Chapter 13

City Above

- They came together, a scattered remnant, to build a new home -

A low thrumming resounded through the dense cityscape followed by a deep groan that reverberated in waves. A shadow fell across their faces as a massive horizontal object slowly moved across their field of vision, blocking out the sun entirely. Immediately, the temperature fell as the air around cooled in the shade.

"We call it a platform", said Felix Vanyaga, pointing upwards, as he tried to describe it to the wide-eyed Thonavar. "A large flat vehicle moving through the air. Powered hovercraft technology. Think of it as a kind of floating road."

"A road?" said Thonavar, his eyes bright with excitement. "A floating road?"

"And where we are standing is a station."

"A station? Floating roads? I do not understand."

Felix chuckled. "You will see."

Thonavar turned his attention back to the massive dark and shiny flat rectangular object that blotted out the sky. It stretched across for about a mile in length into the distance, seemingly continuing into the horizon where the sun lay hidden behind the clouds. Thick railings, light from the surroundings glinting from its edges, fenced the platform. Thonavar gazed at it in wonder.

As the platform came directly overhead, the group were suddenly slammed by multiple strong gusts of wind. Mirya almost lost her footing and she clutched her husband tightly. Felix and Thonavar stood their ground, balancing easily on the tips of their toes. Crowds of people stood around the edge of the station looking heavenward, readying themselves to board. The voice of an automaton rang out.

"Please stand back. Platform descending. Please stand back. Platform descending."

Beneath the platform, Thonavar made out giant fan-like turbines rotating at speed, viciously cutting the air.

"It transports people", explained Jesse to a wide-eyed Mirya. "And vehicles too. We use these quite often to move across our equipment and building materials across the city."

Thonavar drank in his surroundings. From the very moment Thonavar had stepped out of the elevator, it seemed as though he had stepped into a completely different world. It was a hive of activity all around and Thonavar was completely mesmerised, his mind struggling to cope with the delightful sensory overload.

The first thing he observed was how interconnected everything was. Large elevator shafts could be seen on the sides of almost every building, propelling people upwards from the bottom-most levels of city above to its uppermost levels. Buildings were linked to one another by vast bridges and wide pavements. As he watched, some of these pavements broke up into smaller ones, linking and merging together with other pavements forming a large whole, before splitting up again and branching out, like veins and arteries of city above.

With the constantly shape-changing platforms, the traffic generated by all manner of hovercraft vehicle and the teeming masses of peoples spread out everywhere like tiny black dots on a large map.

City above seemed like one big, frantic and massive superstructure, and though everything seemed on the verge of erupting into chaos, Thonavar knew from his lessons at college that the underpinning systems, technology and operational management of city above was unbelievably efficient, effective and orderly.

"City above is incredible", observed a wide-eyed Mirya. She too was captivated by the wonder of city above. Unlike her husband, who made frequent trips for various construction projects, this was her first time up in city above. "But you are up here all the time. You must be used to seeing this."

"Not at all my lady", said Felix. "City above is certainly a sight to behold. Its technological prowess is a marvel. But my eyes are accustomed to seeing things a certain way. At this point, I see is complacency, vulnerability and arrogance. "

Thonavar saw his father and mother exchange a glance, though saying nothing, before continuing to observe the surrounds with expressions of silent wonder.

"Oh my!" exclaimed Mirya, as the platform began to descend, drawing level with the group. "Jess, there are so many people!"

"Uh, yes Miri", said Jesse, "it transports people you see."

"Yes, and I heard you the first time."

As the platform finally drew level and connected with the station’s edge, Felix led the group onto its surface as hundreds of people around them to secure an empty space.

"Look mother", said a young boy standing near their group. The child pointed at Felix from behind his parents. The boy’s parents followed their child’s gaze to study the group with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. But as their eyes took in the dark figure of Felix, the boy’s father and mother took several small steps away. They gestured for their child to turn away but not before Thonavar heard the boy’s parents speak warningly to their child in low tones: "be careful to stay away from his kind."

Thonavar looked around and saw people standing nearby casting quick glances in Felix’s direction.

"And what about you and your kind?"

"My kind?" Felix repeated in mock indignation.

"Yes, since we exited the old citadel and entered the public space, there has not been a single pair of eyes which have not looked upon you strange."

"I am not bothered. Are you?”

"No. But why do people look upon you this way?"

Felix shrugged. "It is common nature to fear what you do not understand."

