Wraith

  I ignored the furious roaring in my ears. ‘Why, Becky? Did they say why they were arresting your mum?’

  ‘She broke the law.’ She gave a helpless shrug. ‘That’s all they said. They didn’t say what law.’ She blinked at me. ‘She was screaming the whole way out. Didn’t you hear her?’

  I grimaced. The stairs leading out of the building were at the other end of the corridor. It didn’t matter how loud a noise was; when my shadow consciousness was in play, only the sounds in my immediate vicinity ever registered. Every goblin in Stirling could hold a rave in this very building but unless they were within twenty feet of me I wouldn’t hear them. ‘I must have been sleeping.’ It was a pathetic excuse but with any luck Becky wouldn’t question it. I quickly moved on, changing the subject as best as I could. ‘When did all this happen?’

  ‘Maybe fifteen minutes ago.’ She twisted her fingers together. ‘They’re still outside. There are three goblins. I tried to go out to follow them so I knew where they were taking Mum but I didn’t know how to get past without them noticing me.’ Two large tears squeezed out and rolled down her cheeks, mingling with the blood and grime.

  I nodded. Whatever sick game the goblins were playing, Becky had done the right thing. It was typical for entire families to be arrested so the more vulnerable members could be used as collateral. But Ange did all that she could to remain on the right side of Filit-imposed martial law so why they’d arrested her made no sense.

  ‘You have to help her, Saiya.’ Becky clutched at my sleeve and I had to resist the urge not to pull away. ‘You have to tell them they’ve made a mistake!’ Her panic was rising. ‘Tell them!’

  I swallowed. That was all very well but I couldn’t just get up and wander out the door. My shadow was currently trapped in a dark corner of Kanji; while physically I could manage for a full day without it, if anyone turned on the lights and noticed it hanging there – or indeed if anyone noticed my physical form happened to be shadowless – then my number would be well and truly up. I was a wraith. I knew very well how much the world hated my kind – and usually with good reason. In the event of my unmasking it wouldn’t just be the goblins I’d have to worry about; even Becky could turn on me.

  ‘I’ll do everything I can,’ I said, telling her the truth. ‘But I need to act smart. If we go after your mum like a bull in a china shop, the Filits might hurt her for the hell of it.’ There was no point in shielding Becky from the truth; kid or not, she knew as well as I did what petty crap the goblins were capable of. ‘First of all, we need to know exactly why they’ve taken her.’

  ‘She’s a good person!’ Becky burst out. ‘She’s not done anything wrong!’

  I forced a reassuring smile onto my face to soothe her. It helped, if only momentarily. ‘I know,’ I said. ‘Maybe they’re rounding up people like her for the hell of it. Maybe it’s a case of mistaken identity. Maybe she did something they don’t like without realising it. I’ll have more chance of success in getting her freed if I know as much as possible.’

  This wasn’t just a delaying tactic to give myself time to retrieve my shadow. No one petitioned the goblins blind, not if they wanted to walk away unscathed. Holding my breath, I placed a hand under Becky’s chin and gently tilted her face up towards mine. It was the least I could do. I rarely touched others if I could help it but sometimes there were circumstances where tactile reassurance was required.

  ‘Go back to your flat. Make sure you’re not seen. If you think there’s anyone inside, come back here. If it’s clear, I need you to search it as quietly, quickly and as thoroughly as you can. You’re looking for anything new or anything out of the ordinary. If you see something you’ve not seen before, bring it to me. Just because it doesn’t look important doesn’t mean it isn’t important.’

  ‘They’ve already searched everything,’ Becky whispered. ‘The goblins went through it all.’

  ‘But you know where the real hiding places are.’ I looked into her eyes. ‘Am I right?’

  She swallowed and nodded; she knew exactly what I was talking about. Everyone in Stirling with any sense had special nooks and crannies where important objects were concealed. It might be the family silver; it might be the last of their money or emergency rations that had to be squirrelled away. Whatever was kept there, you never showed it to anyone outside of the family. You never knew when even your best friends or kindest neighbours would destroy you in order to survive. There was a strong sense of community on these mean streets but desperation could drive anyone to insane lengths. We were only human after all. Most of us, anyway.

