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TWO NIGHTS AFTER my encounter with Arra Sails, Mr Crepsley and me were called before the Vaht, and Mr Crepsley had to help roaned as I raised my arms over my head - they were black-and-blue from where I’d taken Arra’s blows

"I cannot believe you were foolish enough to challenge Arra Sails," Mr Crepsley tutted He’d been teasingabout it, although underneath hisfront I could tell he was proud ofone-on-one with her on the bars"

"Guess that means I’m braver than you" I s," he chided me "You could have been seriously injured"

"You sound like Kurda," I sulked

"I do not agree with Kurda’s views on the righting ways of vampires - he is a pacifist, which runs contrary to our nature - but he is correct when he says that soht When a situation is hopeless, and there is nothing at stake, only a fool battles on"

"But it wasn’t hopeless!" I exclaimed "I almost beat her!"

Mr Crepsley smiled "You are in that you are learning Now finish dressing and make yourself presentable We "

The Hall of Princes was situated at the highest internal point of Va, wide tunnel guarded by a host of Mountain Guards I hadn’t been up here before - nobody could use the tunnel unless they had business in the Hall

The green-garbed guards watched us every step of the way You weren’t allowed to take weapons into the Hall of Princes, or carry anything that ht be used as a weapon Shoes weren’t perer in the soles - and ere searched frouards even ran coh our hair, in case we had thin wires hidden inside!

"Why all the security?" I whispered to Mr Crepsley "I thought the Princes were respected and obeyed by all vampires"

"They are," he said "This is for tradition’s sake ed into a huge cavern, in which a strange, white do I’d ever seen - the walls pulsed, as though alive, and there were no joints or cracks that I could make out

"What is it? "I asked

"The Hall of Princes," Mr Crepsley said

"What’s it ed "Nobody knows" He led uards on this side of the tunnel were grouped around the doors to the Hall - and told asped "And it throbs! What is it?"

"Long ago, the Hall of Princes was like any other," Mr Crepsley answered in his usual roundabout way "Then, one night, Mr Tiny arrived and said he had gifts for us This was shortly after the vaifts’ were the dome - which his Little People constructed, unseen by any vaical artifacts They -"

One of the guards at the doors hailed us "Larten Crepsley! Darren Shan!" We hurried over "You uard said, and struck the doors four ti The doors slid open - like electronic doors - and we entered

Though no torches burned inside the Hall of Princes, it was as bright as day, far brighter than anywhere else in the inated in the walls of the do seats - like pews - ran in circles around the doe space at the center, where four wooden thrones stood mounted on a platform Three of the thrones were occupied by Vampire Princes Mr Crepsley had told me that at least one Prince always skipped Council, in case anything happened to the others Nothing hung fros There were no statues either This was a place for business, not pomp or ceremony

Most of the seats were filled Ordinary vampires sat at the rear; the uards and people like them Vampire Generals occupied the front seats Mr Crepsley and me made our way to the third row of seats from the front and slid in beside Kurda S for us I was glad to see the Little Person again, and asked what he’d been up to

"Answering questions," he replied "Saying saain"

"Did any more of your memory come back?" I asked

"No"

"But it’s not for want of trying" Gavner laughed, leaning forward to squeezeHarkat with questions, trying to get him to remember And he hasn’t complained once If I was in his place, I’d have raised hell ages ago He hasn’t even been allowed to sleep!"

"Don’t need much sleep," Harkat said shyly

"Recovered from your bout with Arra yet?" Kurda asked

Before I could answer, Gavner piped up "I heard about that! What in heaven were you thinking? I’d rather face a pit full of scorpions than hop on the bars with Arra Sails I saw her ht"

"It seerin

Gavner had to leave us to discuss so with a bunch of other Generals - va serious issues in the Hall of Princes - and while aiting, Mr Crepsley explained a little ical There is no way in except through the single set of doors Nothing can penetrate its walls, no tool, explosive, or acid It is the toughest material known to man or vampire"

"Where did it coht it in covered wagons It took them months to haul it up, one sheet at a time We were not allowed to watch as they assembled it Our finest architects have been over it many times since, but not one can unravel its mysteries

"The doors can only be opened by a Va their palms directly on the panels of the doors, or fro their palms down on the armrests"

"They must be electronic," I said "The panels ’read’ their fingerprints, right?"

Mr Crepsley shook his head "The Hall was built centuries ago, long before electricity was even a thought in the minds of man It operates by paranor we know