A Temptation of Angels (24 page)

“It will be fine. We’ve walked these tunnels many times.”

She nodded, and he moved with her to the opening, holding onto both of her hands as she lowered one foot into the tunnel. She felt surprisingly secure. Darius’s hands were like
iron, unmoving on her own. Despite their earlier disagreements, she somehow knew he would not let her go.

Feeling around with the toe of her boot, she was beginning to despair of ever finding the first rung when her foot hit something hard. She moved her leg back in that direction until her foot felt the object again. Once her first foot was firmly in place, she took a deep breath, placing her other one next to it.

Darius held onto her hands as she stepped down three more rungs. Finally, her face was level with the ground. Unless she planned on pulling Darius in after her, she would have to let go.

“See you at the bottom, Princess.” There was uncommon warmth in Darius’s voice as he let go of her hands one at a time, giving her a chance to grab hold of the pavement as she took another step.

The world above disappeared from view. She was in a black abyss. Even the blue light from below was absent now, her eyes trained on the walls of the tunnel as she descended. The rungs were slippery underfoot. Twice, she lost purchase, her boots sliding from the rung until she was forced to grasp the ones above her even more tightly, her heart beating ferociously while she steadied herself for the continuing climb.

For a while, it seemed that the descent would go on and
on. There was no time, only the expanding blackness. She felt sure that if she were to emerge on the road once again, she would find that the darkness had filled up every corner of the world she had once known.

Then, from a few feet below, came Griffin’s voice.

“You’re almost there, Helen. I can see you.”

Locked in the effort of her downward climb, she hadn’t noticed that the light was visible again. It shone white against the wall in front of her, illuminating the mud and rocks that lay between the tunnels and the streets of London above. The light became stronger as she took three more steps down.

“I’ve got you.” The light bounced around the walls as she felt Griffin’s hands close around her waist. “You’re only two steps from the bottom.”

She took the last steps, practically fainting with relief when she felt the ground beneath her boots. A dank, putrid smell assaulted her and she fought a gag.

“It’s awful, isn’t it?” Griffin stood only inches away, his face oddly distorted in the light from his pendant bouncing off the walls of the tunnel. “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it.”

“Lovely.” She barely managed to choke out the words.

Griffin aimed the light upward, calling to Darius.

“She’s on the ground, Darius. Come on down.”

Darius’s descent seemed to take only seconds. Helen wondered if her own climb into the tunnel had been as ponderous and lengthy as it had seemed or if it was only a product of her fear. As Darius, still six feet up, jumped gracefully to the ground without so much as a bead of sweat on his brow, she hoped it was the latter.

“Thanks for the light, brother.” Darius moved past them, his pendant in hand, lighting their way into the emptiness beyond.

Griffin tipped his head. “Go ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”

Helen did not want to walk alone, even with Darius in front and Griffin in back. She wanted a living, breathing body beside her. Something to remind her that they were still alive and not trapped in some kind of purgatory beneath the real world.

It was not so much that the tunnel was small. In fact, the ceiling rose quite far above them, the walls on either side bowing away from her in a great arc. But its barrel shape made it seem as if she were seeing everything through Mother’s opera glasses. As if there were no sides at all, only Darius’s back, appearing as just a pinprick in front of her.

And then there was the rubbish. It lined both sides of the
tunnel, rising and falling in heaps like vile sand dunes. She kept to the middle, breathing through her mouth to avoid the smell that was only getting worse as they made their way deeper into the underground labyrinth. She could not see much of the light from Darius’s pendant and couldn’t see anything in front of Darius, due to her own short stature. But Griffin’s pendant illuminated the walls in the immediate vicinity and gave her enough light to see directly in front of her.

She kept her own pendant tucked inside her shirt. It was possible that she would not use her sickle at all while in the tunnels, but she wanted both hands free if she needed it. Fingering the strip of leather at her waist, she was glad she had been able to excuse herself before departing the house. The belt was crude at best, but the sickle swung securely from it, and the pouch with Galizur’s darts was tied to the other side, hidden by her waistcoat.

