disappearance-and-identity

This chapter centers on the legal and social ramifications following the mysterious disappearance of Ponter Boddit, a Neanderthal living in a human society. Jasmel Ket, daughter of the missing man, unexpectedly defends Adikor Huld, who is accused of killing Ponter, challenging assumptions about guilt and the nature of disappearance. The adjudicator Sard probes the possibility that Ponter may have disappeared voluntarily, while Jasmel hints at an alternative explanation that could exonerate Adikor.