Serralyn’s eyes nearly fell out of her head. “Any room? Any room with authentic contents?”

“Any room with the contents that were left in them when the rooms were retired. The Berranin case was special; the line was eradicated. No one wished to step up to claim any of the contents for fear that they would be considered part of the line. There were therefore no claimants. You will not find that to be true of most of the retired quarters.”

“But...some?”

“Some, yes. I see you are happy. Why?”

“It’s history,” she replied. “It’s like...living history. There are professors and students in the Academia that would be so excited to be here right now—it’s like we’re walking into the past, we’re stepping back in time.” She spoke Elantran, not the stilted High Barrani that dampened excitement.

“You really should learn to speak with Spike. You would find his experiences very interesting.”

The Avatar stopped in front of two ornate doors; they were closed.

Kaylin stopped for a different reason. “What are the markings on those doors?” she asked. “Are they door wards?”

“No. They were Berranin symbols; Helen marks the doors that lead to the quarters your friends occupy. Here, the Barrani who have the significance to be granted permanent quarters choose the marks that define their line. Why do you ask?”

“Serralyn?”

Serralyn stepped forward. She didn’t touch the doors, but did lean into them. To Kaylin’s eyes, they were carved of wood in a stylized representation of a vine, or vines, twined out from a central flower, as if they were leaves. “I am not familiar with the Berranin heraldry,” she finally said. “This was theirs?”

“This was the one that was chosen,” he replied. “Do you recognize it?”

“Did you carve it—I mean, did you cause it to be created as it was?”

“That is an odd question.”

“Why?”

“I was asked to use this pattern in the creation of the doors, yes.”

“So you did this, not someone from the Berranin clan?”

“I did.”

Serralyn was silent for a long beat. “I would ask that you carefully—carefully—unwind it.”

“Pardon?”

“If what you’ve said is true—if this is the actual room, the actual doors, preserved for eternity, I would ask that you very carefully unwind or unmake only the symbols on the door itself. I don’t think it’s safe for us to touch.”

“It is safe. I will not allow it to cause harm to any of you—you are with the Lady.” The Avatar’s eyes were black now, all whites lost to concentration and assessment, just as Helen’s eye color often was. “What is it that you fear?”

Serralyn frowned. “You’re like the Hallionne, aren’t you?”

The Avatar nodded.

“I’m trying to think at you. I’m trying to give you the information I think I have. Can’t you hear it?”