‘She has to stay behind. Marrock told us not to let her in again.’
If I’d been here alone, he’d have laughed in my face while turning me away. Instead he looked apologetic.
‘Oh.’ De Florinville considered this for a moment. ‘Well, where Saiya goes, I go. If she cannot enter then we’ll have to go elsewhere.’ He flashed me a dazzling smile. ‘It’s no problem, darling. You said there were plenty of others we could see instead.’ He turned away. I shrugged and did the same. This had better work – Ange needed help sooner rather than later.
‘Fuck’s sake.’ Marrock’s voice bellowed out from the upper window. ‘Let them all in.’
Marrock’s goons were obviously relieved. ‘This way!’ Pat burbled. ‘I’ll show you where to go!’
I rolled my eyes and sidled up to de Florinville. ‘I thought I told you that I would handle this,’ I muttered.
He quirked an eyebrow. ‘Do you have a problem with what I’ve achieved so far?’
‘No.’ I just wanted to remind him that I was in charge here, not him.
‘You’re in charge here, Saiya,’ he said softly. ‘Not me. I’ll follow your lead.’
I stared at him. Bloody hell. Either he was a mind reader, or he was far more sensitive than anyone had given him credit for – or my thoughts were displayed on my face. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
I huffed quietly and pushed it out of my mind. Ange wasn’t safe yet. Not by a long shot.
Chapter Eleven
The smoked-glass doors had barely closed behind us when Marrock appeared. Even with the behaviour of his goons outside, I was still shocked. Marrock enjoyed possessing the perception of power even more than possessing power itself. I thought he would enjoy watching a Dark Elf walk down one of his bowling lanes to be granted an audience, especially when that Dark Elf was Gabriel de Florinville. Instead, Marrock was just as star struck as everyone else. His face was wreathed in smiles and he held his arms out expansively, grabbing hold of me as we drew close.
‘Saiya!’ He yanked me towards him, planting a wet kiss on my cheek and squeezing me tight. ‘How wonderful of you to come and see us!’ He angled himself away from de Florinville and muttered into my ear, ‘That better not be Ange Horrocks he's holding.’ Then he stepped back and smiled benevolently at the Dark Elf.
What he received in return was an icy glower. De Florinville’s spine was stiff, as if he were filled with both rage and tension. Given his mild manner outside, I was surprised but I could only assume that it was part of his plan. It certainly wasn't part of mine, though.
‘Marrock,’ I said, speaking loudly and formally. ‘I would like to present to you Gabriel de Florinville and Angela Horrocks.’
Marrock’s answering smile stiffened. ‘Lord de Florinville. I am delighted to make your acquaintance.’ That part was genuine at least. He glanced down at Ange. ‘Your companion looks unwell. Why don’t I have her taken to the nearest doctor? I can arrange for transport. She looks like she needs medical attention.’
I almost snorted. There were no doctors left in Stirling, none who were alive or prepared to work on humans like us.
De Florinville didn’t take his eyes off Marrock. ‘I am not a Lord and I am perfectly capable of seeing to Ms Horrocks’ needs myself. I just require somewhere to lay her down safely and comfortably so I can work on her.’ He maintained his smile but there was something threatening about it. That was a neat trick; no wonder Prime Minister James had named the Dark Elf as Envoy. What I didn’t yet understand was why he had such an underlying air of menace. He didn’t know Marrock – and the wee man had let us inside, offering us help and sanctuary at great danger to himself. I scratched my head. Puzzling.
‘We have several booths which should suit your purpose.’ Marrock also continued to smile. He clicked his fingers and two nameless minions appeared. ‘Help Mr de Florinville with the woman.’
‘Gabriel is fine. And I can manage on my own.’
Marrock bowed. ‘As you wish. The booths are just over to your right, past the Penny Falls arcade.’
De Florinville didn’t move. He looked at me, his dark eyes unblinking. ‘Come, Saiya.’
I cleared my throat, aware that colour was rising in my cheeks. ‘Give me a couple of minutes. I want to talk to Marrock first.’
