out of his misery even if it meant that there was bad news, but when the two enforcers who appeared merely glared at him, he rejoiced inwardly, understanding that their plan had worked.

These two were dressed in a much better fas.h.i.+on than all those around them. They wore the same colours, but where the white clothes of the enforcers in the Refinery had been washed so many times that the original colour had begun to fade, the ones worn by the newcomers were pristine and almost s.h.i.+ny, made from a different material than the course ones used for all those around them. The air suddenly turned hostile as the two of them looked at the leader, from whose face all the mirth and amus.e.m.e.nt he had shown until now faded.

"He has been approved. We're here to take him."

With a nod, the captain of the Refinery enforcers raised his hand and shoved Daneel forward. He fell to the floor between the two who had come, and without giving him a glance, they stepped back into the crystals they had appeared from.

Getting up and brus.h.i.+ng off the dust, Daneel almost turned around to glare at the captain before deciding against it. To prevent any more tough love, he moved to the crystals, too, and felt the familiar sensation of his stomach turning as the teleportation took effect.

The destination of a certain clump of crystals was always indicated by their colour. Those that sent people to the Pit were crimson, like the blood that was shed every day by the slaves working their lives away. The ones that took people to the Refinery were a deep emerald, like the greenery that was absent all over the second layer. The crystals that he had just stepped into now were a deep purple, and he was looking forward to seeing what this colour represented.

He felt the difference right from the moment he took his first step into the third layer. Back in the Refinery, he had walked on stone ground that was mostly rough, sharp edges waiting to draw blood if anyone was foolish enough to not notice them. Only the streets between the houses were paved, with the rest of the area left as it had been when the cave was excavated.

Before his eyes adjusted, he felt soft tiles underneath the hole in his shoes. They were perfectly flat and even, made of a material that was smoother than anything laid on the ground had the right to be.

The Pit had shocked him when he had come upon the ma.s.sive mines, and the branching corridors leading to the caverns with the slaves lived. The Refinery had taken his breath away due to the gigantic tower that was in the middle of it. He was excited to see what awaited him here, and as he blinked eagerly, his vision cleared… and made him wonder whether he had come to the wrong place.

A blue sky, dappled with clouds lazily floating around in the air was the first thing that came into his sight. Amazed, he traced the heavens to the horizon far away, and before his eyes wandered down, he became convinced that he had come to the surface, for some reason.

That notion left immediately when he spotted the houses that looked nothing like those present above. All his life, he had grown up around extravagantly decorated mansions with teams of servants and guards who outnumbered the actual residents of the house is ten to one. Here… although the style of each one was unique, with some sporting stone chimneys and other with columns and spires that jutted into the sky, they were all much smaller.

Even the materials varied. Some were made of stone, and a few had been built out of wood. They were all arranged around a large, paved clearing that was in front of him… and in the middle of it was a fountain with tinkling water that made him vaguely understand why this was called by the name Zachary had mentioned.

The Courtyard was huge, easily enough for more than one hundred people to stand in, even if the large, artistic fountain was removed from the equation. Six streets were laid out in six directions around the fountain, with the seventh being the only empty one, ending at a dead-end at the crystals in front of which he was standing.

Each street was large enough for five people to walk abreast. He took a few steps forward, antic.i.p.ating the shove that would arrive if he stayed where he was, but he kept glancing up at the sky, wondering what the h.e.l.l this place was.

That was when he noticed the first incongruence: the sun was s.h.i.+ning up above, but there was no sunlight.

Instead, the place seemed to be brightly lit by light that was coming from everywhere at once. It wasn't as blinding as the ever-present illumination that covered the Refinery, but it wasn't also as breathtakingly natural as that which one could enjoy on the real surface.

'It's a fake sky. It has to be! But how does it look so real?'

Behind the crystals was only a tall wall that connected to the walls of the houses on the two streets nearby. Due to the layout of the entire place, it was not possible to see what lay beyond everything in his immediate vision, but he suspected that this was a dome, too, albeit one that had somehow been transformed to look as if they were up above.

"Follow us."

With a curt command, the two enforcers who had come to the Refinery below to escort him began to walk in the direction of a certain street. A few people were milling around the fountain, sitting on the marble that encircled it, talking between themselves with refined gestures and thoughtful motions. As he neared them… they all looked at him with such distaste that Daneel couldn't help but smell himself, wondering whether he had acquired a rancid sent somewhere without his own knowledge.

A few even got up and left, muttering under their breath. They were all dressed richly, with frills on the coats of the man and handst.i.tched, artful borders on the gowns of the women. All of the men also had carefully tied back hair and perfectly groomed beards, and although the skin of the women seemed pale, they were all wearing a ton of rouge in an attempt to hide this fact.

"Heh…d.a.m.n Pit-descendants. They act all high and mighty when they see one of their own, but everyone knows where their forefathers really came from…"

With a sneer, one of the enforcers spoke under to his breath, and Daneel easily caught every word. His companion laughed out loud in response, making the sound echo across the silent street they had entered.

The houses began to grow smaller and smaller as they walked along. They were all still bigger than those in the Refinery, of course, with each easily large enough to fit more than ten people inside. The street also wound to the left and right, never allowing a glimpse beyond the confines of his general area, and when they stopped in front of a wooden house with two stone chimneys jutting out from its ceiling, he stopped looking around and prepared to greet his benefactor.

"Only go where you're supposed to. If they find you wandering around, we'll send you right back where you came from."

With this warning, the enforcers left. Taking a deep breath, Daneel knocked on the door, which was answered in a second.

"So you're good old Gerard's disciple? He's been raving about you. Well…time to find out what you're capable of. Come in."

With a smile and nod, he stepped forward, but in the back of his mind…a single thought stood out prominently among all the rest.

'The Pit, the Refinery, and finally…the Courtyard. Every step of the way, I've been faced with shock after shock…so, for once, I hope I just accomplish what I came here to do and leave, intact. Hmm…but who am I kidding? Courtyard, whatever you've got, bring it on!'