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I wanted to speak to the Princes directly - but I couldn’t just uards to let e and hail him, but they didn’t leave the throne room very often What if Kurdadown to the doors and slipping in the next time they were open, but it was unlikely that I could avoid the attention of the guards Besides, if Kurda was inside and saw ht kill reatest fear - that I’d be killed before I warned the Princes of the peril they faced With this inthe Princes, so that if I died, e wouldn’t die with me

But who to trust? Mr Crepsley or Harkat were the ideal choices, but there was no way I could make it to their cells undetected Arra Sails and Vanez Blane also dwelt too deep within the mountain to be easily reached

That left Seba Nile, the ancient quartermaster of Vampire Mountain His cell was close to the storerooet to hi seen But could I trust him? He and Kurda were close friends He’d helped the traitor make ht be using at this very minute to advance on the Hall of Princes Was it possible that he was one of Kurda’s allies?

Almost as soon as I raised the question, I kneas ridiculous Seba was an old-fashioned vampire, who believed in loyalty and the ways of the vampires above all else And he’d been Mr Crepsley’s mentor If I couldn’t trust Seba, I couldn’t trust anybody

I rose to go in search of Seba, and the wolves rose with rowling, but I was firm with him "Stay!" I commanded "Wait for me If I don’t coht There’s nothing you can do"

I wasn’t sure if Streak understood all that, but he squatted on his haunches and re heavily as he watched me leave, his dark eyes fixed onthe path by which we’d co to reach the storerooms They were quiet when I arrived, but I entered cautiously, taking no chances, through the hole that Kurda had revealed tonobody within, I started for the door leading to the tunnels, then stopped and glanced down at otten how strange I’d look to nonanimal eyes If I turned up in Seba’s quarters like this, dirty and wild, he host!

There were no spare clothes in this room, so I ripped apart an old sack and tied a strip of it around my waist It wasn’t much of an improvement, but it would have to do I tied another few strips around my feet, so that I could pad more stealthily, then opened a sack of flour and rubbed a few handfuls of the white powder over my body, hopefully to mask the worst of my wolfish smell When I was ready, I opened the door and crept into the tunnel

Though it would noret to Seba’s roo each stretch of tunnel several ti sure I had soed unexpectedly

When I finally reached the old quarter with anxiety and stood in silence a few seconds, collecting htly "Co by a chest with his back tothe inside of the chest "I told you not to bother knocking The investiture is a mere two hours away We do not have ti, he saw me, and his jaw literally dropped

"Hello, Seba" I smiled nervously

Seba blinked, shook his head, blinked again "Darren?" he gasped

"The one and only" I grinned

Seba lowered the lid of the chest and sat upon it heavily "Are you a vision?" he wheezed

"Do I look like one?"

"Yes," he said

I laughed and advanced "I’m no vision, Seba It’s me I’m real" I stopped in front of him "Feel me if you don’t believe er and touched my left arm When he realized I was solid, he beaain "You were sentenced to death," he said dolefully

"I figured as

"You fled"

"It was a ht you drowned Your trail led to the streaet out?"