  ‘What are you going to do?’ Becky asked in a small voice.

  I gave her a tight smile and steeled myself to reach out and ruffle her hair. Go me. I could touch someone twice in the same conversation without physically recoiling or throwing up when I had to. ‘I’m going to get ready.’

  Becky clutched her neck. ‘Will she swing?’ she asked.

  An image of the empty nooses up at Mercat Cross flashed into my mind. I swallowed and pushed it away. ‘Not if I can help it,’ I promised. I couldn’t say much else. To deny Becky’s question outright would be to lie.

  Chapter Two

  As soon as Becky disappeared to search her flat, I sat down and sent my consciousness back to my shadow. I prayed that nothing had changed and I was still shrouded in the same concealing darkness as before.

  It took a moment or two for my senses to return fully but when they did I breathed out in silent relief. Other than a few more Kanji staff members, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere to serve the new VIP, everything was as it had been. Good. I had to vamoose and get my shadow back home before Becky returned.

  I slipped round the long way, edging up the raised area towards the back and avoiding all the lighted tables. Tilly and the twins had been relegated to their original positions. Isabella, however, was now up here, her body facing in my direction and her expression animated. Two men were seated across from her. Although they were both turned away from me, the confident posture of the nearest one made it clear that this was the hooded man who’d entered earlier. I noted dark hair curling at the nape of his neck and the briefest flash of pointed ears. A Dark Elf.

  For a moment I forgot my other woes and simply stared. Why here and why now? The trickle of dismay I felt at not being able to stick around to find out more was very real; this was valuable news indeed. While I considered, Isabella stood up and gracefully draped herself across the Dark Elf’s knee. One bejewelled hand reached round the back of his head, her fingers entwining in his hair.

  I stared at the ease with which she initiated physical contact. It wasn’t love she felt; nobody fell in love that quickly, no matter what the storybooks and fairy tales might suggest. I imagined such feelings only grew over years of being together. Isabella Markbury was either overcome by lust or was pulling out all the stops to get the Dark Elf to save her from this mess in Stirling.

  I watched the way her head tilted towards his and shivered. Was I jealous? Probably. Then I shook myself. Enough of this; I couldn’t abandon Becky’s mother – though I could perhaps kill two birds with one stone.

  Reminding myself to breathe again, I slipped past the group and headed out of Kanji’s elegant exit. Instead of trailing through the city at street level, I flung myself across the rain-slicked rooftops. As a result, I made it back home in record time and slid past the three goblins who were stationed outside our block of flats. They were laughing and joking amongst themselves, totally indifferent to the chaos they’d caused by arresting Ange.

  I scowled. The Filits had always been bastards, even before the siege. They’d been manageable bastards though, even if they kept a tighter rein on things and held to the letter of the law with more pedantic vigour than you’d find in other parts of Scotland. Most of them had possessed at least a semblance of a sense of humour and it had been possible to chat to them and pass the time of day. I even knew of a few women who’d had flings with the goblins; app
arently they were very well-endowed. Now the lot of them were wankers. It might have been hunger. They got far better rations than we did but they still had to be suffering. Their behaviour might also be the result of downright nastiness. Whatever, these days the only good goblin was the one you didn’t have to see, speak to – or smell.

  I flitted round the corner and bounced up the drainpipe to my open window. Wasting no more time, I flung my shadow back at my inert body. I allowed myself one small moment of happiness at feeling complete again then I got to it.

  I retrieved my holster and sheathed knife from the battered suitcase underneath my bed and belted them round my hips. Both were just the right side of worn and shabby, giving the appearance that they were used regularly. In truth, I had more chance of stabbing out my own eye than stabbing an assailant, and the knife was more use for spreading butter than slicing flesh. I relied on my wraith form to do my dirty work but without it I needed to give the appearance that I was not to be messed with. Most of the time it worked.

