Soon after Amu left the room, the talking from beyond the wall fell away. Then, Zaniba returned with Amu. There were initial hints of worry on his face, but they seemed to subside when he saw Eluvie.

  He felt her forehead, then pulled forward the stool Amu had been sitting on and took his place on it.

  "How are you doing, sugar?" He kept his voice low, like Amu had initially done.

  Eluvie regretted that her voice did not have the strength that she wished, but she was able to speak clearly. "Amu says that the others have a plan, but you have objections to it."

  Amu stood back, his posture one of deliberate avoidance.

  Zaniba scoffed angrily. "Plan? It's a destructive bundle of hope masquerading as intent. You don't need to worry about it."

  "Have you found an alternative?" Eluvie asked. She noticed that she felt oddly safe with him. Toward the guards, his gaze was full of annoyance, but that always disappeared before his eyes touched her. Then, he seemed to be filled only with fear and worry.

  "You don't need to -"

  "Then, I would like to follow their plan." Eluvie proceeded quickly, trying to explain her view before he worked up the strength to dispute it. "I believe that it would be to my benefit, and I don't want to lose the opportunity."

  Confusion filled his eyes. Eluvie took that as a positive sign.

  "Currently," she said, "you are all in danger. And I suspect that you might be underestimating Mirab. She's only a human, after all."

  "I read Amu's report," Zaniba said. "I know how cunning she is."

  Eluvie shook her head. "I doubt words properly conveyed her abilities. She is an expert at appearing to do one thing while keeping her true intentions invisible. I learned it from her. Whatever her true plan is, I bet that it has little resemblance to what she claims."

  "We know that -"

  "Then, I suggest that you take advice from the only person in this room who has ever outwitted her. Speed and unpredictability are your weapons. The longer you spend deliberating this issue, the more likely she is to succeed. It is already clear that she knows more about your society than Amu thought."

  Zaniba looked displeased by her words, but he hadn't stopped her yet.

  "If you're worried about the danger to me, there is no need to be. My situation is currently as bad as it can be. Sending me back there, to a failing planet, with Mirab is a more certain death than trying to retrieve my memories. If you refuse to let me do this, you would certainly be killing me. I won't last a day there. Besides, I won't be doing it for free."

  Zaniba still appeared skeptical. "And what payment do you expect?"

  "A few things. Firstly, if I successfully retrieve the memory you want, I will be permitted to retrieve any memories I want."

  Zaniba pressed his lips together and nodded for her to continue.

  "Secondly, if Amu confesses to having sabotaged my trial, I want you to exercise your authority and grant him a full pardon."

  Zaniba's face twitched, as if he was fighting off a smile. "We don't trade for pardons," he said.

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  "I don't care," Eluvie said. "Had you done your duties properly, he would never have been a candidate. No sensible person would expect him to be completely neutral. That he did his best and it was not enough is not his failing."

  The smile appeared now, faint but noticeable. "I see. Any more?"

  "I also want one unrestricted wish, to be used at any point, and for anything that you or your peers can grant."

  Zaniba nodded slowly. "Those are all within my power," he said. "And if you want to help us in return for them, then that is a trade I am authorized to accept. But you have one problem to consider. Assuming that you successfully retrieve your memories, assuming that there is something useful in them, and assuming that we successfully vanquish this threat, and assuming that Amu incriminates himself - assuming all of that is successful and we grant you a retrial, you will likely still fail."

  “How do you know that?” There was a touch of defiance in Eluvie’s tone, but inside, she was fearful.

  “Because trial results are reproducible,” Zaniba said. “That is why we are confident in them. Retrials are not for re-attempts, they are for confirmation. No one has ever failed a trial and passed it on a retrial. That is even more unlikely for you. We might quibble about whether Amu was neutral or not, but we all know that his actions had a very minor effect on your results. You failed because the person you were was not the person you needed to be.” His expression softened. “I’m sorry to be so blunt, but you need to know the truth.”

  Eluvie swallowed, accepted his warning, and filed it away in her mind. “Then, that is something I will need to consider,” she said. “But I must still do this. You might not care about me saving the Illrum, but I care about saving myself.”

  **********************************************************

  Zaniba discussed the matter with the others, but their voices were no longer raised. Soon afterward, he returned to the room with two objects and handed them to Amu.

  “You’re more experienced at this,” he said.

  Amu accepted the items: a cup of muddy-brown liquid, and an enormous and glassy-looking golden orb. The orb was so large that Eluvie would have needed two hands to hold it. Yet, both Amu and Zaniba had casually balanced it on one palm.

  “You’ll need to drink this.” Amu held the cup out to Eluvie and she accepted it. The liquid in it smelled oddly green despite its color.

  “It’ll put you in a trance,” Amu continued, “and then I’ll put this in your hand.”

  He indicated the orb.

  “Once you are holding it, the memories will link themselves with your current memories, but not completely. You should be able to search them, but they shouldn’t overwhelm you.”

  His eyes were intense and hinted at fear. Clearly, he did not want her to do this, either, but he had not tried again to dissuade her.

  “The process is straightforward, but different for everyone. Some people retain most of their awareness. Some are completely taken over by the process. However it occurs, the situation should be intelligible to you. You should see two things: a way back to reality, and a way to sort through your memories. For example, you might see a hallway full of doors. One door leads back here, and many other doors lead to various memories. Or you might find yourself in a library with one book labeled as a “return” book, and the rest filled with memories you can read.” His brow knotted and relaxed at intervals.

  “There is a limit to the size and number of memories you can absorb so, please, please, don’t stray. Just find the memory we want and return. You can take more trips if this is successful.”

  Eluvie nodded her understanding.

  “The memory is nine days before your departure. We held a ceremony to officially appoint you as Isei. During those ceremonies, the ascendant will approach an altar and receive new powers or new knowledge or both. We want to know what you learned there. If you didn’t learn anything, then come back and let us know. We’ll decide if another trip to a different memory would be helpful.”

  He fixed her with a deliberately intense gaze. "It is very important that you do that. If you do not and anything goes wrong, we won't be able to help you."

  Eluvie huffed. "Don't worry. I'll do as you say. My safety is important to me too."

  "Thank you," he said with a relieved sigh. "You may drink it now."

  He still seemed quite tense, but he had evidently accepted the situation.

  Eluvie did as instructed. The liquid was the first bad-tasting thing she had tasted since her arrival. It was tart at first, and then grew more bitter the more it lingered on her tongue. She was tempted to stop, but reminded herself that she had suffered much worse.

  Its effect was almost instant. One moment, she was handing the cup back to Amu. The next, gravity was pulling her back onto the couch. And in the third, she had become the room's sole occupant.