Disclaimer: I do not own any of Darren Shan's characters or work so infragmentation to copyright is accidental.
I only own the charcater of Lucy.
Larten was leaving Vampire Mountain for good, his delicate crimson cape breezed through the air as he stepped out into the open and caught the chill across his face. I ran after him as fast as I could, flitting through the tunnels until I reached him, standing by his side as I always did. He stared past his shoulder at me and frowned weakly, the scar creasing up on his face as he sighed and started to progress forward.
"You are not coming with me Lucy." He mumbled cruelly, spitting back at the ground by my feet.
"I have always come with you and now is no exception, Larten." I called, catching up to him again. Even if Darren didn't, I'd always called him Larten rather than Mr Crepsley. "You may not realise it but sometimes you need someone to stop you from doing something stupid and you know I would take your place if I had to - to die for you."
Then he spun around swiftly and stared me straight in the face, his solemn frown and vicious red eyes piercing the inside of me but I wasn't going to back down.
"Larten, I am coming with you whether you like it or not. Darren would be a bad idea: yes but me - you have nothing to worry about, I am a full vampire and I can take care of myself." I shouted, pushing past him with my shoulder to face Vancha March, the green haired prince who'd always accompanied us. "Do not say anything." I signed angrily, walking past Vancha with a hand raised as he laughed softly at me.
"It is not often you stand up to the big guy." Vancha smiled cockily and I smiled up at him as we walked together through the crisp winter snow which lay beneath our feet. I gazed back at Larten who was pacing through the snow and looking glummer than ever, his hands deep in the pockets of his trousers and the red cape trailing behind him.
"Stop sulking, you know you will not get me to go back." I laughed before turning back and continuing the walk with Vancha. Suddenly I heard someone begin to flit and a shout came from Larten.
"Lucy!" He cried desperately.
Before I could turn around, someone flew into me, pushing me back against a tree as I crashed into it with a thud.
"Hello pretty girl." It was Murlough, a henchman of the evil Steve Leonard. He gripped a hand tightly around my neck which choked me and the other hand was facing towards me like a dagger, his nails pointed forward to slice as vampires and vampaneze did, using the hands as a weapon.
"Murlough." I wheezed, trying to break free and claw at his hand. From the corner of my eye I could see more of them appearing, some were taking on Vancha who was throwing shurikens at them and a large crowd facing off against Larten. "Vancha!" I shouted weakly, looking worriedly at him as Murlough tightened his grip slightly more around my neck: he could have killed me there and then if he wanted to. Vancha looked over at me quickly and his mouth dropped in shock before he mowed down the vampaneze around him as fast as he could, throwing shurikens or stabbing the closer enemies with his hands.
"Murlough!" A female voice screamed behind us and Murlough gazed behind his shoulder at her. Whilst he was distracted, I kicked him hard in the stomach and he doubled over, causing him to release me from his grasp and I dropped to the cold ground. I struggled on the floor for a while, grasping at my neck and trying to breathe properly before Vancha threw a shuriken at Murlough. It pierced him and he fell lower, the deep red blood pouring out of him like a waterfall. In no time, he let out a fierce cry before dropping dead to the ground. Vancha ran over and crouched by me, helping me up and examining the battle around us. He held onto me closely, pushing me slightly behind him to protect me from the vampaneze that were beginning to circle us.
The woman who had shouted was none other than Arra Sails - a past mate of Larten's and one of the very few female vampires in the mountain. She was also the one who had trained me on the bars and in combat. Arra ran forward, working in unison with Vancha and Larten to kill the enemies around us. The battle had died down pretty quickly with the vampires fighting together. Then Vancha picked up my face with one of his hands.
"Lucy." He whispered and I looked at him with a weak smile, "are you okay?" He ran his fingers softly across the red flesh on my neck and I nodded before my eyes shot up to Arra and Larten who had come over from killing all the vampaneze that hadn't flitted away.
"Lucy, I saw Murlough attack you, are you alright?" Arra asked me concerned as Larten stood behind her, his hand on his forehead worriedly and looking at the ground.
"I am okay." I smiled at her, holding my neck with a hand. Then I walked over to Larten, placing a hand on his arm as he looked up at me. "You look troubled my good friend."
"I am troubled; you could have been killed then if Vancha did not come to save you. I just do not want you to come with us because I do not want that to happen." He sighed, still looking down at the ground.
"You worry too much, Larten, I will be fine just please let me come." I pleaded him.
"We are going off to find Steve, it is too dangerous. What if one of them did what Murlough did to you, and Vancha or I are not there to stop them?" He gazed up at me, his eyes looking straight into mine, waiting for an answer to his sinister question.
"Then I will stay strong, I will find a weapon and defend myself." I replied courageously.
"She is ready, Larten, she is willing." Arra shouted to us and I looked at him, seeing his considering face.
"Are you sure you can do this?" Larten said, taking a short dagger out from his cape.
"Of course, Arra and Vanez have trained me enough to face them." I nodded as Vancha stood next to us now.
"You have been trained by Vanez?" Vancha questioned. Vanez was the teacher and trainer for whoever attempted the 'trials of initiation' or better known as the 'trials of death.'
"In his spare hours." I answered as I looked to Vancha before feeling something being placed into my hand. Larten had his hands curled over mine and released them to reveal the dagger which he had given to me. "Wow." I whispered, gripping the leather handle.
"Your weapon of choice I believe." He smiled and I continued to gaze mesmerized at the dagger which Larten had fought some many foes with - it was something of a living relic. He was right, the dagger was my weapon of choice and I did love using them like Vancha loved his shurikens.
"Thank you, Larten." I cooed, gripping it and swinging it around me skilfully as the men backed away to give me more room. Then I placed the dagger into the pocket in my cape - I'd copied some of my fashion from my blooder: Larten, wearing a tight, deep purple dress which fanned out at the sides into a navy blue flowing cape. I grabbed Vancha's hand and ran forward, laughing as he did with our capes blowing in the breeze. "Come on you! We have a mission to complete." I called back to Larten happily who waved goodbye to Arra and ran close behind us. Our journey was about to begin and never did I imagine what happened next.
