Chapter 11 Chapter 3
I woke up when I realized someone was calling me.Calling like a vampire calling for a victim.I got up before I was fully awake, and groped in the chair for my clothes.
The call is sweet and inviting.It covers, caresses, pushes gently, it is impossible, impossible to resist it.Sometimes it sounds like music, sometimes it sounds like a song, sometimes it calls out like a whisper, and no matter what form it appears in, it is so beautiful, it is a portrayal of my lonely heart.
I was shot in both knees - and jumped to the next step.
Immediately the calling stopped dictating above me.Although the sound didn't stop.I straightened my pants and shook my head gently.
It hurts……
Hypnosis syrup came out of me.It flowed out, flowed into the ground, and disappeared.This is the energy of processed light, the power of darkened light.
It suddenly became clear to me why the vampire victims had smiles on their lips.When the call comes—they are happy.
Calling—this is a special gift, a relief.It's just that it's too early for me to let go.
I don't understand, but this time my new ability is not sensitive to the magician's call.I could hear it, but continued to have complete control over myself.This is easy to understand, I isolated the consciousness from the caller so that it would not suspect that the sleepwalker-turned-victim became the hunter.
"Becoming a hunter?" I asked myself again, "This..."
That said, there will be hunting.It's very interesting.
The call continued.
"Oh, boy," I thought, "this is the welcome house of the Sun Watchers. It's full of spells here and there. The protection here--that's terrific. And there's the call in action...already Action taken?"
Lightbringer spent considerable energy on this trick.It took a lot of energy to make this calling sound avoid the eyes and ears of others.As luck would have it for them, the head of the Sun Watch was not in Moscow—otherwise the Lightbringer would not have been able to fool him with any of his tricks.
At this time, I calmly dressed and thought sadly, now my desire to go to a restaurant to drink a bowl of hot mixed soup, and then have some duck made with cherry sauce has to be postponed indefinitely. With a protective spell, he walked out of the room... Ah, yes, it's a suite.It's called a suite, so this tradition should not be broken.I strapped my pancake-shaped Walkman to my waist, tucked the tiny earbuds of the earbuds into my ears, and held my hat low to my forehead.
"I make a random choice," I want to feel the feeling of control, "play with fate."
After doing everything that should be done, I walked to the elevator and waited for fate to give me a choice.
Fate once again gave me the choice of songs from the Kibelov and Mavlin album.This time it's another song.
Ugh.A somewhat melancholic prophecy.And when will I have time to burn down a bridge?Perhaps, I'm leaving the suite for this, rather than to go up to the next level and learn about the fate of a powerful 'spirit claw'?But something that hid in me just a short while ago pushed me toward the calling.
I am free!Like the birds in the sky.
I am free!Forget what fear is.
I am free!Stand shoulder to shoulder with the wild wind.
I am free!This is real, not a dream.
Kibelov's voice was no less attractive than the call.He sang as bewildering as magic, and he was as unwavering as the truth itself.It suddenly dawned on me that I was listening to the hymn of the dark messenger.It is the ideal personification of the boundaries and rules of their trodden, indiscernible soul.
free.It's the only thing we're really interested in.Freedom—freedom from everything.Even free from the world's dominion, it's unbelievably regrettable that the Lightbringer can't understand this anyway, can't believe this, and therefore talks nonsense and intrigues endlessly, so in order to be free as before, I Almost forced to block their way.
The elevator glides down through the twilight and normal levels.I am free……
If Kibelov is the other, he must be the messenger of darkness.No one can sing about freedom in this way.No one but the dark messenger can hear its true and deepest meaning in this song!
The two silent sorcerers in the reception room let me pass unimpeded - no wonder Edgar ordered my registration mark to be recorded at the work base.I came to Tverskaya Street—into the twilight of another night in Moscow.I go out to meet the calling, but be free from it.free from everything in this world.
Who actually needs me?There are no vampires in Lightbringer - I mean vampires in general.All others - are energy vampires, have the ability to suck power from people.Draw strength from their fears, from their joys, from their pains.In essence, the only difference between us and the moss in the twilight world is that we can think and move, and not only use the accumulated power as nourishment.
The call led me along Tverskaya Street—in the direction of the Kremlin, in the direction of the Belorussky railway station.I walk among the crowds at night—like a bewitched, walking alone, yes, I am bewitched by the magic trick of calling.No one saw me, found me.Nobody wanted me—the girl warming up in the car, the guy who made a living out of prostitution, the ruthless young man in the imported car parked on the side of the road—needed me, nobody.
To the right.To the "passion" street garden.
The call was getting louder and louder.I can feel it - it means a confrontation is coming.
The endless stream of cars dashed through the muddy snow particles.The tiny snow particles formed a wonderful little circle on the light from the headlights.
It was cold and dark.Moscow in winter.
The garden path in the middle of the street is evenly covered with a layer of snow.The same goes for empty benches, bushes, and fenced-off partitions separating driveways and walkways at this time of year.
On the way, I was tried to drag me to the Karet station.
The burglary spell seemed to fall from the sky—everything that was destined to happen in the garden in the middle of the street did not attract much attention from ordinary people.The car continued to gallop, busy with its own business, but the sparse pedestrians paused for a moment, and then walked away indifferently, even though they had already approached me before the pause.
One by one, the Lightbringers quietly appeared from the Twilight Realm.There are four in total.Two magicians and two shapeshifters in combat readiness.Huge, pale as snow bears and reddish-brown tiger cubs.
I was almost crushed - the two magicians pinched from both sides at once.But they underestimated their prey - the attack can only be directed against me unless it is obeying the call.
