She nodded. “Exactly. The Heralds and some of the Council assume that staying within the city is safe enough, but not even the most optimistic of them is mad enough to send me out in the field on Internship. And because I’m the Heir, once I put on Whites, I need to have every bit of the authority and experience of a seasoned Herald. The moment I’m a full Herald, I’ll have a Council seat and a lot of responsibility. So instead of doing a regular Internship in Whites, I’m on a long-track Internship in Grays. I go sit in on Herald Mirilin’s sessions of the Court of Justice, and every so often he asks me to make a judgment or take an action. Rendering justice is a lot of what a Herald does, you see, and you can study it all you like in books, but you never really understand it until you see it done and do it yourself. Justice isn’t just laws, it’s people.”

By this time they were approaching the graveled road that ran beside the enormous building of the Collegium. A Herald waited for them there, a nondescript man with long brown hair in a single braid down his back, and a small beard. He eyed Alberich with a stony expression.

“The new Trainee, Selenay?” he asked.

“And my bodyguard, Herald Mirilin,” she replied, with perfect composure. “This is Alberich, and actually, he’s on a long Internship, just like I am.”

“I should think so,” Mirilin replied, giving him another stone-faced look. “I will be interested in trying a blade against you at some point, Alberich.”

Alberich just bowed slightly. The Herald wasn’t being actively unfriendly, so there was certainly no point in taking exception with his passive hostility, when all that Alberich was there for was to observe and watch out for young Selenay. “At your convenience, sir,” he replied, making certain that his voice was absolutely neutral.

They rode down into the city in silence; Alberich didn’t care that Herald Mirilin made no effort at conversation. Most of his attention was taken up with watching for trouble—for if the Council was nervous about Selenay going out in public unguarded, there must be at least some reason for their concern. What little of his attention was left over was involved in simple observation.

Even if he had not known very well where he was, he would have known immediately that this was not Karse.