‘Anna Tikhonovna, how many of them are there?’ Olga asked. ‘The Light Ones?’
‘A few. Four … maybe five. ‘But’ – Lemesheva ran her stern gaze over all of us – ‘you mustn’t relax, girls. There’s at least one second-grade Light Magician.’
The oldest vampire brother whistled. Facing up to a magician, especially one that powerful, was beyond a vampire’s abilities. And if there were two of them …
‘And the female shape-shifter’s there,’ said Lemesheva, looking at me.
I clenched my teeth. So, Tiger Cub was there. The shape-shifting battle magician as the Light Ones preferred to call her. An old acquaintance of mine … and a close one. I seemed to feel an ache in my left arm where it had once been pulled out of its joint. And I remembered the wounds on my face – four bloody lines from her claws.
But Zabulon himself had helped me then. He had healed me completely so there was no harm done either to my appearance or to my health. And I used to go into battle boldly and cheerfully, aware of his approving glance and restrained, patient smile.
It’s over. That’s all behind you now, Aliska. What used to be is gone now. Forget it and don’t torment yourself. If they tear your face, you’ll have to wear the paranjah all the time, until your turn comes for magical healing, and the queue’s six months long, and you’ll be lucky if they consider you worthy of complete healing, including cosmetic magic.
‘Everybody check your equipment,’ Anna Lemesheva ordered.
The girls started bustling about, and I patted my pockets, checking on the tiny packets, little bottles and amulets. A witch’s power doesn’t lie only in controlling energy through the Twilight. We also employ auxiliary means, which is what really distinguishes us from sorceresses.
‘Alisa?’
I looked at Lemesheva.
‘Do you have any suggestions?’
That was better. I had to think of the future, not the past.
‘The operatives can neutralise Tiger Cub. All four of them.’
‘We don’t need any help, Aliska,’ the oldest vampire brother said good-naturedly. ‘We’ll manage.’
Lemesheva thought for a moment and nodded.
‘All right, the three of you work together. Vitaly you’re with me, my reserve.’
The werewolf smiled happily. What a fool. Anna Lemesheva would toss him into the fire like a splinter of wood. Right where it was hottest.
‘And the four of us …’
‘Five,’ Lemesheva corrected me.
Aha, so the old crone has decided to get involved herself?
‘The five of us form a Circle of Power,’ I suggested. ‘And we feed it all to Edgar. Deniska maintains contact with headquarters.’
The minibus bounced over a few potholes and bumps. We were already driving into the courtyard.
‘Yes, that’s the only possible way to play it,’ Lemesheva agreed. ‘All right, everybody! That’s the plan.’
I felt slightly excited that my plan had been accepted so completely. I was still a genuine battle witch after all. Even with all my personal problems. That was why I took the risk of volunteering and trespassing on the senior witch’s absolute prerogative to decide on tactics.
‘But I would suggest summoning help in advance. If there are two second-grade magicians there.’
‘All available help has already been summoned,’ Lemesheva snapped. ‘And we still have an ace of trumps up our sleeve.’
Vitaly looked at the old witch in surprise and grinned proudly with his wolf’s fangs. An idiot twice over. She didn’t mean him. He was no ace, just a common low card … and certainly not a trump.
‘Right, girls, let’s get started!’
Our minibus stopped. Anna Lemesheva jumped out spryly and waved her left hand. A fine, dark dust swirled around her fingers for an instant and I felt a spell of inattention enfold the yard. Now, no matter what we did, ordinary people would take no notice of us.
We all tumbled out of the minibus.
It was just an ordinary courtyard in South Butovo. Oh, what a dump … I’d rather live somewhere in Mytishchi or Lytkarino than be formally registered as a Muscovite and live in that terrible place. There seems to be everything there should be: houses and stunted little trees trying to grow in the compressed clay and wretched little cars standing at the entrances, but …
‘Get on with it!’
Lemesheva gave me a kick that bounced me three metres from the minibus. I almost went flying into a sandpit, where a boy and a girl about five years old were discussing the mysterious art of building sand-castles.
But even the little children didn’t notice me, although they’re always more sensitive to the presence of Others.
The vampire brothers went dashing past me like three shadows. They surrounded the minibus, already in the process of transformation: their fangs were growing out between their teeth, and their skin was taking on a pale, sickly tinge. The typical non-life look …
‘The Circle!’ Lemesheva barked. I dashed across to the minibus like a shot and grabbed Olya and Lena by the hand. Oh, but the old witch was strong!
But there was someone standing in the entrance to the apartment block, visible only to our sight as Others – a short, stocky guy … precisely that, a guy, you couldn’t call him anything else, wearing worn Turkish jeans and a synthetic T-shirt, with a ridiculous cap on his head.
That was really bad.
The guy is called Semyon. And he’s a magician of astounding power, even if he isn’t always quick to use it. And even more terrifying – he’s a magician with a huge amount of experience of field operations.
I felt Semyon’s gaze glide over me – firm, resilient and flexible, like a surgical probe. Then he turned and went back into the entrance.
This was really bad!
Then Zhanna grabbed Olga by the hand, Anna Lemesheva completed the Circle – and all my emotions disappeared.
We became a living accumulator, connected to Edgar, who was already walking towards the entrance with a smooth, unhurried stride, at the human level of perception and in the Twilight at the same time.
Edgar walked up the stairs, as his opponent had done. Of course, he didn’t overtake him there. And when he reached the door of the apartment on the fourth floor, they were waiting for him. Fused into the Circle of Power, we were all perceiving the world through his senses now.
The door was standing open – at the human level of the world. In the Twilight the doorway was blocked by a solid wall.
There were two magicians on the landing. Semyon and Garik. I couldn’t feel any emotion now, but I still had my thoughts. Cold, calm and unhurried. This was the end. Two magicians, each equal or superior to Edgar.
‘The entrance is closed,’ said Semyon. ‘There’s a Night Watch operation taking place here.’
Edgar nodded politely.
‘I understand. But there’s also a Day Watch operation taking place here.’
‘What do you want?’ Semyon moved aside slightly. Standing behind him in the narrow hallway of the apartment was a tigress. An immense beast with shiny fur, its teeth exposed in a smug smile.
What is Lemesheva counting on? We can’t handle this. There’s no way!
‘We’d like to take the person who belongs to us,’ Edgar said with a shrug. ‘That’s all.’
‘The witch has been arrested and charged: magical intervention of the third degree, murder, practising black magic without a licence, concealing the abilities of an Other.’
‘You provoked her into taking this action,’ Edgar said coolly. ‘The Day Watch will conduct its own investigation of events.’
‘No.’ Semyon leaned against the wall and the blue moss crept convulsively along its surface, trying to get as far away as possible from the magician. ‘The matter is settled.’