Wraith

  It was Marrock. He might have been face down on the floor in a puddle of blood but I'd have recognised his slight form anywhere. When I realised that the cell door was open, a shudder rippled through me. There was only one reason why the goblins wouldn’t worry about a prisoner escaping through an open door.

  I sprang towards him, altering my shadow so that I could flip over his inert body. As soon as I did so, my worst fears were confirmed. One eye stared sightlessly up at me, the glazed white caul of death already covering its surface. His other eyeball dangled uselessly from its socket by a thin red membrane. His blood had stopped flowing but the open wounds on his body showed what had happened to him after we'd left him. The goblins had worked fast. I wondered how much information Marrock had yielded while under torture. He might have had his uses for the Filits but, when discovery of the Stone of Scone was in play, they were obviously taking no chances.

  I stumbled away, feeling sick to my stomach. Had Marrock known this would be his fate when he promised to delay the goblins so we could escape? Did this mean that there was already an army on its way to intercept Ange, Becky and the others on their urgent errand to Prime Minister James? I wondered if there was anything I could do about it and realised probably not. Our only hope now lay with Gabriel and me finding the Stone before the goblins did. If we didn't, more of us would suffer Marrock's fate.

  I did everything I could to disconnect myself from what I had seen. With a heavy soul, I trudged back towards the main dungeon door. The goblin guard outside was in exactly the same position as before. I should have felt glad that my fellow wraith had slipped out quietly and without giving my presence away but all I felt was ill. The one time Marrock had done something unselfish, he'd wound up as a corpse face down on a cold, slimy floor. What a fucking waste.

  I flitted back across the ceiling, keeping an eye on the guard, and went back up the staircase and out the way I’d come. When I reached the courtyard outside, not only had the sun dipped beyond the hills but there was no longer any sign of Gabriel. That meant he was looking for me, ratcheting up the danger for us both to perilous levels. At that moment I found it hard to care, given the gruesome sight I'd just seen. There was a strange, dull ache in the centre of my chest; by the time I reached my physical body, still hiding lifelessly in the armoire, my nausea was coalescing into rage.

  After my shadow reconnected, I started to push open the armoire door and step out. The unmistakable sound of goblin voices reached my ears and I held back. I strained to listen.

  ‘…worry about him. He might be a Dark … still mortal.’

  ‘If he can smell… We … all … trouble…’

  The voices faded away. I gritted my teeth. It was obvious who they were talking about but I'd only heard a phrase or two and I couldn't connect the dots. I was supposed to be good at piecing together secrets from fragments but I was struggling to push past the mental image of Marrock's corpse and focus. I wasn't used to my emotions overpowering me like this.

  I couldn't dwell on it. I had to get back to Gabriel before he did something we’d both regret. I jumped out of the armoire and made for the door, pulling it open an inch so that the corridor beyond was visible. Whoever the goblins were, there was no sign of them now. With my heart thudding against my ribcage, I skidded back towards the main exit. Before I reached it, however, it slammed open.

  Ghrashbreg and Gabriel appeared, one looking worried and the other suspicious.

  ‘Saiya.’ There was no mistaking the relief in Gabriel's voice. ‘Where did you go?’

  If ever there was a moment to lie convincingly, this was it. I locked away my feelings about Marrock – and everything else – in a small box deep inside my heart and pasted a bashful look on my face. ‘I'm sorry,’ I gabbled. ‘I could say I got lost on my way to the restroom but the truth is that I was distracted by the castle. It's amazing in here. There are chairs in that room over there that must be hundreds of years old. The fabric on them is like nothing you've ever seen before. The gold brocade and the intricate embroidery.’ I shook my head in breathy amazement. ‘You need to come and see them.’

  Gabriel blinked. I hadn't given any indication that I was interested in antique furniture or that fine needlework would ignite my inner joy. It wasn't him I needed to convince, however.

  Ghrashbreg smoothed the suspicion away from his eyes and smiled at me. ‘Saiya,’ he sighed. ‘Dear Saiya. It's not safe to wander around the castle without an escort. You might be mistaken for an intruder. The last thing we want is for you to be hurt because you are nosing around places where you shouldn't be.’ He glanced down at my hands very deliberately, as if to remind me exactly what he was capable of.

