137 A Problem (1/2)

One hour later.

In the middle of the central mansion, once again, Daneel sat with four other people on soft backed chairs, in front of the fountain that was empty of water, now.

The smell of burned marble had finally left the place, encouraged by open windows that were ushering in the pleasant smells of many delicacies being cooked from the outside. A feast was in the making, after all, for hundreds of people who had been eating nothing but tasteless gruel for all their lives. More than that, though, it was the sounds that made Daneel smile from the very bottom of his heart.

Sounds of laughter, sounds of friends talking to friends without being afraid of being whipped, sounds of families spending time together without a care in the world, sounds of slaves finally free to experience and enjoy simple things that so many took for granted. Even a simple, deep breath of fresh air was a luxury for them, and the way he had seen many just stand, sometimes, frozen in pleasure due to the sensations of the sun on their skin and the wind on their face had been equal parts heartbreaking and pleasant.

It had been remarkable to see how each and every slave who had taken part in their bid to take revenge had suddenly transformed into people so downtrodden that they had to rediscover their own personalities as soon as they realized that they no longer needed to be bothered by anything that anyone else might say. Daneel had left the place, by then, so that they could just be themselves without the presence of him or anyone else that they might still think they were indebted to, but now, he saw that he need not have taken that step.

They had not forgotten him, and neither were they afraid that he would do anything. It seemed that that that moment where he had led that young slave to pummel the old man had cemented his position in their hearts, and every time they looked at him, the way their eyes crinkled with joy and respect was so fulfilling to behold.

Daneel had loved every second of it, but now, it was time to sit down and discuss important matters. After asking around, he had been directed to the old man who sat in front of him.

He was the leader, apparently, existing in the pits in a hidden place that had been erected at the cost of many lives. With his age and wisdom, he was said to have saved so many people who might have died if not for his advice.

Daneel had been quite surprised when he saw the old man bring along the woman who sat on the other side of him. She had changed remarkably since he had last seen her. She seemed more sure of herself, more confident in who she was and what she was, and with clear eyes that had neither fear nor disrespect, she gazed at the three of them, waiting for someone to speak.

The elf had been amused to find this out, and he had said something in the ancient tongue about the unpredictable nature of humans. As for the thief…he had been the most stunned of them all, and since then, he hadn't been able to keep his eyes off of the woman.

Without wasting any more time, Daneel stood up and began to speak. They were still using the faces with which they had come to the town as they had decided that it was best to hide their identities until they were out of this place, so still looking like a young master of the grand family that had come on a secret mission, he said, ”Seline. As they say, our deeds, small or big, always come back to bite, or grace us. The past is past; I would advise that you look to the future. This is exactly what we are here to talk about. We came here to scam the three of you with a certain purpose in mind. I come from a town much like yours, where we rebelled and threw down our leaders. To help all the slaves there and improve their means of living, I need to buy certain equipment from the famous individual known as the beggar king. For this purpose, I need everything in your vault. Everything must happen secretly. The leaders will be the scapegoats, and the family must be made to think that they fled with the money and the slaves. This was our plan, at least. But the main problem we see here is that no tracks must be left, and for that to happen, we need to understand what the family is capable of, so as someone who has been in contact with them for years, we were hoping that you might be able to help us.”