"I say Darren has the right to retake the Trial," Kurda said, seizing on the uncertain silence that filled the Hall. "We should adjourn and stage it again, tomorrow."
Everybody looked to Mika Ver Leth for judgment. The Prince brooded on the matter in silence some moments, then glanced at Mr. Crepsley. "Larten? What do you say about this?"
Mr. Crepsley shrugged grimly. "It is true that Darren was not actually defeated. But breaking the rules usually means a forfeit. My relationship with Darren forces me to speak for him. Alas, I do not know how to make a case for mercy. Whatever the circumstances, he has failed the Trial."
"Larten!" Kurda screeched. "You don't know what you're saying!"
"Yes, he does," I sighed. "And he's right." Pushing Harkat away, I stood by myself and faced Mika Ver Leth. "I don't think I'd have escaped," I said honestly. "I don't want to die, but I won't ask for any special favors. If it's possible to take the Trial again, I will. If not, I won't complain."
An approving murmur ran through the Hall.
Those who'd been standing angrily by the fence settled back and waited for Mika to make his call. "You speak like a true vampire," the Prince praised me. "I do not blame you for what happened. Nor do I blame your friend — he is not one of us and cannot be expected to act as we do. There will be no measures taken against Harkat Mulds — that is a guarantee I am willing to make here and now, on my own."
Some of the vampires glared at Harkat, but none raised a voice against him. "As for your fate," Mika said, then hesitated. "I must speak with my fellow Princes and Generals before passing sentence. I don't think your life can be spared, but Kurda may have a point — perhaps it is possible to take the Trial again. To the best of my knowledge, it has never been permitted, but maybe there's an old law we can fall back on.
"Return to your cell," Mika said, "while I and the others consult with our colleagues. You'll be informed of our decision as soon as we reach one. My advice," he added in a whisper, "would be to make your peace with the gods, for I fear you will face them shortly."
I nodded obediently to Mika Ver Leth and kept my head bowed while he and the other vampires filed from the Hall.
"I won't let you perish without a fight," Kurda promised as he slipped past me. "You'll get out of this yet, I'm sure of it. There must be a way."
Then he was gone. So were Vanez Blane, Mr. Crepsley, and the rest, leaving just me and Harkat with the dead boars in the pit. Harkat looked shameful when I turned and faced him. "I did not … mean to … cause trouble," he said. "I acted … before I could … think."
"Don't worry about it," I told him. "I'd probably have done the same thing if I was in your place. Besides, the worst they can do is kill me — I'd have died anyway if you hadn't leapt to my rescue."
"You are … not angry?" Harkat asked.
"Of course not." I smiled, and we started for the exit.
What I didn't say to Harkat was that I wished he had left me to die. At least with the boar, my death would have been fast and easy to face. Now I had a long, nervous wait, which would almost certainly be followed by a gut-wrenching walk to the Hall of Death, where I'd be hoisted above the stakes and subjected to a messy, painful, and humiliating end. It would have been better to die nobly and quickly in the pit.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
HARKAT AND I sat on our hammocks and waited. The neighboring cells were deserted, as were the tunnels. Most of the vampires had gathered in the Hall of Princes or were waiting outside for the verdict — vampires loved intrigue almost as much as they loved fighting, and all were anxious to hear the news firsthand.
"How come you leapt to my rescue?" I asked Harkat after a while, to break the nerve-racking silence. "You might have been killed trying to save me."
"To be honest," Harkat replied sheepishly, "I acted … for my own sake … not yours. If you die, I might … never find out … who I used … to be."
I laughed. "You'd better not tell the vampires that. The only reason they've gone lightly on you is that they respect bravery and self-sacrifice. If they learn you did it to save your own skin, there's no telling what they'd do!"
"You do not … mind?" Harkat asked.
"No." I smiled.
"If they decide … to kill you, will you … let them?"
"I won't be able to stop them," I answered.
"But will you … go quietly?"