  I wondered whether Gabriel noticed the dangerous edge to Ghrashbreg's words or the way he looked at me. I didn’t dare look at him to check. ‘You are right, Lord Ghrashbreg,’ I murmured, not faking my fear. ‘I offer my sincerest apologies. I was being foolhardy by poking around on my own.’ It occurred to me that I was laying on my apology a bit too thickly and I pulled back slightly. ‘You can't blame me, though. You goblins have kept us out of most of the castle for decades. It's only natural to want to look around – but I’ll heed your warning and I won't do it again.’

  Rather than appear too contrite, I tilted up my chin as if daring him to argue. The goblin Lord would never believe a grovelling apology but a touch of misplaced defiance was something he could get behind. I hoped I'd done enough. At least I wasn't in the building which housed the dungeons; if I'd been caught there, we were doomed.

  ‘I can understand your enthusiasm,’ Ghrashbreg said, in a tone that suggested he didn’t. He turned to Gabriel. ‘You ought to keep a closer eye on your Fior Ghal,’ he said, as if I were an errant child who deserved a smack. Or a leash.

  ‘I will.’ Gabriel looked grim and the darkness in his expression didn't bode well for me. Perhaps I was about to see his true colours. Perhaps the honour that he expressed so openly in polite company disappeared when he was behind closed doors and faced with a baby mama who had a wandering spirit. A niggling voice inside me said I had to stop doubting him so much; I was the shadowy one around here, not Gabriel de Florinville.

  I lifted my gaze to meet his and was surprised to see amusement glinting back at me. I swallowed and looked away. The atmosphere was claustrophobic and it was increasingly hard to stand with Ghrashbreg facing me when I knew whose blood he had on his hands. My throat constricted. I had to get out of there.

  ‘Don’t you have a meeting to go to, Lord Ghrashbreg?’ Gabriel enquired mildly.

  ‘I do indeed,’ the goblin said. ‘Now that the sun is down.’

  ‘Well,’ Gabriel drawled, ‘please don't let us keep you. Saiya and I will return to our rooms.’

  ‘That's a good idea,’ Ghrashbreg said. ‘I've taken the liberty of sending up a particularly fine bottle of wine for you to enjoy before dinner. It's uncorked and waiting for you.’ He plastered a smile on his swarthy face but it didn't reach his eyes; it was even more fake than the smile I was giving him.

  Gabriel held out his hand to me. ‘Saiya?’ he questioned. ‘Shall we?’

  ‘Of course.’ I walked towards him, realising that I was shaking. It had to be a result of Ghrashbreg's proximity. Doing everything I could not to touch the goblin as I passed, I took Gabriel's arm, ignoring the sharp look he sent me. As soon as my skin touched his, I felt another strange tingle. Oddly, it soothed me while his nearness was equally reassuring. But I still had to fight the urge to sprint out of the building and away from Ghrashbreg and anything to do with any goblin ever again.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Neither Gabriel nor I said a word on the way back to his suite of rooms. I was mourning Marrock; I may not have called the wee man a friend but the pair of us had enjoyed a mutual understanding. He didn't deserve to die like that. I promised myself that I would do what I could to grant Marrock what he’d wanted and give him the immortality he craved. Whether we were successful here or not, the world
would know Marrock’s name. I pulled my hand away from Gabriel and curled my fingernails deep into the flesh of my palms until I almost gasped with pain. People would be singing about Marrock for years to come. Centuries even.

  I was starting to feel more composed by the time we got to the King’s Old Building. There was less than five hours until midnight when Gabriel and I would make our move. If it took my bloody death to resolve this, then I’d go happily. I was even starting to look forward to the prospect of escaping the goblins and thwarting their plans, despite the obvious peril.

  I had no idea what Gabriel was thinking. Whatever brief amusement he’d exuded as I’d exchanged words with Ghrashbreg had vanished and his expression was now inscrutable. The way he marched forward with a stiff spine and clenched fists suggested intense anger. As far as I was concerned, he could keep his thoughts to himself but as soon as the door closed behind us, he was obviously determined to do anything but that.

  ‘What the fucking hell was that all about?’ He grabbed my shoulders and glared into my eyes.

