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I wasn’t supposed to join in the fighting, but the uproar of the terrified va, I’d sneaked forward to observe as happening within the cave

It was incredible to watch Spiders covered the floor and walls and -va around like cartoon figures, yelling and screeching, desperately trying to repel the attack Soainst the tiny invaders, who easily ducked the wild blows and darted forward to sink their fangs into exposed patches of flesh The va al out blindly, they connected with their colleagues, wounding several, even killing a few

So to establish control, roaring at the others to forainst the spiders But the pandenored, sometimes knocked out of the hen they tried to intervene

In the er wolves bounded into the cave fro as loudly as possible I don’t think anybody had invited the wolves along - they sier to be part of the victory!

When the va, several turned and bolted for the exit They’d had enough - even the lethal sunlight see aside and letting the in h every cell of my body I wanted to keep the with the rest of their despicable tribe At the tie was all I could focus on It was all that see around, I spotted a spear that one of the tunnel guards had dropped during the course of their hasty retreat Picking it up, I wedged the end against a crack in the floor, then pointed the tip at the charging vampaneze The lead vampaneze saw me and tried to veer out of the way of the spear, but those behind pushed hiht into the spear, he i, I roughly shoved the vampaneze off the spear, then bellowed at those behind hiht the as blocked by a horde of savage vahed triu to add a few lance at the vampaneze who’d run onto my spear, and I ca, his face only a light shade of purple He was crying andnoises Unable to stop asped, clutching at the deep, wide hole in his belly His hands were red, and I knew his cause was hopeless

"It’s OK," I lied "It’s only a flesh wound You’ll be up on your -" Before I could say e torrent of it His eyes widened, then closed He groaned softly, fell back, shuddered, then died

I’d killed hiht shook h I’d been looking forward to punishing the vampaneze for what they did to Gavner, it was only now that I considered the consequences of my actions This vampaneze - this person - was dead I had taken his life and could never restore it

Maybe he deserved death HeThen again, uy, like me or any of the va orders Either way, deserving or not, as I to decide? I didn’t have the right to pass judgment on others and kill them Yet I’d done it Excited by the fear of the va ainst this man and killed him

I hated et far away and pretend this never happened I felt cheap, dirty, nasty I tried consoling , but how did one separate right froht he was doing right when he stabbed Gavner The vaht when they drained people they fed upon However I looked at it, I had the awful feeling that I was now no better than any other killer, one of a vicious, terrible, inhuman breed

Only my sense of duty heldat any moment It was my job to keep the spiders active until they did, so that the varoup and meet the assault head-on If I desertedwith the vaardless of how I felt inside

Sticking ed the spiders to swarht of the life I’d taken I no longer enjoyed watching the vampaneze shriek and lash out blindly, or saw the end of their just deserts Instead I saarriors, terrified and humiliated, stranded far frohtered

At the height of the hysteria, the va Arroho tossed his sharp-edged boo blood with each Spearists were beside and behind hie and claimed many lives

As vaed to retreat by the unseen Mr Crepsley and Seba I heldthe panic alive at this end of the cave

In less than a minute, the vampires had stor the first wave of spearists They hadn’t coreat numbers - if too many had poured into the narrow chamber, they’d have been in each other’s way - but the thirty who’d entered seemed to be far more in coh there were five vampires to every one of their foes

Arroas in the thick of the action, leading by example, as mercilessly efficient with his swords as he’d been with his boos Vanez Blane stood close by the Prince, knives flashing, backing him up Alarmed as they were by the spiders and wolves, the vampaneze quickly realized where the real threat was, and they hurriedly backed away from the coldly murderous pair

Arra Sails was also part of the first assault She was in her ele the vampaneze with a short sword in one hand, a spiked chain in the other, laughing brutally as they fell beneath her I’d have cheered her display a few minutes earlier, but now I felt only dis in the destruction

"This isn’t right," I- it had to be done - but relishing their downfall rong There was so the vahoulish satisfaction in the massacre

Confused as I was, I decided I’d better wade in and help The sooner we finished off the va a sharp dagger from the man I’d killed, I called off my spiders, then threw my flute away and stepped forward to join the press of battling vaes of the fighting, jabbing at the feet or legs of va it easier for the va to disarm and kill them I took no pleasure fros to a quick conclusion

I saw Mr Crepsley and Seba Nile entering the cave, their red robes billowing behind theer to be part of the bloodshed I didn’t hold their eagerness to kill against theainst any of the vaht it wasintensified shortly after Mr Crepsley and Seba joined the fray Only the toughest and most composed of the vampaneze had survived the first period oftheir stands, sorave with them as they could

I saw the first varound, bellies sliced open or heads bashed in, bleeding and sobbing, crying out loud with pain On the floor, dying, covered in blood, they looked no different from the vampaneze