"I'm not sure," I sighed. "If they'd taken me right after the fight, I'd have gone without a murmur — I was pumped up with adrenaline and wasn't scared of dying. Now that I've calmed down, I'm dreading it. I hope I'll go with my head held high, but I'm afraid I'll cry and beg for mercy."
"Not you," Harkat said. "You're too … tough."
"You think?" I laughed dryly.
"You fought … boars and faced … fire and water. You didn't … show fear before. Why should … you now?"
"That was different," I said. "I had a fighting chance. If they decide to kill me, I'll have to walk to the Hall of Death knowing it's all over."
"Don't worry," Harkat said. "If you do … die, maybe you … will come back … as a Little … Person."
I stared at Harkat's misshapen body, his scarred, disfigured face, his green eyes, and the mask he couldn't survive without. "Oh, that's a great comfort," I said sarcastically.
"Just trying … to cheer you up."
"Well, don't!"
Minutes trickled by agonizingly. I wished the vampires would reach their decision quickly, even if it meant death — anything would be better than sitting here, not knowing. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, there came the sound of feet in the tunnel outside. Harkat and I tensed, rolled off our hammocks, and jumped to attention by the door of the cell. We glanced nervously at each other. Harkat grinned weakly. My grin was even weaker.
"Here we go," I whispered.
"Good luck," he replied.
The footsteps slowed, stopped, then came again, softly. A vampire emerged from the gloom of the tunnel and slid into the cell — Kurda.
"What's happening?" I asked.
"I came to see how you were doing," he said, smiling crookedly.
"Fine!" I snapped. "Just dandy. Couldn't be better."
"I thought as much." He looked around twitchily.
"Have they … decided yet?" Harkat asked.
"No. But it won't be long. They …" — He cleared his throat — "They're going to demand your death, Darren."
I'd been expecting it, but it hit me hard all the same. I took a step backwards, and my knees buckled. If Harkat hadn't caught and steadied me, I would have fallen.
"I've tried arguing them out of it," Kurda said. "Others have too — Gavner and Vanez put their careers on the line to plead for you. But there aren't any precedents. The laws are clear — failure to complete the Trials must be punished with death. We tried convincing the Princes to let you take the Trial again, but they turned a deaf ear to our pleas."
"So why haven't they come for me?" I asked.
"They're still debating. Larten's been calling older vampires forward and asking if they ever heard of something like this happening before. He's trying hard for you. If there's the slightest legal loophole, he'll find it."
"But there isn't, is there?" I asked glumly.
Kurda shook his head. "If Paris Skyle knows of no way to save you, I'm sure none of the others do either. If he can't help you, I doubt that anyone can."
"So it's over. I'm finished."
"Not necessarily," Kurda said, averting his eyes, strangely embarrassed.
"I don't understand." I frowned. "You just said —"
"The verdict's inevitable," he interrupted. "That doesn't mean you have to stay and face it."
"Kurda!" I gasped, appalled by what he was saying.
"You can get out," he whispered. "I know a way past the guards, a breach point I never informed anybody about. We can take rarely used tunnels down through the mountain, to save time. Dawn isn't far off. Once you get out in the open, you'll have a free
run until dusk. Even then, I don't think anybody will come after you. Since you don't pose a threat, they'll let you go. They might kill you if they run into you later, but for the time being —"
"I couldn't do that," I interrupted. "Mr. Crepsley would be ashamed of me. I'm his assistant. He'd have to answer for it."
"No," Kurda said. "You're not his responsibility, not since you embarked on the Trials. People might say things behind his back, but nobody would question his good name out in the open."
"I couldn't," I said again, with less conviction this time. "What about you? If they found out you'd helped me escape …"
"They won't," Kurda said. "I'll cover my tracks. As long as you aren't caught, I'll be fine."
"And if I am caught, and they worm the truth out of me?"
Kurda shrugged. "I'll take that chance."
I hesitated, torn by uncertainty. The vampire part of me wanted to stay and take what I had coming. The human part said not to be a fool, grab my opportunity and run.
