Chapter 19

Anna drove the team back to Moscow in the flying van through the Gloom, Geser taking the quicker option of teleporting. Bear had a message in on his phone from the Gorsvet boss, explaining that something urgent had happened that could not be discussed over the phone. They were to arrive at Headquarters immediately. Anna took the other team members back to their flats first to deposit their luggage before driving herself and Semyon back to their own. They got out of the lift at their flat and entered the living room, Anna momentarily falling back against the wall.

"Are you alright?" Semyon asked, concerned.

He moved over to her and took her by the shoulders, she leaning against him. He placed his fingers under her chin and brought her face up to look at him; she had turned very pale.

"Anna?" he queried.

"I'm fine Semyon," she replied.

"You've gone very pale."

She observed his concerned expression and smiled.

"I'll be fine," she stated, stroking his stubbly cheek and kissing him. "I've felt a little bit off for a few days, that's all. I don't know why; maybe it's travelling, food, vodka or even just a stomach bug. It's possibly just a cold or something, but I've felt really dizzy and a bit hot lately."

"Have you been sick?"

"I've felt a little queasy in the morning, that's all."

"It's possibly weird food and travel then."

"Hmm, that's what I thought."

Anna deposited her case in the bedroom and went into the bathroom, leaving the door ajar behind her. She washed her face in cold water to freshen up a bit before turning to regard her slightly pale face in the mirror. She'd felt ill now for about a week; it couldn't really be travel, for it had started a day or two before going to Pevek. But she stopped on a thought… was that a possibility?

"No," she mumbled aloud.

Could that really be the case? Would something like that be the answer to all these strange feelings? Morning sickness; it had to be. Anna regarded Semyon through the slight gap in the door, watching as he belted up his khaki combats, still bare chested. Maybe he should know about the possibility… but there was no need to worry him if it was just coincidence. It was best to be sure before telling something so dramatic to Semyon.

She shrugged off that chain of thought and left the bathroom into the bedroom as Semyon put his black T-shirt on, the style fitting very closely to his body, but that wasn't a difficult thing. She changed quickly into her Gorsvet gear, grabbing her searchlight from on top of the chest of drawers. She met Semyon, now shrugging his jacket on, in the hallway and they exited the flat together, hand in hand. They took Semyon's van; leaving Anna's to cool down after the long flight. By the time they arrived at the Gorsvet offices, their fellow comrades were already there with Geser.

"All here sir," Stingray stated.

"Good," Geser replied.

He turned to Anna.

"Next time you go to Pevek, I suggest you put a protection shield around that house to stop Dark Others from detecting your presence. It may solve some unwanted break-ins whilst on holiday."

"Sounds reasonable," Anna agreed.

"What's happened to bring us back in a rush," Vyacheslav asked.

"Zavulon's agreeing to negotiate the released of Vsevolod Kepalenko," the Gorsvet boss explained. "He wants you to meet him and his representatives at the Kremlin to discuss the hand over of Vsevolod."

"Do you trust him?"

"Not in the slightest, that's why I'm going with you."

Semyon and Vyacheslav glanced at each other; this had to be serious.

Quickly, the eight members of the team split up for transport; Tiger Cub and Bear heading down on the motorbike, Semyon driving with Anna and Vyacheslav next to him and the rest piled into the back. Geser chose to teleport to the Kremlin to save space, and Semyon didn't really want to ask the boss to squash into the back of a van. As midnight fell, the arrived at the Kremlin, meeting Geser at the entrance of the Spasskiy Tower. They entered the Gloom and arrived at the meeting spot chosen by Zavulon; the Tsar's Cannon. The Day Watch boss showed up out of the darkness, his guards showing up behind him; Alisa, Piotr, Wolf, Fox, Yuri and Falcon.

"Glad you could make it," Zavulon greeted calmly.

"I understand you are prepared to negotiate," Geser cut straight in.

"Yes, about the released of Vsevolod Kepalenko."

"You say negotiate? You want a price for him?"

Zavulon smiled. "Your surrender?"

"Something worth an exchange, Zavulon."

"Like what?"

"Licensing an illegal Vampire with your permission, perhaps."

"I mean something more valuable Boris, not merely something that's already your job to do. You know exactly what I want in return. If you free Vsevolod, I want to have his daughter in replace of his defection. I want an exchange of life; his for hers."

Semyon held Anna to his side.

"No deal Zavulon," he snarled.

"Impossible," Geser replied.

"Pity," Zavulon said, softly. "Then there will be no exchange."

"You are not acting in accordance to the Truce, or our agreement."

"Vsevolod is a Dark One!"

"We agreed to settle his release!"

"I've changed my mind."

"Because you want Anna!"

