Tying the small leather strap securely around the pigeon's leg, she stepped back and watched as the guard released the bird into the stormy, grey sky.
Ragnar limped out from the doors of the Great Hall.
"Is the cipher secured?" Ragnar asked, stopping beside his wife and resting his gloved hands upon the head of his cane.
"Every single one," Gyda confirmed. "I utilized the highest level of our encrypted mercantile code, bearing your personal wax seal. Lord Commander Leofric is a man of rigid discipline; the moment he receives this dispatch in City Titan, he will know it is not a forgery or a trap. He will not hesitate to marshal the reserves."
"Good," Ragnar murmured. "Leofric knows the logistics of our swift-cogs better than anyone in the fleet. With the prevailing winds at their backs, the reinforcements will drop anchor in this fjord within three or four days."
