“You remove the head on all walking dead,” Monroe replied coldly. “Why would I ask your mistress to mark me as she has you if I were setting a trap for the elders?”

              “Let’s get one thing straight right here, right now. Renee didn’t just mark me buddy,” Derek poked Monroe in the chest. “She is my maker and I will kill any who even remotely think about harming her. Do I make myself clear, asshole?”

              “Then you are looking in the wrong direction. Do I make myself clear, anus?”

              “If I don’t get this shit off of me, I’m going to kill everyone. So, shut the hell up and get out of my damn way!” Tammy pushed past Monroe and Derek, continuing down through the stone hall with Cates right behind her.

              Cates returned a few seconds later. “She’ll need something to cover her…” he made a move over his chest with his hands. “She’ll need to borrow a shirt.” He looked around at all the boys. “Her chest is so…never mind.” He disappeared back through the opening.

              “If even one of you laugh, I will pop you,” I whispered holding up my finger and fighting back a smile. ***

Alex was coughing and yelling out for anyone to come help free him before he choked to death. The smoke was filtering in through the same air vents that were meant to keep breathable air in the lower levels. Martin was working diligently, trying to move the stones that had collapsed in the narrow passageway that would lead them to safety in the tunnels.

“Martin, I’m scared.”

“No need, the ceiling will hold. Just keep moving the smaller stones, we will be through soon.”

“What about Alex? He could help us.”

“It is best to leave him be. He could also try and take our lives and go back to his own, little one. I cannot have your safety in more jeopardy than it already is.”

“Are we going to die down here, Martin? I mean, if we can’t get through this tunnel? Is there only one way out?”

Martin didn’t reply he just dropped the stone he was moving and took Tanda into his embrace.

Chapter Thirty

              It was very apparent that the twin sisters had gotten away, and with my ring to boot. We knew that Bernard had said that Inara had plans on hitting the open water if things didn’t go as she had planned and that sure didn’t happen. They didn’t go according to mine either but all of London was on the run. Lord Cheree was a pile of ash and Angelica’s fine castle estate wouldn’t stand when we were finished. I, for one, wasn’t going down into the dark with God only knows what, so we closed the trap wall and headed back to the ballroom.

              As for Angelica’s whereabouts, it was just a guess but it was likely that she wouldn’t be boarding a boat with her sister.               Monroe said he saw several coming and going from a little village south of London, fairly deep in the woods. He had followed them one night when he and his companion first made it into London, thinking they were us. It would be up to the whole group to make the decision on whether or not we would go after her. The open water was a different subject all together and not knowing which way a traveler goes, it is next to impossible to track them.

              “Tear the curtains down and lay them at the base of each fireplace. It will not take long to catch and burn this place to the ground. If Angelica did go up and not make her escape, she will wish she had,” Cates said, and then belted out a laugh.

              “My demented man,” Tammy shook her head and then started tugging on the curtain closest to her.

              “Go and open every door to the outside that you can find,” Jacob said to no one person.

              “Why?” Derek asked.

              “So, if there are any inside, they will not be trapped by the fire.”

              “And if it’s the ones we want trapped inside?”

              “You are as stubborn as your maker,” Jacob growled with his brows pulled in.

              “With a compliment like that how can I refuse those orders?” Derek shrugged looked at me, then looked back at Jacob. “I’m opening the doors, great one.” Derek gave Jacob a mocking bow and took off.

              “If you had been much older, I would have sworn he was your given son,” Jacob yanked the curtain down next to me. “He is a good man.”

              “Yeah, I think I’ll keep him.” I took the curtain from Jacob and dragged the enormous thing over to where Garvin and Sydney were feeding them into the fireplace’s massive girth. Fala was doing the same at the matching fireplace across the great room.

              Once the ballroom was ablaze, we ran to the other main rooms on the first floor and set every room on fire that had a fireplace and then ran out the front. Our drivers had already moved our coaches onto the main road when everyone left and remained there to my surprise. I guess Martin had given them a very strict order to wait for our return. We ran to the gates and then turned to watch the beautiful home of the most powerful of London go up in flames. One would not think a stone structure could burn as brilliantly as a wooden one, but they do.

              “Something burns to the north,” Fala said.

              “I wonder what that could be?” Tammy added, as she tied the makeshift piece of material across her torso, covering the most important areas.

              “Do we have time to get to Inara’s and set her big house ablaze like this?” Derek asked, still looking at the one we just set on fire.

              “The sun will rise in two, maybe three, hours. I think we should make our way back to Martin’s home,” Garvin added as he leaned back on the gate showing he was ready for this night to end.

              “Well, I say we go burn that bitch's house to the ground, get in the tunnels after, and make our way back tomorrow night. Tanda and Martin are as safe as they can get in the lower levels.”

              “Unless that is Martin’s home burning,” Fala replied.

              That was all that Derek needed to hear, sending him and I running for the coaches. Derek jumped up by the driver and took control of the horse, while we piled into the coaches. My mind was running like mad. All I could think of was what if the twins did have Martin’s home burnt to the ground while we were playing dress-up at some stupid gala. I know it was to make a strategic stand by taking down the head seats, but we got one leader and took down one house. If Martin’s home was taken down then we didn’t do crap in my books, and all was for nothing. And if he and Tanda were harmed in any way what so ever, there would be more than a few die in London. I would make damn sure that all who were involved would pay.

              “Faster Derek, faster!”

              “They’re going as fast as they can, Renee!”

              “Why couldn’t we be made with wings?!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.

              “They’ll be okay, they’re underground. They will, won’t they?” Tammy spoke, first to me but then looked over at Cates.

              “The stone is good, but the tunnels are weak. There could be a few collapses under the side structure of the foundation, depending on how much weight falls to the stone floor above or the earth to the side; if it truly is his place that is on fire. Many things in London burn.”

              Before I could answer, Jacob yelled from the other coach that it was Martin’s home and that we would soon be there. My heart sank, even though I had already had a feeling that it was. The coaches started to slow outside the gates and we were leaping out before they could stop. Once out, all that I could do was put my hands on the top of my head. I could not believe what I was seeing. What we had left hours ago was nothing like what we drove up to witness. The top floor on the left side had collapsed and the outer wall was leaning in as flames reached for the sky. The wooden arch over the front entrance came crashing down, throwing debris and sparks all the way to the gate where we were standing.