Naturally, Zabulon was not in the least concerned for the fate of vampire children. He just wanted to make fun of Geser. As far as that was at all possible.
'Children? We'll allow the children fresh blood,' Geser said after thinking for a moment. 'We wouldn't want thirty ... er ... Anton?'
'Thirty-two.'
'We wouldn't want thirty-two bloodsucking teenagers. Fresh blood. But donor blood! We are suspending the issue of licences for five years.'
Zabulon sighed and said, 'All right. I've been thinking it was time to tighten their rein myself. I asked the secretary of the community to keep an eye on the Saushkins... they proved to be a rotten little family'
'I ought to have insisted on seven years,' said Geser. 'You agreed to five too easily'
'But what's to be done now? We've already agreed,' said Zabulon, puffing out a cloud of smoke. He turned to me. 'Anton, did you come to see Gennady after Kostya was killed?'
'No,' I answered.
'But why didn't you? As an old friend and neighbour... ai-ai-ai...'
I didn't answer. Eight years earlier I would have blown my top.
'We've decided this matter,' said Geser. He frowned as he looked out into the corridor, where they had started carrying out the bodies. The whole entrance and stairway had been put under a light spell that completely removed any desire the inhabitants of the building might have had to glance out of their doors or look out of their windows. But then, in view of the fact that no one had come to see what the woman from my old apartment had been screeching about, people around here must all have been exceptionally incurious anyway.
It kept getting harder and harder for me to love them. I had to do something about that.
'What else?' Zabulon asked. 'As far as help in catching Saushkin is concerned, there's no problem. My watchmen are already out hunting for him. Only I'm afraid they might not deliver him in one piece...'
'You're not looking too good, Zabulon,' Geser suddenly said. 'Why don't you go to the bathroom and wash your hands and face?'
'Really?' Zabulon asked curiously. 'Well, since you ask...'
He got up and then halted in the doorway for a moment to make way for two watchmen who were carrying a half-decomposed corpse in a plastic sack. Apart from blood, there's a lot of water in a human body. If you leave a bloodless body to rot inside a plastic cocoon, the result is extremely unpleasant.
Zabulon, however, was not appalled by the sight.
'I beg your pardon, madam,' he said, letting the remains past. Then he strode cheerfully off to the bathroom.
'Were there women as well?' Geser asked.
'Yes,' Olga replied briefly.
Geser didn't ask any more questions. Apparently even our iron boss's nerves had given way.
That night the lads who were carrying out the bodies would get totally juiced. And although it was a breach of the rules, I wouldn't try to stop them. I'd sooner go out on patrol duty myself.
Zabulon came back a minute later. His face was wet.
慣he towel's dirty, I'll dry off like this,' he said, with a smile. 'Well?'
'Your opinion?' Geser asked.
'I had this friend once, she liked to draw a New Year's tree on the mirror with toothpaste for the festive season. And the words "Happy New Year", and little numbers.'
'Very funny,' Geser said fastidiously. 'Have you heard anything about such an organisation?'
'About a "Last Watch"?' Zabulon asked, clearly emphasising the capital letters in his intonation. 'My dear enemy, even among the I )ark Ones there are any number of sects, groups and mere clubs that I have never even heard of. But there are some that I have heard of. And the names that you come across! "Children of the Night!", "Watchmen of the Full Moon","Sons of the Wind". And, by the way, I recall one group of children ?human children, not Others ?who love to play at vampires. Perhaps we ought to bring them here? To make them realise that a vampire is not really an imposing gentleman in a black cloak who lures maidens into an ancient castle? It's not that Gothic at all... '
'Zabulon, have you heard anything about the "Last Watch"?'
'No.'
'Gorodetsky has suggested' ?Geser paused and looked at me ?'that it's what the three Others who tried to get their hands on the artefact in Edinburgh call themselves. The Dark One, the Inquisitor and the Light One.'
'The Dark One is Saushkin, the Inquisitor is Edgar,' Zabulon said, nodding. 'But who is the Light One?'