‘Hey! Dark Elf chappie! Help me get down here, will you? I need a hand down the first few rungs and then you and lovely Saiya can skip off and save the world for us.’ She pursed her lips. ‘I’d appreciate it if you did it quickly. I’ve got next year’s potatoes in the garden and the frost will get to them if I’m not around to look after them.’
I narrowed my eyes at her but she didn’t look at me; instead she held out her hand and waited for Gabriel to help her. With little choice, he turned and held onto her hand while the rest of her body moved downwards. She didn’t look in the slightest bit panicked; I had a sneaking suspicion that, despite her bulk, Sally was nimble enough to dance down the rope ladder faster than the rest of us.
Gabriel waited until she’d reached the bottom then called out, ‘Take care!’
Rymark’s voice drifted back up. ‘You too.’ There was a chorus of chiming farewells from below. Clearly they all knew what we were about to do. So much for being surreptitious. I sighed.
Yielding to the inevitable, I moved the Exam Texts box over the hole to conceal it from prying eyes and looked at the Dark Elf. ‘I suppose it’s just us two then.’ I didn’t sound happy about it.
‘Alone at last.’ His voice held husky promise.
‘I didn’t mean it like that.’
He grinned. ‘I know. And I know you were about to tell me something important about yourself before Sally interrupted. Do you want to tell me now?’
I crossed my arms and looked away. The moment had gone. ‘No.’ I needed Gabriel on my side; I knew we’d have more luck locating the real Stone if we worked together. I supposed I could trust him. Slightly.
‘You can tell me later when all this is over,’ he said. ‘But whatever it is, we’ll work it out. I’m sure the truth isn’t as bad as you think.’
I’d liked to have heard the odds on that statement. I sighed and shoved my hands into my pockets before striding off towards the exit. A moment later, Gabriel followed.
Chapter Fourteen
Our first objective was to retrieve the little box from the garden near Sally’s house. The goblins had been searching for the Stone for nigh on three years and not had any luck. We had no chance without some kind of clue about where to look. Although maybe, I considered as Gabriel and I jogged silently along the Stirling streets, we were in a better position than I’d thought.
I knew the city well; I had contacts and knew secrets that were bound to be useful. Gabriel de Florinville was a Dark Elf; he had power at his fingertips which I could only begin to dream of. And between us we knew where to find a box which, if we could open it, might lead us to the Stone of Scone. Perhaps I’d use it to crown myself Queen of Scotland then I could use my power to expel all goblins from our shores forever. I’d send the current government into exile alongside them. The Prime Minister and his Parliament at Holyrood didn’t deserve a second thought after abandoning Stirling to its three-year siege. Ancient laws be damned; basic human rights had to count for more.
I sneaked a look at Gabriel. I might keep him around – if he stopped going on about this Fior Ghal stuff.
‘How long will it take them to reach James and speak to him?’ I asked.
‘Two days.’
I was taken aback. ‘That long?’ It was a specific and very fast answer. Optimistic suspicion – if there was such a thing – poured through me.
‘If the Filit goblins haven’t worked out that Ange is still alive and not buried under half a ton of Tolbooth rubble, they will soon. Once they’ve finished tearing the city apart, they’ll realise she found a way out and will search for her outside. The Gneiss goblins tried to destroy the Tolbooth, presumably because they knew she was inside and could bring the Filits closer to the Stone. If they couldn’t hear her secrets themselves, they’d prefer to see her dead so that no one else can. But sooner or later they’ll realise that she’s alive and start looking for her. The goblins might have kept the secret of the Stone to themselves but they can’t seem to keep any secrets from themselves. I’ve instructed Rymark to take an obscure route and ensure that no one sees him and Ange. It’s more circuitous and it will take a day or two, but it’s the safest option. The Prime Minister needs to hear from Ange herself.’ He paused. ‘That gives you and I time to find the Stone before he decides what to do with her information.’
‘You think he’ll destroy the entire city.’ I said it quietly, even though my insides were seething.
‘It’s the smart move. Destroying Stirling will either destroy the Stone or bury it for several hundred more years so it will be someone else’s problem.’
