Page 108 of Shadowborne: Reckoning

Only the one who received it would know, and they could safely allow it to be seen by any others, because there was no possible way to decode it correctly without the key.

Holy shit… “I wish I’d thought of it,” I breathed.

“Me too,” Voski said. “But that doesn’t solve the problem that we’re back at square one until we can retrieve more messages.”

I nodded, still scanning the codes, willing there to be something, anything within them to give me even a hint of who these reports were reaching.

Because the signals made it clear, even the greeting on the missive would be shrouded in code.

Had the message we’d read truly been addressed to Diaan? Or someone else entirely? I couldn’t know without seeing the original.

The original which was already safely in the hands of whomever had devised this clever little system.

“We best pray that our friend uses the network and we get to see this morning’s message,” I murmured.

“There’s another layer to this,” Bren said quietly.

Voski and I both looked at her. She stared at the code pages, wide eyed, her gaze darting left and right.

“What is it?”

She swallowed hard. “I was thinking about the queen, and whether that message we saw was actually sent to her. And that made me think of the training she gave me—remember her ploy to have me seed different rumors with different people?”

I nodded. Her lips thinned. “Well, whoever’s receiving these messages and knows what they mean, they’ll also know who else read them… because anyone who repeats what they appear to say has obviously read them. They can find out who’s intercepting their messages—or reading them, if they get passed around.”

Holy shit, she was right.

And it was precisely the kind of devious clue Diaan would use mercilessly, sitting aside from a Council meeting, waiting for Alexi to tell her what the players brought to the table, and wait for him to let her hear the opposing insights—knowing what was true, and what wasn’t.

A decoded message, interpreted by the right person, would be a correct intelligence report, while its black-and-white copy, read by the wrong person, would offer conflicting insight.

Two messages in one.

Something about that train of thought niggled. As Voski gave Bren an overview of the intricacies of sharing intelligence in the field, how messages were dispersed, and when they were not, I turned my mind back, searching through the fog for those original conversations with the royals.

The problem was, they’d occurred at the same time I’d endured the severing with Bren, and her final confession and reveal of the truth through the dragons about what Ruin had done to her. I wasn’t at my best physically or mentally in those days, and I’d been panicking afterwards because…

Because they wanted me to send Bren here.

No… not they. Her. The first person to suggest sending Bren here to Fyrehold—without me—had been Diaan.

I got to my feet, pacing, scrambling for clarity in the memory of that crucial night we’d discussed how to infiltrate this society. When Alexi and I had hidden our true motives and intentions from the other advisors, then had a private strategy meeting with Diaan…

The queen tapped her lip with one, polished fingernail, her gaze drifting around the room. “You think the dragon bond eliminates any Furyknight? Even those with the skills?”

“No,” I hedged. “It would be difficult, but it could be done. It’s the added complication of the mole on our side of this that worries me. No measure of skill can avert treasonous betrayal. I have men I would have chosen for this, but they’re already known to our Advisors, even if not as Shadowfang. Add to that fact, a particularly delicate purpose that doesn’t need a dragon for success—in fact, I’d argue that kind of bond adds a second complication—I think we’re better to choose someone without it. The mole in the Council is less likely to suspect them.”

“Except, the dragons allow quick travel and a better chance of escape if the agent is uncovered,” she said, a slight question in her tone.

“True,” I said reluctantly. “But all the risks have to be balanced—”

“What about the new Furyknight? She won’t be known outside our borders. She won’t be known at all. And the arrogant men in that circle would never imagine that she’d be selected for this kind of mission.”

The newest Furyknight…? She wanted to send Bren? I blinked and frowned at the same time the king tipped his head like he’d heard something. My heart stopped beating as the queen’s intention became clear. This wasn’t a joke. Or a flippant suggestion.

“No,” I snapped without thought, at the same moment the king began to nod.

“It’s an excellent idea,” Alexi said.