He grinned slyly, then shook his head. "With hands like these?" He waved the hooks at me. "They're good for chopping and slicing and gutting, but not for writing. I played my part to get you down here, but it was one with a lot more cunning than me who dreamt the plan up."
"I don't understand," Vancha interrupted. "Who is this lunatic?"
"It's a long story," I said. "I'll tell you later."
"Optimistic to the last," Vancha chuckled.
I stepped closer to R.V., ignoring the threat of the vampaneze and vampets, until I was only a metre or so away. I studied his face silently. He fidgeted but didn't back off. "What happened to you?" I asked, appalled. "You loved life. You were gentle and kind. You were a vegetarian!"
"Not any more," R.V. chuckled. "I eat plenty of meat now and I like it bloody!" His smile faded. "You happened to me, you and your band of freaks. You ruined my life, man. I wandered the world, alone, frightened, defenceless, until the vampaneze took me in. They gave me strength. They equipped me with new hands. In turn, I helped give them you."
I shook my head sadly. "You're wrong. They haven't made you strong. They've turned you into an abomination."
His face darkened. "Take that back! Take that back or I'll-"
"Before this goes any further," Vancha interrupted dryly, "could I ask one more question? It's my final one." R.V. stared at him in silence. "If you didn't set us up, who did?" R.V. said nothing. Nor did the other vampaneze. "Come on!" Vancha shouted. "Don't be shy. Who's the clever boy?"
The silence held a few moments more. Then, from behind us, somebody said in a soft, wicked voice, "I am."
I whirled around to see who'd spoken. So did Vancha, Harkat and Mr. Crepsley. But Debbie didn't whirl, because she was standing still, a knife pressed to the soft flesh of her throat. And Steve Leopard didn't whirl either, because he was standing beside her - holding the knife!
We gawped wordlessly at the pair. I blinked twice, slowly, thinking maybe that would restore sanity to the world. But it didn't. Steve was still there, holding his knife on Debbie, grinning darkly.
"Take off your gloves," Mr. Crepsley said, his voice strained. "Take them off and show us your hands."
Steve smiled knowingly, then put the fingertips of his left hand - which was wrapped around Debbie's throat - to his mouth, gripped the ends of the glove with his teeth, and pulled his hand free. The first thing my eyes went to was the cross carved into the flesh of his palm, the cross he'd made the night he vowed to track me down and kill me. Then my eyes slid from his palm to the end of his fingers, and I understood why Mr. Crepsley had asked him to remove the glove.
There were five small scars running along his fingertips - the sign that he was a creature of the night. But Steve hadn't been blooded by a vampire. He'd been blooded by one of the others. He was a half-vampaneze!
Chapter TWENTY
AS THE initial shock faded, a cold, dark hatred grew in the pit of my stomach. I forgot about the vampaneze and vampets and focused entirely on Steve. My best friend. The boy whose life I'd saved. The man I'd welcomed back with open arms. I'd vouched for him. Trusted him. Included him in our plans.
And all along he'd been plotting against us.
I would have gone for him there and then, and ripped him to pieces, except he was using Debbie as a shield. Fast as I was, I wouldn't be able to stop him slashing the knife across her throat. If I attacked, Debbie would die.
"I knew we could not trust him," Mr. Crepsley said, looking only slightly less wrathful than I felt. "Blood does not change. I should have killed him years ago."
"Don't be a sore loser," Steve laughed, pulling Debbie even tighter in to him.
"It was all a ploy, wasn't it?" Vancha noted. "The hooked one's attack and your rescue of Darren was staged."
"Of course," Steve smirked. "I knew where they were all along. I suckered them in, sending R.V. to this city to spread panic among the humans, knowing it would draw Creepy Crepsley back."
"How did you know?" Mr. Crepsley asked, astonished.
"Research," Steve said. "I found out all I could about you. I made you my life's work. It wasn't easy, but I traced you in the end. Found your birth certificate. Connected you to this place. I teamed up with my good friends, the vampaneze, during the course of my travels. They didn't reject me like you did. Through them I learnt that one of their brethren - poor, deranged Murlough - had gone missing here some years ago. Knowing what I did about you and your movements, it wasn't difficult to join the dots.
"What did happen with Murlough?" Steve asked. "Did you kill him or merely scare him off?"
Mr. Crepsley didn't answer. Nor did I.
"No matter," Steve said. "It's not important. But I figured that if you came back to help these people once, you'd do it again."
"Very clever," Mr. Crepsley snarled. His fingers were twitching like spider legs by his sides, and I knew he was itching to wrap them around Steve's throat.
"What I don't understand," Vancha remarked, "is what this lot are doing here." He nodded at Bargen and the other vampaneze and vampets. "Surely they're not here to assist you in your insane quest for revenge."
"Of course not," Steve said. "I'm just a humble half-vampaneze. It's not for me to command my betters. I told them about Murlough, which interested them, but they're here for other reasons, on someone else's say-so."
"Whose?" Vancha asked.
"That would be telling. And we aren't here to tell - we're here to kill!"
Behind us, the vampaneze and vampets advanced. Vancha, Mr. Crepsley and Harkat spun to face their challenge. I didn't. I couldn't tear my eyes away from Steve and Debbie. She was weeping, but holding herself steady, looking appealingly in my direction.
"Why?" I croaked.
"Why what?" Steve replied.
"Why do you hate us? We did nothing to hurt you."
"He said I was evil!" Steve howled, nodding at Mr. Crepsley, who didn't turn to remonstrate with him. "And you chose his side over mine. You set that spider on me and tried to kill me."
"No! I saved you. I gave up everything so that you could live."