But I'm afraid they become someone else.I spread my hands with my mind, and stopped the two walls that were about to collide and envelop me.Stopped it, took a breath of energy, and pushed them away.Not too hard.
I don't know, I've never seen a tsunami.But when I judge the consequences of that push, the first concept that pops into my mind is the tsunami.
The two walls of the Magician of Light that seemed solid and unbreakable a second ago melted away like a barrier made of rice paper.The two magicians were knocked down, thrown on the snow, and dragged on the ground for more than ten meters. Fortunately, there was a fence blocking the road to keep them from being thrown under the wheels of the car.Snow fog rose into the sky.
The Lightbringers probably understood that spells alone cannot subdue me.So the two shapeshifters rushed forward.Two things turned into beasts.
I drew in some more hastily as best I could—a sudden heavy thump on the side of the driveway, the sound of glass shattering, then another bang, and then—a harsh thud of falling shards.
I took the "bear" as a "recessed shield", and I drew it like a top spinning around the garden in the middle of the street.At first I avoided Xiaohu.
I didn't like her from the beginning.
I don't know where the shapeshifter gets the ingredients for the shapeshifting.In her human form the girl weighed exactly forty-five to fifty kilograms.Now it has become a beast with a weight of 150 kilograms composed of muscles, tendons, claws and fangs.
Lightbringer loves this.
"Hey!" I yelled. "Stop it. How about we talk?"
The magician was already on his feet, trying to tie me up again, but I had no trouble twisting the greedily dangling thread into a knot and tossing it to its owners.The two of them pounded again, but this time no one was attacking from behind - I just gave their momentum back to them.The big bear stood aside, shaking from side to side threateningly.He was hunched over, as if about to rear up on his hind paws.
"I don't recommend doing this." I said to him, while fighting off the charging tiger.
I don't use too much force.I don't want to kill her.
"What's the matter, what the hell?" I cried. "Or is it just like this in Moscow?"
Calling in the Night's Watch patrol was foolish - the attackers themselves served on the patrol.So maybe the Sun Watchers should be called in?What's more, it's nearby, the office building is close at hand, and you can fly here in an instant.Just does this help me?
The two magicians did not intend to surrender.One of them held a strapless cane fully charged in both hands, and the cane emitted a raging fire; the other - held a shackle-like evil spirit in his hand.Not the weakest one either.
It took me a full two seconds to deal with this evil ward.I had to cut through the net thrown at me with an ordinary "triple-dagger," but the force expended on this simplest of spells was great enough to burn the whole center of Moscow to the ground.At this moment another one tried to hook me with the fire of Bethlehem, but the lightbringer's attack only made me very angry, and, moreover, it seemed that I became stronger.
I froze his cane.Easily turned it into a rectangular popsicle, then cast a Denial Charm at him.The shattered ice splashed out of the Lightbringer's hand like weird fireworks, and at the same time, there was a bang, and the energy released reached its peak.
In fact, I didn't want it to harm the people around me, even if there were a few more conflicts at nearby intersections, my strength would be enough.
Big Bear didn't move where he was.It seems that he understands that although they are superior in numbers, they are far inferior to me in strength.But the little tiger still didn't calm down. She rushed towards me stubbornly, just like a tigress who lost her mind because her child was violated by the enemy.Her eyes, yellow as church candles, blazed with undisguised hatred.
Tiger has revenge.Take revenge on me.To avenge the dark messenger for his grievances and losses.To avenge the murder of Andre.Yes, there are many reasons... She is not ready to stop no matter what she encounters.
I don't want to say that she has nothing to avenge—the patrols are always fighting, and I generally call things by the names of things themselves.But I don't intend to die either.
I am free.Freedom to punish those who stand in my way and refuse to resolve problems peacefully.Isn't that what the song was trying to say to me?
So I fight back.Fight back with phantom transformation.
The little tiger was stretched and shrunk by the blow, and the crackling sound of the skeleton even exploded angrily through the rumble of the engine and the piercing whistle.The spell crumpled the deformed beast like a child rubbing a plastic doll.Broken ribs pierced the skin and sank into the snow like a bloody mass of parts.The head is pressed into a pancake, a flat, striped pancake.Immediately—that beautiful beast also turned into a pile of bloody meatballs.
I threw Tiger's soul into the twilight world with a targeted final blow.
Now that it has started, I have no right to stop it.
The Lightbringers rested in peace, and even the bear stomped no more.
"What should I do next?" I thought anxiously.
Maybe, I should have killed them all.But thank hell or heaven, I didn't make it this far.
"The Patrol Team of the Sun Watchers," a familiar voice sounded at this time, "there has been an attack on the Dark Messenger, come out from the Twilight Realm!"
Edgar said sternly, and without hint.
It's just that his interjection about the Twilight Realm is superfluous.The few who survived did not fight in the Twilight Realm, and Xiaohu had nowhere to return.
"The Day Watch Patrol requires an immediate court-martial," said Edgar in a horrific voice, "for the time being, call the leader of the Night Watch Patrol."
"He will drive you away like pigs." One of the light magicians said angrily.
"He can't drive us away," Edgar said firmly, pointing at me, "with him—he can't drive us away. Don't you understand?"
I vaguely sensed that someone was subtly reorganizing forces in space.Next to me appeared a man with dark skin and a chiseled face.In his colorful oriental pajamas, he looked ridiculous in the middle of a snow-covered street garden.
"I'm here already," he mumbled, observing with dismay where the battle had just ended.
"Gesar!" Edgar cheered up, "Hello, you have to explain to me when the boss is away."
"Explain to you?" Gesar glanced sideways at the Estonian, "You're too embarrassing!"
"Then explain it to him." Edgar shrugged and shrank his body, as if he had been frozen. "Maybe it's not enough face?"
