grabbing him round the shoulders. He was light, very light – it's not only time that changes in the Twilight world. 'Wake up!'
The boy didn't respond. He'd already done what it takes others months of training to do – entered the Twilight on his own. And the Twilight world sucks the strength out of you.
'Pull him out!' said Olga, taking command of the situation. 'He won't wake up himself.'
That was the hardest thing of all. I'd done the emergency rescue courses, but I'd never had to drag anyone out of the Twilight for real.
'Egor, snap out of it!' I slapped him on the cheeks. Gently at first, then I started putting real force into it. 'Come on, kid. You're slipping away into the Twilight world! Wake up!'
He was getting lighter and lighter, melting away in my arms. The Twilight was drinking his life, the final ounces of his strength. The Twilight was changing his body, claiming it as permanent resident. What had I done?
'Seal yourself off]' Olga's sharp voice focused my mind. 'Seal yourself off, and him too.'
It always used to take me more than a minute to form a sphere. This time I did it in five seconds flat. I felt a stab of pain – as if a small shell had exploded inside my head. I threw my head back when the sphere of exclusion emerged from my body, shrouding me like a shimmering soap bubble. The bubble expanded, reluctantly enveloping me and the boy.
'That's it, now hold it there. I can't do anything to help you, Anton. Hold that sphere!'
Olga was wrong. She'd already helped me, with her advice. I'd probably have realised that I ought to form a sphere, but I could have lost precious seconds along the way.
It started getting lighter. The Twilight was still draining our strength – mine with an effort, the boy's with ease – but now it only had a few cubic metres of space to operate with. The ordinary laws of physics don't apply here, but there are parallels. A balance was being established between our living bodies and the Twilight.
Either the Twilight would dissolve and release its prey, or the boy would remain an inhabitant of the Twilight world. For ever. It's what happens to magicians who have pushed themselves beyond the limit, either through carelessness or because they have no choice. It's what happens with novices who don't know how to protect themselves against the Twilight properly and allow it to take more than they should.
I looked at Egor: his face was turning grey. He was slipping away into the infinite expanses of the shadow world.
I threw the boy across my right arm, took a penknife out of my left pocket and opened the blade with my teeth.
'That's dangerous,' Olga warned me.
I didn't answer. I just slashed my wrist.
When the blood spurted out, the Twilight hissed like a red-hot frying pan. Everything blurred. It wasn't just the loss of the blood, my very life was seeping away with it. I'd ruptured my own defences against the Twilight.
But the dose of energy was too large for it to absorb.
The world turned brighter, my shadow leaped on to the floor and I stepped through it. The rainbow film of the sphere of exclusion burst, releasing us into the everyday world.
CHAPTER 5
A THIN STREAM of blood splashed on to the carpet. The boy was slumped in my arms, still unconscious, but his face was beginning to turn pink. The cat was yowling in the next room as if his throat was being cut.
I lowered Egor on to the sofa, sat down beside him and told Olga to find a bandage.
The owl launched off my shoulder and dashed away like a white streak into the kitchen. She must have slipped into the Twilight on the way, because she was back in a few seconds with a bandage in her beak.
Egor opened his eyes just at the moment when I took the bandage from the owl and started binding up my wrist. He asked:
'Who's that?'
'An owl. Surely you can see that!'
'What happened to me?' he asked. His voice was hardly trembling at all.
'You lost consciousness.'
'Why?' His eyes wandered anxiously over the traces
The boy didn't respond. He'd already done what it takes others months of training to do – entered the Twilight on his own. And the Twilight world sucks the strength out of you.
'Pull him out!' said Olga, taking command of the situation. 'He won't wake up himself.'
That was the hardest thing of all. I'd done the emergency rescue courses, but I'd never had to drag anyone out of the Twilight for real.
'Egor, snap out of it!' I slapped him on the cheeks. Gently at first, then I started putting real force into it. 'Come on, kid. You're slipping away into the Twilight world! Wake up!'
He was getting lighter and lighter, melting away in my arms. The Twilight was drinking his life, the final ounces of his strength. The Twilight was changing his body, claiming it as permanent resident. What had I done?
'Seal yourself off]' Olga's sharp voice focused my mind. 'Seal yourself off, and him too.'
It always used to take me more than a minute to form a sphere. This time I did it in five seconds flat. I felt a stab of pain – as if a small shell had exploded inside my head. I threw my head back when the sphere of exclusion emerged from my body, shrouding me like a shimmering soap bubble. The bubble expanded, reluctantly enveloping me and the boy.
'That's it, now hold it there. I can't do anything to help you, Anton. Hold that sphere!'
Olga was wrong. She'd already helped me, with her advice. I'd probably have realised that I ought to form a sphere, but I could have lost precious seconds along the way.
It started getting lighter. The Twilight was still draining our strength – mine with an effort, the boy's with ease – but now it only had a few cubic metres of space to operate with. The ordinary laws of physics don't apply here, but there are parallels. A balance was being established between our living bodies and the Twilight.
Either the Twilight would dissolve and release its prey, or the boy would remain an inhabitant of the Twilight world. For ever. It's what happens to magicians who have pushed themselves beyond the limit, either through carelessness or because they have no choice. It's what happens with novices who don't know how to protect themselves against the Twilight properly and allow it to take more than they should.
I looked at Egor: his face was turning grey. He was slipping away into the infinite expanses of the shadow world.
I threw the boy across my right arm, took a penknife out of my left pocket and opened the blade with my teeth.
'That's dangerous,' Olga warned me.
I didn't answer. I just slashed my wrist.
When the blood spurted out, the Twilight hissed like a red-hot frying pan. Everything blurred. It wasn't just the loss of the blood, my very life was seeping away with it. I'd ruptured my own defences against the Twilight.
But the dose of energy was too large for it to absorb.
The world turned brighter, my shadow leaped on to the floor and I stepped through it. The rainbow film of the sphere of exclusion burst, releasing us into the everyday world.
CHAPTER 5
A THIN STREAM of blood splashed on to the carpet. The boy was slumped in my arms, still unconscious, but his face was beginning to turn pink. The cat was yowling in the next room as if his throat was being cut.
I lowered Egor on to the sofa, sat down beside him and told Olga to find a bandage.
The owl launched off my shoulder and dashed away like a white streak into the kitchen. She must have slipped into the Twilight on the way, because she was back in a few seconds with a bandage in her beak.
Egor opened his eyes just at the moment when I took the bandage from the owl and started binding up my wrist. He asked:
'Who's that?'
'An owl. Surely you can see that!'
'What happened to me?' he asked. His voice was hardly trembling at all.
'You lost consciousness.'
'Why?' His eyes wandered anxiously over the traces
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