Isla's contacts came back faster than expected, and by the end of the week, she arrived at Mercer's office with a stack of correspondence that told a troubling story.
"Four cities," she said, spreading the letters across his desk. "Four separate trade cities along the coast, each one approached by Vantris with nearly identical exclusivity proposals over the past twelve years. Three of them signed."
"And the fourth?"
"Refused, same as we're considering. Their harbor master wrote back with a warning when I explained our situation." Isla pulled out a specific letter, her expression grim. "Within six months of refusing, two of their largest shipping families went bankrupt under mysterious circumstances. The harbor master believes Vantris orchestrated it, though he never found proof solid en
