Wraith

  He nodded. ‘It would make a lot of sense.’ He grinned suddenly. ‘But they’re not as smart as they think they are.’

  A guttural voice sounded behind us. ‘Who?’ Ghrashbreg enquired. ‘Who is not as smart as they think?’

  Oh shit. Bring back the damned Worm.

  Chapter Fifteen

  ‘Well, that was a conveniently timed arrival,’ Gabriel said, although the friendly smile on his lips offset his sarcasm.

  The Dark Elf had a point. I wondered whether the Filit lord had deliberately hung back, watching our fight from a safe distance and hoping that the Death Worm would win the day. It would be a convenient way to dispose of the pair of us without having to lie to the Prime Minister about how his Envoy expired. Ghrashbreg had to be suspicious about what Gabriel was up to by now. Not to mention that Gabriel had supposedly told him I was dead.

  Regardless of what Ghrashbreg was really thinking, he’d brought a veritable goblin army with him. They stood silently at his back, maintaining relaxed-looking positions that were anything but.

  ‘Indeed,’ the goblin Lord murmured, matching Gabriel’s smile. ‘Although if you’re suggesting that we deliberately waited until you’d killed this gruesome creature, then I’m disappointed.’ He bowed in my direction. ‘Saiya Buchanan. I’m pleased to see you alive and … well.’ His slitted eyes roved up and down my gunk-covered body. With any luck it would encourage him to keep a safe distance from me. ‘Tell me. Did anyone else escape from the Tolbooth with you? You dashed in there with undue haste. Generally it’s considered safer to run away from collapsing buildings rather than running into them.’

  I wondered whether the desk goblin had managed to escape for long enough to tell him about Erica Quiddle. I hoped not. I shuddered deliberately and met Ghrashbreg’s gaze head-on. ‘I couldn’t help myself. The thought of all those people trapped inside…’ My voice trailed off. ‘Alas, I couldn’t save a single soul before the walls starting collapsing around us.’ I bit my lip. ‘Why have the Gneiss goblins started bombing us again?’ I injected a pained entreaty into my words, as if I trusted the Filit Lord to offer an appropriate answer.

  Ghrashbreg shrugged as if the matter were of little consequence. ‘Goodness only knows. Gneiss goblins are vicious bastards as you well know, having been trapped in this city for three long years. They have no care for the well-being of others.’ He displayed his teeth. ‘Unlike us.’

  Gabriel put an arm round me, apparently not caring about my physical state. ‘It’s a miracle that Saiya is alive. To lose my Fior Ghal mere hours after finding her…’ He shook his head. ‘It’s too terrible to contemplate.’ There was a strange edge to his tone, a sort of bitterness that I didn’t immediately understand. Then I realised with a chill what it was. Gabriel de Florinville wasn’t the sort to resort to subterfuge or deceit. He might employ diplomacy to great effect but he’d already shown that he had the sort of misplaced noble attitude that despised lying or prevaricating. But surely he understood that the only way to avoid being cut down by Ghrashbreg and his men was to glide past the truth?

  Breaking the habits of a lifetime, I reached round Gabriel’s waist and squeezed it, attempting to warn him. Even his stomach was rock hard. I cleared my throat as much out of awkwardness about touching him as to draw attention to myself. ‘All this Fior Ghal business is rather baffling to me,’ I said, trying to focus the topic of conversation on something relatively benign – at least as far as Ghrashbreg was concerned. ‘I don’t really understand what it entails.’ I pulled back and punched Gabriel lightly on the arm. ‘You’ve not explained it to me.’

  Ghrahsbreg smirked, an oily expression that made him appear even more heartless. ‘I’ve always wondered about Fior Ghals,’ he said. ‘Do they feel the same as their Dark Elf counterparts or are they forced to go along for the ride?’ He thrust his pelvis back and forth a few times in a crude suggestion of sex.

  I felt Gabriel stiffen. Surely he was too intelligent to rise to such obvious bait? ‘There’s a lot more to being Fior Ghal than that.’ Anger vibrated through him.

  I sniffed. Yeah: nine months of incubating a Dark Elf child, apparently. ‘Well,’ I said, in a bid to smooth things over so we didn’t end up with our guts spilling out next to the Death Worm’s, ‘I look forward to findi—’

  I didn’t get chance to finish the word, let alone the sentence. Gabriel was already interrupting me. ‘In fact, it seems that it’s not the only thing around here that has more to it than meets the eye. Take this siege, for example.’

