The bloodshed outside Dante's walls was clearly evident. It was a tempest of mighty force. Increasingly, more and more individuals succumbed every day within the towns forced to capitulate to him. Luca operated covertly, attacking supply routes, poisoning water sources, rendering Dante's territory a mutilated beast unable to recover quickly enough. Soldiers came back hurt, their numbers decreasing as their confidence eroded through fear.
But inside the house, another kind of trouble mounted, quiet but no less dangerous.
The message arrived on Isla by surprise. It was a crumpled piece of paper slipped under the bread that the servant brought. She would have missed it were it not for the servants hand shaking as he placed the plate on the table, his eyes quickly looking away from the door as he hastily ran out of the hall. Isla's heart pounded. She waited until the hallway was still before she pushed the plate away and opened the note carefully.
