"At least, it was." He paused unhappily. "After tonight, he'll probably move on to somewhere new. He won't know how much I know about him, but he'll expect the worst. I don't think he'll use those tunnels again."

"Did you know it was Darren you were saving?" Harkat asked.

Steve nodded seriously. "I wouldn't have come to his rescue otherwise."

"What do you mean?" I frowned.

"I could have taken Hooky out ages ago," Steve said, "but I knew he wasn't working alone. I wanted to track down his companions. I've been exploring the tunnels by day, hoping to trail him to his base. By interfering tonight, I've blown that chance. I wouldn't have done that for anyone but you."

"If he'd attacked an ordinary human, you'd have let him kill?" I gasped.

"Yes." Steve's eyes were hard. "If sacrificing one person means saving many more, I will. If I hadn't caught a glimpse of your face as you left your lady friend's, I'd have let Hooky kill you."

That was a harsh way of looking at the world, but it was a way I understood. Vampires knew the needs of the group had to be put before those of the individual. It surprised me that Steve was able to think that way — most humans can't — but I suppose you have to learn to be ruthless if you dedicate yourself to the hunting and killing of ruthless creatures.

"That's about the bones of it," Steve said, pulling his dark overcoat a notch tighter around his shoulders, suppressing a shiver. "There's plenty I haven't mentioned, but I've covered most of the major stuff."

"Are you cold?" Harkat asked, noting Steve's shivers. "I can turn up the heat."

"Wouldn't do any good," Steve said. "I picked up some kind of germ when Mr. Crepsley tested me all those years ago. I catch colds simply by looking at someone with a runny nose." He plucked at the scarf around his throat, then wiggled his gloved fingers. "That's why I wrap up so much. If I don't, I wind up confined to bed for days on ends, coughing and spluttering."

"Is that why you smell?" I asked.

Steve laughed. "Yeah. It's a special herbal mix. I rub it in all over before I get dressed every morning. It works wonders. The only drawback is the stench. I have to be careful to keep downwind of the vampaneze when I'm tracking them — one whiff of this and they'd have me pegged."

We discussed the past some more — Steve wanted to know what life in the Cirque Du Freak had been like; I wanted to know where he'd been and what he'd got up to when he wasn't hunting — then talk returned to the present and what we were going to do about the vampaneze.

"If Hooky was acting alone," Steve said, "my attack would have driven him off. The vampaneze don't take chances when they're alone. If they think they've been discovered, they flee. But since he's part of a gang, I doubt he'll run."

"I agree," I said. "They've gone to too much trouble preparing this trap to walk away the first time something goes wrong."

"Do you think the vampaneze will know it was… you who saved Darren?" Harkat asked.

"I don't see how," Steve replied. "They know nothing about me. They'll probably think it was you or Mr. Crepsley. I was careful not to reveal myself to Hooky."

"Then we might still get the better of them," Harkat said. "We haven't gone hunting for them since… Mr. Crepsley left. It would be too dangerous, just the… two of us."

"But if you had me to go with you," Steve said, reading Harkat's thoughts, "it would be different. I'm accustomed to vampaneze hunts. I know where to look and how to track them."

"And with us to back you up," I added, "you could work faster than normal and cover more ground."

We gazed silently around at one another.

"You'd be taking a big risk, getting involved… with us," Harkat warned him. "Whoever set us up knows all… about us. You might tip them off to your presence by… pitching in with us."

"It'd be risky for you too," Steve countered. "You're safe up here. Underground, it's their turf, and if we go down, we're inviting an attack. Remember — though vampaneze usually sleep by day, they don't need to when they're sheltered from the sun. They could be awake and waiting."

We thought about it some more. Then I stretched forth my right hand and held it out in front of me, palm downwards. "I'm up for it if you are," I said.

Steve immediately laid his left hand — the one with the scarred palm — on top of mine and said, "I've nothing to lose. I'm with you."

Harkat was slower to react. "I wish Mr. Crepsley was here," he mumbled.

"Me too," I said. "But he's not. And the longer we wait for him, the more time the vampaneze have to plan an attack. If Steve's right, and they panic and switch base. it'll take them a while to settle. They'll be vulnerable. This could be our best chance to strike."

Harkat sighed unhappily. "It could also be our best chance to walk… straight into a trap. But," he added, laying a large grey hand on top of ours, "the rewards justify the risks. If we can find and kill them, we'll save… many lives. I'm with you."

Smiling at Harkat, I proposed a vow. "To the death?" I suggested.

"To the death," Steve agreed.

"To the death," Harkat nodded, then added pointedly, "but not, I hope, ours!"

WE SPENT Saturday and Sunday exploring the tunnels. Harkat and Steve carried arrow guns. They were simple to use — load an arrow, point and fire. Deadly up to a range of twenty metres. As a vampire, I'd sworn not to use such weapons, so I had to make do with my usual short sword and knives.

We started with the area where Steve had first spotted 'Hooky', in the hope of finding some trace of him or his companions. We took the tunnels one at a time, examining the walls for marks of vampaneze nails or hooks, listening carefully for sounds of life, keeping within sight of each other. We moved swiftly at first — Steve knew these tunnels — but when our search extended to new, unfamiliar sections, we advanced more cautiously.

We found nothing.

That night, after a long wash and simple meal together, we talked some more. Steve hadn't changed much. He was as lively and funny as ever, although he'd sometimes get a faraway look in his eyes and fall silent, perhaps thinking about the vampaneze he'd killed or the path in life he'd chosen. He got nervous whenever talk swung round to Mr. Crepsley. Steve had never forgotten the vampire's reason for rejecting him — Mr. Crepsley said Steve had bad blood and was evil — and didn't think the vampire would be glad to see him.

"I don't know why he thought I was evil," Steve grumbled. "I was wild as a kid, sure, but never evil — was I, Darren?"

"Of course not," I said.

"Maybe he mistook determination for evil," Steve mused. "When I believe in a cause, I'll commit to it wholeheartedly. Like my quest to kill vampaneze. Most humans couldn't kill another living being, even a killer. They'd rather turn them over to the law. But I'll go on killing vampaneze until I die. Maybe Mr. Crepsley saw my ability to kill and confused it with a desire to kill."

We had lots of dark conversations like that, talking about the human soul and the nature of good and evil. Steve had devoted many long hours to Mr. Crepsley's cruel judgement. He was almost obsessed with it. "I can't wait to prove him wrong," he smiled. "When he learns I'm on his side, helping the vampires in spite of his rejecting me… That's something I'm looking forward to."

When the weekend drew to a close, I had a decision to make regarding school. I didn't want to bother with Mahler's — it seemed a waste of time — but there was Debbie and Mr. Blaws to consider. If I dropped out suddenly, without a reason, the inspector would come looking for me. Steve said this wasn't a problem, that we could switch to another hotel, but I didn't want to leave until Mr. Crepsley returned. The Debbie situation was even more complicated. The vampaneze now knew she was connected to me, and where she lived. Somehow I had to convince her to move to a new apartment — but how? What sort of a story could I concoct to persuade her to leave home?