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

Sure enough, as the snakes were about to slither on to the floor, Evra stepped forward. But he wasn't alone � there was a small child with him, who went to one of the snakes and controlled it as Evra controlled the other. The kid was a new addition. I assumed Mr Tall had picked him up on his travels.

After Evra and the boy had wrapped the snakes around themselves, Mr Tall came on again and said the show was over for real. We kept to the shadows while the crowd streamed past, chattering with excitement. Then, as Evra and the child unwound and brushed themselves down, I moved. "Evra Von!" I roared.

Evra whirled around, startled. "Who's there?" I didn't answer, but walked forward briskly. His eyes widened with astonished delight. "Darren?" he yelled, and threw his arms around me. I hugged him tightly, ignoring the feel of his slippery scales, delighted to see him after so many years. "Where have you been?" he cried when we let go of one another. There were tears of happiness in his eyes � mine were wet too.

"Vampire Mountain," I said lightly. "How about you?"

"All over the world." He studied me curiously. "You've grown."

"Only recently. And not as much as you." Evra was a man now. He was only a few years older than me, and we'd looked much the same age when I first joined the Cirque Du Freak, but now he could have passed for my father.

"Good evening, Evra Von," Mr Crepsley said, stepping forward to shake hands.

"Larten," Evra nodded. "It's been a long time. I'm glad to see you."

Mr Crepsley stood to one side and introduced our companions. "I would like you to meet Vancha March, Lady Evanna, and Harkat Mulds, whom I believe you already know."

"Hello," Vancha grunted.

"Greetings," Evanna smiled.

"Hi, Evra," Harkat said.

Evra blinked. "It spoke!" he gasped.

"Harkat speaks a lot these nights," I grinned.

"It has a name?"

"It has," Harkat said. "And 'it' would like very much � to be called 'he'."

Evra didn't know what to say. When I'd lived with him, we'd spent a lot of our time gathering food for the Little People, and never once had one of them said a word. We thought they couldn't speak. Now here I was with a Little Person � the limping one, whom we'd nicknamed Lefty � acting as if his being able to talk was no big deal.

"Welcome back to the Cirque Du Freak, Darren," somebody said, and looking up I found myself face to belly button with Mr Tall. I'd forgotten how quickly and silently the owner of the Cirque could move.

"Mr Tall," I replied, nodding politely (he didn't like to shake hands).

He greeted the others by name, including Harkat. When Harkat returned the greeting, Mr Tall didn't look in the least surprised. "Would you care to eat?" he asked us.

"That would be delightful," Evanna answered. "And I would have a word or two with you afterwards, Hibernius. There are things we must discuss."

"Yes," he agreed without batting an eyelid. "There are."

As we filed out of the church, I fell in step with Evra to discuss old times. He was carrying his snake over his shoulders. The boy who'd performed with Evra caught up with us as we exited, dragging the other snake behind him like a toy. "Darren," Evra said, "I'd like you to meet Shancus."

"Hello, Shancus," I said, shaking the boy's hand.

"'Lo," he replied. He had the same yellow, green hair, narrow eyes, and multicoloured scales as Evra. "Are you the Darren Shan I was named after?" he asked.

I glanced sideways at Evra. "Am I?"

"Yes," he laughed. "Shancus was my first-born. I thought it would be�"

"First-born?" I interrupted. "He'syours ? You'rehis father ?"

"I certainly hope so," Evra grinned.

"But he's so big! So old!"

Shancus preened proudly at the remark.

"He'll be five soon," Evra said. "He's large for his age. I started him out in the act a couple of months ago. He's a natural."

This was bizarre! Of course, Evra was old enough to be married with kids, and there was no reason for me to be surprised by the news � but it seemed like only a few months since we'd been hanging out together as teenagers, wondering what life would be like when we grew up.

"You've got other children?" I asked.

"A couple," he said. "Urcha � three � and Lilia, who'll be two next month."

"Are they all snake-children?"

"Urcha isn't. He's upset � he wants scales too � but we try to make him feel as loved and extraordinary as the others."

"Webeing �?"

"Me and Merla. You don't know her. She joined the show shortly after you left � ours was a whirlwind romance. She can detach her ears and use them as mini-boomerangs. You'll like her."

Laughing, I said I was sure I would, then followed Evra and Shancus after the others, to dinner.

It was wonderful to be back with the Cirque Du Freak. I'd been edgy and moody for the last week and a half, thinking about what Evanna had said, but my fears faded within an hour of returning to the circus fold. I met many old friends � Hans Hands, Rhamus Twobellies, Sive and Seersa, Cormac Limbs and Gertha Teeth. I also saw the Wolf Man, but he wasn't quite as welcome a sight as the others, and I kept clear of him as much as possible.

Truska � who could grow a beard at will, then suck the hairs back inside her face � was there too, and delighted to see me. She greeted me in broken English. She hadn't been able to speak the language six years ago, but Evra had been teaching her and she was making good progress. "It is hard," she said as we mingled with the others in a large, run-down school which was serving as the Cirque's base. "I not good at language. But Evra is patient and I slowly learning. I make mistakes still, but�"

"We all make mistakes, gorgeous," Vancha interrupted, popping up beside us. "And yours was not making an honest vampire of me when you had the chance!" He wrapped his arms around Truska and kissed her. She laughed when he let go and waved a finger at him.

"Naughty!" she giggled.

"You two know each other, I take it," I commented dryly.

"Oh, yes," Vancha leered. "We're old friends. Many's the night we went skinny-dipping together in oceans deep and blue, eh, Truska?"

"Vancha," she tutted. "You promised not of that to mention!"

"So I did," he chuckled, then began talking with her in her native tongue. They sounded like a pair of seals barking at each other.

Evra introduced me to Merla, who was very pleasant and pretty. He made her show me her detachable ears. I agreed that they were fabulous, but I declined her offer to let me have a go throwing them.

Mr Crepsley was as pleased to be back as I was. As a dutiful vampire, he'd devoted most of his life to the Generals and their cause, but I suspect his heart lay secretly with the Cirque Du Freak. He loved to perform and I think he missed being on the stage. Many people asked him if he was back to stay, and expressed disappointment when he said he wasn't. He made light of it, but I think he was genuinely touched by their interest and would have stayed if he could.

There were Little People with the Cirque Du Freak, as usual, but Harkat kept away from them. I tried getting him involved in conversation with others, but people felt nervous around him � they weren't accustomed to a Little Person who could talk. He spent most of the night alone, or in a corner with Shancus, who was fascinated by him and kept asking impolite questions (most to do with whether he was a man or a woman � in fact, like all the Little People, he was neither).

Evanna was known by many people at the Cirque Du Freak, although very few of them had met her before � their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents had told them about her. She spent a few hours mingling and catching up on the past � she had an impressive memory for names and faces � then said her farewells for the night and departed with Mr Tall, to discuss matters strange, portentous and arcane (or else to chat about frogs and magic tricks!).