Shuhua and Soojin heaved Shuhua’s bed to the side of her chambers, revealing the dusty stones underneath. Shuhua had told Soojin that there was a secret passageway built into her room. They had waited until the latest part of the night to try and unearth it, since that was when the guard outside had drifted into sleep. Even through the newly built door, Soojin could hear his snores. 

“It’s that middle one,” Shuhua said, pointing to a rough stone.

Soojin knelt and wiggled her fingers underneath the lip of the rock. Bracing her legs against the floor, she pried the stone upwards and put it aside. Underneath, a yawning hole gaped at them.

“This is the passageway my father had built into my room, in case I was ever trapped. Looks like it’s finally coming in handy,” Shuhua whispered as Soojin peered into the inky darkness.  

“Are you sure this leads outside of the castle?”

“Yes. I’ve used it before when Yuqi and I went to go to the pleasure district.”

Soojin gave Shuhua an exasperated glare.

“Is that where you went that time we were playing hide and seek? It took me four hours to find you!”

Shuhua nodded. Ordinarily she would have giggled but her family’s deaths still weighed heavily on her mind.

“Well, get going then. And don’t forget those books,” Soojin reminded Shuhua.

“You’re not coming with me?” Shuhua asked, her eyes wide.

“I will, I just need to take care of something first. Head to the clearing we where we had picnic for your sixteenth birthday. You remember how to get there right?”

Shuhua started to argue but suddenly they heard footsteps coming down the hallway outside.

“Go! I’ll be right behind you!” Soojin ordered as she jumped up and started pulling the bed back into place.

Shuhua took one last look at Soojin before sliding down the passageway. She heard Soojin shift the stone back into place and was plunged into inky darkness. Feeling forward with her right hand, her other arm clutching her family’s sacred spell books, Shuhua inched her way through the passage. She walked for what seemed like hours before the passage sloped up. A glimmer of light appeared ahead. Shuhua quickened her pace, breaking into a run as she neared the end. All of a sudden, Shuhua felt the ground disappear from under her feet. She tumbled down a hill, bouncing off the rough grass. Finally, she rolled to a stop.

Right. I forgot this passage ended in a cliff.

Shuhua gingerly sat up, wincing as she felt her arms and legs. Nothing seemed broken, although she probably had a couple of bruised ribs. She got to her feet and collected her shoes and her bundle of books. Where was she? Shuhua looked around the quiet forest. Already the early morning sun peeked over the treetops. A fine mist clung to the ground, lessening by the second.  

“Jjin-Jjin, how do I tell which direction I’m going?” Shuhua had asked Soojin a long while ago when they were walking hand in hand through the palace gardens.

“Well, you can figure out what time it is and then look at the sun since it rises east to west, can’t you?” Soojin had replied, poking Shuhua’s rosy cheek.

“Thanks, Jjin-Jjin,” Shuhua now whispered. She shaded her eyes and stared at the rays of sunlight, golden in the haze. The clearing where she had her birthday picnic in was due east of the castle. So, she picked up her books and started walking into the sun.

--

Soojin managed to pull the bed back into place just as someone inserted a key into the door lock. Soojin stood in front of the bed, hoping that whoever was coming in wouldn’t look at the bed too closely. Earlier, she and Shuhua had dressed up Shuhua’s old life sized doll in Shuhua’s nightgown and tucked her into the bed. Because Shuhua had been sleeping so much lately, the guards who brought Soojin and Shuhua their morning meal were accustomed to Soojin taking the food and bringing it to Shuhua.

“Breakfast.”

A young guard with large ears stumbled in, holding a tray with the usual soup and rice. Soojin hadn’t met him before—it seemed like Yongsun was thinning the ranks of the old guards who were loyal to the royal family and instead replacing them with new recruits.

“Put it down on that table.” Soojin pointed to the dining table in the far corner of the room.

The guard obediently set down the tray and shuffled out, locking the door behind him. Soojin let out a shaky breath as she sat down on the bed. Thank God that worked. Mustering her strength, she walked over to the tray and carefully sifted through the food. There was another message in the soup. She fished out the cloth and dried it. Unrolling the twine, she smiled at Yuqi’s neat handwriting.

“Rescue after Princess S. M. M.”

Well that was clear. Soyeon wanted Soojin to wait at the castle before escaping herself after Soyeon successfully met with Shuhua. Soojin carefully balled up the cloth and then put it in . Taking a gulp of the soup, she swallowed. She finished the rest of the meal and then climbed into bed. It felt too big and empty without Shuhua cuddled up next to her. But Soojin closed her eyes and reassured herself that the next time she slept she’d be next to Shuhua.

--

Yuqi tried to fight off the feeling of dread creeping up her back. She had just received a pigeon from Soyeon.

“Tell YS where SH is going. Bandits.”

That only meant one thing. There were too many enemies for Soyeon’s team to handle. It would be safer for Shuhua to be in the hands of Yongsun than anywhere else, even if it meant that Shuhua needed to be captured. Just ahead, Yuqi spied the new guard, Lucas, standing in front of Shuhua’s door.

“Oh hello Yuqi! Long time no see!” he eagerly quipped, a too-large smile overtaking his features.

Normally Y