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FIRE ENGULFED and billowed around ined such heat I alushed down my throat and torched me to a crisp froh the other side of the fiery wall,bush, and flames sprouted from my body likeatthe flas of the pipes If flames had struck in those seconds of ot lucky lucky Darren Shan the luck of the vampires

Once I’d slapped out the worst of the fla in hot, thin air, I prodded gently at the s sure there were no sparks waiting to flare back to life

My entire body was black and red Black froh o on Sore as I was, and painful as it was to move, I had to The ravenous demons of the fire would devour , I tuned out the roars of the flames and listened for the sounds of the pipes It wasn’t easy -- but I was able to detect the faintest hints of hissing and whistling, and after a few shaky steps I was back on course, anticipating the bursts of fla about wading through the wall of fire was that it had burnt out s in my feet There was alerously singed, and part of me worried about ould happen after the Trial - if ht have to be aht noas glad for the relief and took co me I tried to rub some spit on theently between ers, but that made them worse In the end I left thenore the ain, I ducked through a roaring bank of fire and back to open ground, enduring the ensuing pain

I closed htest lull The heat was dreadful for them They’d dried up the saht

As I rolled away froan to die away I paused suspiciously Was this the start of an even worse assault? Could I expect a huge ball of fire to burst through the pipes and blow me away?

While I twitched and strainedopen, and vah they were aliens What were they doing? Were they firemen who’d lost their way? Soerous

I backed away froed onball of fire hit, except I had no voice I couldn’t even e a squeak "Darren, it is over," one of the vampires said He sounded like Mr Crepsley, but it couldn’t be - Mr Crepsley wouldn’t wander into a Hall during the ed hand at the vampires and mouthed the words, "Go away! Get out of here!"

"Darren," the lead vaain, "it is over You won!"

I couldn’t e ball of fire was due, and if these fools were blockingout at theh their arrasp of the lead vaht me by the scruff of the neck His touch was painful and I dropped to the floor, screa silently

"Be careful!" the lead vampire snapped, then bent over me - it was Mr Crepsley! "Darren," he said softly, "it is all right You did it You are safe"

Shaking my head, unable to think clearly, I mouthed the same word over and over: "Fire! Fire! Fire!"

I was stillit when they lifted me onto a stretcher and carted me from the Hall And even ere outside, clear of the fla tothe word of warning, or ht, fearfully searching for the telltale signs of red and yellow terror