Wow, so this is the chapter I've been most excited about, I cry just thinking about it. There is a song to this chapter; you'll know what part it applies to when you get there. The song is Broken by Seether featuring Amy Lee from Evanescence. I listened to it while I was writing this actually…totally started crying. Enjoy!
Eric and I followed Gannen to another chamber in the tunnels. I hadn't been to this one before, Steve made it perfectly clear when I came here that it was a restricted area. At the time, I didn't care. Mysterious chamber in a filthy set of unused tunnels, big whoop.
The tunnel we came out of led us out onto a metal platform that was suspended about fifteen feet from the ground. Beneath us was the chamber. There were holes in a few of the walls where Vampaneze could stick spears through. I frowned. Cowards, they were hiding in the shadows.
To my left on the floor level was a metal door that seemed to be tightly closed, and to my right was a large hole in the wall, no doubt the entrance point for the Hunters. A smell started irritating my nose. It was coming from my right. I walked to the right side of the platform and looked over the edge, leaning on the handrails. My eyes widened in horror.
"Pretty impressive, huh?" Steve asked, leaning his back against the handrail. I stared at Steve. "Steve, what are you planning?" I demanded. He patted me on the head and smirked. "Don't worry about it, babe." He said before pushing himself off the handrail to go talk with some other Vampaneze. I looked back down at the terrible sight as my stomach slowly dropped. My nightmares were about to come true.
"Vanessa, what is that?" Eric asked, staring at the monstrosity below. "That's a pit of metal stakes that will soon burn, Eric. He couldn't use wooden stakes because the fire would burn them too much before the stake could do its job." I said gravely. "What does this mean?" he whispered. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before answering.
"It means Steve intends to exact his revenge."
I sat against the wall on the platform, as far away from the pit of stakes as possible. I was sharpening my swords when I heard it. "They're coming." I muttered, standing up and putting the swords back in their sheath that was strung across my chest and back. "You can hear them already?" Steve asked. I nodded. "I'd know Larten's footsteps anywhere." I looked at Steve from the corner of my eye. "You forget that I've been with the man for nearly thirty years."
Steve smirked at that and stood up straight when the man in question stepped out from the shadows. I bowed slightly at my mentor. He nodded in return. I took a few steps back as he was followed by the third Hunter, Vancha March, the Little Person, Harkat Mulds, and last but not least, the Vampire Prince, Darren Shan.
My heart ached for him, it yearned for him. But he wouldn't look at me. Steve looked at me when Darren walked in and smirked. "What a beautiful reunion, is it not?" he laughed. I glared at him. "Oh, but what's this? Is Shan not excited to see his woman?" I growled at him. "Steve shut up. Don't make me go back on my promise." I said raising my hands slowly in front of me. He merely smirked. "And don't make me go back on mine." He said pleasantly, his eyes darting from me, to Eric, and back again.
I backed down.
"Cut the shit, Leonard! What do you want? Where's Debbie?" Darren shouted. I blinked. He's never been so…hostile before. Steve clicked his tongue. "My my, Shan. Patience is a virtue." He sighed. Darren just glared. Steve sighed. "Vanessa, go fetch the human." He ordered. I glared at him. This was humiliating, ordering me around in front of my fellow Vampires—my fellow Princes!—just to show that he was in control. I complied though; I couldn't do anything that would get my assistant killed. I nudged my head in the direction of the tunnel and Eric followed me to get Debbie.
I didn't have to go far; Debbie was in the chamber where I left her, absentmindedly rubbing her arm. I dismissed the Vampaneze who was guarding her. "Debbie, it's time to go. Darren's here for you." I told her, reaching out my hand. She hesitated and nodded, reaching out her hand and taking mine. I gave her a reassuring squeeze and gently guided her through the tunnels, Eric close behind. "Vanessa, why'd I have to come? You didn't even need me." He muttered. I frowned. "I don't trust Steve, and he doesn't trust me." I said. He nodded and dropped the conversation as we stepped out onto the platform.
