Elma POV
Rusk would write again only if Xander promised he wouldn't be handed over to whoever had held him before. I couldn't guarantee that. Zeb couldn't either, and I didn't trust Xander to make promises on my behalf.
I asked for a neutral witness from the trade court. Paxton objected to an outsider seeing royal evidence. I reminded him that a royal guard had died during Rusk's escape and that someone in the castle had entered his name falsely in the dungeon book. If they wanted testimony the court could believe, keeping the same people alone with it was a poor start.
To my surprise, Xander agreed. He sent for a recorder from the traders' quarter and ordered Rusk placed in a locked infirmary room where no one could enter without two names on the door log. He did not ask me to thank hi
