Chapter 3:

I woke up halfway the day. It was nowhere near time to pull my next trial, but I didn't feel tired anymore and couldn't fall back to sleep. I decided to get up and find Vanez. Maybe we could go over the strategies for some trials again. I knew it wouldn't be of much help anymore, but at least it would give me something to keep me busy. I got up and got dressed, after which I left the room. I wondered where Vanez was most likely to be and decided to first check the dining hall. Big chance he was there recounting the story of my first trial. The hall was almost empty. Only a few vampires were sitting at the wooden tables and I immediately saw Vanez wasn't amongst them.
"Master Shan, there you are," one of them called while he urged me to sit with them. He was huge, his face hidden behind his hair and beard.
"Hello," I said, not recognizing any of the vampires.
"Nice way of tackling that trial yesterday," he went on.
I nodded, not really knowing what to say. I had almost fallen down, been reckless towards the end and only had survived because the luck of the vampire gods had been with me. I would have to be more careful for the next trial. "I don't know," I said. "I…"
"Oh come on," he interrupted, "don't be this modest. It was awesome. For a while there I thought you were dead meat, but it was a nice save. And then at the end, you made it seem like it was nothing. It was brilliant."
"Yeah, it was," the other three vampires agreed.
"Well, thanks… I guess."
They all smiled widely at me. "Ready for the next one?" the huge vampire asked.
I nodded. "Actually that's why I came here. I was hoping Vanez would be here. Do you happen to know where he is?"
"He went off with one of those newbies. Guess he wanted to show them the Hall of Games, if you know what I mean," he winked.
I smiled. "Yes, well, then I'll go check there. See you." And I hurried of before they could say anything else. I wouldn't disturb Vanez in his fun with the newborn vampire and decided I would just go back to where I should be: the Hall of Princes, on my throne. It occurred to me that would be even better a thing to do, at least it would make me feel normal for a while.
"Master Shan, I thought you'd still be asleep," Mika said the moment I entered the Hall.
"I shook my head. I'm awake as can be," I smiled. "Since there's still some time left before my next trial, I'll just take on my normal duties again."
Mika smiled. "Very well," he said. "We were just discussing a little problem. You came at the right moment."
"Oh?" I asked, while sitting down.
"All vampires have arrived, except two."
"And that's a problem because…?"
"Because according to their friends, who have arrived in the meantime, they should've been here before them."
"Oh, that indeed is… a problem."
"No, seriously?" Rossan said in a sarcastic tone.
"You shut up," I grunted, then turned back to Mika. "Maybe they decided not to come."
"We would have known," Mika answered. "I sent out some generals to look for them. But it's difficult. We of course don't know which way they chose and we cannot be sure they even stuck to the paths guiding here. They might have just taken ways that are no official paths. It's difficult to find them."
"Probably something happened on the way here. Attacked by an animal." I remembered the first time I had come to Vampire Mountain. I had encountered a bear and only merely survived thanks to the help of Little People. But that bear had been infected with vampaneze blood, which made it very savage. An adult vampire should be able to handle any kind of wild animal easily. Mika had noticed my inner debate about the animal-thing.
"I see you realized yourself that is not possible."
I nodded. "Only something really bad could have stopped a vampire, I know."
"You see now why it is a problem, Master Shan?"
I nodded again. "It is a problem."
"Your brightness improves every second," Rossan said in the same sarcastic tone.
"I thought I had told you to shut up."
"Well, I don't."
"I can always make you."
"Guys, keep it decent, would you. We're tackling serious things here. Go finish each other off after we have settled this, please."
I smiled. "Of course," I said, knowing this was Mika's way of taking my side. Rossan knew it too, because he turned his face away and refused to still debate the problem with us.
"Do you think something is threatening Vampire Mountain?" I asked, realizing how serious the case was.
"I hope with all my heart there isn't, but I fear there is."
"But what?"
"That, my friend, is what scares me the most… that we don't know."
"I shouldn't have decided to do the trials while there's trouble ahead of us," I said.
"Master Shan, you had no way of knowing. The news only reached us about an hour ago."
"There's a council going on," I said, "as a Prince I should be there for my people, not fighting for my own honour."
"Master Shan, the council is the moment to do the trials and to fight for your own honour. It is never the wrong time for a bit of action. We have to think about our people now and we must not worry them. The fact that you as a Vampire Prince, are doing this, makes them feel like everything is alright and we should keep it like that by all means until we know for sure what's going on. You couldn't have picked a better time to do this."
"What? To let himself been finished off? Indeed, it's nowhere near too early."
"SHUT UP," I yelled, at the very same moment Mika yelled the same words. Rossan turned pale and turned away from us again.
"There really is no task where I'll have the chance to finish him off?" I asked, a big smile upon my face.
"Unfortunately not. However, he would make a good boar."
Rossan threw us a dirty look, but didn't dare speak again. And it was a smart decision, because I felt like I would attack him the second he opened his mouth.
"Anyway, it is waiting until the generals return now, isn't it? As long as they're not back, there isn't much we can do."
"Indeed," Mika answered. "We'll just have to wait. In the meantime you can keep us amused with your trials."
I knew he was still trying to not make me feel guilty about taking the trials at this very moment. I knew he was right. I couldn't have known and the vampires lived for the kind of thing I was doing. Who was I to take it away from them, just because two vampires had not yet arrived. There was no proof at all that anything had happened to them. Maybe they just got delayed on their way here and they would arrive very soon. There was really nothing to worry about yet. Mika was right. I knew that and now accepted that fact. In a way, I liked Rossan's behavior. It gave me even more strength to fulfill those damn trials, only to prove him wrong. I would show him I was a worthy prince, much more than he was. I glanced at him. He looked angry, really angry and that little fact amused me. "Bastard," I murmured and heard Mika chuckle while Rossan looked like he was about to explode, trying very hard not to start yelling at me. Mika and I burst out in laughter at the sight of his face. And it was great to have this little moment of fun amidst the seriousness of the trials. For a while I had completely forgotten about them and it felt great, really great not to have to worry for that little amount of time. Only now I realized what I had actually done by doing the trials and I realized I would be very happy when they would be over and I could sit on the throne I was sitting on now safely again and with proud.