"In front of him—I will explain." Gesar said coldly.Then turned to me. "Your gaze is unfathomable as eternity. Get out of Moscow," he said almost impassively. "Now! By train, on a broom, and to hell with a mortar—get out. You've killed There are two people."
"I think," I said as calmly as possible, "that they were trying to kill me. I was only defending myself."
Gesar turned his back on me—he was willing to listen.He would not speak to the dark emissary who had sent his best fighter, or rather female fighter, to the Twilight forever.
"Let's get out of here," he told his men.
"Hey-hey!" Edgar snapped. "They're criminals! They can't go anywhere, in the name of peace!"
Gesar turned again to the Estonians:
"They have to go. There's nothing you can do. They're under my protection."
I'm really looking forward to taking the leap to the next level.Because even my current abilities are enough for me to understand - I can't stand against Gesar just yet, he will tear me to pieces.Not for nothing - I've climbed enough up the transparent ladder of power, after all, but - he'll tear me to shreds.
But nothing happened.Perhaps, the time to confront Gesar has yet to come.
Edgar gave me a complaining look—it seemed that he had great hopes for me.
The Messenger of Light quietly entered the Twilight Realm, took away the body of the sacrificed female comrade-in-arms, and disappeared into the second layer of space.Disappeared without a trace.
"I really couldn't stop him," I admitted apologetically, "I'm sorry, Edgar."
"Unfortunately," said the Estonian, moving his lips.
It was the same "BMW" that drove me to the office of the Day Watcher Patrol.And now—for the first time in Moscow, I felt tired.
But I'm still - free.
Exhausted - I can't remember how I was brought back, pushed to the elevator, led into the office, put in an armchair, and handed me another cup of coffee.My overworked muscles ached badly, and I, who had just been controlled by the power of the Twilight Realm, felt pain all over my body.After all, I had a big fight—a confrontation that the Lightbringer will remember for a long time.And the person who attacked me is not a child - I estimate that the strength of the two Lightbringers will not be lower than the first level.
"Hurry up the analysts," Edgar told one of his subordinates, "I want to finally figure out what's going on."
I glanced at him, and Edgar knew I was awake.
"Tell me!" he suggested.
"Calling!" I said hoarsely, coughed, and tried to take a sip of coffee, but I was burned, and I let out a soft "ouch" in pain. "Calling voices," I said, when I could speak again, "they shut me in the dream."
"The call?" Sagoron said in amazement. "The Lightbringer hasn't used it for thirty years..."
"You were surrounded by calls in the patrol building?" Edgar asked again in disbelief. "Really? Has anyone else heard the call?"
"No. The call was faint and subtle. It felt as though it were camouflaged against the natural backdrop of the housing floors."
"So you heeded the call?"
"Of course not." I tried to take another sip of my coffee, this time with no problem. "But I decided to spy on what the Lightbringer is up to."
"So you didn't tell anyone?" Edgar looked for a balance between confusion and dissatisfaction, "You're really avant-garde..."
"If I called for help and rushed to that call, I could be chained in a second," I explained. "No, I had to go straight and alone. So I went. They tried to catch me in the Passion Garden - I had to break free. I threw the tiger off three times and told her to stop, until later I really gave it to her."
Edgar stared at me without blinking.
"Is your identity the Darkbringer, Vidari?" he said.
"It's the Darkbringer," I readily affirmed, "There's no one darker than me!"
"Are you a—super magician?" he asked.
"Unfortunately not." I spread my hands cautiously, for fear of spilling the coffee, "Otherwise I won't let Gesar go."
Edgar tapped his fingers on the table and cast an impatient sideways glance at the door.
"What did the analyst say..." he muttered.
The door was opened.An engrossed middle-aged woman (the witch) and two men (the magicians) appear at the door.
"Good day, Anna Tikhonovna," Sagoron greeted hurriedly.He seemed stronger than the Witch, and was a little afraid of her nonetheless.Of course, he was right.A witch's power is of a different nature than a magician's.Witches can easily subdue even very powerful magicians.
Edgar just nodded.
"That's him?" one of the magicians asked, looking at me.
"It's him, Yura."
Yura was an old and powerful magician, and that was immediately apparent to me.I also know Yura - not his name.The names of such people are hidden in unbelievable depths -- depths that can never be reached.
That's right.If freedom is really precious to you.
"Sit however you please, Anna Tikhonovna." Sagoron gave up his armchair to the witch, and walked up to the two magicians who were admiring the spacious window sill.
"Edgar," the witch said, "The Lightbringer is desperate. They haven't organized such lawless behavior since 1949. They should have an extremely important reason for breaking the peace treaty!"
Edgar shrugged and briefly explained:
"Kocchi Favreira."
"But it's not here!" The witch squeezed out a sentence, and scanned all the people present with meaningful eyes, "Maybe it's not the case? Sagoron?"
Sagoron quickly shook his head.It seemed that he had fought this witch before, and he was not the winner in the fight.The boss is her.
"Kolya?"
The second of the magicians who had just entered replied quite calmly:
"No. I have a question, do we need him..."
"I didn't ask you." The witch complained to Edgar and Yura, and then glanced at me.
"Anna Tikhonovna," I said sincerely, "I learned about the existence of the 'Spirit Claw' at night, and I have been sleeping most of the time since then."
"What are you doing in Moscow?" she asked sternly.
"I don't know myself, driven by something, it said go--so I came. As soon as I got off the train, I was involved in the female vampire and the night watchman patrol incident. It's like getting off the ship and going straight to the ball Come up..."