"You're young, Darren," Kurda said. "It's crazy to throw your life away. Leave Vampire Mountain. Make a fresh start. You're experienced enough to survive on your own. You don't need Larten to look after you anymore. Lots of vampires lead their own lives, having nothing to do with the rest of us. Be your own person. Don't let the foolish pride of others cloud your judgment."
"What do you think?" I asked Harkat.
"I think … Kurda's right," he said. "No point … letting them kill … you. Go. Live. Be free. I will … come with you … and help. Later, maybe you … can help me."
"Harkat won't be able to come," Kurda said. "He's too broad to fit through some of the tunnels I plan to use. You can arrange to meet somewhere else, when Council is over and he's free to leave without drawing suspicion to himself."
"The Cirque … Du Freak," Harkat said. "You'll be able … to find it?"
I nodded. I'd gotten to know a lot of people around the world during my years with the Cirque, people who assisted Mr. Tall and his colleagues when they came to town. They'd be able to point me in the direction of the traveling circus.
"Have you decided?" Kurda asked. "There's no time to stand and debate the issue. Come with me now, or stay to face your death."
I gulped deeply, stared at my feet, came to a decision, then locked gazes with Kurda and said, "I'll come." I wasn't proud of myself, but shame was a lot sweeter than the sharpened stakes in the Hall of Death.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
WE HURRIED through the deserted corridors, down to the storerooms. Kurda led me to the back of one, where we moved aside a couple of large sacks, revealing a small hole in the wall. Kurda began to squeeze through, but I pulled him back and asked if we could rest for a couple of minutes — I was in a lot of pain.
"Will you be able to continue?" he asked.
"Yes, but only if we stop for regular breaks. I know time is precious, but I'm too exhausted to keep going without resting."
When I felt ready, I followed Kurda through the hole and found myself in a cramped tunnel that dropped sharply. I suggested we slide to the bottom, but Kurda rejected the idea. "We're not going all the way down," he said. "There's a shelf halfway down this hole that leads to another tunnel."
Sure enough, after several minutes we came to a ledge, left the hole, and were soon back on level ground. "How did you find this place?" I asked.
"I followed a bat," he said, and winked.
We came to a fork, and Kurda stopped to get out a map. He studied it silently for a few seconds, then took the turn to the left.
"Are you sure you know where you're going?" I asked.
"Not entirely." He laughed. "That's why I brought my maps. I haven't been down some of these tunnels in decades."
I tried keeping track of the route we were taking, in case anything happened to Kurda, and I had to find my way back on my own, but it was impossible. We twisted and turned so many times, only a genius could have memorized the way.
We passed over a couple of small streams. Kurda told me that they joined up with others farther ahead, to form the wide stream that had been used for burying the dead in the past. "We could always swim to safety," I suggested jokingly.
"Why not flap our arms and fly away while we're at it?" Kurda replied.
Some of the tunnels were pitch black, but Kurda didn't light any candles — he said the wax droppings would mark our trail and make it easy for pursuing vampires to track us.
The farther we progressed, the harder it became for me to keep up, and we had to stop often so I could catch my breath and work up the energy to continue.
"I'd carry you if there was room," Kurda said during one of our rest periods, wiping sweat and blood from my neck and shoulders with his shirt. "We'll be entering larger tunnels shortly. I can give you a boost then if you'd like."
"That'd be great," I wheezed.
"What about when we get out of the tunnels?" he asked. "Do you want me to come with you some of the way, to make sure you're OK?"
I shook my head. "You'd be discovered by the Generals if you did. I'll be fine once I get outside. The fresh air will perk me up. I'll find somewhere to sleep, rest for a few hours, then —"
I stopped. Loose pebbles had clattered to the floor in one of the tunnels behind us. Kurda heard them too. He ran to the mouth of the tunnel and squatted by the opening, listening intently. After a few seconds, he raced back to my side. "Someone's coming!" he hissed, dragging me to my feet. "Hurry! We must get out of here!"
"No," I sighed, sitting down again.
