Caymead

Chapter 3

"Thank you," I murmur to Sean when he sets down a steaming hot cup of tea in front of me, "I guess the first thing I'm wondering is how you knew I'm a cryptographer. I don't exactly go advertising it- most of my clients I know on a personal basis."

Owen tersely directs Silas to close the kitchen door before answering my question. "Ever since we gained evidence that the official cryptographer has been passing court secrets to Drathe, we've been on the lookout for a new one. We still employ the official cryptographer since he doesn't know that we are aware of his treason, but we can only send very superficial messages with him."

A traitor at Saninom! The punishment for treason is death, so very few people risk going against the nine lords. "That still doesn't answer how you found me, though," I point out.

"We talked to a lot of people. Well, when I say talked, we bribed them for information. Most people when presented with an authority figure and a couple thawels will spill their guts in no time," Luke says energetically. I knew that some of my contacts weren't the most savory people, but it still hurts to know that they sold me out.

Horror sweeps through me when I realize the implications of their questioning. "I can never work as a cryptographer again! I need anonymity- it keeps people from coming after me to get all of the secrets I've encrypted- and you guys ruined that! You've been asking about me, and people in Caymead will gossip about anything. How am I supposed to make a living now?" I yell at them, fighting to hold back tears. Some of the lords pale, but Owen looks thoughtful.

"Simple. We hire you as the new official cryptographer," he states. Several protests rise up from the other lords.

"What? It's too dangerous!"

"How do we even know she's qualified?"

"We've never had a girl work in the court before; that itself could generate a lot of speculation."

Owen glares at all of the detractors. "First, it's not too dangerous, Saninom is very well protected. Second, by talking with all of the people to find her, we found out that she has an excellent record and has never had a code broken. Finally, get with the times people! More jobs are opening up to women and it will set a good example for the people of Caymead to see their lords hiring a woman."

"Not to mention that this will give us the chance to get rid of the other official cryptographer. I think he's outlived his usefulness and has just become a burden," Sean adds. Most of the lords nod in agreement, but Dakota still looks uncertain.

"What if we decide after she sends this message? That way we can find out how she works with us," he suggests.

"That's a good idea," Owen praises Dakota. "Now Miss Sang, how would you feel about becoming the official cryptographer? After you send this message, of course."

My mind is whirling from all of the revelations. Working in Saninom would let me still be a cryptographer, and I could get away from my mother once and for all. "I would like that," I say. Cheering rises up around the table. Nathan pats me on the back, causing me to almost spill the tea in my hands.

"Sorry!" he mumbles. I grin at his guilty expression.

"So now that's figured out, we can go back to answering questions," Owen says.

I rack my brain to come up with important questions, but somehow I spit out one of the least relevant ones. "Why do you guys need to say a code word to enter Saninom if the guards recognize you?" I ask. Owen looks amused by my question, but answers it regardless.

"We have a code word so that if we are ever being forced to enter under duress, say if someone wanted entry into Saninom and was making us call them our guest, then we just have to say the wrong word and the guards will detain us immediately. It's merely a safety precaution," he explains. I guess that makes sense.

"What's the message that you need to send to Drathe?" I ask next. The lords grow still with serious expressions on their faces.

"Intelligence has recently come in that the Drathenians are planning to strike one of our border towns. Our army has already been mobilized and is ready to attack the Drathenians first; we just need you to send the authorization to General Roberts," Owen says. I suddenly feel lightheaded and slightly queasy.

"You're attacking them unprovoked?" I question.

Owen scowls at me. "We're not unprovoked- we're stopping them from attacking us. It's a preventive action that will save thousands of innocent Caymeadian lives."

"But won't we be harming thousands of innocent Drathenian lives in the process?" I counter. Owen takes a couple deep breaths to calm himself before responding.

"Miss Sang, we have decided that this is the best course of action for Caymead. Drathe has been our enemy for centuries- they raid our towns, they burn our crops. This is finally our chance to make Caymead the dominant power. If you don't feel comfortable sending the message, we can find someone else to do it," he says tersely. I can almost feel the waves of anger coming off of him. Around me, all of the lords are silent, looking between Owen and me in shock.

It would be so easy to just fold and agree to send the message, but my conscious would never forgive me if I didn't have all of the facts first. "Where did the intelligence that they will attack us come from?" I ask.

"I'll answer that," Luke interjects, probably trying to stop the arguing, "One of our spies in Drathe sent us a message in code that the official cryptographer decoded and relayed to us." My eyes widen in horror at this admission.

"You're going to war based off of a message from a known traitor!" I hiss. Several of the lords look as if they're questioning their decision now, but Owen is as stubborn as ever.

"Even if it's not true, we can't take the risk and do nothing! What if it is true, and a whole town dies because we didn't authorize the army to prevent the attack? You know what, I don't care if the message is true or not- we will attack Drathe! They have been keeping us from reaching our true potential for long enough," Owen yells at me. I look at him with disgust, an expression mirrored by several of the other lords.

"Have you ever heard the phrase 'Absolute power corrupts absolutely' Owen?" I ask the red-faced man. He abruptly stands up, causing his chair to tip over with a noisy clang.

"Are you accusing me of corruption?" Owen says in a deathly whisper. I widen my eyes innocently.

"Of course not Lord Owen, I'm saying that you can go to war if you want. Just don't justify it as a preventative action for the good of Caymead when it's based on your own personal motives," I reply sweetly. Owen takes a step towards me, and I shrink back into my chair.

Sean stands up and approaches his friend. "Okay everyone, why don't we go to bed for now. It's late, and we need our rest. We can discuss this again in the morning when cooler heads prevail," he states. The lords nod in agreement and wander off to their rooms. Luke silently takes my hand and leads me back to my room.

As I'm lying in my bed waiting for sleep to come, I know one thing for certain- I will not send an authorization of war allowing the slaughter of innocent Drathenians.

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