A hairy limb tapped Kaylin’s shoulder. She could hear Bakkon’s chittering voice somewhere near her right ear. “They will, according to Starrante, continue in this fashion for some hours. But if you wish to discuss things without the heat and the history of near disaster, he asks that you withdraw to the chancellor’s office, where we are unlikely to be interrupted by the—” Kavallac’s roar drowned out the much quieter Wevaran voice.

“I think that’s a great idea.” Kaylin mouthed the words, because whatever Kavallac was saying didn’t stop in time for normal speech to be heard.

She backed away from the two angry Arbiters. Only Terrano seemed rooted to the spot—but it wasn’t with terror; he was listening. Carefully.

“Terrano—go get Serralyn. We’re leaving.”

The floor shook as Androsse spoke, and Kaylin remembered that Dragon against Barrani Ancestor was not nearly as certain a fight as Dragon against Barrani.

When the library doors closed at her back—authoritatively and perhaps a touch too forcefully—she tried to relax. Starrante’s eyes were not the indicator that Barrani eyes would have been to Kaylin, although she was certain that Robin would know what they meant. Spiders had a lot of eyes, but in Starrante’s case, they were mostly retracted into his central body.

“Are they always like that?” Bakkon asked, in Barrani.

“No. But when they disagree—and this is a fundamental disagreement about the nature of study and research—it can be quite loud, and perhaps intimidating to those who are not accustomed to the built-in protections of the library. I do not believe the Arbiters can kill each other, and I am not entirely certain they will try.”

“But you’re not certain they won’t?” Kaylin asked.

“When they are very loud, the more vulnerable races can be swept up, to their detriment. But I wish you had not mentioned that name. It was a point of contention when the Academia was at its height—a bitter point.”

“Is there any chance that Larrantin once had this Barrani woman as a student?”

“A very high chance.” Starrante paused. The pause went on for a bit too long. “I am not certain that mentioning her would be in your best interests.”

“Oh, it likely won’t. I’ve already been asked to drop the investigation in regard to her.”

“I am not certain Larrantin will not choose to take the same approach.”

Bakkon chittered.

Starrante clicked at Bakkon before resuming Barrani, although his reply was clearly to the Wevaran. “Well, yes. But they will not harm the books, and they are unlikely to kill each other. Understand,” he added, to Kaylin, “that it is difficult for any three people to be the only source of company for centuries without break.”

“You’re not in there fighting with them.”