The next morning, Ean's memory of the previous night was a wonderful hazy blur. Flashes of Aria's radiant smile, the candlelight dancing in her eyes as she wore that pretty dress, assaulted his senses.

The rich aromas of their meal at Taste of Creston lingered, intermingling with the echoes of their hushed conversations. His heart still raced at the memory of her laughter and the way her hand had brushed against his as they talked late into the night. The date felt like mere minutes had passed between the time they sat down and when the restaurant staff had to politely usher them out. Somewhere in the midst of it all, Aria had agreed–no, sworn–to join his spy network, her words both thrilling and terrifying him.

His head was still in the clouds when he went downstairs to join Samuel for breakfast.

"I know that look. The look of a young man in the first stages of love."

"Any advice?"

"Only the same advice I've already given you. Be careful when mixing your professional and personal lives," Samuel said while slicing up his cake. "The day will come when you have to choose one over the other. The decision, whichever one you choose…" He paused, his eyes distant. "May haunt you the rest of your days."

Barely listening from his lofty position on cloud nine, Ean replied, "In this case, I think I made the right decision personally and professionally." The seed of doubt had been planted, turning him defensive of Aria and his decision. "Aria is not just a skilled herbalist, she's also a skilled alchemist. All those plants she had me gather, she turned into alchemical concoctions like knockout gas and invisible ink."

Samuel harrumphed. "Useful tools for a spy, which you are not." He pointed his fork at Ean. "You're a spymaster and your tools are books, pen, and parchment. Focus on your skills so you can better serve the kingdom and the spies in your employ."

"I have been using the ciphers you taught me and leveled all of them to level 2 or higher."

In a voice gruff and with a tinge of annoyance, Samuel said, "Since I know you're looking for an excuse to go back to Argonia North, I have a quest for you."

Speaking around a mouthful of fried potatoes, Ean said, "You know I'd do anything for you."

Samuel shook his head. "I have a collection of books a client in South Brindle ordered a few weeks ago. With the current state of affairs, I can't deliver them myself. Your quest is to find a reputable merchant, or ship's captain, who will take them to the post office in West Brindle. Unless your militia buddies are stopping postal deliveries, Brindle's postal service will get the books to the buyer."

"I, Ean Fleming, accept your quest. I'll start on it as soon as I brief the king on my quest to find a replacement spy."

SIDE QUEST ACCEPTED: SQ-04 Find someone to deliver Samuel's book bundle into West Brindle

* * *

At the castle, an attendant took Ean's request and told him it would be an hour or more before the king had an opening. Ean used the time to explore the castle. Despite being a council member, he'd barely spent any time in the castle.

He made his way through the winding corridors of the castle, his footsteps echoing off the stone walls. At last, he reached a narrow wooden door with a well-worn brass handle. He fished a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. The scent of dust and secrets hung in the stale air as he entered the office of the late Spymaster.

Shelves lined the carved stone walls from floor to ceiling, filled with rows of leather-bound books and scrolls Samuel would be jealous of. Their titles hinted at histories long forgotten, languages dead for centuries, and arts mysterious. The accumulated knowledge of generations of spymasters. He felt a pang of envy and inadequacy. How could he ever hope to match the expertise of the men who had once occupied this space? How would future spymasters view his time in the role?

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Ean continued his tour of the office. Tattered maps of the continent and all three countries were pinned up everywhere. Layers of notes and revisions were scribbled in the margins. During his apprenticeship, he's seen the scribblings but did not discern their meaning. Now, with field experience, he recognized the margin notes marked dead drop locations. He pulled out his questbook and manually instructed it to create a new Log entry.

LOG ENTRY ADDED: Spycraft - Dead Drops

In the center of the room sat a large oak desk, its surface covered in an organized clutter. Feather quills and ink pots were arrayed next to bundles of sealed letters tied with vibrant ribbons. Nearby, a brass spyglass on a tripod stood ready to survey distant landscapes.

