Chapter 7 Chapter 5

A line of blood spattered the lint-free carpet.The little boy in my arms was unconscious, but his face was already red.The cat was screaming from another room, as if someone was going to kill it. I put Yegor on the sofa, sat next to him, and said: "Olga, bandages..." The owl hopped off my shoulder and in a flash of white light like an arrow, rushed into the kitchen, apparently flying into the twilight as it flew up, because it came back a little over two seconds later with a bandage in its beak. Yegor opened his eyes just as I took the bandage from the owl and started bandaging my arm.he asks:

"what is this?" "Owl. Haven't you seen it?" "What's wrong with me?" he asked, his voice less trembling. "You lost consciousness." "Why?" His horrified eyes glanced at the blood stains on the floor and on my clothes.I tried my best not to dirty Egor. "It's my blood," I explained. "Accidentally cut through. Egor, be careful entering the Twilight. Even for us other, it is a very different environment. In the Twilight, we have to constantly expend energy. Add a little freshness to it Energy, a little bit. If you don't control the whole process - the twilight will suck all your vitality. There is no way, it's a reward."

"Am I paying more than I should?" "More than you have. You almost didn't stay in the Twilight forever. It's not death, but maybe it's worse than death." "Let me help you..." The little boy sat up and frowned: it seemed that he was dizzy.I held out my hand and he started to bandage my wrist, he couldn't but tried hard.The little boy's bioelectric field has not changed, it is still flickering and neutral.He had been to the Twilight, but hadn't had time to put his stamp on it. "Trust me as a friend?" I asked. "I don't know. Probably not the enemy. Maybe you can't do anything to me?"

I reached out and touched his neck—he tensed up.I unbuckled and took off the necklace around his neck. "do you understand?" "That is to say, you are not a vampire." His voice dropped. "Yes, absolutely not, because I can touch garlic and silverware. Yegor, this is no obstacle for vampires." "In all the movies..." "Also in all the movies where the good guy wins over the bad guy. Boy, superstitions are dangerous, they give you false hopes." "Can hope be real?" "No, not really." I stood up and touched the bandage.It's nothing, it's fastened, it's wrapped tightly enough.In another half an hour, I can chant mantras to drive away the pain, but now I really have no strength.

The little boy sat on the sofa and looked at me.Yes, he was a little relieved.Still don't quite believe me.Interestingly, he doesn't give a damn about the white owl snoozing on the TV with an innocent look.Olga seemed to exert an influence on his consciousness.It's harder than explaining who the talking owl really is. "Can you find something to eat?" "What to eat?" "Anything, tea with sugar, slices of bread. It took me a lot too." "You can find it. How did you hurt yourself?" I didn't explain in detail, but I didn't lie either.

"I made it myself. To pull you out of the twilight, it has to be done." "Thank you, if this is true." His words are outrageous, but I like him that way. "You're welcome. If you disappear into the Twilight—the leader will take my head off." The little boy stood up with a "hum".He tried to stay away from me. "What kind of leader is that?" "Very harsh. Come on. Pour me a cup of tea?" "It's nothing to a good man." Yes, he was still afraid.Cover up your fear with a presumptuous look. "Let me tell you straight away, I'm not human. I'm the other. You're the other too."

"What's the difference?" Yegor looked at me in protest. "It looks like you won't say it!" "If you don't pour tea, I won't talk. Haven't you learned how to receive guests?" "Are you receiving uninvited guests? How did you get in?" "Come in through the door, I'll show you later." "Come on." He seemed determined to invite me to drink tea.I walked behind the child, frowning involuntarily.I can not help saying that: "One thing to note, Yegor...you have to wash your neck first." The little boy shook his head without turning around.

"It's stupid at least. It only protects one place on the neck. There are five places on the human body that vampires can bite." "yes?" "Yes. Of course I mean the body of a man." The back of his head also started to redden. I put five spoonfuls of sugar in the cup.I winked at Yegor: "Fill a glass of water and put two spoonfuls of sugar... I want to taste it before I die." Apparently he didn't know the joke. "How much will you give me?" "how heavy are you?" "I have no idea." I estimated it by eye. "Take four scoops. You'll get rid of the initial hypoglycemia."

He washed his neck anyway, though the garlic smell wasn't completely gone.He took a greedy sip of his tea and demanded: "Explain it!" Yes, none of this was planned that way, not at all.When the half-child is called, I should follow him, kill or capture the vampire, and bring the grateful child to the prefect—he'll explain. "A long time ago," I choked on my tea, "seems like the beginning of a story, doesn't it? But it's not a story." "I am listening." "Okay, off to another topic. There's a human world," I said, nodding toward the windows, the little doors, and the cars speeding down the road, "and it's this world, the world around us. Most of us can't go beyond Its scope, it has always been. But sometimes we other emerge.”

"Is it a vampire?" "Vampires—others too. Yes, they are other Others, and their abilities are pre-determined." "I don't understand." Yegor shook his head. Of course, I'm not a guardian.I don't and I don't like to explain clichés... "There were two shamans who ate poisonous mushrooms and beat their tambourines," I said. The shaman observed that the shadow in the firelight quivered on the cave floor, gradually becoming a tangible thing, gradually rising to the height of a man. He took a step, stepped into this shadow, entered the twilight realm, and then The funniest thing happened down there—get it?"

Yegor was silent. "The twilight world changes whoever enters it. It's the world of the other, and it turns people into otherness. What you become - it's up to you. The twilight world is a choppy river that flows in all directions at once. .Decide, who you want to be in Twilight. But decide fast, you don't have much time." That's when the little boy understood.His pupils narrowed and his skin was slightly pale.This kind of overwrought reaction is very good, really suitable for being a combat member... "What can I be?" "You—whatever you want. You don't have a definite future. You know, what's the basis of choice? Good and evil, light and dark." "Then are you a kind person?" "First of all, I am the other. The difference between good and evil depends on the attitude towards ordinary people. If you choose light - you will not use your abilities for personal gain; if you choose darkness - this That's normal for you. But dark magicians also save sick people, and find missing people who have never been heard from. Whereas light magicians may refuse to help people." "Then I don't understand, what's the difference?" "You'll understand. When you're on this side or that, you'll understand." "I'm not taking sides!" "It's late, Yegor. You have been to the Twilight, and you are already changing. Sooner or later you will make a choice." "If you choose the light..." Yegor stood up and took another sip of tea.I found him turning his back on me for the first time without concern and saying, "Who are you? A magician?" "Student of the Sorcerer. I work in the offices of the Night's Watch Patrol. This is also required." "Then what can you do? Demonstration, I want to test it!" You see, it all looks like it's in a textbook.He's been in the Twilight, but he doesn't believe it yet.The small tricks of the burlesque troupe were far more impressive. "Look." I held out a hand to him.Yegor stood, trying to figure out what had happened.Then look at the teacup again. The tea is no longer steaming.The tea made a "squeak" sound and turned into muddy brown ice cubes with tea leaves in them. "Oh," said the little boy. Thermodynamics - the easiest part of manipulating materials.I restored the Brownian motion and the ice started to boil.Yegor yelled and knocked the glass away. "Sorry." I jumped up and grabbed a rag from the sink.I knelt down and wiped away the puddle of water on the ground. "Unpleasant things happen one after another because of magic," said the little boy. "It's a pity for the cup." "Wait a minute." The shadow rushed towards me, I entered the twilight world, looked at the fragments, they still have the memory of the whole, this cup should not be smashed so soon. I remained in the Twilight, holding together a pool of fragments with my hands, and the smallest pieces fell under the stove and rolled aside carelessly. I came out of the twilight world and put a white teacup on the table. "Just pour another cup of tea." "Amazing," it seemed, and the little boy was strongly impressed by this little magic trick. "Can anything do that?" "As long as it's something—almost anything." "Anton...what if it was broken a week ago?" I couldn't help laughing. "No, I'm sorry, it's too late. The Twilight Realm will give it a chance, but it must be used quickly, very quickly." Yegor's face darkened.Interesting, what did he break a week ago? "Do you believe it now?" "Is this magic?" "Yes, the easiest, and it takes almost nothing to learn." Maybe I shouldn't say that.There was a gleam in the little boy's eyes.He has recognized his future, recognized the benefits. light and dark... "An experienced magician, can he do other things?" "Even me." "Can you manipulate people?" dark and light... "Yes," I said. "Yes, we can." "Can you do that too? Then why do terrorists take people hostage? Knowing that it's possible to sneak in unnoticed in the twilight, kill them, maybe force them to commit suicide! Then why would people What about dying of illness? You said that magicians can heal diseases?" "It's good," I said. "Of course! You are a light magician!" "If we do good unconditionally—the dark magician has the right to do evil." Yegor looked at me strangely.He has encountered too many things in the past few days and nights, and he has handled them well. "Unfortunately, Yegor, the nature of evil is stronger. Evil is destructive. It is much easier to destroy than good to create." "So what do you do? You're a Night's Watch . . . do you know how to fight dark wizards?" I can't answer.I fully understood that to answer I had to explain thoroughly, and because of that, I knew there was no need to let him know too much.To hypnotize him.Let him go deeper into the Twilight Realm.But no, don't give any explanations! I can't prove anything! "Will you fight them?" "Not necessarily," I said.The truth is worse than a lie, but I have no right to lie. "We're spying on each other." "Are you ready to fight?" I looked at Yegor and thought, he is a bright, very bright boy.But just a kid.If you tell him now that a big bloody battle between good and evil is imminent, and he could be the new Jedi of Twilight, then he'll be ours. Really, not for long. "No, Yegor. We are few." "The Light Force? Less than the Dark Force?" That's when he's ready to abandon the house, mom and dad, put on the shining armor, and die for good... "On the whole, there are very few others, Yegor. For a thousand years the war between good and evil has been fought alternately. Sometimes the light wins, but if you know, only those who firmly believe in the existence of the twilight How many people have died in the war, that is good. There are few others, but each other can lead thousands of ordinary people. Yegor, if the war between good and evil begins now - half of the people will die. So there was a peace almost half a century ago, the great peace between good and evil, light and dark." His eyes were wide open. I sighed and continued: "Here's a short peace treaty. I'll read it right away—officially translated into Russian. You already have the right to know." I cover my eyes and look into the darkness.The twilight realm reappeared, swirling beneath the eyelids.A gray canvas covered with fiery red letters unfolded.The peace treaty is not allowed to be recited, only read aloud: Yegor's eyes widened. "Do both light forces and dark forces live in this world?" "yes." "Those... vampires..." He returned to the subject. "Are they of the dark forces?" "Yes, they are some people who have been completely changed by the Twilight Realm. They have gained great power, but lost their lives. They can only support their existence with the energy of others. Blood is the most convenient form of absorbing energy. " "They kill for that!" "They can survive on transfused blood. It's like nutritious food, boy. It doesn't taste good, but it's nutritious. If the vampires let themselves hunt..." "But they want to suck my blood!" All he could think about now was himself... not good. "Some vampires have broken the rules, for which the Night's Watch patrols are needed: to see how the treaty is kept." "Since, since it's so simple, don't vampires hunt people anymore?" I feel the wind of invisible wings on my cheeks, the sharp claws gripping my shoulders. "How do you answer him, Combatant?" Olga whispered from the depths of the Twilight Realm. "Do you want to risk telling the truth?" "They're hunting," I said.I also add that sometime five years ago, I was hit with the most horrific blow. "Hunted by license. Sometimes...sometimes they need blood." He didn't ask questions right away.I could see in his eyes that the little boy was thinking about the questions he wanted to ask, and I knew how to answer them. "What about you?" "We're preventing indiscriminate hunting." "They attacked me like this... Is it based on your peace agreement? Is it based on a license?" "Yes." I said. "What about drinking blood? If you pass by, will you turn away?" light and dark... I closed my eyes, and the treaty burned in a gray mist—clear lines of text, behind which lay thousands of years of war and millions of lives. "yes." "You go..." The boy is now like a stretched spring, on the verge of hysteria, on the verge of madness. "I'm here to protect you." "unnecessary!" "The female vampire is not caught. She will attack..." "You go!" Olga sighed and said: "Can a scout be so reckless?" I stood up.Yegor shivered, and moved the stool far away to one side. "You understand," I said, "there's nothing else we can do..." I don't believe my own words either.It's no use arguing now.It was dark outside the window, and it seemed that the hunting time was coming... The little boy followed me, as if trying to confirm that I was leaving the room and not hiding in the closet.I have nothing more to say.I opened the door and went up the stairs.The door slammed shut behind him. I climbed to the landing of the stairs and crouched by the window of the stairs.Olga said nothing, and neither did I. The veil of truth cannot be lifted suddenly.Humans do not easily accept the fact that we exist.Will not accept the peace treaty lightly... "There's nothing we can do about it," said Olga. "We underestimated the boy, his abilities and his fears. It was all exposed. We had to answer questions—honestly." "Can you write a report?" I asked. "If only you knew how many reports like this I've written..." There was a rotten smell from the garbage passage, the noise from the road outside the window slowly spread into the twilight world, and the street lights began to light up.I sat, twirling the phone in my hand, wondering whether to call the boss now or wait for him to call.Boris Ignatievich was undoubtedly watching me. Certainly. "Don't overestimate the ability of the leader," Olga said, "he's having a lot of trouble with that black cyclone right now." The cell phone in my hand rang. "Hello, who is it?" I asked as I turned on my phone. "Uj Wudbeek, or Whoopi Goldberg." I'm not in the mood for a joke. "yes?" "Where are you, Anton?" The chief's voice sounded tired, terribly tired.I have never seen him like this. "On the landing of an ugly high-rise building, next to the garbage passage. It's pretty warm, almost comfortable." "Have you found the little boy?" asked the chief without the slightest interest. "found it……" "Okay. I'll send Little Tiger and Big Bear to you. They have nothing to do here anyway. And you go to Perovo. Quick!" I put my hand in my pocket, and the boss immediately emphasized clearly: "If you don't have money... if you do, don't use it. Stop a police car and let them take you there fast." "So serious?" I just asked. "Very seriously. You must leave immediately." I look out the window into the darkness. "Boris Ignatievich, the little boy shouldn't be left alone. He has potential..." "I know, well, the colleagues have passed. With them, the little boy is in no danger. You wait a moment, and come over as soon as they arrive." There was a busy tone on the phone, and the boss had already hung up the phone.I shut off my phone and squint over my shoulder: "What are you going to say, Olga?" "strangeness." "Why? You said it yourself, they can't handle it." "It's strange that he called you instead of me..." Olga pondered. "Maybe... no. I don't know." I peeked through the twilight realm - and spotted two small specks on the horizon.The combat team members rushed over very fast, and they would be here in fifteen minutes. "He didn't even ask for the address," I said sullenly. "He didn't want to lose time. Don't you get the feeling he's got the coordinates here?" "No." "You still have to practice, Anton." "I don't work on the front line." "Now—you're working. Go down, I hear the call." I stood up - I felt that the place on the stairs had really been warmed and comfortable by me sitting on it.I went down with a feeling of displeasure--bad, melancholy.The door slammed behind me and I turned around. "I'm afraid," Yegor said bluntly. "It's all right," I went back up and up again, "we'll protect you." He bit his lip, looking now at me and at the darkened staircase.He didn't want me to enter the room, but he couldn't do it alone. "It seems to me that someone is watching me," he said at last. "Did you do this?" "No. Probably a female vampire." The little boy didn't tremble.I didn't say anything to him again. "How will she attack?" "She doesn't come in uninvited. There's no bullshit in the characteristic vampire stories. You'll want to go out yourself, and you see you've figured it out." "I'm not going out!" "When she lures you with her call, you'll get out. You know what's in store for you, but you'll get out anyway." "You...can you give me an idea? Think of a way?" Yegor gave in.He wants help, any help possible. "I can, then you have to trust us." He hesitated for a moment. "Come in." Yegor stepped back to the door. "But... Mom is coming back from get off work soon." "So what?" "Are you hiding? Or should I say something?" "It's nothing," I waved my hand. "but……" The door of the house next door opened, cautiously, with a chain hanging from it.A wrinkled face poked out. I touched her consciousness—gently, momentarily, and as carefully as possible so as not to damage her already damaged sanity... "Ah, it's you..." The old woman smiled, "You are, you are..." "Anton." I reminded politely. "I thought some villain was coming," she said, taking off the chain, and going to the landing of the stairs. "That's the way it is in times. It's totally out of place. Everyone does what they want..." "Nothing," I said, "everything is fine. You'd better watch TV, there's a new episode on right now." The old woman nodded, gave me another friendly look, and disappeared through the door. "Episode what?" Egor asked. I shrugged and said: "I don't know what it is. Are there still fewer soap operas?" "Where did you know our neighbor?" "Me? Her? Nowhere." The little boy fell silent. "What is this," I clarified, "we are the other. I am not going into your house, I must go now." "how?" "Others will come to protect you, Yegor. Don't worry: they are professionals, much better than me." I look through the twilight world: two bright orange fire points approaching the gate. "I...I don't want to." The little boy panicked all of a sudden, "It's better to be you!" "I can't. I have other tasks." The door below slammed shut, and there was the sound of footsteps.Combatants don't like to take elevators. "I don't want to!" Yegor grabbed the door, as if determined to close it. "I don't trust them." "Trust the whole Night's Watch or none of it," I said harshly. "We're not individual supermen in fancy capes. We're hired workers, the Twilight police. My words speak for night guard." "Who are they?" the little boy had yielded. "A magician?" "Yes, but narrowly professional." Below, at the turn of the stairs, Tiger appeared. "Hello, boy!" said the girl cheerfully, skipping across the landing. This jump was superhuman, and Yegor even shrank into a ball, stepped aside, and looked at Xiaohu carefully at the same time.I shook my head—the girl was clearly poised on the edge of deformation.She liked it, and now had every reason to bounce around for a while. "What's going on there?" I asked. Xiaohu sighed loudly, then laughed: "Oh... very happy. Everyone is in a panic. Go, they're waiting for you, Antonshka... and you're my protector, aren't you?" The little boy looked at her carefully and said nothing.To be honest, the boss made a very good choice and sent Xiaohu to protect him.From children to the elderly, she can win the trust and favor of anyone.It has been heard that sometimes even dark magicians take a liking to her actions.But they have no right to... "I'm not a protégé," the little boy finally replied. "My name is Yegor." "My name is Xiaohu." The girl had already walked into the room, putting her arms around the little boy's shoulders in a friendly manner. "Come and see the military base! Let's prepare for defense!" I walked down, shaking my head as I went.After about five minutes, Xiaohu will give a speech to the little boy, why she got this name. "Hello." Big Bear said as he walked towards him. "Hi." We shook hands briefly.Of all my colleagues on the Patrol, only Big Bear can give me one of the strangest and most confused emotions. Big Bear is of medium height, very stocky, and has an inscrutable face.He doesn't like to talk much.How he spends his spare time and where he lives, no one except Xiaohu probably knows.Rumor has it that he used to be not a magician, but a shapeshifter.It is said that at first he worked in the Patrol Team of the Sun Watchers, but when he was performing a certain task, he suddenly joined us.It's all nonsense, a light mage doesn't become a dark mage, and a dark mage doesn't become a light mage.But there is something about Big Bear that makes people feel involuntarily terrified. "The car is waiting for you," said the combat team member, without stopping. "The driver is very skilled, and you will arrive soon." Big Bear paused for a while, and then said a few words briefly.He is not in a hurry, Xiaohu is already on duty.And I shouldn't be wasting time. "Is the situation serious there?" I asked as I quickened my pace.Voice from above: "There's nothing left." I jumped a few steps to the gate.The car actually stopped - I immediately stopped and admired the car.A crimson, latest-model luxury "BMW" car.Police lights were glued sloppily to the roof.The doors on both sides were open, and the driver poked his head out, smoking a cigarette hurriedly, the outline of the holster inside his jacket visible.Standing by the back door was a burly, not young man. He was wearing a very high-end suit. The congressman's card on the lapel of the suit was shining, and his coat was open. The man said to the phone: "Who's he? If I can—I'll go when I can! What? Fuck you, where's a woman? Is there something out of your mind? Can't you do it yourself?" The congressman glanced at me, broke off the conversation without saying hello, and got into the car.The driver took a deep, greedy puff, threw the cigarette away, and grabbed the steering wheel.The car engine revved gently, and the car started as soon as I sat in the back seat.Some frozen branches creaked across the door. "Blind, what's the matter?" the congressman yelled at the driver, even though it was my fault.But as soon as the owner of the car turned to me, his tone changed: "Send you to Pirovo?" I haven't even had a ride with a government official once.Besides, they were either officers of the police station or bosses of gangsters.I'm clear enough that they're all the same before the powers of the Patrol, but I never wanted to test it myself. "Yes, just go to the place where those two came. Better hurry..." "Do you hear that, Volodka?" said the MP to the driver. "quick!" Volodka stepped on the gas, the car was going so fast that I felt a little uncomfortable, so I looked towards the twilight world: can we get there? The result is that we will arrive.But it wasn't just because of the driver's skill, or because I, like the rest of the patrol team, could artificially increase the success rate.It was as if someone had walked around the field we were likely to drive through, clearing away all accidents, jams and overzealous traffic cops. In our department, only the chief himself would do such a thing.Just why? "I'm also a little scared..." The invisible bird whispered on my shoulder, "When the Earl and I..." It fell silent, as if realizing that it had been too frank. The car ran a red light and drove through the intersection, following an improbable curve to avoid cars and some covered trucks.Someone from the station pointed in our direction. "Did you drink?" asked the MP in a friendly manner.He handed over a small bottle of "Remy Martin" and a disposable cup.I poured thirty grams for myself without hesitation, which seemed so ridiculous.The car was being driven at this speed carefully on the crushed road, and the wine was not spilled. I returned the bottle to him, nodded, took out the single-player earphone from my pocket, put it on my ear, and pressed the round switch.There was a very old song that I loved. We are on the road.The car was still accelerating, and I had never been in a car that drove so fast in Moscow.And it's not just in Moscow... If the road wasn't cleared, it would have to slow down, and now it's going so fast - I'm just a little worried. I can't help but suspect that the Romanov who wrote this song is also the other.It's just not activated.He was discovered too late... He was offered a proposal, but he refused. This is also a choice. I really want to know, why does he often listen to this song at night? "Is there any more?" the MP asked kindly.I want to know, is Big Bear and Little Tiger using magic to influence him?Am I his best friend?Does he owe me his whole life?Am I the president's favorite illegitimate child? This is all nonsense.There are tons of ways to gain people's trust, sympathy, and willingness to help you.The light has its own methods, but unfortunately, the dark also has many methods.This is nonsense. That's not the problem: Why on earth did the boss want to see me?

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