Just thought I'd add this in again: Disclaimer: I don't own anybody except Seeth.

Seeth watched Arra Sails on the bars, smacking her opponent to the floor as usual. Arra had always been rather friendly towards Seeth, despite her being friends with Kurda, whom Arra detested. Arra hooked her staff around the vampire's leg. He flipped to avoid her, but she was too quick, too efficient. She jammed the end of the staff into his chest, then wacked his shins, sending him sailing to the floor, landing hard on his back. Arra shook hair out of her eyes, looking absolutely magnificent in her victory. Seeth knew the feeling.

Arra jumped fluidly off the bars, landing like a cat. As Seeth walked towards her she caught a glimpse of Gavna Purl, fight training with some other generals.

"Seeth!" Arra declared in her authoritative voice.

"Arra!" Seeth shouted back, grinning impishly.

Arra waited until Seeth was close enough to talk. They sat down on a nearby stool, Arra placing her staff by her side.

"So," Arra started. "Why are you here? Is there something wrong?" Straight to the point, same as always.

"No, I'm on a social visit."

"Hmmmm. Well, it's good to see you. You've grown up a lot since I last saw you. I suppose we forget that you are really still a human." She peered into Seeth's eyes. Seeth was unnerved by the sudden want to confess that spiked through her, but it was ridiculous to think she could engage in any kind of 'girl talk' with Arra. It just wasn't her kind of behaviour. It was Kurda who she kept those sorts of things for.

"You've changed haven't you?" Arra sniffed. "All that stuff you do, it's altered you."

"No, it hasn't. I'm just getting older, that's all." Seeth said indignantly. Why did everyone keep saying that?

"Hm. Well something about you looks different anyway."

"Speaking of change, what's with this whole Darren Shan issue? Why did that guy Crepsley blood him anyway-not that I'm against the whole young vampire thing."

Arra frowned. "He claims that he does not know why he blooded the boy. Though I would very much like to know why."

"You know Larten Crepsley?" Seeth guessed the answer before Arra replied, and immediately regretted asking.

"Yes. We were mates, a long time ago. Before he left." Arra stared at the dusty ground, obviously off in some memory from a time long passed. Seeth looked at her and thought about him. She didn't see him often, thought it was quite a lot considering what they both were. When she'd told him she was going to Vampire Mountain to tell Kurda about them, he'd only looked at her-with his glassy, crimson eyes-and told her to be careful. She hadn't understood what he meant until now. She had to stop herself from spilling the beans to everyone-or it might start a war.

"You look absolutely beautiful," Kurda said.

"You reckon?" Seeth asked, scrutinising herself in the worn mirror in Kurda's room.

"Who's dress is this? Where did Arra find it?" It was delicately detailed. Purple fabric (unfortunately, Kurda had laughed at the irony), with black embroidery. A perfect gothic dress if Seeth had ever seen one.

Kurda shrugged. He was looking at her oddly-as though a sadness had come over him.

"What is it?" she asked, feeling the brief flash of unhappiness, but reluctant to probe his mind. She thought it would be insulting to him if she did so.

"I was just thinking..." he sighed. "It's stupid of me really but...You're not a child anymore are you? You've grown up."

"Yes," she sighed. "I have." Wow, that was really getting annoying.

She walked slowly towards Kurda and hugged him. "But it is a good thing, you know," she said to his collar bone.

"How so?" he queried, releasing her.

"I've way outlasted the life expectancy of anyone that's ever done my job!" she said jokingly. Kurda smiled, his face brightening. He took her arm humorously, acting like an English gentleman (which he definitely wasn't).

"Well then, milady. Would you grace my soul with escorting me to the ball this evening?"

"Why Sire, how could I refuse?" she crooned.

It was the second night of the Festival of the Undead and many vampires were still sporting injuries from the night before, but most of them had turned out that evening.

A vampire with a hash-shaped scar on his face (Seeth wasn't sure if she knew him) came up to Kurda, wearing a broad grin.

