7 Shackled (1/2)
Daneel continued to stare as they made their way toward the crystals.
He could tell that Sebastian was assuming that he was doing so because of what the man had said about the fate awaiting him. However… the truth was that that shock had passed, already, and right now, he was watching as he felt something… strange, surrounding the entire crystal structure.
He was convinced that he had seen it somewhere before, and that he would be able to decipher the true meaning of what he was watching if he was just given time to study it thoroughly. Alas, they were soon in front of the red spot where the others had disappeared, so he had to sigh and allow himself to be chaperoned inside to begin this new life that he had chosen for himself.
He kept his eyes wide open even when they passed through the crystal. It was as if they had stepped through a cold shower. He shivered, but the feeling passed in barely a second.
They seemed to have reached someplace dark, as his eyes had trouble adjusting. Meanwhile, he decided to use his other senses to find out more.
The first thing he smelled was the overpowering stink of sweat. It was as if a thousand men had been stuffed into a small room and forced to work until they sweated their clothes wet. Then, he felt a wave of wind upon his skin, but it was so hot that he flinched and moved his hand away.
By then he could see what was in front of him, and the sight made him blink with wonder.
A long corridor stretched out in front of them, hewn out of black rock that glowed dimly with a silver light due to little, shining pinpricks that were present everywhere like stars in the night sky. It might have made for a pretty sight… if not for the hundreds of slaves slowly walking along it and disappearing into the branches that looked like pools of darkness from where he stood.
Craning his neck, he turned back to see a smaller outcropping of crystal set on a raised platform. All around it, there were a few tables and chairs that were empty, and apart from that, there were only slaves, slaves, and slaves.
Sebastian's eyes seemed to have adjusted, too, as he continued to help Daneel along. He didn't speak, now; he just stumbled along, mute, while the others shot all kinds of looks in their direction. A few seemed outright furious about what he had done, while others shook their heads, as if commiserating the wrath of the taskmaster that he had called upon himself.
There were only one or two that looked at Daneel with pity. He made a mental note of their faces, knowing that they were like diamonds in the sand who had to be remembered.
The corridor seemed to go on and on, unto eternity. The more they walked, though, the lesser the branches of the cave grew, until at last, they were walking in between unbroken, rough walls of stone.
It also grew narrow until there was only enough space for the two of them to pass along, side-by-side, and with curiosity, Daneel raised his hand and brushed it along the rock. It was rough, but also…warm.
”Stop that. Stop acting like a child. You might only be fifteen, but your childhood is over. The sooner you accept that, the better. The one we're going to meet will use means that are far less pleasant to tell you the same thing. I don't know why I'm bothering to tell you this, but here's some advice: keep your mouth shut and your head down, and it will all be over quickly.”
The seriousness in Sebastion's voice made him furrow his eyebrows and nod, wondering what new demon he was going to face now. Keeping his eyes on the path ahead, he reflected on how this world he had come to was not a very good one, at all.