"Fire," Adalaine screamed.

"I'm gonna tell Mama. " She took off in a run, the fire like a snake slitheringthrough the straw behind her.

The boys tried to beat out the fire with mats, but they only succeededin flinging the embers across the room. The two horses screamed in terror, bucking down their stall doors and fleeing into the night.

The slaves, alerted by the little girl, instantly began a bucketbrigade using the water collected in the cistern behind the house. But it was already too late. And like the disastrous fire six yearsearlier, the flames leaped across the city, eating buildings like someflame- blowing monster loose in the night.

The wind became more and more brisk. In the business district, Charleswalked with his head down, his mind so focused on his night's programthat he didn't notice the smell of smoke. Charles had sent a messengerto deliver Catherine's wedding gown and instruct her to dress and beready for the ceremony at ten instead of nine. He would arrive with the minister who would perform the ceremony.

Catherine couldn't be still. Dressed in her chemise and petticoat shefinally lay down on the bed and closed her eyes. She didn't know what the night would bring and she remembered other nights when she hadn'tbeen able to stay awake to help watch for their enemies.

In the kitchen below, Topsy finished her duties. She didn't understand the American, or his cruelty to the woman he was holding prisoner. She sampled the wine that the guards had left, reasoning that a wee napwouldn't hurt her, either. If she was asleep she couldn't be accusedof knowing what was about to happen.

One by one, in the courtyard beyond, the sleeping guards Charles hadleft were carried away by Simicco's voodoo priests.

Having accomplished their tasks, the entertainers melted away into thenight in order to reach the theater in time to perform. Only the SunKing was left.

Across the Vieux Carre, when Pharaoh reached the jail, the guards weresound asleep. It was easier than he'd believed possible to steal intothe facility and open the cell. Or it would have been, if the otherprisoners hadn't realized what was happening and clamored to befreed.

"Unlock one cell and give them the keys," Patrick directed and slippedout into the streets of New Orleans. He stopped and sniffed the air.

Smoke. There was a fire. A sudden fear fell over him and he began to run.

Catherine. He had to get to Catherine.

The smell of fire woke Catherine. A thick black curl of smoke creptunder her balcony door. She knew instantly what it was; she'd beenthrough this before when the barn at Cadenhill had burned. By the timeCatherine made it to the window, she could see the flames curlingaround the buildings toward the river on Bourbon Street and behind thehouse on Bienville as well.

"Topsy," she called out, "the city is burning. We have to get out."

But there was no answer. She knew that Pharaoh had gone with Jillicoto rescue Patrick. The guards outside the house surely must be awake now. Charles wouldn't want her to die. She began to pound on the doorand scream. But the door was locked. Finally she was able to break through the shutter onto the balcony. But waiting in the courtyardbelow was the one figure she had not expected to see.

"Simicco!"

"Come with me, White Woman. I will take you away and keep you safe."

"No. I won't leave until I know that Patrick is free." She ran back inside and pushed a chest in front of the window behind her. Charles was the enemy she knew. Siroicco was the unknown.

Embers were flying through the night air, falling harmlessly on the tinroofs and turning into black soot, bursting into flames on the thatchroofs, and spreading to the dry rose vines along the porch and catchingfire. Flames were shimmying up the walls with such heat that thebricks were exploding.

Church bells were ringing frantically. Horses were charging along themuddy streets, miring the wheels of carriages as frightened citizensfought to get away from the blaze. It seemed to Catherine as if the entire city was burning. She saw Simicco climbing the servants'stairs. But the balcony was in flames between her room and thestairway. Behind her the heat from the fire was making the door to her room warm.

Catherine covered her nose with the tail of her petticoat and crouchedin the corner. If she stayed in her room she would die. Her babywould die. And Patrick would never know that she was carrying hischild. She should have told him. She should have insisted that theystay in the swamp, in their little cabin by the pond covered with pinkwater lilies.

And then she heard someone calling her.

"Catherine! Catherine!" It was Charles, in the corridor beyond herdoor.

"Open the door, Catherine!"

She tried, but she couldn't.

