Chapter 4
It was easy to see that Darren enjoyed flitting just I did when I travelled with Seba. I watched the countryside go swiftly passed us and soon I reached the field closest to their location. It was tiring to flit so when we stopped I was panting for breath…
"Where's the Cirque Du Freak?" said Darren beside me, jumping off my back looking round the vacant area.
"A few kilometers further ahead!" I told him out of breath, pointing in the right direction. Darren suddenly noticed I was tired.
"Did you run out of steam?" he asked giggling, If he had said that to Seba as his assistant about fifty years ago Seba would have strangled him to death. But just laughed inwardly instead at the picture.
"No…" I replied, "I could have made it, but I did not want to arrive looking flushed!" I admitted, I could just imagine Hiberinus's face when I arrived, he would not have stopped talking about it and winding me up…!
"Well you'd better not rest long!" said Darren smirking, "Morning's on it's way…"
"I KNOW PRECISELY WHAT TIME IT IS!" I growled at him, "I know more about mornings and dawns than any living human! We have plenty of time on our side…" I told him and Darren smirked.
"If you say so…" he snorted.
"I DO!" I insisted and now I stood, annoyed with Darren for putting me out of my good and - once I thought - unbreakable mood and yet also annoyed with myself for loosing my patience over a little comment.
I started to walk forward and Darren decided to run forward in front of me, a smile on his face.
"Hurry up old man!" He called with a smirk, which added to my rage, "You're getting left behind!"
I would have growled at him again but then I realized that for the first time in a long time Darren Shan, my assistant actually looked like a human, his eyes were wide with amusement, like the 12 year old he once was, not the vampire he'd recently become. I had never seen him look this way but only when he had seen Madam Octa for the first time…
"Keep it up!" I replied softly, replying as though I was annoyed though really glad he was happier, "See what it gets you a clip round the ear and a boot up the pants!"
I started trotting after the kid after a few minutes and soon we were running side by side to my home from home. On the way to the Cirque we passed some road campers who were protesting by the look of it. I would never what they said on the flyers and banners because I am illiterate.
A moment later we saw the Cirque settled beside the banks of a small river. It was quiet here because it was almost dawn and so the performers and helpers would mostly be sleeping.
Slowly we walked between the camper vans and tents, and as I did saw the small boy behind me was suddenly unnaturally nervous. I kept walking and then noticed that quite a few vans were missing but did not think much of it as I stopped in front of Mr Tall's van and rapt my knuckles against the door. Almost as though he was expecting us my old guardian stood there, towering over both of us.
"Oh it's you…" droned Mr Tall and I couldn't help but smirk inwardly at his unemotional welcome, even though in all my experience with the man it was obvious he was glad to see us. He looked Darren who was shaking with fright.
"I see you've brought the boy…" he muttered. I sighed as I heard the comment. He knew who Darren was even though I had not told him why I had left the Cirque in such an unlikely fashion only 2 and a half months ago to carry out my now almost insane plan of blooding him. I ignored his comment and looked up.
"May we come in?" I said as politely as I could,
"Of course…What is one to say to you vampires?" He said with a grin, "enter at your own free will?"
With that in my mind I smiled since the comment was the usual welcome between us ever since I met Seba, now that had been an embarrassing experience…I felt like a prize idiot afterwards but no one could have prepared me for my curious questions.
"Oh Larten before you go—" said a voice, I turned my head, looking at Mr Tall who had spoken above me, at the time an 20 year old human with an eye for adventure. I had supposed to be going to deliver flyers but Mr Tall seemed to have other plans.
Mr Tall opened it just as someone began to knock and there, as the sky cried around us was a man in a dark red cloak—his brown hair cropped and littered with grey streaks. He saw Mr Tall and smiled.
"I see you saw me coming Hiberinus…!" He crowed in delight, and Mr Tall let him in without question shaking his hand and offering a chair to him when he would never have let any of us do the same.
"Larten—this is Seba Nile…" he said waving a hand in Mr Nile's direction and then smiling at Seba he gestured to me. "This lazy brat here is Larten Crepsley—"
"I am not lazy!" I muttered in anger—hating how Mr Tall would call me that, my announcement made the two older men smile even more. Seba offered out his hand and I took it, as I did I saw that Seba had ten scars on each of his fingertips but of course by then I knew nothing of vampires but the fact the Seba was one. The Cirque owner had told me before about this Seba Nile was a vampire…and I wandered that maybe that was why Hiberinus was being so kind to him?
"It is good to meet you at last Master Larten, Hiberinus here speaks very highly of you…" said Seba and I felt like blushing but my question came to mind and so I decided to ask it.
"Mr Tall—why didn't you ask Mr Nile in—Is it because vampires are rendered powerless that way?"
