Darren Shan - Cirque Du Freak 07 - Hunters Of The Dusk

VIP免费
2024-12-24 0 0 270.2KB 83 页 5.9玖币
侵权投诉
THE SAGA OF DARREN SHAN BOOK 7
HUNTERS OF THE DUSK
By
Darren Shan
THE SAGA OF DARREN SHAN:
1 Cirque Du Freak
2 The Vampire's Assistant
3 Tunnels of Blood
4 Vampire Mountain
5 Trials of Death
6 The Vampire Prince
7 Hunters of the Dusk
DARREN SHAN
HUNTERS OF THE DUSK
THE SAGA OF DARREN SHAN BOOK 7
Collins
An imprint ofHarperCollinsPublishers
Hunt for Darren Shan on the web at www.darrenshan.com
First published in Great Britain by Collins 2002
Collins is an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishersLtd
77-85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith
London W6 8JB
The HarperCollins website address is: www.fireandwater.com
Text copyright © 2002 Darren Shan
ISBN 0 00 713779 6
The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of the work.
Printed and bound in England by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc
For:
Shirley & Derek — "Beauty and the Beast"
Sparring partners:
Gillie Russell & Zoe Clarke
Ringside crew:
The Christopher Little clan
OBEs (Order of the Bloody Entrails) to:
Kerri "carve yer guts up" Goddard-Kinch
"la femme fatale" Christine Colinet
PROLOGUE
IT WAS an age of tragic mistakes. For me, the tragedy began fourteen years earlier when, mesmerized
by a vampire's amazing performing tarantula, I stole it from him. After an initially successful theft,
everything went to hell, and I paid for my crime with my humanity. Faking my own death, I left my family
and home, and travelled the world with the Cirque Du Freak, as the assistant to a blood-drinking
creature of the night.
My name's Darren Shan. I'm a half-vampire.
I'm also — through a series of events so astounding I still have trouble believing they really happened —
a Vampire Prince. The Princes are the leaders of the vampire clan, respected and obeyed by all. There
are only five of them — the others are Paris Skyle, Mika Ver Leth, Arrow and Vancha March.
I'd been a Prince for six years, living within the Halls of Vampire Mountain (the stronghold of the clan),
learning the customs and traditions of my people, and how to be a vampire of good standing. I'd also
been learning the ways of warfare, and how to use weapons. The rules of battle were essential
components of any vampire's education, but now more so than ever — because we were at war.
Our opponents were the vampaneze, our purple-skinned blood-cousins. They're a lot like vampires in
many ways, but alien to us in one key area — they kill whenever they drink blood. Vampires don't harm
those they feed from — we simply take a small amount of blood from each human we target — but
vampaneze believe it's shameful to feed without draining their victims dry.
Though there was no love lost between the vampires and vampaneze, for hundreds of years an uneasy
truce had existed between the two clans. That changed six years ago when a group of vampaneze —
aided by a vampire traitor called Kurda Smahlt — stormed Vampire Mountain in an attempt to seize
control of the Hall of Princes. We defeated them (thanks largely to my discovery of the plot prior to their
assault), then interrogated the survivors, baffled by why they should choose to attack.
Unlike vampires, vampaneze had no leaders — they were entirely democratic — but when they split
from the vampires six hundred years ago, a mysterious, powerful magician known as Mr Tiny paid them
a visit and placed the Coffin of Fire in their possession. This coffin burnt alive anyone who lay within it —
but Mr Tiny said that one night a man would lie down in it and step out unharmed, and that man would
lead them into a victorious war with the vampires, establishing the vampaneze as the unopposed rulers of
the night.
During the interrogation, we learnt to our horror that the Lord of the Vampaneze had finally arisen, and
vampaneze across the world were preparing for the violent, bloody war to come.
Once our assailants had been put to a painful death, word spread from Vampire Mountain like wildfire:
"We're at war with the vampaneze!" And we'd been locked in combat with them ever since, fighting
grimly, desperate to disprove Mr Tiny's dark prophecy — that we were destined to lose the war and be
wiped from the face of the earth…
CHAPTER ONE
IT WAS another long, tiring night in the Hall of Princes. A Vampire General called Staffen Irve was
reporting to me and Paris Skyle. Paris was the oldest living vampire, with more than eight hundred years
under his belt. He had flowing white hair, a long, grey beard, and had lost his right ear in a fight many
decades ago.
Staffen Irve had been active in the field for three years, and had been giving us a quick rundown of his
experiences in the War of the Scars, as it had come to be known (a reference to the scars on our
fingertips, the common mark of a vampire or vampaneze). It was a strange war. There were no big
battles and neither side used missile-firing weapons — vampires and vampaneze fight only with hand to
hand weapons like swords, clubs and spears. The war was a series of isolated skirmishes, three or four
vampires at a time pitting themselves against a similar number of vampaneze, fighting to the death.
