Warning, SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read all the books, or AT LEAST THE FIRST TEN [10!] books, then DON'T READ! unless you don't mind spoilers of course!

Long, long before I joined Harkat into the world where the lord of the shadows ruled, I knew who he had been. But it all seemed like a dream, and maybe it was, because I didn't dare to tell it to Harkat. He had to find it out on his own, just like mister Destiny told him. I couldn't tell him, because I didn't believe it fully either, like I said, it looked all like a dream to me.

--

Thousands of things to do in these halls, the halls of vampire mountain. And where was I? Right, in Kurda's work room, supposed to be working on math problems.

Half of the vampires couldn't even write or read, let alone do math. Even my mentor, Mr. Crepsley, was analphabetic. Or take Arrow, I bet he couldn't spell his own name!

But Mr. Crepsley made Kurda play my tutor, so here I was, playing school with the only educated vampire on this mountain.

That wasn't right either, since my supposed to be teacher was called away to try and find another route in the endless tunnels because one important tunnel had caved in.

So now I was doodling on the notebook. Well, more like writing names. Comparing them to each other… it was silly I know. I encircled the letters they had in common. First my name and that of mister Crepsley, though I did use his real first name, Larten.

Darren Shan
Larten Crepsley

Didn't give more than one a, both the r's, the e and the n of course and then only the s. A poor score if you ask me.

Then I scribbled Harkat's name on the paper and compared it first with mine.

Harkat Mulds
Darren Shan

Both an h, double a, one r, a d and a s. Still pathetic.

I ticked the eraser of the pencil against my lips and then grinned as I scribbled down my new mentor's name.

Kurda Smahlt
Harkat Mulds

There was something about those names anyway and I did noted that both had the same amount of letters. Even better, when I started circling the letters, I figured out that both had all the same. Anagrams were they called, I think.

I grinned at the conclusion I came too, it was too good to be true. I pictured telling Harkat that I figured out who he had been. I could already see him stare at me like I was insane, but to be honest… if I would hear it myself, I would think the same.

On the other hand, telling Kurda was probably even more fun. He was one of the few vampires who came close to being handsome. All the others were marred with battle scars and other wounds, not to mention that being a vampire was just plain hard and most looked more like bears then graceful humans.

So if Kurda got to know that he would die soon and come back as a little people then he would definitely freak out.

Though that made me think… if it was true that Harkat and Kurda were one and the same person, then how the hell could they live at the same time? And more, what did Kurda do to become a little people? Kurda was the incarnation of an angel, a pacifist, a man with brains… or was he?

All that pondering resulted in me slipping into a nice little nap, my head on my arms, covering my notebook and probably soaking it with drool.

My peaceful slumber was rudely disturbed by a firm jab in my side. I groaned and swept a hand at the person who poked me. Another jab followed and I lifted my head to growl at the bastard that disturbed my lovely dream. Blue robes and a short height told me it was my best friend.

"Harkat!" I growled, like I predicted, trying to shove him away.

He wouldn't bulge an inch though, no instead he grabbed my hand and pulled at it. "Darren, come with me… I want to show… you something."

Fine, I got up and followed him, but not before closing my notebook though, I didn't need Kurda to discover my games. "I need to study, Harkat." I weakly protested, but he wouldn't fall for it and simply ignored my whining.

He led me to the hall of final voyage and jumped over it. "were are we going, Harkat?" I spoke up as I joined him on the other side. I looked back at the water that rushed down the stream and kneeled down to scoop some of the icy liquid in the palm of my hand, letting it drip through and imagining what kind of hellish ride that stream would be.

"Darren, are you coming?" Harkat called and I stood back up.

"yeah, yeah…" I mumbled, stuffing my hands in my pockets and following him into a tunnel at the left side of the hall. It led down and down and I could actually feel it getting colder by the minute. "we there yet?" I asked annoyed. I was so going to get hell when we came back and Kurda found me gone.

"Almost." He replied and continued his way through a lower tunnel, I had to bend forwards or I couldn't even enter it. "there." He said, a bit louder, pointing ahead.

The tunnel was wide enough and I passed Harkat, because he kept standing in front of the entrance. "what is it?" I asked, stepping onto the slightly lowered floor. The cave was lit with luminous lichen, but I still was surprised when my feet slipped thanks to the floor being slippery. I placed a hand on the floor and immediately pulled it back.

The floor was ice-cold! I stared at it and saw water rushing underneath me. Then I realized that I was standing on a ground of solid ice, about at least five inch thick. I looked up and saw the walls of the cave, or more a hall actually, and discover that we were in a octagon shaped room. The walls were frosted over with ice as well, only at the corners it looked like the icy surfaces were separated by pillar-like parts of the cave, making them look like glass panels… or even better-

"I call it the… Hall of Mirrors." Harkat spoke and I turned to him. That was exactly what I wanted to call it! I stood and walked slowly over to the one facing the entrance.

