Poor stupid conjurer. To do that, you have to be an Other. Even an uninitiated one.

In actual fact, even without being initiated, or having made that first entry into the Twilight, an Other is capable of far more than an ordinary human being. And in Egor’s case everything was far more complicated. He had entered the Twilight when he was a child. He had even broken through into the second level-although he was fed Power by someone else, since his own abilities were minimal.

But he had avoided going through with initiation, and remained what he was-an indeterminate Other who did not know how to control his abilities and had not turned either to the Light or the Dark. His Book of Fate had been rewritten, returning him to his initial condition and giving him the chance to choose again. But he had refused to make a choice.

And he had decided that he was an ordinary human being.

Egor himself did not understand how he performed his act. He was certain that he was controlling the little balls very deftly, skillfully transferring them from one hand to the other before launching them into the air again, then adroitly replacing them with a special kind of ribbon that was evidently weighted at several points to make it all easier.

In actual fact a trick like that is impossible.

But Egor was quite certain that he performed his act without any magic. Like a very dexterous ordinary human being.

The spectators applauded with expressions of lively, genuine delight on their faces, the kind of delight you only see in the faces of children at the circus. For a moment the world had become magical and wonderful for them.

They didn’t know that that’s the way the world really is-our world…

Egor bowed and walked around the circle quickly-not collecting money, although they were holding out notes to him, but simply looking into the eyes of the spectators.

He was drawing Power from them, feeding! Without even realizing it, he was feeding on the emotions of his audience!

I started hastily making my way out of the crowd, but the spectators behind me were pushing forward, there were children jumping about at my feet, and a seminaked girl with studs in her pierced lips was breathing hotly in my ear. I was too slow-Egor had spotted me. And he stopped.

There was nothing left to do but open my arms wide.

Egor hesitated for a second, then whispered something to the girl with the tray, who was following him. He squirmed his way into the crowd. People made way for him, but they also slapped him enthusiastically on the back and made delighted comments in various languages.

“I’m sorry, I just happened to be passing,” I said guiltily. “I wasn’t expecting to see you at all.”

He looked at me for a second, then nodded. “I believe you.”

Ah yes, he was at the peak of his Power right then. He could sense a lie intuitively.

“I’ll be going,” I said. “That was a great performance, I was fascinated.”

“Wait, I need to wet my throat,” said Egor, setting off beside me. “I’ve been streaming with sweat…”

Some curious little boy grabbed hold of his sleeve. Egor politely stopped and unbuttoned his shirt to show that there was nothing in it. Then he took a light, silvery little ball out of the air and handed it to his suspicious spectator. The kid squealed in delight and dashed across to his parents, who were standing nearby.

“Really great,” I said appreciatively. “Do you perform in Moscow? I could take my daughter to the circus.”

“No, not in Moscow,” Egor said, frowning. “Do you know how hard it is to get into the circus back home?”

“I can guess.”

“If you’re not from a circus family, if you haven’t been jumping around the circus ring since you were five years old and you haven’t got any contacts…And if you get an offer to perform abroad…” Egor frowned. “To hell with them! Next year I’ll be performing in a French circus, I’m just negotiating the contract, then they’ll really be jealous.”

We sat down at a table outside the nearest cafe. Egor ordered a glass of juice and I asked for a double espresso. I was feeling sleepy again.

“So are you here because of me or not?” Egor asked abruptly.

“I had no idea that you were flying to Edinburgh. My assignment here has nothing to do with you!”

Egor looked into my face suspiciously. Then he sighed and relaxed.

“Then I apologize. I got a bit heated in the plane. I don’t like the outfit you work for…I have no reason to like it.”

“That’s OK,” I said, gesturing with my open palms toward him. “No offense taken. You don’t have to like our outfit, it doesn’t deserve it.”

“Uh-huh,” said Egor, staring pensively at his glass of orange juice. “Well, how are things there? Still Gesar, is it?”

“Of course. He was, he is, he always will be.”

“And how about Tiger Cub and Bear?” Egor asked with a smile, as if he’d just remembered something good. “Did they get married?”

“Tiger Cub was killed, Egor.” I actually was taken aback when I realized he didn’t know about it. “It was a very bad business…we all suffered.”

“Killed,” Egor said thoughtfully. “A pity. I liked her a lot. She was so strong, a weretiger…”

“A shape-shifting magician,” I corrected him. “Yes, she was strong, but very emotional. She attacked a Mirror.”

“A Mirror?”

“Yes, well that’s a type of magician. A very unusual type. Sometimes, if some Watch starts winning, a Mirror Magician appears to help the other side. They say they’re created by the Twilight itself, but no one knows for sure. A Mirror Magician can’t be defeated in ordinary battle; he absorbs his opponent’s Power and parries every attack. We really took a beating that time…and Tiger Cub was killed.”

“What about the Mirror? Did you kill him?”

“Vitaly Rogoza was his name… He dematerialized. Of his own accord, that’s their destiny. A Mirror is originally a weak, indeterminate magician who loses his memory, then travels to the place where one Power is gaining a serious advantage over the other and takes the side of the one that’s losing. And afterward the Mirror disappears, dissolves into the Twilight.”

I said all this in a monotone, thinking about something else.

There was a painful, cold lump growing in my chest.

A weak, indeterminate magician?…

“Serves him right,” Egor said vengefully. “I feel sorry for Tiger Cub…I often used to think about her. And you, sometimes.”

“Really?” I asked. “I hope you weren’t too angry with me.”

To be quite honest, I really couldn’t have cared less right then just who Egor used to remember and how.

A weak, indeterminate magician…

He travels to the place where…

He dissolves into the Twilight…

“I was a bit angry,” Egor admitted. “But not too much. It wasn’t really your fault. That’s the way your job is…lousy. But I resented it, of course. I even dreamed once that you were really my father. And I was going to become a Dark Magician and work in the Day Watch in order to spite you.”

So he hadn’t lost his memory, had he? I couldn’t draw such a simple comparison between Rogoza and Egor after all.

“That’s a funny dream,” I said. “They say some dreams are an alternative reality breaking through into our consciousness. Maybe somewhere, somehow, that’s the way it was. You shouldn’t have gone over to the Dark Ones, though…”

Egor said nothing for a moment, then he snorted. “Oh, no. A plague on both your houses. I don’t like the Dark Ones, and I don’t like the Light Ones. But you come round anytime, Anton! I’m staying just near here. In the Alex City Hotel. I’ll introduce you to the rest of our crew, they’re all great guys!”

He put a few coins on the table and stood up. “I’ll go back to work. My number’s the highlight of the show; the lads won’t take in much money without me.”

He had hardly even touched his juice.

“Egor!” I called to him. “How did you happen to come to Edinburgh? Was it your own idea?”