“I see,” the wood fae said quietly. “That makes three of our spies that she has felled.”
“Three?” the assassin asked. “She killed the original assassin, and then the guard who tried to stop her outside of the dungeon. No others.”
Mariel cocked her head, listening closer.
“Perhaps we should have focused more on her sister. She needs to die as well if we wish to wed Princess Etaine to the Thane boy.”
Interesting. Mariel pursed her lips, understanding at once the plot. The wood fae wanted the Darragh family out of the picture completely. Glencora, the eldest, was no longer a concern. Apparently, she had come down with a terrible illness. The other two girls were a problem though, at least according to the wood fae. Either could easily sit on the throne beside the future High King, confirming an alliance between their Air and Ice courts indefinitely.
But the wood fae did not want that alliance to proceed. They wanted a princess of the Wood Court to wed Prince Thane instead.
And they were willing to kill for it.
“If Thane had never turned down our proposal in the first place, none of this would have been necessary,” the wood fae muttered to himself.
Even more interesting. Mariel had not heard that there were discussions between the Air and Wood Courts. That information had been kept tightly under wraps. Knowing how the High Queen felt about Thane’s betrothal to Reyna, Mariel could not help but wonder why Imogen had chosen that route.
It did not make a great deal of sense.
The Wood Court had greater resources, a larger army, and a direct southern trade link with the Empire of Fomor. The wood fae also sat directly between the air fae lands and Findius, the former capital of the exiles, which the Air Court currently controlled. From a purely objective standpoint, the air fae would be in a much better position if they allied with the Wood Court.
The only possible downside to their joined courts was the Wood Court’s current ruler, High King Ulaid Molt. He ruled the wood fae as a tyrant, terrible and wicked and cruel. But the Selkirks were not much better themselves.
“You will need to focus your efforts on the younger sister,” the assassin said. “She is far more vulnerable than Reyna. A threat could do the trick. If Reyna believes Eislyn is in danger…”
The wood fae’s sharp gaze rested on the assassin’s face. “Have you spoken to anyone about this? Is anyone inside that castle aware that you are our spy?”
The assassin shook her head quickly, and Mariel’s stomach turned over on itself. The assassin clearly did not see what was coming, but Mariel did. And she had no desire to stop it. This fae had tried to kill Reyna, and she had suggested to target Eislyn next. The younger Darragh sister was an innocent, swept up in the intrigue. She did not deserve to die.
The wood fae smiled, lifted his sword, and sliced through the assassin’s neck without even a moment’s warning. Her head fell clean off and thumped onto the ground, droplets of blood mingling with the dusting of snow. Mariel pressed her lips together and watched as the wood fae wrapped her body in a cloak and then tied it to the back of his horse. A moment later, he took off toward the hills, dragging the dead assassin’s body behind him.
Mariel watched him go with fire in her heart. The Wood Court wanted to destroy her city, her world, her fae. She might not sit on that throne, but the people were hers all the same.
But she didn’t know how to stop them without bringing the war through the city gates.
32
Reyna
Ahooded form dropped through her open window. Reyna jumped to her feet, whisking her blade out from beneath her pillow. She had managed to keep it, even after the incidents. No one had tried to take it from her. Yet. She knew it would only be a matter of time.
The hood dropped back, revealing Mariel’s ethereal face. This night, she looked far younger than she had the last time Reyna had seen her, though the shadows pulsing through the darkened bedchamber could be playing with Reyna’s eyes.
Mariel’s gaze flicked toward the dagger. “I did not come here to murder you in your sleep, though I doubt I even could, if that was my objective. I hear you are quite accomplished with your blade there.”
Reyna sighed and lowered her hand. “You gave me quite the fright. Why are you leaping into my window in the middle of the night? And, more to the point, how did you even get up here? Only my owl can get in and out this way. That’s why the window is open. He’s out hunting.”
Reyna’s chambers were near the top of the tower. The only thing below her was the bay. Mariel should not have been able to reach the window unless…no, she could not have wings. That was impossible. She regarded the tavern owner carefully. There was something…different about this low fae. Her movements were smooth and graceful, her eyes were sharp and keen. In fact, her entire presence exuded strength.
“Nevermind how I got here.” Mariel dropped back her hood and began to pace the length of the room. She twisted her hands together, deeply frowning. “Your assassin escaped.”
Shocked, Reyna stood a little taller and grabbed her cloak from the bedpost to wrap around her shoulders. Not for warmth, but because she was quickly realizing that she should be wearing more than her thin white nightclothes for this conversation. “I know. I was there when it happened. I went into the dungeons to question her, but another showed up to fight. In the end, she got away while I was busy fighting.”
Mariel gave her an appraising glance. “A guard?”
“It seems that way.”
“I have been doing my own spying, as you requested.” Mariel suddenly stopped pacing to stand before Reyna. Her eyes sparked, her chin held high. She almost looked afraid but defiantly so. “I saw her fleeing the castle and decided to follow her.”
