“All appointments made to visit the Oracles are made through you,” Severn said when they had returned to the office meant for official visitors. Elluvian was seated on a long chair, a glass in his hand, when they entered. He nodded at Severn, frowned at the new burden attached to his shoulder, and otherwise said nothing.
“Yes. Your case is unusual—but the Oracular Halls are nothing if not unusual.”
“The three Tha’alani children who came to visit decades ago had made no official appointment.”
Master Sabrai’s expression tightened. He did not ask which three. “Of course not.”
“You allowed them to speak with Random.”
“She’d clearly been expecting them.” Master Sabrai poured himself a drink; one of the two guards frowned, but said nothing. Severn was almost certain that if Master Sabrai had been alone, she would have.
“Do the Oracles normally expect their visitors?”
“No.”
“Random is a special case?”
“Random is special, yes. She is also highly stubborn. The effects of refusing to grant those children entry would have lasted years. The children were not harmful in the way many visitors might otherwise be.”
“And today’s appointment?”
“The appointment for which you were late?”
Severn nodded.
“She requested it weeks ago.”
“You scheduled it.”
“Yes.”
“Had another Oracle made the same request, would you also have accepted it?”
“It would depend entirely on the Oracle in question. Random’s visitors seldom threaten to kill her.”Seldom, Severn thought.
“Does Random often receive visitors?”
“I am not at liberty to discuss either visitors or the reasons for their visits.”
Severn nodded again. “How often do Barrani receive the requisite permission to visit the Halls?”
“As you can probably imagine, almost never.”
“But not never.”
Master Sabrai’s glare fell upon Elluvian. “Clearly.”
“I am here as a Wolf, not a supplicant. And I was not allowed to wander the Halls at will.”
Severn glanced at Elluvian. When he raised a brow at Severn, Severn resumed his questions. “Do you keep complete records of the requests made, even if those requests are rejected?”
A pause before an answer. “Yes.”
“We are interested in requests made in the past. Twenty-seven years ago or less.”
“We are also,” Elluvian added, setting his glass on the table, “interested in requests made in the very recent past.”
Master Sabrai’s jaw twitched on the left side. “You have not requested that information officially.”