When they entered the Spymaster's office, the first thing Ean noticed was a stack of packages on the desk. In the corner of the room, a figure in a Royal Guard uniform stood rigidly, his face obscured by the shadows. Next to him, a woman leaned over the prone form of the wounded spy. Ean's heart stopped. Had the spy died? Were they here to kill him?

He rushed to the woman, clamped his hand on her shoulder, and spun her around. His face lit up. Before she could react, he pulled her into a fierce embrace and planted a rough kiss that was equal parts relief and desperation.

"Aria," Ean breathed, his voice thick with emotion as he took in the sight of her. "And Guard Blackwood. Thank goodness you both made it out of Riverside safely." He turned to Samuel. "This is Samuel. A good friend and advisor to the king and me. You can trust him with anything you have to say."

He reached down to hold Aria's hands, but she flinched and pulled away. She held up hands swollen with red blotches and blistered in places. "What happened?"

"Oh, Ean. I thought I might never see your face again. Minutes after you left, an assassin broke in. He tied me up and ransacked the office, looking for Lila but she and her husband were long gone. I used the crushed leaves of an acidic desert cactus to dissolve the rope, chemically burning my hands in the process. I escaped and made my way through back alleys to the city gate where I met your guard friend." Aria turned to Guard Blackwood who took her cue to share his story.

"An hour after you and our friend here," he said as he pointed at the wounded spy, "made my evening interesting, Riverside experienced an 'incursion event'."

Ean raised an eyebrow. "Could you explain what happened in plain English?"

"A group of drunken, rowdy Brindle soldiers stormed through the bridge checkpoint. My guards and I did our best not to kill them. Unfortunately, they were better armed and armored and intent on exacting revenge. Two of my men were gravely injured before we fell back to the city gate to prepare defenses to contain them. That's where I met your friend and listened to her story. Lowlifes I can handle, but not assassins. That's when I knew we had to come here to inform you and to rally the Royal Guard garrison."

"Your timing could not have been better. I have to brief the king's council in ten minutes. I will relay this information to them." Ean pointed at the packages. "Were those here when you came in?"

Aria spoke up. "When we told the guard at the castle gate we were coming to see you, he handed those to us. Said someone from Argonia West dropped them off with—", she said as she gingerly pulled a letter from a pocket, "this letter."

"Thank you. Stay here while I brief the council. I'm sure the king will assign me a quest I will need your assistance with. Aaron, where can I find you if I need you?"

"I'll be in the garrison working with my commander on a plan for Riverside."

Ean thanked his friends and ran to the council chamber, unwilling to suffer the king's wrath if he was late.

* * *

All the council members filed into the chamber, their disheveled appearances and bleary eyes betraying their exhaustion from the late-night summons.

The king's words broke the silence, his voice sharp and commanding. "War is coming to the Kingdom of Argonia." A collective gasp echoed through the chamber. "This is no longer a rumor, but a fact. I sent our interim spymaster on a mission into the Empire of Brindle to gather intelligence on their intentions."

The king brandished the message. "This information came straight out of Brindle. Spymaster Fleming, please brief the council on your mission and what you have learned."

Ean swallowed hard, his eyes darting between the king and the council members. He senses the undercurrent of mistrust and resentment, their eyes narrowing as the king mentioned his role. Without going into the specifics, he recounted his mission.

"I slipped into Brindle and soon encountered a militia group who claimed to have assassinated the Brindle spymaster." Ean paused, gauging the council's reactions. "Once in town, I observed their soldiers training with new weapons and armor and heard rumors of an elite secret army.

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"Knowing I couldn't leave this rumor unconfirmed, I went to the capital city Northold to contact our spies. The city is full of rumors of a pending war. After I received the encrypted message, I rushed back to Argonia only to find a spy captured by the same militia. When they recognized me, I negotiated release of the badly beaten spy… but then I had to use force during our escape from the Brindle guards and soldiers."

He concluded his report without telling them about the medallion and the fabled Man In The Purple Hat. As he'd told Samuel, he had no concrete evidence the mysterious individual wasn't a bogeyman to blame the irrational actions of people on both sides.

