HE MADE GOOD TIME through the rest of the briar patch, taking no notice of the cutting thorns. On the far side we stopped to get dressed, then hurried on without pause. There was a way station nearby that Mr. Crepsley was determined to reach before dawn. The journey would normally have taken several hours, but we made it in two. Once inside and secure, the vampires fell into a heated discussion. They'd never encountered evidence of vampaneze activity in this part of the world before - there was a treaty between the two clans, preventing such acts of trespass.
"Maybe it's a mad wanderer," Gavner suggested.
"Even the most insane vampaneze knows better than to come here," Mr. Crepsley disagreed.
"What other explanation could there be?" Gavner asked.
Mr. Crepsley considered the problem. "He could be a spy."
"You think the vampaneze would risk war?" Gavner sounded doubtful. "What could they learn that would justify such a gamble?"
"Maybe it's us they're after," I said quietly. I didn't want to interrupt but felt like I had to.
"What do you mean?" Gavner asked.
"Maybe they found out about Murlough."
Gavner's face went pale and Mr. Crepsley's eyes narrowed. "How could they have?" he snapped.
"Mr. Tiny knew," I reminded him.
"Mr. Tiny knows about Murlough?" Gavner hissed.
Mr. Crepsley nodded slowly. "But even if he told the vampaneze, how would they know we were coming this way? We could have chosen any number of paths. They could not have predicted our route."
"Maybe they're covering all the paths," Gavner said.
"No," Mr. Crepsley said confidently. "It is too farfetched. Whatever the vampaneze's reason for being here, I am sure it has nothing to do with us."
"I hope you're right," Gavner grumbled, unconvinced.
We discussed it some more, including the question of whether the vampaneze had killed the vampire in the previous way station, then grabbed a few hours of sleep, taking turns to remain on watch. I barely slept because I was worrying about being attacked by the purple-faced killers.
When night came, Mr. Crepsley said we shouldn't go any farther until we were sure the way was safe. "We cannot risk running into a pack of vampaneze," he said. "We will scout the area, make sure we are not in danger, then carry on as before."
"Do we have time to go scouting?" Gavner asked.
"We must make time," Mr. Crepsley insisted. "Better to waste a few nights than run into a trap."
I stayed in the cave while they went scouting. I didn't want to - I kept thinking about what had happened to that other vampire - but they said I'd be in the way if I came - a vampaneze would hear me coming a hundred yards away.
The Little People, she-wolves, and cub stayed with me. Streak went with the vampires - the wolves sensed the vampaneze presence before we did, so it would be helpful to have one along.
It was lonely without the vampires and Streak. The Little People were aloof like always - they spent a lot of the day sewing their blue robes back into shape - and the she-wolves lay out and snoozed. Only the cub provided me with company. We spent hours playing together, in the cave and among the trees of a nearby small forest. I called the cub Rudi, after Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, because he liked to rub his cold nose into my back while I was asleep.
I caught a couple of squirrels in the forest and cooked them, so they were ready in the morning when the vampires returned. I served hot berries and roots with them - Mr. Crepsley had taught me which wild foods were safe to eat. Gavner thanked me for the food, but Mr. Crepsley was distant and didn't say much. They'd discovered no further trace of the vampaneze, and that worried them - a mad vampaneze couldn't have covered his tracks so expertly. That meant we were dealing with one - or more - in full control of his senses.
Gavner wanted to flit ahead to consult with the other vampires, but Mr. Crepsley wouldn't let him - the laws against flitting on the way to Vampire Mountain were more important than our safety, he insisted.
It was strange how Gavner went along with most of what Mr. Crepsley said. As a General, he could have ordered us to do whatever he pleased. But I'd never seen him pull rank on Mr. Crepsley. Maybe it was because Mr. Crepsley had once been a General of high ranking. He'd been on the verge of becoming a Vampire Prince when he quit. Maybe Gavner still considered Mr. Crepsley his superior.
After a full day's sleep, the vampires set off to scout the land ahead again. If the way was clear, we'd start back on the trail to Vampire Mountain the next night.
I ate a small breakfast, then Rudi and me headed down to the forest to play. Rudi loved being away from the adult wolves. He was able to explore freely, with no one to snap at him or cuff him around the head if he misbehaved. He tried climbing trees but was too short for most. Finally he found one with low-hanging branches and he clambered halfway up. Once there, he looked down and whimpered.
"Come on," I laughed. "You're not that high up. You don't need to be afraid." He ignored me and went on whimpering. Then he bared his fangs and growled.
I stepped closer, puzzled by his behavior. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Are you stuck? Do you want help?" The cub yapped. He sounded genuinely frightened. "Okay, Rudi," I said, "I'm coming up to -"
I was silenced by a bone-shattering roar. Turning, I saw a huge, dark bear lurching over the top of a snowdrift. It landed heavily, shook its snout, snarled, fixed its gaze on me - then lunged, teeth flashing, claws exposed, hell-bent on tearing me apart!