Chapter 18 Chapter 4
The Inquisition was not stingy in its treatment of the detainees.The hotel is very decent and the rooms, while not deluxe, are decent doubles.
Anton hesitated for a second before taking a step towards Igor.
How much he has changed...
Igor has been working as an action member in the patrol team.He was on the patrol in the first years after the war - when there was a lot of work, on the one hand, outbursts of sublime emotion, on the other - during the hard years that produced a lot of rubbish of all kinds... Coupled with the atheism that has gripped the country, it is difficult for people to realize that they are other.Igor, on the other hand, accepted his essential traits with ease and joy.It seemed to him that there was no particular difference between jumping from a parachute to blow up a bridge behind a fascist, or catching vampires and shapeshifters on Moscow Street.He has solid third-level magic, with a slight possibility of upward advancement, but even third-level magic-if you add experience, bravery and good reflexes, it is already very impressive.
All of Igor's abilities are more than sufficient, but his experience is a little lacking. He has worked in the patrol team for about three years.Perhaps he was not as calculating and learned as Ilya or Garico, and did not take part in impressive operations like Semyon, but there were not many "in the wild" to rival it.There is another point Anton has always liked, that is - Igor is always young.Not only physical youth, which poses no problem for a magician of his class, but also inner youth.Who would happily agree to accompany fifteen-year-old Yulia from the analysis department to the debut of the "Fifteen Million Steps" record of the young group "Jakila Jazz"?Who would be obsessed with playing with a mixed-emotional half-boy who realizes something else in him?Who would selflessly engage in extremely complicated and difficult drifting sports within five years just to test the reasons for the high number of extreme athletes among others?Who will be the first to volunteer for a change of guard or to perform the most tedious task?The most dangerous missions happen to have no shortage of volunteers.Perhaps it was a mistake, but at some point Anton began to think that it would be much more beneficial if you had behind your back someone who was reliable and optimistic, rather than someone who was strong and wise with experience.Strong and intelligent people will always be drawn to more important tasks than protecting someone's back...
The other standing in front of Anton now looks neither strong nor optimistic.Igor lost a lot of weight, and his eyes were full of hopeless and desolate sadness.Also—he doesn't seem to know where to put his hands... now he puts his hands behind his back, now he grasps the palms.
"Anton..." he finally spoke, without a smile, but with a hint of joy, "Hello, Anton."
Anton took a step forward impulsively, hugged Igor, and said softly:
"Hello...how can you be like this, to this point..."
Videslav, standing by the door, whispered:
"I will not issue an official warning about the norms of communication with suspects... because you are Lightbringers... Shall I wait for you, Gorodetsky?"
"No, thank you," Anton backed away from Igor, put his hands on his shoulders and said, "I'll rush over by myself."
"Igor Deplov, the court hearing on your matter will take place tomorrow night at seven o'clock local time. The car will pick you up at six-thirty, and you will be ready."
"I've been ready for a long time," Igor whispered, "don't worry..."
"All the best," said the vampire politely as he walked out.
Leaving the two Lightbringers alone.
"I'm ugly?" Igor asked.
Anton didn't intend to lie.
"It's more than that, it's uglier than a dead person. People will think that you are so bitter that you only eat bread and water."
Igor shook his head seriously:
"No, what are you talking about. Everything is normal."
There was a tinge of irony in his words, as if he were talking about wild animals sitting in cages in zoos.
"I have something to pass on to you," Anton replied with the same sarcasm, trying to catch the fragile thread of life. "Is it allowed to give something to eat?"
"Allowed," Igor nodded, "I just...can't take a bite, do you understand? I can't read books, and I don't want to get drunk, and I don't want to communicate with anyone... Turn on the TV and watch... At three o'clock in the night...it turns on again in the morning. Can you believe it - has fully learned Czech. Very easy to understand language."
"It's too bad," Anton nodded. "It's fine. You understand it yourself. I accepted the secret order and parting words—recover your will to live."