"You have Semyon and Vyacheslav, that's enough."

"And you have Yuri and Alisa."

"Neither of which are half the power of Semyon!"

"Anna's a Light Magician. She's chosen the path of Good."

"She belongs to me," Semyon added.

Zavulon turned to him. "Keep out of this."

"She is under my protection, as a lover and mentor."

"Sentimentalities are no barrier for me!"

"Enough of these absurdities!" Geser exclaimed. "Zavulon, you are wasting my time and your agents are stepping closer to crimes punishable by the Inquisition, as are mine. We agreed long ago that the fighting has to end if we all live; destiny has decided when the last battle takes place, and it is not today! Destiny has also decided to place Semyon and Anna together."

"Then Vsevolod shall be executed."

"No!" Anna exclaimed.

She loaded her searchlight and aimed the beam at Zavulon, Stingray following suit. Emboldened by their advance on the Day Watch boss, the other Night Watch officers did the same, the other Dark Ones backing off from the light. Zavulon reached out and grabbed one of the torch beams, trying to pull it free from the barrel of the weapon. There was an explosion of bright light and each Night Watch officers was thrown back into the darkness of the Gloom by an invisible shockwave.

--

Semyon got to his feet and looked around; Anton and Stingray were also getting to their feet with him, but the others were no where to be seen. The Gloom in the Kremlin was dense and very dark, enhanced by the strong negative energy of the Day Watch's strongest agents. The three of them switched on their torches and shined the beams of light around. Zavulon was not here, nor any of his minions.

"Where is everyone?" asked Stingray.

"All over the Kremlin I expect," Semyon replied.

"The Gloom is so dark."

"That's because of Zavulon."

Anton looked around. "He can do this?"

"Hmm, Geser can too."

Stingray and Anton glanced at Semyon.

"Can you?" they asked.

"No," Semyon replied. "I'm not powerful enough."

There was a rustling sound from the distance, the three Night Watch officers aiming their torches in the direction of the sound. They saw paw prints in the snow; small prints like that of a small dog. They were not big enough to be a Wolf's. The three of them crowded around each other for defence but also to get inside the influence of Semyon's protection. Especially Stingray.

"Show yourself!" Anton shouted.

There was the sound of a fox screaming, something that made Stingray jump; prior to that, it had been silent. Semyon glanced at the young Magician, who raised his hand apologetically and slowed his breathing. The three of them aimed their torches at the ground again, seeing the small form of the fox walk up to them.

"Where's your boss," Semyon demanded.

"Doing his job," Fox snarled.

"Has he ordered Vsevolod's execution, Bogdan?"

Fox laughed. "You have no idea."

"Enough of the cryptic nonsense! I order you to tell me what the Day Watch is up to now; you won't get away with this. Where is your boss and what does has he done with the rest of my team?"

"The rest? Oh no, he only wants one."

Semyon glared harshly. "Anna."

Stingray noted a slight falter in Semyon's aura; was that fear?

Fox laughed again, Semyon loading his torch. But before he could do anything, there was the sound of a bird of prey screeching overhead. A Falcon swooped in from the dark sky and knocked the torch out of Semyon's hand. It landed in the snow, scattering beams of light everywhere and forcing Fox to back off. Falcon landed on the snow by the torch and transformed back into his human form; a tall, overweight Russian with an army style hair cut and broad shoulders. He reached down and picked up Semyon's weapon, a small shield protecting his hand from the light.

"Vladimir," Semyon snarled.

"We're really glad you came," Falcon replied.

"Of course you are."

Stingray moved around Semyon, aiming his torch at Falcon and loading it with a green light crystal. He fired a thin, acid green beam of light at Falcon which shot the torch out of his hand. The Dark Magician flinched back, allowing Semyon to blast him back further with a well aimed concussion spell. He dived to the ground, grabbing the torch and aiming the beam of light at Fox, who was ready to strike.

"Get back!" Semyon snarled.

Fox cowered away from the light.

"Geser won't like this," Anton noted.

"He can see we have no choice to fight," Semyon replied.

--

Elsewhere in the Kremlin, the others came around. Vyacheslav, Ignat, Tiger Cub and Bear pulled themselves up off the ground, brushing the snow off themselves. They looked around, flashing the beams of their torches through the darkness, but the others were not there.

"What about Semyon, Anton, Lev and Anna?" asked Ignat. "And Geser?"

"They'll be elsewhere, probably trying to find us," Vyacheslav replied.

"Can you pick up their thoughts?"

"No, the Gloom is too dense to reach through."

Tiger Cub looked around.

"Can this affect our energy?" she asked.