"Do you think we should tell Arra? She probably wishes for a mirror the entire time she is here with the gathering." I joked and admired the perfection of the mirror as I looked at my reflection. "Or perhaps Kurda, he seems to be the only one that cares about his looks."

"Wouldn't they think they… would get trapped in it? You know,… them believing in … unmoving water that… traps you." He replied with humor. I grinned. I should have remembered their silly superstitions.

A silence fell as I kept staring at my reflection. I noticed that a thin layer of cold water streamed down the mirror, which was probably the cause of those glass-like walls. Also, the wall behind it was black, pure, dark, pitch black. Which resulted in the reflecting ability. Like when you look in a window at nighttime.

"How did you find this room?" I asked a little while later and I heard Harkat move around a little.

"Seba wanted to get… something and I followed, …but he was too quick… and I took a different turn. Then I got lost… I ended up here." He spoke, his breathing slightly raged.

"Cool." I grinned, jealous that he got to have a little adventure while I was stuck studying.

Harkat shook his neck less head and I turned back to the mirror, waiting for the rest of his answer. "I entered… but I couldn't…" He started and I hummed to let him know he could continue. "Darren… I can't see my… reflection."

I frowned at that and looked at him through the mirror… sure enough, I could see an actual reflection… but it wasn't Harkat… Long legs, longer than should be, a slim waist, a rather long upper body, long arms, and normal size hands. Then a neck, and framed by silken blond hair was a handsome face with blue eyes and only three scars that marred his cheek.

My eyes widened and I was afraid I had been caught on my little trip with Harkat, so I whirled around only to face a confused Harkat. "Darren? You look like… you saw a ghost."

And perhaps I had. It made me look at all the other walls, trying to see Harkat's reflection, but none showed even a sign of the entrance, so it was probably the angle I looked at them. But when I looked back at my own mirror I could see the slightly frowning, confused look of Kurda.

Okay, somehow my mind was playing tricks with me… I probably had spend too much time pondering about the conclusion of my little name game. Yeah… that should be it.

I shook my head and made my way back to Harkat. "Perhaps it's only normal for little people… not having a reflection I mean… did you ever saw a mirror at Cirque du Freak?"

Harkat shook his head and started walking back. At the end of the tunnel I didn't like the uncomfortable silence that hung in the air and decided to break it.

"You wanna know what I discovered?" I grinned, wanting only to tease him. Only… problem was for me that I didn't know if it was only coincidence… with the names and the mirror it all seemed a lot more plausible then I first thought.

"What?" Harkat asked, looking up at me.

"What if I said you were Kurda in your previous life?" I kept grinning when I saw Harkat set up a look of disbelief.

"What?" he repeated.

"Only joking, I was comparing names to each other and it appeared that you and Kurda have exactly the same letters in your names." I explained, but he frowned.

"…It doesn't sound… that strange…" Harkat finally said after a lot of thinking. "I feel there is something… more to him and me."

"Harkat, relax! I mean, it can't be… you both are living at the same time, it's not possible." I laughed, but his thinking made me slightly nervous and made me think about it as well.

"You don't know… maybe Mr. Tiny…" Harkat trailed off, but I knew what he meant… The name sent shivers down my spine and I bit my lip in worry. No one knew what Mr. Tiny could really do… maybe the creepy little man had found a way to alter time like that… if he could revive the dead, then surely there was more to him then I or Harkat could ever know.

But then again, it couldn't be possible. Kurda may have been a bit weird with his obsession with vampaneze, but he wasn't evil. Definitely not evil! "I still think it's impossible… just look at Kurda, he can't be send to wherever bad people go… he goes straight to paradise, I could bet my life on it!"

That seemed to reassure Harkat a little, though he kept being distracted… probably thinking about who he had been in his previous life.

But thanks to him being absentminded, we got lost and he didn't even realize it! I shook him from his thoughts when I felt warm air from further down the tunnel. The tunnel led downwards and I had to watch my step, but eventually we made it to the room.

It was warm in the cave, even a little hot and I could hear water bubbling further ahead. "that sounds like…-" Harkat started, but I cut him off as I ran into the room and confirmed our thoughts.

"Hot springs!" I yelled excitedly when I resurfaced, I had slipped and landed face first and fully clothed into the warm water. I was lucky it wasn't boiling though. I sighed as I stripped off my clothes and settled on a ridge in the water, leaning against the wall of the 'tub' "Come on, jump in!" I called out to him.

He approached the water and tested it with his feet. It seemed he was satisfied as he started to pull up his blue robe. I didn't watch though, I was leaning my head back and with my eyes closed.

