After a good night's sleep, Ean awoke refreshed. For a moment, he couldn't place his surroundings - the unfamiliar bed, the scent of parchment and leather lingering in the air. Snores from the room next door reminded him he was in a guest bedroom over the bookshop. He decided to stay in his room rather than risk waking the old man. The past few days had seen him running around half the kingdom and learning multiple new ciphers. Good opportunity to study the Log pages to brush up on my knowledge.
He was so engrossed in his studies that he hadn't noticed the absence of Samuel's snoring. It wasn't until the old man's voice called him to breakfast that he realized Samuel was awake. A quick meal of cake and bacon and he was on the road to Argonia East again.
Ean's mind was still focused on practicing his spycraft skills. He was so preoccupied that he almost walked right past the guards without showing his travel pass.
"Halt!" the guard barked, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword. "State your business."
Ean's throat went dry as he frantically patted his pockets, searching for the travel pass. "I-I'm on the king's business,"
The guard scrutinized the pass. "Ean Fleming?" He stared at Ean.
His heart fluttered in dreadful anticipation of the guard's next words. "Yes, that's me."
"A rider stopped by earlier with instructions to tell you the king has summoned you."
Ean's stomach dropped. The king's summons could only mean one thing–-he required an update on the mission in Argonia East. Without any new intelligence, Ean felt like he did as a student when he forgot to do his homework the night before. He pleaded with the guard, "Can't you let me through if I promise to return within the hour?"
The guard's expression hardened. "The king's orders are clear. If my commander found out I let you through, it would be my job."
If I had delivered the message last night, I'd have a response and wouldn't be headed toward the castle empty-handed.
He turned around and quickened his pace. Like the spy in Argonia East, he too served the king.
* * *
When Ean arrived at the castle, he was shown to the closed doors of the council chambers. The attendant scuttled away, a sure sign Ean was late. He braced himself and entered.
The king was already seated at the head of the table, but the other council members were still settling into their places.
Ean took his seat at the end of the table and breathed a deep sigh of relief. For the next forty minutes, the king and council talked about the economy, the military, and the Fall harvest projections. Despite his good night's sleep, staying awake proved challenging if not for the hardwood chairs. The lack of cushioning left him too uncomfortable to sit still, as if they were designed to discourage extended sitting. He wondered why he'd been made to join the meeting since he had, so far, made no contribution to the discussions.
At long last, the king cleared his throat to speak. "The next order of business," he intoned, "is to discuss the matter of Ean Fleming's trip to Argonia West."
Ean squirmed in his chair and regretted wishing for more involvement.
The Commander of the Military addressed the council. "We dispatched troops to investigate the matter. They found no evidence of military presence. It is most likely what the spymaster reported was a criminal transaction gone wrong."
Ean's stomach tightened as a chill went down his spine. This was not going to be good. He had no answers about Argonia East and his answer for Argonia West was false.
The Minister of the Interior turned his head to glare at Ean. "I told you he was not up to the job," he sneered. "We've wasted our time and resources on a wild goose chase."
The Chancellor of the Treasury nodded in agreement. "The travel restrictions have reduced daily tax revenue by sixty percent," she said. "If a war is coming, we need to raise more revenue, not less."
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King Lionshield raised a hand to silence the council members. "I understand your concerns," he said, his voice carrying authority. "But I also accept that Ean is new to this job. He has made a mistake, but I believe he is capable of learning from it."
He turned to Ean. "I sympathize with your position," he said, his expression softening. "You have been thrust into the role of Spymaster without sufficient training. I went through something similar when my father died suddenly, and I had to become king. Mistakes will be made, even under the best of conditions." His sympathetic tone turned harsh. "Mistakes have consequences. Your mistake has unnecessarily upset the citizenry, resulted in lost tax revenues, and raised more doubts about you among the council members."
