“You have to hit him,” Arina said hastily. “Just hit him. With pure energy. A Press. But with all your strength! Do you understand?”

A bolt of lightning from the sky struck the Tiger. It was good that there were clouds in the sky: people would at least find some kind of explanation for themselves . . .

The Tiger froze at the center of a crater of smoking, shattered asphalt. He shook his head. Clambered out. And walked on.

“Daddy, your phone . . . it’s ringing . . .” said Nadya.

I slapped at my pockets and took out my mobile. Without taking my eyes off the Tiger, I said: “Yes, Gesar.”

“What are you up to now!” the boss howled.

“I’m sorry, I was duped. I . . . I’ve found out Erasmus’s prophecy.”

Gesar swore.

“Open a portal, boss,” I told him. “I just need a little bit of time to decide what to do . . .”

“I can’t open a portal,” Gesar said in a quiet voice. “I’m sorry, Anton. But . . . it’s as if the Twilight has gone absolutely crazy. I can’t do anything.”

“But what should we do?” I asked. “Erasmus’s prophecy . . .”

“No, don’t tell me,” Gesar interrupted. “Don’t do that! Although . . . no. If everything’s the way I was afraid it would be . . .”

“It probably is,” I said, pressing up against the glass to see the Tiger opening the door of our stairwell. Something glinted down there too and the floor shuddered under my feet. But I was under no illusions about the Tiger being vulnerable to Gesar’s and Zabulon’s traps.

“You have to decide for yourself, Anton,” Gesar said eventually. And I sensed how his voice had changed. How old it had become. Ancient. I would have called it an Old Testament voice if Gesar had had even the slightest connection with Christianity. “You have more right to do that than I do.”

“Why? Because I’m more of a human being?” I asked.

The seconds still left to me were ticking away, but I couldn’t make a decision. And it was very important for me to hear Gesar’s answer.

“Because I have wronged you very badly and I’m tired of feeling guilty.”

“What is it about today? Everybody keeps apologizing to me,” I said, and broke off the connection.

I looked at Arina. The witch kept glancing warily at the hallway and then looking back greedily at me.

“What have you decided, Anton? There’s no more time.”

“There’s always time,” I said, and held out my hand.

The Minoan Sphere shot out from under the shoe locker like a bullet and landed softly in my hand. Oho, it was really heavy!

And then the doorbell rang!

He was being very proper today, our Executioner-Tiger!

“Nadya, Kesha, hold on tight to me!” I ordered. The children clung to me and I put my arms round them, just to be sure.

“You bastard!” Arina squealed, and leapt at me.