"I can't. It's locked."

Charles kicked the door, again and again, until finally it flew openand he dashed inside. Great strings of fire were coming from the roof,falling on the bed and bursting into flames.

"Quick, out on the balcony!"

"No, Simicco is out there."

"God in heaven, Catherine! Who is Simicco?"

"The Sun King. He'll kill you and take me away."

Charles stamped out a blaze on his coat sleeve and kicked open thebalcony door.

"We have to get away, Catherine. We're going to be married. We have to get out."

"You're right, Charles. We can't change what is going to happen. Helpme!" Catherine started shoving the trunk away from the shuttersleading to the balcony. At that moment there was an explosion on thelower level, hurling new flames toward the ceiling above the openstairwell.

"No, that was gunpowder. We're being fired at!" Charles screamed,suddenly seeing the flames on all sides.

"We're doomed. We're going to die right here." He started to sink to the floor.

Catherine caught sight of Patrick slipping through the gate. He stopped in the courtyard where he could see Charles tugging atCatherine's arm.

"Forrest!" Patrick yelled.

"Let her go!"

Then he realized that it wasn't Charles who was holding Catherine somuch as it was Catherine pulling Charles. She was trying to save thefool, who'd panicked in the flames.

Patrick started toward the balcony, when a figure slammed into hislower legs, knocking him to the ground. It was an Indian, a very tallIndian, wearing war paint on his body and a tall plumed headdress.

"Simicco! Bloody hell!"

Patrick and the Indian rolled across the courtyard, Simicco's war criesloud enough to be heard over the confusion in the street beyond.

Charles was still whimpering inside the room as Catherine grabbed a rugand tried to beat out the fire on the balcony so they could get to thesteps. She'd almost succeeded when the roof caved in, closing offtheir way to safety. Now the fire was all around them.

"Oh, God, Charles. We have to jump!" Catherine looked down into the courtyard and searched for the best spot. Where were Jillico and Pharaoh? Patrick had escaped death at the prison and now he was goingto die at the hands of a madman.

"I can't do it, Catherine. We're going to die!" Charles moaned.

Simicco had the physical advantage over Patrick this time. He was pressing his thumbs into Patrick's throat, closing off the airway,squeezing out the life that Pharaoh and Jillico had saved only minutesbefore.

Dimly, Patrick could hear Charles yelling and Catherine givingorders.

"We'll try to get down the inside steps."

Just as Patrick slid into total blackness he gave one last mightyheave. At that moment, Simicco was caught by a heavy blow to the headand fell forward across Patrick's half-numb body.

Jillico pulled Simicco off, and Pharaoh helped Patrick to his feet. A strangled cry from Catherine brought Patrick to his senses enough toplunge into the house to get to Catherine. The inner walls were burning. The rooms were so filled with smoke that he couldn't breathe.

The staircase began to fall away as he climbed it, he reached the upperfloor just as the stairs collapsed. He could hear Catherine's voice.

"Holy hell, Charles. Stop yowling and get over here."

"First two thieves stole my reward money for that pirate, and now myhouse is burning up. It's all your fault, Catherine. We're all goingto die!" Charles screamed.

"The reward money doesn't matter, Charles. You're still alive, or youwill be if you'll get up and help me."

"Catherine!" Patrick yelled.

"Where are you?"

"Patrick! I'm in here. In the middle of the room. My bloodypetticoat's on fire."

And then he found her, lifted her in his arms and held her close tohim, beating out the fire with his hands.

"I love you, Catherine Caden," he said.

"I want you to know that before we die."

"We aren't going to die, Patrick. We have to get out of here on our own. I don't see any leprechauns around to help us."

He started toward the balcony, stumbled and fell across the prostratefigure of Charles Forrest, who was curled into a little ball near thewindow.

"Get up, Forrest. I don't want you to die before I kill you," Patricksaid, letting Catherine down while he dragged Charles to his feet. He thrust both Charles and Catherine onto the balcony.

"Wait, Simicco is out there," Catherine said.

