In the darkness of the night, a man dressed entirely in black spoke to someone in a hushed voice.
Soldier: "A message has arrived from Château de Brissac."
Man: "Give it to me. I'll deliver it to the King myself. When the time comes for the decision, I'll send word back."
The man took the message and, without hesitation, burned it. His face was hidden beneath a dark hood, his body wrapped completely in black garments. No one could recognize him. The message was destroyed before it ever reached the King's hands.
Morning light streamed through the windows, falling gently upon the open book on Famoura's desk. When she looked closer, she noticed that the sunlight revealed faint maroon letters shimmering across the crimson fabric pages.
Startled, she hurried to the library and pulled out a book about her town's history. There she discovered that the mysterious book was known as The Crimson, named after the deep red dye used to inscribe its words upon fabric pages.
Just then, her teacher called her downstairs for lessons. Famoura quickly hid the book and rushed toward the staircase—