The letter arrived at dawn.
Dominic found it on the entry hall table, propped against a vase of fresh-cut flowers the staff had replaced before sunrise. The seal was Harwick green, the wax still faintly warm. Someone had paid for express delivery. Someone wanted him to know they'd moved quickly.
He broke the seal without sitting down.
The letter was short. Hector Harwick's handwriting was precise, elegant, and utterly without warmth. It informed Dominic Kane that House Harwick had filed a formal challenge with the Royal Auction House regarding the provenance of Lot 23—the SSS+ mana core from the Caldmore dungeon, floor ten. The challenge asserted that the core was obtained using Harwick resources and personnel, specifically during a dungeon expedition in which Harwick-affiliated adventurers had participated. As such, House Harwick claimed a thirty percent stake in the proceeds of the sale, pending investigation by the capital's Commerce Tribunal.
