Tristan took the parchment, skimmed it, then handed it to Barrett beside him.
The letter passed from hand to hand along the long table. Only the faint rustle of parchment remained in the council chamber.
Everyone's expression changed as they read.
When the letter reached Ola, the dwarf baron's breathing grew noticeably heavier.
After reading it, he did not roar about smashing someone's skull, for once. Instead, he set the letter on the table and stroked his beard with thick fingers, sinking into thought.
"My father's library had a copy of the Chronicles of the King Under the Mountain."
"It contained an ancient clan rule: 'Do not contend with the sea. Do not build a harbor beside the abyss.'"
"I always thought it meant we should beware of storms and tsunamis. Now it seems this ancestral warning referred to these things."
"Deep-sea rogues," Barrett repeated the words in the letter. "That sounds less like the name of a race and more like a nickname sailors gave a band of pirates."
"But if they can make Miss Caroline of the Golden Sail Merchant Guild this nervous, they must be even harder to deal with than we imagined."
Veylin turned to Barrett.
"Your task is to shift the defenses of the Minas Tirith harbor construction site entirely from preventing infiltration over land to securing the coastline."
"I need the heavy ballista emplacements moved forward onto the newly built breakwater. Install alchemical searchlights on top of every tower. I want the waters around the harbor lit up even at night."
"Also, have your Garrison establish concealed lookout posts every fifty paces along the coast. Two men to a team, equipped with signal rockets. If they spot any enemy activity on the water, they are to sound the alarm immediately."
Barrett straightened and answered