There are always other potential protections. Physical security, codes built into the Elvish, writing in lemon juice rather than ink. It's hard to know just what they'll need in terms of precautions, but for now, he's willing to take on faith that their writing will be secure. Potentially conversations as well, if they can find a way to break the magical translation for longer than a word or two - but even just the written word is a start. If they have to communicate entirely through letters, they will.

"I have a lot of ground to make up," he points out. "You've been here for months, Vax for over a year - if I don't learn quickly, I'll be behind forever."

There's no serious concern there; Percy has no doubt of his ability to catch on fast. "And from the sound of it, we need to be as discreet as possible. I've been spending a lot of time nodding and smiling and seeing what kind of information I can pick up. I'm still only just getting a sense of the political climate."