Wraith(41)

I was dimly aware of de Florinville shouting my name and then Rymark shouting his. The visitors could do whatever they wanted to; I had to get Ange out of there before the entire building came down. Leaping over the rubble and choking in the clouds of dust, I sprinted for the Tolbooth’s entrance.

A large chunk of stone broke off from the jutting roof and crashed down towards me. I narrowly avoided getting crushed by it, veering away in the nick of time. Small fires were already alight, flickering both outside and inside what remained of the buildings. I pulled up the collar of my dark jumper to cover my mouth and nose and ducked underneath a beam that had fallen in front of the Tolbooth’s doorway.

If visibility was low outside then inside I was virtually blind. Even detaching my shadow wouldn’t work here. It wasn’t the darkness, it was the smoke from the fires and the dust that were saturating every particle of the air. Within seconds my eyes were streaming.

I felt someone push up against my back and grab me. ‘What the fuck are you doing?’ exploded Gabriel de Florinville.

I pushed him off. ‘Piss off. Someone I know is in here and I’m going to get them out.’

‘You can’t…’

His words were swallowed by a small explosion from what I assumed was a gas canister. Three men barrelled past us, slamming into our bodies before they exited, and de Florinville staggered away from me. I ignored him. He was a Dark Elf; he could look after himself.

I plunged in deeper, weaving round fallen stones and furniture. The unmistakable sound of another missile reached my ears and the ground rocked.

‘Gabri…’ Rymark’s voice was lost as the Tolbooth’s entrance crashed down behind us, blocking our way out. That wasn’t good.

Hoping there would be another way out, I kept going. ‘Ange!’ I yelled, flailing my arms blindly in front of me. ‘Ange! Where are you?’

‘Saiya!’

I muttered a curse. De Florinville was really starting to get on my nerves. I ignored him and pressed on. ‘Ange!’ I shouted once more.

This time there was an answer. From the far corner, beside the staircase, there was a weak croak. ‘Here. Saiya, I’m here.’

I bounded towards her, stubbed my toe on more rubble and grimaced before continuing. It took longer than it should have to reach her but at least with the staircase beside her there was pocket of air that made it easier to breathe. I rubbed at my streaming eyes; when that didn’t work, I fumbled to see where she was tied up. There was a set of handcuffs holding her arms behind her back and a chain that appeared to be looped to the wall. I tugged at it, doing everything I could to pull it away but it wouldn’t budge. Yelling in frustration, I tried harder until I felt a hand on my shoulder. Bloody de Florinville. Again. He squeezed for a moment and then reached past me. I heard some kind of murmur, archaic words that I didn’t recognise, and there was a clink as Ange’s handcuffs fell open.

‘Now can we get out of here?’ he enquired with what sounded like simmering rage.

I stood up, pulling my jumper over my head and wrapping it round Ange’s face to protect her from the worst of the dust and smoke. ‘Now we can.’

He took my hand and pulled while I held tightly onto Ange. For a moment I thought he was going to head for the now-blocked door and I was about to protest. Instead he tugged me towards one of the walls.

‘Stand back,’ he instructed. ‘This could get messy.’

I was beginning to understand what he was capable of so I took him at his word and moved away, shielding a cowering Ange with my body. I was gripping her so tightly it was a wonder she still had circulation in her hand. There was more muttering and this time it felt as if the air around us was buzzing with his power. There was a loud crack and several thuds as more stones fell, then sunlight poured in from outside and de Florinville grabbed me again. The three of us fell into the open air and ran, just before the wall came crashing down.

My heart was thudding painfully against my ribcage and my lungs were burning but that was probably nothing compared to what Ange was feeling. Using my forearm, I rubbed my eyes furiously until my vision started to clear.

De Florinville was already at Ange’s side, peeling away the jumper from her face and using gentle fingers to check for wounds or serious injuries. Tears ran down her cheeks and her eyes were squeezed shut. She was heaving in breaths and trying to speak.

I touched her arm. ‘It’s okay, Ange. We’re okay. Don’t try to talk just yet.’

She nodded, wrapping her arms around herself and sliding down until she was a small tight ball on the edge of the chaotic, war-torn street. From the other side of the towering pile of rubble and beyond the thick smoke, harsh, guttural shouts filtered through. I stiffened. We couldn’t stay here; I couldn’t let any of the goblins see that Ange had escaped.

My mind spun, seeking out the possibilities. The only thing I was certain of was how badly the Filits wanted Ange. If they knew I had her, they’d rip the city apart to find her. I needed somewhere to go where we’d be safe, even if only temporarily. The trouble was that the only place I could think of was the one place I’d already been warned away from. Bringing Ange with me for another visit was liable to end in blood.

I had to get rid of Gabriel de Florinville too. I didn’t know what this Fior Ghal thing was, even though it seemed to have something to do with me, but he was bound to work out who I really was sooner or later. He was a Dark Elf; he wasn’t an idiot. I glanced at Ange, while de Florinville continued to check her over. Maybe I could finagle this somehow after all.