We drew to a halt a couple of metres short of Steve and Gannen. Steve"s eyes were alight with excitement and a slight shade of fear - he knew there were no guarantees now, no more opportunities for dirty tricks or games. It was a plain, fair fight to the death, and that was something he couldn"t control.
"Greetings, brother," Gannen Harst said, bowing his head.
"Greetings," Vancha replied stiffly. "I"m glad you face us like true creatures of the night at last.
Perhaps in death you can find again the honour which you abandoned during life."
"Honour will be shared by all here tonight," Gannen said, "both the living and the dead."
"They don"t half go on a lot," Steve sighed. He squared up to me. "Ready to die, Shan?"
I stepped forward. "If that"s what fate has in store for me - yes," I answered. "But I"m also ready to kill." With that I raised my sword and struck the first blow of the fight which would decide the outcome of the War of the Scars.
Steve stood his ground, brought his own sword up - it was shorter and easier to handle than mine - and turned my blow aside. Gannen Harst stabbed at me with his long, straight sword.
Vancha slapped the blade wide of its target and pulled me out of immediate range of his brother.
Vancha only gave me a relatively gentle tug, but in my weakened state I staggered backwards and wound up in an untidy mess on the ground, close to Mr Tiny and Evanna. By the time I struggled to my feet, Vancha was locked in combat with Steve and Gannen Harst, hands a blur as he defended himself against their swords with his bare palms.
"He"s a fierce creature, isn"t he?" Mr Tiny remarked to his daughter. "Quite the beast of nature.
I like him."
Evanna didn"t reply. All her senses were focused on the battle, and there was worry and uncertainty in her eyes. I knew in that moment that she"d told the truth and really didn"t know which way this would go.
I turned away from the onlookers and caught quick flashes of the fight which was unfolding at superhuman speed. Steve nicked Vancha"s left arm near the top - Vancha kicked him in the chest in return. Gannen"s sword sc.r.a.ped down Vancha"s left side, slicing a thin gouge from breast to waist - Vancha replied by grabbing his brother"s sword hand and wrenching it back, snapping the bones of his wrist. Gannen gasped with pain as he dropped the sword, then ducked for it and grabbed it with his left hand. As he came to his feet again, Vancha struck his head with his right knee. Gannen fell away with a heavy grunt.
Vancha spun round to deal with Steve, but Steve was already upon him, making short sweeps with his sword, keeping Vancha at bay. Vancha tried to grab the sword, but only succeeded in having the flesh of his palms cut open. I staggered up beside him. I wasn"t of much use right then - I could barely raise my sword, and my legs dragged like dead weights - but at least it provided Steve with a double threat. If I could distract him, Vancha might be able to penetrate his defences and strike.
As I drew level with Vancha, panting and sweating, Gannen swung back into battle, dazed but determined, chopping angrily at Vancha, forcing him to retreat. I stabbed at Gannen, but Steve diverted my sword with his, then let go of the handle with one hand and punched me between the eyes. I dropped back, startled, and Steve drove the tip of his sword at my face.
If he"d had both hands on the sword, he"d have thrust it through me. But one-handed, he wasn"t able to direct it as powerfully as he wished. I managed to knock it aside with my left arm.
A deep cut opened up just below my elbow and I felt all the strength leave the fingers of that hand. Steve stabbed at me again. I raised my sword to protect myself. Too late I realized he"d only feinted. Wheeling around, he threw himself into me, right shoulder first. He struck me heavily in the chest and I fell back, winded losing hold of my sword. There was a yell behind me and I crashed into Vancha. Both of us went down, Vancha taken by surprise, arms and legs entangled with mine.
It took Vancha no more than a second to free himself - but that second was all Gannen Harst required. Darting forward, almost too fast for me to see, he stuck the tip of his sword into the small of Vancha"s back - then shoved it all the way through and out the front of Vancha"s stomach!
Vancha"s eyes and mouth shot wide open. Gannen stood behind him a moment. Then he stepped away and pulled his sword free. Blood gushed out of Vancha, both in front and behind, and he collapsed in agony, face twisted, limbs thrashing.
"May your G.o.ds forgive me, brother," Gannen whispered, his face haggard, eyes haunted.
"Though I fear I"ll never forgive myself."
I scrabbled away from the downed Prince, chasing my sword. Steve stood close by, laughing.
With an effort, Gannen regained control and set about securing victory. Hurrying over to me, he stood on my sword so that I couldn"t lift it, sheathed his own blade and grabbed my head with his good left hand. "Hurry!" he barked at Steve. "Kill him quick!"
"What"s the rush?" Steve muttered.
"If Vancha dies of the wound I gave him, we"ll have broken the rules of Mr Tiny"s prophecy!"
Gannen shouted.
