Сергей Лукьяненко - Day Watch

It was easy for the Dark Ones to make the changes they wanted to peoples' minds. The path of Darkness was always shorter than the path of Light. Shorter, easier, more fun.

"Anton Gorodetsky," someone said behind his back. Someone speaking a language that was obviously not his own, but which he knew perfectly.

And with that intonation that was quite impossible to confuse with anybody else. The aloof, slightly bored intonation of the Inquisitors.

Anton turned round, nodded, and held out his hand.

The Inquisitor looked like a Czech. A tall man of indeterminate age in a warm, gray raincoat, and a woollen beret with an amusing hat pin with a design of hunting horns, weapons, and a deer's head. Somehow it was very easy to imagine him in a twilit park in autumn, strolling over the thick carpet of brown leaves thoughtfully, sadly, slowly-looking like a spy engrossed in his thoughts.

"Witezslav," said the Inquisitor. "Witezslav Grubin, let's go."

They made their way out of the crowd easily-for some reason the people moved aside for the Inquisitor, even though he didn't make use of his powers as an Other. They set off along a narrow little street, gradually moving farther and farther away from the idle tourists.

"How was your flight, Anton?" Witezslav inquired. "Have you had a rest, some lunch?"

"Yes, thank you, everything's fine."

A show of politeness from an Inquisitor, even if it was strictly formal, was a pleasant surprise.

"Do you require any assistance from the office?"

Anton shook his head, quite certain that Witezslav would sense the movement, even though he was walking in front.

"That's good," the Inquisitor replied in the same indifferent voice, but quite sincerely. "There's so much work to do… The office coming to Prague is a great event for us. We feel very proud. But our department is very small and there's a lot of work to do."

"As I understand it, the Inquisition hasn't had to intervene very often in Prague?"

"That's right. The Watches here are law-abiding. They don't violate the Treaty very much."

That's right , thought Anton. The Inquisition's job had always been to resolve disagreements between the Watches, but crimes committed by individual Others were dealt with by the Watches. The atmosphere of a normal European country was hardly likely to have a pacifying effect on the Dark Ones. But within the framework of an organization they'd learned to respect the law.

Or at least to break it less obviously.

"The Tribunal session to consider the case of Igor Teplov, magician of the second level, will commence tomorrow evening," said Witezslav. Anton appreciated the fact that he had used Igor's full name and given his status as a magician, and also the statement that the session would "commence" and not "take place." That meant the Inquisition hadn't reached any conclusions yet. And it was prepared for a long hearing. "Would you like to see him?"

"Yes, of course," Anton said with a nod. "I have some letters for him from the other guys, some presents…"

He stopped short-that phrase about the letters and the presents had sounded very dismal somehow. As if he really had brought a parcel for someone in prison. Or to the hospital bed of someone who was seriously ill…

"I've got a car," said the Inquisitor. "We can stop at your hotel for the parcel and then go to see the detainee."

"Igor… is he somewhere in the Inquisition?"

"No, why would he be?" said Witezslav, answering a question with a question. He stopped beside a Skoda Felicia parked at the curb. "We might have kept a Dark One who was detained under observation. But your colleague is in an ordinary hotel. He signed a pledge not to leave the city."

Anton nodded, admitting it had been a stupid question. It was true, what was the point of putting a Light magician in a cell?

"Excuse me, Witezslav…" he said. "I know it has nothing to do with the work you do now, but I was wondering… just wondering, without any ulterior motive… I could probably try to probe you, but it's not appropriate somehow…"

"Who I used to be?" asked Witezslav.

"Yes."

The Inquisitor took out a key and pressed the button on the tag to switch off the car alarm. He opened the door.

"I'm a vampire. Or rather, I was a vampire."

"A Higher Vampire?" Anton asked for some reason.

"Yes."

Anton got into the front seat and fastened his seat belt. The vampire Witezslav started the engine, but waited before driving off, giving it a chance to warm up.

"I'm sorry, it really was an idiotic question," Anton admitted.

"Of course it was. Absolutely idiotic." The Inquisitor obviously didn't suffer from an excess of tact. "As far as I'm aware, Anton, you are still extremely young…"

He drove the car out into the street, carefully and smoothly. Of course, he didn't ask what hotel Anton was staying in-he didn't need to. He said, "You probably have certain illusions concerning the nature of the Inquisition and what kind of Others work in it. So allow me to explain a few things to you. The Inquisition is not a third force, as many ordinary members of the Watches believe. And we don't become some special kind of Others who aren't connected to the Darkness or the Light… We are simply Inquisitors. Selected from those Dark and Light Others who for various reasons have come to realize the absolute necessity of the Treaty and the truce between the Watches. Yes, we do possess certain information that you in the Watches don't have… apart, perhaps, from the very greatest magicians. And believe me, Anton Gorodetsky, when I tell you there is nothing comforting in what we know. We are obliged to stand on guard over the Treaty. Do you understand?"

"I'm trying to understand," said Anton.

"I'm a vampire," Witezslav repeated. "An absolutely genuine Higher Vampire who has often killed young girls… that's the most correct energetic…"

"Please don't lecture me on the physiology of vampires," said Anton. "I find it unpleasant, believe me."

Witezslav nodded, keeping his eyes fixed firmly on the road. Anton suddenly realized that the car was still new-it was well taken care of. The Inquisitor was clearly proud of it…

"Well then, I don't possess a soul, and I'm not even alive in the sense that Light Ones use that word," said Witezslav. "I regard the cause of the Light as a naive, dangerous, and frequently criminal doctrine. And on the other hand, I sympathize with the cause of the Darkness. But…"

He paused for a moment, as if he were defining a complex pattern of thought. "But I have a very clear picture of the alternative to the present situation. And that's why I'm a member of the Inquisition. That's why I punish those who have violated the Treaty. Note that, Anton. Not those who are wrong-after all, there are always at least two sides to the truth. The Light has sometimes acquired great Power, and there have been times when the Darkness has triumphed. All the Inquisition does is stand guard over the Treaty."

"I understand," said Anton. "Naturally. But I've always wondered if a situation could arise in which the Inquisition would support one side or the other, not based on the letter of the Treaty, but on the truth…"

"There are always at least two sides to the truth," the Inquisitor repeated. "A situation…"

He thought about it.

"I've never come across a Light Inquisitor who would support his own Watch," Anton added. "But is the situation really the same with a Dark Inquisitor? Say what you will, but you have your own powers, your own esoteric knowledge. And I'm not talking about confiscated artifacts in the archives."

"Anything is possible," the vampire said unexpectedly. "Yes… I could see it. If open war broke out between the Darkness and the Light, not just a clash between the Watches, but real war between the Darkness and the Light. If every Other stood on his own side of the front, then what need would there be for the Inquisition? Then we would simply be Others…" He nodded and added, "Only by that time the Inquisition would probably have been destroyed in the attempt to prevent such a situation arising. There aren't that many of us. And what a few surviving Others who once wore the Inquisitor's robes might decide to do wouldn't change a thing."