While the Crown prepared its scrutiny, rivals prepared something cruder.
The second caravan had barely completed its route when word arrived of sabotage against the third.
Mira returned to the manor in a fury. Her bow was slung across her back, her hair damp with sweat. She slammed a torn banner onto Tristan's desk.
"They tried to burn the waystation," she snapped. "Traders arrived to find the door barred, straw piled against the walls, and this nailed to the post."
Tristan unfolded the banner. The words scrawled in black paint made his stomach turn:
"Mendez coin buys only ash. Trust wolves and be devoured."
Shannon entered as Tristan stared at it. He read the words once, then set the cloth down, his jaw tightening.
"Who?" Tristan asked.
Mira spat. "Carlos's old men. Or Troy's friends. Maybe both. Doesn't matter. They want merchants to believe your wards are a trap."
Tristan pressed his hands against his temples. "If merchants believe the stations aren't safe—"