"Darren!" he screeched softly. "You can't stay. We've got to make a break for it before —"
"I can't," I told him. "Shuffling was hard enough — there's no way I can take part in a full-speed chase. If we've been found, that's the end. Go on ahead and hide. I'll pretend I acted alone."
"You know I wouldn't leave you," he said, squatting beside me.
We waited in silence as the footsteps came closer. By the sound, there was only one person following us. I hoped it wasn't Mr. Crepsley — I dreaded the thought of facing him after what I'd done.
The tracking vampire reached the mouth of the tunnel, studied us from the shadows a moment, then ducked forward and hurried over. It was Gavner Purl! "You two are in so much trouble," he snarled. "Whose dumb idea was it to run?"
"Mine!" Kurda and I said at the exact same time.
Gavner shook his head, exasperated. "You're as bad as each other," he snapped. "Come on — the truth."
"It was my idea," Kurda answered, squeezing my arm to silence my protestations. "I persuaded Darren to come. The blame is mine."
"You're an idiot," Gavner reprimanded him. "This will destroy you if word gets out. You won't just have to forget about becoming a Vampire Prince — chances are you'll be carted off to the Hall of Death to suffer the same fate as Darren."
"Only if you tell on me," Kurda said quietly.
"You think I won't?" Gavner challenged him.
"If it was your intention to punish us, you wouldn't have come alone."
Gavner stared at the senior vampire, then cursed shortly. "You're right," he groaned. "I don't want to see you killed. If the two of you come back with me, I'll keep your name out of it. In fact, nobody ever need know it happened. Harkat and I are the only ones who know at the moment. We can get Darren back before judgment is passed."
"Why?" Kurda asked. "So he can be taken to the Hall of Death and impaled?"
"If that's the judgment of the Princes — yes," Gavner said.
Kurda shook his head. "That's what we're escaping from. I won't let him go back to be killed. It's wrong to take a boy's life in such a heartless fashion."
"Wrong or right," Gavner snapped, "the judgment of the Princes is final!"
Kurda narrowed his eyes. "You agree with me," he whispered. "You think his life should be spared."
Gavner nodded reluctantly. "But that's my own opinion. I'm not going to ignore the ruling of the Princes."
"Why not?" Kurda ask
ed. "Do we have to obey them even when they're wrong, even when they rule unjustly?"
"It's our way," Gavner growled.
"Ways can be changed," Kurda insisted. "The Princes are too inflexible. They ignore the fact that the world is moving forward. In a few weeks, I'll be a Prince. I can change things. Let Darren go, and I'll get the ruling against him overturned. I'll clear his name and allow him to return and complete his Trials. Turn a blind eye just this once and I swear you won't regret it."
Gavner was troubled by Kurda's words. "It's wrong to plot against the Princes," he muttered.
"Nobody will know," Kurda promised. "They'll think Darren got away by himself. We'll never be investigated."
"It goes against everything we believe in," Gavner sighed.
"Sometimes we have to abandon old beliefs in favor of new ones," Kurda said.
While Gavner agonized over his decision, I spoke up. "I'll go back if you want me to. I'm afraid of dying, which is why I let Kurda talk me into fleeing. But if you say I should return, I will."
"I don't want you to die," Gavner cried. "But running away never solved anything."
"Nonsense!" Kurda snorted. "Vampires would be a lot better off if more of us had the good sense to run from a fight when the odds are stacked against us. If we take Darren back, we take him back to die. Where's the sense in that?"
Gavner thought it over in silence, then nodded morosely. "I don't like it, but it's the lesser of two evils. I won't turn you in. But," he added, "only if you agree to present the truth to the others once you become a Prince. We'll come clean, clear Darren's name if we can, accept our punishment if we can't. OK?"
"That's fine by me," Kurda said.
"Your word on it?"
Kurda nodded. "My word."
Gavner let out a long breath and studied me in the gloom of the tunnel. "How are you anyway?" he asked.
"Not so bad," I lied.
"You look like you're about to drop," he noted skeptically.
"I'll make it," I vowed. Then I asked how he'd found us.