My fingers twitched and I tensed them irritably. ‘Everyone inside the city limits will die. There are probably twenty thousand people here and most of them are packed into the centre where they think it’s safer. If James flattens Stirling to protect that chunk of rock, all those people will be killed.’
‘They will be. But if the goblins, be they Filit or Gneiss, harness the Stone of Scone then many more will die.’
‘That doesn’t make it right.’ I glanced at him. ‘If you were the Prime Minister, is this the decision you’d take? Obliterate Stirling and everyone in it?’
‘I’m not him,’ he said.
‘That’s not what I asked.’
Gabriel sighed. ‘I know.’
We turned round a sharp corner towards an old shopping arcade. There was a dry cleaners with dusty windows and a half-smashed glass front door, a small newsagents which had long since been ransacked, a pharmacist which was no doubt in similar straits, and a long-abandoned Chinese restaurant. I sent it a forlorn glance as we passed. ‘I really miss barbecue spare ribs. And prawn crackers.’ To add emphasis, my stomach took that opportunity to grumble.
Gabriel’s mouth tightened. ‘You are very thin.’
‘It’s the special siege diet. When all this is over, I’ll write a book and make gazillions. I’ll use the money to stuff myself with spare ribs and prawn crackers.’ I paused. ‘Followed by five tiers of chocolate cake.’
‘We were assured repeatedly that the citizens remaining in Stirling received weekly rations.’
I laughed bitterly. ‘Sure. We all receive rations – if we’re good.’ I patted my tummy. ‘We get bread which has been bulked out with sawdust and the odd tin of mouldy beans. Maybe, if we’re truly lucky, we’re given half a turnip. We used to get meat but if you pay attention you’ll realise that there aren’t animals round here any more. You might find the odd rat in Marrock’s sewers but there are no horses. No cats. No dogs.’
‘Not everyone is starving.’
‘No. Such is life.’ I shrugged. ‘But don’t try to convince me that you thought everyone in Stirling, regardless of their connections, was fat and glowing and happy. I’m not going to believe you. With respect, Gabriel, you’re not that naïve and you’re not that stupid.’
‘I have tried to help.’
I smiled sadly. ‘You’ve not tried hard enough.’
He took my hand and squeezed it. ‘You are right. I’ve not.’
At least he didn’t try to plead ignorance or suggest that he’d spent the last three years hassling the government to do more, but I still pulled back my hand. He was smart enough not to reach for it again.
We jogged in silence for several uncomfortable seconds until the awkward atmosphere was interrupted by something far more sinister. At first I didn’t think much of it – it was just an odd prickling on the back of my neck – but Gabriel clearly noticed too and slowed to a walk. A lone starling, perched on top of a nearby tenement, flew off with a startled squawk. I didn’t know what was wrong but the air didn’t feel right.
I stopped moving and realised that there was an odd vibration underneath my feet. Gabriel stopped too, a small line creasing his brow. ‘Have the Gneiss goblins ever tried any other kind of bombardment?’
I shook my head. ‘Just air missiles.’ I gnawed on my bottom lip. ‘You don’t think they’d be tunnelling underneath the city, do you?’ It would be one way to get past the barricades without anyone noticing.
‘No.’ Gabriel looked unhappy. ‘It would be strategic suicide. If anyone noticed they were down there, they’d be sitting ducks.’
The earth rumbled, shaking this time with tiny undulations. ‘You feel that, right?’ I said to him. ‘I’m not imagining things?’
Just then, a small fissure opened up by my toes. It was only a crack in the tarmac but it was enough to make me yelp and spring backwards. Unfortunately it wasn’t the only one; as I scrambled back onto the pavement, hundreds of little cracks appeared, a gigantic spider’s web of destruction forming at our feet. A loud rumbling noise rent the air and, instead of gently shaking, the ground began to sway violently.
It was the smell that really gave it away. It was like guano with an edge of blue cheese; it was a familiar, distasteful scent but I’d never experienced it so strongly. More cracks appeared in the walls of the buildings around us; their foundations were crumbling before our eyes.