The clue carried more than sentiment. Beneath a repair, scratch, scale, seal, tag, or engraved edge was a mark visible in an archived image. dragon Avarn asked a private question that had never appeared in public records. Rowan answered without hesitation. A second witness then remembered knight Garran removing an archive box that very morning.
When the box was recovered, the room stopped treating the moment as a misunderstanding. It held altered logs, payments to a false witness, and a message instructing staff to remove Rowan if the stranger ever appeared. knight Garran tried to laugh, then threatened lawsuits, then blamed a junior employee. Each defense opened another door investigators could follow.
The living creatures became witnesses no court could coach. They approached Rowan, ignored knight Garran's commands, and responded to the mark on an obsidian horn fragment. Ancient keepers knew the gesture: it was an oath of recognition, reserved for the bloodline or guardian the realm had been taught was dead.