Page 14 of Cast in Atonement

“Changes?”

“I’m living with Helen and Kaylin,” Mrs. Erickson replied. “And her family of Barrani friends.”

Those weren’t the only friends. Starrante’s visible eyes shifted slightly. “I hear that you have other...roommates?”

Mrs. Erickson nodded.

“They came from the Imperial Palace. Oh.” She stopped and grimaced. “I’m not certain I’m supposed to mention them.”

“It is safe to mention anything within the library; no harm will befall you. You are not the only person who has visited our library in some urgency in the past few days. We hope we may answer more of your questions than his, in the end.”

Mrs. Erickson glanced around the library; books went on to infinity, shelves stretched so high it was hard to see their tops except at a great distance. “You couldn’t find answers here?” She seemed confused.

“The library contains all books that have ever been written, many in languages that even scholars cannot easily decipher. But some things are never written. Some knowledge is not preserved in books; it passes from mother to child, master to student, and it is lost far more easily, hidden more completely.

“Nor do we know the contents of every book that abides here. There are some that we have not—or will not—touch; not all books of old are safe for unwary readers; some are not safe for even the most powerful.”

“We’re not here to talk about that,” Bellusdeo snapped. She had chosen Elantran, possibly for Mrs. Erickson’s sake.

The chancellor cleared his throat in warning.

Bellusdeo was good at ignoring warnings when she was distressed or angry; she was both, but the anger was the lesser of the two.

“I understand,” the chancellor said, as he placed a hand on her shoulder. “But the Arbiters are older by far than either you or I, and their learning encompasses the whole of that existence. Treat them with the respect that knowledge deserves.”

“In my experience,” a new, and unwelcome to Kaylin, voice said, “Dragons have never understood the need for proper respect.” Arbiter Androsse had arrived.

“And your people did?” The response was a low rumble. Although Kaylin liked Kavallac, this wasn’t the right time for the Dragon Arbiter’s arrival.

“Our people were accorded the respect due the powerful,” Androsse replied.

Kavallac roared.

The chancellor sighed, and the Wevaran Arbiter’s eyes shut, briefly, in one wave across the body. Lannagaros glanced at Starrante, who nodded.

“I believe,” the chancellor said, with obvious disgust, “that we must retreat to my office for the time being. Arbiter Starrante will join us there.”

“But the books are here—”

“I will need to confer with Mrs. Erickson in order to ascertain which books might be of interest.”

Androsse surprised Kaylin: he roared as well. Even if the other two had something to contribute, they weren’t going to get to it today.

Starrante arrived in the office by teleporting to it. He was in the room before the chancellor had managed to return there, but clearly he had the chancellor’s permission.

“I apologize for my colleagues,” the Wevaran said. He was hanging in a space between shelves; Killian had obviously cleared it for his use. “Incidents in the Academia have caused heated disagreements which have not yet been resolved.”

Given the personality of the two Arbiters, “not yet” might cover another century or two.

“They do not always disagree in this fashion, but when they really lose their tempers, the library is not safe for students. Or visitors.”

The chancellor snorted.

“They’re always like that?” Bellusdeo asked.

“No, as Arbiter Starrante implied. At the moment, minor collegial disagreements become major arguments at the turn of a sentence. If they were my students, I would consider strangling them or jailing them until they promised to behave like rational adults.”

“I’m just surprised neither of them are trying to pressure you into choosing a side,” Kaylin muttered to the Wevaran.

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