"Yes, I know, he and I just discussed the future of the city. We had a difference of opinion on living in town and in the swamp."

They had almost made it to safety when a tree came crashing down,falling across the end of the balcony that was still standing, bringingthe roof down to meet it, slicing the wooden frame like a knife.

"Help me, Charles. I'll jump and catch Catherine, then you," Patricksaid, propping up the roof with a collapsed beam.

"We can still get away."

Charles seemed to pull himself together for a moment and leaned hisshoulder into the post. Catherine crawled through, with Patrickfollowing.

"Come on, Forrest, I'll hold it from here."But Charles only looked at Patrick and shook his head."No, I can't jump. Take care of Catherine, McLendon.""Damn it, Charles, get over here!""McLendon, there are no murder charges against you. There never were.

Lopaz thought you'd die and nobody would ever know. It was only Stonethe pirate who was wanted--for piracy. I'm sorry, Catherine. "The flooring began to creak. Patrick knew that they had only moments.

He turned to Catherine as the last of the balcony gave way and they plunged to the courtyard, the fallen tree shielding them from the

burning structure. Patrick tried, but there was no way to reach Charles.

Moments later they were in the street, caught up by the masses hurrying

toward the river. Patrick had sent Pharaoh to secure their boat. He only hoped that Jillico had made it to safety. He'd lost contact with the Indian when he entered the house. Patrick pulled Catherine close.If they could reach the Mississippi, they'd be safe from the fire.

There was confusion and terror among the frightened people gathered atthe river. Slaves, carrying pitiful little boxes, stood next to thevery wealthy, many of whom had escaped only in their night clothes.

"How will we ever find Jillico and Pharaoh?" Catherine asked, hangingon to Patrick as if she expected him to vanish at any moment."We'll let them find us.""Us. I like that. Tell me again.""Tell you what?""That you love me.""I love you, Catherine Caden. Now, let's go.""Where will we go now, Patrick?""I think the only safe thing for us to do is go to Heaven.""Heaven. Yes, and we'll see Isabella?"

"That, too, my love." Behind them, in the burning city, Charles Forrest sucked in his lasthot breath and felt his lungs scream with pain. He'd never meant to hurt anybody. He'd had such dreams. But that outrageous Irishman hadspoiled everything.

Catherine hadn't understood. Charles had loved her. The dowry hadn't made any difference. Nothing had made any difference, exceptrejection. He couldn't take that. He never would. Leaving NewOrleans as a failure was beyond his capabilities.

He'd captured Stone, and even that hadn't been enough. Charles had already lost his position. The word had come today that he was beingreplaced. Then Catherine had helped that pirate escape.

But in that last moment he realized that he hadn't been a total failure; he'd saved Catherine. And nobody could take that away fromhim.

Not ever.

Chapter Seventeen.

Oimply reaching the upper end of the levee was an exhausting ordeal,Catherine found. Fleeing people were knocked down and trodden upon.

The heat was unbearable, and the air filled with thick smoke thatclogged her lungs and made her eyes sting.

The worst of the criminal element quickly discovered that the peopleescaping the fire had brought along whatever gold and jewels they couldget their hands on in their haste. And they began to search for thosepeople who looked most vulnerable.

Catherine feared for their lives, for the life of their unborn babe.

It wasn't fair. Now that she and Patrick were free of their other problems they were about to die because of a fire. She'd braved the disapproval of her family, the elements, Indians and the Spanishgovernment, but now she felt a rising surge of panic.

"Patrick, I'm afraid." Her voice rose, her heart felt as if it werestrangling in her throat. She was in a horrible childhood nightmarewhere her feet were moving and moving and she was still standing in onespot.

"Can't we get away from all these people?"

"Hush, we'll get away," he said, shoving one man away and clearing apath for Catherine to follow.

Slowly they made progress. They were almost out of the worst of themelee when it happened. A warehouse exploded, sending its wallsoutward, pushing the crowd toward the water. This time the press ofpeople carried Catherine and Patrick with it. There were new cries as people at the outer edge of the levee were shoved into the river,further fanning the citizens into a frenzy.