Cirque Du Freak The Vampire's Assistant Read Online Free PDF

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 you leave?" he asked.

    I glared at him. "You know why," I said coldly.

    He nodded slowly.

    "Is it okay if we stay?" Mr. Crepsley asked.

    "Of course," Mr. Tall replied immediately. "Delighted to have you back, actually. We're a bit understaffed at the moment. Alexander Ribs, Sive and Seersa, and Gertha Teeth are off on
    vacations 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 lineup."

    "Thank you," Mr. Crepsley said.

    "What about me?" I asked boldly.

    Mr. Tall smiled. "You are less valuable," he said, "but welcome all the same."

    I snorted but said nothing.

    "Where shall we be playing?" Mr. Crepsley asked next.

    "Right here," Mr. Tall told him.

    "Here?" I piped up in surprise.

    "That puzzles you?" Mr. Tall enquired.

    "It's in the middle of nowhere," I said. "I thought you only played in towns and cities, where you'd get big audiences."

    "We always get a big audience," Mr. Tall said. "No matter where we play, people will come.
    Usually we stick to more populated areas, but this is a slow time of the year for us. As I've said, several of our best performers are absent, as are... certain other members of our company."

    A strange, secretive look passed between Mr. Tall and Mr. Crepsley, and I felt I was being left out of something.

    "So we are resting for a while," Mr. Tall went on. "We shall not be putting on any shows for a few days. We're relaxing."

    "We passed a camp on our way," Mr. Crepsley said. "Are they causing any problems?"

    "The foot soldiers of NOP?" Mr. Tall laughed. "They're too busy defending trees and rocks to interfere with us."

    "What's NOP?" I asked.

    "Nature's Opposing Protectors," Mr. Tall explained. "They're ecowarriors. They run around the country trying to stop new roads and bridges from being built. They've been here a couple of months but are due to move