The two men nearly laughed their heads off, I think Mr Tall was close to tears, he wiped them away before answering what I had thought had been a simply curious question.
"Seba is my friend Larten—so I would let him in without invitation…just as I would let any other friend of mine. Like you, you are always coming in here and entering at your own free will!"
Looking back to the present I looked at Hiberinus and grinned in reply, "Something like that!" I said and with that in mind he lead us through to his bare cabin, where I could see the smirk on his white face and the laughable expression of Darren's.
"I didn't expect you so soon Larten…" admitted Mr Tall as he sat down.
"A swift return was not on the agenda Hiberinus…" I told him.
"Did you run into trouble?" My old guardian asked.
"No…" I said truthfully. "Darren was not happy, I decided he would be better off here among those of his own kind.
Mr Tall gave me a meaningful glance and then he turned to Darren. "You have come a long way since I saw you last Darren Shan…" I watched Darren frown at him in return.
"I preferred it where it was…" Darren grunted.
"Then why did you leave?" asked Mr Tall and Darren glared at him in reply.
"YOU KNOW WHY!" Darren said coldly and with a clearing of my throat I turned to Mr Tall. "Is it ok if we stay?"
Mr Tall nodded, "Ofcourse," he said, "Delighted to have you back actually. We are a bit understaffed at the moment. Alexander Ribs, Sive and Seersa and Gertha Teeth are off on holiday or business. Cormac Limbs is on his way to join us, but is late getting here. Larten Crepsley and his amazing performing spider will be an invaluable addition to the line up!"
I smiled to myself. I would be performing again very soon…"Thank you!" I told him and then I watched Darren pipe up.
"What about me?" he asked.
Mr Tall smiled, "You are less valuable." He said, "but welcome all the same."
Darren snorted but said nothing.
Mr Tall told us where we were playing—right here in the middle of no where. As I figured Darren asked about this and kept asking curious questions but Mr Tall seemed to have more patience that I.
"It's the middle of nowhere! I thought you only played in towns and cities where you get big audiences!"
"We always get big audiences; no matter where we play people will come. Usually we stick to more populated areas but our best performers are missing as our certain members of our company—"
As soon as Mr Tall said that I realized what tents were missing, the little people weren't here in their dark blue tent…which meant they had left and to my regret would be coming back with their leader Mr Tiny…But I would worry about that monstrous being another time. I changed the subject before Darren could ask another question.
"We passed a road camp on our way" I said, "Are they causing any problems…?"
He laughed "The foot soldiers of NOP?" he said and smirked, "There too busy defending rocks to interfere with us!"
"What's NOP?" Darren asked.
"Nature's Opposing Protectors…" Mr Tall explained with a sarcastic grin on his features. "They're Eco Warriors…they go around the country trying to stop new roads and bridges being built…"
"Are they real warriors? Do they have guns grenades and tanks?" said the boy and to his anger and our joy I could not help but laugh hysterically at the accusations!
"He can be quite silly sometimes!" I said between fits of laughter, "But he'd not as dumb as he seems..."
I saw Darren go bright red and so I stopped laughing, remembering what happened to me only less those 200 years ago…Mr Tall noticed also and answered the boy's question. "They call themselves warriors but they are not really…They chain themselves to trees, throw nails into paths of cars—pour sand into engines of JCB's, that sort of thing…"
"Why—" Darren began but I stopped him, remembering the time. "We do not have time for questions…." I told him. "A few more minutes and the sun will be up…" I stood and shook Mr Tall's hand needlessly. "Thank you for having us back Hiberinus…" I told him.
"My pleasure…" he said in reply.
I smirked, "I trusted you took goof care of my coffin?"
"Ofcourse…" said Mr Tall with a grin and I smiled like a small child on Christmas day…A good night's sleep in my beloved coffin was what I had longed for since I'd left it here!
"What about the boy?" said Mr Tall, "Do you want us to knock together a coffin for him?"
I was about to answer and suggest otherwise when Darren got there first. "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" he snapped. Even now I think it odd to here the sentence: A vampire who hates sleeping in a coffin. I never thought I would hear such a thing.
"Put Darren in with one of the performers…" I said, remembering why we came here in the first place. "Someone his own age if possible?"
Mr Tall seemed in deep thought for a moment and then he smirked. "How about Evra!"
Ofcourse! Why had I not thought of the pairing before! The shy fourteen-year old snake- boy Evra Von and the stubborn twelve-year-old half vampire…the perfect match!
"I think putting him with Evra is a MARVELOUS Idea…" Darren asked who Evra was but I told him he'd find out soon enough. With that and the idea of dawn closing in I left Darren Shan with Mr Tall and walked out to find my beloved coffin…the biggest grin on my face. I was going to enjoy my stay here…