The letter from Drake carried none of the formal diplomatic language that had characterized their earliest correspondence. It opened simply, almost like a message between old friends.
*Mercer. I'm holding a gathering this winter, the first of its kind in this territory. Leaders from every neighboring city, invited not to negotiate trade terms or settle disputes, but simply to discuss what genuine, sustainable governance might look like when we stop treating each other as threats to be managed. I want you there. Not as regent of a rival city, but as the man who showed me a different path was possible.*
*Bring your family, if you're willing. My son would benefit from meeting a girl who, from what I understand, already argues council procedure with more conviction than most grown advisors.*
