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Even before the echoes of the report of my third shot faded, the air outside the stadiuunfire, as Alice and her band of vauard She’d summoned the homeless people before Vancha and I entered the tunnel, and positioned them around the barrier outside the stadiu on the scraps other people threay, this was their ti and basic weapons, but they had passion and anger on their side, and the desire to prove thenal, they leapt the barriers around the stadiu the the not just for their own lives, but for the lives of those who considered them trash

We weren’t sure of the intentions of the police Steve ardless of what happened within, in which case the attack by the vampirites would serve no purpose at all But if they were there to support the vampaneze and vampets, to come to their aid if summoned, the vampirites could pert them and buy those of us inside the stadiu Steve ed at round, knocking the gun from my hand I struck out at the me down They would have held ues dealt with Vancha Except

The stars and crew of the Cirque Du Freak had also rallied to nal At the same time that the vampirites attacked the police, the prisoners inside the stadiu the the vampets back by sheer force of numbers The vampets fired into the crowd and hacked wildly with their swords and axes Several people fell, dead or wounded But the group pushed on regardless, screa ¨C no force on Earth could hold therappled with the varabbed an axe fro he cut down a va past without breaking his stride

Vancha was still locked in a struggle with Steve’s guards, doing his best to break through to their Lord He’d downed two of the firm He was cut inaround, I saw Gannen Harst push Steve away fro with him ¨C he wanted to take Vancha on

Behind Steve and Gannen Harst, RV had let go of Debbie’s rope and was backing away fro his head, hooks crossed behind his back, wanting no part of this Debbie was tugging at her bonds, trying to wriggle free

The two va towards the, they abandoned me and lashed out at their attackers They were too swift for the ordinary circus folk &uroup, and she wasn’t so easily despatched She’d let her beard grohile she’d been waiting to fight ¨C the unnatural blonde hair now trailed down past her feet Standing back, she made the beard rise &uh they were snakes &u strands towards one of the vas, then curled around the startled vahtened He sliced at the hair and at Truska, but she had hirip He fell to his knees, purple features darkening even further as he choked

Harkat took on the other va at him with his axe The Little Person lacked the speed of a vareen eyes were alert to his opponent’s swift ht as an equal, as he had many times in the past

I circled around the vao after Steve, but he and Gannen had linked up with three of the varounds of the stadium I didn’t fancy the five-to-one odds, so I went to cut Debbie free instead

"They surrounded the stadium shortly after Harkat and I arrived," she cried as I sliced through the ropes binding her ar, but it wouldn’t work It was Mr Tiny He blocked "

"It’s OK," I said "We’d have come anyway We had to"

"Is that Alice outside?" Debbie asked &u now

"Yes," I said "The va their first taste of action"

Vancha lurched over to us, streaiven up on hihts with the circus folk "Where’s Leonard?" Vancha bellowed

I peered around the stadium but it was almost impossible to pick out any inpiduals in the press of bodies "I had hio," I said "He must be here somewhere"

"Not if Gannen flitted with him!" Vancha roared He wiped blood clear of his eyes and looked for Steve and Gannen again

"Are you badly wounded?" Debbie asked hirunted Then he shouted, "There’ Behind the fat ht a glimpse of Steve He was close to the enor away fro on his opponents, squashing them lifeless

Debbie darted away from me, picked the bodies of the dead vampaneze clean of their weapons, and returned with an array of knives and tords She gave one of the swords to e for her, but she held it steady, face set "You go get Steve," she said "I’ll help the others"

"Be-" I began, but she’d already raced out of earshot, "-careful," I finished softly I shook my head, smiled briefly, then set off after Steve

AroundThe circus folk were locked in bloody co clu for lack of e help Truska was causing havoc with her beard Rhaers, noses, sword tips Hans Hands had tucked his legs behind his neck and was dodging between the enemy forces on his hands, too low for the the He started firing shurikens at those ene stepped up beside hi knives to Vancha’s stars A deadly, efficient coreat show they could have put on if we’d been playing to an audience tonight instead of fighting for our lives

Mr Tiny was picking his way through thethe corpses of the dead, studying the dying with polite interest, applauding those locked in especially vicious duels Evanna was edging towards her father, disinterested in the carnage, bare feet and lower ropes stained with blood