friend, who once went by the name of Rustam. Do you happen to know Rustam?'
'Of course I do,' Afandi said, with a nod. 'But who's Geser?'
'Afandi! 'Valentina Ilinichna exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. 'You must have heard of the Great Geser!'
'Geser,' the old man mused. 'Geser, Geser... Wasn't he the Light Magician who worked as a night-soil man in Binkent?'
'Afandi! How can you confuse the Great Geser with some night-soil man? 'Valentina Ilinichna was shocked.
'Ah, Geser!' said Afandi, nodding. 'Yes, yes, yes! At Oldjibai, the vanquisher of Soton, Lubson and Gubkar. Who doesn't know old man Geser?'
'But who knows old man Rustam?' I butted in again, before Afandi could start reciting Geser's great and glorious deeds.
'I do,' Afandi declared proudly.
'Please don't exaggerate, Afandi,' Timur said. 'Our guest really needs to meet Rustam.'
'That's not easy,' said Afandi, suddenly shedding all his buffoonery. 'Rustam has cut himself off from people. He was seen in Samarkand ten years ago, but since then no one has spoken to Rustam, no one...'
'How do you know about Rustam, Afandi?' I couldn't resist asking. If it wasn't for what my daughter had said, I would have believed the old man was simply stringing me along.
'It was a long time ago,' Afandi said, with a sigh. 'In Samarkand there was an old man, a complete fool, just like these young whip-persnappers. One day he was walking through the town, complaining that he didn't have anything to eat. And suddenly a mighty hero, a batyr, with eyes that glowed and a high, wise fore head, came out to meet him. He looked at the old man and said: "Grandad, why are you so sad? Do you really not know the power that is concealed within you? You are a Boshkachal An Other!" The batyr touched the old man with his hand, and the old man acquired power and wisdom. And the batyr said: "Know that the Great Rustam himself has been your teacher." That was what happened to me two hundred and fifty years ago!'
As far as I could tell, the members of the Watch were as aston ished by this story as I was. Murat froze absolutely still in the doorway of the kitchen and Timur spilled the cognac he was just about to pour into the glasses.
'Afandi, you were initiated by Rustam?'Valentina Ilinichna asked.
'I'll tell everything to a person wise enough, 'Afandi answered, taking his glass from Timur. 'But you can tell a stupid person a hundred times, and he won't understand a thing.'
'Why didn't you tell us this story before?' Timur asked.
'There was no reason to.'
'Afandi, a pupil can always call his teacher,' I said.
'That is true,' Afandi confirmed pompously.
'I need to meet Rustam.'
Afandi sighed and gave me a cunning look.
'But does Rustam need to meet you?'
How sick I was of that florid Eastern style! Did they really talk to each that way in their daily lives? 'My wife, have you warmed a bread cake for me?' - 'Oh, my husband, will not my warm embraces take the place of your bread cake?'
I realised I was on the point of giving way and saying some thing unworthy of a guest who had been met with such great hospitality. But fortunately there was a quiet knock at the door and Alisher walked in.
I didn't like the look on his face at all. I wouldn't have been surprised to see Alisher looking sad. After all, he could have discov ered that his school sweetheart had married, had five children, got fat and completely forgotten about him ?more than enough reason for feeling sad.
But Alisher was alarmed about something.
'Hi,' he said to his former colleagues, as if he had only left them yesterday. 'We've got problems.'
'Where?' I asked.
'Right outside the fence.'
Part Two CHAPTER 3
AFTER EDINBURGH I ought to have been expecting something like this.
But instead I had relaxed. The streets smothered in greenery, the splashing of the water in the irrigation ditches, the noisy eastern market and the severe outlines of the domes of the mosque, the Dark Ones on the other side of the wall and the overwhelming hospitality of the Light Ones ?it was all so completely different from Scotland. I thought the only problem I'd have to deal with would be finding the old magician - I wasn't expecting any more cunning tricks involving human beings. The building was surrounded by about a hundred men. I could see militiamen among them, and well-equipped soldiers from the Special Forces, and young soldiers - skinny, pimply