Wind in the Hands (10 page)

The Seer pressed the cancel button without bidding goodbye, irritated.

“Oh, you look nice. I’ve thought you are older,” the Medium said admiring the Stranger.

“I’ll be old again soon. Let’s go, have a look at the Soldier,” the Stranger touched his smooth cheeks with his hands. He left some hair on his chin and above the upper lip and made his hair in a braid.

They went down and could hardly recognize their comrade: a cultural dark-haired man was looking at them through spectacles.

“You haven’t changed your boots,” the Stranger pointed at his footwear.

“Have you recognized me at once?” the Soldier asked dissatisfied.

“Recognition does not necessarily imply seeing with your eyes, feeling is enough,” the Stranger stated and added, “you have excellently changed your appearance.”

“But you don’t look like a law-abiding citizen anyway, you smell of blood and death,” the Medium said scornfully.

“My dear lady, could you be as kind as to do me a favor?” the Soldier addressed the woman. He did not like it when he was reminded of his work and all the more so, when he was judged.

She nodded and said smiling:

“It seems like this phrase is the most difficult in transformation. I’m all ears, my gallant knight.”

He said slowly and harshly looking in her eyes:

“Fuck you, stinking witch…”

The woman’s eyes filled with rage. She made fists and stepped towards the grinning Soldier. The Stranger caught her hands.

“Stay calm,” he whispered. “Do not be hurt. You have insulted him. And you are wrong. There would be more evil without the ones of his kind. You know nothing about him.”

“Fuck you all!” she broke away from him and almost ran to the exit.

The Soldier made a false remorse grimace and looked at the Stranger.

The Medium almost ran into a man in sports clothes at the main entrance. He was followed by two more people wearing official suits. One of them silently approached the headwaiter sitting at the table, showed his ID, and took out a photograph from his pocket. The Medium halted. Her face became tense and attentive.

The Soldier gave the Stranger a packet of cigarettes and said under his breath:

“Stay calm. They can’t see us yet. Hope this bitch will not betray us. Take a cigarette.”

“I don’t smoke. Look here’s a Don’t Smoke sign,” the Stranger said impassively.

“Right. I’ll quit soon. Do take it. I know what I’m talking about.”

“Gentlemen,” they heard a hotel employee say. “Smoking is prohibited here. Go outside.”

“Oh, sorry, we didn’t mean that! We will go in the open air,” the Soldier apologized and whispered, “when you are passing the agents, breathe out more smoke. Come.”

A security agent was closely watching the Stranger.

“Wait! Come up to me!”

“Don’t turn around, go on. Hail a taxi and leave fast. I’ll call you. I’ll handle them.”

The Soldier slowly approached the agent.

“Sorry, what’s the problem? What do you want?”

“I am not after you. Call your friend.”

“I know him!” the Medium exclaimed suddenly pointing her long finger at the photograph, which the man in the suit was showing to hotel guests. “This is my fiancé. Where have you taken his photograph?”

“Oh, yes,” the hotel employee confirmed. “This woman with the man in the photo checked-in last evening.”

“Where is he now?” the agent asked coarsely.

“In our room taking a bath,” the Medium answered and looked at the Soldier.

“What is the room number?” the security employee snapped.

“I’m not going to tell you that,” the woman showed her deepest scorn in the phrase. “Wait half an hour until he goes downstairs.”

“Room number!” the agent croaked piercing the hotel administrator with his stare.

“Just a moment. Room`s number forty,” the hotel employee chummed.

“Keys, hurry up!” the agent stretched his hand towards the woman.

The Medium showed a vulgar sign demonstrating her rude refusal to obey.

“Stay with her!” the agent shouted to his companion and ran to fetch a reserve key the hotel administrator gave him. “You, come with me!” he told the guy wearing a sports uniform and then turned to the woman, “and you, slut, wait until I come back.”

The Medium looked up at the Soldier and showed him an equally rude gesture to get lost.

But he would not.

