When the silence had gone on for far too long, Brumi spoke again. “I will ask again. The watcher’s neutrality is an indispensable part of a trial. Was there some part of you, in that conversation, that was acting with the intention of protecting Isei Eluvie from failure? If that is the case, I charge you, by the purity of your rank, to reveal it and protect her from the consequences of your failure?”

  “Perhaps someone should enlighten me,” Eluvie said. “You all seem to be speaking a different language.”

  “My good pupil,” Zaniba's voice was loud enough to echo in the room’s farthest corners, “you are witnessing what I prefer to call ‘Advanced Interrogation, Rank 4.’ If Amu claims that he did not, even a little bit, desire to keep you from failing, who here would believe him?” Zaniba gestured with his hands. “He has been your mentee for more than half a century. Sometimes, I think he loves you more than I do. Obviously claiming complete detachment would be a lie.”

  Zaniba tented his fingers and continued, “But if he admits to the tiniest bit of desire to help you, then that scene becomes evidence that he tampered with your trial. On the one hand, you win a retrial - woo hoo! - on the other hand,” he drew a finger across his throat, “Amu has committed a crime punishable by the stripping of all his ranks.”

  Eluvie tried to interject, but Zaniba continued.

  “It gets worse. Amu can certainly take the blame. After all, what are ranks compared to your life? Ranks can be regained.” Zaniba shot a knowing glance at Amu. “I bet he’s even tempted. There’s only one problem: He knows - and everyone here knows - that he is innocent. If any person here can put integrity above friendship, it’s Amu. He might have wished to help you, but he never acted on that wish. If he confesses to any crime, it will be purely for your benefit, and it will be a lie. And an Illrum who tells such a grand lie, I doubt he will pass any trial ever again. So, crafty Brumi here has engineered a scenario in which you win a retrial, but only if your mentee walks into the noose for you.”

  Eluvie looked at Amu. He seemed disturbed, but she could not tell what he was thinking.

  Brumi looked insulted. "This is no plot," he said. "If Eyi Amu is confident that he has acted properly, he should answer the question with confidence. His silence tells me that he doubts his own actions. And if he is doubtful, why should we believe him?"

  More tense silence followed. Amu's expression remained unreadable.

  Finally, Amu spoke. "I call for an adjournment," he said. "I have had a long-"

  "I second the call," Zaniba said. He mouthed to Eluvie, Join us. Join us. Join us.

  "I, too, am tired," Eluvie said, uncertainly. "We should adjourn."

  Zaniba rose with a jump and gave a long, elaborate stretch. "Three of those present have requested an adjournment. I trust the speaker-"

  A loud uproar rang from the crowd gathered outside. For a moment, Eluvie thought they were reacting to the adjournment, but they had reacted to nothing till that point and the others in the room looked confused.

  For a moment, no one moved, then the sound came again: screams. Whether from shock, fear, or anger, Eluvie could not tell.

  Someone removed the roof and walls so that the surrounding crowd was clearly visible. Eluvie rose from her seat and spun around, searching for the reason for the screams. There was nothing clearly amiss, but the crowd seemed agitated. Some people were leaving while others stood staring at the sky in alarm. Eluvie followed their gaze upward, but there was nothing to see. The sky remained its pale yellow, without a hint of clouds.

  "What is going on?" Zaniba asked, loudly enough to be heard by the crowd.

  His response was another round of screams. And then, they saw it. A dark rent appeared in the sky, like a tear in a piece of fabric. It ran from horizon to horizon, thin at the ends and wide at the middle, like a gaping mouth to the otherworld.

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  Someone grabbed Eluvie, triggering an instinctive struggle from her.

  "It's me," Amu said. "We need to get to safety. You four," he indicated Eluvie's guards, "has the emergency plan changed?"

  One of the guards shook his head dazedly, but the others remained staring at the sky. The slit had quickly repaired itself, but another, smaller line had already appeared in a different part of the sky. The screams were now constant, less alarmed, but more panicked.

