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A FULLe arrived at Lady Evanna’s Even so, I’d have ed me and said, "We are here" I later learnt that Evanna had cast aspell over the place, so unless you knehere to look, your eyes would skiht ahead, but for a few seconds could see nothing but trees Then the power of the spell faded, the i down upon a crystal-clear pond, glowing a faint white colour froht of the moon There was a hill on the opposite side of the pond, and I could see the dark, arched entrance of a huge cave in it
As we strolled down the gentle slope to the pond, the night air filled with the sound of croaking I stopped, alar Evanna They’ll stop once she tells the chorus ceased and alked in silence again We skirted the edge of the pond, Mr Crepsley and Vancha warning Harkat and s, thousands of which were at rest by or in the cool water
"The frogs are creepy," Harkat whispered "I feel like they’re watching us"
"They are," Vancha said "They guard the pond and cave, protecting Evanna froainst intruders?" I laughed
Vancha stooped and grabbed a frog Holding it up to the ently squeezed its sides Its ht the tongue with the index finger and thues "See the tiny sacs along the sides?" he asked
"Those yellow-red bulges?" I said "What about theue around your ar, the sacs would pop and the poison would seep in through your flesh" He shook his head gri down on the daue It hopped away about its business Harkat and me walked with extreme care after that!
When we reached the mouth of the cave, we stopped Mr Crepsley and Vancha sat down and laid aside their packs Vancha took out a bone he’d been chewing on for the last couple of nights and got to work on it, pausing only to spit at the occasional frog which wandered too close to us
"Aren’t we going in?" I asked
"Not without being invited," Mr Crepsley replied "Evanna does not take kindly to intruders"
"Isn’t there a bell we can ring?"
"Evanna has no need of bells," he said "She knoe are here and will coreet us in her own tireed "A friend of ht he’d enter the cave on the quiet once, to surprise her" He e warts all over He looked like like" Vancha frowned "It’s hard to say, because I’ve never seen anything quite like it - and I’ve seenin erous?" I asked worriedly
"Evanna will not harm us," Mr Crepsley assured me "She has a quick temper, and it’s best not to rile her, but she would never kill one with vampire blood, unless provoked"
"Just make sure you don’t call her a witch," Vancha warned, for what must have been the hundredth time
Half an hour after we’d settled by the cave, dozens of frogs - larger than those surrounding the pond - ca out They for us in I started to get to my feet, but Mr Crepsley told ed froliest, most unkempt woman I’d ever seen She was short - barely taller than the squat Harkat Mulds - with long, dark, untidy hair
She had rippling s Her ears were sharply pointed, her nose was tiny - it looked like there were just two holes above her upper lip - and her eyes were narrow When she got closer, I saw that one eye was brown and the other green What was even stranger was that the colours switched - one ht
She was extraordinarily hairy Her ars were covered with black hair; her eyebroere two large caterpillars; bushy hair grew out of her ears and nostrils; she had a fairly full beard, and her moustache would have put Otto von Bisly stubby As a witch, I’d expected her to have bony claws, though I guess that’s an iot from books and comics I read when I was a child Her nails were cut short, except for on the two little fingers, where they grew long and sharp
She didn’t wear traditional clothes, or ani, thickly woven, yellow ropes, wrapped around her chest and lower body, leaving her ars and stoine a led uneasily as she shuffled towards us
"Vas, which parted as she advanced "Always ugly bloody va?"
"They’re probably afraid you’d eat theed her She hugged back, hard, and lifted the Vampire Prince off his feet
"My little Vancha," she cooed, as though cuddling a baby "You’ve put on solier than ever, Lady," he grunted, gasping for breath
"You’re only saying that to please led, then dropped him and turned to Mr Crepsley "Larten," she nodded politely
"Evanna," he replied, standing and bowing Then, without warning, he kicked out at her But, swift as he was, the witch ifter She grabbed his leg and twisted He rolled over and collapsed flat on the ground Before he could react, Evanna jurabbed his chin and pulled his head up sharply
"Surrender?" she yelled
"Yes!" he wheezed, face reddening - not with shahed, and kissed his forehead quickly
Then she stood and studied Harkat and reen eye over Harkat and a brown one overnot to let ood to meet you, Darren Shan," she replied "You are welco politely He wasn’t as nervous asHarkat’s bow "You are also welcome - as you were before"
"Before?" he echoed
"This is not your first visit," she said "You have changed in ifted that way Appearances don’t deceive "
"You mean you knoho I was before I became a Little Person?" Harkat asked, astonished When Evanna nodded, he leant forward eagerly "Who was I?"
The witch shook her head "Can’t say That’s for you to find out"
Harkat wanted to push the aze on me and stepped forward to cup ers "So this is the boy Prince," she ht you would be younger"
"He was struck by the purge as we travelled here," Mr Crepsley inforo offor weakness
"So," I said, feeling as though I should speak, saying the first thing that popped into my head, "you’re a witch, are you?"
Mr Crepsley and Vancha groaned
Evanna’s nostrils flared and her head shot forward so our faces were millimetres apart "What did you callSorry I didn’taway fro Mr Crepsley and Vancha March "You told him I was a witch!"
"No, Evanna," Vancha said quickly
"We told him not to call you that," Mr Crepsley assured her
"I should gut the pair of you," Evanna growled, cocking the little finger of her right hand at them "I would, too, if Darren wasn’t here - but I’d hate tohotly, she relaxed her little finger Mr Crepsley and Vancha relaxed too I could barely believe it I’d seen Mr Crepsley face fully ar, and was sure Vancha was every bit as coer Yet here they stood, tre ernails!