Wraith(22)

The goblins who’d been stationed outside since Ange’s arrest had been replaced with a new set. It was dark enough for them not to notice that I was shadowless. Without Becky in tow I appeared innocent enough so I simply pushed open the main doors and strode past them.

‘Oi!’ The nearest one pushed away from the wall and started after me. Good.

Giving the impression of being just another well-behaved citizen with nothing to hide, I halted and turned round. I didn’t smile too broadly. The goblins tended to like it when you showed fear, erroneously equating it with respect. Instead, I hugged my arms around myself and offered them a wobbly grin. ‘Yes?’ I asked, eyes wide.

‘Who are you? Where are you going?’

I licked my lips and dropped my voice to a whisper. ‘I’m Saiya. I’m going foraging.’

His lip curled up in a sneer. ‘Foraging for what?’

‘Nettles. I was going to make nettle soup. I’ve got another three days before I get my rations and I’ve got nothing left. I…’

The goblin held up his hand. ‘Shut up.’

His companion ambled over and peered at me. ‘Leave her be, Boxburn. This one’s hardly dangerous.’

Boxburn ignored her and continued to glare at me. ‘What do you know about Angela Horrocks?’

I took a step backwards. This was becoming tiresome. Maybe I should have come up with a different plan and climbed out of the window like last time. I didn’t want them to focus on Ange, I wanted them to focus on me.

‘She … she … lives upstairs,’ I stammered. ‘She’s been arrested. I don’t know why.’ I shook my head violently. ‘I don’t know her that well, I promise. I don’t know what she’s been doing.’ Given that I was telling the truth, I reckoned I must appear believable.

‘What about her daughter?’

‘Becky?’ I blurted out. ‘Has she broken the law too? Have you arrested her too? She’s just a kid. You can’t…’

He growled under his breath and stepped towards me. Again I took a step back, maintaining the dance of a terrified human. At this rate, we’d be doing it all night. ‘We’ll do whatever we want to do. We’re in charge.’

I swallowed. ‘Yessir.’

‘What’s in the bag?’

I pulled it off my shoulder and fumbled with the zip. ‘Water. And bandages. Sometimes I get stung when I collect nettles so I need the bandages for protection.’ I hoped I was injecting just the right amount of tremble into my voice.

Boxburn folded his arms and stared at me, as if he were sure I was taking the piss. Wary of overdoing things, I bit my lip and gave him a wide-eyed stare. ‘It’s tasty,’ I said. ‘The soup. You’d think it wouldn’t be nice but it really is.’

‘What does it taste like?’

‘A bit like spinach. It’s really good for you though. Clears your complexion and keeps everything working.’ I pointed down at my bowels. ‘You know…’

With any luck, that would do the trick. One of the few goblin secrets I’d unearthed during my shadow runs was that constipation was a familiar complaint. Goblin gullets weren’t designed for rich food and there was no remedy in Stirling for their delicate constitutions. I thought it was a fairly useless titbit of information but every secret had its uses, if you’re smart and patient enough.

‘There’s a patch of nettles down by the south walls. No one else knows about it yet and I want to get there before others see it. That’s why I’m going now. If other people see me going out, they’ll follow me and take the nettles for themselves. I found them so I should have them.’ I sounded plaintive and whiny but it was necessary.

‘Huh.’ The goblin scratched his belly while his companion came forward. She nudged him in the ribs and gave him a meaningful look. He nodded briefly and bared his teeth in a dramatic snarl. ‘Everything that grows within the city walls belongs to the city wardens.’ He brought his face down towards mine. ‘It belongs to us.’

‘It’s only nettles!’ I protested. ‘You don’t want nettles! You can eat whatever you want!’ I twisted my fingers together. ‘Please. If I don’t get them now, someone else will find them. It’s only for a bit of soup.’

‘You’re sneaking out in the middle of the night. You’re stealing nettles that don’t belong to you.’

‘I’m not stealing! I…’ My voice faltered and I dropped my head. ‘I’m sorry,’ I mumbled. ‘I’ll show you where the nettles are and you can have them.’

‘No,’ he barked. ‘You’ll do better than that. You’ll retrieve the nettles, make the soup and bring it to us. You’ll bring all of it to us. If you don’t, the gallows might find a new candidate.’

I sucked in a breath and began to shake. ‘Yes.’

‘Yes what?’

‘Yes, sir.’ I peeked up at him.

A self-satisfied smile wreathed the goblin’s face. ‘That’s better.’

I made a swift calculation. ‘The nettles need to be soaked to remove their sting,’ I said. ‘But I should have the soup ready for you by midday tomorrow. I’ll bring it to you here.’

‘No. We’ll be at the castle. You’ll bring it to us there.’ He pointed to himself and his partner. ‘Boxburn and Tamash. You don’t leave it with anyone other than us.’