Old Tom narrowed his eyes and leaned against a handy wooden upright as he watched the two impossibly exotic young men pick their way carefully across the field. It was muddy in places, they skirted a puddle and a generous pile of elephant dung. They were both tall and reed thin, one had black hair hanging scandalously loose half way down his back. He wore brown and cream striped breeches, a faded frock coat and an improbable slightly battered top hat. The other was a hands breath taller, dressed more conservatively in a brown jacket and trousers, but he had pretty red-gold hair that hung to his shoulders, and no kind of hat at all. Old Tom guessed at once that these two were looking for work, they had the vagabond air of habitual travellers. A circus would be the right place then.

"Can I help you?" he asked as they got close enough.

The dark haired boy swept an elegant bow. "I hope so!" he flashed a grin. He was very good looking in a dark foreign kind of way. "Who do we ask about work?"

"That would be the boss. Mr. Clements to you." Old Tom waved a hand to the huge sign painted on a length of wood above the big top entrance. It said –Clements Circus- in giant red letters. "Can't you read?" he asked.

"Yes" said the black haired boy.

"No" said the blonde at the exact same moment.

Tom regarded the blonde boy closely, he had the palest blue eyes he had ever seen, and they were fixed on nothing somewhere over his shoulder.

"Are you blind?" he asked

The blonde dipped his head. "I am sir".

Old Tom snorted a laugh. "I can't see Mr. Clements finding a job for you!"

The boy's brows furrowed. "I can do much more than you would suppose sir" he replied quietly.

"We both can" said the dark boy.

Old Tom shrugged. "It's up to Mr. Clements, not me"

At that moment a young woman appeared round the edge of the big top mounted on a flashy white horse. Anywhere but a circus she would have been arrested for indecency. Her black curls were scraped into a messy bun and she wore a thin red shirt and white breeches that looked like nothing as much as a pair of men's long johns.

"Who are you?" she flashed an appreciative black gaze over them.

The dark boy bowed again. "Abraham Goldstein at your service madam". He prodded the blonde boy who also managed a decent bow.

"Icarus Brown" he said.

The young woman frowned at Abraham.

"That sounds Jewish. Are you of the Jewish persuasion sir?"

He shrugged, gave her another handsome grin. "Is it a problem if I am?" he asked.

"No not really" the girl swept an encompassing hand round the muddy field. "This is a circus after all. We are very diverse sir. I'm Clemency" she added. "No don't say it, I know!" she pulled a face. "Clemency Clements. I don't know what my father was thinking!"

"You're Mr Clements daughter" said Icarus stating the obvious. "Then it's your father we want to see"

Old Tom snorted another laugh

"In a manner of speaking" added Icarus

"This one is blind" Tom told Clemency. "Can't think what your father would do with him!"

"Me neither" she replied, "But I'll take you to him." She swung easily off the horse in one fluid motion. "Here Tom, take Starlight will you?" she handed the rope halter to the old man.

He walked the horse away muttering under his breath "I'm no stable hand!"

Clemency grinned after him. "Tom's been with the circus since God was a boy! He takes the money and keeps the accounts now he's too old to perform. He thinks looking after the horses is beneath his dignity!"

"Do you need someone to look after the horses?" asked Icarus

"And the other animals" admitted Clemency. "We had a stable boy, he caught a fever and died. Shame" she reflected "He was only twelve."

"I like animals" said Icarus eagerly "I could do that job"

Clemency shrugged again. "It's up to papa, come on."

She led them through a bewildering maze of tents, wagons and ropes. Abraham silently reached out a hand and took Icarus' arm, steering him round things. Clemency noticed and shook her head slightly, a circus was no place for a blind boy. It was a pity though she thought, they were both very good looking.

"This is papa" she said. She had taken them to a flat area of beaten earth behind the big top.

Abraham watched as a tall well built man with impressive black whiskers gestured to a boy to continue to walk another white horse in circles.

"It's no good" he shook his head annoyed "He's definitely lame. He can't perform tonight. Damn!" He turned at their approach. "Ah Clemency my love, you'll just have to use Starlight tonight."

She nodded. "Papa, this is Abraham Goldstein and Icarus Brown." Clemency gestured them forward. "They're looking for work."

Mr Clements walked over and regarded them shrewdly with eyes as black as his daughters. "Abraham?" he queried.

"He's Jewish" Clemency said brightly "And the other one is blind." Better her father knew right away.

Mr Clements raised an eyebrow. "What is it you do?" he asked levelly.

"We're acrobats, ariel artistes sir!" replied Abraham with a flourish.