  "Quiet!" A voice boomed over the crowd.

  Eluvie looked over to find Zaniba hovering above the room, high enough to be seen by all, with golden-yellow wings spread out.

  The commotion eased somewhat, but complete silence did not return.

  "Enact emergency plan number 3," Zaniba said. "Younger ones, that means go to the Grand Hall and congregate with your work group. Not your residence group, not your friends, not your age group, your work group. Do not return to your residence. No, not even for your pets. If anyone violates this order, you will see a side of me that will shock you."

  There was a brief moment of confusion, then the crowd turned in one direction and began to run. Zaniba floated down to the ground and dismissed his wings.

  "You all know your duties," he said to the room. "Gree, remain with me. Is anyone missing?" He scanned the room, while most of the red-clad Illrum shook their heads.

  “Excellent,” he said. “Moonbeam,” he pointed at Eluvie, “you and your group, wait there.”

  The blue-clad Illrum disappeared, while the red-clad ones gathered around Zaniba for a conversation. The bookkeeper left as well. Meanwhile, Amu and Eluvie’s guards gathered around her.

  “What is happening?” Eluvie asked. She directed the question to Yira, making a point to ignore Amu.

  “Emergency Plan 3 means that we’re safe,” Yira said, “but they want to take a census and keep everyone in one place.”

  The sky was forming tears at a faster pace, but they were smaller than the initial ones.

  “What about me?” Eluvie asked, “and the other humans?”

  Yira gave a disturbed shrug. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t have that information.”

  “Guests and prisoners also gather in the Grand Hall,” Amu said. “Zaniba just wants to speak with us before we leave.”

  Their calm responses comforted Eluvie, though she suspected that much of it was acting.

  “I bet Mirab did this,” Eluvie said.

  Amu grunted.

  Eluvie risked a glance at him and found him watching the gathered Illrum. Her stomach cramped with fury, but he seemed unfazed.

  The Illrum group dispersed, the members flying off in all directions, and Zaniba turned back to them. His previous, playful grin had grown more serious, but he still looked too complacent for the current situation.

  He reached Eluvie in a few strides and as his first act, ruffled her hair. For some reason, the action filled her with intense, unexplained anger. He laughed at her scowl, and backed away when she attempted to swat him.

  “Just yesterday, I was thinking of how much I miss you,” he said, “then you return and make me miss your absence. Did you plot this with those humans or are you just stupid?”

  The insult should have angered her, but it was delivered in such a teasing tone that she could detect no malice in it.

  “Don’t blame me,” she said. “I wanted to kill them.”

  Zaniba chuckled, then turned to Amu.

  “These two fools have already been demoted once. Don’t leave her alone with them. And don’t let her near the other humans. She’ll try to kill them.”

  “I’m not the best choice,” Amu said. “She hates me too.”

  Zaniba gave him a stern look. “Can you name anyone better able to handle her than you? This is a crisis and I need competence. Can you do it?”

  Amu hesitated for a while, but eventually nodded.

  “Good,” Zaniba said. “Take her to the Grand Hall and remain there.”

  He turned to Eluvie with a scowl. “Behave. You still have all of your natural cunning but none of the knowledge required to effectively use it. If you cause any trouble, you’ll be the primary victim.”

  He ruffled her head one more time, laughing at her inability to dodge the attack, and flew off in a sudden burst of wings.

  They watched him fly off for a time, then Amu spoke.

  “The Grand Hall is a fair walk away,” Amu said. “It will go faster if someone carries you.”

  Eluvie began to protest, but she was already floating in the air, suspended by a golden cord tied around her and attached to Amu’s hand.

  “I apologize for the indignity,” Amu said, “but we need to be quick.”

  Eluvie decided against responding.

  The flight was short and smooth. They flew quickly, but neither the wind nor speed ever grew uncomfortable. Whenever Eluvie spared a glance at Amu, he was looking straight ahead, wearing no emotions that she could discern.