The letter arrived without warning, carried by a merchant vessel rather than the formal diplomatic channel Drake had previously favored, its seal unfamiliar, its handwriting hurried and uneven in a way that departed sharply from his usual careful composure.
*Regent Vale. I require your immediate counsel, regardless of our ongoing differences. Something has happened that I believe concerns us both directly, and I find myself without anyone else capable of properly understanding its implications.*
Mercer read it twice, genuine surprise mixing with careful wariness. "This doesn't sound like him," he said, showing it to Isla.
"No," she agreed. "Formal correspondence, careful political calculation, that's characterized everything we've received from him previously. This sounds almost despera
