Missy nodded and tucked the folded letter into her cloak, slipping into the dim hallway.
She moved swiftly, keeping to the shadows, the polished floors of the palace cold beneath her slippers.
The hall is mostly silent at this hour, the candle sconces dimmed. She knows the hidden route quite well, from Eleanor's chamber to the servants' back corridor.
But just as she rounded a corner, her shoulder crashed into someone.
A gasp escaped Missy's lips, and she stumbled backwards, but before she could stand, a petite female figure dressed in black from head to toe, her presence like a shadow peeled from the night.
The other person's face is half-covered, and her stance is tense, and her gaze was fixed on her.
Missy's heart jumps into her throat.
"Who are you?!" she demanded shakily, already backing up.
"Guards!"
Before the word was fully out, a hand snapped across her cheek with a sharp crack.
