Page 357 of The Academy of Blood & Shadow

I pick up one of the pages. "Why wouldn't the Council remove them?"

Nyra shrugs. "Maybe they did." Comforting. "Or maybe nobody cared."

Cassian looks toward her. "About records connected to the Hollowborn?"

"They weren't Hollowborn records." Nyra taps the page. "They were civic records." Census. Agriculture. Settlements. Deaths. Births. Complaints. Local testimony. Boring things. Ordinary things. Exactly the sort of documents nobody would think to destroy unless they knew what they contained. Nyra leans back. "The Academy's Archive was intentionally reorganized."

"The village library?"

"Probably reorganized by librarians."

Cassian nods solemnly. "Finally." A pause. "Mediocrity saves us."

Nyra looks at him. "That's insulting to librarians."

"I respect librarians."

"You just called their work mediocre."

"I called bureaucratic neglect mediocre."

"That's not what you—"

"Children." I interrupt. Both look at me. "Permission." Silence. Right. Nobody leaves the Academy without authorization now. Especially not investigation personnel. Especially after Theryn. Especially me. I don't need Rhyven's strange collection of protective decisions to know that.

Nyra gathers the most relevant pages. "We ask."

Cassian sighs. "Can we ask after breakfast?"

I look at the empty plate in front of him. "You've eaten half the dining hall."

"Stress." Fair.

Caelen and Rhyven are in the operations room. Of course. Rhyven is standing over a map. Caelen is reading a ward report. Neither looks particularly pleased to see us. That feels unfair. We haven't even spoken yet.

Caelen looks at the papers. "No."

Nyra stops. "I haven't said anything."