Terrano said, “Good.” When both Teela and Kaylin glared at him, he shrugged. “He’s a stick-in-the-mud.” He paused, and then added, “Why exactly do you people use that phrase?”

“It means—”

“I know what it means—I just don’t understand why. Never mind. We’re going to Mrs. Erickson’s?” he asked Kaylin.

“I guess so. Normally we don’t start things until after her visit to the Halls; she’s been visiting later in the day and staying until I leave. I’m not even certain she’ll be awake.”

“We won’t be there immediately. If we’re fast enough, we can find your two not-dead ghosts, take them to the High Halls, and return to the Halls of Law to escort Mrs. Erickson home.” Teela looked up. “We may be late to return.”

Helen’s eyes were obsidian. “Serralyn, Mandoran, and Terrano have been discussing things; Valliant has joined in, but not in a way that Kaylin can hear.”

“Do you have any input?” Kaylin asked.

“Not useful input, no. I understand what Serralyn believes was done—but the High Halls and I are not driven by the same mandate. I belonged to what you would call an Arcanist before my emancipation; my imperatives at the time would not have allowed the search the High Halls allowed—but I, too, would have kept the research rooms.”

Terrano’s eyes lit up.

“No,” she said, before he could ask. “You have seen the rooms I created for our new guests. So has Kaylin. Were Azoria to be resident here, she could make far more use of me, I think, than she was able to make of the High Halls.”

Not a comforting thought.

Less comforting, however, was the thought that followed Kaylin’s sudden question. “Do you think there was a sentient building at Orbonne Street? I mean, you have an actual, legal address.”

Helen’s reply took a long time. “To my knowledge, no. But my knowledge, as you know, is imperfect now. I knew of the Academia—we all did—and of the High Halls. I know of one other building, but the geography seems wrong for it, and I am not at all certain the building itself is awake. We are not invulnerable, as you are fully aware.”

Kaylin deflated. “It would explain how a building could be mostly invisible while still occupying the same space. And it would explain how fourteen and a half can exist in the space fourteen theoretically once occupied.”

Helen nodded. “As I said, I have imperfect memory, a consequence of my emancipation. Perhaps if you asked Killianas, you might receive a different reply.”

“I don’t want to ask Killian, because we’ll no doubt get at least one tagalong.”

“Larrantin?”

“Yes, but he’s not the one I’m afraid of having to explain.”

“Bakkon?”