"There was four of us 'gainst three of them," Staffen Irve said, telling us about one of his more recent
encounters. "But my lads was dry behind the tonsils, while the vampaneze was battle-hardy. I killed one
of 'em but the others got away, leaving two of my lads dead and the third with a useless arm.
"Have any of the vampaneze spoken of their Lord?" Paris asked.
"No, Sire. Those I take alive only laugh at my questions, even under torture."
In the six years that we'd been hunting for their Lord, there'd been no sign of him. We knew he hadn't
been blooded — various vampaneze had told us that he was learning their ways before becoming one of
them — and the general opinion was that if we were to have any chance of thwarting Mr Tiny's
predictions, we had to find and kill their Lord before he assumed full control of the clan.
A cluster of Generals was waiting to speak with Paris. They moved forward as Staffen Irve departed,
but I signalled them back. Picking up a mug of warm blood, I passed it to the one-eared Prince. He
smiled and drank deeply, then wiped red stains from around his mouth with the back of a trembling hand
— the responsibility of running the war council was taking its toll on the ancient vampire.
"Do you want to call it a night?" I asked, worried about Paris's health.
He shook his head. "The night is young," he muttered.
"But you are not," said a familiar voice behind me — Mr Crepsley. The vampire in the red cloak spent
most of his time by my side, advising and encouraging me. He was in a peculiar position. As an ordinary
vampire, he held no recognizable rank, and could be commanded by the lowliest of Generals. Yet as my
guardian he wielded the unofficial powers of a Prince (since I followed his advice practically all the time).
The reality was that Mr Crepsley was second in charge only to Paris Skyle, yet nobody openly
acknowledged this. Vampire protocol — go figure!
"You should rest," Mr Crepsley said to Paris, laying a hand on the Prince's shoulder. "This war will run a
long time. You must not exhaust yourself too early. We will have need of you later."
"Rot!" Paris laughed. "You and Darren are the future. I am the past, Larten. I will not live to see the end
of this war if it drags on as long as we fear. If I do not make my mark now, I never will."
Mr Crepsley started to object, but Paris silenced him with the crooking of a finger. "An old owl hates to
be told how young and virile he is. I am on my last legs, and anyone who says otherwise is a fool, a liar,
or both."
Mr Crepsley tilted his head obediently. "Very well. I will not argue with you."
"I should hope not," Paris sniffed, then shifted tiredly on his throne. "But thishas been a taxing night. I will
talk with these Generals, then crawl off to my coffin to sleep. Will Darren be able to manage without
me?"
"Darren will manage," Mr Crepsley said confidently, and stood slightly behind me as the Generals
advanced, ready to advise when required.
Paris didn't make his coffin by dawn. The Generals had much to argue about — by studying reports on
the movements of the vampaneze they were trying to pinpoint the possible hiding place of their Lord —
and it was close to midday before the ancient Prince slipped away.
I treated myself to a short break, grabbed some food, then heard from three of the Mountain's fighting
tutors, who were training the latest batch of Generals. After that I had to send two new Generals out into
the field for their first taste of combat. I quickly went through the small ceremony — I had to daub their
foreheads with vampire blood and mutter an ancient war prayer over them — then wished them luck and
sent them off to kill vampaneze — or die.
Then it was time for vampires to approach me with a wide range of problems and queries. As a Prince I
was expected to deal with every sort of subject under the moon. I was only a young, inexperienced
half-vampire, who'd become a Prince more by default than merit, but the members of the clan placed
their trust completely in their Princes, and I was afforded the same degree of respect as Paris or any of
the others.
When the last vampire had departed, I snatched about three hours of sleep, in a hammock which I'd
strung up at the rear of the Hall. When I woke, I ate some half-cooked, salted boar meat, washed down
with water and followed by a small mug of blood. Then it was back to my throne for more planning,
plotting and reports.
CHAPTER TWO
I SNAPPED out of sleep to the sound of screaming.
Jerking awake, I fell out of my hammock, on to the hard, cold floor of my rocky cell. My hand
automatically darted for the short sword which I kept strapped by my side at all times. Then the fog of
sleep cleared and I realized it was only Harkat, having a nightmare.
Harkat Mulds was a Little Person, a short creature who wore blue robes and worked for Mr Tiny. He'd
been human once, though he didn't remember who he used to be, or when or where he lived. When he
died, his soul remained trapped on Earth, until Mr Tiny brought him back to life in a new, stunted body.
"Harkat," I mumbled, shaking him roughly. "Wake up. You're dreaming again."
Harkat had no eyelids, but his large green eyes dimmed when he was asleep. Now the light in them
flared and he moaned loudly, rolling out of his hammock, as I had moments before. "Dragons!" he
