Geser nodded again.
‘That’s right. And I wanted you to say that.’
Semyon gave me a look of sympathy. It was clear enough. In the Watch, things work like in the army: you suggested it, now you do it.
‘Just don’t overestimate my intellectual capabilities,’ I muttered. ‘I’ll think about it, of course. And I’ll ask Svetlana to think about it too. But so far nothing comes to mind. Maybe we should delve into the archives?’
‘We will,’ Geser promised. ‘But there is another way to go.’
‘And I’m the one who has to go there,’ I said. ‘Am I right?’
‘Anton, your daughter’s in danger,’ Geser said simply.
I shrugged.
‘I surrender. Okay, I’m ready. Where do I go? Into the mouth of a volcano? Under the Arctic ice? Out into space?’
‘You know very well that there’s nothing we can do out in space,’ Geser said, frowning. ‘There is one hope – not a very big one. Perhaps one of Merlin’s associates might guess what he had in mind.’
‘We’d have to find a living contemporary …’ I began.
‘I’m his contemporary, more or less,’ Geser said in a bored voice. ‘But unfortunately I was not acquainted with Merlin. Neither when he was a Light One, nor when he was a Dark One. Why are you looking at me like that? Yes, it is possible. Sometimes. For Higher Ones. That’s not the point… I hope none of you are planning to change colour?’
‘Boris Ignatievich, don’t drag it out,’ I said.
‘Merlin was friendly – insofar as that was possible – with an Other whom I knew by the name of Rustam.’
I exchanged glances with Semyon. He shrugged. Olga looked puzzled too.
‘He had many names,’ Geser continued. ‘He used to be in the Watch too. A very, very long time ago. He and I were friends once. We helped each other in battle many times… saved each other’s lives many times. Then we became enemies. Even though he was and still is a Light One.’
Geser paused. It seemed as if he didn’t really want to remember all this.
‘He is still alive, and he lives somewhere in Uzbekistan. I don’t know exactly where – his strength is equal to mine and he can camouflage himself. He hasn’t served in the Watch for a very long time. He is most probably living as an ordinary human being. You will have to find him, Anton. Find him and persuade him to help us.’
‘Uh-huh,’ I said. ‘Uzbekistan? Easy as ABC. A – comb the whole place. B – winkle out a magician in hiding who’s more powerful than I am …’
‘I’m not saying it’s simple,’ Geser admitted.
‘And C – persuade him to help us.’
‘That part’s a bit easier. The point is that he saved my life six times. But I saved his seven times.’ Geser chuckled. ‘He owes me. Even if he still hates me as much as he used to. If you find him, he’ll agree …’
There was no confidence in Geser’s voice, and everyone could sense that.
‘But it’s not even certain that he knows anything!’ I said ‘And is he still alive?’
‘He was alive ten years ago,’ said Geser. ‘My assistant, the devona, recognised him. And he told him about his son.’
‘Magnificent,’ I said, with a nod. ‘Absolutely wonderful. I suppose I have to follow tradition and set out unarmed and completely alone?’
‘No. You will set out fully equipped, with a thick wad of money and a bag full of useful artefacts.’
It was several seconds before I realised that the boss was being perfectly serious.
‘And not alone,’ Geser added. ‘Alisher will go with you. In the East, as you know, there are more important things than power and money. It is far more important for someone who is known and trusted to vouch for you.’
‘Alisher too …’ Ilya sighed.
‘I’m sorry,’ Geser said, without even the slightest note of apology in his voice. ‘We must regard this as a military emergency. Especially since that’s just what it is.’
I don’t often get to go back home in the middle of the day. If you’ve been out on Watch duty, then you come home early in the morning. If you have an ordinary working day to get through, you won’t get back before seven. Even with the ability to foresee traffic jams on the roads – what good is that if the jams are everywhere?
And naturally, even without the help of magic, any wife knows that a husband doesn’t come back early from work without good reason.
‘Daddy,’ Nadya announced. Naturally, she was standing by the door. She can tell I’m coming just as soon as I approach the entrance to the building – that’s if she happens to be busy with some important childish business of her own. If she’s feeling bored, she knows from the moment I leave the office.
I tried to pick my daughter up. But she was clearly far more interested in the cartoons on TV: I could hear a squeaky ‘La-la-la, la-la, la-la-la’ coming from the sitting room. She had done her duty as a daughter: Daddy had been met when he came back from work and nothing interesting had been discovered in his hands or his pockets.
So little Nadya deftly slipped out of my arms and made a dash for the TV.
I took off my shoes, tossed the Autopilot magazine that I had bought on the way home onto the shoe stand and walked through into the sitting room, patting my daughter on the head along the way. Nadya waved her arms about – I was blocking her view of the screen, on which a blue moose with only one antler was hurtling downhill on skis.
Svetlana glanced out of the kitchen and looked at me intently. She said, ‘Hmm!’ and disappeared again.
Abandoning any attempts to fulfil my paternal functions until better times, I walked into the kitchen. Svetlana was making soup. I’ve never been able to understand why women spend so much time at the cooker. What does it take so long to do there? Toss the meat or the chicken into the water, switch on the hotplate, and it boils itself. An hour later drop in the macaroni or potatoes, and a few vegetables – and your food’s ready. Well, you mustn’t forget to salt it – that’s the most difficult part.
‘Will you pack your own suitcase?’ Svetlana asked, without turning round.
‘Did Geser call?’
‘No.’
‘Did you look into the future?’
‘I promised you I wouldn’t do that without permission …’ Svetlana paused for a moment, because I had gone up to her from behind and kissed her on the neck. ‘Or unless it’s absolutely necessary …’
‘Then why did you ask about the suitcase?’
‘Anton, if you come home from work during the day, then I go to bed alone in the evening. They’re either sending you out on watch or away somewhere on an assignment. But you were on watch two days ago, and the city’s calm at the moment …’
In the sitting room Nadya laughed. I glanced in through the door – the moose on skis was hurtling wide-eyed straight towards a line of small and obviously young animals, who were walking along the edge of a precipice. Oh, this was going to be a real disaster …
‘Sveta, are you sure Nadya should be watching cartoons like that?’
‘She watches the news,’ Svetlana replied calmly. ‘Don’t avoid the issue. What’s happened?’
‘I’m going to Samarkand.’
‘Your assignments do take you to some interesting places,’ Svetlana said. She scooped up a spoonful of soup, blew on it and tasted it. ‘Not enough salt… What’s happened out there?’
‘Nothing. Nothing yet.’
‘The poor Uzbeks. Once you get there, something’s bound to happen.’
‘Geser held a meeting today. With the Higher Ones and the first level…’
I told Svetlana briefly about everything we had discussed. To my surprise, there was no reaction to the idea that from now on Nadya would be guarded in secret by two Light and two Dark magicians. Or rather, the reaction was exactly what Olga had forecast it would be.