Tunnels of Blood

“Go on,” Mr Crepsley urged him.

Gavner looked at me and cleared his throat. “I have no objections to speaking in front of Darren,” he said, “but you seemed anxious to steer him clear of certain areas when we were discussing our past a while ago. What I have to tell you may not be for his ears.”

“Darren,” Mr Crepsley said immediately, “Gavner and I shall continue our discussion in my quarters, alone. Please find Mr Tall and tell him I shall be unable to perform tonight.”

I wasn’t happy – I wanted to hear what Gavner had to say: he was the first vampire I’d met apart from Mr Crepsley – but from his stern expression, I knew his mind was made up. I turned to leave.

“And Darren,” Mr Crepsley called me back. “I know you are curious by nature, but I warn you: do not attempt to eavesdrop. I shall take a dim view of it if you do.”

“What do you think I am?” I said. “You treat me like—”

“Darren!” he snapped. “No eavesdropping!”

I nodded glumly. “All right.”

“Cheer up,” Gavner Purl said as I walked away dejectedly. “I’ll tell you all about it, as soon as Larten’s back is turned.”

As Mr Crepsley spun round, with fire in his eyes, the Vampire General quickly raised his hands and laughed. “Only joking!”

CHAPTER THREE

I DECIDED to do the act with Madam Octa – Mr Crepsley’s spider – by myself. I was well able to handle her. Besides, it was fun to take over from Mr Crepsley. I’d been on stage with him loads of times, but always as his sidekick.

I went on after Hans Hands – a man who could run a hundred metres on his hands in less than eight seconds – and had great fun. The audience cheered me off, and later I sold loads of candy spiders to clamouring customers.

I hung out with Evra after the show. I told him about Gavner Purl and asked what he knew about Vampire Generals.

“Not much,” he said. “I know they exist but I’ve never met one.”

“What about the Council?” I asked.

“I think that’s a huge meeting they have every ten or fifteen years,” he said. “A big conference where they gather and discuss things.”

That was all he could tell me.

A few hours before dawn, while Evra was tending to his snake, Gavner Purl appeared from Mr Crepsley’s van – the vampire preferred to sleep in the basements of buildings, but there had been no suitable rooms in the old mill – and asked me to walk with him a while.

The Vampire General walked slowly, rubbing the scars on his face, much as Mr Crepsley often did when thinking.

“Do you enjoy being a half-vampire, Darren?” he asked.

“Not really,” I answered honestly. “I’ve got used to it, but I was happier as a human.”

He nodded. “You know that you will age at only a fifth of the human rate? You’ve resigned yourself to a long childhood? It doesn’t bother you?”

“It bothers me,” I said. “I used to look forward to growing up. It bugs me that it’s going to take so long. But there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m stuck, amn’t I?”

“Yes,” he sighed. “That’s the problem with blooding a person: there’s no way to take the vampire blood back. It’s why we don’t blood children: we only want people who know what they’re getting into, who wish to abandon their humanity. Larten shouldn’t have blooded you. It was a mistake.”

“Is that why he was talking about being judged?” I asked.

Gavner nodded. “He’ll have to account for his error,” he said. “He’ll have to convince the Generals and Princes that what he did won’t harm them. If he can’t…” Gavner looked grim.

“Will he be killed?” I asked softly.

Gavner smiled. “I doubt it. Larten is widely respected. His wrists will be slapped but I don’t think anybody will look for his head.”

“Why didn’t you judge him?” I asked.

“All Generals have the right to pass judgement on non-ranked vampires,” he said. “But Larten’s an old friend. It’s best for a judge to be unbiased. Even if he’d committed a real crime, I would have found it hard to punish him. Besides, Larten’s no ordinary vampire. He used to be a General.”

“Really?” I stared at Gavner Purl, stunned by the news.

“An important one too,” Gavner said. “He was on the verge of being voted a Vampire Prince when he stood down.”

“A prince?” I asked sceptically. It was hard to imagine Mr Crepsley with a crown and royal cloak.

“That’s what we call our leaders,” Gavner said. “There are very few of them. Only the noblest and most respected vampires are elected.”

“And Mr Crepsley almost became one?” I said. Gavner nodded. “What happened?” I asked. “How did he end up travelling with the Cirque Du Freak?”

“He resigned,” Gavner said. “He was a couple of years shy of being invested – we call the process of Prince-making an investiture – when one night he declared he was sick of the business and wanted nothing more to do with the Generals.”

“Why?” I asked.

Gavner shrugged. “Nobody knows. Larten never gave much away. Maybe he just got tired of the fighting and killing.”

I wanted to ask who it was the Vampire Generals had to fight, but at that moment we cleared the last of the town houses and Gavner Purl smiled and stretched his arms.

“A clear run,” he grunted happily.

“You’re leaving?” I asked.

“Have to,” he said. “A General’s schedule is a busy one. I only dropped by because it was on my way. I’d like to stay and chat over old times with Larten, but I can’t. Anyway, I think Larten will be on the move soon himself.”

My ears perked up. “Where’s he going?” I asked.

Gavner shook his head and grinned. “Sorry. He’d scalp me alive if I told. I’ve already said more than I should. You won’t tell him I told you about his being a General, will you?”

“Not if you don’t want me to,” I said.

“Thanks.” Gavner crouched down and faced me. “Larten’s a pain in the butt sometimes. He plays his cards too close to his chest, and getting information out of him can be like prying teeth from a shark. But he’s a good vampire, one of the best. You couldn’t hope for a better teacher. Trust him, Darren, and you won’t go wrong.”

“I’ll try,” I smiled.

“This can be a dangerous world for vampires,” Gavner said softly. “More dangerous than you know. Stick with Larten and you’ll be in a better position to survive than many of our kind. You don’t live as long as he has without learning more than your fair share of tricks.”

“How old is he?” I asked.