Startled, the others looked to their G.o.dking with confusion before seeing that his eyes were s.h.i.+ning like two stars in the night sky.
Daneel"s heart was pounding with excitement, and for once, he regretted the fact that he could tell no one about the reason behind it. Once, long ago, he had pondered about whether he should expose the system to those that were the closest to him, but just recently, another incident had made him realize that this was a plan he should never, ever implement, even on the Mainland.
And that… had been when he saw even Galahad, the being entwined with the Will of the continent with all of its power at the tip of his fingers, fail to see the system. The man had only spoken about Daneel"s transmigration, but not about this inscrutable existence that continued to stay hidden. He suspected that Galahad might have guessed—like the Emperor—that it was a secret that Daneel was hiding, but in the same way, the man had definitely not come even close to seeing it for what it was.
Shrugging and sitting down, he said, "It"s nothing. I just… remembered something I had to do."
His five companions waited for him to continue, but Daneel hid behind his gla.s.s while sipping from it continuously. He heard a few sighs after he began to act like the dust motes in the air were acting out a play he was very, very interested in, and after that, Galahad resumed what he had been saying.
"Ok…that was strange. But I"ll continue. Well… that"s about it, then. There isn"t much more that we need to cover. You will have to investigate everything for yourselves when you reach your destination. As I mentioned, your first objective should be to find each other. You will be separated as it cannot be guaranteed that multiple people who fit each of you will die at the same place, so after laying low for a time, I suggest that you begin looking for the others. In my opinion…you should all rendezvous at the most famous spot of whatever region you find yourselves in. Let me see… yes, I don"t know what else I can tell you, except good luck, and good travels. We will all be waiting for you to come back. I don"t think I need to tell you that the hopes of so many lie on your shoulders. I"m confident that you will bear them well, and do them justice. For now, you can leave. Saying farewell is a very difficult thing… but alas, that is what needs to be done. You have an option. Right now, except for very few people of power, the rest have entered a dreamless, peaceful slumber. You can either gaze at them and hold them in your arms for one last time and leave with the resolution that you will return to wake them up, or you can have them come awake now so that you can have one last conversation. In that case, you will have to explain what is going to happen… and I don"t think I need to tell you that some people might not be able to deal with the crus.h.i.+ng realization that they might never live and breathe again. At the end of the day, it is your decision… so think well before making it. We shall meet again before you depart. Farewell."
Daneel set down his gla.s.s and saw all of his sovereigns get complicated expressions on their faces as they listened to Galahad. This was clearly something they had not thought of, before, and if he was frank, he would admit that he had been slightly surprised after being reminded of the existence of this decision, too.
The good thing was that he was already clear about what he was going to do. The others didn"t seem so sure, so he said, "Galahad is right. Sometimes… an abrupt farewell is best. But I won"t decide for you. Go on, and choose for yourselves."
With his prodding, each of them disappeared. When only he and Galahad remained, he got up reluctantly to go and begin his series of farewells, too, but he paused when the giant got to his feet and looked at him while biting his lip.
He could tell that something was on Galahad"s mind. They had met only a few hours ago, but still, he felt that he knew the man very well. He pondered on this feeling a bit, and then, the reason dawned on him.
Until now, his power had depended on joining himself with the Will of the World and wielding it as a weapon. In the process… wasn"t it true that he had been in contact with Galahad, too, even though he hadn"t realized it? It was possible that some part of the man had been exposed to his subconscious even though he hadn"t recognized it, so now, he chalked up his intuition to this familiarity.
"What is it?"
His tone was gentle, and hearing it, the giant actually… frowned. This was the first negative thing that he had seen on the man"s face since his appearance, and right away, Daneel could tell that the reason was definitely something important.
He did not press the man, though. He simply waited, knowing that what was going to come would come in its own time, and after a few seconds, Galahad"s expression cleared and he said, "follow me."
He disappeared as soon as the last word left his mouth. Daneel stepped forward, and after raising his hands and studying the elementary particles, he disappeared, too, as he detected the man"s destination.
Galahad had left behind the trail on purpose. If he wished, he could have teleported without leaving any traces, at all. It seemed that the limit of teleporting only a few tens of kilometers at a time even applied to this incredible being, as Daneel had to hop multiple times before they finally reached their destination.