De Florinville’s eyes narrowed, sparking with an anger that loomed over us all. What exactly was his problem? I folded my arms and met his gaze. It was less than five minutes since he’d assured me that he’d follow my lead but he seemed to have forgotten that already. I tried to stare him down, willing him to stop being an arse, but I’d never been in a staring competition with a Dark Elf before. It felt as if I were being swallowed up by the glitter of his gaze.
If Ange hadn’t shifted slightly and moaned, I’m not sure what would have happened. Her intervention did the trick and broke the crackling tension. Gabriel de Florinville didn’t pull his eyes from mine but he did relax slightly and nod his head. A moment later, he turned and left for the booths, the two minions trailing in his wake.
I let out the breath I hadn’t realised I was holding. Marrock waited until he was sure de Florinville had gone before turning to me. ‘What the fuck are you playing at, Saiya?’ he growled at me. ‘I told you to stay away.’
I did my best impression of a nonchalant shrug. ‘You also told me to find out more about the Dark Elf. What better way to do that than to bring him here in person?’
Marrock’s expression didn’t change. ‘I don’t like playing games.’
‘I’m not playing.’
Something about my tone persuaded Marrock of my sincerity because he relaxed slightly and the twitching muscle in his eyebrow subsided. ‘You’ve told him about me.’
‘I’ve not told him anything,’ I said.
Marrock regarded me implacably. ‘Well, he knows something. That’s unvarnished hatred that he’s feeling and he’s feeling it for me – for no apparent reason that I can think of.’
I shifted uncomfortably. I could hardly pretend I’d not noticed de Florinville’s strange antagonism. ‘I don’t know what that’s about,’ I muttered.
Marrock watched me for a moment longer. ‘You shouldn’t have brought that woman here,’ he said, abandoning Gabriel de Florinville for the time being.
My gaze dropped. The box with his henchman’s head in it was still seared in my mind. We both knew the risk I was placing on Marrock’s slight shoulders by coming here. ‘We won’t stay for long. If there had been a choice I wouldn’t have come. But she’s important, Marrock. I don’t know how or why, but there are secrets locked inside her skull that the Filits are desperate to know. And I think she’s the reason why the Gneiss are here.’
Marrock jerked slightly, my words obviously coming as news. ‘The Gneiss have broken through the siege?’
‘Not many of them.’ I told him what I’d seen from the alleyway.
‘Just the one vehicle?’
I nodded.
His face grew dark. ‘That doesn’t make sense. If they have the power to break through into the city then why just send one carload?’ He jerked his chin to where de Florinville and Ange had gone. ‘What makes you think this is to do with her and not him?’
‘They want her,’ I said quietly. ‘They don’t want him.’
His eyes met mine. ‘We need to know more. Come with me.’ Marrock strode away. I jogged to catch up with him, unsure where he was going or what he was planning.
‘I have an unrelated question,’ I said, keeping my voice low. ‘Have you heard of a Fior Ghal before?’
Marrock sent me a sidelong glance. ‘Yes.’
‘And? What is it?’
‘I’m curious why you’re asking.’
I pressed my lips together. Never give away more information than you need to. Apparently, however, I didn’t need to because realization lit Marrock’s face. ‘That’s why he hates me.’ He gave a loud laugh that echoed around us, bouncing off the silent bandit machines. ‘Now it m
akes sense!’
I glared at him. ‘I don’t see how.’
‘You’re his Fior Ghal. You have no idea what that means, do you? Or how precious it makes you.’
I sighed in irritation. ‘Marrock…’
‘Haven’t you ever wondered why there are so few Dark Elves in Scotland?’
I crossed my arms. ‘I wonder what’s going to be in my weekly rations and whether I’ll live long enough to eat them. I wonder whether today will be the day that the goblins break down my door. I don’t wonder about Dark Elves.’
‘Why would the goblins break down your door, Saiya?’
‘Why wouldn’t they?’ I retorted.
‘You’re Gabriel de Florinville’s Fior Ghal. That’s reason enough, I suppose.’ His eyes gleamed. ‘But we both know there’s even more to you than that.’
‘I’m sexy, smart and wonderful. Yes.’ I was hardly about to tell Marrock I was a wraith. ‘Now enlighten me. What is a Fior Ghal?’ I repeated.
