Birth of a Killer by Darren Shan Page A

themselves, appreciating the humor in their wild display. A few looked genuinely bitter, but most had enjoyed the sport. The applause,as Mr. Tall took the stage to bid them good night, was deafening. They filed out in high spirits, buying more of the toys and sweets from Larten and his crew before strolling home to catch as much sleep as they could before work early in the morning.
    As the last patron left, Larten stowed his tray, then returned to the tent to help clean the stage. This was the only part he disliked, but with lots of people chipping in, they swept up quickly enough. By midnight he was sitting by a huge fire with the cast and crew of the circus, enjoying a hot drink and the warm glow of having been part of another legendary, unique, and freakishly fabulous performance.

Chapter Eleven
    Larten woke late in the morning and lay smiling up at the wooden ceiling of his caravan. He studied the rays of light streaming through a crack in the curtains. It reminded him of home, the mornings when he’d stirred before the others to catch the rising sun. But the memories didn’t hurt. There had been times when Larten missed his family, and he still missed Vur. But many years had passed. He liked his new life and never looked back with regret.
    Larten had a quick bath in a tub of chilly water out back. He shared the caravan with Verus and Merletta, and although the magician was easygoing in most ways, she was strict when it came to cleanliness.She insisted that Larten wash every third day. He had grumbled a lot to begin with, but now he didn’t mind.
    After Larten had dried himself, he dressed and reported for duty. Supervised by Mr. Tall, some people were already dismantling the tent. Larten helped stack and move chairs, then joined in the rolling of the canvas, an arduous but enjoyable task in which most members of the circus took part.
    By midday everything was packed away neatly, and the troupe took to the road in their horse-drawn carriages. Larten rode up front with Verus, enjoying the scenery from his seat beside the ventriloquist. Verus never forced words from the mouths of his friends—he kept his special talent for the stage. He was a quiet man at times like this, saying little, focused on the horse.
    When Larten tired of the scenery, he withdrew and asked Merletta to teach him some tricks. He didn’t have any freakish abilities, so he could never be a star at the Cirque Du Freak. But he had a quick hand and a keen eye and was able to copy any trick once he’d seen it performed slowly. Merletta said he could carve out a career for himself as a magician if that was the path he wished to take. Larten knew he wouldn’t–his heart was set on becoming a VampireGeneral–but it was fun to play at being a magician’s apprentice.
    Merletta ran him through a few of the card tricks that he’d already mastered, then taught him some new moves. He was able to slide cards around swiftly between his fingers and could make them disappear and reappear at will. Merletta was sure that he would soon overtake her in this discipline if he stuck with it. He was a natural at cards.
    When it came to locks, chains, and handcuffs, Larten already outshone his tutor. Merletta had never seen anyone pick a lock as swiftly or easily as the orange-haired teenager. There wasn’t much she could teach him about escapology—once he’d learned the basics, he had sprinted ahead of her.
    Larten strolled between caravans later, visiting the friends he had made since linking up with the Cirque Du Freak. Some performers were vain and didn’t mingle much–Gervil and Rax were especially pompous–but most were welcoming, as were the crew. Larten had never been more relaxed than he was here. If he hadn’t felt the itch to explore the night, he would have been delighted to put down roots and call the circus home.
    He wound up in Mr. Tall’s caravan. The owner of the traveling show was a solitary man. During theirlong hours of travel, he kept to