The air was heavy.. filled with the steam off the water and also… something that smelled like herbs, probably a plant that was boiling in one of the other basins. I could care less, the aroma was wonderful and I had to be careful not to fall asleep, because my whole body was becoming incredibly relaxed.

"Why did no one ever say that there were hot springs in this damned mountain?" I whined, hearing Harkat step into the water and settling on the opposite side of the bath.

"No one discovered… them." Harkat stated as a possible explanation.

"Then what about Kurda? He should know, it's can't be far from the hall of Final Voyage." I retorted.

"He probably… wanted to keep them… for himself." Harkat reasoned and I laughed. "Or else they… would be crowded… in no time."

"Or he isn't as innocent as he looks… maybe he gets a secret kick from knowing all the other have to do with ice-cold showers." I imagined him snickering as he sat here and enjoyed the warmth while he imagined even the princes having to do with the waterfall in the hall of Perta Vin-Grahl.

I opened my eyes and watched through the steam at the other side of the basin and frowned when I noticed that Harkat wasn't there anymore. I looked to the side and saw his blue robes still lying on the floor.

"Harkat?" I called out softly. I looked back at the opposite side and noticed the silhouette of a taller male figure , shoulder-length hair. I could recognize him from anywhere… now that I had spent more than a few days in his company and also the mirror-view I had of him.

The figure of Kurda Smahlt approached me, sending little waves of water higher up my chest. "Darren…" His soft voice spoke up and I shivered slightly, despite the warm water.

"Y-you…" okay, it was confirmed… Regardless of its insanity, it seemed like my conclusion had been right… " you… a-are him… aren't you?" I swallowed deeply and Kurda settled down next to me, nodding slowly.

I bit my lip as another realization hit me. If Kurda was a little people, then… that meant… "But… that means you are going to die…" I stated, looking at my hands that were just floating underneath the water surface.

He hummed positively and I clenched my eyes shut. "And very soon at that…" He stated, making me look up at him. He had a weak smile on his lips and looked past me.

"But how?" I stammered. Kurda had become a friend, and I couldn't let a friend die right? No, never! I would do everything to save him!

He shrugged lightly, focusing his blue orbs at me. "I don't know…"

"But… if you return as Harkat… then you must have done something bad… you wouldn't, right?"

Kurda shook his head, looking just as troubled as I felt. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions, Darren… who knows… maybe I think it's good, while in the end…" He dropped his head on his chest, then got himself together and smiled. "Or I just drag myself down there… guilt, maybe that works just fine…"

I couldn't believe him, I wouldn't! He wouldn't! "b-but…" I stammered, wanting it to be a very bad dream, instead of the truth.

"Don't worry, Darren." He spoke, disturbing my thoughts. "At least I will be by your side even after my death."

I nodded distractedly. Sure, Harkat had become my best friend and he had saved me many times… perhaps…

"Darren, let's go back… before Kurda sets up … a search party." A strained, raspy voice spoke back up as I had drowned into endless strings of thoughts. Harkat, of course.

I sighed, looking back over to the other side of the basin where Harkat was climbing out. I followed suit, quickly slipping my slightly damp clothes onto my frame.

I couldn't do anything, unless I knew more… but I didn't… so I should just enjoy all the time I spend down in this mountain… in those endless halls and even the studying hours… maybe I would forget about that little… what was it anyway? Was it real? I could swear Kurda was real…. I would have been able to touch him if I wanted… Then…? I don't know… maybe it was the herbs, the scent that hung in the air together with the steam from the hot springs… yeah, that must have been it.

"Darren?" Harkat called, already making his way out of the cave.

"Coming." I called back and started walking, soon catching up with him.

The "journey" back up to the hall of final voyage was a silent one, and I couldn't help but picture Kurda in those blue garments, turning his head to reassure me everything was alright…

But that all was quickly disturbed as we bumped into the blond vampire up in the hallway and he dragged me back to work… causing me to pass out a little later, because I had gotten a bit drowsy from the warm water.

---

"Ouch!" I yelped, going rigid on my chair as something hit the side of my head, letting a sharp pain emanate from that very spot. That would result in a headache. I rubbed the side of my poor head and looked up, wiping the drool from my chin.

"Darren, I was supposed to learn you something, so why are you sleeping?! " Kurda glared down at me, arms crossed, but his eyes stood amused.

"Sorry…" I mumbled, yawning and rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"You better be." He stated, going back to his own desk and explaining some more math problems.

I decided to better make up for my trip to dreamland and did what he asked, soon forgetting that the dream had even bothered me a little. Maybe that was just my luck… for I bet that it wasn't healthy to have such insane dreams… though I wonder how such a little innocent act as writing names down could result in such a disturbing illusion…