Eluvie didn't move from beneath the tree for a long time. If even stumbling over a rock could trigger a memory, then moving was not safe. And the last two memories had contained more information than she had seen. She could remember things that had not been part of the memory: the names of all of her birthmates, their favorite foods, and moments she had spent with. She even knew that the residence they had grown up in was the same one that now belonged to her. It had never been taken away.

  "I'm doomed," she muttered. She could see no way to find an exit before she was overwhelmed with too many memories. She did not even know how many memories would be too many.

  I'll have to switch strategies, she thought.

  After a bit more planning, she stood up. Since she could not avoid gaining memories, she needed to be strategic about the ones she gained. She had two places in mind to investigate first: her residence and the hidden underground room. Her residence would definitely contain a lot of memories, but most of them would be unimportant. The underground room, however, was different. Whatever she learned there, whether it helped her escape or not, would not be mundane.

  The choice, therefore, was easy. The only question left was how she would find the tunnel. She considered returning to the Grand Hall, but she did not want to risk triggering another memory. She looked down at the ground below her. If the ground still obeyed her in this dream world, she should be able to open up the tunnel here.

  She put a hand on the ground and thought about what she wanted: a tunnel to the underground room. Almost before the request was made, a square hole opened in the ground, displaying a set of stairs leading downward. She whooped.

  "There's no point in delaying," she muttered to herself.

  She rose, braced herself, and took the first step. The moment her foot touched it, she was drawn into another memory.

  Day had changed into night. She was indoors, but the ceiling of her residence had one corner open to the dark sky. Since it was well past curfew, silence had descended on the whole community.

  She pressed a hand to a wall and ordered the ceiling closed. It did so, removing the last of the sky’s light from the room. Then she took the staircase that she had summoned before her. She took the steps without watching her feet, like she’d done many times before, a wicker basket clutched to her side, and her mind on the ceremony earlier that day.

  Zaniba had already visited twice since the morning, either to apologize, request an apology, or dissuade her from taking a new trial so quickly. She hadn’t seen him. Amu, well-practiced at his duties, had announced that she was in prayer and unavailable until the next day. In fact, she had spent far less time praying than she had staring at her ceiling.

  Well below ground, the stairs ended in a familiar tunnel. As she stepped off the last step, the hole above her closed, sealing her into the tunnel. If Amu returned for some reason, he would wonder where she had gone. But he was accustomed to her late-night disappearances.

  The walk to the secret room took several minutes, which was unfortunate because it left too much time for ruminating. She wasn’t hiding from Zaniba out of anger. She simply didn’t know how to apologize to him. But the longer she waited, the more awkward the situation grew. Eventually, thankfully, she reached her destination.

  The room was covered in dust. No one had visited during her 18-year absence; apparently, not even Arra. Accounting for the dust, the room was in the same state that she had left it. A half-played game of chess sat on a table. A tray of fruit sat on another table, and a blanket was neatly folded on the couch.

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  “Seriously,” she said to the empty room. “I leave food for you. The least you could do is walk around a bit and eat it. If you keep stealing wine, someone innocent will get blamed.”

  Her invisible addressee gave no response.

  Eluvie went to the cabinets, opened one, and began restocking it with items from her basket. As expected, only the wine bottles had been emptied. All of the foodstuff and art supplies remained untouched.

  Once her task was complete, she fell onto the couch and let the basket drop to the floor beside it.

  “Did you see the ceremony?” she asked.

  Once again, there was silence.

  “Well, there was little to see,” she tried not to sound disappointed. “You probably didn’t notice that it was happening until it was over.”

  More silence followed. She let it linger for a while.

  “I argued with Zaniba,” she said and sighed. “I wish you would just let me tell him. I doubt that there is a more suitable person in the entire community. And if I don’t return, then…”

  There was nothing to say on that front. Whatever happened, she would have to accept the risk.

  “I suppose that you could tell him then,” she said. “Or make another friend. But I don’t want you to just become a recluse again.”

  Another pause.

  Her voice grew stern. "You are listening to me, right?"

  Nothing happened.

  "If you don't respond, I will go and tell Zaniba right now."

  The lights in the room blinked twice, almost plunging Eluvie into darkness each time.

  She smiled in amusement. Whatever nonchalance he pretended, he always noticed when she entered this room.

  "And you will make another friend?" she asked.

  There was a brief wait, then the lights blinked twice again.

  Suspicion filled Eluvie and she narrowed her eyes. "Are you lying?"

  The lights blinked once.

  A sigh of relief escaped her. "I'll hold you to that promise, then."

  She rolled over so that she was lying with her back to the couch.

  "I put the note for myself in the cabinet," she said. "Don't forget it. And if… if everything goes wrong, don't break. You promised."

  She stopped talking and silence filled the room for several minutes. This one-sided conversation was never satisfying, but it was more honest than a lot of her other conversations.

  "When I leave," she said, "will you say goodbye?"

  Her invisible partner did nothing.

  "Don't give me that nonsense about not wasting energy. It's thirty seconds in a body to send off your only friend. What if I never return and you regret it for the rest of your life?"

  Still, there was nothing.

  "If you don't say goodbye, I'll tell Zaniba to start counting the wine bottles."

  The lights flashed in rapid, angry signals.

  Eluvie laughed until her eyes welled up with tears.

  "We have an agreement, then," she said. "A goodbye in exchange for continued inebriation."

  She lay quietly for several more minutes, knowing that she had to leave but reluctant to do so.

  Finally, she forced herself to rise.

  "I'll return the night before," she said. "I have a lot to do till then, but you know how to bother me if you need something."

  Once again, there was no response.

  She picked up her basket and took the first step toward the doorway. Then, the scene faded and Eluvie found herself standing at the top of the steps again.