It was a spot at the very top of the natural barrier around Angaria. Daneel had never been here before. After the first teleportation, he had left all subsequent spell casting to the system. It was a habit of his to delegate such menial tasks if there was an opportunity for him to use the time to think about something, but quickly, he saw that this time, it had been a mistake.
After asking the system, he found out that Galahad had been leaving behind teleportation portals through which he had pa.s.sed to reach where they were. There were standing so far up in the sky that below them, Angaria was hardly the size of his palm. He almost felt dizzy as he saw this, simply because he had not been expecting such a sight at all.
He recovered in a moment. Looking around, he saw naught but clouds, but a single glance upwards took his breath away. Night had fallen over Angaria, and with that had come out the canopy of the sky. Dazzling him with its naked beauty, it made all other thoughts leave his mind, and like a little child looking at magic for the first time, he raised his hand, thinking that he might be able to capture the stars within his palm if he could just stretch far enough.
Daneel became conscious of what he was doing after a few moments, but he did not feel embarra.s.sed. It felt… comfortable, to be around this giant, and as he looked to his left, he saw Galahad smiling while watching him. It was a kind smile, absent of mockery or judgment, and after folding his hands behind his back, he said, "I almost forgot that you… are so young. It is a boon to be able to enjoy things while leaving behind all the worries on one"s mind. Alas, unlike you, there is one problem that I just cannot seem to ignore. It concerns the promise I made to you…so I brought us here as I hoped that you might be able to help me."
Narrowing his eyebrows, Daneel waited for the man to continue and let him know about what was on his mind.
Instead of speaking, Galahad averted his gaze to look at the stars, and Daneel did so, too. The last time he had seen this incredible sight had been when he traveled to the Eye with the a.s.sa.s.sins, but then, he hadn"t had the luxury to enjoy it. Now that he had a chance, he took in everything around him, and as he gazed at the thousands of stars that could be seen in just the patch of sky above him, he wondered whether he was looking at Earth, too, if it was at all possible that it lay out there.
The giant interrupted these thoughts after a few seconds.
"When I first spoke to you… I was confident that I would have no problems whatsoever in sending you to the Mainland, unscathed. But then… I took the time to study that woman you have imprisoned. Without her knowing it, I extracted some information which has caused me some distress. She has heard rumors of a group of Saints succeeding in accessing the Will of the World, and increasing the means of security of the Mainland. She does not know whether it has already happened, or whether it is an attempt in progress…but either way, I"m afraid that too much time has pa.s.sed, and my knowledge might be lacking. After all, it has been so long since Angaria separated from that place. The chances are slim… but what if there are other precautions in place? Even a small risk is too great when the stakes are so high. Hence, I have taken the liberty of already modifying the spell so that a few safeguards will kick in if anything untoward is detected. Now, the problem that I need help with is this: my imagination… is not as active as yours. I have heard the tales of your plans, and I must say that I was impressed. The spell is an exceedingly complex one-"
Daneel raised his hand to stop the man.
"Just give it to me. I"ll give you a list of precautions that you can implement soon."
With a sigh of relief, Galahad nodded and raised his hand. An orb of glowing light materialized above his palm, and a few moments later, it turned into a coin.
Pa.s.sing it to him, he said, "I"m supposed to be an all-knowing, all-powerful being… but I guess that is simply not true. I could have bl.u.s.tered, but it felt wrong to even think of doing so. All I"ve been trying to do is my best, and after seeing that it might not be enough, I decided to ask you. Others might have felt shame. My brothers once said that one of the reasons behind choosing me was the way my mind worked. Now…I begin to see what they meant."
His observation made Daneel smile. After taking the coin and pocketing it, he turned to Galahad and flicked his fingers to cast a spell.
A moment later, he was as large as the giant. Stepping forward, he enveloped the man in a bear hug. It was only after a few seconds had pa.s.sed that he stepped back, and after clapping the man on his shoulder, he spoke and made the giant grin.
"Thank you for everything. Without you, there would have been no hope. You will be in my thoughts, too, during the journey. I already saw enough of the spell to see that you will be sacrificing yourself to cast it. After I return…you will also be one of those being awakened from a deep slumber. I shall miss you…my friend."