Barclay had been so little when they died that he only had foggy memories of them. Usually, when he thought about his parents, he imagined what his life would’ve been like if they’d been alive. If they would’ve had dinner together every night as a family. If he would’ve had younger siblings. If he would’ve grown up always feeling like he belonged.

He knew he shouldn’t miss Dullshire, but missing his parents didn’t have anything to do with being a Lore Keeper or an Elsie. They had loved him. And they would’ve still loved him no matter what future he chose for himself.

“Yeah,” Barclay answered. “A lot.” Then, not wanting to make himself sad, he said, “Come on. Let’s find a place to read all these books.”

They teetered through the shelves in search of a table or a comfy set of chairs. As they turned the corner, Barclay spotted an archway sealed off with a blue velvet curtain.

“Where do you think that goes?” he whispered.

“Let’s go see.”

They both peeked inside, where a narrow stairwell led up into darkness.

“It’s spooky.” Hasu nodded at a spiderweb clinging to the ceiling’s corner. “I don’t know if we should—”

“Come on,” Barclay said, feeling braver from all the adventure books in his arms. “Let’s just see where this leads.”

The pair climbed the stairs until they emerged in another domed room. This ceiling, however, wasn’t just painted like the sky—it was the sky, the glass radiant with the orange and scarlet hues of dusk.

“Are you supposed to be here?” a man asked sharply, making Barclay and Hasu jolt. The man wore important-looking golden robes that trailed across the floor, and the pendant on his necklace was shaped like a crescent moon overlapping a sun.

“W-we got lost,” Barclay lied, making his face flush hot. “Are you a librarian? I want to check out these books.”

“Ask someone downstairs,” the man said dismissively. “This place is for Scholars.” Barclay knew from the Exhibition that Scholars were another kind of Lore Keeper, who studied the history and science of Beasts. It was the fourth profession licensed by the Guild, along with Guardians, Surveyors, and Apothecaries.

“We’re very sorry,” Hasu squeaked. “We’ll just be leaving—”

“What is this place?” Barclay asked. His gaze dropped from the ceiling to the huge bronze telescope in the room’s center.

“It’s an observatory. Perhaps not as grand as those of the Mountains, but we see our fair share of Scholars nonetheless. There is no better place in the world to study the celestial bodies and their effects on Lore.” The Scholar’s chest swelled with pride like a puffer fish.

“Celestial bodies? You mean like the moon?” The man’s pendant did remind Barclay a little of Conley Murdock’s papers.