"This is only the First Level," Vyacheslav explained. "It cant hurt you anymore than the Gloom does normally. My head is just full of noise and mess; Zavulon has created this to stop us seeing each other. In this, I am no more than a low grade Magician with basic powers. My psychic powers are too confused."

Ignat looked shocked. "Even me?"

"I don't know."

"Yes even you," an acidic voice pierced the air.

The Night Watch officers spun round, aiming their torches at who spoke. Alisa and Piotr walked out of the dark, both of them wearing sunglasses to protect their eyes. Alisa walked further forward and stood in front of Ignat, an evil smirk appearing on her unattractive stated.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon," Ignat replied.

"That wont work," Alisa spat.

She slapped him, an action that didn't fail to bring a smile to his comrades' faces.

"I've waited for that," Alisa added.

"You were right about this Gloom Slava," Ignat replied, rubbing his stinging cheek.

"It's not your powers that are needed," Tiger Cub noted.

"I've been technically blinded," Vyacheslav agreed.

"Which is the idea," Piotr smoked.

"Your boss is not playing by the rules."

"No one can stop him; he believes that Anna deserved to be punished and this is his way of protest. On this basis, we can make sure that the Inquisition except this as a right we have without judging us."

"Unless Nadya has something to say."

"Why assume she can save the day?" Alisa asked.

Vyacheslav smirked. "You have no idea."

--

Anna woke up deep within the darkness of the Kremlin with no one else in sight. She scrambled to her feet and took her searchlight from the ground next to her, turning it on and shining it all around. She was deep in the centre of the Kremlin alone and there wasn't a sound. The Gloom was thick with negative energy but not draining, however there was still something stifling about it.

"Semyon!" she called. "Lena!"

There was no reply from anyone.

"Semyon!" she shouted again.

There was a rustling behind her, Anna spinning around to face the noise, taking out another torch. The beams crossed and revealed Yuri standing there, his arms folded across his chest and his sunglasses on. He smirked at her, not making any aggressive moves like Alisa might have done.

"Face to face," he stated. "At last."

"Why do you want to face me?" asked Anna.

"You're a student of Semyon Pavlovich, who is a great and powerful enemy of mine. I've never had the chance to meet with Lev Tupolev, so I do not know his students compare to the great man himself. I feel privileged to take this opportunity to test the power of my enemy's lover and best student. It's an honour."

"I don't trust you."

"No one in your Watch does."

"And with good reason."

Yuri took a step towards her, but Anna was taking any chances against the Day Watch's skilled Dark Sorcerer. She loaded up the two torches and fired two green beams of light at Yuri. The two beams pinned him to a tree behind him through his shoulder beams where they crossed.

"Don't move," Anna snarled.

"I can't," Yuri growled.

"What do you want with me?"

"I told you before."

"Flattery gets you no where; shot me with the truth."

Before Yuri could continue, the shadowy form of a Wolf jumped in between the two beams of green light. That sent a shockwave back to the bulbs, forcing Anna to drop the torch and searchlight to the ground. She backed off, drawing a little energy in from the Gloom ready for a fight.

"You took your time Evgeniy," Yuri snarled.

"Let's just get Anna and go," Wolf replied.

They rounded on her, Anna deciding to take a risk at that moment. Conserving her energy, she travelled deeper into the Gloom, turned and ran. She felt the other two go after her, but they didn't dare move in deeper and Anna hid her energy aura in the way Semyon told her. She didn't really know where she was running because it was so dark, but all she cared about was getting back to Semyon. However, she soon hit an invisible wall of energy and fell to the ground, starting to feel very dizzy. She could vaguely sense the energies of three Dark Ones standing over her.

"Clever," it was Zavulon's voice. "But not clever enough."

"What should we do with her?" asked Yuri's voice.

"Get Piotr and Alisa to take her to our Headquarters in the car. Then she can see her father who the Night Watch has been trying so desperately to find. Then we can here Vsevolod's wishes."

The Dark Ones laughed, Anna slipping deep into unconsciousness.

---

Elsewhere, the team had all met up again once the Gloom had been lifted; the Day Watch also disappeared with it. Geser had joined them and so had the Dark Seer Nadya, but Anna was missing. Semyon was looked very anxious, but neither Vyacheslav nor Stingray could pick her up. She had vanished with the Day Watch.

"We have to find her," Semyon stated.

"She's simply not here," Vyacheslav told him.

"Then Zavulon must have captured her."

"Perhaps Nadya can shed some light on this," Geser cut in.

"Her?" Ignat protested. "She's dark!"

"Not so anymore Ignat," Nadya replied, sternly. "Maxim Ivanovich came to the decision that I had lost my identity within the Day Watch and am now neither Light nor Dark. I had only become to discover that of recent. I have been de-initiated from the Day Watch and have joined the ranks of the Inquisition above either side. My current assignment is to help you bring Anna's kidnapper to justice."

