Jakin turns to Mina as Inric leads them along a balcony lined with books in ornate, glass-fronted shelves. "Why did you do that?" he asks. "I want to know what happened!" "Yes, but he doesn't want to talk about it." "But -" "Shush!" Mina is more convinced than ever that Inric can hear them talking about him, but he says nothing until they get to a large room with a patterned wooden floor, lined with bookshelves and with its own gallery and a rickety spiral staircase opposite. Part of the gallery railing is broken, but the mess has mostly been cleared up. Books are piled everywhere, in orderly stacks but still clearly in need of organisation. "This is the Ossechian collection," Inric says as Mina gapes and Jakin, more forward, rushes into the room to look at the books. "I haven't read this one!" he says enthusiastically, picking through one of the stacks. "I've never heard of this one!" "Are these all from Ossechia?" Mina asks. "They are copies of Ossechian books," Inric says, and his normally stern expression has softened to nearly a smile at Jakin's enthusiasm. "Many will be old, of course." "He likes history," Mina says.