I decided to do the act with Madam Octa - Mr. Crepsley's spider - by myself. I was totally able to handle her. Besides, it was fun to take over from Mr. Crepsley. I'd been on stage with him a bunch of times, but always as his sidekick.
I went on after Hans Hands - a man who could run a hundred yards on his hands in less that eight seconds - and had great fun. The audience cheered, and later I sold a bunch of candy spiders to clamoring customers.
I hung out with Evra after the show. I told him about Gavner Purl and asked what he knew about Vampire Generals.
"Not much," he said. "I know they exist, but I've never met one."
"What about the Council?" I asked.
"I think that's a huge meeting they have every ten or fifteen years," he said. "A big conference where they get together and discuss things."
That was all he could tell me.
A few hours before dawn, while Evra was tending to his snake, Gavner Purl appeared from Mr. Crepsley's van - the vampire preferred to sleep in the basements of buildings, but there had been no suitable rooms in the old mill - and asked me to walk with him awhile.
The Vampire General walked slowly, rubbing the scars on his face, like Mr. Crepsley did a lot when he was thinking.
"Do you enjoy being a half-vampire, Darren?" he asked.
"Not really," I answered honestly. "I've gotten used to it, but I was happier as a human."
He nodded. "You know that you will age at only a fifth of the human rate? You've resigned yourself to a long childhood? It doesn't bother you?"
"It bothers me," I said. "I used to look forward to growing up. It bugs me that it's going to take so long. But there's nothing I can do about it. I'm stuck, aren't I?"
"Yes," he sighed. "That's the problem with blooding a person: there's no way to take the vampire blood back. It's why we don't blood children: we only want people who know what they're getting into, who wish to abandon their humanity. Larten shouldn't have blooded you. It was a mistake."
"Is that why he was talking about being judged?" I asked.
Gavner nodded. "He'll have to account for his error," he said. "He'll have to convince the Generals and Princes that what he did won't harm them. If he can't..." Gavner looked grim.
"Will he be killed?" I asked softly.
Gavner smiled. "I doubt it. Larten is widely respected. His wrists will be slapped, but I don't think anybody will look for his head."
"Why didn't you judge him?" I asked.
"All Generals have the right to pass judgment on nonranked vampires," he said. "But Larten's an old friend. It's best for a judge to be unbiased. Even if he'd committed a real crime, I would have found it hard to punish him. Besides, Larten's no ordinary vampire. He used to be a General."
"Really?" I stared at Gavner Purl, stunned by the news.
"An important one, too," Gavner said. "He was on the verge of being voted a Vampire Prince when he stepped down."
"A prince?" I asked skeptically. It was hard to imagine Mr. Crepsley with a crown and royal cape.
"That's what we call our leaders," Gavner said. "There are very few of them. Only the noblest and most respected vampires are elected."
"And Mr. Crepsley almost became one?" I said. Gavner nodded. "What happened?" I asked. "How did he end up traveling with the Cirque Du Freak?"
"He resigned," Gavner said. "He was a couple of years shy of being ordained - we call the process of Prince-making an ordination - when one night he declared he was sick of the business and wanted nothing more to do with the Generals."
"Why?" I asked.
Gavner shrugged. "Nobody knows. Larten never gave much away. Maybe he just got tired of the fighting and killing."
I wanted to ask who it was the Vampire Generals had to fight, but at that moment we passed the last of the town houses and Gavner Purl smiled and stretched his arms.
"A clear run." He grunted happily.
"You're leaving?" I asked.
"Have to," he said. "A General's schedule is a busy one. I only dropped by because it was on my way. I'd like to stay and chat over old times with Larten, but I can't. Anyway, I think Larten will be on the move soon himself."
My ears perked up. "Where's he going?" I asked.
Gavner shook his head and grinned. "Sorry. He'd scalp me alive if I told. I've already said more than I should. You won't tell him I told you about his being a General, will you?"
"Not if you don't want me to," I said.
"Thanks." Gavner crouched down and faced me. "Larten's a pain in the butt sometimes. He plays his cards too close to his chest, and getting information out of him can be like prying teeth from a shark. But he's a good vampire, one of the best. You couldn't hope for a better teacher. Trust him, Darren, and you won't go wrong."
"I'll try." I smiled.
"This can be a dangerous world for vampires," Gavner said softly. "More dangerous than you know. Stick with Larten and you'll be in a better position to survive than many of our kind. You don't live as long as he has without learning more than your fair share of tricks."
"How old is she?" I asked.
"I'm not sure," Gavner said. "I think about a hundred and eighty or two hundred."
"How old are you?" I asked.
"I'm a whippersnapper," he said. "Barely past the hundred mark."
"A hundred years old!" I whistled softly.
"That's nothing for a vampire," Gavner said. "I was barely nineteen when first blooded and only twenty-two when I became a full vampire. I could live to be a good five hundred years old, the gods of the vampires permitting."
"Five hundred!" I couldn't imagine being so old.
"Picture trying to blow out the candles on that cake!" Gavner chuckled. Then he stood. "I must be off. I have fifty miles to make before dawn. I'll have to slip into overdrive." He grimaced. "I hate flitting. I always feel sick afterward."
"Will I see you again?" I asked.
"Probably," he replied. "The world's a small place. I'm sure our paths will cross again one fine, gloomy night." He shook my hand. "So long, Darren Shan."
"Until next time, Gavner Purl," I said.
"Next time," he agreed, and then he was off. He took several deep breaths and started to jog. After a while he broke into a sprint. I stood where I was, watching him run, until he hit flitting speed and disappeared in the blink of an eye, at which point I turned and headed back to camp.
I found Mr. Crepsley in his van. He was sitting by the window (it was completely covered with strips of dark sticky tape, to block out the sun during the day), staring moodily off into space.
"Gavner's gone," I said.
"Yes," he sighed.
"He didn't stay long," I remarked.
"He is a Vampire General," Mr. Crepsley said. "His time is not his own."
"I liked him."