"Really?" how did that work. He glanced at Icarus who stood impassively, a slight smile on his lips, looking at nothing.

"You'd be surprised" he responded quietly as if feeling the man's eyes on him.

"Anyway I have all the acrobats I need" he said. "Comic ones, the Russian ones, I don't need more."

"Then we can do just anything" Abraham said quickly "We've done all sorts before"

Clements was about to send them packing when a thought occurred to him. "Acrobat you say? You won't be sacred of heights then?"

"Not at all sir"

"See that?" Clements gestured to the roof of the big top, at the very apex was a long rent in the waxed canvas. By rights he should lower the great canvas show ring to mend the tear. But time was money, to do so would mean cancelling the show tonight.

"Think you can sort that out?"

Abraham studied the tear for a minute or two. "I'll need a patch about six foot long, four wide. And sail cloth needles, and waxed thread." He shot Clements a look. "It's a long job and a dangerous one. What will you pay me?"

"You rogue" Clements scowled without rancour "I'll pay your board tonight, and the promise of paid work if you do this well. Just you though, not the other one."

"He's my brother."

"Of course he is" Clements had never seen two boys less alike.

"My adopted brother" Abraham clarified. "And we stay together"

"I don't care where he stays, but I'm not paying him or feeding him."

Icarus seemed to rouse himself from his daydream. "Let me see your lame horse" he said.

"What?" Clements scowled again

"I'll wager I can do something for him" the boy replied evenly.

Clements shrugged motioned for Clemency to bring the horse. She led the animal close to the boy.

"He's called Moonlight" she said, stroking his long silver forelock. The horse stood gingerly, not putting his weight on his left foreleg. Icarus reached out a hand touching the horse's neck, then pressed his face close into the horse, murmuring something too quietly for the others to hear. But the stallion twitched an ear and turned his head to blow gently on the boy. He had a way with horses, that was for sure thought Clements.

"Now let me see this troublesome injury" Icarus ran his hand down the horses left foreleg.

"How do you know this is the lame leg?" asked Clemency curiously. It was apparent that Icarus could not see what he was doing. His fingers moved gently probing the horses leg whilst his head was held high looking nowhere near the injury itself.

"The way he holds himself" Icarus smiled in her direction "The way his neck and shoulder muscles tense on the left side." He returned to his examination. "The tendon is inflamed here at the fetlock." He touched the place gently, Moonlight snorted and carefully moved his hoof away. "It's an old injury" Icarus went on "It comes every so often does it not?"

"Yes" Clemency said "A few times a year it bothers him."

Icarus nodded "He was worked too young. It strained his growing bones."

"It's true" Clements acknowledged. "We had him out in the ring as a yearling. We needed him quick to replace the horse that died of colic." He has underestimated the blind boy.

"I can do something for him" Icarus said with certainty. "A poultice to bring down the swelling. Leave him tome and he won't be lame in a day or two, I promise."

"If the pair of you can do as you say" Clements regarded them, Icarus kneeling at the horses leg, Abraham standing elegantly to one side. "If" he repeated, "Then I may consider hiring you for this week, may be next. If you prove useful to me."

They grinned hugely at him.

"You can call me Fang sir, everyone does." Abraham swept another bow.

"Fang?" Clemency asked.

"Yes! Because of the vampire that Mr Stoker wrote about. Abraham Stoker, see?"

"Ah yes" she nodded, understanding the connection. Fang did look exactly like a vampire should, Dark brooding and very beautiful.

"And I'm Iggy" Icarus got to his feet. "Less of a mouthful than Icarus. Don't you agree?"

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Fang wasted no time in making good his promise to Clements. He wrapped the waxed canvas round his shoulders like a cloak, stuffed the needles and thread into his pockets, then, still wearing his frock coat and boots pulled himself up the guy ropes to the roof.. His only concession to the height was to take off his top hat and leave it balanced on the large canvas bag they had brought with them.

"Will he be alright?" Clemency was used to seeing all sorts of acrobatic feats, but even so she had her heart in her mouth as Fang, having reached the pitched roof, ran lightly up the wooden supports. They were on the inside, Fang was on the outside, balanced only on the canvas itself. Nothing to stop him falling.

"Yes he'll be fine" Iggy raised his head in the right direction for the roof. "Fang knows what he's doing"

And indeed Fang seemed to as he set to work patching the canvas, like a bird on the very point of the roof. One leg hitched round the flag pole on top.

Iggy bent down and swept his hand about until he found the bag. He felt Fang's hat on top of it and put it on his own head. Then heaving the bag on to his shoulder,

"Shall we go to the stable?" he asked Clemency "See to Moonlight?"

