The Vampires Assistant Page 0,10

ask him about it sometime later.

Flitting was hard work; the vampire was sweating and I could see him starting to struggle. To help, I took out a bottle of human blood, uncorked it, and held it to his lips so he could drink.

He nodded his silent thanks, wiped the sweat from his brow, and kept going.

Finally, as the sky was beginning to lighten, he slowed to a halt. I climbed down off his back and looked around. We were in the middle of a country road, fields and trees all around us, with no houses in sight.

"Where's the Cirque Du Freak?"I asked.

"A few miles farther ahead,"he said, pointing. He was kneeling down, panting for breath.

"Did you run out of steam?"I asked, holding back my laughter.

"No."He glared. "I could have made it, but did not want to arrive looking flushed."

"You'd better not rest too long,"I warned him. "Morning's on its way."

"I know precisely what time it is!"he snapped. "I know more about mornings and dawns than any living human. We have plenty of time on our side. A whole forty-three minutes yet."

"If you say so."

"I do."He stood, annoyed, and began to walk. I waited until he was a little in front, then ran ahead of him.

"Hurry up, old man,"I teased. "You're getting left behind."

"Keep it up,"he growled. "See what it gets you. A smack on the ear and a kick in the pants."

He started running after a couple of minutes, and the two of us jogged along, side by side. I was in a good mood, happier than I'd been for months. It was nice having something to look forward to.

We passed a bunch of grungy campers on our way.

They were starting to wake up and move around. A couple waved to us. They were funny-looking people: long hair, strange clothes, weighed down with fancy earrings and bracelets.

There were banners and flags all over the camp. I tried reading them, but it was hard to focus while I was jogging, and I didn't want to stop. From what I could tell, the campers had something to do with a protest against a new road.

The road was really curvy. After the fifth turn, we finally spotted the Cirque Du Freak, nestled in a clearing by the banks of a river. It was quiet - everyone was sleeping, I imagined - and if we'd been in a car and not looking for the vans and tents, it would have been easy to miss.

It was a weird place for the circus to be. There was no hall or big tent for the freaks to perform in. I figured this must be a pit stop between two towns.

Mr. Crepsley weaved between the vans and cars with confidence. He knew exactly where he was going. I followed, less sure of myself, remembering the night I crept past the freaks and stole Madam Octa.

Mr. Crepsley stopped at a long silver van and knocked on the door. It opened almost immediately and the towering figure of Mr. Tall appeared. His eyes looked darker than ever in the dim light. If I hadn't known better, I would have sworn he had no eyeballs, only two black, empty spaces.

"Oh, it's you,"he said, voice low, lips hardly moving. "I thought I felt you searching for me."He craned over Mr. Crepsley and looked down to where I was shaking. "I see you've brought the boy."

"May we come in?"Mr. Crepsley asked.

"Of course. "What is it one is supposed to say to you vampires?"He smiled. "Enter of your own free will?"

"Something like that,"Mr. Crepsley replied, and from the smile on his face, I knew it was an old joke between them.

We went in the van and sat down. It was pretty bare inside, just a few shelves with posters and pamphlets for the Cirque, the tall red hat and gloves I'd seen Mr. Tall wear before, a couple of knickknacks, and a hideaway bed.

"I didn't expect you back so soon, Larten,"Mr. Tall said. Even when he was sitting down he looked enormous.

"A swift return had not been on the agenda, Hibernius."

Hibernius? That was a weird name. Still, it fit him somehow. Hibernius Tall. It had a strange ring to it.

"Did you run into trouble?"Mr. Tall asked.

"No,"Mr. Crepsley said. "Darren was not happy. I decided he would be better off here, among those of his own kind."

"I see."Mr. Tall studied me curiously. "You have come a long way since I saw you last, Darren Shan,"he said.

"I liked it better where I was,"I grumbled.

"Then why did