one hand and looked at his watch. He said:
'The thing is, Anton, that to be really interested in the success of our venture, you had to feel a real personal involvement.'
Before he had even finished speaking, I felt a heavy throbbing in my temples and a mist seemed to obscure my vision.
'The explosion took place five minutes ago,' Edgar said dispassionately.'I haven't broken my oath ?the time was set yesterday... And don't get emotional, please. If Schrodinger's Cat finishes you off, you won't be able to help your wife and daughter.'
I had no intention of using magic.
The dead always have trouble with taking revenge. Especially dead Others. I didn't need that kind of trouble.
I kicked Edgar. Maybe not as elegantly as Olga kicked open the lock on Saushkin's door. But I think I kicked harder.
Edgar flew back against the wall, struck it hard with the back of his head and slowly slid down it, catching at his crotch with his hands.
Then Gennady jumped me. He grabbed me across the chest with superhuman strength, pulled my head back with his free hand and bared his teeth...
'Gena!' Arina only said a single word, but the vampire's fangs were instantly withdrawn. 'Edgar asked for what he got. Calm down, Anton. Our grey friend was mistaken.'
Edgar groaned as he rolled around the floor, clutching his crotch. I'd hit the right spot.
'There hasn't been any explosion,' Arina continued. She got up and came towards us, then looked into my face. 'Hey, Anton! Calm down. There hasn't been any explosion!'
I looked into her eyes. And nodded.
She was telling the truth
'What do you mean... there hasn't... ' Edgar groaned from the corner.
'I told you I didn't like the idea,' Arina said. 'Even if I was still a Dark One, I wouldn't have liked it! There hasn't been any explo sion. The criminals who stole a tactical nuclear warhead have repented and have returned it to the authorities. They are being interrogated at this very moment.' She sighed. 'And not very humanely, I'm afraid. There hasn't been any explosion and there won't be.'
'Arina!' Edgar had even stopped groaning. 'Why? You could have just delayed it... for a guarantee...'
'I can't do things like that now,' Arina explained, with a sweet smile. 'Unfortunately, I just can't. I told you at the beginning that I would cut out any acts of mass destruction with massive human casualties.'
'Then why... did you let me start all this anyway...' Edgar said, straightening up with difficulty. He gave me a glance filled with hate. 'Bastard! You've... smashed everything up!'
'You won't need any of it for the next seventy-seven times,' I replied spitefully. 'Didn't you notice the spell that Afandi flung at you?'
Arina laughed.
'So that's it. That old joker Afandi. Yes, the next seventy-five times you can pester someone else, Edgar.'
'Why did you do this?' Edgar asked with pain in his voice.
'So that what you said would sound convincing. Anton could have spotted a lie, even with the Cat on his neck. Saushkin, please let our guest go. He won't fight any more. Boys always try to settle their disagreements by the most primitive methods...'
Gennady reluctantly moved away from me and sat down on the floor with his legs crossed under him. I looked round for a chair that wasn't a total wreck and sat down, deliberately not asking for permission. Arina went back to her own chair. Suddenly real ising that he was the only one standing, and that he was clutching his own private parts, Edgar also took a seat.
'All right, now everyone's settled down and we can talk calmly,' Arina said in the voice of the hostess at a literary salon who has just watched one poet pulling another's curly hair. 'Peace, peace and more peace! Anton, let me explain things to you. You understand that it's far more difficult for me to lie than it is for Gennady or Edgar. We don't want any atrocities, we're not trying to destroy the world. We're not trying to exterminate all human beings. All we're doing is bringing the withdrawn back to life.'
'Arina, what did they hook you with?' I asked. 'Someone you loved? A child?'
For a moment I clearly saw sadness in Arina's eyes.
'A loved one... Yes, there was someone I loved, sorcerer. He was here for a while, and then gone. He didn't even live out his human lifetime, he was killed... And I had a daughter. Earlier, before him. She died too. When she was only four... from plague. I wasn't there