Rounding the heavy oak desk, Ean sank into the high-backed chair, the worn leather creaking beneath his weight. He closed his eyes and imagined receiving a steady flow of Intelligence from spies across the realm. Royal advisors lined up outside the door, waiting to glean his counsel. At home, Aria spent her days teaching herbalism and alchemy to their children…

He was startled from his daydreaming by a bird pecking at the window.

Ean hadn't forgotten the title was interim. His to lose. He renewed his promise to himself and the king to study diligently and prove himself worthy of the title Spymaster of Argonia.

The office and his visions of the future could wait. His king was struggling to keep the kingdom from dissolving into chaos while staving off a potential invasion from Brindle. His father's words also echoed in his mind. Ean pushed the chair underneath the desk and locked the door on his way out.

He walked briskly through the winding corridors, determined to deliver his latest intelligence to the king with urgency. Upon arriving at the throne room, a different royal attendant informed him the king was in a side chamber. Ean was promptly escorted inside.

The king sat perusing an aged tome, its leather binding worn and pages fragile with time. Hearing Ean enter, he slid a ribbon between the pages as a bookmark and closed the volume.

"A chronicle of the wars of our forefathers." The king glanced fondly at the cover. "Though the scribes wrote diligently, they focused too heavily on brave deeds and battle prowess, glossing over the sequence of events that led to conflict. As a young man yet untouched by war, I find myself thinking of the kings before me. Did they know with certainty war was coming, or were they blindsided by an attack their counselors promised would not happen?" He set the book aside. "What do you have to report, spymaster?"

Ean responded, "All I know of war is what I've heard from our elders as well. Your Majesty, in Argonia North I've set a replacement spy to work. In the course of my efforts to complete this quest, I was sworn in as a game warden."

The king cocked an eyebrow. "Are you not compensated well enough that you need to moonlight in another role?"

"Your highness compensates me well. I took the position to use as a cover for my work in the field. The title also provides an opportunity to create a secondary network of agents to warn of any natural or man-made troubles."

Sighing heavily, the king asked, "Have you discovered any new troubles?"

"No, sire. There is a continuing sign of trouble, however, in Argonia East. Brindle's military camp on the opposite shore of the Silvergleam River continues to train their reserve military units. The reserve units are comprised of farmers and other laborers who should be planting crops this time of year."

"So Brindle continues to prepare for war." The king stood and placed his hand on Ean's shoulder. "You have done well. I had hoped the rumors were baseless and I would not have to task you with this quest." He shed the casual tone. "Spymaster Fleming, I need you to go into the Empire of Brindle and re-establish contact with our spies there. If war is coming, we need to know unit strengths, the invasion timeline, and where they will strike."

Ean's pulse quickened. 'Your Majesty, I… I'm honored, but are you certain I'm ready for such a task?'

The king's eyes hardened. "Ready or not, Spymaster Fleming, this is the reality of OUR position. The fate of the kingdom rests on our shoulders." He picked up a leather valise and pulled out a folded-up letter. "These Diplomatic Papers will get you across the border and protect you as long as the peace holds. Speak of this to no one and be careful."

Ean took the papers with a trembling hand. "Thank you, sire. The bookseller has trained me well. I will get you the information you require."

As he made his way out of the castle, Ean's earlier daydreams seemed like childish fantasies. Like those fanciful visions, his confidence evaporated into nothingness. He was about to go up against something more terrifying and vicious than hungry wolves. The spymaster in Brindle would be looking as diligently for invaders from Argonia as he was from Brindle. Ean would be in foreign territory and matching wits with someone more experienced. Someone who likely had an office full of books and the time to study them. He needed Samuel's wisdom now more than ever, but for the first time, he wondered if even that would be enough.

QUEST COMPLETED: Q-020 Recruit replacement spy for Argonia North

REWARD: +2 XP

CLASS RANK INCREASED: Spymaster +1 (8/12)

QUEST ACCEPTED: Q-021 Re-establish contact with the spy in West Brindle