He rested a hand on the horse's shoulder, using the horse as his guide as Clemency led the way. Once inside the horse tent he busied himself setting down the bag, taking off Fang's hat and his own coat which he placed neatly folded on a pile of hay.

"I'll need a bowl of hot water, some oats, and strips of bandage" he said, taking for granted that Clemency would help.

She almost bristled at his presumption but curiosity got the better of her.

"Oats?"

"They make the very best poultice, we'll make it as hot as he can stand"

Clemency brought what he asked for and watched as he expertly made up a thick paste for the horses leg, and bound it there. Moonlight snorted but stood patiently.

"After it cools we do it again" Iggy's fingers tied a deft bow in the bandage. "I'll treat him tonight and tomorrow, then we'll see."

He got to his feet and began to smooth out the horses mane with gentle fingers.

"If you have a curry comb I may as well groom him while we wait"

"Here" Clemency held out a curry comb from the pile of brushes left on a small table in the tent. Iggy held out his hand towards her, she placed the comb in it then settled down to watch him.

"A stallion like this is worth a lot" he said as he brushed "Too valuable to let go lame"

"Where did you learn about horses?" Clemency asked

"Around and about" he replied vaguely "Like Fang said, we've worked in circuses before."

"As acrobats?"

"As all sorts of things" he said

"When you could see?" Clemency had no tact and a lot of curiosity as her father had often told her

"What?" Iggy frowned, confused

"You were an acrobat before you went blind?" she clarified. She didn't see how he could do it after.

"Well no" Iggy paused in his brushing. "I've been blind all my life, there never was a before." Not strictly true but he wasn't going to go into details about the experiment, and anyway he really couldn't remember seeing before the experiment so it was mostly true.

"Oh" Clemency blinked in surprise "Then how did you….how do you..?"

"How do I not break my neck on the high wire?" he smiled "Well my balance is good I guess, and I can hear perfectly well where I need to be when I'm up there."

"Still" Clemency pressed "It's unusual you must admit, a blind acrobat, really."

"Then I guess I'm pretty unusual" he agreed

"And Fang?" said Clemency recalling his eerily skilled run up the canvas roof

"Ah now Fang is definitely unusual!" Iggy smiled. "This poultice is cooling" he added. "If you get me some more hot water I'll do it again."

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"I think we'll be alright for a while here Ig" said Fang as he settled next to him on the hay. Clements had given them permission to stay in the horse tent.

"We could do with a break from the road even for a few weeks" Iggy agreed

"Here, share this with me" Fang offered the wooden plate to Iggy who reached out with enquiring fingers.

"Is this pork pie?" he asked

"And bread, and cheese. The pie is yours, I've eaten mine, but share the rest."

Iggy took a huge bite of pie. "I think I've convinced Clements I'm not a liability anyway Moonlight's going back in the show" he said round the pie. "And I've learned my way about the place, Mostly" he added

"Except that thing with the lion"

"Well except that"

Fortunately Clemency had come upon Iggy feeling his way carefully between the animal cages just as he was about to put his hand through the bars of the lion's cage. The lion was old and had no teeth but from the way it had watched Iggy approach it was clear he wanted to test his gums out at least.

"Clemency didn't tell?" asked Fang

"No she didn't want to get me into trouble with her pa."

"Do you think she likes you Ig?"

"I don't know- I don't think so. I hope not" replied Iggy quickly

He put the plate down and felt for Fang's hands taking both of them in his own. The tent was in shadow, no candles were allowed this close to so much hay. Even so Fang could read Iggy's thoughts without properly seeing his face.

"I only like you Fang, you know I do. I don't want any other sweetheart"

"I know Ig" Fang leant forward and touched his lips to Iggy's and pulled apart again quickly. It would be very bad indeed if they were caught doing that or well-anything.

"There are too many people" he said by way of explanation.

"I realise that Fang" Iggy replied "I can hear everything."

"I know you can" Fang owned

Iggy could hear like other people could see. So well in fact that it was sometimes possible to almost forget that he was blind. Fang had seen him walk unerringly through a crowded room with apparently no effort plenty of times.

"I know you can" he repeated "I'm sorry"

Iggy nodded, satisfied. The thing with the lion was a rare mistake and Iggy was embarrassed by it. He had no time for the limitations of his blindness and didn't want other people to think that he was helpless because of it.

"We should go and check out the high wire and trapeze" he said." Even if we can't perform we should practise."

"Now?" asked Fang

"When else?" replied Iggy "No one will be using it. Besides" he added" I prefer to practise in private, at least til I learn my way about up there."

"In case we fall" said Fang

"Yes in case we do" agreed Iggy.

