Blood Autumn Read online

  With a cry of rage Daniel raced toward the women, but at that moment Rose kicked her opponent's foot out from under her, and August fell to the floor, and there, with an unearthly shriek that chilled him, August suddenly vanished. The flames died down, and the smoke evaporated, and though he couldn't see any burns on Rose, she collapsed. Sobbing with relief, Daniel caught her before she hit the floor and carried her outside. Guy rushed toward him.

  "My God, what's happened?" Guy asked as the priest carefully laid Rose under a tree. Guy dropped to his knees and began to check her for burns.

  Daniel shook his head and wiped the soot from her sweating face. He coughed a little as he spoke from the smoke that had almost suffocated him. "I came around and didn't see her outside, and knew she had to be inside yet. When I got in there, they were fighting. August was completely on fire. As I started to get Rose, August disappeared." He wiped a hand across his forehead, and soot smeared his fingers. "Thank God, you and Rose came tonight."

  "Don't thank me, Daniel." Guy's tone was chagrined. "You have only Rose to thank for your life. This afternoon she came to me and told me that if I ever wanted to see you alive, I'd best come to see you this evening; then she ran off before I could say another word. I didn't see her again until now."

  "For whatever reason you came, I'm glad you did." Uncle and nephew smiled at each other, close again, after months of separation. "How is she?" he asked, his voice anxious, as he watched Guy examine Rose.

  "I can find only a few slight burns on her hands, and one on her arm that's a little more serious, but overall they don't look too bad. We'll take good care of them, and I doubt if they'll take long to heal. They shouldn't be disfiguring, either."

  "Thank God," Daniel said, and the words were like ashes in his mouth.

  Guy stroked her hair back from her forehead and laid a wet cloth against her skin. "Rose, darling, can you hear me? The lamia is gone." He laughed a little. "Rose, you were so strong, so wonderful. You saved Daniel." He wrapped cloths around her hands and laid them across her stomach, then smiled reassuringly as he stroked her cheek. "You won! We've all won!"

  By her side Daniel watched as she slowly regained consciousness. Behind them the house collapsed in a fury of flames, and in that momentarily bright, hellish light Father Daniel saw that Guy was wrong.

  It was Rose who lay upon the ground.

  It was August who smiled up at him.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Savannah, Georgia: 1889

  PART I

  London, England: 1859

  Delhi, India: 1857

  PART II

  Delhi, India: 1857

  London, England: 1859

  PART III

  Savannah, Georgia: 1889