My mind raced, analysing the possibilities. There had to be a way out of this. Stirling was depending on me and I wasn’t going to let my city down if I could help it.
‘Gabriel,’ I murmured under my breath when our captors started hastily repairing the gallows and re-knotting the nooses. ‘Do you have anything on you that can help us get out of this?’
He didn’t answer; his expression was blank with intense concentration. Huh. Maybe it was some kind of Dark Elf meditative state. So much for elven magic.
I cast around. Other than the goblins, there wasn’t a soul in sight. Everyone would know by now that something terrible was stirring and would be keeping well away from the Filits. I’d have to manage our escape on my own. Unfortunately, given the number of goblins Ghrashbreg had sent with us, that was easier said than done. Of course I could have detached my shadow again – it would be more convenient to attack the goblins that way. But they had hold of both my physical body and Gabriel. If these Filits had a single brain cell between them, they’d slaughter us both before I could damage any of them.
I flicked my eyes around. Of the dozen or so goblins with us, there was only one who looked small or vulnerable. He was barely out of his teenage years and I noted that a few of others went out of their way to help him, guiding him with noose-looping instructions and occasionally sending him glances to check that he was managing with his grisly task. If they were worried about how he was coping, then he would be my target. If I was fast enough, I could send my shadow out to grab him and take him hostage. It was hardly a foolproof plan but it was the best I could come up with.
‘Gabriel,’ I whispered when I was sure that the goblins weren’t listening. ‘Pay attention. I know where the Stone is. I have a plan. You need to—’
‘Be quiet, Saiya. I’ve got this under control.’
He didn’t look like he was controlling anything. ‘Don’t be an idiot,’ I hissed. ‘I’m telling you that—’
‘Trust me. You wouldn’t trust me before – and God knows I don’t trust you – but believe that I’ve got this.’
He didn’t look at me. I stared at him, clenching my fists. We were trussed up like turkeys. I had a plan that could help him to escape and save Scotland from an eternity of servitude to the goblins – and he seemed determined not listen.
He let out a short, humourless laugh. ‘I can almost hear the cogs in your mind whirring. I’m telling you, just relax and trust me.’
I didn’t want to. Every part of me was screaming to ignore him. This wasn’t just my life on the line – it was everyone’s. But the truth was that he’d never given me any reason not to trust him. Whether he hated me or not, whether he was a prejudiced bastard with preconceived ideas or not, there was no doubt that his motives were pure. I ground my teeth. ‘You understand the consequences if they hang us?’
‘Saiya,’ Gabriel answered, ‘shut up.’
I took a deep breath and a gigantic leap of faith. My hands were shaking; hell, my entire body was shaking. Despite that, I had faith in Gabriel.
The young goblin walked over to us. He was biting his lip and looking for all the world as if he wished he were somewhere else. It was probably his first execution and part of me felt almost sorry for him. Almost. Throwing Gabriel a last meaningful look, I stayed where I was when the goblin untied me, then let him to lead me up the rickety wooden steps. When he placed the heavy rope round my neck, however, it took all I had not to resort to my plan. I was already imagining the rope tightening and constricting my throat.
Another goblin went to Gabriel, untied him from the post and led him up the steps. For a second Gabriel’s eyes met mine – then a gigantic shadow passed overhead while the air filled with a strange, loud thumping. It was followed immediately by a screech. I craned my neck upwards and my stomach dropped.
A gigantic bird was spiralling directly over our heads. It screeched again, beating its wings with such force that the very ground seemed to reverberate, before it dive-bombed the nearest goblin. The Filits scattered. One of the cannier bastards pulled out a gun, aimed it upwards and fired. The bird swerved to avoid the shot and the goblin aimed again but it was clear when the trigger clicked that the gun’s chamber was empty. The bird swooped again, knocking the goblin off his feet, its beak tearing into the soft flesh of his cheek. The goblin shrieked and rolled away.
While I stood gaping, Gabriel leapt up the last of the steps. He removed the noose from my neck and wrapped one arm round my waist. ‘I need you to hold on tightly,’ he said grimly.
‘I … uh…’ I could barely speak.
‘Saiya!’ he snapped. ‘Hold on.’
