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“What happened to Josefa? Did you find her? Is she alright?”

Josefa could not possibly have left of her own accord: when accepting the candidacy, all candidates had agreed to the condition that they could not withdraw their candidacy once they arrived. If Josefa was gone, there must be a reason for it.

At her questions, the Grand Archivists exchanged a look. Longest of all, Lady Covington met Housemistress Sarlet’s eyes. There was a moment of silence, and then Lady Covington’s gaze moved away from Sarlet’s to rest on Fern’s face.

“We are thankful you brought the matter of Miss Novak to our attention, Miss Sullivan. You have shown care and consideration to your fellow candidate, something we admire. Nevertheless, you must understand that this is a Carthane matter, and that it isourduty to deal with this matter, and not yours. You have done everything you could, Miss Sullivan, and now we shall do the very same. All we ask is that you lay your trust in us, and the fact that everything we do, we do for a reason.”

“Of course,” Fern said. “Yes, of course…”

She wanted to know more, so much more. The Grand Archivists had not told her that Josefa was safe, but they had just vowed to disqualify and punish anybody who harmed their fellow candidates. No candidate had been disqualified, which meant either that Josefa was unharmed, or that the Grand Archivists were still investigating.

And if they were still investigating, they had no reason to ruleFernout as a suspect.

Lady Covington’s haughty gaze softened ever so slightly. “Why are you here, Miss Sullivan? In Carthane, I mean.”

“Because I wish to become a Grand Archivist.”

“Why?”

“It’s what I’ve always wanted.”

Lady Covington nodded slowly. “Yes, but why? Why does it matter?”

“Because books matter. Because without places like Carthane, important knowledge would become just another commodity owned by the rich and powerful, to be hoarded or misused.” Fern thought of her research papers, waiting for her in their hiding place. “Because I intend to do great work here—work thatmeanssomething.”

“Yes.” Lady Covington smiled. “Exactly.”

“We advise you to choose your partner well and to focus on your assignment,” Professor Kundani said, reaching out a hand to tap Fern’s shoulder. “Whatever happens, Miss Sullivan, remember what you came here for, why you are here, and most importantly, why it matters.”

Chapter twenty-six

The Colleague

Back inside the PalissyAuditorium, a barrage of voices greeted Fern.

“Whichever one of you did it, you’ve caused the rest of us nothing but grief,” Baudet was saying.

“How hasty you are to put blame on others, cleric,” Drei sneered. “Does your holy book not instruct all but the sinless to avoid casting stones?”

“The sinless!” Emmeline’s lazy laughter rasped in the air like the shimmering smoke of a powerful potion. “None of us are sinless, my dear Vasili—why else would we be here?”

“None of us might be sinless, but some of us have sinned more than others of late,” Vittoria said, shaking her head, her arm resting protectively on the place where she’d been wounded. Fern wondered how much it still hurt her, and could not help but admire the young woman’s resilience.

“You mistake sinning with sheer stupidity,” drawled Edmund. “Sarlet’s office—really. I could almost admire the audacity.”

Thisbrought Fern’s attention firmly back on the conversation.

“Thieves are never deserving of admiration,” said Baudet, “no matter how ambitious they may be.”

“Unless they are sanctified by the church, yes?” Drei said with a smirk.

“Sarlet’s office?” Fern said aloud to herself.

She drew closer to the rest of the candidates, ascending the steps. Most of them were still sitting, some had come closer, forming a circle scattered over the different degrees of the room. Fern walked up to the twins, leaning against the backs of the chairs of the row below so she could face them.

“What is this about Sarlet’s office?”

“Nothing, really,” said Baudet, “what do we care if—”