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PROLOGUE
IT WAS an age of war After six hundred years of peace, the vaainst each other in a brutal, bloody battle to the death The War of the Scars began with the co of the Lord of the Vampaneze He was destined to lead his people to total, all-conquering victory - unless killed before he was fully blooded
According to the mysterious and powerful Mr Tiny, only three va the Vampaneze Lord They were the Prince, Vancha March; the one-time General, Larten Crepsley; and a half-vampire, me - Darren Shan
It was predicted by Mr Tiny that our path would cross four times with that of the Vampaneze Lord, and each ti If we killed him, we’d win the War of the Scars If not, the vae victory and wipe our entire clan from the face of the earth
Mr Tiny said we couldn’t call upon other va the quest, but we could accept the aid of non-vampires Thus, when Mr Crepsley and me left Vampire Mountain (Vancha joined us later), the only one to corey-skinned Little Person
Leaving the Mountain - our home for six years - we headed for the cave of Lady Evanna, a witch of great power She could see into the future but would only reveal this much to us - if we failed to kill the Lord of the Vampaneze, by the end of our quest, two of us would be dead
Later on, we linked up with the Cirque Du Freak, where I’d lived with Mr Crepsley when I originally became his assistant Evanna travelled with us At the Cirque, we ran into a group of va which most of the vampaneze were killed Two escaped - a full-vampaneze by the name of Gannen Harst, and his servant, e later learnt was the Lord of the Vauise
We were sickened when Evanna revealed the true identity of Gannen Harst’s servant, but Vancha was especially miserable, because he had let them escape - Gannen Harst was Vancha’s brother, and Vancha had let hi him, unaware that his brother was prime protector of the Vampaneze Lord
But there was no ti sorry for ourselves We still had three chances to find and kill our deadly foe, so our quest continued Putting the lost chance behind us, we sharpened our blades, parted company with Evanna and our friends in the Cirque Du Freak, and took to the road again, more determined than ever to succeed
Chapter ONE
OUR DAILY POST, SEPTEMBER 15
BLOODY NIGHTS OF DEATH!!!
This once-sleepy city is under siege In the space of six short months eleven people have been brutally murdered, their bodies drained of blood and dumped in various public places Many ht be lying beneath the streets, their lifeless bodies deco in the lonely dark
Officials cannot account for the grueso spree They do not believe the murders to be the work of one man, but nor have they been able to link the crile police operation in the city’s history, ious cult leaders arrested and the doors of secret orders and brotherhoods smashed down to no effect at all!
CUSTOMARY BLUNTNESS
Chief Inspector of police, Alice Burgess, when queried about the lack of results, responded with her own brand of custos," she snapped "Everyone’s on unpaid overti the streets in force, arresting anyone who even looks suspicious We’ve initiated a 7 pm curfew for children, and have advised adults to remain indoors too If you find soladly step aside"
Co comfort from thees Nobody doubts the honest, hard-working efforts of the local police - or the army who have been called in to assist in the operation - but faith in their ability to bring an end to the crisis has hit an all-ti with relatives or in hotels, until the killings cease
"I have kids," Michael Corbett, the forty-six-year-old owner of a second-hand bookshop told us "Running away doesn’t make me feel proud, and it’ll ruin my business, but the lives of my wife and children come first The police can do no ot to wait for this to blow over, like it did before When it does, I’ll return In the mean time, I think anyone who stays is crazy"
HISTORY OF DEATH
When Mr Corbett spoke of the past, he was referring to a tio, when horror similarly visited this city On that occasion, nine bodies were discovered by a pair of teenagers, butchered and drained as the recent eleven victims have been
But those bodies were carefully hidden, and only unearthed long after death had occurred Today’s ht’s, since each victi to hide the evidence of their foul deeds It’s as though they are proud of their cruelty, leaving the bodies where they know they will be found
Many locals believe the city is cursed and has a history of death "I’ve been expecting these killings for fifty years," said Dr Kevin Beisty, a local historian and expert on the occult "Vao, and the thing about vampires is, once they find a place they like - they always come back!"
DEMONS OF THE NIGHT
Vaainst deht, he could be dismissed as a crank Butat the hands of vampires They point to the fact that the attacks always occur at night, that the bodies have been drained of blood - seely without the aid of h three of the victiraphed by hidden security cameras when they were abducted, their attackers’ faces did not show up on filess is dismissive of the vae?" she laughed contemptuously "Don’t be ridiculous! This is the twenty-first century Warped, sick hueymen!"