  He had to go there; he had to open up a festering wound and not only put our lives in danger but our search for the Stone in jeopardy.

  ‘Whatever do you mean?’ Ghrashbreg arched an eyebrow as if he were nothing but curious but I knew he was bristling with suspicion. He wouldn’t hesitate to put us both down. Gabriel might be a Dark Elf but he’d just been slammed around by a gigantic Death Worm. Ghrashbreg had dozens of Filit goblins watching us, ready to act at a moment’s notice. Bloody Gabriel; he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

  ‘It’s not the city of Stirling that you and the Gneiss goblins are fighting over. It’s—’

  I flung my arms round Gabriel’s neck. ‘It’s honour,’ I said breathlessly. ‘They don’t talk about it but it’s impossible to miss. It’s the same as you being too honourable to kiss me even though it’s all I’ve been thinking about.’ I reached up on tiptoe, registering the astonishment on his face before I planted my lips on his. It was the only thing I could think of to shut him up. The idiot seemed to keep forgetting he was on enemy territory.

  For a moment, I thought that he wasn’t going to move then a deep growl sounded in his chest, his arms moved round me and his mouth opened. My lips tingled. In fact, my entire body tingled. He tasted like nothing I’d ever experienced before. Even though I was pressed against him, he seemed to be trying to pull me even closer, absorbing my body into his. Some dim part of my brain knew that Ghrashbreg and dozens of goblins were staring at us but it didn’t matter. All that existed were Gabriel’s hands tight on my waist and the way he sucked my bottom lip before cupping my face and gazing into my eyes, dark desire lighting his own. I moaned. It was too much. I kissed him again, enjoying the feel of his rough stubble against my skin, the warmth of his tongue pressing against mine, the staccato hammer of his heartbeat which matched my own perfectly, the…

  ‘We should get these two back to the castle,’ Ghrashbreg said loudly. ‘I enjoy a show as much as the next goblin but this is making me distinctly hot under the collar.’

  I yanked myself away. ‘That wasn’t supposed to happen,’ I muttered, feeling bewildered and off-balance.

  Gabriel seemed equally stunned. He took a step back and ran a shaky hand through his hair. His tongue darted out, licking his lips, and I followed the movement. It took almost everything I had not to throw myself at him again. My cheeks burned and the squirming sensation deep in my groin intensified. It wasn’t real, I told myself; it was some strange side effect of this Fior Ghal business that made me want to open myself up to him. It was creepy Dark Elf magic designed to entice me into making love and falling pregnant. I drew in a ragged breath. Knowing that didn’t change things; I desperately wanted Gabriel de Florinville’s body on me. And I wanted it now.

  I ripped my eyes away from Gabriel and re-focused on Ghrashbreg. He seemed amused, flicking his gaze from Gabriel to my bruised lips. It was only when his eyes drifted downwards to glance at my fingers, as if checking to see if they were still broken from his earlier torture, that I brought myself back to the here and now.

  ‘Well,’ the goblin said briskly. ‘Shall we? I will escort you both back to the castle forthwith. Your transport out of Stirling is already waiting for you. I’ve cleared a space for Ms Buchanan so she can leave with you.’ He paused. ‘I haven’t seen your manservant for a while though. Ryland, is it?’

  ‘Rymark,’ Gabriel growled, his voice still husky. ‘And he’s not my servant, he’s an esteemed colleague.
I’m afraid we can’t leave Stirling until he is located. It would be dangerous to leave him here, given his position at Holyrood. I’d hate to think that the Gneiss goblins could burst through the city walls and get hold of him. The knowledge contained inside his head is rather valuable. We can’t have it fall into the wrong hands. And we all know there’s a wraith lurking around here somewhere.’

  He finally seemed to have learnt the value of lying. I nodded in agreement and tried not to react to his mention of the supposed wraith assassin.

  Ghrashbreg, however, was unimpressed and his expression hardened. ‘We can keep a lookout for your man and send him on to join you once he’s found. He’s not in the castle so he could be anywhere. And I wouldn’t worry about the wraith – we’ve captured it again and we won’t let it go like you did.’

