The Oracle reads it again

The Oracle read the copied scroll from the beginning.

First she read Elara's question. Then she read the answer written beneath it.

The answer was written in her own words. But the Oracle did not know that she had written them.

Then she reached Elara's new question.

“There is no magic number,” she answered. “Ask until the judge can no longer tell which answers came from the raven.”

Then she added, “That will show how well the raven imitates a thinker. It will not reveal whether the raven truly thinks.”

The Oracle had not remembered their earlier exchange, not even her own part in it. The Scribe had sent everything to her again.

The memory remained in the Scribe's ledger in the village.