The council sat in stunned silence, exchanging glances to decide who would question him first.

The Commander of Military Affairs, his face purple with rage, rose to his feet. His thunderous voice threatened to bring down the castle walls. "You foolish idiot. Those actions were not heroic. Whether we like it or not, you are a member of the king's council. It would have been a major coup for the emperor if you had been captured and tortured for information." His crushing grip on the table edge made the wood groan. "If you were one of my soldiers, I would strip you of your rank and throw you in the brig for a month on bread and water rations!"

The Minister of Foreign Relations continued the general's tongue lashing. "By your own admission, your reckless actions may have triggered the war you were supposed to be preventing. My fellow council members were right in not endorsing your promotion to interim Spymaster."

"See how confused and clueless he looks," the Minister of the Interior sneered while addressing the council. "This is exactly why I counseled that he is too young, too naive for the position." He turned to sneer at Ean. "The next time one of your spies is captured, you deny knowing them and leave them to their fate. Spies are second only to traitors as the most reviled criminals by state governments. Neither are rescued or bargained for. They are executed as a means of keeping the peace. Be grateful our merciful king hasn't offered you to the emperor."

The king raised his hands, silencing the room. "Enough. His brash actions upset the timeline for their attack, denying them the element of surprise. We need to capitalize on that.

"From this moment forward, consider the kingdom on a war footing. We will continue to search for a diplomatic solution, while we prepare for war. The first thing we need to address is the soldiers occupying Riverside." The king turned to the Commander of Military Affairs. "Ensure there are no more incursions in Riverside or any other of our borders. Interior Minister, your Royal Guards will deal with the incursion as a criminal affair unless and until soldiers are required."

"Yes, your highness. I will have the guards lock down the city and border checkpoint to contain the situation until order is restored."

"Good. Refugees will be flowing out so we'll need to ensure they are safely dispersed to Argonia East and West. If the castle is to be stormed, the capital needs to be free of innocent civilians." The king's gaze swept across the council. "You know your duties. Get to them."

The council members stood and bowed before filing out the door.

"Ean Fleming. Join me in my office," the king commanded.

A cold sweat covered Ean's body. The king said he wouldn't be sent to the emperor. Did the king intend to have him executed as a traitor? He trailed behind the king, wondering if he'd be given an opportunity to say goodbye to his family and friends. His mother would be devastated. His father, who would never know the true story, would be ashamed to show his face in public. How could saving another man's life have gone so tragically wrong?

The king ushered Ean into his office and closed the door. He strode over to the armour stand that held his formal plate armor and drew his sword. "Come to order," he told Ean.

Ean stood at attention in front of the king, his knees again knocking so loudly they echoed off the walls.

The king executed a flawless sword salute and then raised the sword above Ean's head. He brought the flat edge of the sword down on Ean's right shoulder, arced it over Ean's head, and touched his left shoulder. "Ean Fleming, I hereby appoint thee Spymaster of Argonia." He returned the sword to its scabbard.

Ean hyperventilated and began to wobble.

"You don't look well, Spymaster. Perhaps you should sit."

Ean stammered, "Thank you, your majesty. I, for a second, thought - especially after the council meeting…"

The king waited until Ean recovered. "While I would have preferred a different outcome, you have kept your word every time I have given you a quest." The king reached into a desk drawer and withdrew a signet ring and the Spymaster Badge of Station. He handed them to Ean. "While you deserved the criticisms of the council, you might prove to be the savior of the kingdom if we succeed."

"Thank you, sire. I will redouble my efforts. There may be a way I can undo the consequences of my mistakes."

"Don't thank me yet. If we fail to repulse the attack or lose the war, you'll hang with the rest of the council." The king sat back. "Much of their hostility they leveled at you was because you made them afraid. One of the things I've learned about human nature is the older we get, the more we fear we have to lose. Which means we go to greater lengths to protect what we have. Now it's my job to channel that fear into ensuring we can win a war, if we fail to prevent it."

Ean thanked the king again and made his way to what was now officially his office.