Starrante waved his forearms at the chancellor. “If there are appointments granted to the older students for library privileges, I’m afraid they will have to be delayed.”

The chancellor froze, his eyes shading to a dark orange. “Why?”

“Young Kaylin asked Arbiter Androsse about a former student. Arbiter Androsse and Arbiter Kavallac...disagreed about that student, and they are engaged in a colorful—and very loud—argument at the moment. I am almost certain some of your Barrani students could weather that storm, but it is not a risk I would take. It is not her fault.”

“You do realize that I will have a handful of very argumentative and aggrieved students in my office if I cancel these privileges?”

“Yes. I consider the possible alternative outcome to be more regrettable.”

“Very well.” He turned his orange-eyed glare on Kaylin. The former Arkon was being as fair as he generally was. Kaylin wasn’t stupid enough to share this grumbling thought. “Serralyn, however, has classes. Valliant could stand in for her, but I am not of a mind to allow students to take unnecessary liberties with my personal space.”

Serralyn looked disappointed, but didn’t argue.

Which probably meant Terrano was once again invisibly nearby.

Larrantin came to the conference room an hour later. He was, as Barrani were wont to be, blue-eyed when he entered the room. “Someone has put the chancellor in a very bad mood.”

Kaylin winced.

“That would be Arbiter Androsse and Arbiter Kavallac,” Starrante said.

“Are they fighting again?”

“Some things don’t change,” Starrante replied.

“What set them off this time?”

“Ah. That would be Lord Kaylin.”

Larrantin frowned and turned to said lord, his brows folding as if he were attempting to understand how a mere mortal could have such effect; his eyes cleared as he whispered the word Chosen.

“No,” Kaylin said, slightly annoyed herself. “Imperial Hawk.”

“You cannot possibly accuse the Arbiters of petty crime.” In Larrantin’s view, all of the Halls of Law were clearly absorbed in the investigation of the petty.

“No. I came to ask Arbiter Starrante about the use of portals in regard to physical displacement—in this case the displacement or suspension of the entire Academia. Which doesn’t actually exist on maps because there’s no sane way it should.”

“I am uncertain that Starrante would have much information about that, although he is the expert on the use of portals. There is nothing in that question that should have provoked disagreement between the Arbiters.”

“No. But I asked about—I mentioned—the name of a former student.”

Clearly students were also considered petty in Larrantin’s view. This, Kaylin thought, is why she disliked the Barrani. “There are no students currently studying who could provoke that ire.”

“The student in question is not a current student, and I’ve been told that she is dead. Along with the rest of her line.”