"I think your girlfriend is probably right," Palamedes said with a sympathetic shake of his head. The Sixth might be aggressively meritocratic, but that made them unusual among the Houses. At Canaan House, he'd seen the arrogance of bloodline in action, subtly and not-so-subtly.

Of course, the scholars of the Sixth always find plenty of ways to create their own hierarchy. "In the Library, it's always Archeo that gives me the most trouble. And Archives, of course." He grins briefly. For all her aggressive performance of professionalism, Zeta had never quite gotten used to having her requested budget denied by her son. Then again, she would have made trouble for the Master Warden regardless of who they were.