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"If you and Larten turn yourselves over to us without a fight," Harst said, "ill allow Darren to duel with our Lord and Steve Leonard It will be two on one, but he’ll be equipped eapons If Darren wins, we free all three of you along with the others If he loses, we execute you and Larten, but the hued us "It’s a good, honest deal, more than you could have reasonably hoped for"

Vancha turned away from the platform, troubled, and looked to Mr Crepsley for advice The vampire, for once, didn’t knohat to say, and merely shook his head mutely

"What doyou think?" Vancha asked me

"There has to be a catch," I muttered "Why risk their Lord’s life if they don’t have to?"

"Gannen wouldn’t lie," Vancha said His face hardened "But he htn’t tell us the whole truth Gannen!" he roared "What guarantee do you give that it’ll be a fair fight? Hoe know that RV or the others won’t join in?

"I give my word," Gannen Harst said softly "Only the pair on the platforht Darren Shan Nobody else will interfere I’ll kill any who seeks to swing the balance one way or the other"

"That’s good enough for me," Vancha said "I believe hio? We’ve never seen their Lord fight, so we don’t knohat he’s capable of - but we know Leonard’s a sly, dangerous opponent The two of theree to Gannen’s deal," Mr Crepsley said, "and send Darren up to face thes in one basket If Darren wins - wonderful But if he loses

Mr Crepsley and Vancha gazed long and hard at me

"Well, Darren?" Mr Crepsley asked "It is an enormous burden to take upon yourself Are you prepared to shoulder such a solehed "I still think there’s a catch If the odds were fifty-fifty, I’d jump at it But I don’t think they are I believe ?" I stopped "But that doesn’t rab it If you two trust e - and the blame if I fail"

"He said that like a true vampire," Vancha noted warmly

"He is a true valy within me

"Very well," Vancha shouted "We accept But first you have to set the huhts your Lord and Steve Only then, if the fight is fair and he loses, will Larten and I lay down our arms"

"That’s not the deal," Harst replied stiffly "You must lay your weapons to one side and surrender before?"

"No," Vancha interrupted "We do it this way or not at all You have my word that we’ll let your people take us if Darren loses - assuh, we have a problem"

Gannen Harst hesitated, then nodded curtly "Your word is good," he said, then told RV to haul Debbie up and escort her down

"No!" RV howled "Steve said I could kill her! He said I could cut her up into tiny little pieces and?"

"Now I’ different!" Steve roared "Don’t cross hts and humans - plenty of theru, but then he pulled on the rope and Debbie ascended in a series of short, unco for Debbie to be returned to us, I got ready forhts except those of battle

"How do you feel?" Vancha asked

"Fine"

"Reht dirty if you have to Kick and spit, scratch and pinch, hit below the belt"

"I will," I grinned Lowering my voice, I asked, "Will you really surrender if I lose?"

"I gave my word, didn’t I?" Vancha said, then winked and whispered in a voice even lower than mine "I promised we’d drop our weapons and let the theain!"

The vaging Debbie behind hirily "You’re hurting her!"

RV bared his teeth and laughed He was still wearing one red contact lens and hadn’t replaced the one he’d lost the night before His bushy beard was flecked with bits of s, dirt and blood It would have been easyto feel sorry for him - he’d been a decent man before he lost his hands to the jaws of the Wolf Man at the Cirque Du Freak - but I had no time for sympathy I reminded myself that he was the enemy and erased all traces of pity from my mind

RV tossed Debbie down in front of ed to her knees and flew into my arms I clutched her close as she sobbed and tried to speak "Shhh," I said "Take it easy You’re safe Don’t say anything"

"I - must," she wept "So much - to say I - I love you, Darren"

"Of course you do," I s scene," Steve sneered "Sonored him and held Debbie’s face away from me I kissed her quickly, then shed, then stared at ly "I don’t want to leave," she croaked "Not until after the fight"

"No," I said quickly "You have to go I don’t want you to stay and watch"

"In case you are killed?" she asked

I nodded, and her lips thinned al up beside us, his green eyes filled with deterreed "I won’t stop you But I’d rather you didn’t If you value our friendship, you’ll take Debbie and the Chief Inspector, lead theet away safely I don’t trust these e and kill us all if I win"

"Then I should stay to fight - with you," Harkat said

"No," I said softly "Not this time Please, for my sake and Debbie’s, will you leave?"

Harkat didn’t like it, but he nodded reluctantly

"Coet the"

I looked up and saw the treacherous police officer called Morgan Ja a slim rifle, the butt of which he poked into his Chief Inspector’s ribs

"Get the hell away fro on hi like a jackal, bringing up the rifle "I’d hate to have to shoot you"

"When we get back, you’re history," she snarled

"I won’t be couide you lot to the cavern at the end of the tunnel, lock you out to make sure you can’t create a disturbance, then take off with the others when the fighting’s over"

"You won’t escape that easy," Burgess snorted "I’ll track you down and make you pay for this, even if I have to travel halfway round the world"

"Sure you will," Morgan laughed, then nudged her in the ribs again, harder this time

The Chief Inspector spat at her ex-officer, then pushed him away and crouched next to Vancha to tie her laces As she was doing that, she whispered to hiuy in the hood and cloak - that’s the one you have to kill, right?" Vancha nodded wordlessly, guarding his expression "I don’t like the idea of sending the kid up to fight theess said "If I can create a bit of space, and provide firing cover, d’you reckon you or Crepsley could get up there?"

"Maybe," Vancha said, lips barely ess finished tying her laces, stood and winked "Come on," she said aloud to Harkat and Debbie "The air stinks here The sooner we’re out, the better"

The Chief Inspector started walking, shoving ahead of Morgan, purpose in her stride The rows of va a path Only a fe stood between us and the stake the rope was tied to

Harkat and Debbie looked back at , but words wouldn’t co, she shook her head and turned her back onmiserably Harkat put his ar the Chief Inspector

Burgess was al out of the cavern when she paused and glanced over her shoulder Morgan was close to her, cradling his rifle Harkat and Debbie were several ess snapped at the dawdling pair "This isn’t a funeral procession!"

Morgan smiled and looked back automatically at Harkat and Debbie As he did, the Chief Inspector swung into action Throwing herself at hi it into the soft flesh of his stoan yelled in pain and surprise, then snatched the rifle back as she tried to pull it away He alrasp, but not quite, and the pair rolled over on the ground, wrestling for the gun Behind them, the vampaneze and va troops reached her, Burgess got a finger on the trigger of the rifle and squeezed off a shot It could have been pointing anywhere - she didn’t have ti at the jaw of the vaan Jaan was falling away froony, the left side of his face a bloody, shreddedthe reess slammed him over the back of his head with the butt of the rifle, knocking him unconscious Then, as vampaneze and vampets swarmed towards her, she leant a knee on the ex-officer’s back, swung her rifle up, took careful aim, and fired off a volley of shots at the platform - at Steve, Gannen Harst - and the Lord of the Vampaneze!