This time Igor finally smiled.
"I understand. Is there any way...you can find it."
Anton put a thick stack of letters on the table.Only the name was written on each envelope—the name of the person who wrote the letter.
"This is for all of us. Olga said you must read her letter first. But Yulia and Lianna also said the same. So you choose..."
Igor looked at the stack of letters thoughtfully, and nodded:
"I'll draw lots. All right, go ahead and do it. I'm not trusting you."
Anton smiled and took out the wine bottle wrapped in paper.
"Smirnoff Vodka, No. 21," Igor said, "is it real?"
"it is true."
"I knew it. Show me anything else."
Anton smiled sheepishly, and took out of the paper bag a piece of "Borodin" bread, a sausage, pickled cucumbers in a plastic bag, a few lavender Yalta onions, and a piece of pickled fat.
"No way," Igor shook his head, "I like all this so much. Semyon suggested it, right?"
"yes."
"The customs officers probably looked at you as if they were insane."
"I distracted them. I was on a business trip—with full rights."
"Understood. All right, I'm getting everything ready now. You tell me what's going on over there. They tell me a little bit about it. . Dere, talk about Xiaohu... talk about that lawless guy."
Igor cut the cold vegetables and wiped the goblet gently and carefully.As he uncorked the bottle, Anton briefly relayed to him the events that had taken place in Moscow not long ago.
Igor silently poured four glasses of wine.A piece of bread was covered on the wine glass, and he pushed the glass to Anton, and took the last glass by himself.
"To my comrades," he said, "may the light be kind to them, to the little tiger... to Andlyushka..."
They drained the wine without clinking glasses.Anton stared at Igor curiously.Igor coughed and looked at the goblet in bewilderment:
"Anton...wait a minute...the vodka is simmered!"
"Of course!" Anton affirmed triumphantly, "the purest natural vodka simmered over fire, alcohol, and poured with water from the tap. I specially selected it, and you won't believe it—there are so many vodkas in the store now. Hard to find fake vodka!"
"Why," Igor exclaimed.
"What why? Then why did I bring you 'Borodin' bread? I can buy a nice fresh piece of black bread from any shop in Prague! So is the sausage, so is the bacon. Only the garlic has to be brought ..."
"Why, this is brought from home?" Igor still frowned, he figured it out.
"Exactly."
"No...I want to face my last morning with a clear head." Igor said seriously.He frowned and wiped one hand over the bottle and two full glasses.The liquid instantly glowed a lemon-yellow color.Igor said guiltily: "Some low-level magic is allowed."
"Then pour some more."
"Where are you going in a hurry?" Igor asked Anton with a sideways glance.Then pour out the reconstituted vodka.
"No, I'm not in a hurry to go anywhere." Anton replied, "I'd better sit and chat with you. Do you know why I changed the bottle of wine?"
"Are you the initiator?"
"It's me, it's me. Semyon brought the right bottle. But I want you to remember... the red container doesn't always contain... good content."
Igor sighed, his face darkened.
"Gorodetsky . . . don't reason with me. I was on the patrol before you were born. I understand! But I was wrong, so I bear my own punishment."
"No, you don't understand anything!" cried Anton fiercely.
"Stand up and take a pose, do you see...or sit down and take a pose, and say more definitely 'I was wrong, I bear...'" He comically imitated Igor, "Then what should we do? Especially now, without Xiaohu and Andre? You know, Gesar decided to call our girls who do programming?"
"Come on, Anton! There is no irreplaceable other. The reserve force of the Moscow Patrol has hundreds of magicians and witches!"
"Yes, of course. As long as we blow the whistle--they'll come at once, leave their families, their jobs and ordinary affairs, and take up arms, and what else? If the combatants of the Patrol are disgraced , stand idly by, give up responsibility..."
Igor sighed, and fiercely and rationally changed back to the appearance of a former combat member and said:
"Anton, I get it all. You're a bright lad, and you're right to be mad at me right now. You're trying to inspire my will to live...trying to convince me to fight...but please understand - I really don't want to Fight! I do think I was wrong. I do...decided to go. To nothingness, to the Twilight."
