“You will probably ask why Erasmus Darwin is remarkable. Well, it is because he managed to outwit the Twilight Creature. Prophets are usually only able to make their most important prophecy if they utter it immediately after being initiated—even the Twilight Creature needs time to find its prey. But Erasmus guessed how to evade his pursuer when the beast was already dogging his heels. Under the gaze of its eyes, blazing so brightly in the darkness, people seemed little different from the plants that Erasmus loved so much . . . Never despair, never give up, even an overwhelmingly superior force can be outwitted—that is what the life of the remarkable little Other Erasmus teaches us . . .”

“Burning so bright in the darkness . . .” I said and rubbed the bridge of my nose. “ ‘Tiger, tiger . . .’ ”

“Quoting poetry now, are you?” asked Svetlana, glancing out of the kitchen.

“What do you mean?”

“ ‘Tiger, tiger, burning bright, in the forests of the night. What immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry? In what distant deeps or skies burnt the fire of thine eyes?’ Blake. William Blake. His poem ‘The Tiger.’ ”

“You wouldn’t know if he happened to be acquainted with Charles Darwin’s grandfather, would you?” I asked.

“Erasmus?” Svetlana asked brightly. “The one who was an Other?”

I nodded and got up off the sofa.

“He was more than a mere chance acquaintance. Blake even illustrated his books. Something about the love of plants.”

“So Blake didn’t just write poetry?”

“Well, actually he illustrated heaps of books and is just as famous as an artist as he is as a poet. And, by the way, he wasn’t an Other in the literal sense of the word, but he did possess the rare ability—” Svetlana suddenly stopped dead.

“Well?” I asked wearily, opening the cupboard that Nadya was strictly forbidden to touch. Locks would be useless against her, unfortunately, but Nadya’s a bright girl and she keeps her word.

“He could see Others. Dark Ones and Light Ones.”

“Like my polizei acquaintance,” I said. “Svetlana, I’ve got to go to work.”

“Are you going to have some borscht?” my wife asked.

I just sighed as I stuck all sorts of magical trinkets into my various pockets. I was a hundred percent certain that none of these amulets would actually be any use to me, but the habit was too strong.

“Anton . . .” Svetlana called to me when I was already in the doorway.

“What?”

“I once left the Watch, so that we could be together.”

“I remember.”

“I’ve been wanting to ask you for a long time . . .”

I looked at her. Svetlana paused for a moment, then lowered her eyes.

“Take care.”