Cessy read the preserved ownership mark and refused to soften its meaning as she said through the warded mirror, "The Underworld calls this a birth claim," while tracing black grammar around the child's frequency.
Cessy continued, "Returning her below would preserve her life, but the claim would remain attached to whichever court received her."
Lucan stood behind Cessy with one hand near the boundary controls while his expression revealed nothing and she continued beyond the answer their superiors would approve.
"Could the Underworld treat the extraction damage?" Vella asked, keeping the child's copied circulation visible.
"Specialists could stabilize it," Cessy replied, "they would also register her blood, assign a throne, and evaluate which royal house owns the recovery cost."
Didi's silver-gold Shards turned once behind her as she asked, "What if she rejects every house?"