I looked down to see Vancha holding Darren back, whispering soothing words into his ear. I raised a brow at Steve as I came up next to him. "What did you say?" I ask wearily. He smirked and took hold of one of my loose curls, twirling it around his finger. He leaned in close to my ear and whispered, "It's what I didn't say." My eyes narrowed at him.
"Back off, Steve." I saw Eric glaring daggers at Steve, his hand on the hilt of one of the daggers I gave him. Steve sniffed and turned his attention back to Darren. "So, Shan, you've come for your woman?" Steve smirked. "Cause I guarantee you that you won't take her." Steve sneered. Darren's fists were shaking by his sides.
I raised my free hand slightly, held it flat and pushed it down slowly. Darren saw this and understood. He closed his eyes and started taking deep breaths. "Steve, stop playing your games, we've come for Debbie, so give her up before we make you." Vancha demanded. Steve raised a brow at him. "My my, Vancha March. You and Gannen look an awful lot alike, now don't you?" Steve said, looking between his right hand man and the Vampire Prince. Vancha narrowed his eyes at Steve.
Steve sighed then. "Oh well, I grow weary of all this bantering. Now then, what I want." Steve stood up straight as Vampaneze stepped out from the shadows, weapons raised, surrounding my fellow Vampires. My eyes widened in realization. I gasped when I was grabbed from behind. I heard a growl and wriggling, that means they got Eric too.
Steve took a sword from Gannen and pointed it at Mr. Crepsley, a fiery hate in his eyes. "I want my revenge, time to die, Larten Crepsley." I gasped as everything was kicked into gear. The Vampaneze lunged and Mr. Crepsley tore off his cape and darted across the chamber, jumped and landed on the platform. He pulled out his own sword and immediately started to fight Steve.
Well, that's my cue…
I elbowed the Vampaneze holding me in the gut. He let out a gasp and I turned around, kicking him in the chest, sending him flying over the hand rails. I turned to see Eric doing the same to his captor. I looked at him and then at Debbie. "Eric, keep her safe!" I shouted as I flipped over the platform and landed on the ground. I pulled out my swords and immediately began to fight.
I heard a groan and turned to see a few Vampaneze ganging up on Darren. I took out a throwing star from one of my many pant pockets and threw it at one of the Vampaneze's back. He cried out in pain and turned to me, angry. I smirked and gave him the universal 'come and get me' sign. He growled and lunged for me. I ducked, rolled, stood, and stabbed him in the gut. He groaned and fell to the ground.
Soon after, I found myself pressed up against Darren's back, both of us fighting off the enemy. "I don't need your help." He grunted, shoving a Vampaneze away from him. I kicked another in the face and turned to him, heartbroken. "Maybe not, but I need you. I did this to protect you." He pushed me over and stabbed a Vampaneze, pushing him to the ground. He pulled me up. I smiled. "Thanks." He smiled a little too. "Anytime." He replied. He looked up and went rigged all over. Then I realized something. It was quiet…too quiet…and it was warm.
I turned slowly and froze, my eyes widening in horror. Mr. Crepsley was holding onto the railing of the platform, dangling above the pit of stakes…the fiery pit of stakes. Mr. Crepsley looked over at us. I felt tears welling up in my eyes, no….no this can't be happening.
"Mr. Crepsley!" Darren shouted, dropping his weapons and running towards him. A few Vampaneze grabbed him and held him back. "Darren...it is my time…take care of her." He whispered, looking at me. "No…no you can't do this!" I saw Steve grinning maliciously at Mr. Crepsley. "You should have feared me more, Crepsley. You should have made me one of you when you had the chance, you would have lived longer." He spat, raising his sword.
"Steve, no!" I shrieked, running towards the pit. Vancha grabbed me and held me in his arms. The tears flowed freely now. "Steve, please! Don't do this, I'll do anything!" I shrieked. He glared at me. "This doesn't concern you, there is nothing you can do that will change my mind." He sneered.