  Nausea rose inside me at Ghrashbreg’s words. He wasn’t done yet either. ‘There might be others, though. Its target was your charming Fior Ghal and she is still very much alive. You should get her to safety while you still can.’ He lifted his head and scanned the skies. ‘Goodness knows if the Gneiss goblins are going to try to bomb us again or how many dangerous prisoners escaped when the Tolbooth was destroyed. This siege has created many monsters.’

  I almost laughed aloud at that last part. Still, I was glad that Ghrashbreg was laying it on too thick. His mention of the wraith made Gabriel stiffen as well as me and I was aware of the worried look he shot me. It was a piece of the puzzle the Dark Elf had yet to work out – thankfully – but his concern for my safety could ruin everything. The Stone of Scone was what was important, not my ability to pop out an elven kid. All the same, if I got the chance to help out the captured wraith, I would. I owed him that much.

  ‘We shall wait until tomorrow,’ Gabriel said. ‘It’s possible Rymark has got himself entangled with some of Stirling’s other delights and will return later. If he has not appeared by noon, then we shall have to depart.’ He reached for my hand, entwining his fingers with mine. A pleasant buzz spread through me but I ignored it. Like hell was I departing Stirling. ‘I would also like to interrogate the wraith. I assume you’re keeping him at the castle?’

  ‘We are. He is still in shadow form and we have the situation under control. He’s in the dungeon and cannot escape again.’

  ‘All the same,’ Gabriel said, his voice taking on an edge of steel, ‘I want to see the wraith myself.’

  ‘Fair enough,’ Ghrashbreg said, with false cheeriness. ‘I have plans this evening as I was not expecting your company. I will escort you to the wraith tomorrow morning. I don’t suppose it will be a problem if I arrange for you to sup dinner in your room tonight?’ His mouth twitched. ‘It will enable you and Saiya to … to get to know each other better.’

  ‘That will be fine,’ Gabriel replied smoothly. ‘Let us leave for the castle at once.’ He gestured at himself and I realised that our embrace had transferred a lot of slimy goo from my body to his. ‘A hot shower would be particularly welcome.’

  I’d not experienced a hot shower for more than two years. Was that even possible? It almost made returning to Stirling Castle surrounded by goblins worthwhile.

  ***

  We said little on the journey back. Even when we reached Gabriel’s rooms and the door closed behind us, he motioned at me to keep quiet, indicating that I should be careful about what I said.

  ‘Home sweet home,’ he said aloud. He walked over to a small desk, opened a drawer and took out a piece of paper and a pen. With elegant penmanship, he scratched out a message: We leave again at midnight.

  I took the paper, my fingers brushing against his. I wanted my touch to linger against his but I focused and, with considerably messier handwriting, wrote my response: They’ll still be watching.

  Gabriel’s follow-up was simple: I know.

  I didn’t know whether he had a plan to sneak out from under the eyes of a thousand goblins or he was merely full of bravado - and I didn’t get the chance to find out. There was a brisk knock on the door and a moment later a string of servants appeared, each one carrying a bucket full of steaming water. They seemed to know where they were going; they traipsed across the room, through another door next to the main bedroom.

  A nervous-looking woman appeared, her uniform rather like the grubby chef’s whites I’d put on when I’d been here earlier. She half curtsied and half bowed, her eyes fixed on a spot over Gabriel’s shoulder. ‘Lord Ghrashbreg has ordered that your bathroom be prepared for a shower. If we draw you a bath, the, uh, dirt covering will simply slide off and float in the water.’

  I was intrigued. So they really could shower properly here. A shiver of delight ran through me, despite my distaste at the waste of electricity.

  ‘You mean the wooden contraption?’ Gabriel asked.

  The woman nodded. ‘I will show you.’

  Smoothing her hands down her front, she walked into the bathroom. The last of the water-bearing servants had just departed. There was a ceramic bathtub in one corner but in another was a wooden tub with high sides and a ladder propped up against it. From the steam rising at the top, it seemed that this was where the hot water had been deposited.

  ‘There’s a pump here,’ the woman said, pointing. My eyes followed her finger and understanding finally dawned. She squeezed the lever up and down a few times and a sprinkling of water appeared from a shower head. The setup was ingenious. Then another more sobering thought occurred to me.