He jabbed his finger at me. ‘Bear in mind this information is third hand. I don’t move in Dark Elf circles so I don’t have all the lowdown.’
‘I hear you. Tell me what you do know.’
‘You’re his baby mama.’
I blinked. ‘Excuse me?’ Of everything I’d expected to hear, that certainly wasn’t on the list.
Marrock’s grin split his face, creasing it from ear to ear. ‘There are so few Dark Elves because for each Elf there’s only one other person in the world who can have their babies. You’re the only person on this earth who can carry Gabriel de Florinville’s child to term. It’s destiny. It can’t be altered.’ He laughed again.
I thought of the strange jolt I’d felt when de Florinville first touched me, the gentle way he’d treated me and his willingness to follow me into burning buildings. It suddenly made sense. ‘I’m a brood mare,’ I whispered.
‘Yep.’
‘A Dark Elf incubator.’
‘Indeed.’
I felt nauseous. ‘Can…’ My voice was faint. ‘Can I have any Dark Elf’s child?’
‘Nope. Just his.’ He chuckled.
I wondered whether I should rejoice or whether it made me feel worse. I’d been starting to warm to the Elf, despite what had gone on before. Now I didn’t have to worry that he’d kill me if he found out I was a wraith; he needed me more than I needed him. Then a second more horrifying thought occurred to me. He didn’t actually need me, he just needed my body as a vessel.
‘Mr I’m-not-a-Lord-de-Florinville doesn’t like me because he thinks we’re an item. You and me! What a ridiculous idea!’ Marrock chuckled. ‘You’re looking rather pale, Saiya.’
No shit. I was feeling kinda bloody pale. The urge to run and get as far away from Gabriel de Florinville as possible was almost overwhelming.
‘Where are you going?’ The voice of the Dark Elf himself floated over from the gloom somewhere to my right.
I couldn’t prevent an alarmed squeak from escaping my lips. Marrock’s response was far cheerier. ‘We’re going to do a little spying on the goblins,’ he said. ‘Wanna come with?’
I felt de Florinville watching me but I couldn’t look at him. I couldn’t even say anything.
‘Sure,’ he said finally. He walked up to me and hooked a proprietorial arm round my waist. I flinched and drew away. Something dark flickered in his gaze but otherwise he didn’t respond.
Marrock laughed again. He seemed to be under the impression that all this was simply a show for his own entertainment. ‘How’s the woman? Ange?’
‘Sleeping. She’ll be alright.’
I folded my arms and moved as far away from the Dark Elf as I could. I wasn’t ready to use Marrock as a shield between De Florinville and myself but I wasn’t too far from that point. ‘When can she be moved?’ I asked.
‘In a few hours.’ He was still looking at me. Damn him. ‘It’s not like fixing some broken fingers. She’s sustained considerable abuse over a period of time and there was internal damage to sort out.’ Fury lit his words as if he were only just finding out that the goblins didn’t tuck us up in bed at night or hand out sweets and chocolate and free hugs to make us feel safe.
Marrock spat on the floor. ‘Ach,’ he said, ‘I’ve seen far worse.’
So had I. I was under the impression that the Filits had been afraid to go too far with their torture of Ange in case they accidentally killed her. Whatever she knew about this Stone thing was clearly important to them. From the way de Florinville had reacted when I mentioned it, he thought the same. Not that I cared what he thought.
‘Boss.’ Another of Marrock’s minions sidled out of the darkness. It would drive me crazy having people do that all the time – and I was a damned wraith who lived for dark shadows. ‘Word is there are Gneiss goblins in town.’
Marrock’s lip curled. ‘No shit. I knew that half an hour ago. Where are they now?’
The minion smirked. ‘Mercat Cross.’
Marrock clapped his hands together and rubbed his palms. ‘As I’d hoped. Excellent.’ He smiled, first at de Florinville then at me. ‘You’re going to enjoy this.’
Somehow I doubted it.
***
Marrock took us up a narrow fire escape that led out of the bowling alley onto its flat roof. The worst of the smoke from the Gneiss’ shelling had dissipated but the sky remained grey and lifeless.