  I shrugged on my old leather jacket, because nothing suggests hardass quite like leather, and ran my fingers through my closely cropped hair. I’d love to have long, flowing tresses but long hair on a shadow would be too much of a giveaway. Not only was every other wraith I’d ever heard of male, but one loose shadow curl could draw someone’s attention to what wasn’t supposed to be there. More’s the pity.

  I was fastening my boots when Becky returned. She gave a quick, hesitant knock on the door as if half expecting me to pretend to be out. I opened up and welcomed her back in. She raised her arms towards me, desperate for a hug. Gritting my teeth, I granted her wish although I only managed a few seconds before pulling away.

  ‘Did you find anything?’ I asked.

  She bit her lip, nodded and thrust a small lacquered box at me. It had an intricate, colourful design that, to my untrained eye, simply looked a mess. ‘I’ve never seen this before,’ she said. ‘I tried to open it but it seems to be stuck.’

  I frowned. She was right; there was a seam around the rim, indicating that the box could be opened, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t prise the lid off. I held the box up to my ear and rattled it. There was definitely something inside although whatever it was, it wasn’t very heavy.

  ‘Where exactly was this?’

  ‘In our secret stash. The one in the…’

  I put my hands up. ‘Don’t tell me.’ I pursed my lips. ‘When was the last time you looked in the hiding place?’

  ‘Monday.’ She twisted a curl around her finger anxiously. ‘It wasn’t there then.’

  ‘You were searching through your stash just five days ago?’ That was unusual. The best stashes were hidden away and then forgotten about. They were for emergencies only – genuine, about-to-die emergencies.

  Becky’s eyes filled up. ‘We hadn’t eaten in three days. Our rations were blocked and there was nothing in the cupboard. Mum told me to look in the stash. She told me to take out some money to buy rice.’ She sniffed. ‘We didn’t have enough though. The prices have gone up.’

  ‘Why were your rations blocked?’ I asked more sharply than I intended.

  Her shoulders drooped. ‘I don’t know,’ she whispered.

  I hissed through my teeth. They should have come to me; I might have been able to help. Ange was too damn proud and Becky was too much of a kid. But this wasn’t the time for recriminations. I looked Becky up and down. Despite the mess she was in, she didn’t look too hungry. ‘Did you get food in the end?’

  She nodded. ‘On Tuesday. Mum must have gone out when I was sleeping. I woke up early because I was hungry and she was already in the kitchen making pancakes.’ Becky swallowed and gazed at me with wide, frightened eyes. ‘She had maple syrup.’

  Maple syrup? It was so long since I’d had maple syrup I could barely remember what it tasted like. Clearly Ange had performed some kind of miracle – or horrific deed – to get some. And no doubt she’d got this strange little box at the same time. I held it up to the light and examined one of the engravings on the lid. It was a simple Celtic knot, the sort you’d see anywhere. The snaking lines leading away from it detracted from the knot’s elegance, however. Pity. Turning the box over in my hands, I frowned to myself. Had Ange stolen it? Or was she keeping it safe for someone else?

  ‘We need to hide this. It might be nothing or it might be everything.’ I chewed the inside of my cheek. ‘With the goblins stationed outside, it’s probably better if we put it somewhere out of the way. Just in case.’ I gazed at Becky. ‘It’s also probably better if we put you somewhere out of the way too.’ It was a risk. The Filits wanted her to stay here; they wanted to know where she was. Discovering that she’d flitted from under their noses might set off a chain reaction that would lead to disaster. But they wanted her here for a reason; denying them the possibility of using Becky against her own mother seemed prudent.

  ‘Can’t I come with you?’ Becky asked in a small voice.

  I shook my head. ‘It’s too dangerous. I’ll take you to a friend of mine. She’s … interesting. She’ll keep you safe.’ I handed the box back to her. ‘The first chance you get, hide that somewhere. Don’t tell anyone where it is.’

  Becky swallowed but she nodded agreement.

