that had not been stripped away with her clothes and amulets was completely under Svetlana's control. To coin a phrase, Svetlana had her finger on the trigger.

'Sorcerer . . .' said Arina, keeping her eyes fixed on me. 'First remove the shield from your daughter. There is a grenade with the pin drawn lying under her feet. It will explode at any moment.'

Svetlana cried out.

I dashed to the rainbow globe and struck it, breaking through the Sphere of Negation. Beneath it there were another two shields. I tore them away crudely, working with raw energy. From the second level of the Twilight I couldn't see anything.

I found my shadow and shot back up to the first level. Everything was clear there, not a trace of the blue moss – the raging battle had burned it away completely.

And almost immediately I saw the old 'pineapple' lying under Nadiushka's foot. Arina had left it there as she plunged into the Twilight. Her insurance policy . . .

The pin was pulled out. Somewhere inside the grenade the fuse was burning away agonisingly slowly, and in the human world three or four seconds had already elapsed . . .

The casualty range was two hundred metres.

If it exploded inside the shields, there would be nothing left of Nadiushka but a bloody pulp . . .

I picked up the grenade. It's very difficult to work with objects of the real world when you are in the Twilight. At least the grenade had a distinct Twilight double – the same ribs and ridges, smeared with mud and rust . . .

Should I throw it away?

No.

In the human world it wouldn't go far. And if I took it into the Twilight, it would explode instantly.

I couldn't think of anything better to do than slice the grenade in half, as if I was trying to stone an avocado. Then I sliced it again into several pieces, searching for the small, glowing string of the slow fuse among the metal and explosive. My phantom knife, a blade of pure Power, chopped through the grenade like a ripe tomato.

Finally I found it – a tiny little spark already creeping close to the detonator. I extinguished it with my fingers.

And then I tumbled out into the human world. Soaked in sweat, my legs trembling so badly that I was barely able to stand. I shook my hand – the burnt fingers were stinging.

'Just give a man a chance to tinker with anything mechanical,' Arina said scathingly when she appeared after me. I ought to have shut her inside the shield and let her be blown to pieces. Or I could have cast a frost on her and left her frozen solid until the next day . . .

'Daddy, teach me how to hide like that,' said Nadiushka, none the worse for her adventure. Then she spotted Arina and said indignantly:' Aunty, don't be silly! You can't walk around with no clothes on!'

'How many times have I told you not to talk to grown-ups like that!' Svetlana exclaimed. Then she grabbed hold of Nadiushka's hands and started kissing her.

A scene from a madhouse . . .

If my mother-in-law had been there, she'd have had a few things to say . . .

I sat down on the edge of the trench, longing for a smoke. And I wanted a drink. And something to eat. And a sleep. But at the very least, a smoke.

'I won't do it again,' Nadya babbled 'Look, wolfie's poorly!'

It was only then that I remembered about the werewolves, and looked round.

The wolf was lying on the ground, his paws twitching feebly.

'I'm sorry, sorcerer,' said Arina. 'I threw your death spell at the wolf. There was no time to think.'

I looked at Svetlana. 'Thanatos' doesn't necessarily mean certain death. The spell can be removed.

'I'm drained . . .' Svetlana said in a low voice. 'I've no strength left.'

'I'll save the filthy creature if you like,' Arina suggested. 'It's not hard for me to do.'

We looked at each other.

'Why did you tell us about the grenade?' I asked.

'What good will it do me if she dies?' Arina replied indifferently.

'She'll be a Great Light One,' said Svetlana. 'The Greatest of all!'

'Well, let her.' Arina smiled. 'Maybe she'll remember her Aunty Arina, who told her about herbs and flowers . . . Don't worry. No one will ever make her into a Dark One. She's no simple child, the magic in her is too strong . . .What shall I do with the wolf?'

'Save