Maso returned with a bowl filled with a thin-looking broth. Eluvie was skeptical at first, but Maso assured her that it was delicious, filling, and safe for her physiology. He was proven correct on all counts.

  After dinner, Eluvie requested a tour. Both Yira and Maso tried to dissuade her from it, but she stood her ground and promised not to corrupt any of their children. In the end, they consented to granting her the tour if she stayed far away from the inhabitants.

  The first part of the tour was deathly boring. They flew so high that the people below resembled colored dots. Yira pointed out orchards and flower fields with the enthusiasm of someone describing magnificent feats of nature. For a while, Eluvie thought that the woman truly considered plants that interesting, but after a half hour, it grew clear that they were steering Eluvie away from anything of actual interest.

  So, Eluvie took control of the tour. She flew in the directions she wanted and asked about the features that interested her.

  “What is that building?” Eluvie indicated one of the few roofed quarters around. Its roof was made of purple leaves in various hues and it occupied as much ground space as several buildings combined. There was also a large, empty buffer between it and the rest of the buildings.

  “You don’t need to know that,” Yira said.

  “I don’t know if you know this,” Eluvie said. “But a surefire way to make something seem interesting is to keep it a secret. The truth about that house is probably less interesting in reality than it is in my imagination right now. If you don’t tell me what it is, I can guarantee that I will seek it out at the earliest opportunity.”

  Yira sighed, likely regretting that she had consented to this tour. “No one goes in there,” she said. “It houses something extremely important, something that keeps this entire place running. I mean, everything. The plants, the water, the sky. Our entire livelihood depends on it. If anything happened to it, we would either starve to death or the sky would cave in. And if you are caught in there, I would be demoted so far, I won’t reach this rank again this century.”

  She stared intently and quietly at Eluvie. She stared for so long that Eluvie eventually grew uncomfortable.

  “I won’t go in there,” Eluvie said.

  “Thank you,” Yira said.

  They resumed their flight and Eluvie noted that Yira’s lie-detection skills were abominable. She had no intention of going in there, but her survival, not Yira’s status, was her first priority.

  “What about that one?” Eluvie pointed at another building. This one was completely roofless, yet entirely furnished. There was no bed, but there were sitting areas, reading desks, and what resembled a private garden with a pool. The atmosphere seemed both utilitarian and luxurious.

  “That one is empty,” Yira said.

  Eluvie subsequently noted that Yira’s skill at deception was also non-existent. It was true that the building was empty, but from Yira’s tone, there was clearly something significant about it.

  “Who used to live there?” Eluvie asked.

  “Isei,” Yira said.

  Eluvie heart began thumping, but she kept herself composed.

  Yira sighed, as if she would rather avoid the topic, but she clearly recalled Eluvie’s warning about secrets.

  “Isei is a rank, not a person,” Yira said. “You can think of her as our king, though the similarities are few. Anyway, she is away at the moment, so that place is empty. Don’t go in there. The caretakers have the power to immediately expel you without answering to anyone.”

  Questions assaulted Eluvie like a swarm of flies, but she knew she had to be careful. Yira did not know how much knowledge Eluvie already had. So, as long as Eluvie was careful, she could glean more information without triggering suspicion.”

  “Why doesn’t she have a roof?” Eluvie asked. “As a ruler, she must have secret information in her quarters.”

  “No one would violate her sanctuary,” Yira said.

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  “And,” Maso said, “the absence of a roof makes intruders easier to stop.”

  “Ah,” Eluvie said, as if that explained everything. “Presumably, she generates one when she wishes to bathe.”

  “Yes,” Yira said.

  “Where has she gone?” Eluvie asked. She worried that that was too direct, but she judged it worth the risk.

  “Firstly,” Yira said, “I’m not high enough to be trusted with such information. Secondly, if I did know where she had gone, I wouldn’t tell it to strangers.”

  She spoke with enough confidence that Eluvie decided that the statement was partially true. She didn’t know where Eluvie had originally gone, but she knew where Eluvie was now. It was a subtle, but distinct difference.