screamed, voice muffled by the mask he always wore — he wasn't able to breathe normal air for more
than ten or twelve hours, and without the mask he'd die. "Dragons!"
"No," I sighed. "You've been dreaming."
Harkat stared at me with his unnatural green eyes, then relaxed and tugged his mask down, revealing a
wide, grey, jagged gash of a mouth. "Sorry, Darren. Did I wake… you?"
"No," I lied. "I was up already."
I swung back on to my hammock and sat gazing at Harkat. There was no denying he was an ugly build
of a creature. Short and squat, with dead, grey skin, no visible ears or a nose — he had ears stitched
beneath the skin of his scalp, but was without a sense of smell or taste. He'd no hair, round, green eyes,
sharp little teeth and a dark grey tongue. His face had been stitched together, like Frankenstein's monster.
Of course, I was no model myself — few vampires were! My face, body and limbs were laced with
scars and burn marks, many picked up during my Trials of Initiation (which I'd passed at my second
attempt, two years ago). I was also as bald as a baby, as a result of my first set of Trials, when I'd been
badly burnt.
Harkat was one of my closest friends. He'd saved my life twice, when I was attacked by a wild bear on
the trail to Vampire Mountain, then in a fight with savage boars during my first, failed Trials of Initiation. It
bothered me to see him so disturbed by the nightmares which had been plaguing him for the last few
years.
"Was this nightmare the same as the others?" I asked.
"Yes," he nodded. "I was wandering in a vast wasteland. The sky was red. I was searching for
something but I didn't… know what. There were pits full of stakes. A dragon attacked. I fought it off
but… another appeared. Then another. Then…" He sighed miserably.
Harkat's speech had improved greatly since he'd first started speaking. In the beginning he'd had to
pause for breath after every two or three words, but he'd learnt to control his breathing technique and
now only stalled during long sentences.
"Were the shadow men there?" I asked. Sometimes he dreamt of shadowy figures who chased and
tormented him.
"Not this time," he said, "though I think they'd have appearedif you… hadn't woken me up." Harkat was
sweating — his sweat was a pale green colour — and his shoulders shook slightly. He suffered greatly in
his sleep, and stayed awake as long as he could, only sleeping four or five hours out of every
seventy-two.
"Want something to eat or drink?" I asked.
"No," he said. "Not hungry." He stood and stretched his burly arms. He was only wearing a cloth around
his waist, so I could see his smooth stomach and chest — Harkat had no nipples or belly button.
"It's good to see you," he said, pulling on his blue robes, which he'd never grown out of the habit of
wearing. "It's been ages since… we got together."
"I know," I groaned. "This war business is killing me, but I can't leave Paris to deal with it alone. He
needs me."
"How is Sire Skyle?" Harkat asked.
"Bearing up. But it's hard. So many decisions to make, so many troops to organize, so many vampires to
send to their death."
We were silent a while, thinking about the War of the Scars and the vampires — including some very
good friends of ours — who'd perished in it.
"How've you been?" I asked Harkat, shrugging off the morbid thoughts.
"Busy," he said. "Seba's working me harder all the time." After a few months of milling around Vampire
Mountain, Harkat had gone to work for the quartermaster — Seba Nile — who was in charge of
stocking and maintaining the Mountain's stores of food, clothes and weapons. Harkat started out moving
crates and sacks around, but he'd learnt quickly about supplies and how to keep up with the needs of the
vampires, and now served as Seba's senior assistant.
"Do you have to return to the Hall of Princes soon?" Harkat asked. "Seba would like to see you. He
wants to show you… some spiders." The mountain was home to thousands of arachnids, known as
Ba'Halen's spiders.
"I have to go back," I said regretfully, "but I'll try to drop by soon."
"Do," Harkat said seriously. "You look exhausted. Paris is not the only one who… needs rest."
Harkat had to leave shortly afterwards to prepare for the arrival of a group of Generals. I lay in my
hammock and stared at the dark rock ceiling, unable to get back to sleep. This was the cell Harkat and
me had first shared when we came to Vampire Mountain. I liked this tiny cubbyhole — it was the closest
thing I had to a bedroom — but rarely got to see much of it. Most of my nights were spent in the Hall of
Princes, and the few free hours I had by day were normally passed eating or exercising.
I ran a hand over my bald head while I was resting and thought back over my Trials of Initiation. I'd
sailed through them the second time. I didn't have to take them — as a Prince, I was under no obligation
— but I wouldn't have felt rightif I hadn't. By passing the Trials, I'd proved myself worthy of being a
vampire.
Apart from the scars and burns, I hadn't changed much in the last six years. As a half-vampire, I only
aged one year for every five that passed. I was a bit taller than when I left the Cirque Du Freak with Mr
Crepsley, and my features had thickened and matured slightly. But I wasn't a full-vampire and wouldn't