"Does Zavulon have her?" asked Semyon.

"Sadly yes, Semyon Pavlovich."

"Do you know what for?" Anton queried.

"Zavulon wants her in a deal with Vsevolod, that is all I know," Nadya explained. "How and why, I'm not sure, but he wants her to do something for Vsevolod. Zavulon never made anything clear to his minions within the Watch."

"That's a start." Geser stated.

"Then we go in and get her!" Semyon snarled.

"The Day Watch offices are protected."

"Some sleazy nightclub? I can blast my way through!"

"Zavulon is well protected against you, Semyon Pavlovich."

Semyon sighed and nodded; he knew when Geser used his patronymic that he'd shown his emotions too much.

"I know sir," he replied.

Bear put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll rescue her Semyon you know that."

"You'll just have to endure the loneliness," Geser added.

"You should know that's a lot to ask of me," Semyon noted.

Geser nodded and turned to Vyacheslav.

"I'd like you to work with Nadya and Stingray," he explained. "I need you to check the Day Watch areas for any trace of Anna's energy or thought patterns. We need to find out exactly where Zavulon is holding her and with any luck, that should lead us to Vsevolod too."

"I can do that," Vyacheslav replied.

"The rest of you, I need you on standby for an emergency."

Geser left after that, teleporting back to his Headquarters. The others gradually left the Kremlin after him, Nadya and Vyacheslav being the first to leave; apparently after her split from the Day Watch, she now had the freedom to openly engage the Night Watch psychic. Semyon sighed and left with Anton and Stingray, his former pupil driving the van back to Anton's flat for the rest of the morning. It was a long night, and they were still coming to terms with the kidnap of their comrade.

Anton, Stingray and Semyon entered the small flat block, also inviting Kostya in when they got there. They sat around the kitchen table smoking, Semyon deciding to bring some vodka into the occasion. Stingray was watching his former mentor's energy carefully; it was beginning to diminish slightly and he realised it was due to Anna's absence rather than vodka. This man had become so deeply in love with his partner that to be without her was beginning to destroy him.

"Any ideas about Zavulon's motives?" Anton asked Kostya.

"What's happened?" the young Vampire queried.

"Vsevolod Kepalenko has been kidnapped by the Day Watch boss, and his daughter Anna has also been captured. Nadya tells us that there is a possibility Zavulon wants her in some sort of negotiation with Vsevolod. I was wondering if you had any ideas about what this could be."

"Well, Vsevolod hates his identity, doesn't he?"

Anton nodded.

"All I can think of is…" Kostya continued, pausing a little. "Is that Zavulon may offer Vsevolod to give up something in exchange for regaining his humanity. Maybe Anna just needs to be a proof for him or a witness to it; they're related after all. I'm only guessing, but Anna may be the exchange."

Semyon hung his head and drank more vodka.

"Sorry," Kostya added.

"Geser needs to know that," Stingray noted.

Anton glanced at Semyon, who was still drinking vodka.

"Should you?" he questioned.

The Magician sighed. "You're right."

He slammed the bottle down, his eyes looking a little blood shot and his skin pale. He really was badly affected by the kidnap of Anna, and he was beginning to loose sight of the problem.

"I cannot afford this," Semyon mumbled.

He pushed away the vodka bottle.

"I'd better go home for some rest," he added.

He got to his feet, but Stingray stopped him.

"Oh no you don't!" he said, sternly. "You're dead on your feet and certainly in no condition to drive. I'm not leaving you on your own in this state; you're spending the night at my flat out in the suburbs."

"Thanks Lev," Semyon replied.

"You need to keep focus."

"I miss her Lev. I need her."

"That I can see, now come on."

Anton swiped the vodka bottle off the table before Semyon could reach for it, staring at his friend pointedly. The Magician smiled weakly, bidding Anton and Kostya goodbye before leaving with Stingray. He sat in the passenger seat while his former pupil drove them slowly out to Stingray's flat in Lyubertsy. He sighed and watched the street lights flash past; they had to get Anna back safely and they would. Since when had he ever doubted the Night Watch would succeed? He was acting stupid; drinking was never the answer to anything. How many times had he told Anton that?

Stingray parked the van in a free space and turned off the engine, climbing out of the driver's seat. He helped Semyon, who was now quite drunk, out of the van and into the lift of the flat block. They staggered along the upper corridor, Stingray getting into his flat and introducing Semyon to the spare room.

"You're going to have to clean me up," Semyon told Stingray.

Stingray laughed. "Anton will remind you of this forever."

"I'm sure he will."