No one reached for the letter immediately.
It rested on the table between them, its edges softened by age and the central fold worn pale from being opened and closed countless times. Around it, the journals, maps, and survey notes that had occupied their attention throughout the morning suddenly seemed less pressing. Whatever those pages contained had been compiled as official records, but this letter had been written with the expectation that Elyra herself would read it. That distinction lent it a weight none of the other documents possessed.
Vaelor broke the silence first. "We should document it before unfolding it again."
Rowan nodded in agreement and drew a notebook closer while one of the archivists carefully recorded the journal in which the letter had been discovered. Another pre
