The Frost Legion flag fired at one-fifty in the afternoon.
Caelen saw it first. He had been on the northeastern observation balcony with his sketchpad — the morning light on the eastern Spires had been worth a study — and the long-range Pass relay system passed through that sector when the Pass was sending priority correspondence. The flags were aether-encoded at frequencies trained military observers could read at distance. Caelen had been raised in Highmark, which meant he had been around military relay protocols since childhood, which meant he could decode a Frost Legion priority flag without specialized training.
He came back to the suite at two-oh-five.
"Pass courier inbound," he said. "Priority three. Distance estimate four hours from our gate. Letter for Draven Kaelthar, classification ducal-internal with permission for second-degree review. The flag included Korren Kaelthar's personal sigil. The reply is from him."
The room reorganized.