Thonavar turned his attention to the diverse multitudes of people milling about the platform. They stood around at various points, dressed in long elegant flowing robes denoting their group and role. It was at this point that Thonavar became acutely aware of how drab his and his family’s clothing were. His father wore a plain dark grey shirt which had small tears at the seams and a pair of crumpled pants while Mirya wore a simple light brown gown with patches of faded colour in certain areas. But Thonavar remained unembarrassed, fascination gripping him instead.

"So, it is true", observed Thonavar quietly.

"What is?"

"The colours of the robes and the sigils."

"What about them", said Felix, turning to Thonavar, his hands behind his back.

"We hear about these things down in city below. About how the wealthy and the powerful wear colourful robes and have beautiful designs carved onto their robes."

"But more than that boy. The colours of robes, the sigils and the crests imprinted. They symbolize status. One’s social standing in society."

"Why is status important?"

Felix appeared slightly taken aback by the question and paused before replying.

"A wonderfully profound question", replied Felix, cocking his head to one side. "Status. The appearance or maintenance of status. A remarkable feature of HavenGuardean upper society but, I am sure, a feature in all modern societies from the past. As to why men place value on such a thing, it can only be the simple truth that men will always feel the need to compare themselves to their neighbour."

"Then it is good that we do not have time for such indulgences down in city below."

"I would not be so quick to judge boy. In city below, you might find yourself wondering how the family across the street is doing or if they have enough to survive on especially during food shortages and cold spells from weatherstorm malfunctions. There will always be the need to compare."

Thonavar pointed to a man standing nearby, tapping his foot impatiently. "What about that man wearing the dark green robe?"

The man saw Thonavar pointing at him scowled. But upon seeing the black-robed figure of Felix Vanyaga standing next to Thonavar, the green-robed man hastily moved several paces away.

"An engineer", said Felix. "And, judging from his sour face, probably from one of the guilds."

And that one? He is wearing a dark grey robe."

"Ah yes", said Felix, and he paused for but a brief moment. Thonavar noticed that Felix did not turn to look where he had pointed and sensed a slight change in Felix’s tone. “That man is what one might call, a scientist."

"What about that group of people over there?"

"That group? Those wearing the dark gold robes?"

"Yes. They look very serious."

The group that Thonavar pointed out stood distinct from those dressed in the duller colours. Their dark gold robes had a sheen of radiance to them and caught a number of admiring stares and glances. It was also apparent to Thonavar that these men knew that others watched them and reveled in the attention. Checking their keepers from time to time, they talked amongst themselves in whispers as if sharing secrets only known to them.

"You mean self-important", said Felix, raising an eyebrow. "They are government officials. High-ranking individuals who form part of the lower tiers of government. These range from adjudicators, governors, advisors, but they all share one thing in common."

"What is that?"

"A lack of an independent mind", replied Felix. "They only speak the words of the Unity. But that is also why they occupy the position they occupy."

"And what about the nobles?"

"What about them?"

"Who are they?"

"Nobles are a rare sight. They do not travel through the city with the rest of the population. "

"Why not?

"Nobles are city above’s wealthy and influential. They tend to have their own means of transport."

"And what kind of robes do they wear?"

"They wear robes of silver and enjoy special status. Why so interested in nobles?"

"From what I know, nobles are often escorted or accompanied by servants at their beckon and call."

“Ah, you speak of the boy. Alexis.”

Thonavar sometimes disliked the ease with which Felix saw through him.

Felix continued. "Yes, Alexis belongs to one of the noble families. His father is Sir Alberoth Amery."

Thonavar considered Felix’s words. Once, he had overheard Alexis boasting at the school gates the gang of boys that followed him around about the fact that his father was an established noble. Sometimes, Alexis would promise a reward of coin or some insincere opportunity in return for their continued loyalty.

"Last I heard, Sir Amery owned a great many wine breweries and brewhouses and has made a business empire stretching from all four corners of the walls of HavenGuarde", said Felix, almost conversationally, as Thonavar’s thoughts become dark at the thought of Alexis.

Thonavar found himself clenching his fists and as he did, he felt the familiar surge of energy well up within him as his anger rose. He had suffered bitterly under the hand of Alexis.

Thonavar looked up to see the intelligent steely blue eyes of Felix Vanyaga watching him curiously. Thonavar turned away hastily, his anger forgotten, the surge of energy within him dying down.

