Lyra liked the first sentence too much.
It restored the seven founding jurisdictions, honored their surviving custodians, and offered the old regional seats as the basis for a new provisional council. The Ashford name appeared beneath it with the effortless dignity of a name that had occupied the same place on many documents.
She read the sentence again before the reviewers arrived.
It would sound good aloud.
Felix brought the cost draft Sela had sent. Barnaby settled beside the source copies. Anja Tull arrived with her own pencil and accepted the paid review terms before taking a chair. Kessa placed the lowland account beside the declaration and asked which version was proposed for publication.
“This one,” Lyra said.
She watched them read.
Anja reached the provisional seat clause first. Her pencil stopped beneath it.