I squeaked and nodded. Gabriel raised one hand and the bird dived towards us but, instead of attacking him, its clawed feet grabbed him by the shoulders.
I shook my head. This was nuts. Who commandeered birds like this? And it didn’t really help matters. The bird might be huge but we would to be too heavy for it. I started to release my hold on Gabriel; at least he would have a fighting chance.
‘Saiya,’ he warned. He gripped me tighter, refusing to let go. Before I could speak, we were rising up into the air. Then we were flying over the rooftops and away.
Chapter Twenty-Three
I estimated that we travelled less than ten miles before the bird dropped us by the side of a road. I don’t think I’ve ever been so glad to feel solid ground under my feet. I gasped and fell forwards. By the time I got up again, the bird had already risen into the air, a black speck vanishing into the distance.
‘What the hell was that?’ I breathed.
Inscrutable, Gabriel looked at me. ‘I told you I had arranged for a way out of the city if we needed it.’
‘By bird?’ My voice rose. ‘By gigantic fucking carrier pigeon?’
For the first time in what felt like an age, he almost smiled. ‘It’s a roc. Its kind and ours have helped each other for centuries.’
I blinked. ‘It pays to be a Dark Elf. Do you get air miles?’
‘Is that a joke?’
‘Nervous tension,’ I muttered.
Gabriel shrugged. ‘You’re the person who can remove her shadow and split herself into two.’ He grimaced and I winced internally. ‘Besides, travelling like this is an emergency-only situation. Rocs have been hunted almost to extinction. They don’t like to reveal themselves unless they absolutely have to.’
‘How did it know to come? Was that some kind of Dark Elf magic?’
Gabriel held out his hand and opened his palm, revealing a small button. ‘If you call clever technology magic. It’s a sort of homing device.’
I swallowed. Damn. Apparently he’d thought of everything – but he didn’t know everything. With shaky legs, I set off back towards Stirling.
‘Where the hell are you going?’
‘I know where the Stone of Scone is,’ I called out. ‘We had the clue all along.’
Gabriel caught up to me and grabbed my elbow. ‘What do you mean?’
‘It was on the box.’ When he frowned in confusion, I explained. ‘The lacquer ware wasn’t just a pretty design, it was a map. I don’t know what was on the scroll that Ghrashbreg found. Maybe something, maybe nothing. It doesn’t matter. The Stone of Scone is being held underneath the Tolbooth. There was a line of blue on the box that represented the river. It led right up to a small cross, which is Mercat Cross, and then three little bars.’
Gabriel stared at me.
‘The Tolbooth. It’s a prison. That’s what the bars represent.’
‘I got that part. I’m just…’ He sighed. ‘You remember that the Tolbooth is in ruins, right? The Gneiss goblins have destroyed it.’
I shook my head. ‘They destroyed the surface. The Tolbooth extends for several floors underneath – and I bet there are more underground secrets beyond that. We know that the Filits were seeking the Stone underground. They probably thought it was under the castle and that’s why it’s never been bombed. But the Tolbooth is just as old as the castle. The S
tone is there. I’m sure of it.’ I set off again.
‘So your plan is what?’ Gabriel called. ‘To single-handedly storm back into Stirling and retrieve a stone that weighs a ton? We have to get to Holyrood. Your friend Ange and the others will be there by now. We need to speak to the Prime Minister. We need to find the best way to manage this.’
‘The Prime Minister will want to destroy the city and destroy the Stone,’ I pointed out, turning to face him again.
‘All the more reason to go and talk to him first. Besides, the government has all sorts of tools at their disposal.’ He gestured upwards, as if referring to the roc. ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way.’
I sighed. ‘We’re in the middle of nowhere with no transport. Even if we had a car, it would take us—’
‘An hour to get to Edinburgh?’ Gabriel jerked his head at a small copse of trees. ‘I told you I had a back-up plan. Did you think the roc dropped us here by accident?’
Oh. Okay. ‘I still think…’
‘We are going to Holyrood,’ he said firmly. ‘You owe me that much at least. We need to prepare for success, Saiya.’
I’d have kept on arguing but his eyes were flinty and cold. ‘Fine,’ I muttered. ‘But I’m not staying long.’