  ‘We’ll get to the bottom of this,’ I said. ‘Somehow or other.’ I walked to my open window and peered down. Clambering down in full form was considerably harder than leaping out as a shadow. With those goblins in place at the front, however, we had little choice. I glanced back at Becky. ‘I hope you’ve got a head for heights.’

  ***

  Sally Slate lived on the far fringes of the city, close to the city walls – and near to the imposing weaponry of the Gneiss goblins that loomed on the slopes beyond the river but was less than a mile away. When the first Gneiss shelling and bombardment had begun, her neighbours had gathered up their belongings and skedaddled. Sally had watched them, bemused, declaring that this neighbourhood was the safest. The Gneiss weren’t interested in targeting the poor outskirts of the city; they were aiming for the centre. They wanted to kill Filits.

  In the end she was right. The majority of the buildings here were still standing. Before the heavy artillery attacks were abandoned, the Gneiss destroyed buildings and left piles of rubble in the middle of the town. Of course, had the Gneiss goblins pushed through and attacked in person, Sally would have been on the front line and caught between both sides. That prospect never seemed to bother her much; indeed, looking around her collection of old tins of food and paraphernalia looted from her departed neighbours, Sally didn’t seem to be doing too badly.

  It wasn’t just the clutter in her house that was impressive; Sally was larger than life in more ways than one. In these days of strict rationing, it wasn’t common to come across people of her wide stature. Becky goggled at her but thankfully had the sense not to comment.

  ‘So you’ll be needing my help then,’ Sally said, settling in a chair. It groaned loudly as it took her weight but we all pretended not to hear.

  There was no point beating around the bush. I pointed at Becky. ‘She needs a place to stay for a few days.’

  ‘Why? What has she done?’

  Becky bristled, her cheeks colouring. ‘I’ve not done anything!’

  ‘Honey,’ Sally said, not unkindly, ‘people only come here for two reasons. You’re skinny and you need feeding up – but I’m guessing it’s not my supplies that you’re after. If it is, then you’re braver than most others.’

  I gave her a long look. ‘Have you been having trouble?’

  Sally waved a hand in the air, her bangles jangling against her wrist. ‘When do I not have trouble? Every so often some likely lad thinks that he can better me. He’s always wrong.’

  As if to add credence to her words, there was a hesitant knock on her living-room door. A moment later a young, nervous face peered round. He couldn’t have been more than sixteen but he possessed none of the swagger you’d expect in a teenag
e boy. He simply looked terrified.

  ‘Tea,’ Sally snapped. ‘Use the good china.’

  Becky’s mouth hung open.

  ‘Stay like that, dearie,’ Sally said, ‘and you’ll catch flies. Martin is one of the many who thought he could get the better of me. Now he’s paying me back for disturbing my peace.’

  I dreaded to think what kind of hold Sally had over the kid that she could keep him here against his will and make him do her bidding. Then it occurred to me that it probably wouldn’t take much. She forced to him stay around to serve her in retaliation for attempting to rob her blind; in return, he probably received three square meals a day. It was more than a lot of kids his age would get. By punishing him, she was saving him – and from the gleam in her eye as she watched me, she knew that I’d worked out her game.

  ‘It’s a hard life,’ I murmured.

  A smile played around her plump lips. ‘It certainly is.’

  ‘I don’t think…’ Becky began. She fell silent when Sally frowned at her and her head drooped. ‘It would be very kind of you to let me stay. I can find my own food. You won’t even know I’m here.’

  ‘She’s smart,’ Sally said to me. ‘I like this one.’

  ‘The Filits have her mother,’ I said. If Sally was going to give Becky the sanctuary she desperately needed, she should know what was going on. ‘They want Becky as well.’

  ‘They want to use her against her mother?’

  I nodded. ‘That’s what I believe.’

  ‘Interesting.’ Sally reached into her pocket, drew out a lacy handkerchief and dabbed at her forehead. ‘What are you, girl? Six? Seven?’

  Becky glared. ‘I’m nine.’

  ‘Even better. Nine year olds are excellent gardeners. Weed my plants and keep them alive and I’ll feed you.’