“...Outlands?”
What had Nightshade said? “Primal ether?”
This made more sense to him; his gaze turned toward the floor, or rather, drifted there, while his thoughts went elsewhere. “I require more information,” he finally said. Kaylin waited for questions that she knew she couldn’t answer to his satisfaction—she couldn’t answer them to her own, either.
Clearly, waiting was not the right choice.
“You will pardon my frustration,” he told her. “Anyone who has permission to enter the library the usual way would understand what I require.”
She had told him that she’d entered via a stone wall—a wall that didn’t happen to sport a door.
“Follow me. No, donotput the book back on the shelf. Among other difficulties it would cause is your inability to shelve it in the correct place.”
To Kaylin’s surprise, the nameless man was not anchored to the book in any way she could see. He had freedom of movement and used it, forcing Kaylin to walk quickly if she wanted to keep him in sight. His feet, on the other hand, made no sound against the floors, and hers did.
“Do they teach you nothing about the library?” he asked. “Not even the rudiments of basic navigation?” If he’d been carrying a large sign that said Get Off My Lawn, it would have fit right in with the rest of his tone.
You will find this interesting, Nightshade said.
Which part?Get Off My Lawnhas nothing new to offer.
Words cannot be invoked or spoken in the primal ether.
Yes, you said that.
Buildings such as the Hallionne cannot be rooted there. The rooting of the words to a specific plane of existence—ours—is considered immutable fact, or it was. In theory.
She wanted to ditch her boots; they made much more noise than the bare feet did. She didn’t. She lengthened her stride.In practice?
If one required True Words or True Names—I believe the latter, but he seems to use the terms interchangeably—to be invoked, they had to be carried.
How in the Hells—oh.She looked down at her skin.
I do not believe that was his intent, but it’s intriguing, no?His smile was slight; she could feel it in the curve of his mouth.The other way to carry words is the more obvious one.
Meaning True Names.
Yes.
How exactly does one access those words without killing the person they’re inside of?
I have allowed Robin to ask that question, he replied.
You made a humanchildask that question?
I did not instruct him to do so. He is remarkably curious.
Fine—what was the answer?
Killian has not answered it yet.
Interrupt me if the answer is important. I’m about to lose the nameless ghost in front of me.
“He is not nameless,” Killian said, looking up to meet Nightshade’s eyes. “Were he, he could not be where he is.”
“What do I call him?”
“Arbiter Androsse. Arbiter will do, given your relative difference in status.” His single eye seemed to spark as he spoke. “He will do what must be done.”