"Why, Igor? I understand that human death is always a tragedy, let alone because of your fault, but you can't foresee it..."
Igor raised heavy eyes to him and shook his head:
"No, Antoshka. You don't understand at all. Do you think I'm repenting because the little boy drowned? No."
Anton picked up the goblet and drank it in one gulp.
"I'm sorry for the little boy," Igor went on, "very sorry. Except I've seen everything. . . At this point, people died because of my fault. There were children, there were women, old people. Have you ever encountered, for example, who to rush to, who to save, the choice of saving the uninspired Other or the ordinary person? I—I have. You have faced knowing that 90% of a group of people may Is there a situation where two people can't stand it and kill themselves and still have to suck—absolutely drain—the strength from them? I—had it."
"I have also encountered things that I had to do, Igor."
"Yes, I understand. That hurricane...then what nonsense are you talking about? You don't believe the problem wasn't with that unfortunate boy? The problem was that I fell in love with the Darkbringer?"
"I don't believe it," said Anton, "not at all! Gesar said that too, but..."
"You should trust Gesar," Igor smiled bitterly. "I love her, Anton. Still love her. Will love her—that's the trouble."
Anton picked up the goblet.
"You didn't put a glass of wine on the table for her, just for this I have to thank you..." Anton felt the anger around him boil, "Thank you..."
His involuntary gaze at Igor was suddenly interrupted.A piece of sour bread stood on the rim of a goblet, half full of wine, between the goblets on the glass-encased cabinet.
"You're out of your head," Anton muttered, "you're completely out of your mind. Igor, you understand—she's a witch!"
"She provokes... instead of confusing you, I understand that, but she loves herself after all."
"No. She fell in love herself. She didn't even suspect who I was."
"Okay. Suppose, you can see clearly. But in the end—this is an act of sowing discord. It was planned by Zaburon, who knows everything very well..."
Igor nodded.
"Yes, probably. I have thought about it a lot, Anton. It seems that the confrontation in Butovo was completely planned by the dark messenger. The high-level, Zaburon and one or two dark messengers planned . Remensheva may know. Edgar and the witches don't."
They don't even think vampires and shapeshifters are worth mentioning.
"Then since I agree..." Anton said.
"Wait. This is the conscious action of the dark messenger. Zaburon's conspiracy. A successful conspiracy..." Igor lowered his head and said in a low voice, "but how can this change my attitude towards Alyssa?"
Anton wanted to curse desperately.So that was done, after which he said:
"Igor, have you seen Alyssa Tonikova's collection of project documents? Maybe!"
"yes."
"Then, you should understand, how much blood debt does she have in her hand? How much crime is behind her? I myself have fought against her several times. Because of her, our operation failed. She... she is loyal to Zaburon... ..."
"You forgot to add that she used to be Zaburon's plaything," Igor said in a deadly voice. "The leader of the Dark Messenger of Moscow is happy to play sex games with her in the appearance of the twilight, and she also participated in the Ritual witch orgies and organized carnival drinking. Why don't you talk? You talk, I know anyway. Gesar gave me the full project file... His effort is fantastic. I know all this."
"But still love her?" Anton asked dully.
Igor looked up, and they looked into each other's eyes.Then Igor stretched out his hand, touched Anton's hand carefully and said:
"Don't be mad at me, Brother Lightbringer. Don't belittle me. If you can't understand—then you go. Go for a walk on the streets of Prague..."
"I'm trying to understand," whispered Anton, "it's true, trying to be like that. Alyssa Tonikova is a very ordinary witch, no better or worse than the others, smart, beautiful and cruel, What is left is guilt and pain. How can you love her?"
