Wraith(51)

‘We shouldn’t waste any more time,’ I said, trying to be brisk and business-like. ‘The school in three hours.’

‘It’s a date,’ Gabriel murmured, with the sort of husky promise that almost made me believe it was.

I didn’t dare look back at him. Instead I took Ange’s hand and, seconds later, we were outside and running for our lives.





Chapter Thirteen


I vaguely knew the lane that Marrock had directed us towards. As far as I remembered, I had only ever used it on a few occasions; when I needed to be subtle, I used the shadows. At other times the tarmacked roads and pavements were far more useful than the swampy mud track which Ange and I found ourselves on. Our feet squelched as we walked and our speed was severely hampered by the fact that, when we weren’t getting our shoes stuck in thick brown gloop, we were sliding all over the place. At this rate, I estimated that it would take us around an hour to reach Sally’s house then another hour or so to get to the school. I prayed that Sally hadn’t chosen to do anything daft like take Becky out for the day. There wasn’t a lot of time to spare if I had to go searching for them.

Initially Ange and I walked in silence. It was important that she conserved her strength and I needed to hear if anyone, especially any goblins, were drawing close. The only sounds for a long time were the squelches of our feet tramping in the mud and the river slowly lapping against the bank to our left. My nose tickled with the smell of smoke that still clung to the air from the Gneiss’ bombardment. Frankly, it was a relief to have the reek of sewage from the dirty river as well – it was an improvement on burning flesh.

We’d gone some distance and not seen or heard a soul when Ange murmured something. I glanced at her sharply, thinking it was a warning of some kind, then realised she’d said something else. ‘It’s very good of you to help us, Saiya,’ she repeated. ‘I know how much you’re risking by doing this. You usually keep yourself far from any trouble.’

I gave a soft laugh. ‘I could say the same about you.’

Ange shrugged helplessly. ‘It would still be true if it weren’t for arsing Bernard. He’s caused even more trouble in death than he did in life.’ She grimaced. ‘And that’s saying something. When I was in that cell, I started to wonder if he’d left me that stupid box deliberately because he knew how much trouble it would cause.’

I gestured. ‘It’s about this size? With a lacquered covering and seemingly impossible to open?’

Ange started. ‘You’ve seen it?’ Panic flared in her eyes.

‘Becky showed it to me. I told her to hide it somewhere safe. I don’t know where it is now.’ I hesitated. ‘Have you opened it?’

‘I don’t know how.’ She shivered. ‘If Becky is the only one who knows where it is…’

‘Don’t worry. I won’t let the goblins get to her. I won’t let anyone get to her.’

Ange bit her bottom lip. I wasn’t sure whether she believed me but I reckoned that she needed to believe in something. ‘I’ve not opened it,’ she whispered. ‘And I don’t know how to.’ I felt an odd prickle on the back of my neck. At the corner of my eye, something flickered. ‘Bernard mentioned it once and said that—’

I grabbed her arm. ‘Be quiet.’

Her eyes widened in alarm. ‘What is it?’

If I told her, she’d freak out and she’d already undergone enough trauma. Ange was doing a good job of holding things together but everyone had their limits; I had no desire to test Ange’s.

‘I’m not sure,’ I said, keeping my voice low. ‘It might be nothing.’ I scanned the path ahead, spotting an old lock-up that had probably been used by fishermen when there were fish in the river. ‘You see that shed up ahead?’

Ange nodded.

‘I want you to get inside it. I just want to check that nothing’s following us. We’re probably in the clear but it doesn’t hurt to be careful.’ The shed was ramshackle and the door was falling off its hinges so it wouldn’t protect her but it would keep her in one place so I could deal with what was behind us.

‘But what about you? Will you be alright?’

I smiled at her. ‘I’ll be fine. Now off you go.’ I gave her a gentle shove. Fortunately she didn’t argue.

I waited until Ange was inside the shed and turned round to wait. I didn’t have long. The wraith, who I assumed was the one who’d been despatched to kill her at the Tolbooth, peeled away from the shadows of a nearby wall and flitted down to the ground to face me. His own shadow reshaped into a three-dimensional form. He wouldn’t be able to talk – but he would be able to listen.

He wavered to and fro for several moments, as if taunting me. When I didn’t react, he raised his shadow arms in a shrug and stopped moving.

‘If you are here for her,’ I said carefully, ‘I will hurt you. Otherwise I have no quarrel with you.’

The wraith held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. I was optimistic – but I wasn’t stupid. I remained where I was, ready to attack him. It was eerie staring into a shadow and seeing nothing but darkness staring back. I’d long since moved past the stage where I stared at my shadow in the mirror and I’d forgotten how creepy it could be.