Larten stood at the door to Mr. Tall's trailer. Already he could feel the evil presence of the man called Tiny. Looking down at Arra, she was looking at the door with a look of confusion. Carefully he grabbed her hand, and opened the door.
"Ah, there you are Larten! My but it's been such a long time." Larten grimaced at Desmond Tiny's greeting, and nodded in acknowledgment. Tiny turned his attention down to Arra next. "And this must be little Arra. She looks very like you Larten." Tiny grinned, his face twisting into a vile smirk. "She smells delicious."
Larten growled lowly, and Tiny chuckled. "Don't be so predictable Larten, I won't hurt her." He shook his head, but Larten was not convinced.
"Then what is it that you want with us?" He asked cautiously. Tiny smiled widely.
"I merely came to warn you. Trouble is brewing, and it's fixed its eye on that girl. If she stays you put all of your friends here at the cirque in danger." The small man stood with a grunt. "I just thought you ought to know is all." With that said, he left the room. Larten watched him go then looked to Mr. Tall.
"I am sorry Larten, I did not for-see this…" The tall man took a deep breath.
"I understand Hibernius…" Larten sighed tiredly and looked down at Arra. She stared back at him soundlessly. "So, what shall we do?" The tall man stayed quiet, then sighed.
"I do not wish to cast you out Larten, but to put the entire cirque in danger for one human child is not something I can do…" He looked down at Arra. "One way or another she is going to have to leave." Larten nodded and took Arra's hand gently, leading her out of the room and into the awaiting darkness.
Arra walked in silence, occasionally looking up at Larten. It seemed as though they had been walking for ages, but the sun hadn't come up so it couldn't have been that long. Larten slowed to a stop and looked down at her.
"We have to go away for a while Arra, but where we are going is far away." Sighing he kneeled in the grass. "Hop on my back." She nodded slowly and got on his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face against him. With that Larten took off, invisible to world as he watched it fly by…
4 Years later….
Arra, now 14 years old can speak several languages fluently, but does not write. (Larten is illiterate) Still, her main method of communication is telepathy, and rarely does she speak when in public places. Larten has grown accustomed to this form of communication, and over the past few years they have grown inseparable.
Arra looked up at Larten and frowned. She looked back at the young man standing before them quietly, brooding.
"Hello Arra, it's nice to finally meet you." The man smiled at her kindly, but the warmth in his expression seemed as though it had been smothered by a dark coldness, an ancient grief. Arra shivered and the darkness left him, as though it had never been there.
"Arra, this is an old friend of mine, Darren. He is a vampire Prince." Larten smiled crookedly as Arras' eyes widened in awe. She had heard many stories about the vampire princes. She remembered Arrow, the incredibly strong (and loud) prince who loved the thrill of battle. Then there was Vancha, the wild man. Paris, the calm and understanding elder. And Mika. Arra was not fond of Mika, she called him the snake man much to Lartens' amusement. But the one prince she had heard the most tales of was Darren Shan, the youngest prince in all of vampire history.
Larten looked at Darren and smiled tiredly. "Would the princes allow us entrance into the mountain? I know she is not a vampire but…" Darren nodded, his face going serious again.
"Of course Mr. Crepsley, if it causes trouble I'll take care of it." He smiled at Arra again, his eyes meeting hers solemnly before he turned and led the way, deep into the darkness of vampire mountain.