"To me, she is something else," Igor replied, "a distorted and unfortunate little girl who wanted to love someone and fell in love with someone else for the first time. She was surrounded by darkness." It was our misfortune that the Messenger found out first. At first she was chosen at the moment when there was more darkness in her soul than light. You know, that happens easily to maidens. Then everything was simple. Twilight sucks Take all her goodness. Twilight turned her into what she was."
"You don't love Alyssa herself," said Anton, who didn't realize that he used the present tense when talking about Tonikova, "you love her idealized... no, both must The one-of-a-kind image! That Alyssa who never existed and does not exist now!"
"It doesn't exist now. But you're still not quite right, Anton. I love what she has become, who has lost the function of others. Even if she is freed from this gray spider web for a moment." She. Tell me, haven't you ever encountered a time to forgive others? "
"I have encountered it," Anton said after a moment of silence, "yes. But this is not the case."
"You're lucky, Antoshka."
Igor poured some more vodka.
"Then answer me," Anton didn't intend to forgive Igor, but it was still difficult to say, "Why did you kill her?"
"Because she is a witch," said Igor very calmly, "because she brings evil and pain. For the patrolmen of the Night's Watch protect people from the Darkbringer whenever and wherever they are in any realm, regardless 'Personal attitude towards the state of affairs'. You have never really thought about why there is such a clear statement in the charter? About the individual's attitude towards the state of affairs? It should be 'personal attitude towards the dark messenger', but this sounds a bit pathetic. So Use the euphemism 'for...' to go around and say..."
"Euphemism." Anton showed a joyful expression.
"A euphemism," Igor sneered, "exactly. Do you remember that when you were catching a female vampire on the roof, you held her at gunpoint, but then your vampire neighbor appeared, so you put down the pistol?" .”
"I didn't do it right," Anton shrugged, "she should be judged. So I stop..."
"No, Anton. You would have shot her. You would have shot any other vampire who jumped to protect the female criminal. But it's not just a vampire standing in front of you, it's your buddy... ok Well, even if it's not a friend, it's just a friend. So you stop. You think about it, if there is a choice - put down the pistol or let the female criminal go, set her free."
"I will shoot," said Anton firmly, "and Kostya too. There is no choice. I agree, I will suffer, but I..."
"What if it's not a good acquaintance, but a woman you love? A human woman or a female sorcerer of the other of whatever type?"
"I'll shoot..." Anton whispered, "Anyway, I'll shoot."
"Then what's next?"
"I will not allow this to happen. It is impossible to allow this to happen!"
"Of course. If we could see the dark bioelectric field, and the dark messengers could see the light bioelectric field, we would never even think of loving each other. But we were arranged to meet unexpectedly, Anton. We lost everything power. And have no choice..."
"Tell me, Igor." Anton changed his tone.He didn't pick up the vodka, and the conversation, though beyond the bounds of full confidence, brought no relief. "Tell me, why didn't you just drive Alyssa out of the summer camp? Didn't ask Gesar for help and advice? Otherwise, you could protect people, and..."
"She won't go," said Igor firmly. "You know, she has legal reasons to stay in 'Alteq'. You know, what is the most terrible thing, Anton? Her restored rights are being Zaburon bargained with Gesar for the right to restore the power of a third-level magician! That is me! How all this is entangled, do you understand?"
"Are you sure she won't go?" Anton asked.
Igor raised the goblet without saying a word.They clinked glasses for the first time of the night, but still no toasts were made.
"Not sure, Anton. The bad thing is not being sure. I told her... told her to go away. But it was just that first moment when we knew who the other was. In a world where there was no reason, only adrenaline." when……"
"If she loves you," Anton said, "she'll leave. Just have to find out why..."
"Perhaps. Who can answer that question now?"
"Igor, I'm sorry," Anton whispered, "not the witch Alyssa...don't ask me that. I won't shed a tear for her. But I'm sorry for you. I hope you Stay with us. I hope you hang on and don't destroy yourself."