  I was shaken by his rage. ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘You know exactly what I'm referring to, Saiya. What were you doing sneaking around that building? You were fooling nobody. Don't you realise the danger you put yourself in?’

  I pulled away from him and put my hands on my hips, mirroring his ferocity. ‘Danger? Danger?’ My voice rose. ‘You dare to talk to me of danger?’ I raised a hand in the air, extended my index finger and twirled it before tugging on my earlobe to remind him that we were probably being eavesdropped upon.

  Gabriel emitted a low growl, a primeval sound that affected me in ways I didn't dare to think about too closely. He opened his mouth to speak, frustration obvious on his face, then cast his eyes up to the ceiling and tempered his words.

  ‘Stirling Castle is ruled by the goblins,’ he said in a tone laden with equal measures of both ice and fire. ‘And Stirling city is ruled by the goblins too. You might be my Fior Ghal but that does not mean you have the key to this damn castle. You cannot wander around it and expect not to be challenged. I don't care how interested you are in gold brocade or pretty embroidery. Even I wouldn't dare nosey around goblin rooms.’

  ‘Nosey around? I was interested!’ I threw my hands in the air. ‘Unlike you, I'm from this city. I have every right to admire the furniture. It's more mine than it is yours.’

  ‘The furniture belongs to the goblins,’ he retorted. ‘They control this place.’

  Much like they control life and death, I thought. My life; Marrock's death. A tear rolled down my cheek. I wasn't sure who was more taken aback, me or Gabriel. He stepped towards me, concern etched into his expression. I stepped back, indicating I didn't want him to touch me, and dashed the tear away.

  ‘Just how many babies am I supposed to give you before you’ll leave me alone?’ I demanded.

  Gabriel stared at me.

  ‘Tell me,’ I said. ‘Or is my role to keep on getting pregnant over and over again until my body gives way or the menopause kicks in?’

  ‘Saiya,’ he said slowly, ‘what on earth are you talking about?’

  ‘This freaking Fior Ghal business,’ I said. ‘The reason you're so determined that I don’t do anything to put myself into jeopardy.’

  His brow furrowed as if he still didn’t understand me. ‘Saiya?’ he said again. ‘What do you—?’

  ‘Shut up!’ I yelled. Every turbulent emotion I was feeling was flung into those two words. I didn't know what was wrong with me. I didn't normally act like this. I didn't normally feel like this.

  ‘I can't answer your question unless you let me speak,’ Gabriel said calmly, which infuriated me even more.

  I ground my teeth. Bloody Gabriel de Florinville with his rock-hard body, his perfectly chiselled lips and his ability to get under my skin in a way no one ever had before. I folded my arms. ‘Fine,’ I snapped. ‘Talk.’

  He gave me a long, considering look. ‘All the times that I imagined my Fior Ghal, I never thought she would be like you,’ he said softly. ‘The fire and anguish inside you is almost unbearable to watch. All I want to do is take away your pain and make your life better. I want you to stop flinching every time I come close. I want you to learn to trust me, Saiya.’ He spoke my name like a caress but I didn’t want to be caressed; I wanted to scream and punch something.

  Gabriel stepped backwards as if affording me the space I craved. ‘What do you think a Fior Ghal is?’ he asked carefully.

  ‘Marrock told me,’ I said, my voice catching on his name. Another tear escaped and this time I didn't bother brushing it away. ‘I'm supposed to have your babies. Supposedly I'm the only one in the world fertile enough for your damned sperm. My role is to incubate Dark Elf children and populate Scotland with more of your kind.’ I glared at him. ‘Go on then, tell me I'm wrong.’

  Gabriel watched me silently for a few seconds then heaved a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. ‘It makes more sense now,’ he muttered. ‘I assumed you knew what a Fior Ghal was. I should have done this differently – I should have done it all so differently.’ He sighed again. ‘It is true that you are the only woman in the world able to bear my children.’

  I opened my mouth to speak but he gestured at me to let him finish.