So closely was Helen following Darius that she did not realize they had made a turn until they passed a fork in the tunnel. Darius had chosen to go right without a word. Obviously, he knew where they were going.

As they walked, her fear subsided, replaced by a morbid sort of wonder. Each curve and turn in the tunnel was notated
with markings carved right into the walls, an indiscernible form of navigation completely mysterious to her. That the tunnels were here, every day, as she walked the streets of London only increased her sense of awe. And though they reeked of things better left unsaid, the walls were crafted of neatly stacked brick, the floor alternating between more of the same, flagstone, and sometimes simply loose rock. Helen tried to imagine a contingent of men descending to work each day, smoothing over London’s underground with such careful attention, knowing their handiwork would be seen by almost no one.

“It’s incredible, isn’t it?” Griffin’s voice came softly behind her.

She looked upward at the barrel-vaulted ceiling. “It is.”

They made their way through the tunnels without seeing a soul. At times, Helen heard the rubbish rustle along the sides of the walkway. At others, Darius would stop them with a wave of his hand, holding perfectly still as he listened for something only he could hear before signaling them forward once again.

Helen almost became accustomed to not knowing what was around each curve. What lay on each side of the many
forks to which they came. Everything became familiar until she hardly noticed the smell, and the darkness became her uneasy friend.

Finally, Darius stopped short, shining the light of the pendant at the walls.

“What is it?” Griffin asked, catching up to his brother.

Darius aimed the light upward toward a hole in the ceiling.

“We’re here.”

D
arius ascended the ladder first, while Griffin and Helen waited anxiously at the bottom. Helen didn’t know what she expected. An immediate assault on their location? The dogs that Raum had warned her about?

She didn’t know, but a few minutes after Darius disappeared into the darkness above their heads, his voice cut through the darkness.

“All clear.”

“Go ahead,” Griffin said, looking around the tunnel by the light of his pendant. “I’ll keep watch here until you’re up safely.”

She nodded, placing her hands on the rungs of the ladder, and pulling herself upward. It wasn’t nearly as frightening as her earlier descent. Her eyes were already accustomed to the darkness, and it was far easier to work toward an escape from
the tunnels than it had been to talk herself into going underground.

The light from Griffin’s pendant grew increasingly faint as she continued her climb, the illumination disappearing completely just as she got her first breath of fresh air from above. It was the only indication that she was close to the top. She continued upward, the blackness so total she could not see her hands on the rungs before her. Just when she thought the climb would go on and on, Darius’s voice came in a whisper just above her head.

“Almost there,” he said. “When you reach the top, I’ll take your hands and help you out, but for God’s sake, be quiet. It looks deserted, but I haven’t had time to look around.”

She nodded, breathing heavily and not trusting herself to speak quietly enough for Darius’s liking.

Taking one more step up, she felt for the next rung with her hand and found that there wasn’t one. Instead, her hands touched something cool and dry. Leaves, she thought.

“Give me your hands, one at a time,” Darius instructed.

She reached up with her right hand, relieved when Darius’s strong fingers closed over hers. She had no sooner placed her left hand in Darius’s than he was pulling her out of the tunnel
as if she weighed no more than bag of feathers. Her feet came to rest with a crackle on the dried leaves scattering the ground.

The moon was half full. Darius placed a finger to his lips, gesturing for her to be quiet. Then he leaned down, whispering for Griffin to begin his ascent. Helen took the opportunity to look around, surprised to find the area so wooded. She had seen the trees on the schematic, of course, but had not expected their cover to be so dense. In the best of circumstances, the additional cover would help.

In the worst, it would be catastrophic.

She was untying the ribbon from her hair as Griffin pulled himself from the tunnel. He lowered his gaze to the ribbon in her hands, a silent question in his eyes, and she bent to tie it to a nearby tree. It wasn’t much, but with any luck it would help them locate their escape route if they found themselves in a rush to flee Alsorta’s fortress.

