Winterstar: One Year After – 01

18 Uktar

Father:

The countersign is OPHIDIAN. Met with primary mark two days ago, was witty and charming, meeting went very well, suspects nothing. Obviously delighted to show me his private library. Nearly as delighted as I was to see it. Begged to borrow a few tomes, and took the liberty of taking a few relevant to my private research along with the ones you instructed.

I think you are We may be being too unnecessarily thorough. M is clearly frail and now that he has been in my close company for several hours he will die soon. I do not see how the incendiaries will make a difference. But they are all planted in the driest corners of the library now, waiting for another agent to come set them off.

Once again: under no circumstance will I do this myself.

Kept vigil yesterday morning on the Cliffwatch, but T did not appear, as expected. Spent the afternoon and evening indoors instead, deciphering a compilation of secondary research. Will not wallow in a recounting of scholarly troubles, except to affirm that the bill that Lief forwarded you for an Ignan-Draconic dictionary is absolutely genuine.

Late this morning to Cliffwatch due to poor sleep, but arrived in time to catch T. She knew enough to be suspicious, not enough to have taken the right precautions. Was kitted out for a grand fight. I persuaded her to walk peacefully away. Over the cliff.

Don’t worry, of course I had already made arrangements for her carcass to be intercepted and harvested. It did cost me my incognito, but ensuring all the loose ends were tied up was worth needing to bargain under my own name.

So tomorrow the bright-eyed merchant apprentice returns to work. I will let Tornsail go about her business and lie low until I receive further word.

L

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Vitality: 1 ◦ Quickness: 3 ◦ Fortitude: 2

Auspicious Days: 2 ◦ Inauspicious Days: 1

Winterstar: One Year After is the epistolary epilogue of Lilissen Winterstar, written with Her Odyssey. Updates every Sunday.