change vastly until I became one. As a full-vampire I'd be much stronger. I'd also be able to heal cuts
with my spit, breathe out a gas which could knock people unconscious, and communicate telepathically
with other vampires. Plus I'd be able to flit, which is a super-fast speed vampires can attain. On the down
side, I'd be vulnerable to sunlight and couldn't move about during the day.
But all that lay far ahead. Mr Crepsley hadn't said anything about when I'd be fully blooded, but I
gathered it wouldn't happen until I was an adult. That was ten or fifteen years away — my body was still
that of a teenager — so I had loads of time to enjoy (or endure) my extended childhood.
I lay relaxing for another half hour, then got up and dressed. I'd taken to wearing light blue clothes,
trousers and a tunic, covered by a long, regal-looking robe. My right thumb snagged on the arm of the
tunic as I was pulling it on, as it often did — I'd broken the thumb six years ago and it still stuck out at an
awkward angle.
Taking care not to rip the fabric on my extra tough nails — which could gouge holes in soft rock — I
freed my thumb and finished dressing. I pulled on a pair of light shoes and ran a hand over my head to
make sure I hadn't been bitten by ticks. They'd popped up all over the mountain recently, annoying
everyone. Then I made my way back to the Hall of Princes for another long night of tactics and debate.
CHAPTER THREE
THE DOORS to the Hall of Princes could only be opened by a Prince, by laying a hand on the doors or
touching a panel on the thrones inside the Hall. Nothing could breach the walls of the Hall, which had
been built by Mr Tiny and his Little People centuries before.
The Stone of Blood was housed in the Hall, and was of vital importance. It was a magical artefact. Any
vampire who came to the mountain (most of the three thousand vampires in the world had made the trek
at least once) laid their hands on the Stone and let it absorb some of their blood. The Stone could then be
used to track that vampire down. So, if Mr Crepsley wanted to know where Arrow was, he had only to
lay his hands on the Stone and think about him, and within seconds he'd have a fix on the Prince. Or, if he
thought of an area, the Stone would tell him how many vampires were there.
I couldn't use the Stone of Blood to search for others — only full-vampires were able to do that — but I
could be traced through it, since it had taken blood from me when I became a Prince.
If the Stone ever fell into the hands of the vampaneze, they could use it to track down all the vampires
who'd bonded with it. Hiding from them would be impossible. They'd annihilate us. Because of this
danger, some vampires wanted to destroy the Stone of Blood — but there was a legend that it could
save us in our hour of greatest need.
I was thinking about all this while Paris used the Stone of Blood to manoeuvre troops in the field. As
reports reached us of vampaneze positions, Paris used the Stone to check where his Generals were, then
communicated telepathically with them, giving them orders to move from place to place. It was this which
drained him so deeply. Others could have used the Stone, but as a Prince, Paris's word was law, and it
was quicker for him to deliver the orders himself.
While Paris focused on the Stone, Mr Crepsley and me spent much of our time putting field reports
together and building up a clear picture of the movements of the vampaneze. Many other Generals were
also doing this, but it was our job to take their findings, sort through them, pick out the more important
nuggets, and make suggestions to Paris. We had loads of maps, with pins stuck in to mark the positions
of vampires and vampaneze.
Mr Crepsley had been intently studying a map for ten minutes, and he looked worried. "Have you seen
this?" he asked eventually, summoning me over.
I stared at the map. There were three yellow flags and two red flags stuck close together around a city.
We used five main colours to keep track of things. Blue flags for vampires. Yellow for vampaneze. Green
for vampaneze strongholds — cities and towns which they defended like bases. White flags were stuck in
places where we'd won fights. Red flags where we'd lost.
"What am I looking for?" I asked, staring at the yellow and red flags. My eyes were bleary from lack of
sleep and too much concentrating on maps and poorly scrawled reports.
"The name of the city," Mr Crepsley said, running a fingernail over it.
The name meant nothing to me at first. Then my head cleared. "That's your original home," I muttered. It
was the city where Mr Crepsley had lived when he was human. Twelve years ago, he'd returned, taking
me and Evra Von — a snake-boy from the Cirque Du Freak — with him, to stop a mad vampaneze
called Murlough, who'd gone on a killing spree.
"Find the reports," Mr Crepsley said. There was a number on each flag, linking it to reports in our files,
so we knew exactly what each flag represented. After a few minutes, I found the relevant sheets of paper
and quickly scanned them.
"Of the vampaneze seen there," I muttered, "two were heading into the city. The other was leaving. The
first red flag's from a year ago — four Generals were killed in a large clash with several vampaneze."
