Utta squinted. “It has no beginning or ending. Is there more?”

“There must be, but this is all I have. That is Olin’s handwriting—the king. I believe it must be the letter that came to Kendrick just before the poor boy was murdered.”

“And you wish me to read it?”

“In a moment. First you must understand why…why I doubt my senses. That page, that one page, simply…appeared in my room this morning.”

“Do you mean someone left it for you? Put it under your door?”

“No, that is not what I mean. I mean it…appeared. While I sat in the other room with my ladies and Eilis, talking about the morning’s service in the chapel.”

“Appeared while you were at the service?”

“No, while I sat in the other room! Gods, woman, I do not think so little of my own wit that I would believe myself mad because someone left me a letter. We came back from the service. It was the new priest, that peevish-looking fellow. As you know, the Tollys drove my dear Timoid away.” Her voice was as bitter as gall.

“I had heard he left the castle,” Utta said carefully. “I was sorry to hear he was going.”

“But all that doesn’t matter this moment. As I said, we came back from the service. I came here to take off my chapel clothes. There was no letter. You will think I am a foolish woman who simply did not notice, but I swear on all the gods, there was no letter. I went out into the parlor room and sat with the others and we talked of the service and what we would do this day. The fire burned down and I went to get a shawl, and the letter was lying in the middle of this bed.”

“And no one had come in?”

“None of us had even left the sitting room. Not once!”

Utta shook her head. “I do not know what to say. Shall I read it?”

“Please. It is eating away at me, wondering why such a thing was left here.”

Utta spread the piece of parchment on her lap and began to read aloud.

“…Men on Raven’s Gate are slack. It seems our strong old walls work their spell not only on enemies, but on our own soldiers as well. I do not know if the young captain whose name escapes me inherited this problem from Murroy and has not been able or willing to fix it yet, or whether his governance of the guards has been slack, but this must change. I warn you that we must keep our eyes open for enemies within our city as well as outside, and that means greater vigilance.

“I implore you also, tell Brone that I said the rocks beneath where the old and new walls meet outside the Tower of Summer must be examined and perhaps some other form of defense should be built there—an overhanging wall, perhaps, and another sentry post. That is the one place where someone might climb up from below and gain direct access to the Inner Keep. I know this must seem like untoward fretting to you, my son, but I fear the long peace is ending soon. I have heard whispers here in Hierosol that worry me, about the autarch and other things, and I was already fearful before I set off on this illstarred quest.