~RYLAND'S POV~
It came in with the mid-morning correspondence.
Nothing about it announced itself. It was tucked inside the regular bundle that Cade brought to my desk every morning, pack reports, trade requests, border updates, the usual stack. The Harrow Pack letter was near the bottom, formal seal pressed into dark wax, embossed edges, the kind of envelope that arrived already expecting to be taken seriously.
I picked it up, broke the seal, and read it.
Then I set it down on the desk with a particular kind of stillness that had nothing to do with calm.
