Ean entered the bookstore, his steps light and purposeful. He had returned from his mission in West Brindle earlier than expected, and he was eager to share the news with his mentor.

Samuel glanced up from the books he was arranging, a warm smile spreading across his face as he spotted Ean. "I was not expecting you back so soon or I would have gone grocery shopping."

Ean shook his head. "I ate earlier, thanks. The spy in West Brindle left me a lengthy message I believe is encoded with a new cipher. It looks similar to the Numbers for Letters cipher, but the numbers don't appear to be sequential."

Samuel nodded thoughtfully. "Makes sense that spies inside Brindle would use more secure ciphers. Let me take a look." He picked up the message, examining it closely. "Ah… this is a cipher I have not seen in a long time. The Polybius Square."

QFK: Use the Activity Page for the Polybius Square ( available at www.neuralsplyce.com/freestuff ) to decrypt the spy's message:

35 42 34 44 15 43 44 31 15 11 14 15 42 43 11 42 15 33 34 44 12 42 24 33 14 31 15 42 43

"How does the Polybius Square work?" Ean asked.

Samuel smoothed a sheet of parchment and wrote the alphabet in rows of five letters rather than a single line. "You create a 5 x 5 grid arranged in a square," Samuel said. "Inside each grid, place each letter in a box, with I and J sharing the same box. Then number each grid row and column 1 through 5."

Ean studied the grid and nodded, his mind already racing ahead. "So, to encrypt a letter, you find the letter in the grid and join the row number with the column number to create the number pair," he said. "For example, the S in the word 'secret' is row 4 and column 3, creating grid coordinate 43."

"Correct," Samuel replied. "And to decrypt a message, you use the first number in the number pair to find the row and the second number tells you the column."

Ean's eyes lit up. "No wonder the numbers don't run from one to twenty-six."

He picked up the encrypted message and used Samuel's Polybius Square to decipher it. After carefully converting the number pairs into letters, he knew what the spy was so anxious to inform him.

"The message says, 'Protest leaders are not Brindlers.' The spy in West Brindle confirms what the spies in Argonia North have said - the protests are being organized by outsiders."

SKILL UNLOCKED: Polybias Square cipher (1/3)

LOG ENTRY UPDATED: Spycraft - Ciphers

QUEST COMPLETED: Q-022 Decipher Encrypted_Message-08

REWARD: +1 XP (16/24)

CLASS RANK INCREASED: Spymaster +1 (10/12)

"It's curious that outsiders would appear on both sides of the border and rally in favor of a war against the opposite country," Samuel mused.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

Ean shook his head. "I've heard the people on both sides of the border. They are genuinely angry. No need to invent a conspiracy about outsiders starting protests."

Samuel looked at the message, but his eyes were distant. "I certainly hope no one is actively trying to provoke a fight."

"The innkeeper in Bridgewater warned me to avoid major cities in two weeks. Somebody must be coordinating something bad."

"It's only a matter of time before people stop yelling and start attacking each other." The concern etched into Samuel's face hinted at terrible things Ean was afraid to ask about. "Once the bloodshed starts, it will be reason enough for either side to go to war."

Ean's mind raced. "What can we do to stop it?"

"You cannot have a war without a military prepared to fight it," Samuel replied.

"And every report from Argonia East has been that the Brindle military has new gear and is training, even at the expense of planting crops," Ean said. A grim expression crossed his face. "I need to return to Argonia East to observe the Brindle training camp myself."

Samuel shook his head. "I disagree. You already have people doing that. You need to know what the Brindle soldiers are saying, not just doing. If they are talking about going to war, the spy in South Brindle will be able to confirm it. That's the objective of your quest from the king."

Ean sighed. He needed more information before he faced the king and council again. "You're right. Which means I have to cross into West Brindle again."

"Stay safe and good luck," Samuel said.

Ean left the bookstore, his mind heavy with the weight of his mission. He knew he had to tread carefully in Brindle, but he was determined to uncover the truth about their military preparations.

* * *

The road to Riverside had become so familiar to Ean that he was able to dedicate his mental effort to thinking about his mission and spycraft. In what seemed like minutes, he was knocking on the door to Lila's herbalist supply shop.

Lila's face remained neutral, but her voice was louder than normal. "Mr. Fleming, welcome back. I'm with another customer right now. Can I have my assistant take your order?"

Matching her tone, Ean replied. "Yes, ma'am. It's an easy order." Lila returned to her office and he walked to Aria's office. He stopped to finger-comb his hair and brush the road dirt from his trousers and boots.

When he opened the door, Aria ran to give him a hug.

Ean returned Aria's embrace. As they pulled apart, her grey eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"What brings you here?" she asked, a hint of excitement in her voice. "Anything I can help with?"

He couldn't bear the thought of worrying her with the truth. Someday, when all this was over, they could be completely honest with each other. Not today. "Oh, you know," he said, forcing a casual tone, "just the usual errands." His gaze darted around the room. Containers and paperwork covered every surface. "You look busy. What's all this?"

She spent ten minutes explaining the process of doing inventory reconciliation. What he managed to pick up is the task involved her counting every item in the warehouse and writing it on a list. Then she compared the list to the old inventory list and checked the difference in quantities with the ledger of purchases, sales, and discarded items.

He would have listened to her all day if Lila hadn't come to ask if he needed anything work related.

"Only that you both keep doing what you do. I have confirmation on your report about the protests being organized by an unknown third party. Your counterpart in West Brindle said the same thing about the uprisings there. I'm actually going back to make contact with your peer in South Brindle."

Both women looked at him in shock.

Aria put her hands on her hips. "What do you mean 'going back'? You know how I feel about that place."

Lila stopped Ean before he could reply. "You're not planning to use the bridge again are you?"

"It's the only way I know to walk into Brindle."

Lila shook her head, disappointment souring her face. "How did you manage to get the guards to let you pass?"

"Diplomatic papers from the king got me onto the bridge and a cover story of being a postal inspector let me through the other side… although I was carrying a parcel with me."

"You need to find another way into Brindle. Something less dangerous," demanded Aria.

"She's right," Lila said. "Even under normal circumstances, crossing back and forth so frequently and at different times of the day would draw suspicion."

Ean's ears grew hot. He was ashamed he hadn't figured that out for himself. "You're right. I was careless."

Lila rubbed her temples in thought. "You can stay here until nightfall and swim across the river."

"Swimming is too obvious, and I know the Brindlers are already watching the riverbanks." His voice grew small. "Besides, I grew up on the plains and can barely swim."

Aria's face was stuck somewhere between anger and wanting to cry. "Take me with you. You know I'm good in a fight—" She shoved him. "And I don't want you risking yourself again."

"I'm afraid this isn't a co-op quest." Ean told her. "Getting across the river and gathering intelligence is my duty to the king and the kingdom." He sat silently while considering alternative plans. "I think I know a way to get into Brindle undetected. Mostly undetected."

Lila left the two lovers alone to say their goodbyes. Before he set out for Argonia East, Ean promised Aria to stay safe and that he'd return to her.