‘Suit yourself.’ He headed towards the trees.
I watched him for a moment. Our near-death experience hadn’t softened him in any way. Pushing aside the pain inside me, I went after him.
***
I tried not to stuff the entire pastry into my mouth in one go. It was a long time since I’d seen food like this. Tasty as it was, though, it didn’t make me feel much better.
Gabriel and I had reached Holyrood almost an hour ago. He’d been taken directly through to address the Parliament while I was left cooling my heels in an antechamber. I nibbled round the edges of the pastry and savoured the delicate filling. Five more minutes, I decided. Then I was out of here.
I was standing up and heading for the door when there was a cough behind me. A liveried guard smiled and I was finally beckoned inside. Feeling nervous, I walked through to an impressively large room where Gabriel, Rymark and numerous others waited. Power seemed to vibrate in the air. There was, however, no sign of the Prime Minister. Impatience gnawed at me and Gabriel’s grim expression didn’t help. His arms were folded across his chest, his biceps taut and his spine straighter than an army colonel’s. No prizes for guessing what Prime Minister James was planning, then.
I gritted my teeth, squared my shoulders and joined them. Rymark immediately stepped into my path, barring my way. From his expression, Gabriel had told him what I really was. ‘Move,’ I said tiredly.
He glared. ‘Make me.’
I shrugged, my shadow stepping away from my body. With one dark hand, I reached out to push him away. Before I connected, Gabriel was already there. ‘It’s fine, Rymark.’
‘She…’
‘Hush.’ Gabriel addressed me. ‘You should probably leave. Ange and Becky are around here somewhere. I’m sure they’d like to see you again.’
I tilted up my chin and met his dark eyes. ‘He’s going to do it, isn’t he? He’s going to destroy the city.’
His gaze shifted away. ‘There’s no choice.’
‘Bullshit!’ I exploded. ‘There’s always a choice! Don’t tell me you agree with this.’
A muscle throbbed in his jaw. ‘I do whatever my government commands.’
Ignoring Rymark’s appalled gasp, I moved closer to Gabriel. He still smelled so damn good. I shook my head to dissipate his musky, masculine scent from my nostrils. ‘Doing whatever your government commands is how things got into this mess in the first place. If you’d stopped the siege as soon as it began and got rid of the Gneiss and the Filits, we wouldn’t now be scrambling to save the country.’
‘Not everything is as black and white as you’d like it to be, Saiya.’
My eyebrows shot up. ‘It seems pretty black and white as far as you’re concerned.’ I punched my own chest. ‘I’m a wraith therefore I’m bad. You’re a Dark Elf therefore you’re good. He’s the Prime Minister therefore he can’t put a foot wrong. We—’
There was a cough from behind. I wouldn’t have bothered to turn but for the fact that Gabriel paled slightly. ‘Prime Minister,’ he muttered. ‘Saiya was just leaving.’
‘I am not!’ I clenched my fists furiously. ‘James, you can’t do this. You can’t destroy all of Stirling.’
Tired brown eyes met mine. ‘It’s not something I want to do,’ he said. ‘And don’t blame young Gabriel for this – he has tried very hard to persuade me otherwise. Just like he tried to persuade me to prevent the Filits from ruling Stirling as they did.’ He looked briefly at Gabriel. ‘I should have listened to you.’ He sighed. ‘Now we have no choice. The goblins have access to the Stone. As soon as one of them is anointed King on it, they will absorb its power and magic. The whole of Scotland will be theirs for the taking. We abandoned Stirling to her fate and the rest of the world will abandon us to ours. Before more people suffer as the people of Stirling have suffered, we must destroy all the goblins, both Filit and Gneiss. And we have to destroy the Stone of Scone. We have to obliterate Stirling. This is what power is – it’s making the hard decisions that no one else can.’ For the briefest moment, James’s eyes filled with tears. He swallowed and turned away.
‘No.’ I wasn’t even aware I’d said the word aloud until everyone looked at me. ‘You can’t do this.’
‘There isn’t any choice.’ James started walking away. Gabriel reached out to stop me but even he couldn’t hold me back.
