It turned out that the Illrum owned real prisons and that, when the mood struck them, they could properly secure a prisoner. Eluvie’s new home was a house with no doors, windows, or decorations. The walls were made of smooth stone with no handholds or imperfections and rose to a height ten times the height of any man. Her only company was her shadow, cast by glowing rocks embedded into the wall, and her imagination. She suspected that there were guards stationed outside, but they had never replied to any of her questions.

  Twice, the ground had opened up and delivered bowls of soup to her. Hours later, it had opened up and swallowed the untouched bowls.

  She had no regrets. She lamented her failure, but not the attempt. If she had not made it, there may never have been another opportunity for freedom.

  A doorway appeared in the wall, forming from the bottom upwards. Eluvie was tempted to rise, but she kept her composure and focused on the opening.

  Two men stepped through it first. Afterwards, came her two guards - Yira and Maso. The two wore sullen expressions paired with stiff walks. Yira actually glared at Eluvie when she stepped into the room, so any goodwill between them had certainly dissipated.

  “We’ll take you for your reading,” Yira said.

  Eluvie remained seated. “What is a reading?”

  Yira replied, “Your trial record will be read, and then it will be determined whether you failed or passed.”

  Eluvie rose to her feet and dusted herself off. “I thought that was already determined.”

  “Not formally,” Yira said.

  “Actually,” Maso said. “No one knows if you’ve passed or failed until the reading. You would be surprised at how strangely those things can go.”

  He seemed to genuinely mean that.

  Eluvie eyed him. “My physical changes would indicate failure, would they not?”

  “Possibly,” Maso said. “Probably. But believe me, those records can say anything. Don’t lose hope.”

  He smiled, though the smile looked painful. While Yira wore her anger clearly on her face, Maso was making an effort to be generous. It made her chest itch.

  “I’m sorry that you were demoted,” Eluvie said. The bands on their sleeves were now orange instead of pink.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Maso gave a broader but still unhappy smile. “We already passed the trials for Guira once. Passing again is a given. This just means that our duties will be easier for a while.”

  “Let’s go,” Yira said. “And don’t try to escape. You’ll fail.”

  They allowed her to go ahead of them. Through the doorway, she found bright daylight and thousands of Illrum gathered. They formed two crowds on either side of a stone path, some flying, some standing, all watching with wide eyes and loud whispers.

  “Stay close to me,” Yira said. “I’m filtering the air so that you can breathe. If you fall unconscious, we’ll have to postpone the reading.”

  Eluvie found enough strength to feel amusement. Yira had just told her how to postpone the reading and seemed utterly oblivious to that fact. Life in this place must be immensely easy.

  The surrounding chatter was in no language Eluvie could understand, so she was forced to ignore it. The crowd’s expression was easier to understand, however. There was excitement, wonder, pity, and plain curiosity. Some people managed to look bored, forcing her to wonder what had drawn them to the spectacle.

  The walk was long. During her tour, Eluvie had noticed that the buildings were often spread out. It was likely never a problem for the Illrum - they could fly - but it was a far more irritating discovery when she had to walk up and down the hilly path. Her guards took the trek with ease, never seeming winded, and slowed to match her pace as she tired. Finally, about half an hour later, they reached their destination.

  The crowd was gathered around a tall building with vine-covered stone walls. Throughout the trek, they had maintained a respectful distance from Eluvie and her guards, but here they pressed so close to the building that there was barely enough room to walk. Still, no one approached the group or stepped out of their place in the crowd.

  Inside, the building proved rectangular, like most of the others she had seen here. The roof was made of the same stone as the walls, and the hall was lit just as her prison had been.

  It was almost free of furnishings as well. On a dais at one end, several rows of chairs were arranged on a semicircular staircase, while the middle of the room held one cushioned wooden chair. There was no other furniture. Every chair on the dais was occupied. The Illrum in them all wore white clothing and solemn expressions. There were only two ranks that she could spot: those with red sleeves and those with dark blue sleeves.

  The guards led Eluvie to the central chair and offered her the opportunity to sit. She considered resisting but found no reason for it. With her at her destination, the guards had fallen back and stood waiting for further instructions.

  The man in the center of the first row of judges rose and walked further into the room, until he was halfway between Eluvie and the judges. When he spoke, his voice carried to every corner of the room.

  “This is the Reading for Isei Eluvie, at the completion of her trial for Rauw. Those gathered here are to be witnesses, verifying that the traditions are kept, the rulings are correct. Will you witness the reading?”

  The judges seated responded in one chorus: “We will.”

  The man turned to Eluvie, his eyes solemn. “You have survived a grueling trial to prove your worthiness for more responsibility. However, this reading ends, your bravery and diligence are not in doubt among the community. We honor you. And the Maker, seeing you, must be pleased.”

  Eluvie held her tongue. She had nothing good to say to that.