After lunch, Noah led Jacob through the endless corridors again and stopped at a strange structure. It was an old, cracked wall with iron doors in the middle. Noah slid the bars open, and Jacob stepped closer, but all he saw was a bottomless void going down to the very depths of the earth. A faint light flickered below.
Something must have changed in his gaze.
'You've never seen a lift?'Noah, standing behind him, laughed softly.
Jacob shook his head.
'I've heard that there are special inventions in the Uppercity that lift people up and down in a second. But I've never seen anything like it with my own eyes.'
'In a second is a strong word. But you'll see for yourself how it works.'
Noah pulled the lever, and a moment later, a small room three or four feet wide appeared before Jacob. He swallowed a lump in his throat and wiped his sweat' stained palms on his trousers.
'I hope you're not afraid of confined spaces.'Noah said, pushing Jacob inside.
Noah pushed Jacob inside, pushing him back against the wall and squeezing his eyes shut. He heard the doors slam shut and felt light in his body, as if he'd been weightless for a moment.
'The little beast is afraid of the box,'came the hoarse voice of an older woman. 'Don't be afraid. They won't hurt you. Not as long as they're not hungry.'
Jacob prayed it would be over soon. He didn't want to get into the box again. He didn't want to become their dinner. Jacob felt as if the walls were shifting a little more and would crush him, leaving his flesh nothing but a fancy grey suit.
Finally there was a creak, and everything stopped. The lift opened, and rare rays of light streamed into the small room, glinting on Jacob's face. On the other side stood Colonel Davian Ambrose.
'Too long,' he snorted. He grabbed Jacob by the scruff of the neck like a naughty kitten and dragged him behind him.
'Any errands for me, sir?' Noah shouted.
'Wait here,'Davian said.
'It will be done!'
'Let me go!'Jacob struggled. Mr Ambrose had inhuman strength. It was surprising, since Jacob was a few inches taller than he was, and clearly broader in the shoulders. The difference was especially noticeable now, when Davian took off his cloak, wearing only trousers and a white shirt with stars embroidered on the sleeves.
The long corridors swirled, drowned in endless twists and turns. And rooms, rooms, rooms. I wonder how many there are here? And how many people even work at the headquarters? Judging by the scale, the number is estimated in the thousands of human souls. And how many of them are reichor? Hardly a hundred.
They walked on until Davian stopped at a door. There were so many rumours about the Lawkeepers'headquarters for a reason, from the fact that it was a secret chancery hidden from prying eyes to tales of torture chambers where unregistered reichors were kept. But Jacob doesn't seem to be in any danger of that. Not yet, anyway.
Once in the cramped office, Davian sat Jacob in a cushioned chair. He remained standing, towering like a formidable statue of Manchet's founder. Jacob had seen it once, in the centre of the city. It was so huge that it reached to the heavens. And Davian, despite his age, looked just as powerful and omnipotent now.
'So. Can anyone tell me why I'm here?'
'We've been watching you, Jacob.'
'For how long?'His throat was terribly dry. He glanced pitifully at the decanter in the corner of the table.
'About five months. When did you realise you were different from other people?'Davian handed the glass of water to Jacob. He took a few eager sips.
'I still haven't realised it.'
'Lie.'
'Six months ago. That's why I didn't have time to register.'
'Lie again,' Davian said calmly.
'Where did you''Jacob was furious, but he stopped talking, reading Davian's reaction. 'You're one of us.' He was asserting, not asking.
'Perhaps. But you shouldn't compare me to people like you, Mr Oswald.'
Davian ran a hand through his brown hair, and Jacob saw the outline of a tattoo appear from under his shirt collar. A brand, he thought. Had Davian been taken from his home at fourteen and forced into the service of the Lawkeepers? But it was inhuman to deprive a child of his childhood! Isn't that why Colonel Davian Ambrose is as cold as ice and as stale as a withered piece of bread?
'When I was ten, I first came to the Uppercity,' Jacob began. You can't escape fate. But you can try to buy yourself more time. 'We walked through the narrow streets for a long time, until we came upon a house. I heard a pitiful squeak coming from the roof. There was a kitten sitting there.'
'And you went to rescue him?'
'Yes. But then the landlady came out and started shouting that she was going to call the Lawkeepers and have me arrested for trespassing. I was so scared, I stumbled and fell. I thought I was going to break my neck and die, but somehow, in some completely unfathomable way, I did a somersault and landed right on my feet.'
'Fascinating story. But you're lying again.'
Jacob clucked irritably.
'Fine! You win. I was fifteen.'
Davian squinted his eyes.
'Fifteen and a half!'Jacob sighed. 'Happy now?'
'I am.'A slight smirk appeared on his face. Jacob wiped his eyes in disbelief. But the modest smile disappeared as quickly and unexpectedly as it had appeared. 'Were you scared? When you realised what you are.'
'Of course I was. It's common for children to davelop abilities between the ages of five and ten. Not at fifteen.'
'Is that why you didn't register?'
Jacob lowered his eyes to the floor.
'Don't be afraid, Oswald. I'd never hurt you for your beliefs and I won't report them to my superiors. This conversation will remain just between us.'
'Why should I believe you?'
'Have you forgotten? Lawkeepers can't lie.'
'I don't want to be branded as an animal. As a slave,'Jacob said defiantly.
'You think I'm a slave?'
Davian gripped the pencil on the table next to the scattered papers and snapped it in half with a quiet crack.
'That's too provocative a question, Colonel.'
'Which of us is free now? Some are slaves to the State. And some are slaves to their own desires and ambitions.'
'As long as I breathe, I will always have a choice. And I choose freedom.'
'Sorry to disappoint you, but whether you like it or not, you're going to have to register and initiate.'
'And then what will happen? Am I going to be made a Lawkeeper?'
Davian laughed out loud. Jacob felt a little hurt and scared. If they wouldn't make him a Lawkeeper, why were they keeping him here at all?
'It takes more than agility to be a Lawkeeper,'Davian tapped his finger on his temple.
'That was rather rude of you, Colonel.'
'Should I apologise?'
'Don't bother,'he waved his hand.
'Jacob, do you know a man named Ingrey?'
Jacob hadn't expected such an abrupt change in the conversation, and when he heard the familiar name, he was stunned. Of course he knew who Ingrey was. Everyone in the slums of lower Manchett knew the man.