“That is a very good question. There is only one way to find out, yes?”
Kaylin didn’t appreciate that.
“You are clearly not a scientist.”
“I like my head to remain more or less where it is in relation to the rest of my body, yes.”
The door at the end of the hall opened to stairs; the stairs, familiar to Kaylin, led up into the body of the building in which Killian resided. She didn’t ask Starrante how he’d bypassed the trap. By this point, she was pretty certain that Killian was awake enough that he’d let them out.
“How did the interim chancellor come into possession of that title?”
“It is not a title,” Starrante said.
Are you still anywhere near the chancellor’s office?Kaylin asked Severn as they walked. Starrante didn’t seem to be in a great hurry, and given the speed at which he walked, this was all that allowed Kaylin to keep up once they’d crested the top of the stairs.
I believe so.
Robin?
He’s still with me. Annarion is here, and Mandoran has joined us, as well.
Kaylin nodded. This meant Terrano remained in the library.We’re going to head to where you are.
“We need to find an alternate route to the chancellor’s office,” Sedarias said.
Bellusdeo glanced at her.
“Mandoran says the halls are occupied with people who appear to be more martial in nature; they didn’t catch him, but they’re not letting anyone pass. Terrano believes they have the ability to interfere—no classes in this repetitive day take place on the route to the chancellor’s office, and it is not yet mealtime.”
“The day repeats?” Starrante asked Kaylin.
“Yes. Apparently it’s been the same day of classes for...actually, I don’t know how long it’s been. But the day itself repeats. Today, for the first time, there’s been a break in the pattern. Killian decided to give a lecture on the nature of True Words in the primal ether.”
“An interesting choice of lecture, given the situation in which we find ourselves.”
“I thought so.” She hesitated, which didn’t annoy Starrante—but did annoy Bellusdeo. “Do you know how to get to the chancellor’s office from here?” She might as well have asked him if he knew how to breathe. “There are people in the halls who don’t want anyone to approach that office—but my companions are waiting for us there.”
“I believe I can deal with fractious students.”
“Some of those fractious students started a firefight in the library.”
Given the color of his eyes—a different color than the ones they’d taken so far, Starrante was outraged and offended. “In thelibrary?” His voice was a very, very loud screech.
“Yes, sorry. I believe they want the Arbiters’ books.”
His eyes became larger and far more luminous—a shade of gold that was almost white. “That must not be allowed to happen.”
“Kavallac and Androsse are certainly fighting to make sure it doesn’t.”
Starrante began tomove. He could cover half a hall by the time Kaylin had taken two steps—two wide steps, given the length of her stride. Neither Bellusdeo nor Sedarias chose to run to keep pace with him; they fell in on either side of Kaylin.
“I think he’s heading straight for the roadblock,” Kaylin told them.
“We’ll soon find out if all of Candallar’s associates were aware of Starrante, then.”
They followed in Starrante’s wake. It became clear that Starrante had chosen to use the same halls that Robin had; Severn marked the turns as they progressed.
Mandoran says Sedarias is in a mood.