Steve pulled a face. "b.l.o.o.d.y prophecies," he grumbled. "Maybe I"ll let him die and see what happens. Maybe I don"t care about Tiny or..." He stopped and rolled his eyes. "Oh, how silly we are! The answer"s obvious - I"ll kill Vancha before he dies of your wound. That way we"ll fulfil the requirements of the stupid prophecy and I"ll get to hang on to Darren, so I can torture him later."
"Clever boy," I heard Mr Tiny murmur.
"Have it any way you wish!" Gannen roared. "But if you"re going to kill him, kill him now, so that-"
"No!" someone screamed. Before anyone could react, a large shape shot out of the underpa.s.s beneath the bridge and hurled itself at Gannen, knocking him off me, almost toppling him into the river. Sitting up, I got a shocked fix on my most unlikely of rescuers - R. V.!
"Not gonna let you do it, man!" R.V. screamed, pounding Gannen Harst with his hooks.
"You"re evil!"
Gannen had been taken completely unawares, but he swiftly recovered, fumbled his sword free of its scabbard, and dug at R.V. with it. R.V. caught the sword with his gold right-handed hooks and smashed it against the ground, snapping it in two. With a roar of triumph, he slammed his silver left-handed hook into the side of Gannen"s head. There was a crack and Gannen"s eyes went blank. He slumped beneath R.V., unconscious. R.V. howled with joy, then drew both arms back to bring them down sharply and finish Gannen off.
Before R.V. could strike, Steve stepped up behind him and forced a knife up beneath his bushy beard, deep into his throat. R.V. shuddered and bowled Steve over. R.V. stood, spinning crazily, grabbing for the handle of the knife with his hooks. After missing it several times, he fell down, landing on his knees, head thrown back.
R.V. knelt there a moment, swaying sickeningly. Then his arms slowly rose. He gazed at the gold and silver hooks, his face glowing with wonder. "My hands," he said softly, and although his voice was gurgly with blood, his words were clear. "I can see them. My hands. They"re back. Everything"s OK now. I"m normal again, man." Then his arms dropped, his smile and pale red eyes froze in place, and his soul pa.s.sed quietly on to the next world.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I gazed at R.V."s peaceful expression as he knelt in his death pose. He"d left his pain behind at last, for ever. I was glad for him. If he"d lived, he"d have had to carry around the memory of the evil he"d committed while in league with the vampaneze. Maybe he was better off this way.
"And now there"s two - just me and you," Steve trilled, breaking my train of thought. I glanced up and saw him standing a few metres away from R.V., smiling. Gannen Harst was still out for the count, and although Vancha was alive, he was lying motionless, wheezing fitfully, unable to defend himself or attack.
"Yes," I agreed, standing and picking up my sword. My left hand wouldn"t work and my system was maybe a minute or two away from complete shutdown. But I"d enough strength left for one last fight. First though - Vancha. I paused over him and studied at his wound. It was seeping blood and his face was creased with pain. He tried to speak but words wouldn"t form.
As I hovered uncertainly by the side of my fellow Prince, unwilling to leave him like this, Evanna crossed to his side, knelt and examined him. Her eyes were grave when she looked up. "It is not fatal," she said softly. "He will live."
"Thank you," I muttered.
"Save your thanks," Mr Tiny said. He was standing directly behind me. "She didn"t tell you to cheer you up, silly boy. It was a warning. Vancha won"t die for the time being, but he"s out of the fight. You"re alone. The final hunter. Unless you turn tail and run, it"s down to you and Steve now.
If Steve doesn"t die, death will come within the next few minutes for you!"
I looked over my shoulder at the small man in the yellow suit and green Wellington boots. His face was bright with bloodthirsty glee. "If death comes," I said shortly, "it will be a far more welcome companion than you."
Mr Tiny chuckled, then stepped away to my left. Rising, Evanna took up position on my right.
Both waited for me to move, so that they could follow. I spared Vancha one final glance - he grinned painfully at me and winked - then faced Steve.
He backed away from me casually, entering the shadows beneath the bridge. I trailed after him, sword by my side, taking deep breaths, clearing my mind, focusing on the death-struggle to come. Although this could have been Vancha"s battle, a part of me had known all along that it would come down to this. Steve and I were opposite sides of a coin, linked since childhood, first by friendship, then hatred. It was only fitting that the final confrontation should fall to the two of us.
I entered the cool darkness of the underpa.s.s. It took my eyes a few seconds to adjust. When they did, I saw Steve waiting, right eye twitching nervously. The river gurgled softly beside us, the only noise except for our panting and chattering teeth.
"There is where we settle matters, once and for all, in the dark," Steve said.
"As good a place as any," I replied.
Previous Top NextSteve raised his left palm. I could vaguely make out the shape of the pink cross he"d carved into his flesh eighteen years before. "Remember when I did this?" he asked. "That night, I swore I"d kill you and Creepy Crepsley."
