The Lying Saga

Chapter 32

Chapter 32

*Sophia*

Blood still spattered over the rocks where Gavner once lay, and where I now sat, thinking hard. I tried to convince myself that it was a bear, or a wolf that had taken him and even perhaps eaten him (although vampire blood is poisonous so that would make for one very unhappy bear.), but I knew that was not true. For one thing, wolves were buddies with vampires and I doubted they would eat one, even after they were dead. And there was no sign of any animal prints or anything to show that a creature had been lurking around. I couldn't convince myself any more than I used to be able to convince myself that if I spoke into my fireplace the doctor might hear me. But I had to face the facts. There was no point fretting about what potentially may or may not be happening back up in the Hall of Princes when my first priority was finding this stone, I mean if I did not find it soon then I was dead, literally. Never mind Crepsley dying on the stakes...that would be me if I did not hurry up!

I cast a last, final look behind me, and then hurried away. I was walking past a small, unstable looking passageway which I knew led to Kurda's room, when I saw a small red glint in the floor. Bending down to inspect it, I noticed that the area surrounding the gleam was a different type of ground substance to the rest of the passage. I put my hand out, and tested the ground, which felt soft underneath my fingertips. I reckoned that I could easily dig through if I needed to. Scrabbling frantically in the earth, I realised that I had uncovered my prize. In my palm, I held an egg-sized stone, red and cold to the touch.

Now I only had to find my way back. I could re-trace my steps, I thought, but why bother when I knew of a much easier way back to civilization? (if you could call a large gathering of vampires in a cold dusty mountain civilization, of course.) Straight through the dodgy-looking route.

I could see straight away as I crawled into the tunnel that it was not safe. The ceiling was crumbling above me and every time I moved it was growing worse. I did not know whether to scurry as fast as I could and hope for the best, or to take it slow and try not to dislodge any more of the rocks. I edged my way forwards, one limb at a time, until finally I reached the end.

From there, it was easy. I stepped out into Kurda's room, (which was empty, but I supposed he was still waiting with the other vampires to see if I would complete my trial), squinting in the bright torchlight, and ran past all the well known halls, keeping a tight hold on the fake stone of course, finally crossing the line which had been faded with time but was still easily noticeable. However something had changed. The cavern was completely empty. My first thought was that I had stumbled into the wrong room, like once when I went away on a school trip, I started to knock on the wrong door and shout “You there pet? Oi open the door!” because I thought it was Ree's, when in actual fact I still do not know to this day was in that room. But was it really likely that there would be another room exactly like this one? No.

I couldn't understand where all the vampires had gone. True enough, I couldn't have expected them to stand there for a full twenty-four hours, but Mr Crepsley,Harkat, and Kurda at least had personally told me they would wait there for me to finish my Trial. And of course it was common practice that the princes had to stay there also.

Then I had an awful thought, a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. One which I dearly hoped I was wrong, but suspected I had hit the nail on the head exactly.

It came in the form of an equation.

x+y=thod.

X being 'Gavner's body being found', y being 'Kurda and I being discovered', and well THOD?

That? That was 'The Hall Of Death.'

*Ash*

“Vampires?” Ree looked at Steve. “Do you not mean vampaneze?”

“Oh...did I say vampires?”

“Yup.”

“I guess i'm just not used to this whole...vampaneze thing. I've spent so long thinking about vampires. Y'know, I wanted to be a vampire, I hate vampires, I want revenge on all vampires...and then you two come along and tell me there's something more.”

“I know what you mean.” I sighed.

“So, back to the paper.” Ree waved the newspaper in front of us. “Where is this place, anyway?”

“Erm...” I snatched it from Ree and scanned through the last few lines of the article.

Ilversley's residents have been warned to stay in large groups where possible, and to avoid walking lesser known streets in the dark.

“Its in some place called Eelversley? Eyhl-versley? Illllversley?” I replied, testing out how Ilversley was meant to be pronounced. “I think it is Ilversley, anyway. Do you know where that is?”

“It rings a bell...”Ree muttered. “But I can't quite put my finger on it.”

“I remember Darren telling me about that place once.” Steve said, thoughtfully. “He said how he once went on some day out there with his parents and Annie, that's his sister by the way. They stayed in some tacky old hotel and went round old museums and shopping centres and rubbish like that but he loved it.” Steve rolled his eyes. “I only remember him telling me because i'd heard of it before. One time when I was researching Creepy Crepsley. Apparently 'Mr Horston' spent a lot of time there in the late sixties.”

Coincidence? I thought. Of course not. Nothing ever is, anymore.

“So its close by then?” I asked.

“Close enough.”