But once again, his mind rested on the task at hand. He had spent the entire sleepless night thinking of the agreement he had struck with Felix. He was to undertake a testing and journey to Sanctum to begin his training. Truth be told, he was more excited at the opportunity offered by Felix than his parents seemed to be. The thrill of adventure constantly occupied his thoughts. I will escape all this and break out of this cycle. I will ascend. But this is only if I get through today at the houses of court.

"Please hold on", said a female computerised voice that blared out suddenly. The sound was so loud that Thonavar jumped in shock. "Please be careful", sounded the voice again, reverberating all around. Thonavar felt the ground beneath his feet rumble. But there was little actual noise. Then a strange sensation gripped him for he felt as though he was being thrown up into the air with his feet still planted firmly upon the ground. Looking at the nearby buildings, he was seized with a sense of incredulity as he saw these same buildings being left behind and below.

The ground beneath his feet was moving!

He heard his mother exclaim excitedly as father held her closely. Felix stood his ground with his hands clasped before him. But as Thonavar looked around, it quickly became apparent that no one save his parents shared his excitement. People stood around with bored expressions on their faces. Thonavar made eye contact with a young boy who seemed to be about his age. The young boy darted behind his parents in fear, peeking out from behind his parents at the odd-looking group.

The group continue their ascent into the higher tiers of city above. Much to Thonavar’s amazement, the platform on which he stood rose rapidly in the air to draw level with another similar floating platform and moments later, the platforms connected, allowing hundreds of people from both platforms to cross over. Thonavar risked a peek over the railings and his breath was caught in his throat. He had never been so high up in the air before in his life. The structures he had observed on the previous platform were far below and seemed small and insignificant now. He was in the highest parts of city above now, and the moving platform continued rising, breaking up wisps of clouds, dispersing them into its self-generated tail-wind. Thonavar’s palms began to turn moist and his stomach lurched. There were less and less people on the platform now as the group approached their destination.

"Attention fellow travellers."

An automaton’s voice resounded across the platform. "We have arrived at the houses of court. Please alight carefully. Have a pleasant day."

The group followed Felix and arrived before an impressive scene. The entrance to the houses of court was a wide archway leading into a large courtyard of stone decorated with pleasant-looking trees, moss-covered walkways and running streams. A path ran through its center leading up to a gigantic blinding-white building in the shape of a dome.

"The houses of court", said Felix simply, with a wave of his hand.

Felix gestured for the group to follow him. As they did, a group of stern-faced wardens in robes of red strode past, flanking and surrounding an individual in robes of faded grey. Three large rings of surging blue energy encircled the prisoner’s torso, expanding and contracting as he walked.

Two dark-robed individuals stood guard one on each side of the entrance. They did not move and were as still as stone.

"Here is where we part ways", said Felix, turning suddenly to Jesse and Mirya. "You can come no further. I must go with the boy alone."

"No", whispered Mirya, and reached out to embrace Thonavar.

"It is what we agreed", said Felix, sympathy evident in his tone. "You both will be escorted to the viewing gallery. The boy will come with me."

"Come now Miri," said Jesse gently. He grunted and nodded before patting his son on the head and ruffling his hair. But that was all the support that Thonavar needed. "Our son will be fine. Felix will take good care of him."

Jesse gestured for his wife to let go but Mirya’s face was a still mix of worry and concern as she hugged her son in a fiercely protective embrace. Finally, she relented. "Go on then. But be careful now."

"Do not worry about me mother. I will be fine", said Thonavar, flashing a cheeky grin. He was nervous about what lay ahead but hated seeing his mother distressed.

Felix approached the dark-robed figures guarding the entrance. Thonavar saw the figures bow their heads respectfully as Felix approached. After speaking with them, Felix gestured for Thonavar to follow him through the entrance. Thonavar followed after Felix. Once past the entrance, he stopped to look back at his parents. Mirya waved and managed a forced smile while Jesse stood stern-faced. All will be well. I will get through this.

Once inside the courtyard Felix turned to speak to Thonavar in low tones.

"Listen to me boy. I shall in a moment register your attendance. From there we will go to the hearing chamber. The presiding adjudicator will hear your case. The session will begin shortly. When the session begins, you will be called to give account for the series of events leading to alleged offence against Alexis. You understand?"

Thonavar nodded.

"Good. When questioned, answer truthfully. Do not be afraid", said Felix with a serious look. "Truth is your ally. It shall not fail you. Remember this."

"I shall remember", replied Thonavar with a firm nod.

"One other thing", said Felix, and he dropped his volume to a whisper.

Thonavar leaned in to listen.