The hallways of Alaric's palace buzzed with hushed urgency. Word had spread among his trusted allies: intercepting Lady Celeste's couriers was now the top priority. While the majority of the court remained blissfully unaware of the looming coup, Alaric's inner circle worked tirelessly to tighten the net around Celeste's conspiracy.
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The Hunt Begins
Eva donned the disguise of a merchant's servant and joined Garreth's team stationed near Celeste's estate. The plan was simple: identify and intercept any courier leaving the estate, then deliver the message directly to Alaric.
At dusk, Eva spotted a young man, clad in plain traveling attire, exiting the estate through the side gate. He moved with the practiced ease of someone who didn't want to be noticed, but Eva's keen eyes caught the subtle bulge of a satchel beneath his cloak.
"That's him," she whispered to Garreth, who stood beside her, dressed as a common trader.
Garreth nodded. "Let him move out of the estate's sightlines. We can't risk alerting her guards."
The team waited until the courier reached a secluded stretch of the road. Garreth's men emerged from their hiding places, surrounding the courier before he could react.
"Stand down!" Garreth barked, drawing his sword.
The courier froze, his hand halfway to the satchel. His eyes darted between the armed men and Eva, who stepped forward with an air of authority.
"Hand over the satchel," she demanded. "Now."
The courier hesitated for a moment too long. Garreth's men closed in, and the young man reluctantly surrendered the bag.
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Decoding the Message
Back at the palace, Eva and Garreth presented the satchel to Alaric. Inside, they found several scrolls, each sealed with Celeste's personal sigil.
"These must be her orders," Eva said, her heart pounding with anticipation.
Alaric carefully broke the seal on one of the scrolls, revealing a series of coded instructions. His brow furrowed. "A cipher."
Garreth leaned over, studying the writing. "Celeste is cautious. This will take time to decode."
"Time we may not have," Alaric replied. "Get our best cryptographers on it immediately. In the meantime, I want increased surveillance on all known associates of Celeste. She'll know her courier has been intercepted, and she'll act fast."
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A Race Against Time
As Alaric's cryptographers worked on decoding the messages, Eva couldn't shake the feeling that they were missing something. The intercepted satchel was significant, but Celeste's network was vast. If this was only one courier, how many more were out there?
Later that evening, Eva sought out Alaric in his study. She found him pouring over maps of the kingdom, marking locations of suspected allies of Celeste.
"Alaric," she began, "what if this courier wasn't the only one? Celeste is too smart to rely on a single line of communication."
Alaric looked up, his expression grim. "I've thought of that. Garreth is organizing teams to monitor all major routes out of Totem. But you're right—this might only be the tip of the iceberg."
Eva hesitated, then said, "What if we use the message against her? Let the courier escape, but alter the scrolls to feed her false information."
Alaric's eyes lit with approval. "A bold move. It could force her to reveal her hand prematurely. But it's risky—Celeste will scrutinize every word."
"Then we make it convincing," Eva said, her determination unwavering.
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The Trap is Set
By morning, the cryptographers had decoded the first scroll. It detailed instructions for Celeste's allies to mobilize their forces and prepare for a coordinated strike against Alaric's garrison.
"She's moving faster than we anticipated," Garreth said, handing the decoded scroll to Alaric. "Her allies are supposed to meet in three days at a villa near the southern border."
Alaric smirked. "Then that's where we'll spring the trap."
Eva took the original scroll and began crafting a forged version with altered instructions. Instead of directing Celeste's allies to the villa, the new message would send them to a decoy location—a remote, heavily guarded outpost controlled by Alaric's forces.
When the forgery was complete, they returned the scroll to the courier's satchel and allowed him to "escape" after a staged ambush. The young man, terrified and believing he had barely escaped with his life, would deliver the altered message to Celeste's network.
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The Confrontation Looms
As the courier disappeared into the night, Eva turned to Alaric. "If this works, we'll have her allies right where we want them."
Alaric nodded, his expression a mix of confidence and concern. "And if it doesn't, we'll be walking into a trap of our own."
The next few days would be critical. If their plan succeeded, Celeste's coup would crumble before it could begin. But if it failed, Alaric and Eva would face an enemy more dangerous than ever.