“I told you, love is ridiculous.”
All arguments against that had been made; Kaylin didn’t start them again. “Sometimes genius is ridiculous, or so I’ve been told.” She let the rest of his words sink in. “The Erenne mark could be used without that affection. Mine was.”
“It cannot be used in the absence of attraction, but in the modern world, I am given to understand that itisused to denote ownership. Claim. It is a visible deterrent to those who might otherwise cause harm.”
“If that was its only function, it would be unnecessary.”
“In later eras, it was used to humiliate, when political marriages were far more compulsory. It was meant as a statement.”
“We’re talking about now.”
“It is not used now, present company excepted.”
“Yes. I am here as that present company, attempting to understand the nature of the Erenne mark.”
“You will be here a very long time. Ancillary records indicating how the Erenne mark was used, and on whom, wereincluded in my search. The bearers of the mark were not of a mind to speak of it; what we have is external—and often deeply dismissive—commentary. The Erenne mark did not convey power. The person who laid the mark did not bear a similar mark; it was not an equal relationship.” Androsse exhaled. “If you do not understand what you have heard thus far, I am wasting my time. But let me be clearer: the mark of the Erenne was meant toprotectthe weaker of the partners from the power of the stronger. It was a barrier that allowed communion without the transformative and corrosive effect of power that the weaker partner would otherwise find overwhelming.”
Kaylin had never spent time studying history—not the way the Arbiters did. She repented of her disdain. What had she said?Why should I care what dead people did? I’m barely surviving living people.If she could have smacked her younger self upside the head, she’d’ve gone back in time and done it.
“But he wouldn’t have needed todothat. He wouldn’t have needed the mark at all. Without it, the person he wanted to mark would be safe. He built a bridge between himself and his concubine. He meant for the Erenne mark to be used—just... safely.”
Androsse looked like he’d swallowed broken glass. “He did. But he did not choose to leave written records of when or how that bridge might be used.”
“None at all?”
“None.”
“And what do you think, then, with your firsthand experience?”
“Kaylin,” Starrante said, moving toward her. “That is enough. It is not to speak of our personal lives that we were granted our positions. We may, if we choose—but our personal lives are not the subjects of accepted queries. Students and researchers are free to ask—if far too bold—but we fail none of our duties by refusing to answer.”
Androsse turned, not waiting for a response. But he stopped, back still toward Kaylin. “Corporal—you cannot protect the life of the man who marked you with the subtle powers the Erenne mark conveys. It is not possible. If that was your hope, abandon it.”
Silence enfolded the group as Androsse vanished.
It was Serralyn who broke it. “You had questions about healing magic and healers—those who didn’t bear the Marks of the Chosen.”
Kaylin nodded.
Starrante clicked and hissed, the Wevaran equivalent of clearing his throat. “That was the query I undertook. I offered to relieve Arbiter Androsse of his burden, but he declined. The Erenne mark was a spell devised by his kin, not by ours. Arbiter Kavallac has been researching the nature of True Words and the more specific True Names; that was her area of research before she was chosen as Arbiter.”
Kaylin inhaled slowly. “Was Androsse friends with Angrelados?”
“ArbiterAndrosse. And yes, you might say that. If it was not clear, Androsse considers the loss of Angrelados the end of his race, such as it was. His dislike of the Erenne mark stems from that; it was the last great undertaking of an almost mythical being.”
“But...”
“Yes?”
“If it was a spell that could be used by anyone, how great could it be?”
“Perhaps it is greatbecauseit could be used by many people,” Starrante countered, his voice stiffer than usual, his eyes redder. “Greatis a word that denotes judgment; it is best to refrain from judgment when one stands in a position of ignorance—as all do who come to us seeking answers to their various questions. What you offer is ignorance, in the hope that information contained in the library will alleviate that ignorance.
“We are aware—Serralyn made clear—that you are capable of healing and have been since the Marks of the Chosen appeared. Many of your predecessors kept written records, and we have access to those. Very, very few of the bearers became healers. Not none—but of those who did, they were mortals, and mortal bearers were few.
“I would ask that you keep written records in the future but have been told that this would be unlikely.”
Very.