Wraith(96)

He pushed himself into the room with eight Filit goblins right behind him. When I realised that one of them was Ghrashbreg, dread flashed through me. I picked myself up and stood next to Gabriel. This probably wasn’t going to end well.

The little room had felt small before but now it was claustrophobic. Pat had a look of glee on his face. ‘I told you!’ he cackled. ‘I told you they were here. I saw her, then him, come into the alley and I followed them. I saw which tunnel they took. I even heard them shouting about it.’ He looked at me with delight. ‘Not so hoity-toity now, Saiya. I’ve bested you for good.’

Ghrashbreg stepped forward, his eyes glittering. ‘So you have.’ His hand snapped out and I just caught the glint of a blade before he plunged it deep into Pat’s chest. I let out a cry and lurched forward but Gabriel pulled me back behind him.

Ghrashbreg smirked. ‘He was helpful,’ he admitted. ‘But I don’t like traitors. You can never trust them.’

Pat let out a choking groan and a small bubble of blood formed at his lips. He sank to the ground and collapsed.

‘You two have been remarkably helpful. I have to thank you for sending everyone else to the castle. It means I’m free to make use of the Stone.’ Ghrashbreg looked down at the slab of sandstone. ‘Quite an ugly thing, isn’t it?’ He reached down and placed a hand on top of it, as if hoping to feel its power through his skin.

As he did so, several other Filit goblins appeared, brandishing lethal-looking weapons. I recognised two of them – Boxburn, the goblin who’d been posted outside my building to keep an eye out for Becky, and the guard who had let me into the castle under false pretences. Their expressions were stony.

Gabriel raised his voice. ‘You’ve not brought many goblins with you, Lord Ghrashbreg. Can I assume that you’re hoping to crown yourself King before anyone notices?’

Ghrashbreg snorted. ‘Can you blame me? Three years I’ve been looking for this damn thing. I’m not hanging around while the others decide which one of us is worthy. There’s nothing wrong with taking a bit of initiative – it’s what all good rulers do.’ He bared his teeth. ‘Not that I’m planning to be a good ruler. Not for the likes of you, anyway.’ He stroked the stone as if it were a pet. ‘I wonder what it will be like. Will I feel a sudden rush of power? Will sparks fly from my fingertips? I’m hoping for the ability to cause sudden death. Surely this old Stone is worth that much.’

I swallowed. ‘You don’t have to do this,’ I said. ‘We can bring down this roof and bury the Stone and no one need ever know it’s here.’

He let out a short laugh that echoed round the room. ‘Why on earth would I want to do that?’

‘No one person should possess so much power over an entire country. The responsibility will drive you mad. You can still do the right thing. This isn’t just about you, Ghrashbreg.’

The goblin Lord raised his eyebrows at Gabriel. ‘Can you believe her? First of all it appears that she’s the wraith we’ve all be searching for and now she thinks that my better nature will make me walk away from all this. As if I’m going to do anything of the sort!’

‘You should think about it,’ Gabriel said quietly. ‘You’ve persecuted the people in this city for three years. They’re starving and terrified. If you think that the power this Stone will give you will allow you to persecute the rest of the country, then you’re not thinking clearly. It won’t happen. The rest of the world won’t permit it.’

Ghrashbreg laughed again. ‘Just like the rest of Scotland didn’t permit what happened here? They’ll stand back and let the dice roll. Before too long, I’ll have such iron control over Scotland that it will be too late, even if anyone wanted to step in.’

‘You’re turning an ancient democracy into a dictatorship. How many dictators do you know who have come to happy ends?’

Ghrashbreg licked his lips greedily. ‘I think I’ll manage. I’ll have more power than anyone else has had in the last thousand years. It’s going to be quite a ride. Not that you two will be around to see it.’ He sniffed loudly, sat down on the Stone and gestured to Boxburn. ‘Come on then, let’s not waste any more time. When I have the Stone’s gifts for myself, I’ll experiment on the two of you first. You’ll go down in history, if nothing else.’ He leaned back and gave a cold, heartless laugh. ‘I can’t wait.’

Boxburn pushed back Gabriel and I and stood in front of Ghrashbreg. ‘Sire, are you willing to take this burden?’

Ghrashbreg beamed. ‘I am.’

Boxburn placed a gnarled hand on Ghrashbreg’s head. ‘Receive the magic, the power and the strength which is embedded in this Stone. Receive the glory and the righteousness of the crown. Receive the strength of this land and stand firm in the state of imperial dignity. The gathering here bears witness to your coronation. Arise King Ghrashbreg, ruler of Scotland!’

Ghrashbreg stood up, blinking slowly, before stretching out his arms. ‘I feel…’ he boomed ‘…no different.’ He glared at Boxburn. ‘You said the words wrong.’

The goblin stammered, ‘I said them as you instructed me.’

‘Well, try again!’ Ghrashbreg seated himself once more.

Boxburn coughed. ‘Sire, are you willing to take this burden?’