"Smahlt!" he shouted. "Who'd 'a thought you had it in you! Arra Sails, well that is a defeat if there ever was one!" Seeth looked from the speaker to Kurda questioningly.

"I beat Arra on the bars," Kurda murmured under his breath.

"What!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, he beat her alright. Right smack down on her backside if you don't mind me sayin'." He beamed at Kurda before moving away.

"You beat Arra? Well...Kurda..." she consciously pulled her eyebrows down from the heights of her fringe.

"Well it was never impossible," Kurda said defensively. "They just take for granted that I'm easy to push around. They don't know the half of it." Seeth tilted her head on the side, considering him.

"And do I know the half of it?" she inquired suspiciously. Kurda looked at her for a second and she could have sworn his face had changed, but a blink of an eye later and it was the same as before.

"Come on," he said. "Let's just try and enjoy tonight." Seeth sighed.

"Everyone else is off duty except me. It's so much more fun being a vampire. Maybe that's why-" She stopped.

"Why what?"

"Nothing" she shrugged.

As they were walking through the crowd Kurda caught sight of Larten Crepsley, Gavner Purl and Darren Shan, sitting around a table near the 'bar' (if that's what you'd call it).

"Greetings, gentlemen," Kurda declared. Seeth smiled at the three of them, smirking inwardly at Darren's stare-which was apparently reserved just for her.

"Master Shan," Seeth said. "Congratulations on passing your first two trials."

"Thanks," he said, rather glumly.

"Oh, come on Darren, you'll be fine!" Kurda said, trying to be reassuring. Seeth liked the way he actually made it sound convincing, even though she knew that he was probably as nervous as Darren.

"Well then Seeth, what do you think of our Festival of the Undead?" Larten asked, slightly demandingly.

"It's beautiful," she returned. "You have no idea what I see when I look around this hall. All these fiery souls here together are truly...magnificent." That shut him up. She felt the wonderful buzz of satisfaction.

"You can see our souls?" Darren gasped. Seeth just smiled at him. He was covered in cuts and she knew a healing spell that could help, but there was something holding her back. She could sense something about Darren Shan that wasn't quite right. His aura wasn't like other mortals (including vampires), like he was protected by something. And that wasn't something she had jurisdiction to mess with.

"You look stunning tonight Seeth," Gavner said, trying to break the ice.

"Thank you..." she said vaguely. Across the hall she could see Mika, scowling over a mug of ale. Seeth grinned to herself.

"Excuse me for a minute," she said, moving away.

Mika studied her as she walked towards his table. His said nothing as she sat down.

"Good evening, Sire," she addressed him pleasantly. He narrowed his eyes at her, setting the mug on the table.

"Indeed, it is a good evening. What do you want with me now?" Wow, he was grouchy.

"I just wanted to apologise. I'm very sorry that I offended you. I assumed when I shouldn't have and I was wrong."

"Very," he nodded.

"But there's one thing. One little thing..." she trailed off, her expression unnervingly strong and mischievous.

"What?" She smiled and leaned in closer.

"Never talk to me like that again or I might take it personally," she whispered menacingly. "And you know well what I could do."

His face changed. Slowly, he sat back, simply looking at her distastefully. She felt flutters of triumph battering around inside her. He couldn't say anything; she wasn't a vampire, she was a witch, a Leri.

Mika was silent for a moment, looking into the depths of his mug of ale. Then he looked up at her, blinking.

"How you've grown," he said regretfully. "There is a hardness about you now that wasn't there the last time you were here. A fool could see it, but somehow...Well, maybe it isn't such a good thing."

"What on earth are you going on about?" Seeth demanded. He looked at her sadly.

"Be careful where your powers lead you. It's harder to control yourself than you think."

Seeth was about to ask him what he meant, but Kurda appeared behind her. He smiled at Mika and held his hand out to Seeth.

"Care for a dance, my freaky little sorceress?" he laughed.

"Sure. But as you've both said: I'm not little anymore...my garish prince-wannabe." Kurda made a face. Seeth turned to look back at Mika as they walked through the throng of vampires, but he sat impassively staring around at nothing. Her curiosity skyrocketed.