After several moments, impatient for the next question, Barclay hissed, “Viola.”

“Sorry, sorry. I’m just interested in this chapter Murdock wrote about bonds between a Keeper and Beast. You might want to read—”

“Will you two be quiet?” Ethel snapped from his other side. “I can’t hear.”

“I thought you and Abel want to be Guardian Keepers,” said Barclay. “So why listen to Mandeep? He’s a Scholar.”

“It’s still really interesting!” Ethel said, flipping to a new page in her notebook.

Abel rolled his eyes. “You think everything is interesting.”

“I’m an interesting person,” she huffed. “I have interests.”

“I just don’t understand why you need a license to be a Scholar,” he said. “You don’t need to be part of the Guild to go to the library.”

“Certain texts are forbidden to anyone without a license,” Viola explained. “Being part of the Guild is important, even in some of the non-Lore-Keeper world. It’s why the Exhibition is so difficult. And apprenticeship is even harder. Only a small percentage of Lore Keepers are licensed by the Guild.”

“What sort of texts do you think are forbidden?” Ethel whispered, a glimmer in her eyes. Even Abel, who had thus far only studied to beat Tadg in the practical, quieted to listen to Mandeep’s presentation.

“All three of my last apprentices went on to great universities, including the University of Al Faradh and the Meridienne College in Halois,” Mandeep said. He paused as though expecting a round of applause, but no one clapped except Ethel.

“My mother teaches at the University of Al Faradh,” Viola told them proudly.

Barclay furrowed his eyebrows. “But I thought your parents lived in the Mountains.”

“They’re not with each other anymore—they don’t really get along much. Mom lives in the Desert. That’s where she’s from,” Viola explained. It was no wonder Viola was such a good tutor if her mother was a professor. “You know, Mandeep sounds really impressive. He could be a good Master for you, Barclay, if you—”

“Don’t bother,” he grunted, turning his attention away from Mandeep and back to the notes on his lap.

The Apothecary Masters presented next, and the group relocated to the Ironwood Inn for Floriane’s lecture. Unlike Mandeep, who had merely drawled on for an hour, Floriane had a table set up full of interactive supplies, so Barclay had no choice but to participate.

“Does anyone know what this is?” Floriane held up a tub of something sappy and as blue as sea glass. It oozed as she poured some of it into a beaker. Similar beakers with the goo sat at the workplaces of all the students.

Viola’s fingers twitched, and she bit her lip, as though swallowing down the instinct to raise her hand. None of the other students did, but Barclay supposed she didn’t consider herself one of them, since she already had a Master. She did hate to stick out.

In the silence that followed, Barclay resisted the urge to touch the goo. It was made from Beasts, after all, but it did look pretty interesting.