The route sheet from the white-gold root lay across the archive table, its three circles dark except for a pulse that followed Ash whenever he approached.
Alder officials had moved the sheet into a guarded room, though the gray damage made patience scarce among everyone studying the hidden node.
One official pointed toward the first circle and said, "The child carries the matching Ringlet, so he can complete the route glyph before Concord reaches the remaining roots."
Ash stood beside his mother with one hand near the pale light above his wrist, while the official placed a copper marking frame beside the sheet.
Hajin stepped between the frame and Ash and replied, "No one places his hand on a glyph because the route is urgent, and urgency doesn't answer what the mark will do."
The official stiffened and said, "No one intends to harm him, though the Court cannot protect a hidden population if every useful key waits for a child's comfort."
