The Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko

open-at the human level of the world. In the Twilight, the doorway was blocked by a solid wall.
    There were two magicians standing on the landing. Semyon and Garik. I couldn’t feel any emotions now, but I still had my thoughts. Cold, calm, and unhurried. This was the end. Two magicians, each equal to or superior to Edgar.
    “The entrance is closed,” said Semyon. “There’s a Night Watch operation taking place here.”
    Edgar nodded politely. “I understand. But there’s also a Day Watch operation taking place here.”
    “What do you want?” Semyon moved aside slightly. Standing behind him in the narrow hallway of the apartment was a tigress. An immense beast with gleaming fur and its teeth exposed in a smug smile.
    What is Lemesheva counting on? We can’t handle this! There’s no way!
    “We’d like to take the person who belongs to us,” Edgar said with a shrug. “That’s all.”
    “The witch has been arrested and charged: magical intervention of the third degree, murder, practicing black magic without a license, concealing the abilities of an Other.”
    “You provoked her into taking this action,” Edgar said coolly. “The Day Watch will conduct its own investigation of events.”
    “No.” Semyon leaned against the wall and the blue moss crept convulsively along the surface, trying to get as far away as possible from the magician. “The matter is settled.”
    Garik didn’t even say anything. He twirled a small amulet that looked like a cube of ivory in his fingers and glimmers of energy pierced the air. Most likely it was an ordinary magical accumulator…
    “I’m going through and I’m taking what belongs to us,” said Edgar.
    He’s incredibly calm. Maybe he also knows something that 1 don’t?
    The Light magicians didn’t say a word. But such a piece of obvious stupidity seemed to have put them on their guard. The witch’s fate now depended on who would conduct the investigation. If we could get her, we’d be able to defend her and make her one of us. If the Light Ones got her, then her life was over.
    But better her life than all of ours! Two second-level magicians, a shape-shifter, and another two or three Others in the apartment! They’d crush us!
    “I’m going in,” Edgar said calmly and took a step forward. The Twilight around him howled as it filled with Power-the magician had set up a defensive screen.
    All I remember after that is the battle.
    The Light Ones struck as soon as Edgar took that step. Not with deadly spells, but an ordinary “press,” trying to force our magician off the staircase. Edgar bent over as if he were walking into a wind and the outline of the Power vortex protecting him became clearly visible. The battle was being waged at the level of pure energy. It was primitive and not at all spectacular. Ah, if only Zabulon had been there instead of Edgar! He’d have forced them to expend all their energy and tossed those upstarts aside in an instant, drained of all their abilities!
    But Edgar was putting up a worthy fight. For about five seconds he moved forward using his own Power, even forcing the press back to the door of the apartment. Then I felt the cold in my fingertips.
    The magician had started to draw on our Power.
    I immediately sensed the Light Ones tense as they spotted the energy channel between us and Edgar. They didn’t try to disrupt it-a hasty attempt would only have led to Edgar absorbing their energy as well. They simply increased their pressure, counting on their own superiority. And I had the impression that the magicians concealed inside the apartment started feeding them with Power as well.
    For a few moments everything hung in the balance. The current of our combined Power had immediately increased Edgar’s pressure, but the Light Ones had their own reserves. The little cube in Garik’s hand crumbled and scattered across the floor in golden dust and their counter-blow pushed Edgar back a meter. Olga began groaning beside me-her basic