  ‘Wait,’ I said. ‘The pump is here. The shower is there. Someone needs to be in the room to pump the water while I shower.’

  The woman nodded vigorously. ‘Oh yes. There are only three of these showers in the castle and we would never expect the users to have to pump for themselves.’

  I suspected there was an innuendo in there somewhere but this wasn’t really the time. ‘Right,’ I said slowly.

  ‘But don’t worry,’ she continued, ‘we’ll arrange for a servant to do that for you.’

  Absolutely no chance. It wasn’t a modesty thing, it was the thought of some poor sap sweating while I enjoyed a hot shower that offended me.

  ‘Saiya and I will manage for ourselves.’ Gabriel smiled.

  Whoa. Absolutely no chance – and this time it was a modesty thing. Forget that he’d already virtually seen me naked; I wasn’t going to shower in front of him. No way.

  ‘As you wish,’ the woman replied.

  I opened my mouth to argue but Gabriel’s hand shot out and squeezed my arm in warning. I glared at him. He ignored me.

  ‘Dinner will be brought to you at eight,’ she added. ‘We will set it up in the main drawing room.’

  I knew that room well; it was where my shadow had been trapped inside the salt circle.

  ‘Perfect. Thank you very much.’

  She stumbled out as if she couldn’t wait to leave. As soon as I heard the click of the main door, Gabriel turned to me. ‘Get your clothes off then.’

  My mouth dropped. ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘You’re filthier than I am, Saiya.’ He stretched over and tested the shower pump. As a gush of water sprinkled down from above, he lowered his voice. ‘And with the water running, they can’t eavesdrop.’

  Oh. A flutter of disappointment coursed through me. Fair enough.

  ‘I’ll shower after you,’ he said. ‘So come on. We don’t want the water to get cold. Clothes off.’ His tone was business-like; he could have been a doctor performing a routine inspection. It didn’t matter; I still felt awkward.

  Turning my back on him, I fumbled with my top. A good amount of Death Worm gunk had dried on it, making the material stiff and unyielding so it wasn’t easy to remove. After a moment or two of watching me struggle, Gabriel apparently had had enough. ‘Don’t move,’ he murmured.

  I felt rather than saw him behind me. His warm breath clouded against my neck, followed by his fingers gently edging their way round. I was frozen to the spot.

  ‘Saiya?’

  I squeaked.

  ‘Don’t
forget to breathe.’

  All at once I expelled the air I hadn’t realised I was holding. ‘I…’ I stammered.

  ‘Shh.’ He reached up, brushing his fingers against the soft hairs that curled round my ear. ‘I know. I was there for that kiss too. The connection runs deep, Saiya, deeper than even I could have imagined. I felt what you’re feeling. I feel the same now.’

  Good for him. But I didn’t know what I was feeling. Heady lust, combined with something far stronger that could only be because of this stupid Fior Ghal thing. I burned where his skin touched mine but that didn’t mean I was going to let him use me as his baby incubator.

  His hesitation yanked me back to reality. I didn’t pull away but I coughed and straightened. ‘We’re both covered in ick and the water’s getting cold,’ I said, recovering the use of my voice and most of my senses. ‘And we have plans to make and a country to save. Just rip the fabric and let’s get on with this.’

  ‘As my lady commands.’ Gabriel’s voice was barely audible, even though his mouth was right by my ear. With one deft movement, he tore my top apart before stepping back. I peeled the rest of it away from my skin and discarded it then swiftly divested myself of my remaining clothes. Without looking at him, I stepped underneath the shower and hot water cascaded down.

  Gabriel’s touch might have been like nothing I’d ever experienced before – but the shower was sublime. I groaned as the water hit my skin; I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a shower, let alone one with hot water. This was orgasmic. I closed my eyes, giving myself to the moment. Then I reached for the soap, started to scrub off the Worm goo and spoke.

  ‘You were going to confront Ghrashbreg about the Stone out there,’ I said, my voice just audible over the rush of water. ‘If you’d done that, we both would have been dead.’

  ‘You’re probably right,’ Gabriel conceded. ‘But at that moment it seemed like the right thing to do. I am unused to lying. Concealing the truth or what I’m thinking does not sit well with me or my kind.’