The letter arrived unsigned, smuggled into the city by a merchant who claimed only to have been paid handsomely to deliver it without asking questions. Mercer broke the plain seal carefully, Isla watching over his shoulder as he unfolded the single page inside.
*Regent Vale. I serve within Lord Drake's household, in a position I won't name for my own safety. I witnessed the execution of the two officers blamed for the border attack. I need you to understand something important before this situation escalates further.*
*They didn't act alone, and they didn't act against orders. Drake knew about the attack beforehand. The execution was theater, a sacrifice to maintain plausible deniability while achieving exactly the outcome he intended.*
*I'm telling you this because I believe, having wa
