For an entire hour, Daneel completely forgot the world.
He got lost in the embrace so much that at one point, he didn"t know where his body ended and her"s began. The hug was so fierce that after a few minutes, he almost stepped back, remembering that hers was the body of a normal human, but that thought went away when Eloise, herself, clutched him even tighter and made him meld into her.
He was painfully aware of her nakedness. He couldn"t stop the blood rus.h.i.+ng to various areas in his body, and for some time, she ignored it, appearing to be completely lost in the flood of love that had engulfed them both. Then, the flood turned into something else, and soon, gasps and sighs began to be heard in the room. Before losing himself in her in a different way, the last thought that Daneel had was a wish that the giant wasn"t watching them, right now.
Eventually, they lay down on the floor, watching the droplets and marbles float around as if they were the stars in the sky. No words were required, at all. They just kept tracing their fingers over each other"s bodies, as if hardly able to believe that this wasn"t a dream.
Finally, after the hour pa.s.sed, Eloise whispered, "How did I die?"
Daneel shuddered, remembering the way her body had burned, but after taking a few moments, he leaned to his side and kissed her full on the mouth for an entire minute before giving her the answer.
Eloise hugged him close when she heard about the tale of her demise. She did smile proudly, though, when he told her about how she had taken the entire army of the Church with her, but the smile turned into a sigh of sadness when she heard of the demise of their grandfatherly patron.
"When I saw you holding me so desperately, I knew that it must have been bad… but I see now that the desperation was due to something else, my G.o.dking. Tell me… what troubles you?"
And so, he embarked on an explanation of all the other things that had happened since her pa.s.sing. He heard her gasp when he stated his outrageous plan, her luscious lips parting beautifully as she finally understood the source of his distress. It was her turn to lean forward, then, and stop him from continuing with an insistent tongue, and as he felt her supple body on his, all of his worries once again seemed to be melting away.
She departed before they could commence another round with a chuckle. "Enough, or Xuan will get jealous. Now, go on… I need to get accustomed to this new body, and you need to talk to that man who made this reunion possible."
Daneel was loath to part with her, but he knew that she was right. With one last squeeze, he stood up and flicked his fingers to dress himself. Walking out of the vault, he came upon the city, but suddenly, he stopped and drew in a rasping breath.
It was no longer an apologue of rage-filled destruction. It had been rebuilt, and in the center of the circular area around which ascending steps consisted of many of the houses of Elysium, the giant was sitting with one hand on his leg and the other holding a gla.s.s.
At first glance, it looked like he was sipping water. There was a table in front of him and an empty chair, and even a few seconds after Daneel appeared, he continued to slosh the liquid around the gla.s.s while taking intermittent sips. That was when he noticed that the liquid was glistening as if it had trapped all the colors of the rainbow within itself, and when he took a step forward, the giant set the gla.s.s down and said, "Oh, you"re back! You must forgive me… all of your pa.s.sionate sounds of lovemaking reminded me of my own family. In a way, it was a gift. You see… I have lived for so long that my memories have become muddled. The mages of my land used a complicated spell so that I could sleep until I was needed, but dreamless slumber only erodes one"s mind. I need visual or auditory cues to clearly remember those times when I was still alive… and because of you, I was able to once again see the faces of the five women I gave my heart to."
He chuckled, then, when Daneel raised both his eyebrows and walked forward to take a seat. Making another gla.s.s appear that was filled to the brim with the same liquid he was drinking, he took another sip from his and said, "Our culture was slightly different from yours. Men and women who had talent in the path of power, as you call it, were encouraged to take multiple mates to further the strength and development of our race. After all, if your mate is not as powerful as you, they tend to perish. It was easy for the most powerful of my clan to live for thousands of years, and in that time, many were known to take hundreds of wives. I was an exception… because I gave my love only to the most precious of maidens. Oh, each of them was so unique…Anyway, none of this is important. Drink up, and let us discuss the matter at hand."
The giant entered a brief period of reverie when he spoke about their uniqueness, and in his eyes, Daneel was slightly surprised to see the glaze of sorrow that could only come out of true love. When he had heard the words "five wives", he realized that he had instantly judged the man based on the norms of Earth… but then, when he remembered that he, himself, had taken two, he felt like a hypocrite. The feeling made him laugh, and stretching his hand forward, he picked up the gla.s.s with interest and took a sip.
His eyes went wide with shock when he registered the taste. For an instant, he could swear that it tasted exactly like the chicken broth that his grandmother used to make in the orphanage… but then, when he swallowed with eagerness as he wanted to experience the feeling of having it fill his stomach once more, it disappeared and made a flash of disappointment appear on his face.
"Ha! That expression of yours is exactly what this vintage derives its name from. "Spirit of Disillusion", it is called, for anyone who drinks of it always looks disappointed when they gulp it down. You see, it evokes one of the happiest tastes on one"s mind, making them recall a cheerful instant of their past. I was barely able to recreate it using the materials of the present. Isn"t it a treat?"
Daneel was fascinated by the description. Nodding, he took another sip, and tasted the broth again. This time, he had learned, so he let the liquid slosh around in his mouth for much longer before swallowing.
The giant mirrored his actions, and for a few seconds, the two of them lost themselves in the eddies of the past. He didn"t know what the giant was remembering, but for his part, he recalled a time when the only worry was to his mind had been that of a lack of money.
They both came back to the present together when only empty gla.s.ses remained in their hands. The giant set his down, and then, leaning forward, he spoke in an earnest tone.
"Alright, I"ll get right down to it. I called you both to give you that gift, and to let you know that you must make the decision regarding who you"re going to take with you to the Mainland now. After listening to your plan, I came up with one of my own. When the Saints attack, you will be attempting to offset their strength with the might of the Sea. What if… I was able to reflect a portion of that power to ensure your safe journey to its origin? I will be able to change the destination. Originally, I was going to use a different method, but it is fraught with much more risk. In my opinion, this is our best option. Initially, I would only have been able to send two others with you… but with this method, I can ensure the safety of four. There are a few more nuances to the process that we need to speak about, but first, you must decide. Base your decision on the strength of one"s mind, not on their talent. For reasons I will soon tell you, this is the most important aspect. Well… what will it be?"
Daneel needed only a moment to answer.
"I suspected that that might be the case. After all, our very method of measuring talent is flawed when compared to the one on the Mainland. The four that will accompany me are… my two queens, my best friend, and my elder brother."
With a smile, the giant leaned back. With a wave of his hand, the gla.s.ses refilled. Lifting up his own, he said, "And I suspected that that would be your answer! I believe it to be perfect. On a journey, one other thing needs to be thought about, and that is the trust that you have in your colleagues. Well, to the five of you, then."
Saying so, he threw back his head and gulped down the liquid.
As he raised his gla.s.s, a sudden thought came to Daneel, and it made him grin.
"To the Fellows.h.i.+p of Angaria!" He bellowed, before raising his gla.s.s and emptying it, too.