quickly, bearing in mind that he was in the everyday world. He started rummaging in the wardrobe.
'Nothing much. Just feeling sad.'
'It happens. During the first few years it happens to everyone.' Olga's voice sounded completely human now. 'Then you get used to it.'
'That's what I'm feeling sad about.'
'You should be glad we're still alive. At the beginning of the twentieth century the population of Others fell to a critical threshold. Did you know there were debates about uniting the Dark Ones and the Light Ones? That programmes of eugenics were developed?'
'Yes, I know.'
'Science came close to killing us off. They didn't believe in us, they wouldn't believe. That is, while they still believed science could change the world for the better.'
The boy came back into the lounge. He sat down on the sofa and started adjusting the silver chain round his neck.
'What is better?' I asked. 'We were people once, but we've learned to enter the Twilight, we've learned to change the nature of things and other people. And what's changed, Olga?'
'At least vampires don't hunt without a licence.'
'Tell that to the person whose blood they drink.'
The cat appeared in the doorway and fixed his gaze on us. He howled, glaring angrily at the owl.
'It's you he doesn't like, Olga,' I said. 'Move deeper into the Twilight.'
'Too late,' Olga replied. 'Sorry, I let my guard down.'
The boy sprang up off the sofa. Far faster than is possible in the human world. Clumsily, without even knowing what was happening to him, he entered his shadow and immediately fell on the floor, looking up at me. Through the Twilight.
'I'm leaving . . .' the owl whispered as she disappeared. Her claws dug painfully into my shoulder.
'No!' shouted the boy. 'I know! I know you're here!'
I started to get up, spreading my hands.
'I can see you! Don't touch me!'
He was in the Twilight. He'd done it, just like that. Without any help from anyone, without any courses or stimulants, without any magician to tutor him, the boy had crossed the boundary between the ordinary and the Twilight worlds.
The way you first enter the Twilight, what you see and what you feel there goes a long way to determine who you'll become.
A Dark One or a Light One.
' We have no right to let him go over to the Dark Side, the balance of power in Moscow would completely collapse.' The boss's words came back to me.
Okay, kid, you're right on the edge.
That was more terrifying than any inexperienced vampire.
Boris Ignatievich was entitled to have the boy taken out.
'Don't be afraid,' I said, not moving from the spot. 'I'm your friend and I won't do you any harm.'
The boy crawled as far as the corner and froze there, never once taking his eyes off me. He clearly didn't understand that he'd shifted into the Twilight. It looked to him as if the room had suddenly turned dark, a silence had fallen and I'd appeared out of nowhere . . .
'Don't be afraid,' I repeated. 'My name's Anton. What's your name?'
He didn't say anything. He kept gulping, over and over again. Then he pressed his hand against his neck, felt for the chain and seemed to calm down a bit.
'I'm not a vampire,' I said.
'Who are you?' the boy yelled. It was a good thing that piercing shriek couldn't be heard in the everyday world.
'Anton. A Night Watch agent.'
His eyes opened wide, as if he were in pain.
'It's my job to protect people against vampires and all sorts of vermin.'
'You're lying . . .'
'Why?'
He shrugged. Good. He was trying to assess his actions so far and explain his reasons. That meant the fear hadn't completely paralysed his mind.
'What's your name?' I asked again. I could have influenced the boy and removed his fear. But that would have been an intervention, and a forbidden one.
'Egor.'
'A good name. My name's Anton. Do you understand? I'm Anton Sergeevich Gorodetsky. A Night Watch agent. Yesterday I killed a vampire who was attacking you.'
'Just one?'
Excellent. Now we had the makings of a
'Nothing much. Just feeling sad.'
'It happens. During the first few years it happens to everyone.' Olga's voice sounded completely human now. 'Then you get used to it.'
'That's what I'm feeling sad about.'
'You should be glad we're still alive. At the beginning of the twentieth century the population of Others fell to a critical threshold. Did you know there were debates about uniting the Dark Ones and the Light Ones? That programmes of eugenics were developed?'
'Yes, I know.'
'Science came close to killing us off. They didn't believe in us, they wouldn't believe. That is, while they still believed science could change the world for the better.'
The boy came back into the lounge. He sat down on the sofa and started adjusting the silver chain round his neck.
'What is better?' I asked. 'We were people once, but we've learned to enter the Twilight, we've learned to change the nature of things and other people. And what's changed, Olga?'
'At least vampires don't hunt without a licence.'
'Tell that to the person whose blood they drink.'
The cat appeared in the doorway and fixed his gaze on us. He howled, glaring angrily at the owl.
'It's you he doesn't like, Olga,' I said. 'Move deeper into the Twilight.'
'Too late,' Olga replied. 'Sorry, I let my guard down.'
The boy sprang up off the sofa. Far faster than is possible in the human world. Clumsily, without even knowing what was happening to him, he entered his shadow and immediately fell on the floor, looking up at me. Through the Twilight.
'I'm leaving . . .' the owl whispered as she disappeared. Her claws dug painfully into my shoulder.
'No!' shouted the boy. 'I know! I know you're here!'
I started to get up, spreading my hands.
'I can see you! Don't touch me!'
He was in the Twilight. He'd done it, just like that. Without any help from anyone, without any courses or stimulants, without any magician to tutor him, the boy had crossed the boundary between the ordinary and the Twilight worlds.
The way you first enter the Twilight, what you see and what you feel there goes a long way to determine who you'll become.
A Dark One or a Light One.
' We have no right to let him go over to the Dark Side, the balance of power in Moscow would completely collapse.' The boss's words came back to me.
Okay, kid, you're right on the edge.
That was more terrifying than any inexperienced vampire.
Boris Ignatievich was entitled to have the boy taken out.
'Don't be afraid,' I said, not moving from the spot. 'I'm your friend and I won't do you any harm.'
The boy crawled as far as the corner and froze there, never once taking his eyes off me. He clearly didn't understand that he'd shifted into the Twilight. It looked to him as if the room had suddenly turned dark, a silence had fallen and I'd appeared out of nowhere . . .
'Don't be afraid,' I repeated. 'My name's Anton. What's your name?'
He didn't say anything. He kept gulping, over and over again. Then he pressed his hand against his neck, felt for the chain and seemed to calm down a bit.
'I'm not a vampire,' I said.
'Who are you?' the boy yelled. It was a good thing that piercing shriek couldn't be heard in the everyday world.
'Anton. A Night Watch agent.'
His eyes opened wide, as if he were in pain.
'It's my job to protect people against vampires and all sorts of vermin.'
'You're lying . . .'
'Why?'
He shrugged. Good. He was trying to assess his actions so far and explain his reasons. That meant the fear hadn't completely paralysed his mind.
'What's your name?' I asked again. I could have influenced the boy and removed his fear. But that would have been an intervention, and a forbidden one.
'Egor.'
'A good name. My name's Anton. Do you understand? I'm Anton Sergeevich Gorodetsky. A Night Watch agent. Yesterday I killed a vampire who was attacking you.'
'Just one?'
Excellent. Now we had the makings of a
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