Wraith(30)

There were many reasons to lie but I knew from past experience that sticking closely to the truth would be better. ‘My name is Saiya Buchanan.’

‘I suppose you work in the kitchen?’

I offered a tiny nod. ‘Yes.’ I didn’t say anything else. I was determined not to give more information than was asked for. Many a person had come unstuck by babbling too many untruths and spinning too many tales, especially to the goblins.

‘Do you keep your hair short like that for sanitary purposes?’

Sure, why not? I nodded again.

‘And,’ he drawled, ‘judging by your strange dress underneath your chef’s whites, you were on your way home when you were ordered to come here and pour our coffee.’

Another nod.

A well-dressed goblin woman spoke up. ‘That Shantash is becoming a liability.’

Ghrashbreg’s response was mild. ‘He has his uses.’ He kept his gaze trained on me, pinning me to the spot. ‘There’s no need to be afraid of us, Saiya. We don’t bite.’ He bared his sharp teeth as if making a joke. Playing along, I offered a weak smile. Maybe there was a way out of this and, if that meant massaging some goblin egos along the way, I was more than prepared to be that oily masseuse. ‘Come here, Saiya,’ he said softly.

My feet were heavy with the weight of my reluctance. I shuffled over, keeping my head down. Perhaps if I made a show of hiding my face, Ghrashbreg would be more curious about that than anything else. I stood next to him, aware of the goblins watching me.

‘There’s something not quite right about her,’ another of the women said.

Shut up.

Ghrashbreg smiled. He lifted up his cup and held it out to me. ‘Would you like some coffee, Saiya?’ He kept repeating my name, as if that would encourage me to trust him.

‘No, thank you.’ I folded my hands together and kept my head bowed.

‘Go on. I insist. It’s the real thing, you know. Imported from Columbia via the only open supply line. How long has it been since you had a real cup of coffee?’

At least he wasn’t pretending that good coffee was easy for us to come by. ‘A long time,’ I mumbled.

Ghrashbreg’s smile grew, like a genial uncle’s. Alarm bells were ringing in my head. ‘Well then,’ he said, ‘have some.’

If I protested too much, this could go on all night. Salivating despite the situation, I took the cup from him and sipped. Damn. That was good.

‘Have some more.’

I took another sip, resisting the urge to down the whole thing. Ghrashbreg, however, reached up and gently tipped the base of the cup, causing the rest of the hot coffee to slide down my throat. I swallowed, finishing it all, although my tongue and throat were burning. The same expression remained on the goblin’s face the entire time. ‘You enjoyed that, didn’t you, my dear?’

‘Yes.’ I only just managed not to choke.

He took the cup from me and laid it carefully on its saucer before patting my hand. Then he lashed out like a snake, his squat fingers curving round my wrist and his fingernails digging into my skin. He yanked me forward until I stumbled. With his other hand, he grabbed the back of my head and slammed it down against the table. There was a crash of breaking crockery and a few tuts from the other goblins.

‘Watch the china! That’s expensive stuff and there’s not much of it left.’

Ghrashbreg stood up, all the better to press down hard onto my skull. I sent a wistful thought towards my shadow, trapped somewhere upstairs, and let my body relax. There was no point fighting the inevitable; the odds against me were astronomical. I couldn’t even reach Marrock’s dagger – and even if I could it would do me little good against all of these goblins. One flash of steel and Ghrashbreg would make this even worse for me than it already was.

‘Who are you really?’ Ghrashbreg hissed at me.

‘Saiya Buchanan.’ That’s what I meant to say but it didn’t sound like that when I tried to force the words out of my mouth.

The goblin took hold of my left hand and stroked my little finger. ‘Who are you?’

‘Saiya,’ I expelled in a hiss of air.

With one swift movement, he yanked my finger upwards. I could hear the snapping of the bone even as I screamed. ‘Who are you?’

I gasped, tears streaming down my cheeks and pooling onto the once-pristine tablecloth. ‘Saiya.’

He reached for my other hand and began stroking the little finger. ‘You’re not going to tell anyone about what you heard here, are you?’

‘I heard nothing.’ My words were little more than ragged sobs.

‘I don’t want to break more fingers, Saiya. Fingers tend to be rather crucial for cooks and I do enjoy my food.’ He pulled again, breaking the bone. Pain and nausea exploded through me; it felt as if my own screams were being echoed back at me, reverberating around the room. ‘I can do much worse than break fingers,’ he cooed into my ear.

‘I … won’t…’ it hurt ‘…tell. I didn’t hear anything.’

All at once he released me and moved his hands away. ‘Stand up,’ he ordered.

I staggered up, dizzy. My vision swam but I could just make out the other goblins. Most of them were holding their coffee cups and sipping as they watched.

‘Thank you, Saiya,’ Ghrashbreg murmured. ‘It was lovely to meet you. You are free to go.’