The peace did not last. Kael had known it would not. But he had hoped, foolishly, that they might have more time.
He was in his office when the messenger arrived. The boy could not have been more than sixteen. His hands were shaking so badly he nearly dropped the letter twice. His face was pale, his eyes wide with fear.
"Sir," the boy stammered. "This came for you. It was left at the gate this morning. No one saw who delivered it."
Kael took the letter. The paper was cheap, the kind you could buy anywhere. The envelope had no marking, no seal, no name. He turned it over in his hands. Something about it made his skin crawl. He opened it carefully.
The words inside were written in bold, angry strokes. The ink was dark, pressed so hard into the paper that it had torn through in places.
"
