‘Some of what she said simply confirms other information,’ I went on. ‘She listed the Parties, in her own way. The one born of the Light is a Light One.’
No one argued with that.
‘Then one born of the Darkness is a Dark Magician.’
Or with that.
‘The one who took another’s Power is a vampire.’
Gesar nodded.
‘The one who has no Power of his own is a Mirror Magician.’
Zabulon nodded.
‘The one who sees is a Prophet.’
Svetlana sighed.
‘The one who senses is a witch.’
Arina raised her hand to attract attention before adding: ‘But the most important thing she said was very… vampirish. Ancient. All of the Six must be bound by the primary power. The first power. Blood.’
‘Pyotr, the Neanderthal vampire, said that his blood is in every living person on Earth,’ Olga reminded us. ‘And in principle he’s right. We are all of the same blood.’
‘Yes, but I don’t think that that kind of homeopathic dilution is what is meant here,’ I said. ‘If I’m right, it’s all very simple. Nadya has to be one of our group – she’s an Absolute Enchantress: the only force capable of beating the Twilight, whatever form it’s incarnated in.’
‘But I couldn’t beat it,’ said Nadya. ‘Dad, I’m not afraid, but I simply couldn’t do it.’
‘You were alone that time,’ I said. ‘This time you’ll be the Watch member from the forces of Light. With you, Zabulon, from the forces of Darkness. You and only you, because you’re connected with Nadya, through me. The Prophet can only be Innokentii. He and Nadya swore blood brotherhood. They’re connected.’
‘They cut their fingers with a little knife and signed their names in blood?’ Zabulon asked mistrustfully. ‘Why, that’s absurd! Games for children!’
‘It depends how you look at things,’ Gesar said softly. ‘All right. Innokentii Tolkov.’
‘Egor. The Mirror Magician.’
‘What about him?’ Zabulon asked suddenly. ‘Perhaps he’s your son, Gorodetsky. That would be a surprise!’
‘I once rescued him from a vampiress who lured him with the Call. They are tied together by blood. And by the way, I am connected to them by that same call, and through me so is Nadya, and so are you, Zabulon.’
‘If it really is the same vampiress, returned from her death after death,’ the Dark One remarked.
‘Who else could it be?’ I asked.
‘But where is she?’ Zabulon countered.
‘She said she would come when the time was right. She has come before this – we have no grounds for disbelieving her.’
‘Let’s accept that,’ Gesar agreed. ‘But what blood connects Arina with any of you?’
‘Maybe you can answer that?’ I said to the witch.
Arina flung her hands up in the air.
‘Why are you all so obsessed with this idea of blood? There weren’t any blood ties in our Watch of Six…’ She paused and thought for a moment. ‘Perhaps there were – trifling indiscretions of youth… But nobody demanded anything of the kind. Why have you decided you need to pay attention to what Lilith said? It’s a vile name anyway, satanic! You shouldn’t set any store by what she told you!’
‘Tell us, Arina,’ I said.
‘Maybe I’m Zabulon’s long-lost grandmother?’ Arina suggested. ‘I don’t know, stop pestering me about it! I don’t have any children, my only daughter died in infancy, and then I couldn’t have another child, like all witches. I’ve never bitten anyone, and I haven’t been bitten by any vampires either…’
She stopped and chewed on her lip.
‘What?’ I asked.
‘It’s nonsense,’ Arina replied firmly. ‘It’s got nothing to do with all the others you’ve listed. If you’re so certain you need a tie of blood with a witch, then look for another one.’
For the first time I felt my confidence falter. ‘No, there has to be a connection,’ I muttered. ‘Everything fits…’
‘Anton,’ Svetlana said softly. ‘There’s something I don’t understand here. Do you mean to say that our daughter is a member of the Sixth Watch, along with Zabulon, Arina, Egor, Kesha and that vampiress – the one whose name you can’t even remember?’
I nodded.
‘Without you or me…’
‘Yes.’
‘You’ve lost your mind,’ Svetlana said icily. ‘You’ve gone crazy, Gorodetsky. You want to send our daughter into a deadly dangerous battle, accompanied by a Dark Magician who laughs for no reason at all, a vampiress who has returned from the next world, an overweight little boy, an uninitiated Other who works as a conjuror and an old witch?’
‘I changed my colour, by the way,’ Arina reminded her. ‘Now I’m a pure Light Healer, just like you.’
‘A leopard never changes his spots!’ Svetlana exclaimed furiously.
‘And that’s a fact,’ Arina agreed. ‘But I am a Light One. And you know, Svetlana… Anton’s right after all!’
I looked at Arina and she looked back.
‘Shut up, witch,’ I said. ‘Shut up.’
‘Everyone’s always so rude to me,’ Arina sighed.
We looked into each other’s eyes, and it felt as if we were talking – it wasn’t the magical kind of conversation that Others can have: we were simply thinking about the same thing.
So that’s it, then, Arina thought. How did you guess, Gorodetsky?
I just did, I thought, looking at the witch’s face. Either she had removed her camouflage, or I had started seeing right through her – her beauty had evaporated, but it hadn’t been replaced by her genuine, pitiful appearance. Arina was simply a sad old woman. That’s the way it is, isn’t it? Always and everywhere.
You’re right about that, Gorodetsky. But it would be better to tell. Believe this witch.
No. Not right now.
Svetlana looked at us in alarm.
‘I like what’s happening here less and less,’ she said. ‘Gesar… Zabulon… Don’t you get the feeling that these two are holding something back?’
‘You should know best,’ Zabulon replied diplomatically.
‘Anton Gorodetsky, I request you to answer,’ Gesar said. ‘As your superior, as your teacher…’
‘As the one who defied what was foreordained and made you a Light One,’ Zabulon added vengefully.
‘What are you hiding?’ Gesar asked. ‘I know you, Anton. You would never send your daughter on such a dangerous mission without yourself or your wife. Regardless of any prophecies!’
‘I’m certain that the members of the Sixth Watch are in no danger in their encounter with the Two-in-One,’ I said.
Gesar peered at me intently, then shrugged and announced his opinion: ‘He seems to be confident about what he says. Bearing in mind Anton’s ability to find non-standard solutions, I’m willing to trust him.’
Svetlana wasn’t reassured. But fortunately, just at that moment, the door of the office opened and four people came in: Egor and the old Battle Magician Mark Jermenson, who were discussing something excitedly; Kesha, who was looking disgruntled; and the Prophet Sergei Glyba, who had his arm round Kesha’s shoulders.
‘I took extra precautions with the boy anyway,’ Gesar explained.
‘And quite right too,’ Glyba declared loudly. ‘I’ve already explained everything to Kesha and he has agreed, right, Kesha? Saturn is in Libra, the year is on the turn. Last night the moon was obscured by clouds.’
‘It was a new moon,’ Arina informed him.
‘Really?’ Glyba asked in surprise. ‘But all the same, there were clouds. So Kesha agrees that I should be the one in the Sixth Watch…’
‘I don’t agree at all,’ Kesha said angrily, shrugging Glyba’s arm off his shoulder. He saw Nadya and his eyes flashed; he immediately straightened up and even pulled in his stomach.