The malice in the eyes of the Minister and the Chancellor made it evident Ean was staring down another set of wolves. He was determined to put up a defense. "Personally, I am relieved to hear the rumors of Brindle soldiers in Argonia West turned out to be false," Ean said, sitting up straighter. "Now that the local populace has been made vigilant for such incursions, it will be harder for Brindle to surprise us from there. We also know about a wolf problem that can be addressed."
He turned to the king. "Your Majesty, the information I provided was inaccurate and has cost the kingdom. I vow not to let that happen again."
The meeting ended. He left the council chambers, both relieved and discouraged. Relieved that the king still believed in him. Discouraged by the realization he had tested the king's faith in him. To make matters worse, his failure reinforced the doubts of the council members bent on having him replaced.
Ean made his way back to the border checkpoint, his mind still troubled by doubts. He had to do better. Prove to the king and to the council that he was worthy of their trust.
Experience Points (XP) Reduced: -2 (9/12)
XP to Next Level Increased: +2 (3)
CODEX ENTRIES UPDATED: King of Argonia, Minister of The Interior, Chancellor of the Treasury, Commander of the Military
* * *
It was mid-afternoon when Ean arrived at the dead drop for Argonia East. The park was empty, but instead of relief, he felt uneasy. His mind imagined eyes watching him from the shadows, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. For the trip to be worth the effort, he needed proof positive about the status of Brindle's forces and intentions.
The dead drop held no new message. Disappointed, he deposited his message for the spy and left. He stopped at the market, hoping for new rumors. Business was slow. The normally talkative vendors were more interested in counting the minutes until they could close shop and go home.
Secret_Message-04 removed from Inventory
QUEST COMPLETED: Q-013 Deliver Secret_Message-04 to dead drop in Argonia East
REWARD: +1 XP (10/12)
When his grumbling stomach told him it was dinner time, he made his way to the military camp. The quartermaster provided him with a different tent for the evening. Although he'd hoped to get a quick bite to eat and return to the tent, he was recognized by a soldier who waved him over. Ean joined the soldiers again around the campfire for the evening, as they had been a good source of information.
They were engaged in a lively discussion.
"Back to count more fish?" one of them quipped.
"Something like that," Ean replied. "You familiar with statistical averages?"
"We are full-time soldiers and part-time gamblers," another soldier explained. "Beating statistical averages is our profession. The more times you go into battle, the higher your chances of getting killed or wounded."
"The closer you get to 21, the more likely you are to go over," the first soldier added with a chuckle.
"OK. You have the general idea," Ean said. "I need to make multiple counts and come up with an average for each region."
"Recounting fish may be the only excitement we have to offer," the first soldier offered. "Those Brindle recruits we were gambling with returned to their garrison in Northold. They've been replaced with a unit of reservists."
"Unfortunately, they were here a few months ago and are still too broke to gamble," the second soldier lamented.
Ean's ears perked up. "Is that normal to have a unit come back for training so soon?"
"No," the first soldier replied. "Special circumstances of some kind. They are getting new weapons and enhanced training. They will go back to their farms and businesses in two or three weeks."
Ean thanked the soldiers for their company and returned to his tent, glad he hadn't eaten alone. He had stumbled upon a potential lead. As he drifted off to sleep, the sounds of crickets and frogs filled the air.
In the morning, a different group of soldiers was sitting around the fire, eating breakfast. Ean had no desire for another breakfast of gruel, so he packed up his belongings and headed back to the park.
A rooster crowed in the distance as he extracted a message from the dead drop. A quick glance confirmed it was an encrypted message.
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It was becoming clear that his spies worked at night, living up to their popular cloak and dagger reputation. Recalling there were eggs and potatoes at the bookshop, he made haste back to Argonia Central.
Encrypted_Message-05 added to Inventory
QUEST ACCEPTED: Q-014 Decipher Encrypted_Message-05
QFK: If you recognize the cipher used, use the Activity Page to see if you can decrypt the message before Ean returns to the bookstore.
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