"It's meaningless for me to live anymore, Anton," Igor said, spreading his hands remorsefully, "please understand, it's meaningless! You know, I probably fell in love with someone for the first time in my life. I used to have a wife ...had been. Four or five years ago I became the other...I came back from the front, a young captain, with medals on his chest, unscathed... Anyway, I was lucky, I didn't understand until later, it was him The latent power of the killer saved me. I learned the truth about the Patrol... The new war, get it? And it's perfectly just, and there's nowhere else to go! I don't know anything serious about it but war. I It was then that I found myself a life's work. A very long life. Also, there would be no human suffering, depressing illnesses, food lines for me... y'all Can't imagine, what is the most ordinary hunger, Anton, what is real black bread, what is real vodka simmered over a fire... what is--for the first time, the staff of the special department of the fascist doomsday organization are full of food and drink "Why did you stay in enemy territory for two months when the bridge was blown up on the third day after the cancellation of the landing?"
Igor was getting a little tired, and now he was speaking very fast and aggrieved... It didn't sound like a young magician from the night watchmen patrolling...
"I'm back, come to see my Verena, I'm young and beautiful, who gives me every day, I'm not lying, it's really Lianochka Verena, who writes to me every day. You know that What a tender letter! I saw that she was glad of my return—for I was whole, not crippled, and a hero! Such happiness seldom came to a woman in those days. But She is very afraid that those jealous and hateful female neighbors will reveal the things about all the men who have frequented her place in the past four years, and she is afraid to say that she has not suffered because I have a certificate from my officer to receive food and supplies...you Even now I can't understand half of my pain, can I? But suddenly I see everything in one instant. And the more I look at her, the more I see, all the details, all the details, and not just all of her Men - from sleazy opportunists to battle-hardened veteran oil soldiers like me who jumped over the field hospital fence and went AWOL... also heard how she whispered to a regimental commander: 'I'm afraid he's rotten in the It's in the dirt...' By the way, the regimental commander was a regular guy. A real guy. He got up and got out of bed, punched her in the face, got dressed and walked off."
He filled the vodka and drank it down quickly before Anton could drink it.He filled the goblet again, and said:
"That's how I've been since. I left my home with my medal on and Villena wailing. 'They all lied to you, bitches, I'm true!' I Walking down the street, something dried up inside. It was May, Anton. In May of '45, Gesar pulled me back from the front immediately after the surrender of Germany, and he said: 'Now Your front line is here, Lieutenant Jeplov.' And the people were... a different kind of people, Anton. Everyone had lights on their faces. The Darkbringer has a lot of villains, nothing to worry about. Concealed! But there's plenty of light too. As I walk down the street, kids run around looking at the medals on my chest and arguing which medals are for what. Men shake hands with me , asked me to have a drink with them. The girl ran over... kiss me. It's as simple as that, nothing special in mind, like kissing your own lad who hasn't come back from the front or has disappeared, like Kissing my father, like my brother. Sometimes weeping, kissing and walking on. Do you understand? No, not necessarily... You are worried for the motherland, you think, how bad it is now, all of us In a hole...you worry why the Lightbringer won't come to the rescue in the vastness of Moscow. But you don't know where the real hole is, Anton. We know!"
Igor took another drink.Anton raised his glass in silence and nodded, expressing his approval of the toast that was silent but understood without saying it.
"That's when I became like this," Igor repeated, "became a magician. A member of the action. Young forever. Love everyone...and nobody. I've made up my mind not to love Anyone. Girlfriends are one thing, love is another. One cannot love - human beings are fragile, the other cannot love - the other is either an enemy or a comrade in battle ...that's one rule of life I've made for myself, Antoshka, and I've followed it as best I can. It's as if I'm still the young lad from the front who's too early to fall in love. At a ball with It's one thing to run after little girls..." he chuckled, "or sweaty and naked bouncing around under UV lights at a disco... jazz, rock, grunge—what's the difference, How long is the skirt, what are the stockings made of... this - anything. This is okay, that's right. I've seen an American cartoon like this - about Peter Pan? I just Kind of like him, only not a stupid kid, but a stupid teenager. I was fine for a... long time. I seem to have lived the kind of deadlines that normal people give up. Complaining is a sin— — there is neither helpless old age nor other problems, so don't be sad for no reason, Anton."
Anton sat holding his head.don't say anything.
It was as if he had opened the door of the house—saw something there...no, not something forbidden...no, not something shameless...something totally out of place.I understood that behind every door, if God forbid opened it, there was something utterly alien... personal.
"I've made my own way, Anton," Igor said in an almost gentle voice, "don't be so sad. I understand, you're bringing me up and putting my stupid thoughts out of my head. Finally, the hope of letting me complete the order came. It just couldn’t be done. I really lost my head and fell in love with the Dark Messenger. I killed her and ended up killing myself.”
Anton was silent.Everything is empty.The sorrow of others, the pain of others welled up in my heart.It turned out that, instead of delivering the gifts brought to him by his sick friend, he sat with him, at a banquet in his memory...
"Anton, don't leave today," Igor begged, "I'm not going to sleep anyway... I'll be able to sleep well soon. To be honest, I still have three bottles of vodka in the refrigerator... let's talk about the restaurant It's on the fifth floor below."
"Then we'll just fall asleep at the table."
"It's okay, we are other. I want to talk, find someone to complain about. I'm starting to be afraid of the dark, believe it or not?"
"I believe."
Igor nodded.
"Thanks. I've got a guitar over there, let's sing something. I'll sing it myself. You know, singing for myself—it's like... Well, you get it, and you don't just get it."
Anton glanced at Igor——Igor's voice suddenly became more concentrated and powerful.
"I'm a patrol after all. I won't forget that--you don't have to doubt it. And I think, in all this trouble--I'm just a pawn... No, maybe not a pawn, hit The other chess pieces, and the officers standing in the fire control area. The only difference between me and the chess pieces is that I can think. I hope you don't know that. I don't care anyway, Anton. But whose game—— To me it's not indistinguishable! Let's think about it together."
"Where do we start?" Anton asked, wondering inwardly.Did he accept Igor's words?Agreed that he was a pawn taken from the chessboard... well, if not taken, but a pawn doomed to perdition, a pawn reached by an invisible hand...
"Starting with Svetlana? Starting with the stroke of fate," Igor watched seriously the change in Anton's expression.He smiled with satisfaction, "Why, did you really guess? You think the same?"
"Gesar's thinking is the same..." Anton whispered.
"Gesar is very intelligent," Igor said in agreement, "What about us? How about this time, let's try not to use our own hands, but to think with our own brains. "
"Try it," Anton nodded, "but..."
He fumbled in his pocket to find the talisman that Gesar had given him. He squeezed the ball tightly, feeling the thin bone needles pricking his skin.Really nothing is possible without pain... He said:
"No one can see us or hear us for twelve hours."
"Are you sure?" Igor asked, "The blank information will not cause the religious court to be alert?"
"There won't be a blank," Anton said. "As far as I know, if there's their viewer or monitoring charm here - there will be a fake fake on the watcher or spell. Very realistic fake Taste."
"Gesar is really smart." Igor repeated with a smile.
Edgar sat by the window, smoking a cigarette, and leisurely drank the remaining champagne in his glass.Still delicious...
His calm and content girlfriend was sleeping peacefully in the next room.In fact, this girl is quite nice, a German college girl with some Scandinavian blood, with moderate enthusiasm.But in Edgar's eyes, it was too ingenious in terms of sex.Unlike most of his colleagues, Edgar was very conservative on this issue.No rave parties, no teenage girlfriends, and of all sex positions I prefer the traditional "Catholic" position.
Yet in this pose - it has to be admitted - he achieves perfection.
Edgar straightened his body beautifully, and carefully opened the glass sash slightly.He stood up, breathing the cold, cold air.A new day has begun, and, possibly, the court will deliver its verdict tonight.Then it will be possible to go through the holidays in peace and not be full of plots.
Whose plot is this...the Watchman or the Night's Watch?
And most importantly - what role does he play?
Is it really the role of the victim like Alyssa, as Yura implies?
"Hey, look..." Igor spread out a large sheet of paper on the table, and took out a pack of styrofoam absorbent pens from his pocket, "I've drawn some diagrams like this...and some things are consistent Yes. This is our Svetlana."
Anton glanced thoughtfully at the circle drawn with thick yellow lines.He said:
"Not quite."
Igor smiled coldly.
"Come on... don't make wisecracks. Look, what an arrangement it is. We and the Darkbringer used to be in balance, although wobbly, but there was a balance. This is our magician who has reached the third level of strength... Here are the dark emissaries on par with them... both active and ready to be recruited."
Small circles were quickly drawn on the piece of paper.Igor drew the paper in half with a big movement."Gesar" is written on the top of one half, and "Zaburon" is written on the top of the other half.He explained:
"Essentially, they're outside the game. They're players, and we're interested in pieces. Look, what's changed since Svetlana came along?"
"That depends on what kind of chess piece she is," Anton said cautiously. "Now she is a first-level female magician... More precisely, she used to be."
"How about it? Look, how many magicians can have a level similar to hers!"
"She's a pawn," said Anton, surprised at his own words. "Svetlana is a pawn at best, and will be for a long, long time! She will gather strength, learn to control her abilities, gain experience...she is stronger than me...was stronger than me. But if I Standing on another front, I will definitely be able to deal with her."
"Exactly, Anton." Igor deftly poured himself vodka from the second bottle.The first bottle was already under the table. "Exactly! Svetlana has significantly strengthened the strength of the Night Watch patrol team. In the future, it will be able to keep pace with Gesar. But this will be decades or hundreds of years later!"
"Then why are the Dark Ones acting so aggressively? They've almost broken the peace treaty, only to consume the power of the Light."
"Look," said Igor, looking into his eyes, "let's take the chess analogy to the end."
"A pawn walking on the bottom line of the chessboard..."
"...become any pawn."
Anton spread his hands.
"Igor, it has been obvious for a long time, all of us are pawns, but some have a chance to become queen. Svetlana has it, you don't, Semyon doesn't... the road to the end of the board is very long , so there is no need for the Dark Emissary to destroy Svetlana in such a hurry!"
"The stroke of fate." Igor said.
"What, pen? Gesar is going to use the little boy Yegor, who has not yet had his own destiny, to create by him..."
"Who is created?"
Anton shrugged:
"Prophet, philosopher, poet, magician... don't know. Somebody who leads humanity to the light. Maybe a mirror? A mirror like Vidari Rogoza. But a mirror to our side? "
"But Svetlana doesn't want to get involved," Igor nodded, "Leaving the little boy Yegor alone with his own destiny."
"However..." Anton stopped suddenly.He didn't know whether to tell Igor the truth, the truth that had been revealed to him, even under the protection of the evil spirit.
"However, Olga rewrote someone's fate with the other half of the pen of fate," Igor sneered, "this is already Polyshnea's secret..."
"Porishnier." Anton corrected mechanically.
“就算吧。最主要的是，行动还是成功了。在斯维特兰娜身上没成功——在奥莉加身上成功了。再说格谢尔顺便给奥莉加恢复了权利。”
“顺便？”安东摇摇头，“行了，就算是顺便吧……但这是事实的第二层面。我相信还有第三层面。”
“第三层面——奥莉加重写了某人的命运。扎武隆一得知她的权利得到恢复，马上就明白他自己被骗了。他中了最普通的转移视线法的圈套。于是他们开始寻找。叶戈尔卡，可怜的人儿，被考验了七、八次——突然他的命运之书被改写……”
“那你从何而知？”
“小男孩由我照顾。是格谢尔吩咐的，当时已经很明显，黑暗使者一定会寻找机会设圈套。”
"anything else?"
“不，对叶戈尔所做的一切都是诚实的。改写的不是他的命运。”
“那是谁的？”
伊戈尔盯着安东的眼睛不吱声了。他等待着，似乎无权自己念出这几个字。
“斯维特兰娜的？”安东恍然大悟，激动地喊出来。但马上又想了想，要是任何一位黑暗使者处在他的位置都会喊叫起来：“我的？”
“看样子是这样。天才、漂亮的一步。她周围沸腾着如此超强的力量之海洋，乃至简直就不可能发现她命运之书的行动。而且黑暗使者不能去检查她的命运之书——检查无异于宣战。”
“格谢尔想尽快把斯维特兰娜变成伟大的女魔法师？”
“排除。这违背和约。再挖深一点。”
安东看了看小圆圈，拿起泡沫塑料吸水笔从斯维特兰娜那儿向上画上一道鲜红的线条，又画上一个小圆圈、一个空心圆圈终结了这条线。
“是的，”伊戈尔说，“正是如此。你明白吗，现在是什么时候？”
“千年之末……”
“耶稣基督降生两千年。”伊戈尔冷冷一笑。
“耶稣是最伟大的光明使者，”安东说，“我甚至都不知道，这里可不可以说'魔法师'……耶稣是光明本身……但是……格谢尔希望新救世主的到来？”
“这是你说的，不是我，”伊戈尔回答，“让我们为光明干杯。”
安东完全呆若木鸡似的喝下满满一杯。他摇摇头。
“不，但是这……伊戈尔，这可是与纯洁力量的游戏！与宇宙根基的游戏！怎可以冒险？”
“安东，我相信一切就是这样安排的。你自己判断——世界中闪烁着宗教信仰的光芒，一切都同样有可能这样或那样地等待着世界末日和新的事件……其实这是一回事儿。”
“不是一切……”安东挥开手说，“别偷换！”
“不是一切，但足以使人类等待的洪流开始重组现实。如果稍稍帮一把，如果重写某人的命运……格谢尔孤注一掷。格谢尔想吸收一个其力量黑暗使者无论如何都对付不了的他者到我们的队伍中来。不论是扎武隆，还是加利福尼亚一个朴实的农场主，不论是西班牙小旅馆的拥有者，还是日本的流行歌手……谁都不能。”
“这也许是事实，”安东承认，“但是斯维特兰娜现在丧失了力量，而且会丧失很长一段时间。”
“那又怎样？这难道是生孩子的障碍？”
“停，”安东警告地挥挥手，“我和你现在把自己给弄糊涂了！可以相信任何一种假设，但是让我们还是来看看其他事件！比方说镜子？”
“镜子……”伊戈尔皱起了眉头，“镜子是由黄昏界产生的。扎武隆不能直接利用它……但是把携带生物赝象的愚蠢的宗派信徒硬拉到莫斯科来给罗戈扎提供力量则完全可以，而且提供力量的目的显而易见，那就是消灭斯维特兰娜。”
“罗戈扎没有消灭掉她！只是废了她的魔法，但这也……”
“我们当中的某个人没有按扎武隆的计划进行游戏，”伊戈尔回答，“有人没有走这一步，在这一步之后镜子本可以完全消灭作为个体的斯维特兰娜……可能小虎和安德烈的死拯救了她？镜子不完全是一个他者中的黑暗使者，他与巡查队的区别在于他不直接参与行动。你明白吗，也许他还等待着某种打击？比方说，从你这一方面讲，从格谢尔方面讲，进攻没有随之而来……所以他也就没有充分地回击。”
“那请你给我解释一下，伊戈尔，为什么扎武隆要加害于阿利莎和你呢？”
“这是偶然的，”伊戈尔嘟哝着说，“我是说阿利莎……”
“就算她之前不知道！但是扎武隆是知道的，请你相信！所以把她扔向死亡，调换了两个棋子！为什么？”
“我也想知道。”伊戈尔双手一摊说道。
Notes:
Notes: