It seems like an odd request, but again I simply follow his direction. Immediately I begin to feel weak! “What? What are you doing?” The feeling stops just as I’m about to fall against him.
“This should help disguise what you really are. Believe me, you don’t want to end up in her torture chamber. If you appear to not be one of us, you may escape that fate. Now go and try to wake Celeste. The sooner our captor notices your presence, the better – before you recover from the draining.”
Almost as if on queue, Celeste groans. I happily return to the floor to check on her.
“Shi'ahn, is that you?”
“Yes.”
“Where are we?”
“In a dungeon.”
She sniffs lightly, “Ah, that would explain the smell.”
“On the bright side, we’ve found Novanus.”
“Some rescue. How is he?”
Novanus himself answers in a louder voice than we had been using moments before, yet it remains strained, as though he continues to be terribly thirsty. “I’ve been better. Thankfully Sarah here considers food more important than clothes. Rather thoughtful of her, don’t you think, Amy?”
“Yes, she’s just full of good ideas. Perhaps you could try to find her a better position in the staff, she’s much too smart for a mere maid.”
“Are you angling for a promotion as well?”
“Why not?”
I whisper to Celeste, “What are you doing?”
She reaches out and touches me, 'Assigning names and practicing roles. You never know when someone might be listening in, though that isn’t likely until our presence is discovered. Don’t worry, once you get into the swing of it, you’ll be surprised how easy it is, and how much true information can be hidden within the subterfuge. Think of it as a game, if that helps.'
I’m about to reply when I hear something very faint. “Do you hear that? Someone’s humming.”
Novanus’ whisper has an urgent quality to it, “She is returning!”
~~~
I fall silent then, trying to look like a young, hopelessly confused and frightened girl. It isn’t really all that difficult, as for the most part it is the truth. The humming slowly becomes louder, until finally it sounds as if it comes from our very cell. A woman becomes visible in a soft aura of light. Her hair is streaks of yellow and red, like flames. She wears red leather riding clothes… I envy her their warmth. Her face would be beautiful but for her cruel expression; she silently looks us over.
“Well what have we here? You’ve managed to summon naked women to you, Novanus? Surely you have higher priorities.”
Novanus’ voice sounds raspy again, “They just dropped in.”
“Really, now how could that be?”
Celeste begins her story, “We’re cleaning staff, Lady. Sarah here found what must have been a power jewel on the floor and called Mary and I over to look at it. She picked it up, then, and Whoosh! Our bodies were flung through it somehow. Mary got hurt in the fall, she hasn’t woken up yet.”
“Do you often wander the halls naked?”
“When we entered the room we were fully clothed; when we fell into here we were not.”
The woman turns her penetrating gaze to me, “And what do you have to say, Sarah?”
“I… I don’t know what to say! I’ve only been at the Citadel three days now. Amy was showing me my duties, and there was that jewel, and… here we are. I’d heard that the Citadel was dangerous, but…” I look pleadingly up into her eyes, which remain cold.
“Interesting, there must have been latent energy. Where is your jewel?”
“It was lost. I have nothing, my lady.” I hold out my arms in an age-old gesture of empty handedness. Her gaze penetrates me.
“You speak the truth, and yet I know there is deception here – those two” she gestures at Celeste and Aurora, “absolutely reek of ‘enlightenment’ as your ilk call it. But you, Sarah, you’re different. You are touched by it, but only slightly. Tell me the truth, Sarah, if you wish to live.”
“I - I’m sorry, my lady, but the Lord Novanus insisted we try to convince you that Amy and Mary are servants. I don’t really know much about Mary – she was in the room my lady Amy and I had entered. I’m my lady’s new maid. I don't know much about the Citadel or it's people - I can’t even find my way around yet.”
The woman’s eyes seem to burn right through me, “Who are your parents, child?”
“I don’t know, my lady.” Her eyes! They bore into mine as if seeking my very soul; I can’t hide the pain of my loneliness from her as I do from others. Suddenly her gaze releases me and I collapse to the floor.
“It is a pity, child, that you have fallen in with this lot. I’ll not kill you yet, I think. A servant, two Luminarians of indeterminate importance… I would have hoped for better. I must ponder this.” She begins humming once again, and fades away.
~~~
“You filthy little turncoat! Go ahead and spill it all, will you? How ever did you qualify for employment anyway?” Novanus’ voice lashes at me like a whip.
“She already knew the lie, Lord. There was no point in surrendering my life over an already moot point.”
“You simple fool! She only suspected, she had no proof until you gave it to her! I swear, if by some miracle we get out of this, I will kill you myself!”
“I’m sorry, my lord… I didn’t understand.” I let my voice be overtaken by sobs of despair.
Celeste implores him, “Count Novanus, she is but a child…”
He practically explodes, “Did I ask you for your opinion? What is it with you younglings that you think we care what you have to say? Be Quiet!”
She whispers, “Yes, my Lord.”
We quit speaking altogether, then, and try to get some rest. I’m unaccustomed to such silence, though, I can’t take it. I decide to quietly hum a song Mother used to sing to me when I was young. No one objects, so I continue until I fall asleep.
I awake to hushed conversation, “What now, Novanus?”
“I think her concentration is elsewhere at the moment, but still we must be cautious.” His voice drops to a whisper that even I can barely hear. “Sarah, are you awake?”
Sarah – do I know a Sarah? Why am I so cold? Oh… right. “Just.”
“You did well earlier. Now let us continue the game.”
Celeste’s voice lifts higher, “Sarah, are you awake?”
“Yes, my Lady.”
“Good. I'm bored, and the only distraction available to us is conversation. I’m curious, Sarah. Do you truly have no idea who your parents were?”
“It is true. I have absolutely no memory of a father, and my mother was taken from me when I was quite young – in your years, I think I would have been five.”
“How did you survive then?”
“I was taken in by caretakers, but that relationship didn’t last. I raised myself.”
“How sad. Tell me, do you still wish to find your parents?”
“YES!!! Mathair, that is.”
“What about your father?”
“He chose to distance himself from me even before I was born. He has given me no reason to care for him.”
Novanus joins the conversation, “Perhaps he has good reason. If he is a criminal, then he could be forced to sell you into slavery… or worse.”
Celeste adds, “If he is man of any importance, then having a child would open him and you up to such dangers as kidnapping or bribery. It can be dangerous, being related to someone who is either powerful or has a less than sterling background. Have you considered the fact that he could be protecting you? Or on the other hand, perhaps he is no longer alive.”
“In which case, it wouldn’t matter anyway. Don’t you understand? I don’t care who he was. He wasn’t there for me as a child, and he wasn’t there for Mathair. He meant so little that she never spoke of him! Why should I care who he was?”
“What if he was rich, or powerful?”
“What
would it matter? I don’t want his wealth, I don’t want anything from him at all. The only way I might even speak to the man, assuming he still lives, would be if he sought me out. If he could justify his absence, then maybe… but only then!” I can’t help the bitterness in my voice.
Novanus rejoins the conversation, “Well, if your mother was as judgmental and traitorous as you, perhaps he prefers to forget the affair altogether.”
His words flood my mind with fiery anger, but I know better than to act upon it. Our conversation ends for a while, but dungeons are terribly boring, and Celeste eventually strikes up a new conversation.
“We appear to have a great deal of time on our hands with little to do, so if there are any questions you would like to ask about Lumina, now would be a good time to ask them.”
“Why isn't there any robotics?”
“Excuse me?”
“Your technology is far, far more advanced than I've experienced before, and yet while my world was experimenting with artificial intelligence and robotics, I never saw any in Lumina.”
She sounds surprised, “My, you really are new, aren't you? Of course, there would be little reason to instruct a maid in the advanced taboos, but I'm surprised and concerned to hear that your world is performing such experiments. They will have to be stopped.”
“I don't understand, isn't robotics a natural progression for scientific worlds?”
“For those that don't know any better, yes. There were some in Lumina, long ago, during the reign of Ctesibius, our second Emperor. He was brilliant, and laid the foundations of much of our current technology. There were not yet many people who could withstand the energies in Lumina then, and he wished to lighten the burdens of the laborers. At first his machines were single task devices, but were soon computerized. The trouble didn't start until he devised highly complex computers. There was a short age of mechanical servants, robots if you will, that were so complex it could be difficult to physically tell them from real people. It took surprisingly little time for them to become self aware, which turned out to be very bad.”
“Why was it bad?”
“Tell me, what is the difference between a laborer and a slave?”
“Laborers are compensated, preferably fairly, for their work. Laborers are not property.”
“And just how do you compensate a machine? Especially when the technology is advanced enough that it could make just about anything it wants? People can be rewarded with a means to provide for themselves. They need shelter, food, education and such. Robots need none of that, anything you can pay them with is unnecessary, and at the same time, due to their nature, their immense strength and their inability to sleep, their labor is more valuable than that of people. People enjoy spirits, concerts, parties and companionship. Robots, for the most part, don't. They socialize amongst themselves and develop a very different sense of moral behavior. They develop a feeling of superiority to ordinary people, then they revolt.”
“Revolt! What happened?”
“It was short lived. Remember, Cailliach created Lumina, she controls what works and what doesn't. She created a new rule, which hasn't changed since she first instituted it. In Lumina and all nearby worlds, self-aware computers cannot be self-mobile, nor can they control or even influence mobile computing or electronic devices. No advanced robots.”
“Wow, that was the only way to solve the problem?”
“Pretty much. There are places where their development went unchecked; in one instance, an entire galaxy had to be quarantined. Machines can raise aggression to amazing levels.”
“You quarantined an entire galaxy?”
“Cailliach did, to my knowledge she creates the strongest shields of anyone in existence.”
“So, worlds with robotics get quarantined as a rule?”
“Not always, no, but usually. There are some places where life naturally evolved into something resembling machines. That only happens on crystalline planets with powerful electrical fields. It's best to avoid those places, they really don't understand any form of life other than their own. Fortunately they don't tend to travel, but when they do, they are quarantined.”
I ask in wonder, “How many worlds are there?”
She laughs, “Oh child! There is no answer to that – the universe is a constantly changing place, especially on the Chaos side. Some of their worlds aren't even proper planets, and how do you define a world within the Rimall? It's best to think of the universe as a place of infinite variety. Any story that has ever been dreamed up has likely happened somewhere, though the details will likely vary.” She pauses, then continues, “Oh Sarah, I sense your mind is about to explode. Take a few deep breaths, well, not too deep, remember where we are. Clear your mind of all thought until you feel better.”
I'm not in as bad of shape as she makes it sound, but I could use a break from her constant revelations. A sigh eventually escapes my lips.
“All better now? Good. Any more questions?”
“Well, why not create robots that can't become self aware?”
“This robotics issue is far more interesting to you than I would have expected.”
I don't respond, I just wait expectantly.
“Oh alright. It is difficult to create a useful computer brain that cannot evolve to self-awareness in the long term, and designing in a specific lifespan has consequences as well. It could have been worked out, eventually, but why? The city kept growing and there were soon enough people to do the work that needed to be done. Why take potential jobs away from people who, through their jobs, develop emotional ties of loyalty to us, only to give those jobs to machines who don't really need what we have to give them, and don't develop the symbiotic relationship with us that living people form?”
“What about terribly dangerous jobs? Why put your people in unnecessary danger?”
“We do not assign truly dangerous tasks to the people, we perform them ourselves. We are not very easy to kill, you see, and we need something useful to do with our lives.”
“Ah, I see. You don't need superior servants because you yourselves are highly superior.”
“Exactly. Any more questions?”
“No, I haven't been in Lumina long enough yet to formulate many questions, it's all just quite amazing to me.”
“Very well then, it's my turn. Tell me, Sarah, how were you settling into life in the Citadel?”
“I don’t quite know, my lady. The other servants don’t speak to me much, and the Imperial family members all seem so… overwhelming. There is only one person in the Citadel who is consistently kind to me.”
“And who would that be?”
I bow my head slightly, not wanting to admit to them who has been paying me rather… direct attention.
Celeste persists, “Oh come now, Sarah – what better time to share secrets than when sitting naked in the dark with people you barely know?” I let the lighthearted lilt of her voice sooth my concerns.
“Casanova.”
Novanus bursts out in unkind laughter, “Casanova! He isn’t being kind to you, he’s setting you up for the kill! Oh he likes the young ladies… especially the truly inexperienced.”
“Now who is being judgmental?”
“Fine, don’t believe me, but listen to my words none-the-less. He will wine and dine you and win his way into your heart, and you’ll love every minute of it. Then he’ll take you, he’ll give you every decadent experience you can handle. You’ll think he loves you, and in his way he will… but when every scrap of innocence within you is gone, there will be nothing left that attracts him. He’ll cast you aside and you will be so devastated you won’t be able to stand the Citadel anymore. Go ahead, refuse to heed my words, but when you’re a harlot working the streets of the city, seeking desperately to recapture the glory he used to make you feel, you’ll remember my warning and hate yourself for not listening. I’ve seen it a hundred times.”
Celeste reaches out and gently touches my arm, “He’s right, you know. I ha
ve seen it as well.” I feel her touch my mind, ‘He really is telling the truth.’
“But he’s the only nice one there!”
“The others have undoubtedly noticed his interest and are keeping their distance. Casanova is of Imperial decent and not to be trifled with. If you rebuff his attempts they will eventually consider you safe.” Then she suddenly pulls on my arm, urging me toward Novanus. My hand lands on his leg and I feel that terrible draining again.
Novanus says, “That is, if we somehow get out of here alive and I decide not to kill you.” The draining stops and Celeste draws me back near her… then I hear it, humming.
~~~
I don’t have to fake weariness when I look up at our captor. Celeste looks at her defiantly, as does Novanus, though he manages to look quite weak. She speaks first to me, her expression filled with kindness and pity – like a mother looking down upon a child.
“My dear, you aren’t well suited at all to such conditions, are you?”
“I’ve never been in a dungeon before, my lady… I hunger and thirst.” Just then my stomach growls, “Excuse me, lady.”
She looks thoughtfully down at me, then turns cold eyes to the others. It’s amazing how quickly and completely her entire demeanor changes. “You look remarkably well, Novanus, for a man so recently beaten within an inch of his life. I’ll have to try harder next time, spend a few days at it, I think. When I have the time.” She turns to Amy. “You also seem to be faring well… but the other one hasn’t awoken? Pity. I’d like to question her.” Suddenly she lashes out and kicks Aurora savagely three times: stomach, groin and chest. Any woman who had the capacity would cry out, but Aurora remains completely unresponsive. I hear fury nearly explode within Novanus, but he smothers it immediately. How could he justify such anger over the mistreatment of someone who is supposed to mean nothing to him? Our captor lets out an almost disinterested “Humph”.
Between Darkness and Light Trilogy Page 8