Reyna frowned. “I...is there someone else?”
“Oy, Mariel!” a boy shouted through the hum of the bustling tavern. Mariel, Reyna presumed, waved her hand dismissively and turned those unreal eyes back on Reyna.
“Why are you here, love? Just spit it out.”
She took a glance around her, and then dropped her voice into a whisper. “I’m looking for someone who goes by the name of the Bloody Dagger. I heard he owns this tavern.”
“He?” Mariel arched a brow, and then let out a low chuckle. “Should have known they’d eventually start attributing my work to a bloody male.”
“You.” Excitement tripped through Reyna’s veins. “You’re the one.”
“The one and only.” Mariel raised an arm and waved toward the back corner of the tavern before moving out from behind the bar. “Come with me. We shouldn’t speak out here.”
Mariel led Reyna through a burlap flap and into a storeroom lined with, barrels, spirits, and cured meats. The buzz of the tavern outside raged ever onward, the sounds of song and laughter seeping through the cracks. She motioned toward a chair and grabbed a bottle of spirits off the wall. “Need a little pick-me-up?”
“Like I said, I’m not here for ale,” Reyna said.
Mariel frowned and set down the bottle. “You are nothing like anyone who has ever come to me before.”
“That’s because I’m not.” Reyna reached up and untied the neckerchief around her head. Her silver hair sprang free, cascading around her shoulders.
Mariel let out a slight gasp, but to her credit, her expression never changed. Calm, steady, unbothered. This was no simple tavern owner. “Right. So, I’ve finally caught the attention of the crown. Took you lot long enough. Does that mean there are guards outside, waiting to arrest me?”
“I’m not here as part of the crown. I’m here because I need your help.”
Mariel cocked her head. “Why would Princess Reyna, the betrothed of the future High King, possibly need my help?”
“Because someone inside that castle tried to have me killed. They sent an assassin after me. I managed to protect myself, this time, but...”
Silence stretched between them. Mariel merely stared at Reyna, her gold-rimmed eyes flickering with a strange flurry of emotions. Finally, she turned back to the bottle, poured the clear liquid into a small mug, and then handed it to Reyna.
“I think you need that drink after all, love.”
Reyna didn’t argue. Instead, she took the wooden mug and tipped the harsh liquid down her throat, wincing as it burned.
“You seem surprised. That’s not the reaction I’d been hoping for,” Reyna admitted after she’d handed the mug back to Mariel.
“Don’t mistake me, princess,” Mariel said, taking a shot of the spirits herself. “I am fully aware the Selkirks are an awful lot, particularly that male who we once had to call king. But I never imagined they would attempt to murder you. Us low fae down here in the slums? Certainly. But you are important to them.”
“You really ought to be important to them, too,” Reyna muttered. “But the truth is, I’m disappointed because I had hoped you would know more than this. Someone once told me that the Bloody Dagger knows everything about everyone.”
“Ah,” Mariel said, pouring another shot. “You hoped I’d know who was behind the plot.”
Reyna took another drink, followed by Mariel.
“I am sorry to disappoint you, princess,” Mariel said. “You came all the way here to Drunkard’s Pit, and I known nothing about that plot. Information on the intrigues inside Dalais Castle is hard to come by these days.”
“That’s all right,” Reyna said, slumping back into her chair. “I knew it was a long shot.”
“Perhaps...” Mariel tapped a finger against the wooden shelf. “I can help you some other way.”
Reyna perked up a little, straightening in the chair. “How?”
“I know how to get inside that castle without being seen,” she said slowly. “I will do some digging around, see what I can find out. I just need something from you in return.”
With hope in her heart, she stood. “Anything, so long as it’s in my power.”
Mariel smiled. “You seem decent, which is more than I can say for the rest of those nobles up there in the castle. When you marry Prince Thane and you take your place by his side, help these fae down here. Help those who are stuck in these slums. They need someone to look after them, and they have no one.”