  ‘However, there is far more to it than that. Each Dark Elf has only one Fior Ghal, the person they are destined to spend their life with. We use the word Fior Ghal but what we really mean is soul mate. It's not about procreation; it’s not even about the joy of sex. It's about a far deeper connection than that.’ His eyes beseeched me. ‘Don't deny it, Saiya. I know you feel the same connection when I touch you. That's why you're so scared of it. You feel like I do. There is no one else in this world for me and there’s no one else in this world for you. Fate means us to be together. Our lives are written in the stars. Our passion, our feelings, our love, are all unquenchable. The only thing that will ever make me truly happy,’ he said with a hint of desperation, ‘is making you truly happy.’

  I wrapped my arms tightly around my body. The space between us felt like a chasm. ‘You are saying,’ I said slowly, ‘that a Fior Ghal is a soul mate.’ The words didn’t compute.

  ‘No,’ he replied. ‘Not a soul mate. The soul mate. My soul mate. You're the only one for me.’ He gave a faltering breath. ‘It's not supposed to be this hard,’ he said. ‘The hard part is supposed to be finding your Fior Ghal, not convincing them that’s who they are.’

  ‘How do you know this is true?’ I ignored the tremor in my voice. ‘How do you know this isn't just biology telling you that you want to have sex with me so that I will have your child? Once I'm impregnated, your job will be done,’ I said bitterly. ‘Once I’ve popped out a baby, my role will be over.’

  ‘It's not like that,’ he growled. His dark eyes swept over my body. ‘I'll prove it to you.’ He stepped towards me, his body stiff with resolve.

  I swallowed my fear. ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘I'm going to prove to you how much we are meant to be together.’ He took another step towards me.

  I backed up until my spine pressed against the wall. ‘Don't you dare touch me,’ I hissed.

  ‘I promise I will not lay a finger on you,’ he said, ‘until you beg.’ His eyes gleamed, his earlier frustration replaced with desire coupled with determination. No way. This was not happening.

  ‘That's not going to happen.’ I wished I felt as confident as I sounded.

  ‘After you have begged me to touch you,’ he said, as if I hadn’t spoken, ‘I will make you scream in a way that no man has ever done before.’

  I was a wraith – I hated being touched. Supposedly. I'd never been with a man who had made me scream before because I'd never been with a man but I wasn't going to tell him that. ‘We can’t do this,’ I insisted.

  ‘Of course we can.’ He reached me.

  I had no clue what he was planning to do. I banked down the temptation to feel his hands, his lips, his body on me, and ga
zed at him with sad eyes. Marrock, I mouthed.

  Whatever Gabriel had been about to do, I stopped him in his tracks. The flames of desire in his dark eyes were replaced by something different; it looked like a flash of hurt replaced quickly by anger. Then it occurred to me that it wasn't anger that Gabriel was feeling, it was jealousy. He had completely misunderstood my meaning when I’d brought up Marrock’s name.

  I met Gabriel's eyes, my own gaze unwavering, then I slowly drew one finger across my throat. He looked confused for a moment before he realised what I meant. His eyes widened as if requesting urgent confirmation and I nodded.

  Gabriel staggered back slightly and his shoulders dropped. It was one thing to know theoretically what the goblins were capable of; it was another to learn that it had happened to someone you knew. Gabriel de Florinville was finally beginning to see what it meant to live in Stirling under goblin siege and goblin rule. Part of me wished I could erase the knowledge from his eyes and part of me wanted to reach out and hug him.

  He spun away back to the desk, opened a drawer then another and another. In our brief absence, it appeared that someone had been inside the room and removed all the paper and pens. Whether they had realised what we had been up to or they were guarding against future notes, I couldn't say. I wondered what else was missing. The goblins’ actions sent shivers down my spine.

  Gabriel's posture was ramrod straight and a muscle throbbed in his cheek, indicating his fury. There was no telling what he would do. I’d witnessed plenty of others with the same look in their eyes, especially during the early days of the siege. It only took a second to completely flip and say or do something that would lead to destruction. Gabriel was teetering on the edge between rationality and fury; I had to bring him back.

  I placed a hand on his arm. It was such a small gesture and I didn’t believe it would be enough to calm him but, as soon as my skin touched his, he stopped moving. He was as still as a statue. I left my fingers where they were, marvelling at the heat of his body and how right it felt to touch him. To someone else it would be a fleeting gesture of comfort but for me it was a revelation.