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THE FOURTH Trial - the Blooded Boars

It seemed as if half the vampires in the mountain had turned out to watch me take on the tild boars I learned, as I waited for the Trial to start, that interest in h Many va before this They were amazed that I’d survived the Hall of Flames Already the storytellers of Va end I heard one of the my Trial on the Path of Needles, and to listen to him tell it, I’d endured ten avalanches and been pierced clean through the sto stalactite, which had to be cut out ofto the h the crowds of va Arthur or Alexander the Great

"Don’t go getting a swelled head," Gavner laughed, noting the way I was listening intently to the tales He was keeping eration is the key to every legend If you fail in this or the final Trial, they’lland hold you up as an example for future vampires ’Work hard, my boy, they’ll say, ’or you’ll end up like that wastrel Darren Shan?

"At least they won’t be able to say I snored like a bear," I retorted

Gavner gri too rowled

Vanez returned and handed me a small spiked wooden club and a short spear "These are the best I could do," he said, scratching the skin beneath hisleft eye with the tip of the spear "They aren’t much, but they’ll have to do"

"These will be fine," I said, though I’d been hoping for so more deadly

"You knoill happen?" he asked

"The boars will be released into the ring at the saht scrap with each other at the start, but as soon as they smell me, they’ll focus on me"

Vanez nodded "That’s how the bear tracked you down on your way here, and why he attacked you Vahtens an anio for whatever set close to the boars to kill them Use your spear to stab at their eyes Save your club for their snouts and skulls Don’t bother with their bodies - you’d be wasting your energy

"The boars probably won’t coordinate their attacks Usually, when one s back If they do coet in each other’s way Use their confusion if you can

"Avoid their tusks If you get stuck on a set, get off them quickly, even if you have to drop your weapons to free yourself There’s only so e they can do if you steer clear of their tusks"

A bugle call announced the arrival of Mika Ver Leth, ould be presiding over the Trial The black-garbed Prince bade in I told hin, checked tono concealed weapons, then swept away to take his position, while I was led into the arena

The arena was a big round pit in the ground A sturdy wooden fence had been built around it to make sure the boars couldn’t escape Va like a crowd of Romans at the Colosseum

I stretched my arms above my head and winced at the pain Much of my flesh was tender, and soes My feet weren’t too painful - a lot of the nerve endings had been burnt out, and it would be weeks, ly everywhere else

The doors to the pit swung open, and two caged boars were dragged in by guards A hush settled over the observing vauards had retreated and shut the doors, the locks of the cages were undone by overhead wires, and the cages were lifted out of the pit by ropes The boars grunted angrily when they found themselves in the open They i tusks They were fierce creatures, five feet long, h

Whenand backed away from each other One spotted aze of the first, set its sights on ed I raised my spear defensively The boar turned about ten feet away fro savagely

The far-off boar trotted towards me, slowly, purposefully It stopped several feet away, eyed round with its hooves, then darted I easily avoided its lunge and ed to strike one of its ears with the head of my club as it sped past It roared, ain I ju at its eyes withnarrowly When I landed, the second boar attacked It threw itself atits tusks wildly