  They were quickly moving a good distance away from the structure, but Eluvie kept craning her neck to watch it. When that grew too difficult, she turned her gaze forward and cast her net in a new direction.

  “Besides Isei, what other ranks are there?” She asked.

  “What would you even do with that information?” Yira asked.

  “Satisfy my curiosity,” Eluvie said. “I didn’t think that it was a secret. Is it?”

  “I suppose not,” Yira said. “There are an infinite number of ranks, but Isei is the highest one currently held by someone. It is the seventh rank. No one has ever passed the tenth rank, so we don’t have names for the ranks after that.”

  “How does it work?” Eluvie asked. “And which rank are you two, if I may ask?”

  Yira seemed more comfortable with this topic than she had with the question of Isei’s location. That pleased Eluvie. She had found a topic that helped her, but did not make her guides suspicious.

  “We’re at the third rank, Guira. In your language, it means ‘Pure’. I’m close to being promoted to Eyi.” Her gaze grew distant.

  Eluvie let her stare into space for a while, as the wind whipped around them.

  Finally, Eluvie spoke again. “How do you get promoted? Is it age-related?”

  Yira recovered from her blank stare. “No. There is a test,” she said. “You can take it whenever you feel ready.”

  Yira grew contemplative again.

  “But you don’t feel ready,” Eluvie said.

  Yira continued staring into space.

  "She thinks too much," Maso said. "Actually, maybe you can help." He shot a pitying glance at Yira before continuing. "You see, for the first three ranks, you have no choice. Once you are ready, your teachers will make you take the trial. But after the third rank, you don't have to take the trial if you don't wish to. We can technically remain Guira forever. So, you have to ask yourself: should you remain where you are or take the trial and possibly fail?"

  "What happens if you fail?" Eluvie asked.

  "It's worse than death," Maso said.

  Eluvie raised an eyebrow, but he appeared serious.

  "So, you have to choose between staying at a lower rank or a potential fate worse than death," Eluvie said.

  The answer was clearly simple. Who would choose possible death over certain life? But both Maso and Yira were watching Eluvie so closely that she decided to properly ponder the matter.

  After thinking for a while, she asked, "Is there a time limit on this choice?"

  Both Maso and Yira shook their heads.

  "Then it's easy," Eluvie said. "Wait a year."

  The pair stared at her in confusion.

  "Since you are uncertain this year, you wait a year," Eluvie said. "This time next year, you ask yourself the question again. If you are still uncertain, wait another year. The day will come when you either decide that you like this position or that you hate it so much, you are willing to risk your life in an attempt to change it. On that day, you'll finally know."

  Neither of them seemed comforted by this explanation, so she cast about for an example.

  "Imagine that someone killed your - no," she recalled their distaste for violence. "Imagine that someone took your hat unfairly. You can either accept the loss of your hat or try to take it away from the person. Trying to take it away might get you back your hat or it might upset the person. What do you do?"

  Maso responded first. "Report to the thief's superior," he said.

  "No - it's - I - W- what if there is no superior? What if the thief is the most senior person here?"

  They seemed confused by the scenario, but Yira eventually replied, "Then, you report to the maker."

  Eluvie was stunned. What a pair of idiots.

  "The answer is that it doesn't matter," Eluvie said. "If you can live without the hat, then live without it. But if losing it hurts you so much, if the pain is worse than your fear of failure, then go ahead. Whether you succeed or fail, you will not regret the choice."

  Both Yira and Maso wore solemn expressions.

  Then, slowly, their expressions cleared.

  "Make the choice that you will not regret," Yira said. "That makes so much sense. Why didn't anyone say that?"

  "She's a genius," Maso said, smiling at Eluvie. "Thank you... er... Eluvie. You don't know how much you've helped. I've talked to ten different elders, asking for advice. They can't even say how they made their choice, let alone advise someone else."

  Eluvie shrugged. In a society where the houses grew effortlessly from the ground and no one ever punched another, how deeply could they understand regret?

  After an awkward pause, they resumed their flight.