Darren Shan - Killers of the Dawn

SUMMARY: Pursued by the vampaneze, the police, and an angry mob, Darren Shan the Vampire Prince is public enemy number one! With their enemies clamoring for blood, the vampires are ready for a deadly battle. Is this the end for Darren and his allies? Includes a book preview and book descriptions. SUMMARY: Outnumbered, outsmarted and desperate, the hunters are on the run, pursued by the vampaneze, the police, and an angry mob. With their enemies clamoring for blood, the vampires prepare for a deadly battle. Is this the end for Darren and his allies?

Cirque Du Freak Book 9

KILLERS OF THE DAWN

Darren Shan

CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter Three

Chapter Six

Chapter Nine

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Nineteen

Also in the Saga of Darren Shan:

Cirque Du Freak (Book 1)

The Vampires Assistant (Book 2)

Tunnels of Blood (Book 3)

Vampire Mountain (Book 4)

Trials of Death (Book 5)

The Vampire Prince (Book 6)

Hunters of the Dusk (Book 7)

Allies of the Night (Book 8)

For:

Bas my dawn bird

OBEs

(Order of the Bloody Entrails) to:

Maiko minder Enomoto

&

Megumi fault-finder Hashimoto

Gillie Russell & Zo Clarke the Sisters Grimm

the Christopher Little Clan troll-masters

IT WASan age of deceit. Everyone was suspicious of everyone else and with good reason! You never knew when a trusted ally would turn, bare his fangs and rip you to pieces. The vampires and vampaneze were at war the War of the Scars and the result hinged upon finding and killing the Lord of the Vampaneze. If the vampires did that, victory would be theirs. Otherwise, the night would belong to their purple-skinned blood-cousins, who would drive the vampires to extinction. Three vampires were sent by Mr Desmond Tiny to hunt the Vampaneze Lord Vancha March, Larten Crepsley and me, Darren Shan. Im a half-vampire.

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Mr Tiny told us that other vampires couldnt assist us in our hunt, but non-vampires could. Thus, the only one to accompany us was a Little Person called Harkat Mulds, though a witch known as Lady Evanna also travelled with us for a short time during our quest.

After unwittingly letting the Vampaneze Lord slip through our fingers in the first of four predicted encounters, we travelled to the city of Mr Crepsleys birth. We didnt expect to find the Lord of the Vampaneze there we came to track down and stop a gang of vampaneze who were murdering humans.

We attracted two more companions in the city my ex-girlfriend, Debbie Hemlock, and Steve Leopard. Steve used to be my best friend. He said hed become a vampaneze-hunter, and swore hed help us put an end to the killer vampaneze. Mr Crepsley was suspicious of Steve he believed Steve had evil blood but I persuaded him to grant my old friend the benefit of the doubt. Our target was an insane, hook-handed vampaneze. It turned out he was another of my ex-associates

R.V. , which originally stood for Reggie Veggie, though he now claimed it was short for Righteous Vampaneze. He was once an eco-warrior, until his hands had been bitten off by the Wolf Man at the Cirque Du Freak. He blamed me for the accident, and had teamed up with the vampaneze in order to exact revenge.

We could have killed R.V. , but we knew he was in league with other vampaneze, and we chose instead to trick him into leading us to them. What we didnt know was that we were actually the flies in the trap, not the spiders. Deep beneath the streets of the city, dozens of vampaneze were waiting for us. Among them stood the Lord of the Vampaneze and his protector, Gannen Harst Vancha Marchs estranged brother.

In an underground cavern, Steve Leopard revealed his true colours. He was a half-vampaneze and had plotted with R.V. and the Vampaneze Lord to lure us to our doom. But Steve underestimated us, and I overcame him and would have killed him except R.V. captured Debbie and threatened to murder her in retaliation.

While this was happening, my allies pursued the Vampaneze Lord, but the odds were stacked against them and he escaped. The vampaneze could have slaughtered us all, but we would have killed many of them in the process. To avoid the bloodshed, Gannen Harst let us go and gave us a fifteen-minute head start it would be easier for the vampaneze to kill us in the tunnels.

With me holding Steve Leopard hostage, and Vancha clutching a vampet a human whod been trained in the ways of the vampaneze we retreated, leaving R.V. free to do all the terrible things he wanted to Debbie. Through the tunnels we hurried, exhausted and distraught, knowing the vampaneze would soon swarm after us and cut us down dead if they caught up

WE SCURRIEDthrough the tunnels, Mr Crepsley leading the way, Vancha and I in the middle with our prisoners, Harkat bringing up the rear. We said as little as possible, and I cuffed Steve into silence whenever he started to speak I wasnt in the mood to listen to his threats or insults. I didnt have a watch, but Id been ticking off the seconds inside my head. About ten minutes or so had passed by my reckoning. Wed moved out of the modern tunnels and were back in the warren of old, damp tunnels. There was still a long way to go plenty of time for the vampaneze to run us down. Page 3

We came to a junction and Mr Crepsley took the left turn. Vancha started to follow him, then stopped.

Larten, he called him back. When Mr Crepsley returned, Vancha crouched low. He was almost invisible in the darkness of the tunnels. We have to try and shake them off, he said. If we make straight for the surface, theyll be upon us before were halfway there.

But we could lose ourselves if we detour, Mr Crepsley said. We do not know this area. We might run into a dead end.

Aye, Vancha sighed, but its a chance well have to take. Ill act as a decoy and go back the way we came. The rest of you try and find an alternative route out. Ill work my way back to you later, if the luck of the vampires is with me.

Mr Crepsley thought about that a moment, then nodded quickly. Luck, Sire, he said, but Vancha was already gone, disappearing into the gloom in an instant, moving with the almost perfect silence of the vampires.

We rested a moment, then took the right tunnel and pressed on, Harkat now in charge of the vampet Vancha had kidnapped. We moved quickly but carefully, trying not to leave any signs that wed passed this way. At the end of the tunnel, we branched off, again to the right. As we entered a fresh stretch of tunnel, Steve coughed loudly. Mr Crepsley was on him in a flash. Do that again and you die! he snapped, and I sensed the blade of his knife pressing against Steves throat.

It was a real cough not a signal, Steve snarled in reply.

It matters not! Mr Crepsley hissed. The next time, I will kill you. Steve was silent after that, as was the vampet. We marched steadily upwards, instinctively navigating the tunnels, wading through water and waste. I felt terrible, tired and drawn, but I didnt slow down. It must be daylight above ground, or very close to it. Our only hope was to get clear of the tunnels before the vampaneze found us the sunlight should prevent them from pursuing us any further. A short while later, we heard the vampaneze and vampets. They were coming up the tunnels at great speed, not having to worry about stealth. Mr Crepsley dropped back a bit, to check if they were following us, but they didnt seem to have found our trail all of them appeared to have gone after Vancha.