‘I don’t do this very often,’ Marrock called over his shoulder.
‘Take people up to the roof of your building and throw them off?’ I muttered while de Florinville shot me a look filled with equal measures of surprise and amusement.
‘Saiya,’ Marrock chided. ‘So cynical.’ He grinned at de Florinville as if sharing a joke. To the Dark Elf’s credit, he looked away.
Although I could have easily sent my shadow up here, I’d never actually been on the roof of the bowling alley. I’d never had any cause to be here; Marrock’s machinations held little interest to me. I sold him the secrets he wanted and didn’t think too hard about what he did with the information he paid for. Maybe the day I became a saint, I’d be in a position to judge him but that wasn’t today. All the same, when I saw what was sitting on top of Marrock’s roof, my jaw dropped open.
The wee man obviously took pleasure in my surprise. He puffed out his chest and strutted over to the gigantic, angled mirror. ‘You’re not the only one with secrets to tell, Saiya,’ he called. ‘I have more methods of seeking out the truth and keeping an ear to the ground than you might imagine.’ He licked his lips in self-satisfaction. ‘You get the best view if you stand here.’
Warily, I edged over with de Florinville on my heels. When I got to the point where Marrock was standing, I realised what he meant. We were over a mile away from Mercat Cross but the reflection in the mirror was of those streets. I could see a large group of Filit goblins facing off against a smaller group of Gneiss goblins. Each faction glared at the other, with the only the odd twitch proving that the image was live rather than static.
I stared harder. ‘This is happening now?’
‘There’s about half a second delay. But essentially, yes. Normally I use it when there’s a hanging taking place – not to be voyeuristic, you understand. It helps to know who is being targeted by the Filits. With the gallows currently out of action, I assumed the system would be defunct.’ His smile grew. ‘I couldn’t be more wrong.’
De Florinville hissed under his breath. ‘The auction block. It’s used for hanging?’
‘When we don’t have Dark Elf dignitaries in town,’ Marrock responded.
I was barely listening; my attention was wholly on the mirrored device. ‘Is it magic?’
‘Physics.’ Marrock took me by the arm, ignoring the way de Florinville suddenly stiffened, and drew me to the side of the roof. ‘There,’ he said pointing. ‘It’s angled into the block of flats there. The entrance has caved in and I make sure no one is curious enough to venture inside with some well-placed warnings and traps. The mirror
here reflects the mirror on the top floor of the flats. That in turn reflects a smaller version set into the old clock tower, which is angled down into Mercat Cross. It took considerable time and effort to get it all right. It’s rather nifty engineering though, isn’t it? We’re trying to establish a similar version to look into the castle but the angles are more complicated and, alas, we can’t see through stone.’
I turned back to the mirror behind us. One of the Gneiss goblins had stepped forward and his lips were moving. None of the other goblins appeared particularly happy. ‘It’s … very impressive,’ I conceded.
Marrock preened. ‘It takes a lot to get a compliment from you, Saiya. You don’t impress easily. Thank you.’
From several feet away, de Florinville sniffed. ‘It could be better.’
A muscle in Marrock’s cheek twitched but his smile remained in place. ‘We welcome any suggestions.’
The Dark Elf raised his right hand in the air. ‘Saiya asked about magic,’ he said quietly. ‘This is magic.’ He clicked his fingers once. Initially, it seemed as if nothing happened then the air crackled and I realised what he’d achieved.
‘…the information we received appears to be true.’
‘It’s not. You need better spies.’
My eyes widened. Those were the unmistakable accents of two goblins: one Filit and one Gneiss. De Florinville had gone one step further than Marrock; he’d used to magic to let us hear what the goblins at Mercat Cross were saying. If there were a record button, this would be the best CCTV system in the country.
I shuffled closer to get a better look. Even from this distance it was obvious that the tension between the two groups was at breaking point. Frankly, I was amazed that the Gneiss goblins were still alive. They had dared much by coming into the city like they had. And they were standing slap bang in the city centre.
‘If you have the Stone,’ the Gneiss general continued, ‘we deserve to know about it.’