Ean and Samuel met the king in his private office to brief him on the events of the last twenty-four hours.

"Your highness, Samuel and I traced the source of tensions between Argonia and Brindle. An individual known as The Man In The Purple Hat ran a network of agents provocateur inside both countries. Thanks to the Royal Guard and some Brindle soldiers, he and his network have been neutralized."

The king's expression brightened. "Good work with the Riverside issue. I will countermand my orders for the military to go in. You say this purple hatted individual was destabilizing both countries to start a war? For what purpose?"

Ean glanced at Samuel. "We're still gathering proof and will be able to present it soon. We request your assistance with that."

"How may I help?"

Samuel replied, "Call a mandatory meeting for all castle staff. A member of the ministerial staff is a traitor. Begging your forgiveness, but we need the meeting to start immediately so no one has time to destroy any evidence."

The king's nostrils flared, his gaze intense. "Your evidence must be irrefutable to accuse royal staff of treason."

"Your excellency, I believe Spymaster Fleming already has the evidence. It's the extent of the treason we need to confirm."

"Then, spymasters, I hereby formally task you with the quest to find the evidence for your claims."

Ean bowed. "Thank you, sire. We will join the meeting as soon as we do."

QUEST ACCEPTED: Q-029 Find evidence a minister is a traitor

* * *

Samuel and Ean rushed to Ean's office to grab Aria and Ingar. They quickly briefed them on what they were looking for. They searched every desk, but it was Ean who found the evidence. In a bottom drawer, he found a stack of letters. They appeared innocuous until he spied the metallic gleam of a Cardan Grille. It matched the one found on the Man In The Purple Hat.

Ean rounded up his team, and they used both grilles on the letters to piece together the full extent of the treason.

He sprinted to the ongoing council meeting. The king was stalling for time by filling it with the empty words leaders use before announcing bad news. Relief washed over the king upon seeing Ean. He waved Ean and Samuel forward.

"As you all know, our spymaster died a few weeks ago. I recently appointed his apprentice, Ean Fleming, as the Spymaster of Argonia. Spymaster, please tell everyone about the important work you've been doing."

Ean stepped onto the dais and turned to face the crowd. A hundred faces looked back at him.

"The former Spymaster was poisoned as the first step in a conspiracy to destabilize and weaken our great kingdom. The Empire of Brindle has long had a contentious relationship with Argonia since the war a generation ago. All signs pointed to Brindle as the culprit and source of growing instability." The crowd nodded in agreement.

"However, our good king suspected things were not as they seemed and tasked me to find evidence about the true nature of Brindle's plans. In my quest, I learned that similar events were occurring in Brindle, including rumors of Argonian aggression and the assassination of their spymaster."

The Commander of Military Affairs spoke up. "Nonsense. If Brindle's emperor isn't spoiling for war, then why has he rearmed and retrained his military to conduct an invasion?"

"All of this was a grand deception carried out by an individual known as the Man In The Purple Hat. He is—was, working on behalf of the Sultanate of Creston to start a war between Argonia and Brindle. After one side was defeated, Creston would then attack the weakened military forces of the victor. The goal being the subjugation of the entire continent."

Everyone gasped. The notion that the tiny, resource-poor desert nation of the Sultanate of Creston could be so bold was too incredulous. To some, it was preposterous, and they grew louder the more they discussed it.

The Minister of the Interior elected himself their representative to voice their disbelief. "No such person exists. If someone were running around in a purple hat causing mischief, my Royal Guard corps would have seen and reported him."

Ean pulled the purple hat from his inventory and held it over his head. "I took this from his corpse this morning when he committed suicide rather than surrender for questioning. Minister, last night, using information I provided, your Royal Guards arrested nine of his agents. All of them had purple hats. They're being held for interrogation in the garrison if you don't believe me."

"I don't. No sane, rational person should believe you either. The Man with the Purple Hat and the conspiracy are a fairy tale concocted by an incompetent, inexperienced, adolescent spymaster who has screwed up everything he has done and brought us to the brink of war. You're going to need more proof than some hats."

More murmurs of dissent were heard from the crowd. Before Ean could respond, Samuel joined him on the dais and held his cane over his head with both hands until the crowd quieted.

"Many of you know me as Samuel, the owner of the Argonian Bookshelf for the last sixteen years. My real name is Sam-el ibn Rashid. I was born and raised in the Sultanate of Creston. When I was Ean Fleming's age, I joined the previous sultan's security services as a spy. Within a few years, I worked my way up to the highest rank possible."

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

He reached into his satchel and pulled out a worn purple hat and placed it on his head. "I am a former Man In The Purple Hat. The man Spymaster Fleming saved me, and the kingdom, from today was my protege. Where I had limits in my devotion to the machinations of the Sultan, he did not. When I refused to assassinate King Lionshield as an infant, my former protege killed my wife and daughter."

A shocked silence settled over the gathering. Even Ean's faced had paled at the revelation.

The interior minister sneered. "Your majesty, surely you can see these two conspired to deceive you with this nonsense story. Fleming was probably captured and turned into a double agent when he was in Brindle. And this Sam-el has already defected as a traitor from his own country and can't be trusted."

The king rose from his throne and roared, "I have known Samuel, and his origins, since I was a small boy and vouch for him." He regained his composure and sat. "Cedric, you should be more concerned about how long I continue to believe your lies."

All eyes turned to the Interior Minister whose face was purple in barely contained rage.

