“That was from when they wanted to take our building away!” Ilya said brightly. “In ’96, wasn’t it?”

Gesar nodded.

“Absolutely right. A certain ambitious young oligarch got the idea that the former state enterprise, which had become the Nonferrous Metal Mining Company, looked like a very tasty and absolutely defenseless little morsel of property. However, when their listening devices and external observation revealed the kind of people who simply dropped in for tea and a chat with the old director, the oligarch cut his ambitions back sharply.”

“That was misinformation as well, of course?” Olga asked curiously. It seemed that the boss’s unusually complicated preamble was intended for her, because she had missed all these old events.

Semyon giggled and drawled in a voice like Yeltsin’s: “You un-der-stand, my friend, you decide important matters at the city level, and you don’t ask for any help… Call round if anything happens.”

Gesar smiled in reply. “‘Call round if anything happens’ is putting it a bit strongly. But never mind, no one judges the victors… Anyway, those were cases from the past. But here is today’s catch…”

He took something that looked like a Band-Aid out of the box. A thin white square, slightly sticky on one side-it was not easy for Gesar to pull it off his finger.

“Technology is constantly developing,” I said, impressed. “A microphone and transmitter?”

“You’ll be surprised to know that there’s a recorder here too,” Gesar told me. “Everything is recorded and then shot off in a three-second coded burst once a day. A fine little toy. Expensive. And you can’t buy it just anywhere.”

“Get to the point, Boris,” Olga said.

Gesar tossed the “toy” back into the box and glanced around keenly at all of us.

“A week ago Anton and Semyon spent some time in the city of Edinburgh. Something rather unpleasant happened there. Without going into too much detail, a group of Others, including at least one Light One, one Dark One, and an Inquisitor, tried to steal one of the most ancient magical artifacts in existence, with the help of paid human assistants who were equipped with magical amulets. The artifact is the so-called Crown of All Things, created by the Great Merlin shortly before he withdrew into the Twilight.”

Ilya whistled. Olga said nothing: Either she had already heard about this from Gesar, or she didn’t think any display of emotion was required.

“I should add that the three Others were all Higher Ones,” Gesar continued. “Well…perhaps not all of them. Perhaps two of them. Together they could have taken the third one down to the sixth level of the Twilight.”

To my surprise, Ilya didn’t say anything. He must have been stunned. I didn’t think he had ever gone any deeper than the third level.

“This is already unpleasant,” said Gesar. “None of us knows what kind of artifact Merlin hid on the seventh level of the Twilight, but there are serious grounds for believing that this artifact is capable of destroying all civilization on Earth.”

“Another Fuaran?” Semyon asked.

“No, Merlin didn’t have the knowledge to transform people into Others,” said Gesar, shaking his head. “But it is something very powerful indeed. Security measures to keep the artifact safe have been tightened up: The Inquisition is guarding it now, as well as the Night Watch of Scotland. But the situation is too serious. I have learned that attempts have been made to spy on Watches in Moscow, New York, London, Tokyo, Paris, Beijing…in short, at all the key points on the planet. Everywhere the people involved have no idea who hired them. So far all attempts to find the instigators have produced nothing.”

“Gesar, what’s down there, on the seventh level of the Twilight?” Ilya asked. “I know it’s not done to talk about the deeper levels to anyone who hasn’t been there, but-”

“Semyon will tell you what he saw,” Gesar replied. “He’s been to the fifth level. And ask Anton if you like-he’ll tell you about the sixth level. I give my permission. But as for the seventh level…”

Everybody gazed curiously at Gesar.

“I haven’t been there. And I can’t answer your question,” Gesar concluded firmly.

“Ha,” said Olga. “I was certain you had been there, Boris.”

“No. And before you ask, Zabulon hasn’t been there either. Nor have any of the Others I know. I believe that only a zero-point magician is capable of it. Someone who possesses absolute Power. Merlin was such a magician. Nadya Gorodetskaya will become such an enchantress…”

Everybody turned to look at me.

“I won’t let her into the Twilight before she’s grown up,” I said firmly.

“Nobody’s asking you to,” Gesar assured me. “And…don’t start objecting before I finish. I want to put your Nadya under guard. Continuous guard, round the clock. At least two Battle Magicians. Second or third level of Power. They won’t hold out long against Higher Ones, but if we provide them with good artifacts, they’ll be able to drag things out long enough to call for help.”

Ilya grabbed his head in his hands. “Boris Ignatievich! Where will I get that many second-and third-level Others from? Are we going to take our entire fighting force off the street?”

“No, not all of it,” Gesar replied. “We have four second-level Others, after all. And nine third-level. Alisher and Alexander can be raised to third-level.”

“Which Alexander? Korostilyov?” Ilya asked in amazement.

“No, Malenkov.”

“Sasha can be raised,” Olga agreed. “I’m prepared to do it in three days. Even two.”

“Wait!” I exclaimed. “Wait! Would you like to hear my opinion?”

Gesar looked at me curiously. “Yes, I would. Only bear in mind that sooner or later the individuals who failed to obtain the artifact will come to the conclusion that they need an absolute magician. And there is only one in the whole world. One. Your daughter. So will you agree to her being guarded?”

“But what will Svetlana say?”

“Svetlana is a mother,” Olga said in a gentle voice. “I think she remembers how her daughter was kidnapped once already. And she understands that she herself cannot guard her daughter twenty-four hours a day.”

“Sveta will agree, Anton,” Semyon said with a nod. “No need for a crystal ball there.”

“But Boris Ignatievich, what am I supposed to do with the streets?” Ilya objected. “I protest officially as your deputy for the patrol service! Am I supposed to send out fourth-and fifth-level magicians to work on their own? The Dark Ones will walk all over us!”

“They won’t,” Gesar said with a frown. “Zabulon is also allocating his second-and third-level magicians to guard Nadya Gorodetskaya.”

It was my turn to clutch my head in my hands. But Ilya immediately calmed down.

“Then we only need to supply half as many bodyguards? In that case, I-”

“No, not half. It’s two of ours and two Dark Ones.”

“Gesar!” I protested.

“Anton, this is being done for the sake of your daughter’s safety,” Gesar replied in a firm voice. “That’s all, the matter’s closed! Let’s get on with other business. Ilya, you stay behind after the meeting, we’ll discuss who to use as bodyguards and how to equip them.”

I said nothing. I was seething inside, but I said nothing.

“So far we have only spoken about defense,” Gesar continued. “I charge Olga with developing the measures for protecting the Watch against spy technology and a possible attack by human mercenaries. Involve Tolik from the computer service. And Las from the operations side.”

“But he’s a weak magician.” Olga snorted.

“But he has a nonstandard way of thinking,” said Gesar. “And you know pretty much all there is to know about battles between Others and human beings. You’ve certainly had plenty of experience.”

I gave Olga a curious glance. So she did have an interesting background, then?

“What I need from all of you now is something else,” Gesar went on. “How are we going to attack?”