"I understand," said Svetlana.

But I didn't understand a thing!

We conceal our existence from people because we're afraid. There are too few of us, and no magic is strong enough to guarantee our survival if a new campaign of "witch hunts" starts up. But in this wonderful, benign future that Arina said could already have happened, would we really have been in any danger?

"That's why we decided to sabotage the experiment," Arina continued. "It increased the numbers killed in the Second World War, but reduced the numbers who died in the export of revolution to Europe and Northern Africa. It came out more or less even… of course, now life in Russia's not as sweet and easy as it ought to have been. But who ever said that happiness is measured by a full belly?"

"Oh sure!" I exclaimed, unable to restrain myself. "Any teacher in a town on the Volga or miner in Ukraine will agree with you there."

"Happiness should be sought in spiritual wealth," Arina rebuked me. "And not in baths filled with bubbles or a warm privy. And at least people don't know about the Others."

I held my tongue. The woman sitting in front of us was not simply guilty-she ought to have been dragged to the tribunal on a rope and stoned along the way. A city on the moon? Okay, if we didn't have a city on the moon, we could do without it. But even our ordinary cities were barely alive, and the entire world was still wary of us…

"Poor thing," said Svetlana. "Did you suffer a lot?"

At first I thought she was mocking Arina.

The witch thought the same. "Are you sympathizing or scoffing?" she asked.

"Sympathizing," Svetlana answered.

"I don't feel sorry for the little people-don't get the wrong idea," the witch hissed. "But I do feel sorry for the country. It's my country, whatever it's like, all of it. But the way things turned out is best. We'll carry on living, we won't die out. People will give birth to new people, they'll build cities and plough the fields."

"It wasn't the secret police you were hiding from in your hibernation," Svetlana said unexpectedly. "And not even the Inquisition. You would have talked your way out of it somehow, I can sense it… You didn't want to see what was happening to Russia after your sabotage."

Arina said nothing to that.

But Svetlana looked at me. "What are we going to do now?" she asked.

"You decide," I said, not really understanding the question.

"Where were you going to run to?" Svetlana asked.

"Siberia," Arina replied calmly. "That's the way things are done in Russia-they either exile you to Siberia, or you flee there yourself. I'll choose a nice clean little village and settle somewhere outside it. I'll earn my own living… find myself a man." She ran one hand over her magnificent breasts with a smile. "And wait for about twenty years, to see what happens. And at the same time I'll think about what to tell the Inquisition if they catch me."

"You can't get past the cordons on your own," Svetlana muttered. "And I doubt if we can get you through."

"I'll… hide her…" the werewolf coughed hoarsely. "I… owe… her…"

Arina narrowed her eyes and asked "For what, for healing you?"

"No… not for that…" the werewolf replied vaguely. "I'll lead you… through the forest… to the camp… hide you there… later you'll… get away."

"Nobody's going to…" I began. But Svetlana gently put her hand against my lips, as if she were comforting Nadiushka.

"Anton, it's the best way. It's best if Arina gets away. After all, she didn't touch Nadienka, did she?"

I started shaking my head. This was rubbish, crazy nonsense! Had the witch somehow managed to control Svetlana's mind?

"It's the best way," Svetlana repeated insistently.

Then she turned to Arina. "Witch! Swear me an oath that you will never again take the life of a human or an Other."

"I cannot swear such an oath," said Arina, with a shake of her head.

"Swear me an oath that for the next hundred years you will not take the life of a human or an Other unless they threaten your own life… and you have no other means to defend yourself," Svetlana concluded after a short pause.

"Now, that's a different matter!" Arina said and smiled. "Now I can see that our Great One has matured a bit… It's not much fun to spend a century without any teeth. But even so, I obey. May the Darkness bear me witness!"

She raised her open hand, and a small patch of Darkness appeared for a moment on her palm. All the werewolves, the adult and the cubs, began to howl.

"I return your power to you," Svetlana said before I could stop her.

And Arina disappeared.

I jumped to my feet and stood beside Svetlana. I still had a little bit of Power left… enough to strike a couple of times, but what did the witch care about blows like that…

Arina suddenly reappeared in front of us. Already dressed, I think she had even brushed her hair. Smiling.

"I could still fix you without any killing," she gloated. "I could paralyze you or make you ugly."

"You could," Svetlana agreed. "No doubt. Only what would be the point?"

For a brief moment Arina's eyes were filled with such intense melancholy that I felt my heart ache in my chest.

"There isn't any point, sorceress. Well then, goodbye. I don't remember kindnesses, but I'm not ashamed to say thank you… so thank you, Great One. It will be hard for you… now."

"I already know that," Svetlana said in a quiet voice.

Arina's gaze came to rest on me and she smiled flirtatiously. "And goodbye to you, sorcerer. Don't feel sorry for me, I don't like that. Ah… what a pity you love your wife…"

She knelt down and held her hand out to Nadiushka.

Svetlana didn't stop her!

"Goodbye, little girl," the witch said merrily. "I'm a wicked old aunty, but I wish you well. Whoever it was that sketched out your destiny was no fool… oh, no fool at all… maybe you'll succeed where we failed? Now I have a little present for you…" She glanced at Svetlana.

Svetlana nodded, to my great surprise.

Arina took hold of Nadiushka's finger. She muttered, "Shall I wish you Power? You have plenty of Power already. They've given you everything… and plenty of everything… You like flowers, don't you? Then take this gift from me-how to use flowers and herbs. That will come in handy even for a Light Enchantress."

"Goodbye, Aunty Arina," Nadiushka said in a quiet voice. "Thank you."

The witch looked at me again. I was dumbfounded, totally confused, I didn't understand a thing. Then she turned to the werewolves.

"Well then, lead on, gray wolf!" she exclaimed.

The wolf cubs went dashing after the witch and their mentor. One filthy little beast even stopped beside a bush, lifted his leg and sprayed it defiantly. Nadiushka giggled.

"Svetlana," I whispered. "They're getting away…"

"Let them go," she replied. "Let them."

Then she turned toward me.

"What's happened?" I asked, looking into her eyes. "What and when?"

"Let's go home," said Svetlana. "We… we need to have a talk, Anton. A serious talk."

How I hate those words.

They never lead to anything good.