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I WAS SO STIFF when I woke that I thought I wouldn’t be able to make it to the maze, let alone findaround, I worked off the stiffness and felt as fit as ever I realized Vanez had pushed ht amount and made a note not to doubt his tactics in the future

I was hungry, but Vanez had told ht, a few extra pounds could

Mr Crepsley and Vanez came for me when it was ti in bright red robes, Vanez less flamboyant in a dull brown tunic and trousers

"Ready?" Vanez asked I nodded "Hungry?"

"Starving!"

"Good" He smiled "I’ll treat you to the finest et into trouble - it helps to have soh the torch-lit tunnels to the Aquatic Maze, Vanez walking in front of me, Mr Crepsley and Harkat just behind Vanez carried a purple flag, the sign that he was escorting a vae gesture when they saw er to their forehead, placed the tips of the fingers on either side of it on their eyelids, and spread their thuer out wide to the sides

"Why are they doing that?" I asked Vanez

"It’s a custoesture," he explained "We call it the death’s touch sign It means, ’Even in death, ood luck," I nificance," Vanez chuckled "We believe that the gods of the vampires respect those who die nobly They bless us when a vampire meets death proudly and curse us when one dies poorly"

"So they want me to die well for their own sakes," I said sarcastically

"For the sake of the clan," Vanez corrected ood of the clan before his oell-being Even in death The hand gesture is to remind you of that"

The Aquatic Maze was built in the pit of a large cavern Fro square box Around the sides of the pit were forty or fifty va them were Gavner and Kurda, Seba Nile and Arra Sails - and Mika Ver Leth, the Vampire Prince who’d sentenced ravely to Vanez and Mr Crepsley, then fixed his icy gaze on me He was dressed in his customary black outfit and looked even sterner than Mr Crepsley "You have prepared for the Trial?" he asked

"I have"

"You knohat lies ahead of you?"

"I do"

"Except for the four exits, there is no escape from the maze," he said "Should you fail this Trial, you will not have to face the Hall of Death"

"I’d rather die at the stakes to drowning," I grunted

"Most vareed "But you don’t need to worry - it is still water, not running"

I frowned "What’s that got to do with anything?"

"Still water cannot trap a vahed Many vampires believed that if you died in a river or strea water "That doesn’t botherI don’t like!"

"Either way, I wish you luck," Mika said

"No, you don’t" I sniffed

"Darren!" Mr Crepsley said

"It’s all right" Mika silenced him with a wave of his hand "Let the boy speak his mind"

"You made ood enough to be a vampire You’ll be happy if I fail, because it’ll prove you were right"

"Your assistant has a low opinion of , Mika He does not know his place"

"Don’t apologize for hi should speak their ht in one thing only, Darren Shan - I don’t think you have what it takes to make it as a vampire As for the rest of what you say" - He shook his head - "No va another fail I sincerely hope you prove , now lass of blood to your naly aded you"

"Oh," I said, confused "In that case, I guess I’s?"

The black-haired, eagle-eyed Prince ss" Then he clapped his hands loudly and barked sharply, "May the gods bless you with the luck of the vaan

I was blindfolded, placed on a stretcher, and carried into the heart of the uards - so I couldn’t memorize the way Once inside, I was set down and the blindfold was removed I found myself in a narrow corridor, about five feet wide, less than six and a half feet high My size would work in my favor in this Trial - tall va even harder

"Are you ready?" one of the guards asked

"I’ around the corridor to find my first marker I sahitish stone in the wall toprocess

"You uard said "That’s the signal for the start of the Trial Nobody can check on you once we leave, so there’s nothing to prevent you fro, apart from your conscience"

"I won’t cheat," I snapped "I’ll wait for the water"

"I’etically "I had to say it anyway - tradition"

The four guards gathered up the stretcher and left They were all wearing extrasoft shoes, so their footsteps lass bulbs in the roof of the ht to see by, even when the water rose high