They made Eluvie drink the rest of the liquid, then helped her onto a couch. She was surprised by how weak her legs felt. The short walk to the couch felt like a trek up a mountain, and when she collapsed onto it, she couldn’t keep herself in a sitting position. Instead, she lay down and wondered where she was. Someone helped her feet onto the couch, and another person found a blanket with which to cover her.

  “That you are alive is the creator’s blessing,” Zaniba said. His voice was low, as if tending to a dying person. “If you had eaten the wrong thing, you would have died immediately. What happened?”

  Eluvie shook her head weakly. She did not feel able to speak, and she did not know what she would say if she was able.

  “Amu is claiming that you were kidnapped,” Zaniba said. “According to him, you dropped into the ground. Then, after they had searched the whole area for you, you appeared in the same place unconscious. Since no one in the community has reason to kidnap you, I don’t know what to make of his account.”

  Eluvie made one attempt to speak, but the effort required to open her mouth dissuaded her.

  “Should we allow her some rest, first?” Amu asked.

  Zaniba shot him a furious look. Amu, in response, affected as neutral an expression as one could manage - gaze averted, posture non-threatening.

  Zaniba gave an accepting sigh, then nodded. He stroked Eluvie’s head lightly, pressed a kiss to her forehead, and then left. Amu and the other guards seemed to relax slightly once his back was turned. Walls rose from the ground, forming a room and doorway around them, so Eluvie could no longer see the rest of the building.

  “You must be tired,” Amu said softly. “If you need anything, just wave and we’ll find it for you.”

  The instruction proved unnecessary. With the couch under her and the blanket above her, Eluvie could barely keep her eyes open. Despite that, she could not sleep either. She caught snatches, but never for more than a few minutes at a time.

  While she attempted to sleep, she heard other Illrum gathered outside the room, arguing in loud voices. No matter how much she slept, their voices never seemed to fade. In fact, they only grew louder. And though she could not understand their language, her name came up so often that there was no question about the topic of contention.

  Eventually, she recovered enough strength to whisper a question.

  “What is going on?” she asked. “And where am I?”

  Amu made her repeat herself twice, leaning forward on the stool that he had brought at some point, before he replied.

  “You are in Zaniba’s residence,” he said. “As for what is going on?” He sighed. “I shouldn’t tell you, but the only thing more dangerous than your determination is your curiosity. They’re discussing what to do about the situation.”

  “Situation?” Eluvie asked. Her voice was too low to hear, but he seemed to understand.

  “You saw it,” he said. “This world is a bit like the one we left. It’s a shell with just enough space for us to live in. Something is attacking it. It keeps trying to repair itself, and that is working so far. That’s why they can be so relaxed about the argument. But that can’t possibly continue forever, so we need a solution.”

  He adjusted himself in his seat. "You were right that Mirab is responsible, somehow. At least, she claims to be responsible. But none of them will tell us how to resolve the issue unless we give them something we cannot give."

  "Give what?" Eluvie asked.

  "They want to be made Illrum."

  From Amu's expression, Eluvie guessed that that was as possible as wanting to be made a dragon.

  "Why would she ask for something impossible?" Eluvie asked. Her voice was clearer now. Perhaps she had simply needed practice.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "I'm not sure she has," Amu said. "She has been planning this for decades. I'm sure she has gone over every inch of this plan. She didn't come all this way to foolishly ask for something we cannot give. That is what I told the others. If she believes that it is possible, she must have enough reason to believe so. But she won't tell us the reason and we can't find it by ourselves. So, here we are."

  Eluvie frowned as she considered the problem but no matter which way she turned it, she could not understand Mirab's plot.

  "You never answered my other question," she finally said. "What are they arguing about?"

  "Well, we don't know how to solve this problem, but we know someone who would have known: you. Until we complete your Reading, you are still the highest-ranking member of the community. There are things you knew that no one else does. Many secrets here are only revealed to Illrum when they gain a new rank. If you don't have a solution, then none of us can find one."

  "But my memories are gone," Eluvie said.

  "Not gone. Just put away. Do you recall when you revived one of your seeds and you knew things you hadn't known before?"

  Eluvie nodded.

  "You made a copy of all your memories and put them in a seed before you left. You can theoretically retrieve them."

  Eluvie frowned in confusion. "Then, what is the argument about?"

  "You're human now, not an Illrum. You could never absorb all the memories. We have a technique that will let you search them for the ones you need, but it is dangerous. You could die. Or sleep forever. In fact, you likely will sleep forever. It has only been attempted on four humans. Two survived it and the other two never woke. And the two who survived were much younger than you are. Zaniba will never allow it."

  "And if he doesn't? What are the options?"

  Amu shrugged helplessly. "We could hope that the matter resolves itself," He sighed for what seemed like the millionth time, "but I don't like the odds of betting against Mirab. If it continues, we could evacuate and live on one of the other worlds."

  His voice trailed off and he stared off at a spot on the wall behind her.

  "What is wrong with that plan?" Eluvie asked.

  "You know how humans cannot breathe the air here?" He asked. "We would have a similar problem in the other worlds. Not with the air, but with the light. It will not be strong enough there to sustain us. Even the wardens there must eventually leave or die. The oldest of us need more energy than the others, so they would die first. The youngest - the seeds have yet to sprout - would die second. Then, we would be left without leaders and without a future. I don't think that Zaniba would allow that outcome either."

  His voice had taken on a pained tone while he spoke. By the end, all hope was gone from his eyes.

  "It seems I will have to attempt to retrieve the memories," Eluvie said.

  "If Zaniba says it won't happen, then it won't happen. They don't seem to be changing his mind. In fact, he's getting more and more resolute."

  Eluvie listened to the voices coming through the walls. Whenever she heard Zaniba's, it was calm and unwavering.

  "What is his problem?" She asked. "I understand wanting to protect your mentee, but will he really sacrifice everyone to protect me?"

  "He will," Amu said. "The Reading was almost over. In normal times, you would not even be here. You are a human now. Saving the community is not your duty. And understand, this is partially our fault. If even one of those people out there," he pointed at the doorway, "had been brave enough to take their trial, perhaps we would have two Isei. Then you would not be our only hope. Their cowardice has caused this. Zaniba might have faults, but injustice is not one of them. He won't make you pay for his mistakes."

  Eluvie almost laughed at his dramatic words. "Technically, I brought Mirab here," she said.

  "No, you did not. You were engaged in a trial. Everything you did should have been as expected. Because we were foolish, no one knew that an Isei can always open a portal. No one was cautious enough to guard the portal. When it was opened, no one was wise enough to send the humans back immediately. Instead, we allowed them enough time to do whatever they did. No matter how you look at it, this is an administrative failure."

  Eluvie was silent for so long that Amu began to look worried.

  "Say something," he said.

  What was she supposed to say to all of that? "That philosophical discussion is beyond me," Eluvie said. "I suppose, living for centuries, you all must have a lot of time to talk. I think if Zaniba wants to punish himself, he can arrange for someone with a whip. Why risk the life of his subordinates? Call him over. I'll talk him into letting me do it."

  Amu raised an eyebrow.

  Eluvie gave him a small smile. "Trust me. It is actually really easy."

  "And what will you do if you die?"

  She shrugged. "Why worry about that? You are all currently planning to send me back to that nightmare. My future doesn't seem too bright already."

  Worry blossomed on Amu's face. "Eluvie, if you need someone to talk to-"

  "I don't plan to die, Amu. Believe that much. I'm fighting to live. So, help me. Fetch Zaniba."

  He still seemed reluctant, but Eluvie fixed him with her most determined gaze, and he acquiesced.