"Vanessa…it will be okay, you will be okay." Mr. Crepsley said. "No, no!" I screamed. "Vanessa, I love you and will always be with you, don't ever forget." He said sadly. Steve's eyes flared up at that and he roared, raised his sword, and hit Mr. Crepsley's hands with it, causing him to lose his grip and fall into the fiery pit of stakes.
"NO!" I screeched. I raised my hands and slammed them down, throwing everyone to the ground. I saw a bucket of water and reached my hand out to it, and flung it at the fire, extinguishing it. I jumped gingerly onto the stakes and pulled my soaked and charred and bloody mentor out of it, laying his head on my lap.
"Mr. Crepsley?" I whispered hoarsely. He groaned and rolled his head. I started sobbing. "Why would you do that? You could have saved yourself!" I shrieked. "It was my time, Vanessa. I know your plans, and I know that in order for it to work, a Hunter must die. Our clan needs the Princes now more than ever." He choked out.
"But I need you more! I have my first assistant; I don't know what to do! I'm so lost without you!" I shouted, crying over him, holding his hands in mine tightly. "You can't just leave me…you're all I have left." I whispered. He raised a shaky hand and held my cheek. "You have Darren now, Vanessa. He will love you and he will protect you. And Seba can help you teach your assistant." He whispered.
I shook my head. "I need you, please, I need you so desperately. It has to be you, I can't lose anyone else, and especially not you…please don't leave me." I whispered. "You have not lost anyone, Vanessa. You will see them again soon." He whispered. I shook my head. "I can't wait that long, I need you…you're supposed to be with me always, you always have been." I whimpered.
"I am sorry Vanessa, but I…I must…" he said before coughing. I glared through my tears. "No! I won't let you!" I started spitting on various parts of him, but nothing worked, he didn't heal. "NO! Why aren't you healing?" I cried out in pain. "Vanessa…" Mr. Crepsley wheezed. "She…she always loved you." He whispered. I nodded slowly. "I know she did…I love her too…and I miss her…her and Kurda and Gavner…I miss them so much…please…" I whispered. He feebly shook his head. I sobbed uncontrollably.
"Please! I'll do anything! Please don't die! I'm sorry! Okay? I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I cried. "Vanessa…do not be…" I shook my head. "It's my entire fault! I'm sorry we stuck with this stupid act, I take it back! Just please don't leave me! I know I used to tell you that I hated you, but I don't! I love you so much!" I cried and sat my head against his chest, curling up into him.
"We were supposed to be a family…remember?" I whispered. He nodded. "You were supposed to walk me down the aisle at my wedding and hand me off to my husband…we were going to go to France with Arra cause she used to live there…We were going to go visit Vur and give him a lot of flowers, all of his favorite ones." I said. For a long time, I continued rambling about everything we wanted to do, all the memories we had, until his heart stop beating and his body went cold.
I heard laughter. I looked up to see Steve smiling mockingly at me, clapping his hands. "I've finally achieved everything I've been working for…it took me nearly thirty years but I finally did it." He sneered. "And what was that, Steve? Was it being a bastard? Because you surpassed that goal a long time ago." Darren said. I looked down at my mentor, numb to Darren and Steve's bickering. I bit my lip. He mostly bled out but….there was just a little bit of blood left…
"What's she doing?" I heard Eric ask. Darren turned to look at me and his face softened as he saw me sucking on my mentor's arm that had many scars, most of them being in the shape of bite marks. "She's trying to absorb his soul." Gannen said sympathetically. Eric freaked out. "Vanessa, that's poisonous!" he shouted. I stood up shakily and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, glaring at Steve. Steve smirked again.
"First, I killed his pathetic nephew, Kurda Smahlt. Then, his precious mate, Arra Sails, though I must admit I hit two birds with one stone when it comes to that little bitch." The temperature started to rise. "And finally, I killed him, Larten Crepsley…or should I say Vur Horston."
