The Sixth Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko

Author:Sergei Lukyanenko
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House

CHAPTER 4

I WALKED INTO Gesar’s office at ten the next morning. We had flown in from Paris at five a.m. and then I had taken Egor to the Economic Achievements Exhibition district, where his mother still lived. Only then did I go home and grab barely two hours’ sleep.

There was something heroic about it.

As there was in the impervious, restrained expression on my face.

‘Good morning, boss,’ I said. ‘Egor has come to Moscow – he’s staying with his mother. He’s prepared to take part in our operations if necessary.’

‘Good,’ said Gesar, studying my face curiously. ‘Well done, both of you. I’m glad.’

‘Can I go?’ I asked.

‘Hmm,’ Gesar said hesitantly. ‘Is that all? No questions, arguments or accusations?’

‘No,’ I said. ‘Can I go?’

‘Wait,’ said Gesar. ‘Sit down.’

I obediently sat down, facing him.

‘Anton, you have every right to be indignant,’ said Gesar. ‘But let me explain at the very start – there wasn’t even any magic involved! Just psychology. An understanding of the motives that guide people and Others. Only you could have persuaded Egor to come to Moscow and agree to a suicide mission, and then only if you sincerely tried to talk him out of it.’

‘Boss, I understand.’

‘And so I—’ Gesar broke off and frowned. ‘You really do understand? And you’re not accusing me of anything? And you agree that we need Egor?’

‘I feel really, really bad about it,’ I said. ‘We ruined the guy’s life when he was still a child. But the stakes are too high. Neither his life, nor mine, nor yours, is of any importance here.’

Gesar said nothing for a moment, twirling a fountain pen in his fingers. For some reason he switched on the laptop on his desk – and then immediately slammed the lid shut.

‘So I’ll be going, then?’ I asked. ‘Or is there some new information?’

‘There is,’ Gesar said. ‘Firstly, I won’t keep you in the dark any longer. I’m sorry. I didn’t notice that you really had grown up.’

‘Apology accepted,’ I said.

‘Secondly, I’m not entirely sure that we do need a Mirror. The analysts set the odds at thirty per cent for a Mirror, twenty for the shapeshifters and fifty for something that we don’t know yet. Don’t get upset for the boy too soon: there might not be anything for him to do here after all.’

‘Thank you for that,’ I replied sincerely.

‘Thirdly, Olga’s having some problems with our bloodsuckers,’ said Gesar. ‘Go and see her – she wanted to discuss it with you.’

The text message caught me right outside the door of Olga’s office. I took out my phone and glanced at it. I didn’t recognise the number.

The Grandmothers spent all night thrashing things out. No agreement. The next coven is tomorrow night. Yulia Tarasovna.

What the hell was this! The world was hurtling towards its end, and these old witches couldn’t even choose themselves a new Great-Grandmother! At least temporarily – there was a good chance that none of the Sixth Watch would survive the encounter with the Two-in-One in any case.

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