Zane Patterson took the certificate. It was dark green, printed with bilingual text in Jorgenlandic and English. The border had a simple pattern, and the bottom-right corner bore the city hall's official seal, slightly raised to the touch.
He found the line of text. Their two names were printed side-by-side, separated by an "og."
Zane Patterson stared at the line for a long time—so long that Annelise Valentine, who was beside him, had to reach out and touch his arm to bring him back to his senses.
"Annelise, is this real? I'm not dreaming, am I?"
Annelise Valentine smiled. "It's real. If you don't believe me, pinch yourself and see."
Zane Patterson actually did pinch himself. "Ow."
"Believe me now?"
"Let's go," he said, his voice filled with an irrepressible cheerfulness. "Let's go back and see Pippa."