"If I understand anything from this," said the magician Yura, "it's fate. That explains everything—the growing power, the disappearance of the 'claws', the actions of the Lightbringers. They're just trying to Dodge or even isolate yourself before the 'Spirit Claw' succeeds, otherwise it will be too late."
"Then why don't they let their sorcerers work?" Edgar asked, drawing out the vowels a little.It seems that his accent only shows up when he's excited and paying full attention to something, rather than his own words.
"Nagesher only intervened in a critical moment," Sagoron interjected, "and...just to protect the retreat!"
"Who knows," the witch looked at me again, "maybe they just didn't have time to keep up with him?"
"My name is Vidari," I reminded, "nice to meet you."
Truth be told, to hear yourself referred to as "this" or "he"—who would be happy?
It seemed that the interlocutor paid little attention to what I said.
Yura looked into my eyes, and he realized for a moment that I didn't cover myself—is it necessary?
"A good first class magician," he said to them all, "although there are some flaws. If only yesterday, the presence of such magicians among us would only have made me very happy."
"Then today, are you disappointed or something?" the witch said disdainfully.
"I will not comment today. The Lightbringer broke free, and Zaburon is not here. Gesar, plus the female magician, plus Olga, plus Igor, Ilya, and Gariko , Xie Miao, even if we don't try our best...we won't be able to survive against them."
"We have 'Spirit Claw' and this... Vidari, etc.," the witch retorted, "and Zaburon will always appear when he needs it most."
"The Claw is not with us yet," Yura pointed out. "Who can guarantee that it will come? By the way, Kolya is absolutely right: what are we going to do with the Claw? Just ancient and powerful Power, I understand that. But if it is awakened in a moment of confusion... I'm afraid we won't be able to sit comfortably in this armchair..."
"Isn't that what we're working on," the witch said charmingly, "Edgar, what did the analyst say?"
As if by design, someone knocked on the door.The ruler of the laptop named Gremar who had just arrived appeared at the door.
"Here!" he said solemnly, "Vnukovo Airport! Flight 1505 from Odessa was delayed twice due to weather, and just took off. It landed in one hour and twenty minutes. 'Spirit Claw'— on that plane."
"That's right," Edgar jumped up, "Operation Command—go to the airport! Pay attention to weather changes! Cut off contact with the Lightbringer. They're a bunch of shit, what observers!"
"Boss," Gremar said dissatisfiedly and helplessly, "The Lightbringer has set up a headquarters at Vnukovo Airport fifteen minutes ago. Please consider this."
"We'll think about it," replied the witch, "hey, act..."
Everyone got up and got busy.Some picked up the phone, some took out fully charged evil spirits from the safe, and some shouted orders to the action team...
Only I put the coffee mug on the table in frustration.
"Does your headquarters care about filling your stomach?" I didn't know who to ask, "I've swallowed saliva all day and night..."
"Enough," they interrupted me roughly, "get downstairs quickly. Don't do any more independent actions..."
Oddly enough, at this moment I don't want to engage in any independent action at all.
We arrived at Vnukovo airport quickly.The handsome minibus was driven by an exhausted young man.
People around him called him Deniska.He's a magician and drives better than Sagoron.Embankment Avenue, Oldenka Street, Lenin Avenue, Southwest Avenue, Ring Avenue... I haven't had time to see everything around me.Sagoron and Edgar were gone.Yura and Kolya also disappeared.Leave me with Anna Tihonovna and the three witches.From time to time I caught their interested glances at me.Perhaps Anna Tikhonovna ordered me not to be touched, so no one tried to talk to me.A fat shapeshifter sat lumberingly over the rear luggage rack.He heyed when Deniska made another emergency pass.The wheels creaked and groaned, and the engine beeped evenly like a hard-working May drone.
We arrived at the airport first, and Deniska parked near the work entrance.Two vehicles—Sagoron's "BMW" and another minibus carrying technicians galloped by.The scouts acted in uncommon coordination - an information spell was immediately set up, allowing us to carve out a space among the common folk.A line of technicians with laptops lined up to the door, and someone had already selected the command post—a spacious room with a sign that said "Accounting Office."The Common People staff have been herded into an adjoining office or conference room, leaving them in a contented pause.If it were me, I would choose this hall as the headquarters, but Gremar said that there are more telephone lines in the accounting room.
Yura popped out of nowhere.I wondered inopportunely why, when the boss was away, the boss's duties fell to Edgar, even though Edgar was at the second level in terms of strength?Yura makes me feel stronger.But it wasn't my turn to get involved with the Day Watchers patrol, so I just lay down in a corner and figured it out—whether I could slip away for ten minutes and go to the restaurant.Technicians are already tapping their fingers all over the keyboard.
The plane was coming down, at the precise time—five minutes to twenty to five past twenty.
"Has the Lightbringer been found?" asked Anna Tikhonovna.
"Found it. In the lounge, next to the waiting room, in the building next door."
"What are they doing?"
"It looks like he's casting a spell on the weather." Someone said something.
"What do you mean? Don't let the plane land?"
"They're not going to spoil the passengers," said Anna Tikhonovna angrily.
I figured the easiest way would be to just crash the plane and that would be the end of the matter.But the Lightbringer—the Lightbringer, after all.Even in this case, they look after ordinary people.Besides, it's unclear whether the plane crash would have done any damage to the biological artifacts from Bern.Probably not.Power is power.
"Which of us is a meteorologist?" asked Anna Tikhonovna.
"Me!" The two witches immediately replied in unison.
"I said, go and feel it, what's going on..."
The two witches set out to sense—oh no, to scan their surroundings for objects affected by the weather-changing spell.I felt a source of keen energy that even many others could not feel or see, sweeping over like a tight fan.It's not that other Others can't spot them—most are just bad at spotting them.Weather magic has always been the destiny of witches and some female magicians, everywhere, with its own subtleties.