"You"re halfway there," I noted dryly. "You must be delighted."
"Not really," he said. "To be honest, I miss old Creepy. The world"s not the same without him. I"ll miss you even more. You"ve been the driving force behind everything I"ve done since I was a child. Without you, I"m not sure I"ll have much of an interest in life. If possible, I"d let you go. I enjoy our games - the hunt, the traps, the fights. I"d happily keep doing it, over and over, a new twist here, a fresh shock there."
"But life doesn"t work like that," I said. "Everything has to end."
"Yes," Steve said sadly. "That"s one thing I can"t change." His mood pa.s.sed and he regarded me with a sneer. "Here"s where you end, Darren Shan. This is your grand finale. Have you made your peace with the vampire G.o.ds?"
"I"ll do that later," I snarled, and swung my sword wide, moving forward so that on its return arc he"d be within range. But before it had completed its first arc, the tip of the sword smashed into the wall. It bounced off in a shower of sparks and a shock ran down my arm.
"Silly boy," Steve purred, mimicking Mr Tiny. He raised a knife. "No room here for swords."
Steve leapt forward and jabbed the knife at me. I pulled back and lobbed my sword at him, momentarily halting him. In that second, I drew one of the knives I"d brought from Annie"s kitchen. When Steve advanced, I was ready. I caught his thrust with the hilt of my knife and turned his blade aside.
There was no room in the underpa.s.s to circle one another, so we had to jab and stab, ducking and weaving to avoid each other"s blows. The conditions actually played into my favour - in the open I"d have had to be nimbler on my feet, spinning to keep up with Steve. That would have exhausted me. Here, since we were so cramped, I could stand still and direct my rapidly dwindling strength into my knife hand.
We fought silently, fast, sharp, impulsive. Steve nicked the flesh of my forearm - I nicked his. He opened shallow wounds on my stomach and chest - I repaid the compliment. He almost cut my nose off - I nearly severed his left ear.
Then Steve came at me from the left, taking advantage of my dead arm. He grabbed the material of my shirt and pulled me towards him, driving his knife hard at my belly with his other hand. I rolled with the force of his pull, throwing myself into him. His knife cut the wall of my stomach, a deep wound, but my momentum carried me forward despite the pain. I drove him down, landing awkwardly on him as he hit the path. His right hand flew out by his side, fingers snapping open. His knife shot free and struck the river with a splash, vanishing from sight in an instant.
Steve brought his empty right hand up, to push me off. I stabbed at it with my knife and hit home, spearing him through his forearm. He screamed. I freed my knife before he could knock it from my grip, raised it to shoulder height and redirected it, so the tip was pointing at Steve"s throat. His eyes shot to the gleam of the blade and his breath caught. This was it. I had him. He"d been out-fought and he knew it. One quick thrust of the knife and- Searing pain. A white flash inside my head. I thought Gannen had recovered and struck me from behind, but he hadn"t. It was an aftershock from when I blooded Darius. Vancha had warned me about this. My limbs trembled. A roaring in my ears, drowning out all other sounds. I dry-heaved and fell off Steve, almost tumbling into the river. "No!" I tried to scream. "Not now!"
But I couldn"t form the words. I was in the grip of immense pain, and could do nothing against it.
Time seemed to collapse. Gripped by panic, I was dimly aware of Steve crawling on top of me. He wrestled my knife from my hand. There was a sharp stabbing sensation in my stomach, followed by another. Steve crowed, "Now I have you! Now you"re gonna die." Something blurry pa.s.sed in front of my eyes, then back again. Fighting the white light inside my head, I got my eyes to focus. It was the knife. Steve had pulled it out and was waving it in my face, teasing me, sure he"d won, prolonging the moment of triumph.
But Steve had miscalculated. The pain of the stabbing brought me back from the brink of all- out confusion. The agony in my gut worked against the pain in my head, and the world began to swim back into place around me. Steve was perched on top of me, laughing. But I wasn"t afraid.
Unknown to himself, he was helping me. I was able to think halfway straight now, able to plan, able to act.
My right hand stole to waist of my trousers as Steve continued to mock me. I gripped the handle of a second knife. I caught a glimpse of Mr Tiny peering over Steve"s shoulder. He"d seen my hand moving and knew what was coming. He was nodding, though I"m not sure if he was encouraging me or merely bobbing his head up and down with excitement.
I lay still, gathering my very last dredges of energy together, letting Steve torment me with wild promises of what was to come. I was bleeding freely from the stab wounds in my stomach. I wasn"t sure if I"d be alive come the dawn, but of one thing I was certain - Steve would die before me.
