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MR CREPSLEY, GAVNER, AND STREAK had been checking a maze of cliff-top tunnels when they heard faint echoes of the fight They raced back, arriving fifteen minutes or so after I’d killed the bear They were stunned when I explained what happened and told them about Harkat Mulds The Little Person had replaced his robes and hood, and when they asked hito say anything Then he nodded and croaked, "Yes" Gavner actually jumped back a few steps when he heard the Little Person speak Mr Crepsley shook his head, amazed "We will discuss this later," he said "First there is the bear to deal with" He crouched beside the dead bear and studied it from top to bottom "Describe how it attacked you," he said, and I told hie attack "It makes no sense" Mr Crepsley frowned "Bears do not behave in such a fashion unless agitated or starving It was not hunger that motivated it - look at its round sto to upset it"

"It was foa at the mouth," I said "I think it had rabies"

"We shall soon see" The vampire used his sharp nails to cut open the bear’s belly He stuck his nose close to the cut and sniffed the blood that was oozing out After a few seconds he made a face and stood up

"Well?" Gavner asked

"The bear was insane," Mr Crepsley said, "but not with rabies - it had consuasped

"I am not sure," Mr Crepsley replied, then looked up at the sky "We have time before dawn We will trace this bear’s trail and perhaps learnthe way"

"What about the dead Little Person?" Gavner asked "Should we bury him?"

"Do you want to bury hi my earlier question

Harkat Mulds shook his head "Not really"

"Then leave hiers and birds will pick his bones clean We do not have time to waste"

The path of the bear was easy to follow - even an untrained tracker like s

Night was co to a close as we pulled up at a small mound of stones and found what had driven the bear mad Half-buried underneath the stones was a purple body with a red head of hair - a vampaneze!

"By the way his skull is crushed, hethe deadhim up See the chunks that have been bitten out of hi holes in the vampaneze’s belly "That is what drove it mad - the blood of vampaneze and vampires is poisonous Had you not killed it, it would have died in another night or two anyway"

"So that’s where our runted "No wonder we couldn’t find him"

"We don’t have to worry about hihed

"Quite the contrary," Mr Crepsley snapped "We have more reason to worry now than before"

"Why?" I asked "He’s dead, isn’t he?"

"He is," Mr Crepsley agreed, then pointed to the stones which had been laid over the vampaneze "But who buried hi branches and leaves to make a shelter where the vampires could sleep, safe from the sun Once they were inside, Harkat and me sat by the entrance and the Little Person told his incredible story The wolves had gone off hunting, except for Rudi, who curled up in my lap and dozed

"Mywasn’t easy for him and he had to pause for breath a lot "Much is clouded I will tell you what I rehost"

Our jaws dropped

"A ghost!" Mr Crepsley shouted "Absurd!"

"Absolutely," Gavner agreed with a grin "Vahosts, do we, Larten?"

Before Mr Crepsley could reply, Harkat corrected hihost All Little People were ghosts Until they agreed to terms with Mr Tiny"

"I don’t understand," Gavner said "Agreed to what terms? How?"