I sat there for a while, digesting what I’d just heard. Then I asked: “Where is he? Somehow I get the feeling it’s not London and not Moscow.”

“Formosa,” Arina said, nodding.

It took me a few seconds to recall what used to be called Formosa in Arina’s time.

“Taiwan?” The globe that I had given Nadya a year earlier to further her general education appeared in front of my eyes. “That’s . . . How far is that?”

“Almost ten thousand kilometers. Fourteen hours. Fortunately, there’s a direct flight,” said Arina, looking at her watch, an elegant timepiece of pink gold—probably with a diamond mechanism, I thought. “It’s half past seven now. The flight’s in one hour and forty minutes. Do you need long to pack?

“Do you mean to say that you already have tickets?” I asked.

“I mean to say that I checked us into the flight yesterday evening. The lack of a visa won’t bother you too much, will it? You can buy clean underclothes at the airport, if we have time, and if not—in Taipei.”

“I suppose the taxi’s already waiting?” I asked.

“Yes,” Arina said. “The meter’s running. Well, how about it? What’s your decision?”

I spread some butter on a slice of bread and put a piece of cheese on top. I took a bite and chewed it before I said: “I don’t need to buy any underclothes. I don’t even need socks. Sveta packed my bag for a week.”

I watched London slipping away beneath the plane and thought about what I was doing now.

Our entire life is an endless sequence of choices. Stay home or go out for a walk. Go to the cinema or watch TV. Drink tea or water.

Even these insignificant decisions can change a life completely, let alone the more serious alternatives! Get married or wait a while. Change your job or stay in the old one. Move to a different city or country.

I had had to make choices too, and I still didn’t know if I had always made the right one. But the action I had just taken could well be the most serious choice in my life. Not, of course, because I hadn’t rushed in to arrest Arina, as demanded by the regulations of the Night Watch and the circulars from the Inquisition. As a Magician Beyond Classification, even if my rank was rather doubtful and reflected my potential rather than the experience and wisdom that still had to be added to my Power, I had sufficient freedom of action.

I could, for instance, state that I did not consider myself capable of detaining Arina (which was the truth!) and had decided to play for time.