"-and when I finish with your toes and fingers, I"ll move on to your nose and ears!" Steve yelled. "But first I"ll cut your eyelids off, so you can see everything that I"m gonna do. After that I"ll-"
"Steve," I wheezed, stopping him midflow. "Want to know the secret of winning a fight like this? Less talking - more stabbing."
I lunged at him, using the muscles of my stomach to force my body up. Steve wasn"t prepared for it. I knocked him backwards. As he fell, I swung my legs around, then pushed with my knees and feet, so I drove him all the way back with the full weight of my body. He hit the pavement with a grunt, for the second time within the s.p.a.ce of a few minutes. This time he managed to hold on to his knife, but that was no use to him. I wasn"t going to make the same mistake twice.
No hesitation. No pausing to pick my point. No cynical, memorable last words. I put my trust in the G.o.ds of the vampires and blindly thrust my knife forward. I brought it around and down in a savage arc, and by luck or fate drove it into the centre of Steve"s left breast - clean through his shrivelled forgery of a heart!
CHAPTER TWELVE
Steve"s eyes and mouth popped wide with shock. His expression was comical, but I was in no mood to laugh. There was no recovery from a strike like that. Steve was finished. But he could take me with him if I wasn"t careful. So instead of celebrating, I grabbed his left hand, holding it down tight by his side so he couldn"t use his knife on me.
Steve"s gaze slid to the handle of the knife sticking out of his chest. "Oh," he said tonelessly.
Then blood trickled from the sides of his mouth. His chest heaved up and down, the handle rising and falling with it. I wanted to pull the knife out, to end matters - he could maybe go on like this for a minute or two, the knife stopping the gush of blood from his heart - but my left hand was useless and I didn"t dare free my right.
Then - applause. My head lifted, and Steve"s eyes rolled back in their sockets so that he could look behind him. Mr Tiny was clapping, bright red tears of joy dripping down his cheeks.
"What pa.s.sion!" he exclaimed. "What valour! What a never-say-die spirit! My money was always on you, Darren. It could have gone either way, but if I was a betting man, I"d have bet big on you.
I said as much beforehand, didn"t I, Evanna?"
"Yes, father," Evanna answered quietly. She was studying me sadly. Her lips moved silently, but even though she uttered no sounds, I was able to make out what she said. "To the victor, the spoils."
"Come, Darren," Mr Tiny said. "Pull out the knife and tend to your wounds. They"re not immediately life-threatening, but you should have a doctor see to them. Your friends in the stadium are almost done with their foes. They"ll be coming soon. They can take you to a hospital."
I shook my head. I only meant that I couldn"t pull the knife out, but Mr Tiny must have thought I didn"t want to kill Steve. "Don"t be foolish," he snapped. "Steve is the enemy. He deserves no mercy. Finish him, then take your place as the rightful ruler of the night."
"You are the Lord of the Shadows now," Evanna said. "There is no room in your life for mercy. Do as my father bids. The sooner you accept your destiny, the easier it will be for you."
"And do you... want me to... kill Vancha now too?" I panted angrily.
"Not yet," Mr Tiny laughed. "That will come in its own time." His laughter faded and his expression hardened.
"Much will come in time. The vampaneze will fall, and so shall the humans. This world will be yours, Darren - rather, ours. Together we"ll rule. Your hand at the tiller, my voice in your ear. I"ll guide and advise you. Not openly - I haven"t the power to directly steer you - but on the sly.
I"ll make suggestions, you"ll heed them, and together we"ll build a world of chaos and twisted beauty."
"What makes you... think I"d have anything to do... with a monster like you?" I snarled.
"He has a point, father," Evanna murmured. "We both know what lies in store for Darren. He Previous Top Nextwill become a ruler of savage, unrelenting power. But he hates you. That hatred will increase over the centuries, not diminish. What makes you think you can rule with him?"
"I know more about the boy than you do," Mr Tiny said smugly. "He will accept me. He was born to." Mr Tiny squatted and looked straight down into Steve"s eyes. Then he looked up into mine, his face no more than five or six centimetres away. "I have always been there for you. For both of you," he whispered. "When you competed with your friends for a ticket to the Cirque Du Freak," he said to me, "I whispered in your ear and told you when to grab for it."
My jaw dropped. I had heard a voice that day, but I"d thought it was only an inner voice, the voice of instinct.
"And when you," he said to Steve, "noticed something strange about Darren after your meeting with Larten Crepsley, who do you think kept you awake at night, filling your thoughts with doubt and suspicion?"
Mr Tiny pulled back half a metre. His smile had returned, and it now threatened to spread from his face and fill the tunnel. "I influenced Crepsley and inspired him to blood Darren. I urged Gannen Harst to suggest Steve try the Coffin of Fire. Both of you have enjoyed enormous slices of good fortune in life. You put it down to the luck of the vampires, or the survival instinct of the vampaneze. But it was neither. You owe your nine cat"s lives - and quite a few more - to me."