Ean returned to Samuel's bookshop, his mind in turmoil. Samuel was sorting and stacking a shipment of books. Ean assisted in silence until they finished.

"Thank you, Ean. You're unusually quiet."

Flipping through the pages of one of the new books, Ean replied, "The king has ordered me to recruit a replacement for our spy in Argonia North."

"A sensible move given her situation. You'll want someone familiar with Riverside but not well-known."

"Which is why I believe she should be involved in finding her replacement. Do you have any ideas how I might find her?"

Samuel pondered this for a moment. "Our only clue is that she had just purchased groceries, yes? Then the sensible first step would be to check the markets near where you met. Someone relying on fresh ingredients is unlikely to have traveled far."

"Great idea," said Ean. "I'll start at the stalls in Riverside and see if any of the merchants recall a woman matching her description."

Ean ate a quick meal and packed a sandwich for the road. He changed clothes and then made his way to the Riverside market.

He didn't see the woman from the park, so decided to ask around. At the first grocer's market stall along the thoroughfare, he approached the grizzled shopkeeper. "Begging your pardon, I was here the other day. There was a woman, early-30s, here too. Somehow we swapped baskets and I'd like to return her items. Do you know who I'm looking for?"

The man eyed Ean with undisguised suspicion. "Ain't seen you around here before, lad. Even if I knew the woman you spoke to, I wouldn't be so quick to betray a customer's privacy."

Undaunted, Ean moved to the second stall, where an ornery grocer scoffed at his tale. "You come over here from Brindle? Only someone from Brindle would be so stupid they'd mix up their bags." The man pressed his face closer. He sneered, "I'll have no business with a Brindler."

Ean mustered a polite smile, though inwardly his hopes were fading. He paused before approaching the third market stall. Recalling his costly lessons about favors in Argonia Central, he first made a small purchase. As the woman bagged his items, he posed his question.

To his relief, she nodded thoughtfully. "Sounds like you may be talking about Lila Skye. Runs the herbalist supply shop down the lane."

He walked in the direction the woman pointed until he came to the outskirts of the warehouse district. Here, cargo ship captains and distributors traded bulk goods. The buildings were unadorned rectangular boxes built of clay brick for function before aesthetics.

When he reached the end of the row of warehouses, he started to turn left to search the next row. He stopped when he noticed the guards at the bridge marking the passage of people using the bridge in a logbook. If clandestine agents had crossed over and not returned, perhaps the guards would have logged more entries than exits.

He stood in the short line to pass through the security checkpoint. The brackish fishy smell of the river was overwhelming. Seagulls lined the bridge rails and harassed passersby for food. A married couple in front of him were engaged in a quiet argument.

"Mind your manners," the wife said. "I heard these guards roughed up the neighbors the other day."

"Fine. Last time I buy anything with a 'Brindler tax' from these cheating merchants anyway."

Ean pretended not to hear or notice them until he was facing the guard. "I'm not crossing. I wanted to ask how closely you track the number of Brindlers, like that couple, who cross over and return."

"Everyone who crosses gets logged. Why do you ask?"

"A friend of mine got swindled by a low-life Brindler merchant. The inn claims he didn't check out, but they hadn't seen him since the day before yesterday. I thought if you were one head count off, that would mean he's still on this side."

"If this merchant is the low-life you claim, he didn't use the bridge to get here."

"How else would he have come here?"

The guard turned his head to the left and looked at the boats and ships docked at the harbor. He turned back and looked at Ean with a single cocked eyebrow. "Tell your friend the next time a low-life takes advantage of her to report it to the royal guard." He clapped Ean on the shoulder. "Not wait two days to send an amateur sleuth."

Ean's ears burned red hot. "My apologies for wasting your time."

He turned and walked back to the warehouse district to continue his search. While he walked, he contemplated his naivete to the ways of the criminal underworld. It hadn't occurred to him there were people who would regularly pass between borders without going through official checkpoints. This oversight was one reason he hadn't considered that the sightings in Argonia West were criminals instead of soldiers.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

A dark voice inside himself he didn't like to acknowledge whispered his career in the shadows of society would rely on associations with people who lived outside of the law. As that reality took hold in his brain, he located the only warehouse building with a sign about herbal supplies.

***

Ean gathered his courage and stepped inside the herbal supply shop. A musty scent clung to the air, assaulting his nostrils. Dried herbs, roots, and flowers with elegantly scrawled labels lined the shelves. A woman stood behind the counter; her head bent over a ledger. As he stepped forward, the floorboards creaked beneath his feet. She looked up, her eyes widening in surprise, followed by a caged wariness. Her gaze locked onto his, a silent challenge.

He had found her.

The woman's voice was soft, almost hesitant, as she spoke. "Can I help you?"

"Yes," Ean said. "I'm looking for Lila Skye."

The woman's eyes flickered with something akin to fear. "I'm Lila Skye," she said, her posture tensing. "What do you want?"

"I'm here about..." He lowered his voice. "The matter I promised to help you with."

