In the quiet solitude of his study, Edwin leaned over his desk, opening scrolls and scattered reports under the candlelight dancing across the room. The fire crackled in the hearth behind him, but the real source of heat emanated from the orders that he had just written.
He passed the sealed message across the table to Ralph, who stood in a corner of the room, standing at attention like a statue moulded out of loyalty.
"I suggest that you go through those names carefully. There should be no mistakes," Edwin said.
Ralph took the scroll and tucked it under his cloak. "All five elders from the year Beta George and his wife died?"
Edwin nodded. "Dig into everything. Their houses, the guard rotations, whatever property it is that they acquired, their private travel logs, to those who they