‘There’s a boy in Stirling!’ I yelled after him. ‘He’s just a kid, probably hasn’t reached double digits yet. Just this week he was prepared to stand up to a full-grown man who could have killed him for the sake of three tiny tomatoes. His little sister needed food.’ The Prime Minister stopped but he didn’t turn around. I swallowed and continued. ‘There’s a woman in Stirling called Isabella Markbury who had enough wealth and power to hide behind and save herself but she risked her life to get Gabriel out. Her friends risked their lives to help us too. Ange was tortured because of the Stone but she still made it here with her daughter. She didn’t do it to save herself, she did it because she thought you could save Stirling. That knowing about the Stone of Scone meant you’d finally do something. There was a man called Marrock.’ My voice caught on his name. ‘When he learnt what was really happening, he sacrificed himself.’ Anger vibrated in my voice. ‘You can bet your regal arse he didn’t do it so you could kill an entire city. There are thousands of kids and Marrocks and Anges and Isabellas. You can’t kill them all.’
Silence descended. My plea was falling on deaf ears; I could see it in the line of Prime Minister James’s spine. He was going to give the order and everyone in Stirling was going to die.
‘There’s Saiya.’ Gabriel spoke quietly but his words were clear. I stiffened and turned, staring at him. ‘She’s a wraith. Her kind are anathema to us.’
‘Not without good reason,’ Rymark muttered.
Gabriel’s voice rose. ‘Revealing her identity meant she was likely to die. She knew that but she still did it because Stirling needs her. She did everything she could to retrieve the Stone of Scone. She never faltered, she never gave up, no matter how she was treated, no matter what I said to her. She risked everything. Stirling deserves a chance – and so does she.’
I almost stopped breathing.
‘What would you have me do?’ James’ voice was barely audible. He turned and looked at Gabriel and me. ‘What would you have me do?’
I swallowed. ‘I am a wraith. I can get back into Stirling. I can get to the Stone.’ I glanced at Gabriel. ‘I was told once that wraiths had the ability to remove an object’s shadow. If I can do that to the Stone of Scone, I’ll render it useless. The goblins can do whatever they like with it, they can crown whoever they want but if the Stone has no shadow, it has no power.’
James shook his he
ad. ‘It’s too risky. The Gneiss and the Filits have the clues to find the Stone and the chances are they’ll get to it before you do. I’ve heard enough over the last hour to realise just how much cruelty they’re capable of. If one of them is anointed the supposed true King of Scotland, all will be lost.’
Enough was enough. I stepped up to James and glared at him. I ignored the horrified gasp from the onlookers that a despicable wraith such as myself was getting so close and threw every last shred of desperation I had at him. ‘You used the law as an excuse not to get involved with the siege of Stirling. If it weren’t for the Stone of Scone, you wouldn’t be getting involved now. Three years. Three years of siege and starvation and living according to the whims of a bunch of goblins who’ll string you up on the gallows as soon as give you a few crumbs to eat.’
The gasps were more audible this time. Prime Minister James clenched his jaw and I wondered whether I was about to be flung into the nearest dungeon for daring to argue with such an august personage.
‘We couldn’t get involved,’ he said stiffly. ‘The law is very clear: unless the goblins seek to encroach on the rest of Scotland, Stirling belongs to them. That’s the way it’s always been. We’ve entered into negotiations on several occasions but until now our hands have been tied.’
‘While people were dying, you were playing politics.’
James’s face reddened. I stood my ground, ready for whatever he was about to throw at me. Gabriel moved up beside me and took my hand, squeezing it tightly. Pain wrenched deep within my heart; he didn’t hate me after all. I wondered if he realised what his simple action meant to me. I hesitated for only a moment before squeezing his hand back.
Prime Minister James clenched his fists and muttered something inaudible under his breath then, surprisingly, his features relaxed. ‘You are right. We could have handled it better. I could have handled it better. I didn’t realise how bad things were in Stirling. I was trying to avert war with the goblins, whether Gneiss or Filit, and as a result all I achieved was more suffering.’ He glanced at Gabriel before returning his attention to me. ‘How confident are you that you can get to the Stone to remove its shadow without being noticed?’