I watched the men in my family disappear, the heavy wooden door closing behind them.
Only one person remained besides me, a Crow handler. He was older, His suit was black, his crest ring a quiet authority on his hand.
“This is the Codex.” He approached the table with a leather-bound tome in his hands.
He set it before me.
It was thick. Old. Bound in black leather, edges worn. The spine had no title, only a single embossed sigil: the Crow crest.
All dynasties had their Codex open for the public. Most, if not all, were studied during the Academy years. However, the Crow dynasty did not. Their rules belonged only to blood and bond. I had heard the rumours, but I had never believed I would be sitting here, staring at the physical proof of them.
The handler opened the book.
The pages were thick parchment, textured, inked in strokes that varied from sharp and dark to faded and delicate.
Along the margins, names appeared.
Women’s names. Crow wives.
My breath slowed as he turned the book toward me, exposing the inner spine.
“This Codex belonged to the dynasty wives before you,” he explained. “It is passed down through marriage. When a Crow wife dies, it is returned to the vault until the next bride rises.”
Something in my chest tightened.
“I’m not—” My voice faltered before I could stop it. “I’m not their bride yet.”
He didn’t contradict me. Instead, he turned to the very back of the book.
The final page was blank except for a single printed word. BRIDE:
A thin ink quill rested neatly within the crease.
“When you marry, you will write your name here. That act marks your entry into dynasty law.”
My gaze locked onto the empty line, my pulse loud in my ears. A digital tablet slid across the table toward me next.
“A datapad version has also been issued. Both formats are required. One remains sealed. One is for daily reference.”
Daily reference.
“I don’t understand. Why would I need to reference anything?”
The handler studied me for a moment, as though measuring the cost of honesty.
“The Crow Codex governs marriage, legacy, oath, ritual, status, daily customs, training, marking, purity, conflict, dynasty expectations, heir law, discipline, inheritance, and death.”
My stomach dropped.
“That sounds like everything.”
“It is.”
A ribbon marked one section of the leather book. He opened it. “Your first binding concerns the crest.”
I blinked. “Crest?”
“You will receive a full dynasty crest tattoo across your back prior to the wedding. The appointment has already been scheduled. The design is finalized.”