Griffin nodded approval. They both waited as Darius bent to lower the wooden cover over the entrance to the tunnel. When he was finished, Griffin waved them closer. They formed a small circle, their faces only inches apart as he whispered instructions.

“We need to make our way north along the tree line. Once the house is in view, we should have a better handle on how to get in. Follow me.” His eyes met Helen’s. “And stay close.”

She nodded.

The brothers fell wordlessly into their new positions, Griffin in front and Darius at Helen’s back. Despite her best efforts, it was difficult to be quiet while tramping through the dead leaves covering the ground. They rustled at her feet no matter how carefully she stepped until it seemed impossible that no one would hear them. Reaching down to the pouch at her belt, Helen pulled back the flap at the top, fingering the darts inside. So far, there was no sign of the dogs, but they still had a long way to go.

The lights near the house were visible through the trees when Griffin suddenly stopped. He grabbed Helen’s hand, pulling her behind a large tree as Darius stepped silently behind another. Her back was pressed against the trunk, Griffin’s body flattened against hers as his eyes darted around the vicinity. At first, she thought the brothers were being paranoid. She couldn’t hear anything except the few remaining leaves rustling on the branches above their heads. But then, she heard a man’s voice in the distance. Straining her ears, she tried to make out the words.

“The new one would’ve brought it, you know.” The voice was breathless. It was obvious whoever was talking was walking or moving in some way as he spoke.

“Psh!” Another man snorted. “A woman visiting this time of night, even to deliver supper, would be nothing but a distraction. You know how Henry is with the serving girls. The old man would have a fit.”

Helen rolled her eyes at Griffin. He grinned, obviously hearing the conversation as well as she could. She was aware suddenly of his body against hers, his chest pressed against her bosom, his face only inches away. For a moment, she was locked in the spell of his eyes, wishing they were anywhere but here. Wishing they were well and truly alone so that she could lean up to press her lips against his and feel his mouth open on her own. She was almost relieved to be pulled from her thoughts by the voice of the first man.

“I don’t much care what Henry does when his supper’s delivered,” he said. “So long as it doesn’t involve me freezing my hindquarters.”

The man’s companion said something in reply, but the voices were farther away now. Helen could not make out the words. A few minutes later, the sound disappeared completely. Still, Griffin remained against her for what seemed like an eternity.
By the time Darius appeared at Griffin’s shoulder, Helen’s whole body felt overheated.

“I hate to interrupt.” Darius’s voice dripped sarcasm. “But we should probably be going.”

Griffin moved away, his eyes catching hers in a smile that made it clear he hadn’t minded the delay. They followed him through the trees until they came to a clearing that led to the house. The sprawling lawn stretched from the tree line, circling the imposing house. As big as many of the buildings in downtown London, it sat on a small knoll, its brick facade rising far into the night sky. Lights winked from some of the windows, and Helen wondered suddenly if Victor Alsorta had a family. If he had a wife who did needlework by the fire and sons who played chess.

She pushed the thought away. Alsorta didn’t deserve the consideration of a man. He was a monster. And he deserved to be punished.

They continued through the wooded perimeter, the tree line curving little by little, growing closer to the house until it was near enough that Helen could make out the detailed cornices around the windows. Remembering Griffin’s strategy, she was ready when he stopped.

He turned to her and Darius. “This is the closest we’ll come
to the house with any cover. We’ll have to find a way in from here if we don’t wish to run across the lawn in full view of anyone looking out a window.”

A door opened at the side of the house, a young woman in a maid’s uniform throwing a pot of water onto the lawn.

“God’s sake! Are you daft?” A voice screamed at her from beyond the open door.

She turned toward it, lowering her head. “Sorry, ma’am. I thought I was supposed to dump the water.”

An older woman appeared at the door holding a steaming pot. “Yes, yes. But not
here.
Not near the house. Take it to the woods, for heaven’s sake!” Handing another pot to the young maid, she grumbled. “Tsk. Every time they send someone new, I have to start all over again.”