THIRTY-THREE #3
While the council turns the problem over, my attention drifts toward the window. A songbird calls from somewhere beyond the glass. Hidden among the branches, it remains impossible to spot.
An idea begins to take shape.
Between us, the bond stirs with quiet anticipation. Thane knows I’m onto something. His hand remains on my knee beneath the table, warm and reassuring. When our eyes meet, the smallest smile appears on his face.
The message is clear: trust yourself.
I clear my throat and six pairs of eyes turn towards me.
“If the Shadowed Hand is really operating inside the capital, then I don’t think we catch them by tightening security and waiting for them to make a mistake.”
I wet my lips.
“Back home, when a fox got into the chicken coop, we didn’t chase it through the woods.” My gaze settles on Edric. “We made it come back.”
A faint crease appears between his brows. “What are you suggesting?”
“We stop looking for the spy.” I pause. “And start looking for the leak.”
Sienna’s eyes narrow thoughtfully. “Go on.”
“We feed them information.”
Across the table, Garrick’s mouth curves slightly, as though he already knows where this is headed.
“Different information,” I continue. “Small things. Harmless things. Different versions of the same story given to different people. We watch where it spreads.”
A flicker of recognition crosses Sienna’s face. “A canary trap.”
I blink. “A what?”
“The Water Clan used a similar strategy during the Harbor Rebellions fifty years ago,” she says. “Different commanders received different sailing routes. When enemy ships intercepted one of the convoys, we knew exactly which officer had passed the information along.”
Edric grunts. “The bait-route operation.”
Master Orlon nods. “A crude name for a very effective strategy.”
Relief loosens the tension in my shoulders. Good. I’m not the only one seeing it.
“We already know the Shadowed Hand survives on information,” I say. “So we give them information.”
Valen leans forward. “Not enough to cause real harm.”
I nod. “Exactly. Just enough to make them think they’ve discovered something valuable.”
Sienna’s fingers tap lightly against the table. “We could create several false vulnerabilities.”
The discussion begins to move, ideas building upon ideas. We are going to find the traitor. It may take days, weeks, or even months, but for the first time since the attack, we have a direction.
“Not vulnerabilities,” Rowena says. “Opportunities.”
Everyone looks at her.
“If the information feels too convenient, they’ll be suspicious. The lie has to look discovered, not delivered.”
“She’s right.”
Valen appears focused on a distant point beyond the table, but I know better. He’s already pulling the strategy apart in his mind, searching for every possible weakness before the Shadowed Hand can find it first.
Garrick raps his knuckles on the table. “We stagger the information. Different patrol changes. Different supply routes. Different meeting locations.”
“Different suspects,” Master Orlon adds.
Rowena taps a restless rhythm against the arm of her chair, unable to sit still now that the idea has taken hold.
“We know the Shadowed Hand values information,” she says. “So we give them information they cannot afford to ignore.”
Sienna leans back, considering. “We would need observers in every district. Merchants. Couriers. Servants. Anyone capable of noticing unusual movement.”
“We already have them,” Valen says.
The council turns toward him.
Valen folds his hands together. “We simply haven’t been using them for this purpose.”
Edric exhales through his nose. “If we do this, we do it carefully. One mistake and we spread panic through our own capital.”
“No,” Thane says.
The single word cuts through the discussion. Every eye turns toward him. He leans forward, resting his forearms on the table.
“No panic. No chaos. No rumors beyond what we intend. Every piece of information is controlled. Every movement is tracked. Every response is observed.”
His gaze moves around the room.
“We do this properly, or we do not do it at all.”
Sienna nods first. “Agreed.”
Orlon follows. “So do I.”
Edric studies the table for a long moment before finally giving a reluctant nod. “If we’re doing this, then we do it properly.”
Rowena, Valen, and Garrick nod in agreement.
Beneath the table, Thane’s hand squeezes my knee once. The gesture is brief, but pride brushes through the bond.
“We have our direction,” Thane says.
Maps are pulled closer. Notes are gathered.
Ideas continue to build as the council begins refining the details.
Valen and Sienna debate how to control the flow of information without allowing it to spiral beyond their reach.
Edric pushes for safeguards. Garrick proposes ways to isolate leaks inside the stronghold.
Rowena focuses on how to make each lie believable enough to be discovered rather than delivered.
For the first time since entering the council chamber, no one questions why I am here. No one questions whether I belong. They simply make room for my voice.
And the hunt begins.