"They are driving away the clouds," one of the witches conveyed, "needs strength..."
The backup magician immediately went to grab the amulet, while the other groped with his hands to find the witch's palm.For a while they concentrated, and finally the three witches closed their eyes, held hands, and fell into a state that resembled a trance.
"Come and help if you can," commanded Anna Tikhonovna.
I can't help right now.To be more precise, the energy I can expend on this matter is not comparable to the power of the evil spirit.
After all, I spent too much energy in the "passion" street park.
The patrols are busy with their own business.The command center was boiling unassumingly—no one seemed to be running around, no one was busy, but the tension literally hung in the air.I don't feel comfortable - because I'm the only one in command with nothing to do.Something reminded me that I couldn't help for the last few minutes.
So I slipped away quietly.Get up and slip quietly into the twilight world.Then go deep into it, go deep into the second layer of space.
The descent from the second floor took me two or three minutes, and I speeded up as much as possible.Weird, I thought the Twilight Zone was going to wear me out, but instead, I felt refreshed, like I'd taken a shower and downed a hundred grams of wine.It's amazing.
By the way, how wonderful it would be to realize the second situation.
Breaking out of the twilight zone, I headed for the building next door—a rectangular object of glass and concrete as opposed to the administration building crowned by a spire—a monumental beauty of the Fifties architectural program. And magnificent buildings.
I forgot my coat at the headquarters, so I had to run to the entrance.The wind was blowing little bits of snow, so I thought: what if I get on the plane from Odessa?The snow, the darkness, the weather — freezing cold.By the way, there is also the Messenger of Light, who must be working hard to destroy as much as possible.But if the plane doesn't land - where can it go?Or will it be re-flyed to another airport?To Bykov or Damededovo airport?
By the way, this idea should be mentioned to Edgar or Anna Tikhonovna, so that patrols can be sent scattered just in case...
In fact, the plane might turn toward Kaluga or Tula or something, if the weather was better there.It was quite possible to land here, too, and the Lightbringer weather magicians were clearly doing their best to get it to Vnukovo Airport.
It was warm and comfortable in the airport building.Coming in from the outside, I immediately went to the second floor, to the bar where I had a beer with Polyansky when we were waiting for the plane, and we heard that song on the train that literally tortured us about " Summer is here, and everything is a thing of the past" song.
I didn't realize it all at once, this is a memory I have barely preserved.Where did they come from, somewhere deep in my consciousness?I have no idea.
I tried to figure out who Polyansky was, but I couldn't even recall what he looked like.Not to mention the car we took, where we flew, what we were doing... For some reason, all that came up was the haunting memory that in his room, in the old days of the Soviet Union, there was a huge toilet flushing basin.Yes, it's unusable... Besides, yes, why would a Soviet need the luxury of a toilet flush?
But the bar is still as I remember it.Bar counter, bar stools, gleaming beer taps.There was a TV in the corner, but it was playing another short music video entirely.A guy with suspicious red eyes kisses the hand of a girl in a red dress in the rain.Then it's all the same old stuff - a big mouth like a tiger and a wolf and so on.I especially like the moment when, after a while, the guy in the girl's red dress walks into the bar and turns into wolves for some reason.I also like the last picture - the girl suddenly showed red eyes at the guests...
Ugh.In short, everyone imagines the "shape-shifter from another world" very badly.Just like the realistic shapeshifter that fashion writer Pelevin used to describe, the greedy, gluttonous, and sloppy shapeshifter.But it was beautifully shot, no doubt about it.Maybe the wolf shapeshifter pays off the producers and influences the musicians -- and thus gets a nice, romantic musical clip about them.That's what Russian vampires did not so long ago.
In order to be safe, I wrote down the name of the group - Rammstein, so that I can find this short video later and listen carefully.
I ordered a beer and two hamburgers, sat sideways to the TV, and sat down in the bar with my back to the bar. My stomach was already so hungry that I felt "gut to gut", so I decided to end this state even partially .
I just started eating my second burger and felt lightbringer, directly in my back.So I immediately hid it-I already knew it.I know with absolute certainty that they haven't found me yet.
After all, I am an Other with strong spells, even though I am not very experienced.And these two were no more than hired help.One is a weak magician in his mid-twenties, and the other is a fledgling observer.I feel that I see the future much better than this observer—I see all the possible scenarios—and I can predict the most likely of these scenarios more accurately than he does.
