Nihil disagreed with the book before I finished the first page.
"That mark is incomplete."
I looked at the small Valdrake seal printed beside the heading. "It's a public directory. They may have simplified it."
"They have."
"That was my point."
The sword rested in its sheath on the stand beside my desk. I had placed my left hand against the hilt while comparing the directory with the older seal drawing Lysander had allowed me to copy.
The public book listed the house, its present head and the offices through which ordinary inquiries should be made. It was less dramatic than the stories people told about Void bloodlines. It was also more useful if I wanted to know where a request would actually go.
The directory was large enough to keep closing when I took my hand away. I laid a spare sheet across the pages and weighted the outer edge with the closed ink bottle. That left the entry visible without asking my right hand to hold it down.
Nihil waited while I arranged the desk.
