She Was Supposed to Stay Broken, So I Let Her Think She Had novel · Chapter 9 of 40

Chapter 9: The Place at the Register

Kael lays the council appointment on the archive table in front of me, with Aldren and Fen close enough to hear every term.

The paper bears the old register seal. My name is printed beneath the heading for lineage-record authority, the office I wanted before the pack covered my name and took my household key.

I look at the seal first. Then the name. Kael watches me read without offering an explanation before I can ask for one.

'The elders have agreed to restore your authority over the lineage records,' he says. 'The appointment takes effect when you accept it.'

Amber gathers around his head. His next thought passes beneath his voice, distinct and low.

She wanted this. Give her something she can use.

The thought costs him nothing. That is what makes it useful.

I lift the appointment by one corner. The paper is thick, clean, and ready for my signature. Aldren keeps his hands folded over his working ledger. Fen stands beside the end of the table, watching Kael rather than me.

'I appreciate the offer,' I say.

Kael's mouth tightens by a fraction. He has heard the courtesy and is waiting for what comes after it.

'Read the authority clause,' he says. 'It defines the scope. There should be no confusion about what you can act on.'

I turn the page. The words are plain. The authority covers the lineage records, except claims concerning my own bloodline. The second condition excludes Vessa's placement from any matter brought under the appointment.

A gift with both hands tied behind it.

'You would have access to the records needed for the work,' Kael says. 'The exclusions keep an active challenge from compromising the office.'

Amber holds at his temples. Beneath his even delivery: This gives her the register without putting the challenge in her hands.

He has found a way to offer me the place while fencing off the very ground I need to reach from it. Perhaps he believes those are separate things. He needs them to be.

'Does this include the founding register?' I ask.

'Within the scope of the appointment.'

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