I hope the messenger bird arrives safely in Imperia. I’m thinking of you. Tell my father that I’m alive and so are Uncle Tarrik, Mom and Roena. I’m sorry to have to tell you this but, Kelain is gone. The details aren’t important right now, but Roena is overwhelmed by grief. There’s even more to her situation but the rest I would prefer to tell you about in person.

It’s funny, but during the last conversation I ever had with Kelain I told him that this is the first time we have been separated since we met and how much I miss you.

Rynee Woodsong has fallen too. We tried but we could not reach her in time. S’zves is of course very upset but he is handling his loss better than Roena. I guess it had been a long while since they had seen one another but I think part of him still loved her.

Even Reks seems different now. Though his father is with us he seems more on edge than I remember him being since he met his grandfather.

There is more going on here than we know and I feel over my head for the first time. I barely noticed at the time since my Uncle had just lost an eye, but do you recall what the Dark Lady said when she took my Aunt Lucinda? “a family reunion.”

What did she mean? They were LEAVING a place where Aunt Luci’s husband, daughter and nephew were present. The Dark Lady’s parents are dead. What other ‘family’ does Aunt Luci have? My father? Queen Caerdwyn? Could she possibly mean Veil? Gods, do you think she could have taken my Aunt to Arcadia?

It’s all too confusing. If I were to be slain in the coming battle, who was I? Am I a member of the Order or the the Current? Unlike my siblings I’ve always considered the family legacy to be a burden. Being the son of Governor Melchior Martok is something I could never live up to. And yet despite being the daughter of Ryss you are free in a way I’ve always wanted to be. You don’t allow yourself to be trapped by people’s expectations of you, and yet you’re not running away from your heritage either the way I do. It has been years since I’ve called myself Morik Martok.

I desperately want to ask my Uncle Tarrik how he was able to handle being the son of Draconious. But how can I when he’s obsessed with saving his wife from her evil mother. Maybe I’ll ask Mother. After all she has known my father and Uncle since they were younger than me.

I’ll try to get back to you soon. Please stay safe.