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under the shoulders and arms. The others looked at her in surprise. Lift the timber, she shouted, tears
sliding from her eyes as a puff of smoke wafted into her face. Gasping and choking, they strained to raise
the heavy wooden beam the necessary inches, and Celia pulled at the mulatto girl s shoulders with
wrenching tugs. The girl stared up at Celia in terror and struggled to pull her leg from beneath the timber.
One of the burning walls swayed, dangerously close to collapsing. Frantically Celia dragged the injured
girl free.
Together they all carried the girl to the opening in the floor. Celia clambered through it first and held out
her arms while they pushed the mulatto girl toward her. All four of them skidded down the short incline.
One of the prostitutes, a plump brunette with a dirt-smudged face, grasped Celia s arm. Thank you, the
woman gasped hoarsely. Thank you.
Do you know the way out of here? Celia asked, and coughed harshly. Even the brief exposure to the
smoke had made her lungs feel as if they were filled with soot.
The prostitute gave a wheezing laugh. If you was aiming to go above ground, precious, you took the
wrong turn. Aye, I know the way out. It s not far at
The ear-splitting blast of a shell came from overhead, and the tunnel collapsed with a fulminating crash.
They screamed and huddled together as the earth crumbled around them. In a split-second Celia knew
she was going to die. Her mind emptied of all thought. Her ears were filled with a roaring noise, and then
she was submerged in an abrupt quietness. Everything around her was still and cool and gray.
In a while she stirred a little, half-dreaming, half-awake. Her eyes and nose and lungs were stinging. The
air was warm and pungent. Coughing, she managed to sit up and wipe her eyes. The brunette woman
was gingerly touching a bruise on her own head and swearing, while the mulatto girl was crying. What
happened? Celia asked huskily.
Cave-in, the brunette said curtly, pointing to the tunnel, which was completely blocked by rubble.
Now we can t& get out that way. She gave a hacking cough. And since the blasted jack-tars above
have set the stinking island on fire, we re trapped here. Cozy little oven& won t be long till we re done
like f-four roasted pigeons.
No, Celia said, crawling slowly to the pile of debris. She pulled a chunk of limestone from the top.
The heat and smoke will rise, it won t collect down here. We ll be safe for a while& but still, we have
to& She paused as a spasm of coughing shook her body. & dig ourselves out, she finished. None of
them moved to help her. She clawed at the rocks with her bare hands.
Then the brunette dragged herself up beside her. Plucky little pincase, ain t you? She grasped the side
of a rock and helped Celia dislodge it.
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The tavern was an awe-inspiring sight as it burned, giving off heat and light that rivaled the rising sun.
Crawling through the flurry of shot from the navy schooners, Justin and Aug made their way to the partial
shelter offered by one of the fort s two large parapets. A lone, bloody figure staggered out from the
doorway. Justin tensed, recognizing the man. Duffy! He stood and caught the wounded man as he
stumbled, bearing him gently to the ground.
Duffy held his hands against a stab wound in the center of his torso, blood flowing through his fingers. He
looked up at Justin with glassy eyes. Legare, he gasped. I fought im, but I couldn t& I tried&
It s all right, don t talk, Justin murmured, throwing Aug a bleak glance. Duffy was a gallant, foolhardy
man no match for someone as cunning and skilled as Legare. Tearing off the tatters that had once been
his shirt, Justin wadded up the shredded cloth and pressed it over the gushing wound. It was a useless
effort, but he had to do something. Duffy shuddered and gasped, his head falling to the side.
Griffin.
Looking up from Duffy s still face, Justin saw Dominic Legare s lean, wiry form in the doorway. Legare
clasped a bloody sword in his hand. There were no mocking smiles on his sharp-featured face, nothing
but deadly purpose in his eyes. He looked clean and unmarked, and invincible. Two other men came up
behind Legare. Justin wondered if it had been the three of them against Duffy, if the other two had
tormented and cornered him, then allowed Legare to deliver the death-thrust.
Aug leaped up, and Justin followed suit more slowly. His heartbeat was thrumming in his ears and he
was swamped with a savage elation that was as pure an emotion as he d ever felt. He wanted to kill, to
spill Legare s blood and dance in it. The roar of hatred drowned out the sound of the fire and the shell
bursts. He felt capable of anything, any cruelty& He felt almost inhuman.
He saw it all reflected back at him from Legare s eyes.My God, he thought, suddenly cold with panic,
what s the difference between us? The scarlet fog cleared away. He remembered Celia telling him she
believed in him, clasping him in her arms and making him believe in the part of himself he thought had
been lost long ago. It was because of her that he was not like Legare, and never could be. The thought of
her steadied him.
As the torrent of desperate energy began to fade, he became aware of all the things he d temporarily
forgotten his aching leg, the stabbing pain of his rib, and all the battered places on his body. It was
good to remember. He had to fight within his limits instead of trying to push. His usual extension would be
curtailed and he wouldn t gamble on having much endurance left.
Aug, he said, gesturing to the pair behind Legare. Keep those two outside. No one is to interfere. If
they try anything
Aye.
Legare nodded to the two pirates, who moved aside. Justin guessed that they would try to rush Aug as
soon as they had the chance. He didn t think Aug would have trouble dealing with them.
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