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"Palace?" Mr Crepsley replied

"Where the Vahing "What’s so funny?" I snapped

"How long do you think ould escape detection if we built a palace on the side of a mountain?" Mr Crepsley asked

"Then where?" Understanding dawned "It’s inside the mountain!"

"Of course" Gavner siant hive of caves and cha a vampire could wish for is stored within - coffins, vats of human blood, food, and wine The only time you see va or departing or going to hunt"

"Hoe get in?" I asked

Mr Crepsley tapped the side of his nose "Watch and see"

We walked around the rocky base of the mountain Mr Crepsley and Gavner were full of exciteh only Gavner let it show - the older vaht nobody was looking that he’d grin to hiether in anticipation

We reached a stream that was about twenty feet wide The water floiftly through it and gushed away down to the flat plains beyond While orking our way upstream, a lone wolf appeared in the near distance and howled Streak and the other wolves came to an immediate stop Streak’s ears pricked up; he listened awhen he looked at ood-bye," Mr Crepsley inforuessed that already

"Do they have to go?" I asked

"This is what they came for - to meet others of their kind It would be cruel to ask thelumly and reached down to scratch Streak’s ears "Nice knowing you, Streak," I said Then I patted Rudi "I’ll miss you, you miserable little runt"

The adult wolves started to walk away Rudi hesitated, looking froht choose to stick with me, but then he barked, rubbed his wet nose over the tops of my bare feet, and ran off after the others

"You’ll see hiain," Gavner promised "We’ll look them up e leave"

"Sure" I sniffed, pretending I wasn’t bothered "I’ll be okay They’re just a pack of dumb old wolves I don’t care"

"Of course you don’t" Gavner s upstreay wolves" I glared at hihed uncoet a face The cub will reray"

"Really?" I asked

"Yes," he said, then turned and resu Gavner and Harkat fell in behind hi wolves, sighed dejectedly, then I picked upand followed