The Twilight Circus Read Online Free Page A

sympathetically. “Still a bit of scarring around the old throat area, I see. I imagine that’s hard to disguise.”
    Nat instinctively put his hand up to his neck. Thanks to his Wolven blood the scars had healed fast, but theplace where Lucas Scale had nearly ripped his head from his neck still felt raw sometimes, reminding him of how lucky he was to be alive. He stared at Crone, realizing he had blown it. Then he gave up and slumped his shoulders. “How did you know?” he asked.
    â€œYou really don’t need to worry,” Crone assured him. “Your secret is utterly safe with me.”
    â€œI know,” said Nat. “You
smell
OK … that is … I know I can trust you, but you’re still wasting your time.”
    â€œHow are your injuries?” asked Crone.
    â€œI still get some pain,” said Nat cautiously. “Apparently it’s normal after having your throat torn out.”
    â€œNightShift needs people like you and Woody,” said Crone. “People with gifts like yours, who have experience in ridding our world of monsters, like Lucas Scale, for example.”
    Nat’s face drained of blood. “That was out of order,” he said quietly. “I don’t talk about him.”
    â€œYou know his body was never found,” said Crone, hating himself for frightening the boy.
    Nat shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. “Shut up,” he said.
    â€œSupernatural events are hotting up faster than you can say global warming,” said Crone. “The world is becoming a dark place thanks to creatures like Scale. The malevolent undead who live on the edge of shadows, causing chaos, corrupting and creating others to take part in some hellish crime against humankind. And someone, or
something
, is waking them up.”
    Nat stared at Crone. “You don’t think it’s Lucas Scale?” he whispered in dismay.
    â€œI don’t know for sure,” admitted Crone, “but if you and Woody would agree to work with us, we can find whoever or
whatever
it is and destroy them.”
    Nat shook his head. “Even if I wanted to, I don’t think Woody would agree to it. Not after what happened to his clan at Helleborine Halt. All he wants to do now is forget.”
    Crone tried another tack. “And what if he has no luck in locating his clan?”
    â€œI don’t know.” Nat shrugged, wondering how Crone knew all this. “All I do know is that we’re moving south when the circus show closes for the winter break. We’ll keep looking until we find out what happened to them.”
    Crone nodded wearily. “Where will you go then?”
    Nat shrugged again. He hadn’t thought past the winter. He didn’t really know where home
was
, now. When his dad had fled the country, they had given up their London flat and moved in temporarily with his nan and granddad to a strange little town in north Somerset called Temple Gurney. Nat had no doubt in his mind that 11 Camellia Lane, his grandparents’ house, would be under surveillance for a very long time to come.
    â€œI dunno,” said Nat in rather a small voice.
    â€œHow does it feel to be a fugitive like your father?” asked Crone.
    â€œWe didn’t do anything wrong,” pointed out Nat.
    â€œThe events at Helleborine Halt are going to take years to blow over,” said Crone. “A prime minister and his entire cabinet were brought down because of you and Woody. You’ll be on the run for the rest of your life. Ask your father what it’s like not to be able to go home.”
    â€œHome is where my family is. And Woody,” said Nat firmly.
    â€œThink of it as a crusade against evil, with NightShift as the special weapons division.” Crone grinned.
    â€œYou don’t give up, do you?” said Nat, smiling slightly. “Anyway, I’m only thirteen.”
    â€œYou’ve met one of our team already,” said