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“Authority above the credential being used.”

I looked at him. “That sounds like the Crown Prince or the King.”

“Or a security protocol acting under royal authority.”

“Could someone fake that?”

His expression darkened. “We already know authorization can be manipulated.”

Right.

I scrolled farther.

Five days later:

ARCHIVE QUERY DENIED.

Then:

ACCESS CREDENTIAL SUSPENDED.

I sat back. “Someone shut him out.”

“Possibly.”

I opened the final event.

The prince attempted access one more time.

Different system.

Military biological archive.

The request failed.

He tried again through administrative records.

Denied.

Then reproductive assignment history.

Denied.

He had been moving laterally.

Trying other doors.

I knew that feeling.

I had done the same thing when Sera’n revoked my archive access.

A strange chill moved over me. “Look at this.”

Veyr did.

“He knew he was being blocked. So he kept trying.”

“Yes.”