Three days passed with agonizing slowness while Raze's team waited for word from Lady Anastasia. Each morning they checked with Temple contacts, each evening they reviewed contingency plans if she chose silence over cooperation, and each night they wondered if their gamble had failed spectacularly.
On the fourth morning a messenger arrived at the Copper Rest, a guard in unmarked armor carrying a sealed letter addressed simply to "The Researchers." The innkeeper directed him to their room where Raze accepted the correspondence with carefully controlled excitement.
"It's from her," he said, breaking the seal and scanning the contents quickly. "She wants to meet at her estate this afternoon, says she has much to discuss regarding her son's treatment and other matters."
"Other matters meaning our proposal," Mariabel translated, reading over his shoulder. "She's ready to talk about testifying."
