A/N, I don't own DS, for a change. Alllllso, this is from Darren's p.o.v, r&r? please? love

It's amazing how, in one split second, your whole world can change. I don't know, maybe I was still being over-confident about winning my stupid argument with Crepsley, maybe Vanez had succeeded in making me think I could do anything. Either way, when that boar charged at me I didn't think it would end like this, in a tiny cell at the bottom of the mountain, awaiting my fate. Which was probably going to be execution, given that the Princes didn't deal with failed trials too leniently.

Rosie had spent the whole night outside my door, trying to encourage me and pretend that everything was going to be okay, but eventually Gavner had come down to tell her to go, as 'visitors', as he put it, weren't exactly meant to visit vampire prisoners. The loneliness made my cell shrink around me until I couldn't breathe, the blackness seemed so dense, and I had never quite felt so alone.

A sudden shaft of bright light swept across my face and I sat up, squinting into the source of the light, to see a familiar blonde vampire closing my cell door behind him. Before I could speak, he put his hand over my mouth to silence me, waiting a second before slowly removing it.

'I haven't got much time. I've drugged the guards, but they'll be awake before long. Come quickly.' He stood up and pulled me to my feet, dragging me out of the door and down a flight of stairs in the opposite wall which I hadn't even noticed on my way in. At the bottom, he stopped. 'Darren, you have to run. I'm not joking. To stay here, and let yourself get executed – it's ridiculous.'

I hesitated, and he grabbed my arm and twisted me viciously toward him. 'I'm doing this for you. Think about this, you're young; you have your whole life ahead of you. Think about what you could do, away from here. Think about the life you're going to throw away if you wait here to be dropped on those stakes, all because no-one here can see outside of their ridiculous laws.'

I nodded, silent, unable to speak aloud what I was too scared to admit. He breathed deeply. 'Follow these stairs until you reach the bottom, and then turn left. Continue along the passage until it gets too narrow to stand, and look to your right – there's a hole in the wall. Push yourself through, and you'll be at the end of the river. It's shallower there, and you can walk until you're out of the mountain.'

'Kurda I-'

'Don't. Run, Darren. And don't look back. Things are going to change here, it's better that you go.' There was a curious look in his eyes, of intensity, anger and fear, and I turned to go silently, dreading what lay ahead. I continued to walk down the stairs, and when I stopped at the bottom I realised he had gone and, again, I was completely alone in the darkness. All I could hear was the sound of my own breathing, and I resolutely set off down the tunnel to the left. I came to a crossroads, and was about to continue straight on when I realised I could hear raised voices coming from above me. Climbing up a rocky wall to my right, I lifted myself onto a small ledge and stared through a tiny chink in the rock – straight into the Hall of Princes, of all the places. Mika was standing to talk angrily about something that I couldn't quite hear, and Kurda was standing quietly to the side, observing.

I was about to leave, having taken my last look at the vampires that I knew and loved when the doors to the hall crashed open with an almighty sound, and I cursed inwardly. All the princes were in the hall, and the only person who could open the doors who wasn't a prince was my dear telekinetic sister, who was now charging down the hall with a look of fury in her eyes, ignoring Gavner who was hurrying forward to stop her.

'What the FUCK have you done to my brother?' She screamed, and I saw her slap Kurda loudly across the cheek. Paris stood up quickly; 'Rosie, what is the meaning of this? You cannot come charging into this hall with no reason at-'

She cut him off. 'My brother is missing from his cell. It's not his trial date. He wouldn't run – someone's taken him out and set him free, and there's only one person I can think of who would.'

Kurda stood up and wiped the blood off his cheek. 'Darling, I haven't done anything to your brother.'

'Don't you dare lie to me Kurda Smahlt. You've let him go, and probably tricked him into thinking it's the right thing. Bring him back. I want him back here.'

Kurda laughed. 'Even if I knew where he was, why do you want him back? Do you wish to see him die?'

She shook her head. 'Idiot. If I thought he was going to die I'd have set him free already. I've seen the future, Kurda, and it's a future that has Darren in it. And I've always been right with my visions.'

Arrow stood up to speak. 'Two guards have just been found in the hallway passed out, and Darren is not in his cell. Rosie, I do believe you when you say he has not run, but I cannot stand here and let you accuse a future Prince.' He signalled to some tall vampires in the corner. 'Staffen, Vanya, Mikhail. Scout the area around the mountain and see if there's any trace of the boy leaving. If not, place guards on the main exits and begin to track the tunnels.' They nodded and left, and Arrow turned back to Rosie.

'Knowing you as I do, it's unlikely that I could get you apologise to Kurda. Either way, I'll have to ask you not to get involved in this.' He tuned to Paris and Mika, and the three engaged in a brief discussion, before Mika walked across to Rosie. 'I'm terribly sorry to have to do this, but I'm going to have to lock you up now. Don't want you escaping and killing Kurda, do we now?' Her mouth opened to protest, but before she could say anything he had dragged her out of the hall, in the direction of the all-too-familiar cells. A cold silence settled in the hall before Mr Crepsley stood up to speak.

'Never, in all my years here, have I seen such despicable actions. Locking up a vampire for speaking out of turn? Paris, you should know better.' He turned smartly and left the hall, closely followed by – oh, great – Arra.

I sighed and dropped down onto the floor of the tunnel. Even though Kurda had made it clear that I couldn't stay in the mountain, my sister had been locked up by a prince who continued to use her for sex,and Arra was preying on Mr Crepsley in his time of need, while Kurda was displaying a cruel side of him that I had never seen before. Something was not right, and I knew, somehow, that staying was the better option. I turned back to the stairs to go, but not before something came crashing down on my skull, completely flooring me. The last thing I saw before being knocked out for good was a narrow purple face with blood-red eyes, and I realised, in horror, that I would never have escaped the mountain anyway, because Kurda had sent me straight into a trap.