DARREN SHAN - Shan, Darren - Cirque Du Freak 07 - Hunters Of The Dusk

"Afraid?" I smirked.

"Once bitten, twice shy," he replied.

We were a strange group, no doubt about it. We had almost nothing in common with humans. They were creatures of the technological age, but we belonged to the past � vampires knew nothing of computers, satellite dishes, microwave ovens, or any other modern conveniences; we travelled by foot most of the time, had simple tastes and pleasures, and hunted as animals. Where humans sent aeroplanes to wage their wars and fought by pressing buttons, we battled with swords and our hands. Vampires and humans might share the same planet, but we lived in different worlds.

�

I awoke one afternoon to the sound of Harkat's moans. He was having another nightmare and was tossing feverishly about on the grassy bank where he'd fallen asleep. I leant over to wake him. "Hold," Evanna said. The witch was in the lower branches of a tree, observing Harkat with unseemly interest. A squirrel was exploring her head of long hair, and another was chewing on the ropes she used as clothes.

"He's having a nightmare," I said.

"He has them often?"

"Almost every time he sleeps. I'm supposed to wake him if I hear him having one." I bent to shake him awake.

"Hold," Evanna said again, jumping down. She shuffled over and touched the three middle fingers of her right hand to Harkat's forehead. She closed her eyes and stood there a minute, then opened them and let go. "Dragons," she said. "Bad dreams. His time of insight is upon him. Did Desmond say nothing about revealing who Harkat was in his previous life?"

"Yes, but Harkat chose to come with us, to search for the Vampaneze Lord."

"Noble but foolish," she mused.

"If you told him who he was, would that ease his nightmares?"

"No. He must learn the truth himself. I'd make things worse if I meddled. But there is a way to temporarily ease his pain."

"How?" I asked.

"One who speaks the language of the dragons could help."

"Where will we find someone like that?" I snorted, then paused. "Can you �?" I left the question hanging.

"Not I," she said. "I can talk to many animals, but not dragons. Only those who have bonded with the flying reptiles can speak their language." She stood. "Youcould help."

"Me?" I frowned. "I haven't bonded with a dragon. I've never even seen one. I thought they were imaginary."

"In this time and place, they are," Evanna agreed. "But there are other times and places, and bonds can be formed unknown."

That didn't make sense, butif I could somehow help Harkat, I would. "Tell me what I have to do," I said.

Evanna smiled approvingly, then told me to lay my hands on Harkat's head and close my eyes. "Focus," she said. "We need to find an image for you to fix upon. How about the Stone of Blood? Can you picture it, red and throbbing, the blood of the vampires flowing through its mysterious veins?"

"Yes," I said, bringing the stone effortlessly to mind.

"Keep thinking of it. In afew minutes you'll experience unpleasant sensations, and maybe catch glimpses of Harkat's nightmares. Ignore them and stay focused on the Stone. I will do the rest."

I did as she said. At first it was easy, but then I began to feel strange. The air around me seemed to get hotter and it became harder to breathe. I heard the beating of immense wings, then caught a glimpse of something dropping from a blood-red sky. I cringed, almost let go of Harkat, but remembered Evanna's advice and forced myself to focus on the image of the Stone of Blood.

I sensed something huge land behind me, and felt hot eyes boring into my back, but I didn't turn or shrink away. I reminded myself that this was a dream, an illusion, and thought about the Stone.

Harkat appeared before me in the vision, stretched upon a bed of stakes, which impaled him all over. He was alive but in incredible pain. He couldn't see me � the tips of two stakes poked out of the sockets where his eyes should have been.

"His pain is nothing to whatyou will feel," someone said, and looking up I saw a figure of shadows, elusive and dark, hovering close by.

"Who are you?" I gasped, momentarily forgetting about the Stone.

"I am the Lord of the Crimson Night," he replied mockingly.

"The Lord of the Vampaneze?" I asked.

"Of them and all others," the shadow man jeered. "I have been waiting for you, Prince of the Damned. Now I have you � and I won't let go!" The shadow man darted forward, his fingers ten long claws of dark menace. Red eyes glowed in the black pit that was his face. For a terrifying moment I thought he was going to grab and devour me. Then a tiny voice � Evanna's � whispered, "It's just a dream. He can't hurt you, not yet, not if you focus on the Stone."

Shutting my eyes within the dream, I ignored the charge of the shadow man and concentrated on the pulsing Stone of Blood. There was a hissing scream and I felt as though a wave of frothing madness had broken over me. Then the nightmare faded and I was back in the real world.

"You can open your eyes now," Evanna said. My eyes snapped open. I let go of Harkat and wiped my hands over my face, reacting as though I'd been touched by something dirty. "You did well," Evanna congratulated me.

"That �thing " I gasped. "What was it?"

"The Lord of Destruction," she said. "The Master of Shadows. The would-be ruler of the eternal night."

"He was so powerful, so evil."

She nodded. "He will be."

"Will be?" I echoed.

"What you saw was a shade of the future. The Lord of the Shadows has not yet come into his own, but he will, eventually. This cannot be avoided, and you should not worry about it. All that matters for the time being is that your friend will sleep untroubled now."

I glanced down at Harkat, who was resting peacefully. "He's OK?"

"He will be, for a time," Evanna said. "The nightmares will return, and when they do he'll have to face his past and learn who he was, or succumb to madness. But for now he can sleep soundly, unafraid."

She headed back to her tree.

"Evanna," I stopped her with a soft call. "This Lord of the Shadows � There was something familiar about him. I couldn't make out his face, but I felt I knew him."

"So you should," she whispered in reply. She hesitated, pondering how much to tell me. "What I say now is between you and me," she warned. "It must go no further. You can tell no one, not even Larten or Vancha."

"I won't," I promised.

Keeping her back to me, she said, "The future is dark, Darren. There are two paths, and both are winding and troubled, paved with the souls of the dead. In one of the possible futures, the Vampaneze Lord has become the Master of Shadows and ruler of the dark. In the other �"

She paused, and her head tilted backwards, as though she was staring up at the sky for an answer. "In the other, the Lord of the Shadows isyou. "

And she departed, leaving me confused and shaken, dearly wishing that Harkat's moans hadn't woken me up.

�

A couple of nights later, we hooked up with the Cirque Du Freak.

Mr Tall and his band of magical performers were playing outside a small village, in an abandoned church. The show was drawing to a close when we arrived, so we slipped inside and watched the finale from the back. Sive and Seersa � the twisting twins � were onstage, twirling around each other and performing incredible acrobatic stunts. Mr Tall came on after them, dressed in a dark suit, with his customary red hat and gloves, and said the show was over. People began to leave, many muttering about the weak finish, when two snakes slid down from the rafters, sending waves of fear rippling through the crowd.

I grinned when I saw the snakes. This was how most of the shows drew to a close. People were tricked into thinking the show was over, then the snakes appeared and gave the crowd one last scare. Before the serpents could do any damage, Evra Von � their master � would step in and calm them down.