Wraith(48)

Ange was still sleeping, her face calm and relaxed for what was probably the first time in months. Tough: there was no longer any time for rest or for dreams. I shook her awake. She sprang upwards, terror lighting her eyes. ‘No!’ she shrieked. ‘I don’t know where it is! I don’t even know what you’re talking about! Let me go!’

‘It’s me. It’s Saiya.’

Ange stared at me, her eyes still wide with fear. ‘Saiya, I…’ Her shoulders slumped. ‘I’m safe,’ she whispered. ‘It’s okay.’ She smoothed her hair back with trembling fingers. ‘It’s all going to be fine.’

Not necessarily. Rather than sugar coat things, I crouched in front of her. ‘You’re not safe and neither is Becky. Every damn goblin in Stirling is searching for you. By the sound of things every damn goblin outside Stirling wants to kill you. We need to get you both out of here and we need to do it now.’

Her face paled. She’d survived in Stirling for too long to pass out or to crumple, however. Her eyes closed briefly as she absorbed my words and then she stood up on shaky legs. ‘Then we’d better get moving.’ Ange was a survivor. At this point we all were.

With no way or knowing what Marrock or de Florinville were going to do – and no real reason to trust either of them – I was more than ready to skedaddle and leave the pair of them in the dust. I hooked one of Ange’s arms round my shoulders. ‘It’s you and me, okay? We can do this.’

She nodded. It’s not like there was much choice. We’d barely gone three steps, however, when Marrock appeared in front of us, barring our path.

‘Get out of my way,’ I snapped. ‘You didn’t want her here and now I’m granting your wish and taking her away. Don’t worry. Neither of us will mention your name if we’re caught.’

‘You can’t leave now, Saiya,’ he said, with an air of pragmatism that was most unlike him. ‘You won’t get twenty metres down the street before you’re spotted.’

‘Well, we can’t stay here. We’ll be sitting ducks.’ I gave him a pointed look. ‘And we all know what will happen to you and your people if she’s found here. You won’t be able to hide behind your dodgy deals this time, Marrock. Think of the box they sent you.’

His expression didn’t flicker. ‘I am thinking of the box. It’s all I’m thinking of.’

‘Then you don’t want us anywhere near here. You were right the first time, I should have stayed away.’

Marrock shook his head. From the gloom beyond, I was aware of Gabriel de Florinville watching our exchange. He wasn’t my priority though, even if his presence filled the room. ‘I didn’t know what was at stake before,’ Marrock said calmly. ‘I do now.’

De Florinville spoke up. ‘I told him what the Stone is.’

I wasn’t sure it mattered but curiosity won out. ‘So?’ I asked. ‘What is it?’

‘There’s only one Stone they can be referring to,’ he said with a heavy sigh. ‘The Stone of Scone.’ He pronounced the word ‘scoon’, in Gaelic fashion. ‘Also known as the Stone of Destiny.’

I frowned. ‘But that’s in Holyrood. It’s the thing the King is crowned on, right?’ If there ever was a king. The monarchy was based in England these days.

‘You’re only half right. Yes, the Stone of Scone is what the Kings and Queens of Scotland are traditionally crowned on. It’s heavy and ugly and has been around for centuries. It’s also fake.’

I stared at him. ‘Excuse me?’

He shrugged as if it were a matter of little consequence but it was bloody big news to me. ‘It’s fake. The real one disappeared centuries ago. King Edward of England wanted it so the Scottish Crown took measures to hide it. They put a fake stone in its place.’

‘We’re talking about a lump of granite here, right? A slab of stone? Who cares?’

‘It’s not granite,’ he said softly. ‘It’s red sandstone. It can be traced as far back as Jacob and the Book of Genesis. The power and magic contained within it are immense. The Stone in Edinburgh is merely ceremonial; the Stone the goblins are looking for possesses very real power. If one of them is crowned using the original Stone, they will have the power and the right to usurp the government. They’ll be able to take over Scotland, maybe even beyond. The world as we know it will never be the same. You can forget about democracy.’ He put his hands in his pockets and gazed into the distance. ‘This is why,’ he said softly. ‘This is why the goblins are fighting over this scrap of land and refusing to give in.’

‘It is here,’ Ange said, her voice so quiet it was barely audible. ‘The real Stone is in Stirling.’

All of three of us looked at her. She coughed and ducked her head. ‘I mean, the goblins are convinced it’s here. They think I know where it is but I don’t. I really don’t.’

‘Why do they think you know?’ I asked, nervously glancing towards the exit. I half expected an army of Filits to storm in at any second.

‘Bernard,’ she said.

‘Your ex? Becky’s dad?’

Ange nodded. ‘He’s dead now. Sepsis or something.’ Her face twisted. ‘Good riddance to him. He might have been a bully who preferred using his fists to solve his problems but apparently he could trace his lineage back to the people who first hid the Stone. He left me his stuff in his will so I could pass it on to Becky. I thought there would be food or money, something useful, you know? There were a few things. He was a cunning bastard who had more on his shelves that most but other than food, there were just some old clothes, a watch and a worthless little trinket box.’