The first thing Rose noticed was the light. It filled the small chamber and seemed to intrude almost on the dark's usual hideout. Light attempted to embarrass her surroundings by showing up the dirt and the grit which covered the floor and the rust and moss and dust that clung to the walls. At last Rose's vision focused enough to inform her of the flaming torches that lined the walls. They were very high up and far out of reach but their light filled the small cell. A lump on the side of her head complained about being hit and her wrists screamed in agony and at the injustice at being tied up. Rose, on the other hand, smiled. She was alone.

Rather than tear her hair out in frustration or break down in terrified panic induced sobs, Rose reminded herself she was still alive and still capable of escape. She focused on taking a more positive approach to a seemingly hopeless situation and especially on the crumbling mortar around the edge of the door with a dirty spoon she had found wedged behind her straw bed. The spoon had been reduced to the size and shape of a blunt nail file as the result of a few hours desperate digging but fortunately, she had only been a resident in the cells for a few hours and so no one had come to change the bedding, or else the Vampaneze would have discovered the world's heaviest mattress.

It was the decaying stone around the bar's edge that currently occupied her thoughts, where a huge iron ring had been fixed to the wall as an anchor for a pair of manacles. Rose crouched facing the wall and grasped the ring with both hands, bracing her feet against the slabs on either side, and pulled. Her shoulders felt as though a burning flame was creeping along them and stars obscured her vision, but at last the ring cracked and fell away with an inappropriate jangle. Rose rubbed the grit from her eyes and peeked into the hole. There sat a smug new spoon. It was shiny. Rose frowned and studied it. There was the sound of applause from behind her. Tendons in her neck twanged as she turned and Rose saw two of the Vampaneze guards watching her through the bars.

Well done, Rosie!" said one of them. "Zander here owes me his next meal! I told him you'd make it that far!"

"You set this up, did you, Mr. Griefstrike?" said Rose weakly, watching the glint of light dance on the spoon.

"Oh, not us, girl. It was Mr Tiny's orders. He insisted our prisoners should be offered the chance of freedom."

"Freedom? But we're miles underground! There's no where to dig to!"

"Hmm, yeah I 'spose," said the Vampaneze guard. "It's only the chance, you see. Not really freedom. Hah, that'd be a bit daft, wouldn't it?" The Vampaneze had a mind that ticked like a clock and, like a clock, it regularly went cuckoo.

"I suppose so, yes," said Rose. She didn't say "you bastards." The guards had treated her quite civilly, mainly by not killing her or attempting to drain her of blood and she made a point of getting on with them. Just in case. Besides, these Vampaneze had large fangs and a limited imagination. So, speaking carefully, she added: "Some people might consider that cruel, Mr. Griefstrike."

"Yes, we asked him about that, but he said it wasn't. He said it provided," his forehead wrinkled "healthy exercise, prevented sulking, and offered hope."

"Hope," muttered Rose glumly.

"Not put out, are you, Rose?"

"Me? No...don't be silly."

The Vampaneze grinned. "Oh, good. You've been a right laugh these past few hours, the way you kept going. Stuffing all the stone and dirt in your mattress? Very clever, very tidy. Very neat. It's really cheered us up, having you in here."

"Don't mention it, Lucard. Can I call you Lucard, Mr. Griefstrike?"

"'Course," he grinned nastily, "Now I'd get some rest if I was you, girl, 'cos we're going to kill you in half an hour."

"Hey, don't I get breakfast?"

"Well orders say we can't let you out, you see, on account of you being our prisoner and all, not even to hunt," said the guard reproachfully. "But, tell you what, I'll go get you a snack. I'm sure I can find a corpse lying around. 'Cos it's you, Rosie."

"Thanks, 'appreciate it," said Rose. She shook her manacles half heartedly, "I'll just wait here then..." She watched, bathed in light, as the party of Vampaneze left her again, apparently amused and satisfied she was still trapped. Trapped, thought Rose. Then she heard the jangle of keys again and quick footsteps back down the stone steps.

"That was quick," she called, craning her neck. But instead of the ugly pointed faces of Lucard Griefstrike and Zander Dreadweep, Evra and Rebecca appeared. They stared at each other in equal amazement.

"Rose?" they cried together. Rose was too surprised to bade them be quiet. She crawled over to the iron bars and stuck her chained hands through.

"Guys! How did you -? You'd better get me out of here!" Rebecca snatched the keys out of Evra's unresisting hands and unlocked her. She then turned her attention to the padlock around the bars at the far end. Evra remained where he was.

"How did you know where I was?" asked Rose over the tinkle of the key in the lock. Evra gave himself a mental shake.

"We didn't," he admitted, "we came down here to search for Darren!" Rose bit back a sarcastic comment, just pleased they found her.

"How did you even get down here? Did you come on your own? What were you thinking?" At last the lock clicked and Rebecca removed the key.

"A bunch of us came," she said as she heaved the bars back, "We came with Mr Crepsley but we split up. We decided to check down here and the others went to the Great Hall." Rose stared at them both in amazement.

"You split up? Split up? Are you stupid? You could have been killed! You still might be!" she added as she remembered the gravity of the situation. "I'm down here because they didn't have time to kill me earlier! If you're caught too..."

"Well let's get out of here then!" said Evra hurriedly. He grabbed the girls and headed for the stairs, pure terror pushing him onwards.

The trio reached the landing unhindered, something Rose found astonishing.

"This is bad," whispered Evra.

"But where is everyone? This place is usually swarming with Vampaneze!"

"They're all at the fight," said Rebecca breathlessly. She turned and hauled Evra up behind her. Evra had started off in the lead but had realised, about halfway up, what it was he was running towards and had promptly slowed down. "Come on Evra!" There was a wheezy cough and then the snake-boy appeared, looking out of breath.

"This...is...bad. Are - we - alone?" he panted. Rose nodded carefully.

"I think so," she whispered. Ahead, the path seemed clear. The trio approached the closed doors to the Great Hall in a cautious crocodile line. Evra held up the rear, glancing fearfully over his shoulder and gibbering slightly, Rebecca took the lead whereas Rose stuck to the middle. She had tried to warn Rebecca about what they were walking towards and had explained why she was, in fact, in the middle and not at the front but the girl had brushed aside her advice. Rose watched in bemusement as Rebecca crept toward the doors in an army style, occasionally pirouetting and flattening herself against the wall and saying "hup hup hup" under her breath. Eventually they reached the doors. Rose pushed past Rebecca, who had been about to knock, and lowered her eye to the keyhole. Bodies crammed against the door obscured her vision.

"This is bad," said Evra.

"You said that already,"

"It seemed worth repeating."

"We'll have to go straight in," Rose interrupted, straightening up. Rebecca nodded gravely but Evra looked horrified.

"Go in? In there?"

"On the count of three...One..."

"Two..." said Rebecca.

"Three!"