They left the horse tent and began to walk towards the big top, as they passed the animal cages various of the inhabitants growled or snorted at them. The circus boasted a lion, a tiger, and a bear. There were other, less dangerous animals like the horses as well. Lastly they passed the place where the elephant was tethered.

"Hey girl" Iggy stroked the enquiring trunk. He only looked after the horses and the smaller animals, the elephant had her own keeper, a tiny Italian who always seemed cross. But Iggy liked the elephant she was old and half blind. The Italian maintained that it made her easier to manage. Iggy felt sorry for her because she had no choice but to go where she was taken.

As they passed one of the storage tents they could hear voices, laughter even. They paused, Iggy tilted his head listening.

"I think it's Milo" he said. He was beginning to separate out and make sense of all the voices that surrounded him.

Milo was one of the clowns, also a dwarf. Iggy was now responsible for the clowns performing goose and had met Milo a few times. Fang pushed the tent flap aside, a small group of people sat around on packing crates and bales of hay inside. A swift glance round told Fang all he needed to know.

Milo the dwarf; Jenny a for-real bearded lady; two timid little girls billed as the amazing cone headed sisters; and two or three others he had not met yet.

"Hey" Milo got to his feet his blue eyes unfriendly "You can't come in here boys"

"Ah, okay" Iggy said

"It's nothing personal Iggy" Milo assured him "I like you, you know I do. But this little party is for us freaks, it's Jenny's birthday"

Jenny raised a glass and smiled at them. "Best wishes boys" her beard was luxuriant in the lamplight, a dark red like her hair. She was Irish.

"I know you're blind" Milo continued "But that just makes you unfortunate, not a freak. As for your handsome friend…"

"I'm not unfortunate" replied Iggy crossly "I just can't see"

"Anyway boys" another figure shifted into the pool of light, Harry the half man. "Do as Milo says and run along"

From the waist up he was a young, even good looking man with dark curly hair and brown eyes. But where his hips should be, his legs start, there was nothing, as if he had been sliced neatly in half. Harry could move as well on his hands as anyone else could on their feet, and now he pushed past them, balanced neatly on one hand and twitched the canvas door open with the other.

"Goodbye then" he said.

"Ah well now" Fang ignored him and addressed Milo instead. "I reckon we can get ourselves an invite to this party."

Milo snorted. "Don't think so Mr perfect"

"What do you think Ig?" asked Fang

"If you want Fang. If you think they won't blow our cover. Do they look trustworthy to you?"

"Hey! I take exception to that" Milo said "We have a code us freaks"

"What would they know about that?" Harry said "Shut up Milo, it's nothing to do with them."

"Wrong" Fang took off his jacket and handed it to Iggy then unbuttoned his heavy cotton shirt.

"The night's improving!" Jenny commented appreciatively

Fang now stood bare-chested in the dim light facing the little crowd. His skin was silver-white, smooth and perfect. His narrow ribs liked carved ivory. As everyone watched he slowly spread his vast black wings as far as the tent would allow. His feathers brushed the canvas roof.

"Oooh!" commented one of the cone headed sisters "Pretty birdy!"

Milo spluttered and Jenny almost dropped her glass. From the back of the tent a deep rumbling voice said

"I think that's gonna count him in Milo!"

Angus, the seven and a half foot Scottish giant proffered an empty glass at Fang

"Here get some whiskey in that lad!"

Harry flipped himself on to a bale of hay next to Iggy.

"Are you the same as him?" he asked

Iggy passed Fang's things back to him. Fang pulled on his shirt. Now he just looked like anyone, if anyone was a dazzlingly beautiful young man.

"Yes" Iggy pulled his shirt over his head. He was as beautiful as Fang.

Jenny whistled between her teeth. "What a birthday!"

As Fang had done Iggy slowly stretched his wings out, but his were a snowy white with a beautiful dove grey blush at the edges. He flapped them carefully.

"Oh!Oh! Pretty birdy!" one of the cone-headed sisters jumped up "Belle have birdy!"

"No Belle" Jenny intervened, then to Iggy "It's not her fault, Belle and Mel are-

simple- you know"

"I don't mind" Iggy dipped his head smiling, he looked like an angel. "You can touch my wings Belle, but be gentle – they're attached!"

Belle surged forward followed by her sister. The two little girls stroked Iggy's wings lovingly.

"Love you birdy" said Mel

"Here, these are for you" Iggy reached round and pulled a fine white feather out of both of his wings. Yours to keep, one each."

Iggy held out one of his own feathers in each hand to the girls, they stared at him solemnly. "You'll have to take them" he said "I can't see you"

"What do you say?" prompted Jenny

"Thank you" they chorused then crept forward and took the feathers from him.