The Lightbringer spoke in a low voice.这两位身上都被巧妙地施了摆脱旁人注意力的魔咒，而且是相当具有异国情调的一种类型。这魔咒是某位非常高强的人施下的，我很注意听。
“……已经到这儿了。头儿说，可能会有交战。”一位魔法师悄悄地说。
“我们反正会被封锁的，”观察员沮丧地反驳道，“特别是小虎和安德烈死后。”
“奥列克，我们需要所有的力量，明白吗？所有的，毫无保留。'灵爪'不可能落到黑暗使者手中——那将是大家的末日，世界的末日……”
“哎哟，”观察员怀疑地表示反对，“什么末日啊……”
魔法师纠正说：
“那就是我们优势的末日。我们不能在近期内挤垮黑暗使者。”
“这总体上可能吗？”观察员的话语里流露出毫不掩饰的极大怀疑，“千百年来光明使者和黑暗使者肩并肩地存在。千百年来一直在战斗。巡查队已经竞争了多少年。但是要知道还有不允许平衡遭到破坏的宗教法庭啊……”
光明使者顿时停止了交谈，走到有三个人排成的队伍前，轻易地迷惑了所有人，包括酒吧间侍者。
“二十个汉堡，一箱果汁。”魔法师吩咐，又对同伴转过身去。
我也装成被迷惑的样子。实质上，他者是非常无忧无虑的，特别是那些年轻的，被那种自己优越于普通人的感觉大大地冲昏了头脑的，只有随着时间的推移他们才可能明白，有时做普通人比做他者简单轻松得多。
“反正会有打斗的，安东对我说过：黑暗使者那边来了位外地的巫师——在'激情'街心公园他对法利达和达尼拉使阴招儿。他还杀死了小虎。这个恶棍……”
“别无缘无故地攻击和平的黑暗使者，”我气愤地想，“不是我追逐她——是她惹我的……”
至于“使阴招儿”——这是光明使者在撒谎。那场对决我付出了很多。
这时我明白了一点：有什么事情已经开始了。光明使者仿佛听到命令似的把头扭向夏日的田野，立刻走进黄昏界中。一秒钟过后，我也走了进去。
在夏日的田野里，黑暗使者中不知是谁站在满是白雪的地带，手杖伸在身前；长长的火舌舔着冰冻的混凝土。一次，又一次。魔法师在从奥德萨开来的飞机降落之前倾听着跑道的声音。裹得像雪团的光明使者从机场大楼里急冲冲地赶过去。
魔法师又喷出了几道火舌，然后走进更深层的黄昏界空间。
好像，这是科利亚。
我的这两位多嘴的魔法师匆忙地把食物装进塑料袋里，踏着颤动着的蓝色毛茸茸地毯，一路小跑地匆忙离去。
科利亚在此处自由自在。有这么多的人，这么多的情感……一位误机乘客的情感足以在一昼夜内喂饱所有这些未吃饱的像偃伏灌木般滋生于此的生物。我也从方圆凳上一跃而起，没喝完的啤酒留在吧台上。透过机场的墙实际上分辨不出夏日的田野里发生的一切——我只看到他者头上生物电场彩色斑点的模糊影子和释放出来的一团团黏性的力量。同时我还看见大厅的内部和在塑料椅子上耐心等待航班的人们。
低沉的轰隆声交汇到黄昏界中。这时播音员开始广播：“从奥德萨飞来的1505航班已经降落。”我沿着楼梯冲到楼下，费劲地在移动的人群中前进。
down.向前。现在向右。
跳过旋转栅门，我来到夏日田野的入口旁。
而那儿正在上演一场动真格的砍杀——我真的是连皮肤都感觉到了能量的迸发，辟邪物的威力和魔法师们的能耐，感觉到了那可以用来对付其他的什么，而非用于相互对立的一切魔法手段。光明使者在其正义之战中真是僵化透了！他们甚至想都没想过与我们达成一致，他们立刻就冲过去进攻。
我感觉黑暗使者会不顺利。好像守夜人巡查队的头儿格谢尔干预进来了。而且至少还有两位法力非常高强的魔法师在那儿，在滑行到停泊地的飞机旁。
又有四位穿过机场大楼的墙冲了过来。当然，他们都是他者。都像是经过精挑细选般身材高大魁梧，浅发蓝眼。那种二十世纪和二十一世纪之交的典型的海盗。戴着同样的“阿拉斯加”帽，同样的包。没带帽子的头发都竖起来了，有迹象告诉我，这根本不是风吹所致。
为什么他们以人类的面目，而非黄昏界面目出现——我一下子没弄明白。直到当我在人类世界中看了他们一眼，并不知所措地大笑起来时，我才想起：黄昏界面目——是他者下意识的理想——它可以是各种各样的……
他们走过，几乎是跑过大厅，从我身边跑过，向出口跑去，朝飞机场前面那个如同明亮的光点般突出的停车场跑去。
从我身边跑过。
他们一赶上我，右边便突然闪出有“乌拉尔”载重车那么大小的深蓝色火花。所有处在黄昏界中的人都被抛到地上。
我仰面朝天地躺在地上，稍稍抬起头——像一只巨大的水母般曼妙而摇摇晃晃地悬在空中。
但是我感觉——在那儿，在透明的帷幔后即将发生什么事儿。
我猜中了——旁边，在透明的屏障后，在行李大厅，在蓝色的烟雾中正门打开了。黄昏界中刺眼的白色光芒异常明亮，直射双眼，如往常一样见不到一丝影子。这是一种令人恐惧的奇特场景——无法忍受的通明透亮的光线，一丁点儿影子也没有。
光明使者共两位。守夜人巡查队的头儿和一位可爱的年轻女人，是位力量叫人印象深刻的女魔法师。
“你在我的控制下了，”格谢尔大声说，迅速而简洁地做了个实施催眠术的动作，“起来吧！”
他对海盗们说。光明使者并没有注意在比任何人都靠近正门入口的地方晃来晃去的我。
其中一个海盗断断续续地用英语恶狠狠地说了些什么。格谢尔给予回答。我郁闷地感到遗憾：我一个字也没听懂。接着海盗们站起来，服服帖帖地朝正门出口走去。我打算站起来，甚至已经四肢着地地站起来了。
当海盗中的第三位与我并排时，第四位突然猛地进入到黄昏界更深处。
格谢尔马上做出反应——向留在那儿的几位掷出一张网，随即便消失了，只留下女魔术师。
留在那儿的几位海盗停在原地一动不动，而我——四肢站立的我再一次伸直身子躺在地板上，这回是面朝下，恰似高速公路上的一只青蛙。我觉得就像开过来的自卸车上的一块预制板倒塌在我身上——我既不能喘气，又不能动弹，真见鬼。某种东西，某种椭圆形的、有点儿弯曲的东西压在胸口上真让人难以忍受。
鼻子挨着地板可不那么舒服。我直起身子，掉转头。
我的目光与躺在身边的海盗的目光相遇。
寒冷把我冻得半死，即使是莫斯科的无数个冬天都不会制造出这样的寒冷。
"you!"
