Chapter Thirteen
Talis jogged along the corridor to the chief’s office and pushed the heavy door open. Valkirra, seated before a pile of parchments and a singing screen, looked up surprised.
‘What is it? Talis, what’s wrong?’
‘No, not wrong,’ he said, pacing before the fire. ‘At least, not the way you mean. I’ve just been to the Temple.’
‘Oh no, not another quarrel—’
‘No, I didn’t argue or shout or even stamp my feet. Valkirra, dear heart, I asked to see the Library. I was in there five hours.’
Valkirra frowned. ‘You can access the Library from any of the singing screens, anywhere in the Settlement.’
‘No. Not all of it. There’s an entire section that’s never been sung. It’s part of the Story, the part about how we chose the Settlement as our place, our way of life.’
‘There’s nothin