"Shut the fuck up you dumb ass." I said, my voice stronger than I felt. I looked him dead in the eye. He glared at me. "Excuse me?" he growled. I stared. "I said, shut the fuck up you dumbass. You didn't kill Vur Horston." Steve raised a brow at me. "Oh? So that isn't a dead man on the floor?" he asked sarcastically. "Vur Horston has been dead for over two hundred years,he was killed by a human." I pointed at my dead mentor. "That is Larten Crepsley, Vur was his cousin. And you failed, Steve Leonard. You may have killed his nephew, you may have killed his mate, and you may have killed his best friend, who was more like a brother, but you did not complete your revenge." I said darkly.
He stared at me, confused. "Yes I did! I killed his relatives, the ones he loved most! I killed off what was left of his family!" he shouted. I shook my head and drew out my sword. "No, he has a kid. You forget that his mate was able to bear children." His eyes widened. "No…no it can't be." He whispered, gripping the railings. I nodded. "You idiot, I don't use stage names." Everyone looked confused, except for Darren. He must've figured it out for himself. "My Lord, what is she talking about?" Gannen asked. I glared at Steve.
"My name is Vanessa Arra Vur Anne Crepsley, daughter of Arra Sails and Larten Crepsley, you have failed Steve. You will never get your revenge."
I raised my hands, flexed my fingers, and made every Vampaneze fall to the floor unconscious. I turned to my father and fell to the ground. "Vancha, I wish to bring him to his grave." He hesitated and nodded, picking him up. "I turned around to see Eric holding an unconscious Debbie. "Come on Eric, we're leaving." He nodded and picked Debbie up, bridal style, and followed Vancha out. I walked back to the pit of stakes and broke off the tip of the one that pierced my father's heart and held it close to me.
"Vanessa." A soft voice called. I turned to see Darren standing, holding his hand out to me. I took it and he pulled me up and into his embrace. I sobbed quietly in his arms and started shaking. My knees gave out,, too. He pulled my legs and wrapped them around his waist and left the chamber of death. I heard silent laughter and knew, then, that I never had a chance of saving my father.
Mr. Tiny won…he got his satisfaction.
"So…this is where he grew up?" Darren asked me. I nodded. "Yeah…he had a lot of siblings." I said softly. "He said he was glad I was an only child, he didn't want me to have to struggle the way he did." I told him. Darren nodded. I placed the white flowers that bloomed only at night on the freshly dug grave and sat there for awhile. Vancha, Eric, and Debbie left and walked up the hill to give me some privacy. "Do you want me to leave?" Darren asked. I shook my head.
"We didn't even know he was my father—that he was a father period—until I had become a Princess." Darren looked shocked. "Arra, my mom, hadn't told anyone except for Kurda." I murmured. I frowned. "He got really angry at first and I thought he hated me…and because of that, I nearly died during my Trials." He gaped at me. "What? Why?" he gasped. I bit my lip. "I already thought of him as my dad and I loved him so much and when he got angry, I thought that he hated me because he avoided me and I didn't have the will to fight anymore." I smiled softly then. "But, just as I was about to accept death, he burst into the room and shouted 'Get your ass off the ground and fight! Do not disappoint me, Vanessa Anne, I have trained you better!'" I laughed a little at the memory.
Darren rolled his eyes and sighed. "Well, what now?" he asked. I looked at him. "We take Debbie home and return to the Cirque, Evra has a family now, you know." He stared at me. "I didn't even know he found himself a girl. I smiled. "That's because you haven't been there in years." I said. I sighed. "But I have things to discuss with Mr. Tall and I need a safe place to train Eric."
Darren nodded and picked me up, carrying me bridal style. "Okay, let's go."
We took Debbie home and I said my last good bye to Lily, then our rag tag group made up of a Little Person, two Half-Vampires, and two Vampires left, walking in the light of the full moon to the Cirque du Freak where I would set my plans in motion.