Angus had a generous sized bottle of whiskey, he re-filled everyone's glass except Mel and Belle.

"You took a risk with us" the final figure in the little gathering came forward. "I'm Zara, the lizard woman" She gestured at her face, she was completely bald, no eyebrows even. Her skin was stretched so tight across the planes of her face her eyes were dark slits. A diamond pattern of silvery scales covered her skin.

"Did we?" Fang challenged, handing back Iggy his shirt.

"Oh" said Belle disappointed as Iggy folded his wings away.

"For sure" Zara had an accent from somewhere else, French maybe? "We have no choice" she continued "The world sees what we are. But you two beautiful boys…you can go anywhere can you not? Hide what you are?"

"Of course we can" said Iggy turning to her voice "And we do, all the time. But why would you think we don't sometimes want this?" he gestured around at the little group.

"Iggy's right" Fang sat down next to Harry who shifted over to make room for him. "Like you, it feels good to be with people who won't hurt us. Who will just let us be."

Zara nodded. "I understand of course, we won't tell"

"The code" said Milo "I told you, we look after our own."

Iggy smile in his direction, "Do I get to taste any of this whiskey anytime soon?"

"Yes" Milo reached out and pulled Iggy down next to him. "Sit here. Angus, a glass for our pretty bird boy!"

Belle and Mel were yawning. Jenny busied herself making a little bed for them in the hay at the back of the tent.

"Goodnight my doves" she said tenderly as she covered them with a cloak.

"Goodnight mama" they replied sleepily

Fang raised an eyebrow "Mama?"

"I am now" Jenny gave him a defiant look. "They were tiny when their mother sold them to Clements. How else would they survive?"

"My Jenny is an angel, that's what she is" added Milo

Jenny's your sweetheart?" asked Iggy.

"Hah! Jenny's my wife boy" said Milo. "We were married in a proper church by a proper priest."

Jenny took another generous swig of her whiskey. "Milo is not little everywhere!" she grinned at Iggy, who was oblivious to it. "What about you pretty bird, do you have a sweetheart?"

"Erm-er- no" Iggy lied, his face felt hot "We move about too much for me to meet anyone. And-and-It's hard when you can't see.." he embellished furiously "You don't notice er girls noticing you."

"Well your luck might change" Jenny nodded to herself. "I've noticed Clemency noticing you."

"Oh- er- the wings" Iggy said hurriedly. "That would be bad."

"That girl would get the shock of her life!" cackled Milo

"It's best that we don't – that we just don't" Fang filled in to rescue Iggy.

"Can we talk about something else?" said Harry suddenly

"Sorry pal" Milo looked shame-faced

"We don't all have the choice do we?" said Harry bitterly to Fang

Fang dipped his head in acknowledgement. "Sometimes our choices are not our own to make" he said quietly. He was thinking that loving Iggy was a hard choice, but one he had to make. Not loving Iggy would be like not breathing, impossible.

"You know that problem with this party?" Angus broke in

"What?" replied Jenny offended, it was her party after all

"Not enough whiskey is being consumed!"

"Ah, you could be right there" admitted Jenny

The party eventually ended simply because everyone fell asleep where they sat or lay.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning everyone had a headache except for Mel and Belle. Jenny had not allowed them to drink any whiskey. The owner of the whiskey, Angus, was okay too, he was too big to be much effected by what he drank.

Fang and Iggy stumbled groggily from the store tent right into Clemency passing by with a bucket of offal for the lion. Fang's stomach did a flip at the sight of it.

"What's that smell?" Iggy looked a bit green under his usual pallor

"Nero's breakfast" replied Clemency "You look like you could both do with some food in you yourselves"

"Not possible" Iggy shook his head carefully

"Have you been drinking?"

"Maybe" Iggy admitted

"Jenny's birthday" Fang nodded towards the tent then flinched at the motion "And Angus' whiskey" he added

"They invited you to a party?" Clemency's eyebrows shot up

"What's wrong with that?" Fang challenged "The freaks are people too"

"I know that!" Clemency shot back "I'm circus born after all. I just mean I'm surprised, that's all. They like to keep themselves to themselves usually. You boys must have made an impression."

"I think Milo made an exception for us" said Iggy quickly "Because I'm blind. Maybe he felt sorry for me?"

"You don't know Milo very well if you think that" said Clemency shrewdly . "Anyway, I've got work to do, and so have you. Enjoy your headaches boys!" She strode off deliberately swinging the bucket to waft the offal smell about.

"I'm going to throw up" said Iggy.

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