Red Hood's Revenge

“Roudette isn’t cheap, but for the right price, she’ll murder any target you choose. King or newborn, it makes no difference.”
    Trittibar tugged the braids of his beard. “When she attempted to kill your queen, she carried a fairy-forged blade, hoping to frame my people for the murder. Had she succeeded, it could have ended the treaty and renewed the war between our people.”
    “She seems to prefer fairy targets,” Talia added. “Fairies and their human allies.”
    “Allies like us.” Danielle felt strangely calm, like an actress playing a role. None of it felt real. Who could possibly hate her so much that they would pay an assassin to kill her? Charlotte and Stacia were different. Their hatred had been personal. Roudette was a stranger. “You’re sure this is a trap? We did capture Rumpelstilzchen. Maybe this is her twisted way of thanking us.”
    “She sent you a toe ,” said Snow. “That’s not the sort of thing you give your new best friend. Except maybe among goblins. I hear they prepare the toes of their enemies as snacks, smoking the meat and—”
    “Roudette doesn’t do favors,” Talia said. “She means to lure you out and kill you.”
    The flat certainty in Talia’s words broke through any remaining doubt. “So why not sneak into my room and cut my throat as I sleep?”
    Snow beamed. “Roudette can’t get within a hundred paces of the palace without me knowing. Talia gave as good as she got in that last fight. There was more than enough blood for me to be able to key the wards in the wall directly to Roudette. She won’t come here a second time. You’re safe here.”
    “There’s no such thing as safe,” Talia said. “Snow’s right, though. Any two-penny fortune-teller could have warned Roudette what would happen if she tried to enter the palace.”
    “So why bother with Charlotte?” Danielle asked. “Roudette had no problem ambushing Rumpelstilzchen on the road. Why not wait until the next time I leave and do the same with me?”
    “You’d be under guard,” said Snow. “And Roudette might have a time limit. If she was paid to make sure you died by a certain day, she might have no choice but to lure you out.”
    Talia turned to Snow. “Use the toe to scry on Charlotte. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a glimpse of Roudette as well. From Roudette’s note, we have until tomorrow night before she tries again. I’ll talk to Father Isaac about strengthening the wards.”
    “What about . . .” Danielle’s voice trailed off. They had already decided to let Roudette kill Charlotte. She looked toward the altar at the front of the church. Charlotte’s crimes had certainly earned death, and yet—
    “Danielle?” Beatrice’s brown eyes, so similar to Armand’s, never left Danielle. Those eyes were gentle, even compassionate, as though she knew exactly what was going through Danielle’s mind.
    Talia looked from Beatrice to Danielle. “You’ve got to be joking.”
    “You think I should let Roudette kill my stepsister?” Danielle asked.
    “I think I should have killed her myself when I had the chance,” Talia shot back.
    “You’re probably right.” Danielle watched the queen, trying to read her expression. How could she explain her conflict to Talia when she didn’t understand it herself? All she had to do was sit back and do nothing, and her stepsister would die. Danielle wouldn’t even have to be the one to order Charlotte’s death. Danielle’s hands would be clean.
    Beatrice nodded ever so slightly.
    “We left Charlotte in Fairytown,” Danielle said. “Alone, bound to a fairy master. It’s possible the years have changed her.”
    Snow glanced up. “It’s also possible beanstalks will start growing out of my—”
    “Roudette took Charlotte, but if I do nothing, then I share the responsibility for Charlotte’s death.”
    “So where’s the problem?” asked Talia. “For all we know, Charlotte was the one who hired Roudette to kill you!”
    “Hired her with what? Even if she wanted me dead, she’d never cut off her own toe to do it.”
    “ If she wanted you dead?” Talia repeated. “Were you paying attention the last time she tried to kill you? If she were in your position, she’d let you die in a heartbeat.”
    “I know,” Danielle whispered, thinking of her mother. “That’s why I have to be better than she is.”
    Talia turned to the queen. “She’s mad.”
    “So we do it your way,” Danielle said. “We let her die. What then?