"I……"
“你是他者！”
"right……"
“你为黑暗效力……”
“也许吧……”
“把这个保存好！”
"what?"
但是海盗已经闭上了双眼，无言的对话只持续了片刻。
保存什么呢？这个该死的让我伤筋动骨的东西吗？
女魔法师为了万无一失又向我们扔出一块“预制板”——海盗压低嗓门嘶哑地叫喊起来，从我的胸口中也发出类似的呻吟声。
后来我想了想：何苦呢？
我合上双眼，集中注意力去寻找力量……我发现旁边实际上有取之不尽的力量的源泉。
大门入口依然开着。
哎哟哟，原来一切如此简单！恢复在“激情”街心花园所耗费的力量——只不过是区区几秒钟的事。至于大门入口是光明使者的——这个丝毫没有使我感到为难，因为力量的本质终究是相同的。
我开始吸取大门入口的力量。慢慢地吸取，这样光明使者一下子没法明白，发生了什么事。
最开始我轻轻地从自己身上卸下一些重量——成功了，而且我不能说这特别难。接着我抓住了在我身下的东西，把它抓成一团茧，揣到怀里，依旧在地板上蠕动。看来女魔法师开始担心起来。
我已经做好准备起身，但此时格谢尔返回来了。他全身发出白色的光芒，就像田园农民想象中的天使一般。他一只手抓住因失去自由而变得顺从，但企图逃跑的海盗。一步，两步——放走的海盗像只布木偶似的挪到自己的同伴身边。但在格谢尔脸上我看到的不是高兴，而是另一种东西。
“'灵爪'在哪儿？”
他匆匆看了女魔法师一眼。她不安地缩紧脖子——我感觉到她在扫描我们所有的人。
不，姑娘。我的蚕茧你是击不破的！
格谢尔也没法击穿它。这一点我可以从又一个新阶梯的高度肯定地对你们讲。
但是格谢尔争分夺秒地靠近我。
“又是你……”
在他的声音中我觉察不到仇恨的影子，只感到无尽的倦意。
我站起来，抖了抖衣服。
"it's me."
“你让我惊讶，”格谢尔承认，用目光直盯盯地看着我这个人物，“再让我惊讶一次吧，让'灵爪'回来。”
“'灵爪'？”我优美地弯了弯眉毛，“你说什么，同行？”
格谢尔咬咬牙——我清晰地看到他颌骨上的肌肉在颧骨上颤动。
“别再闹喜剧了，黑暗使者。'灵爪'在你那儿，它不可能有别处可去。我不再感觉到它，但是这并不会改变事实。你现在就把'灵爪'交给我——我再重复一次——永远从莫斯科消失。请你好好考虑：你是第一个我第二次平和地建议消失的人。很长很长时间以来的第一个。我已经解释清楚了吧？”
“再清楚不过了。”我发牢骚地说，我衡量了一下自己的力量，认为不会有什么好结果。
我用意念靠近那位没起任何疑心的女魔法师，尽我所能地从她身上吸取力量，直到她醒悟过来，从正门入口补充了一些，这一切都十分迅速，尽可能地迅速。
我打开了自己的正门入口。就在自己的眼皮底下，同时我从黄昏界中走了出来。
其实，假如我站在下水道地道口，盖子突然消失，其效果一定相反。对格谢尔和其他人而言——我只是不见了而已。消失了，然后失踪了。
我没有冒险从格谢尔身上吸取力量——有什么东西在提醒我：暂时不值得和他决一胜负。你可以营造一个蚕茧，格谢尔没有准备不会去瞧它的。你可以从完全有可能成为伟大魔法师的女魔法师身上吸走能量——这是公然的顽皮，只能做一次。但是卷入与守夜人巡查队头儿的公开对决——对维达里·罗戈扎，他者，黑暗使者而言暂时还早了点儿。
他挪开了双脚，你得说谢谢。
我说了声谢谢就一头扎入了几米高的雪堆中。我周围黑糊糊的，头顶上只有月亮。
而周围是延伸着的森林。
我置身于像列宁大道一样笔直的林间通道上，这林间通道宽达十五米。左边是——森林墙，右边是——森林墙，而前方，无人触及过的雪地上闪着银光的地带上方是月亮。几乎是圆月。
这很美，美轮美奂——洒满月光的林间通道，夜晚，白雪……我甚至想欣赏个够。
可是我开始眨巴起眼睛来。
从雪地里勉强出来，我环顾四周。雪仍然让人觉得无人触动过。但是远处的某个地方我分辨出郊区电气列车车轮那种典型的相互交替的撞击声。
Hey.见鬼的魔法师，黑暗正门入口的控制者。想打开正门入口——就开了。至于把它锁到何处——可没去过问了。这不，结果是我既没穿外套，又没戴帽子，只穿着一件可怜的毛衣孤身出现在冬日的森林里。
我对自己大为光火，摸到怀里那长方形的硬家伙，想暂时不撕下蚕茧，沿着月光下奇妙的无人走过的林间雪道慢悠悠地朝月亮迎面而去。
很快我就明白，沿着雪团行走是否是乐趣还值得怀疑，我只好选择往森林那边走——我做出正确判断，树那边雪应该少些。
连我自己都颇感惊奇的是，我百分之二百的正确。首先，森林边缘确实没有雪团，其次，找到了一条小径。一条被踩踏得正合适的小径。之前在影子里我根本就没发现它。
