The Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko Read Free Book Online Page B

four of us…”
    “Five,” Lemesheva corrected me.
    Aha, so the old crone has decided to do some work herself?
    “The five of us form a Circle of Power,” I suggested. “And we feed it all to Edgar. Deniska maintains contact with headquarters.”
    The minibus bounced over a few potholes and bumps. We were already driving into the yard between the buildings.
    “Yes, that’s the only possible way to play it,” Lemesheva agreed. “Take note, everybody! That’s the way we’ll work!”
    I felt slightly excited that my plan had been accepted completely. I was still a genuine battle witch, after all. Even with all my personal problems. That was why I took the risk of speaking up and overstepping my bounds on the senior witch’s final decision on how the group worked.
    “But I would suggest summoning help in advance. If there are two second-level magicians there.”
    “All possible help has already been summoned,” Lemesheva snapped. “And we still have an ace of trumps up our sleeves.”
    Vitaly looked at the old witch in surprise and grinned proudly with his wolf’s fangs. A fool twice over. She didn’t mean him. He was no ace, just a common low card… and certainly not a trump.
    “Right, girls, let’s get started!”
    Our minibus stopped. Anna Lemesheva jumped out spryly and waved her left hand. A fine, dark dust swirled around her fingers for an instant and I felt a spell of inattention enfold the yard. Now, no matter what we did, ordinary people would take no notice of us.
    We tumbled out of the minibus.
    It was just an ordinary yard in South Butovo. Oh, what a dump… I’d rather live somewhere in Mytishchi or Lytkarino than be formally registered as a Muscovite and live in that terrible place. There seemed to be everything there should be: houses and stunted little trees trying to grow in the compressed clay, and wretched little cars standing at the entrances, but…
    “Get on with it!”
    Lemesheva gave me a kick that bounced me about three meters away from the minibus. I almost went flying into the sandbox, where a boy and a girl about five years old were discussing the mysterious art of building sandcastles.
    But even the little children didn’t notice me, although they’re always more sensitive to the presence of Others.
    The vampire brothers went dashing past me like three shadows. They surrounded the minibus, already in the process of transformation: Their fangs were growing out between their teeth, and their skin was taking on a pale, sickly tinge. The typical appearance of non-life…
    “The Circle!” Lemesheva barked. I dashed across to the minibus like a bullet and grabbed Olya and Lena by the hand. Oh, the old witch was strong!
    But there was someone standing in the entrance to the house, visible only to our sight as Others-a short, stocky guy… definitely a guy-you couldn’t call him anything else-wearing worn Turkish jeans and a synthetic T-shirt, with a ridiculous cap on his head.
    That was really bad.
    The guy was called Semyon. And he was a magician of astounding power, even if he wasn’t always quick to use it. Even more terrifying, he was a magician with immense experience of field operations…
    I felt Semyon’s gaze slip over me-firm, resilient, and flexible, like a surgical probe. Then Semyon turned and went back into the entrance hall.
    This was really bad!
    Then Zhanna grabbed Olga by the hand. Anna Lemesheva completed the circle-and all my emotions disappeared.
    We became a living accumulator, connected to Edgar, who was already walking toward the entrance with a gentle, unhurried stride, at the human level of perception and in the Twilight at the same time.
    Edgar walked up the stairs, just as his opponent had done. Of course, he didn’t overtake him there. And when he reached the door of the apartment on the fourth floor, they were waiting for him. Fused into the Circle of Power,
     
    we were all perceiving the world through his sense organs now.
    The door was standing