"And the second red flag marks the spot where Staffen Irve lost two of his men," Mr Crepsley said. "It
was when I was adding this flag to the map that I noticed the degree of activity around the city."
"Do you think it means anything?" I asked. It was unusual for so many vampaneze to be sighted in one
location.
"I am not sure," he said. "The vampaneze may have made a base there, but I do not see why — it is out
of the way of their other strongholds."
"We could send someone to check," I suggested.
He considered that, then shook his head. "We have already lost too many Generals there. It is not a
strategically important site. Best to leave it alone."
Mr Crepsley rubbed the long scar which divided the flesh on the left side of his face and went on staring
at the map. He'd cut his orange crop of hair tighter than usual — most vampires were cutting their hair
short, because of the ticks — and he looked almost bald in the strong light of the Hall.
"It bothers you, doesn't it?" I noted.
He nodded. "If theyhave set up a base, they must be feeding on the humans. I still consider it home, and
I do not like to think of my spiritual neighbours and relations suffering at the hands of the vampaneze."
"We could send in a team to flush them out."
He sighed. "That would not be fitting. I would be putting personal considerations before the welfare of
the clan. If I ever get out in the field, I shall check on the situation myself, but there is no need to send
others."
"What are the odds on you and me ever getting out of here?" I asked wryly. I didn't enjoy fighting, but
after six years cooped up inside the mountain, I'd have given my fingernails for a few nights out in the
open, even if it meant taking on a dozen vampaneze single-handed.
"The way things stand — poor," Mr Crepsley admitted. "I think we will be stuck here until the end of the
war. If one of the other Princes suffers a serious injury and withdraws from battle, we might have to
replace him. Otherwise…" He drummed his fingers on the map and grimaced.
"Youdon't have to stay," I said quietly. "There are plenty of others who could guide me."
He barked a laugh. "There are plenty who would steer you," he agreed, "but how many would clip you
around the ear if you made an error?"
"Not many," I chuckled.
"They think of you as a Prince," he said, "whereas I still think of you first and foremost as a meddlesome
little brat with apenchant for stealing spiders."
"Charming!" I huffed. I knew he was kidding — Mr Crepsley always treated me with the respect my
position deserved — but there was some truth to his teasing. There was a special bond between Mr
Crepsley and me, like between a father and son. He could say things to me that no other vampire would
dare. I'd be lost without him.
Placing the map of Mr Crepsley's former home to one side, we returned to the more important business
of the night, little dreaming of the events which would eventually lead us back to the city of Mr Crepsley's
youth, or the awful confrontation with evil that awaited us there.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE HALLS and tunnels of Vampire Mountain were buzzing with excitement — Mika Ver Leth had
returned after an absence of five years, and the rumour was that he had news of the Vampaneze Lord! I
was in my cell, resting, when word broke. Wasting no time, I pulled on my clothes and hurried to the Hall
of Princes at the top of the mountain, to check if the stories were true.
Mika was talking with Paris and Mr Crepsley when I arrived, surrounded by a pack of Generals eager
for news. He was clad entirely in black, as was his custom, and his hawklike eyes seemed darker and
grimmer than ever. He raised one gloved hand in salute when he saw me pushing my way forward. I
stood to attention and saluted back. "How's the cub Prince?" he asked with a quick, tight grin.
"Not bad," I replied, studying him for signs of injury — many who returned to Vampire Mountain carried
the scars of battle. But although Mika looked tired, he hadn't been visibly wounded. "What about the
Vampaneze Lord?" I asked directly. "According to the gossip, you know where he is."
Mika grimaced. "If only!" Looking around, he said, "Shall we assemble? Ihave news, but I'd rather
announce it to the Hall in general." Everyone present made straight for their seats. Mika settled on his
throne and sighed contentedly. "It's good to be back," he said, patting the arms of the hard chair. "Has
Seba been taking good care of my coffin?"
"To the vampaneze with your coffin!" a General shouted, momentarily forgetting his place. "What news
of the Vampaneze Lord?"
Mika ran a hand through his jet-black hair. "First, let's make it clear — I don't know where he is." A
groan spread through the Hall. "But I've had word of him," Mika added, and all ears pricked up at that.
"Before I begin," Mika said, "do you know about the latest vampaneze recruits?" Everybody looked
blank. "The vampaneze have been adding to their ranks since the start of the war, blooding more humans
than usual, to drive their numbers up."
"This is old news," Paris murmured. "There are far fewer vampaneze than vampires in the world. We
expected them to blood recklessly. It is nothing to worry about — we still outnumber them greatly."
摘要：