古人云，路总是引向那些开创它们的人。再说我也没有其他出路了。于是我沿小径而行。我走了起来，后来则是跑了起来，以便暖暖身子。
“趁现在不累，我还要跑，”我想，“然后我到黄昏界中去……取暖。”
希望我的力量既够用于奔跑，又够用于进入黄昏界。
我跑了大约十五分钟；一丝风儿也没有，因此我稍稍暖和了些。林间通道仍在延伸着延伸着，雪地仍然泛着银白色银白色的光。在此处奔跑的不应该是我，身穿翻皮上衣、腰配迷人短剑的古代勇士在此奔跑要恰如其分得多。几步远的前方还应该有一条忠实驯服的狼……
我刚一想到狼，从左边的某个地方就传出犬吠声。是狗的叫声。狼的叫声不一样。再说狼也不会在冬天叫。
我停下脚步，仔细瞧了瞧。树与树之间闪着深桔色的光，除了犬吠声，还传来其他的声音。是人的声音。
我没有犹豫太久，又往前走了几步，来到一条通往篝火处的小路分岔口，我朝篝火方向走去。
两条狗立刻向我扑来——一条几乎在白雪背景下分辨不出来的白色卡罗利阿莱卡犬和另一条尾巴圈成个小圆圈，黑得像煤炭似的毛茸茸的纽芬兰犬。莱卡犬像你的铃铛儿似的大声叫唤，纽芬兰犬低沉地呼呼直吼“汪！汪！”
“彼德罗！是你吗？”篝火那边传来一个声音。
“不是，”我遗憾地回应，“我不是彼德罗。可以取暖吗？”
老实说，首先我根本不是为了取暖。我想弄明白，我现在在哪儿。免得连蒙带猜地去穿越森林，还是直接走出森林去电气列车站好了。
“过来吧！不用怕我的狗，它们不会咬人的。”
两只狗确实不咬人。莱卡犬一直在四米半左右的距离外警惕地蹿来蹿去，而纽芬兰犬干脆来到我脚边，闻闻鞋子，又呼哧呼哧走到篝火旁去了。
篝火旁有十多个人。附近垂直架着的粗松树枝上用铁链挂着很大一口锅。锅里的东西沸腾着，令人期待。那群人坐在两根圆木上，大多数人手上拿着铁杯子，有人猛地一下又打开了一瓶伏特加酒。
“哦，好家伙！”当我走出黑暗来到亮处时，一个地质队员模样的胡子拉碴的小伙子说，“只穿着毛衣呢！”
“对不起，”我喘了口气，“我有些小麻烦。”
“请坐。”有人立刻挪了挪身子。他们差点没使劲拽我坐下，而且立马把一杯伏特加塞到我手里。
"Drink!"
我没敢不服从。喉咙一下子暖和了，几秒钟过后我已经彻底忘掉，我是在冬日的户外。
“斯杰潘！你好像有件上衣的？”大胡子继续安排。
“是的，”对面圆木上有人回答，说着有人迅速跑过去一点点。那边，在几棵树之间几座架起来的帐篷隐约可见。
“我有帽子，”像小学生似的扎着小辫的胖乎乎的姑娘说，“这就拿来……”
“你早就冻坏了吧？”大胡子问我。
“不太久，才十分钟。不过请别问我，我是怎么到这儿来的。”
“我们不问，”大胡子答应，“抓饭马上就好了。我们在这儿一直要呆到明天。能找到地方让你过夜的，多余的睡袋也能找到。明天我们就去莫斯科，你可以跟我们一起，也可以不跟着我们。”
“谢谢，”我说，“很乐意。”
“我们正在庆祝生日，”双手捧着一件青绿色登山服走过来的斯杰潘对我解释说，“拿着吧。”
“谢谢，伙计们。”我诚恳地谢了他们。主要不是因为他们殷勤好客，而是因为没有用各种问题向我发问。
外衣很暖和。比看起来暖和些。
“那是谁的生日呢？”我感兴趣地问。
那位正在与另一个献殷勤的大胡子男人接吻的姑娘停下来说：
“我的，”她宣布，“我叫塔玛拉。”
“祝贺你，”我说。弄得有点沮丧。我真的后悔，没什么可送给她的，要塞给她一张一百美金的钞票又没好意思。那样的话就变得像是我所施与的某种慷慨的小费似的，仅仅为了体面而变换了方式而已……
“怎么称呼你啊？”头号大胡子说，“我叫马特维依。”
“维达里，”我握了握伸过来的手，“冬日森林里的生日——平生第一次参加这样的生日庆祝会。”
“所有的事情总会有第一次的。”马特维依像个哲学家似的指出。
两只狗又叫起来，随之跑到黑暗中去了。
“唉，这下该是彼德罗了吧？”寿星带着期盼的神情说。
“彼德罗，是你吗？”斯杰潘出乎意料地用压根不像他说话时嗓音的响亮的男中音叫了声。
“是我！”森林那边传来回答声。
“你带回来香槟了吗？”塔玛拉喊了一声。
“带了！”彼德罗高兴地肯定道。
“乌拉—拉—拉！”所有在场的姑娘们齐声叫喊起来，“彼德罗万岁——救世主！”
我悄悄地摸了摸怀里的盒子。看样子是藏着神秘的科戈奇·法弗尼尔的盒子。我想，到明早之前可以放松一下，可以沉浸在他人节日的从容时光中。篝火旁的这群人没有刻意地注意我——像是自己当中的一员一样往我杯子里倒了些香槟，然后给我一盘子热气腾腾的抓饭，就好像每天夜里都有半光着身子从森林里来的路人光顾他们一样。
非常遗憾，他们当中一个他者也没有。哪怕是未激发的也不存在。
Notes:
Notes: