A Letter From Father

About two weeks later, a servant came knocking on my door with mail. Although the envelope was unmarked, I could tell right away from the red wax seal that it was from Father.

I immediately opened it.

Dear Victoria,

It is with great difficulty that I write to you this letter. My mind grows increasingly clouded with each passing day, and I am not sure how much longer I can carry on.

Do not tell anyone, especially the Academy, the contents of this letter. I advise that you burn it upon reading.

I do not trust the Institute’s numbers. I have never fully trusted them, and recently, a private surveyor confirmed my suspicions: the effects of the fog are accelerating. What is officially predicted to occur in decades, could very well arrive in two or three. We are running out of time, and the Crown, the Institute, the Academy—remain blindly bound to their old ways while the end draws ever closer.

I have received news that you have been assigned to an upcoming expedition. This may be one of the last expeditions up Mount Peerless before the fog consumes us all. As such, it may be our last opportunity to find the truth behind everything. Should you uncover anything of significance, please contact me as soon as possible.

And remember, I am proud of you. I have always been proud of you. Whatever you find up there, be careful, my daughter. Come home safe and sound.

Your loving father,
Lord Rosenthorne

The first thing I noticed was how terrible the handwriting was. Normally, his letters were immaculate, each word precisely aligned as if it had been written by a mechanical scribe. But now, the words bled into one another, the lines askew like a dropped handful of dry spaghetti. Yet, the distinct calligraphy—the way he crossed his Ts and curled his Ys—confirmed that my father had written it.

I reread it a few more times until I had it completely memorized, then crumpled it up and hid it in my pocket to dispose of later.

True to my word—I would tell no one, not even Klara.

The Headmaster had personally invited me onto this expedition. And now Father says it's up to me to uncover the secret of the Fog. Beneath the staggering stakes and responsibility, I felt a quiet thrill in my chest.

This was something only I could do.

And that made me happy.