THESAGAOFDARRENSHANBOOK7HUNTERSOFTHEDUSKByDarrenShanTHESAGAOFDARRENSHAN: 1CirqueDuFreak2TheVampire'sAssistant3TunnelsofBlood4VampireMountain5TrialsofDeath6TheVampirePrince7HuntersoftheDuskDARRENSHANHUNTERSOFTHEDUSKTHESAGAOFDARRENSHANBOOK7CollinsAnimprintofHarperCollinsPublishersHuntforDarrenShanonth...

展开>> 收起<<
Darren Shan - Cirque Du Freak 07 - Hunters Of The Dusk.pdf

共83页,预览17页

还剩页未读， 继续阅读

声明：本站为文档C2C交易模式，即用户上传的文档直接被用户下载，本站只是中间服务平台，本站所有文档下载所得的收益归上传人(含作者)所有。玖贝云文库仅提供信息存储空间，仅对用户上传内容的表现方式做保护处理，对上载内容本身不做任何修改或编辑。若文档所含内容侵犯了您的版权或隐私，请立即通知玖贝云文库，我们立即给予删除！

相关推荐

更多
立即下载
分类：外语学习 价格：5.9玖币 属性：83 页 大小：270.2KB 格式：PDF 时间：2024-12-24

开通VIP享超值会员特权

  • 多端同步记录
  • 高速下载文档
  • 免费文档工具
  • 分享文档赚钱
  • 每日登录抽奖
  • 优质衍生服务

作者详情

相关内容

更多

热门标签

人际关系 动力学连接体 力的合成 配电装置 高考理综 全宋诗作者索引 公务员考试
/ 83
评分 收藏
分享
立即下载 VIP免费下载
客服
关注