Lila studied him for a moment before replying. "Not out here. Come to my office." She led him down a short hallway to a cramped room.

Inside, Lila gestured for Ean to sit, closing the door firmly behind them. She positioned herself between him and the exit, her shoulders squared, and her gaze locked onto his every movement like a hawk watching its prey.

Ean slowly reached into his satchel to remove a folded letter. He spoke calmly. "I persuaded the king to provide you with a pass, but on one condition." He handed her the letter.

Letter of Safe Passage removed from Inventory

SIDE QUEST COMPLETED: SQ-02 Obtain a Letter of Safe Passage for the married spies

Lila's fingers trembled as she unfolded the Letter of Safe Passage. Her eyes scanning the words while struggling to hold back tears. She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I thought for sure you had come to arrest us, like any sensible person would have done."

"I took my own leap of faith that your stories about being a friend of my former master and the assassination attempt were true."

Lila's voice wavered with emotion. "We both owe you a gratitude we'll never be able to repay. Name the condition, we'll do it."

"Train a replacement before you leave. In these tumultuous times, the kingdom can't afford to go blind to events in Riverside."

Lila nodded. "I believe my assistant Aria Winterbourne would make an excellent replacement. She's sharp as a tack and resourceful too."

She leaned out the office door. "Aria, could you join us please?" Moments later, a young woman appeared, her expression aloof and guarded. A sharp intelligence glinted behind her eyes.

He rose and extended his hand. "Fleming. Ean Fleming. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Lila speaks highly of you."

Aria studied him coolly, her gaze unwavering, before accepting the handshake. "Does she now?" Her tone held a hint of challenge. "And why would you be asking about me?"

Ean met her gaze calmly. "I have a business proposition."

She considered him a moment longer. "Well now. We just met and you're already proposing." She harrumphed and raised an eyebrow. "If you're the one Lila has spoken of, I know why you're here. Before I agree to work for you, I have a proposal of my own."

Ean knew a test when he faced one.

"I'll listen to your terms," he replied evenly. "Though I must inform you, I'm interviewing other candidates as well. I only approached Lila out of professional courtesy."

Aria's aloof expression gave little away. "You're wasting your time on the others," she said, resting a hand on her hip. Reaching into her work smock, she pulled out a folded parchment. "Prove you're not wasting my time. Here's a list of plants found all over the continent. I need five of each."

She handed him the slip of parchment. Ean glanced over the names - most were unfamiliar to him.

"The one at the bottom is only found in North Brindle. I doubt you can acquire it, so I'll scratch that one off." She grabbed his hand and pressed the slip against his chest so she could run a line through the name.

His gaze met Aria's cool, gray eyes. She wants me to gather mushrooms and flowers. Should be simple enough to do while I check all the dead drops again.

"Challenge accepted Miss Winterbourne. I'm disappointed you thought so little of my abilities."

A small smile played at the corners of Aria's lips. "Is that so?" She gave him an appraising look that told him she would be the real challenge.

Aria walked away with a haughty toss of her head. Ean leaned forward, his voice low. "Lila, where can I find these plants? And what do they look like?"

A soft laugh escaped Lila's lips. "If you're only trying to recruit her, the local plants will do the trick." Her expression turned thoughtful. "If you're after Aria's heart, you need to bring her something she can't find growing in Argonia or buy in the market."

Ean nodded slowly as he looked at the crossed-out item. A trip into North Brindle for a flower was out of the question, even if his beating heart told him he desperately wished he could. "Thank you. I'll be back in a few days."

"In the meantime, I'll start training her," Lila said. She gripped Ean's arm. "Thank you for speaking to the king on our behalf. Although we have the letter, we will stay to help Aria as long as we can. "

The encounter with the two women left him flustered. "You're part of my herd and it's my duty to protect you." As soon as the words left his lips, he realized how cringeworthy the statement sounded. "What I mean is that—"

"I know you were a farmer and understand the intent behind it. I am grateful," Lila said. She reached into her desk drawer. "Before you leave, I want you to have this."

She placed a coin the size of a medallion in Ean's hand. It was made of a strange metal, and on one side was the outline of a man's head facing left, and on the other, the outline of a man's head facing right.

"We found this two-headed coin on the assassin," she explained. "Neither of us recognizes it, but we are sure it is important. Keep it with you at all times, if only for luck."

Ean placed the medallion into his coin pouch. "Thank you, Lila. I will."

Two-Headed Medallion added to inventory

And with that, Ean turned and left the herbal supply shop, his mind buzzing with thoughts of Aria and the strange coin. With a greater sense of the threat facing the kingdom, he was going to need to increase communication with his spies. Repeated trips without a believable reason would be suspicious, especially if Brindle spies were afoot. He would need the help of a member of the king's council if he wanted to simultaneously accomplish all his goals.

SIDE QUEST ACCEPTED: SQ-03 Acquire five of each plant on Aria's list

SKILL UNLOCKED: Flirting