Shan, Darren - Cirque Du Freak 07 - Hunters Of The Dusk

She was extraordinarily hairy. Her arms and legs were covered with black hair; her eyebrows were two large caterpillars; bushy hair grew out of her ears and nostrils; she had a fairly full beard, and her moustache would have put Otto von Bismarck to shame.

Her fingers were surprisingly stubby. As a witch, I'd expected her to have bony claws, though I guess that's an image I got from books and comics I read when I was a child. Her nails were cut short, except for on the two little fingers, where they grew long and sharp.

She didn't wear traditional clothes, or animal hides like Vancha. Instead she dressed inropes . Long, thickly woven, yellow ropes, wrapped around her chest and lower body, leaving her arms, legs and stomach free.

I'd have found it hard to imagine a more fearsome, off-putting woman, and my insides gurgled uneasily as she shuffled towards us.

"Vampires!" she snorted, stepping through the ranks of frogs, which parted as she advanced. "Always ugly bloody vampires! Why don't handsome humans ever come a-calling?"

"They're probably afraid you'd eat them," Vancha laughed in reply, then stood and hugged her. She hugged back, hard, and lifted the Vampire Prince off his feet.

"My little Vancha," she cooed, as though cuddling a baby. "You've put on some weight, Sire."

"And you're uglier than ever, Lady," he grunted, gasping for breath.

"You're only saying that to please me," she giggled, then dropped him and turned to Mr Crepsley. "Larten," she nodded politely.

"Evanna," he replied, standing and bowing. Then, without warning, he kicked out at her. But, swift as he was, the witch was swifter. She grabbed his leg and twisted. He rolled over and collapsed flat on the ground. Before he could react, Evanna jumped on his back, grabbed his chin and pulled his head up sharply.

"Surrender?" she yelled.

"Yes!" he wheezed, face reddening — not with shame, but pain.

"Wise boy," she laughed, and kissed his forehead quickly.

Then she stood and studied Harkat and me, running a curious green eye over Harkat and a brown one over me.

"Lady Evanna," I said as warmly as I could, trying not to let my teeth chatter.

"It is good to meet you, Darren Shan," she replied. "You are welcome."

"Lady," Harkat said, bowing politely. He wasn't as nervous as me.

"Hello, Harkat," she said, returning Harkat's bow. "You are also welcome — as you were before."

"Before?" he echoed.

"This is not your first visit," she said. "You have changed in many ways, within and without, but I recognize you. I'm gifted that way. Appearances don't deceive me for long."

"You mean … you know who I was … before I became a Little Person?" Harkat asked, astonished. When Evanna nodded, he leant forward eagerly. "Who was I?"

The witch shook her head. "Can't say. That's for you to find out."

Harkat wanted to push the matter, but before he could, she fixed her gaze on me and stepped forward to cup my chin between several cold, rough fingers. "So this is the boy Prince," she murmured, turning my head left, then right. "I thought you would be younger."

"He was struck by the purge as we travelled here," Mr Crepsley informed her.

"That explains it." She hadn't let go of my face and still her eyes scanned me, as though probing for weakness.

"So," I said, feeling as though I should speak, saying the first thing that popped into my head, "you're a witch, are you?"

Mr Crepsley and Vancha groaned.

Evanna's nostrils flared and her head shot forward so our faces were millimetres apart. "Whatdid you call me?" she hissed.

"Um. Nothing. Sorry. I didn't mean it. I—"

"You two are to blame!" she roared, spinning away from me to face a wincing Mr Crepsley and Vancha March. "You told him I was a witch!"

"No, Evanna," Vancha said quickly.

"We told himnot to call you that," Mr Crepsley assured her.

"I should gut the pair of you," Evanna growled, cocking the little finger of her right hand at them. "I would, too, if Darren wasn't here — but I'd hate to make a bad first impression." Glowering hotly, she relaxed her little finger. Mr Crepsley and Vancha relaxed too. I could barely believe it. I'd seen Mr Crepsley face fully armed vampaneze without flinching, and was sure Vancha was every bit as composed in the face of great danger. Yet here they stood, trembling before a short, ugly woman with nothing more threatening than a couple of long fingernails!

I started to laugh at the vampires, but then Evanna whirled around and the laughter died on my lips. Her face had changed and she now looked more like an animal than a human, with a huge mouth and long fangs. I took a frightened step back. "Mind the frogs!" Harkat shouted, grabbing my arm to stop me stepping on one of the poisonous guards.