Vancha blinked slowly. "You're saying I'll die whether we win or lose?" His voice was surprisingly steady.
"is destined to destroy you," Mr Tall replied. "I cannot say when or how it happens, but it will."
"Who's this Lord of the Shadows?" Harkat asked. I was the only person who'd been told about him. Evanna had warned me not to speak of it to anybody else.
"He's the cruel leader who will ruin the world after the War of the Scars," Mr Tall said.
"I don't get it," Harkat grumbled. "If we kill Steve, then there won't be a? Lord of the bloody Shadows."
"Oh, but there will," Mr Tall said. "The world is set to produce a monster of unimaginable power and fury. His coming is unavoidable. Only his identity is yet to be determined - and that will be decided shortly."
"The wasteworld," Harkat said sickly. "You mean, even if we kill Steve, that's what? the future will be? The desolate land where Darren and I found? out the truth about me - that's what lies? in store?"
Mr Tall hesitated, then nodded. "I could not tell you before. I have never spoken of matters such as this in the past. But we are at the time where no harm can come of revealing it, since nothing can be done to avert it. is upon us - within twenty-four hours he will be born, and all the world will tremble at his coming."
There was a long, stunned silence. Vancha, Harkat, Debbie and Alice were filled with confusion, especially the latter pair, who knew nothing of the wasteworld of the future.I was filled with fear. This was confirmation of all my worst nightmares. would rise regardless of what happened in the War of the Scars. And not only could I not prevent his coming - in one of the futures, I wouldbe him. Which meant, if we won the war, at some stage in the next fifty or sixty years, along with all the other lives I'd ruin, I would kill Vancha too. It seemed impossible. It sounded like a sick joke. But Evanna and Mr Tall both had the gift of reading the future - and both had told me the same thing.
"Let me get this straight," Vancha growled, breaking the silence and disrupting my train of thought. "No matter what happens between us and Steve Leonard - or in the war with the vampaneze - a Lord of the Shadows is going to come along and destroy the world?"
"Yes," Mr Tall said. "Humans are soon to lose control of this planet. The reins of power will be handed over. This is written. What remains to be seen is whether the reins pass to a vampaneze or? to a vampire." He didn't look at me when he said that. It might have been my imagination, but I got the feeling he had deliberately avoided making eye contact with me.
"But regardless of who wins, I'm for the chop?" Vancha pressed.
"Yes." Mr Tall smiled. "But do not fear death, Vancha, for it comes for us all." His smile dimmed. "For some of us, it comes very soon."
"What are you talking about?" Vancha snapped. "You're not part of this. No vampire or vampaneze would raise a hand against you."
"That might be true," Mr Tall chuckled, "but there are others in this world who do not hold me in such high esteem." He cocked his head sideways and his expression mellowed. "And to prove my point?"
A woman screamed. We all sprang to our feet and rushed to the door, except Mr Tall, who slowly rose behind us.
Alice was first to the door. Flinging it open, she dived out, drew a gun, rolled when she hit the ground, then came to her knees. Vancha was next. He leapt out, pulling a couple of shurikens free, jumping high to launch them from a height if he had to. I was third. I had no weapons, so I sprang over to where Alice was, guessing she'd be able to supply me with something. Harkat and Debbie moved at the same time, Harkat brandishing his axe, Debbie pulling a pistol like Alice's. Behind them, Mr Tall stood in the doorway, gazing up at the sky. Then he stepped down.
There was nobody in sight, but we heard another scream, this time a child's. Then a man gave a shout of panic - it was Evra.
"A weapon!" I yelled at Alice as she got to her feet. With one hand she reached down and produced a short hunting knife from a pouch on her left leg.
"Stay behind me," Alice commanded, homing in on the screams. "Vancha to my left, Debbie and Harkat to my right."
We obeyed the ex-chief inspector, fanned out and advanced. I could sense Mr Tall following, but I didn't look back.
A woman screamed again - Merla, Evra's wife.
People spilt out of the caravans and tents around us, performers and staff, eager to help. Mr Tall roared at them to keep out of this. His voice was thunderous and they quickly bolted back inside. I glanced over my shoulder, stunned by his fierceness. He smiled apologetically. "This is our fight, not theirs," he said by way of explanation.
The "our" surprised me - was Mr Tall finally abandoning his neutrality? - but I hadn't time to dwell upon it. Ahead of me, Alice had cleared the end of a tent and come into sight of the disturbance. A second later, I was on the scene too.
The Vons - except Lilia, who wasn't present - were under attack. Their assailants - R.V., Morgan James and Steve Leopard's son, Darius! R.V. had killed Evra's snake and was in the process of chopping up Shancus's. Evra was fighting with the hook-handed madman, trying to drag him off. Shancus was in a wrestling lock with Darius. Merla had hold of Urcha, who was gripping his snake for dear life, sobbing pitifully. They were backing away from Morgan James. He was following slowly, smiling a jagged half-faced smile, red circles of blood highlighting his evil little eyes. The nose of his rifle was aimed at Merla's stomach.
Vancha reacted quickest. He sent a shuriken flying at Morgan James's rifle, knocking it off-target. James's finger tightened on the trigger at the contact and the rifle exploded - but the bullet shot wide. Before he could fire again, Merla released Urcha, ripped her right ear loose, and sent it flying at James's face. The ear struck him between the eyes and he fell back, grunting with surprise.
Alerted to our presence, R.V. knocked Evra out of the way and drove after Shancus. He grabbed him from Darius and held him up, laughing, daring us to risk the snake-boy's life.