Ean pointed an accusatory finger at the minister. "In his desk, we found letters from the Sultan of Creston." Ean pulled the letters out and held them aloft. "Is anyone else curious why he was corresponding directly with the Sultan?" Murmurs of ascent echoed from the crowd.

"On the surface, the letters look ordinary." He handed a letter and the Cardan Grille to a staff member. Samuel followed his lead and handed a letter and his grille to another person in the crowd.

"Place the metal sheet over the letters and read the hidden messages."

The individuals did as instructed, looked at each other, and then at the crowd. The first one spoke up. "They're negotiations for bribes and thanks for providing blackmail information about the king's council members."

The interior minister's eyes flared, and he roared. "Enough of these lies. You planted those letters. You've had it in for me ever since I tried to dismiss you from the council."

Tension gripped the crowd. Council members rarely fought openly, and the protocol and potential political fallout of taking sides was unknown.

Ean stared at the minister as he revealed his final piece of evidence.

"Two days ago, a bundle of postal packages was smuggled into Argonia West. Fortunately, brave hunters ran the smugglers off and had the packages delivered to the castle. Inside each package was more gold than most of you make in a year. There was also an encrypted letter with instructions on how to disable or counter the castle's defenses so a secret army in Brindle, generously funded by the Sultanate, could seize control and execute the members of the council. Well, all the members but one.

All eyes focused on the Minister of the Interior.

"You see, one of the packages was addressed to the Ministry of the Interior. The letter it contained was confirmation that the recipient would be appointed the governor of Argonia once Creston was in control."

The minister's voice was weaker, less sure when he retorted, "More lies and more fake evidence."

Ean grinned, pleased with how the confrontation was playing out. "Can someone hold a lamp up to the minister and tell me what you see? Pay careful attention to his clothing and his hands."

A nearby guard lifted his lamp and swung it around the minister. "He's covered in miniscule flakes of something that reflects the light in an array of colors."

"It's the pearlescent dust of finely ground Abalone shells. A contribution my alchemist girlfriend made to each of the packages before they were delivered to their intended recipients. Only someone who opened their package and read the letter addressed to themselves, would get coated in the powder." Ean turned to the king. "Your highness, in his own words, I give you the most heinous of state criminals – a traitor."

The king jumped up, enraged, and pointed to the guard. "Arrest him for—"

In a blur, the minister drew a dagger and plunged it into the nearest guard's neck. The guard grabbed his throat and collapsed as the minister sprinted forward. He was on the dais next to the king before anyone could react. Waving the dagger in the king's face, he screeched, "Stay back or I end the boy king's life."

While he made his threats and had the crowd's attention on his dagger, Samuel and Ean crept closer until they were on the right flank of the king. Noticing them positioning for a strike, the king mouthed, "Now."

As the king dropped onto one knee he swept his other leg out, hitting the minister behind his knees, causing them to buckle. Samuel swung his cane and struck the falling minister on the bridge of the nose. The combination of blows sent the minister toppling onto his back. Ean whipped out the bottle of wolf repellent and sprayed him in the eyes.

The crowd cheered as guards rushed in and dragged the screaming and cursing minister away. Staff members and ministers thanked Ean and Samuel for their service before returning to work. The king, still visibly shaken, instructed them to hand over their evidence to the Royal Guard. They were to bring Aria and Ingar to his private office after lunch.

QUEST COMPLETED: Q-029 Find evidence a minister is a traitor

REWARD: +1 XP

CLASS RANK INCREASED: Spymaster +2 (22/24)

* * *

In the king's office, all four spies stood at attention as they were awarded the Royal Service Medal. The weight of the medal barely noticeable as Ean's chest swelled with pride.

"Despite the public exposure of the plot and the Interior Minister's treachery, you all know why I cannot hold a public awards ceremony for my spies. You deserve time off, but we still must come to terms with the Emperor of Brindle. He lacks the benefit of having the finest spies working for him. That is why I need you to compile all the information you have and deliver it to him, along with any Brindlers we captured. He needs to be convinced that war was never our intent. Inform him we are standing down our military and request he do so as well."

The words tumbled from Ean's lips before he could stop them. "What if the Emperor has already decided on war? He's spent considerable expense equipping and training his military and may be compelled to use it."

"Excellent point," the king replied. "Remind Tiberius of our childhood friendship. We are not our fathers and don't need to repeat their mistakes."

"If I may make a suggestion, your majesty," Samuel said. "Instead of standing down, propose joining the Emperor in invading the Sultanate of Creston. I worked for the sultan and his father. They both had ambitions of conquering the continent. He nearly succeeded this time. If he is not removed from power, he will never cease his destabilization efforts."

King Lionshield paced about the room while the quartet waited for a response. "I had hoped we could avoid war, but it seems inevitable even if the opponent has changed. Privately convince the emperor to form a coalition. In public, we will give the appearance of deciding on war."

Aria was the first to comprehend the king's strategy. "Both countries face off as expected, but Creston is taken by surprise when both armies instead unite to invade them."

The king smiled. "I'll be appointing a new Minister of The Interior, which will leave vacancies in the ministry you should apply for Miss Winterbourne."

She stammered back, "Yes, of course, your highness. I would be honored, sir…sire."

"Very good," the king replied. "Lady and gentlemen, much work needs to be done before you depart. If I recall correctly, Spymaster Fleming, you reported an assault by a secret army is still scheduled in two days hence. Time is of the essence."

The group bowed and returned to Ean's office to create the briefing for Ean to give to the Emperor of Brindle.

QUEST ACCEPTED: Q-030 Broker peace treaty with the Emperor of Brindle