“But it didn’t, and now you have to answer to me.” Slowly, she stood, careful to keep the blades twisted in his direction. “Sloane or someone working for Sloane commanded you to kill this boy. Yes or no.”
He shook his head and took a step back. “We’re not supposed to answer yes or no questions.”
The truth may be twisted but never false.
“I will stab you in the heart if you do not,” she hissed, anger rattling her heart. “The murder you were about to commit was Sloane’s doing. Yes or no.”
His Dagda’s Apple bobbed as he swallowed. Fear flickered through his yellow eyes. “He’ll kill me.”
“No.I’llkill you.”
“All right. Yes.” The attacker’s eyelids fluttered shut, and he whispered something to himself. Likely a prayer to the Dagda. But the Dagda did not hear the needful calls of murderers.
“And why did Sloane want you to kill this boy?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. I didn’t even speak to him. Someone inside the castle passed it along and told me what to do. It didn’t even matter who it was. I just picked the first person to step through that door.”
Mariel ground her teeth together. It was as she’d suspected. For some reason, the former king was behind these attacks, but there was no rhyme or reason to it. He did not pick specific targets. The low fae were likely indistinguishable to him. Any of them would do. The question was, why?
Mariel could tell she wouldn’t get the answers to those question from this fae. He didn’t know. He was blindly following the orders of a king who was no longer even his king, serving most likely out of a deep-seated fear that if he didn’t make the kill, someone might murder him instead.
With a heavy sigh, she lowered her daggers. “I just have one more question for you.”
He nodded eagerly, fingers trembling around his blade.
“If I let you go, you’ll still kill an innocent low fae. Yes or no.”
His face blanched, and he whispered, “We’re not supposed to answer yes or no—”
Mariel loosed her dagger. It soared through the tiny alley and sunk into the attacker’s throat. Blood spurted down his neck, large droplets mixing with the mud at his feet. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he slumped to the right, falling heavily onto his side.
Sliding her second dagger back into her waistband, she strode over to the corpse. “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you kill someone.”
She leaned over him, shoved her boot against his chest, and yanked her dagger out of his throat. Then, she wiped his blood on his own tunic, leaving him in the middle of the street for someone else to find. There was no time to hide the body nor would it matter if it somehow traced it back to her. She was the Bloody Dagger.
Mariel did not know why the former king was having the Tairngire low fae murdered. She did not need to know why. All that mattered was that he was still at it even though his reign had come to an end.
There was only one thing she had to do now.
Murder the king.
* * *
As soon as she stepped foot inside the Witchlight Woods so she could use the castle’s hidden entrance, she knew something was wrong. Air Court warriors rushed past her. Dozens of them. They were decked in full gold-dyed armor, their Tamaris steel swords glinting beneath the bright glow of the moon. With a frown, she stepped up beside one as they passed her by. He flinched for a moment, reaching for his sword, before he saw that she was nothing more than a low fae.
“What is happening?” she asked quickly. “Where are you going?”
He glanced behind him as more warriors rushed by. “I shouldn’t say.”
“Why? Is there something to fear?”
With another glance over his shoulder, he lowered his voice. “Do not speak of this to anyone.”
She nodded eagerly.
“Princess Reyna has been captured by some wood fae hiding out in the hills beyond the woods. They sent a ransom note. A meeting with the prince in exchange for her life.” He pressed his lips firmly together. “The High Queen has decided to attack. Get out of these woods at once. It isn’t safe.”
At that, he turned and joined the rest of the warriors rushing toward the hills. Mariel stared after him, heart thumping. She understood at once what must have happened. In an attempt to avoid a renewed war, Reyna had gone in search of the wood fae to make some sort of deal. That plan had backfired on her.
