Prologue, Chapter One, Chapter Two and Chapter Three Summary

Darren Shan, a young half-Vampire prince leaves the Hall of Princes on a mission to find the leader of the Vampaneze and stop him from annihilating the Vampires. Along the way he and his companions encounter a sorceress who tells them they will have four chances to defeat the Vampaneze Lord. The sorceress also tells the group that if they fail to kill the Vampaneze Lord only one of their group will remain alive to witness the fall of the Vampires.

In the Prologue, Darren Shan, the narrator of the story says that he was a human boy who became fascinated with a performing tarantula that belonged to a Vampire. He is caught and loses his humanity to become a half-Vampire. He now resides in the Vampire Mountain and...