“But he said that in our school, that weight and gravity were far more important, because, hmmm, we lack the regular kind. So maybe you can fix this, but it’s not...” He trailed off.
“It is not anchored, as it once was, in the reality of the Academia—because the Academia is, itself, unanchored now.”
“That’s not quite what he said,” Robin replied. “I—Larrantin was a bit weird. I mean,allof the teachers were a bit weird, but Larrantin was the worst.”
“How so? Not that I disagree with you; he could be remarkably lazy and irresponsible on the best of days.”
“He sometimes faded. I mean, in the middle of a lecture or the middle of a sentence, he’d turn into a ghost. But...it was the ghost bits that seemed to make the most sense. When he was ghostly, his lessons were different. When he wasn’t, they were the same. Things don’t change a lot from day to day in the classes—it’s only today that we got an entirely new one. And I missed some of it,” he added with what sounded to Kaylin like genuine regret.
“But Larrantin taught different things, some of the time. I listened to the new stuff because...it was new.”
How long had he been here now? Bellusdeo had recognized him from a missing persons report in Records, but Kaylin couldn’t recall the length of time for which he’d been missing. And even if she had, she wasn’t at all certain that the days here matched the days outside, in the world from which Robin had come.
“I think we might progress,” Starrante said. In the distance, reverberating, he could hear the roar of a Dragon; he lifted his head, opened his mouth and responded in kind.
The silence that followed was full of echoes and rumbles.
Robin nodded.
“I hate to interrupt a necessary discussion,” Sedarias then said, “but could you possibly close the portal behind us?”
“Not with ease. They will find it difficult to pass through it,” Starrante added.
“Not difficult enough.”
Kaylin turned toward the portal through which they’d arrived. She could see Candallar, flanked by Barrani Arcanist and human lord; his hands were turned, palm out, toward them, and something was writhing its way from the mounds of those palms through the portal itself.
Chapter 28
Severn stepped back; Bellusdeo caught him by the shoulder. “Not here,” she said.
He nodded and allowed the Dragon to breathe. Emmerian stood between the Hawk and the former queen, watching; Kaylin could see his back, but not the color of his eyes.
“That is an interesting weapon,” Starrante said as he worked. “I will ask you to use it with care here until we are more firmly established. Kavallac understands what has happened; the current stability of the library is due in large part to Androsse’s efforts. Kavallac was flexible in some ways, but...she disliked shifts in dimensions unless it was absolutely necessary.”
While he spoke, tendrils of purple and gray pierced the portal at his back. Kaylin realized that Candallar’s palms were pushing against it; Starrante had been right. They couldn’t gain access easily. Not the normal way.
Fire did not burn those tendrils, although both Dragons made a serious effort; Kaylin could have cooked food from where she was standing if the heat of those flames continued. It was Sedarias who grimaced and headed toward the portal.
Annarion said, “Not you.” He grabbed her by the arm; given her expression, Kaylin wouldn’t have dared. She doubted Terrano would have either, if he’d been present.
“What are you going to do?” Kaylin, caught at the side of Starrante, couldn’t easily navigate through the cage he’d made of his legs. She tried, and they tightened.
“It is not for you, Chosen,” he said softly. “The two who are arguing now might succeed.”
“Succeed?”
“You cannot see the shadows they cast,” he said without turning his head to face her. “I can. They remind me of my infant kin in the days at the dawn of time: they have their feet in many places at once, and with care, they might survive in all of them.”
“And me?”
“You are not what they are.” He raised his head. “But if I am allowed a vote, I would suggest that you allow Annarion An’Solanace to attempt to displace that magic.”
“And not Sedarias An’Mellarionne?” Sedarias demanded.
“No. Remain as anchor to the young man. It is my belief that you are more tenacious; what you claim, you will not let go of while you breathe. And if I do not understand them precisely, I see the webs and strands that bind you, each to the other.”
Kaylin didn’t know—would probably never know—what Starrante perceived. She didn’t see webs and strands; she knew that they shared True Names, but that wasn’t visible, either. But she thought he was right: Sedarias would be the best anchor anyone in the cohort had if they were tossed at sea.