“What a beautiful woman!” the Soldier exclaimed and went towards her. He came level with the security officer glancing at the woman, went around him, and sharply hit him on the neck with a fist. He instantaneously turned the agent around and hit him in the groin with the knee. The Agent bent moaned tunelessly wide-eyed and fell onto the floor shuddering with pain. The Medium looked up at the Soldier satisfied. He took her hand and ran to the exit.

The Stranger was waiting for them at the hotel.

“Why haven’t you left?” the Soldier asked him when they were driving away in the car.

“I knew you would be out soon.”

“And your girlfriend did a good job. Excellent performance.”

“I’m not his girlfriend,” the Medium said gruffly.

“We know whose girlfriend you are. No pass,” the Soldier grinned. “But you really did a good job. You haven’t lost your composure. By the way, Stranger, she called you her fiancé. A nice couple you are: he with a white glow and she in the dark mist. A paradox.”

Chapter 13. Prophesy

The Functionary called the Seer and reported the incident in the hotel:

“The Stranger had accomplices, a man and a woman, who helped him to escape. One of our employees was severely wounded.”

“That’s too sad. Specify the account details of the injured I’ll pay compensation.”

“I don’t mean that,” the Functionary waved his hand. “They are to blame, that haven’t recognized the Soldier in his new dress-up, rose to the woman. We have lost three agents during the day. These are very serious incidents. I won’t be able to control field agents if they decide to avenge their comrades. And then, we really need a solid basis for detention of the people, otherwise, we might be involved in a scandal.”

“Three injured agents are not grounds for detention?” The Seer’s mood was rapidly fading.

“No. We can’t make this incident public, journalists learn about this and we’ll be in trouble. And what if we have interfered with the operation of our colleagues from another agency?”

“I see,” the Seer said gloomily. “Thank you for everything. Sorry for bothering you. All the best.”

“Wait,” the Functionary hurried to say. “There is another way.”

“Speak up.”

“You can go to private agencies. But it is not going to be cheap,” the Functionary breathed out.

“Ok. Thank you for your advice. I’ll think about it,” the Seer said dismissively and hung up.

He did not doubt that the woman the Functionary mentioned was the Medium. He was displeased that she had disobeyed, had not followed his advice and, more than that, she helped the person who was a potential threat to people like her. The Seer understood that many people were a danger but was it a sufficient reason to attack? A seeing person can tell a real threat from an imaginary one and should take preventive measures only in case of a real danger.

But his decisiveness was limited by the boundaries he would not cross. The Seer did not think twice and rejected the idea of hiring private detectives as he feared their non-professional actions would harm the Stranger. What then? Will his good intentions bring death to the Stranger? Will they add agony to hardships?

The Seer was trying to visualize what would happen when the Stranger would come in the City, but in vain. He still felt the urge to do something. First thing, he decided to separate his friend from the Stranger. It is not banal jealousy, rather fear: if the anomalous abilities of the Medium provoke the Stranger, the consequences of an energy blow can be disastrous. The Seer understood that and started to act without a twinge of conscience and even enthusiastically. He sat down in the armchair and concentrated. He rarely made people to act against their will. But this is a special case and requires special measures …

A taxi drove the companions from the dangerous place. The Stranger asked to halt near the park. He liked to walk along the alleys, feel leaves, and freshly mown grass. The passengers got out of the car, walked around the garden, came up to a small pond emitting freshness and easily found an empty bench in the shadow of a shaggy oak.

“I will go to the railway alone to see what is going on,” the Soldier suggested.

“We’ll go together. I think there is no threat at the railway,” the Stranger said.

“Why? Aren’t you are wanted?” the Medium asked.

“They are probably looking for us but I can’t feel danger,” the Stranger answered.

“However strange that may sound, me either, and I am also used to trust my feelings,” the Soldier was thoughtful. “But agents never forgive insults and always repay debts. We do the same not to take revenge but to teach others so that it does not become a habit.”

“You may be right but do not forget: they are intelligence acting against us and if they want, they will catch you in any other place in the City if not at the railway,” the Medium said in an indifferent and exhausted voice.

“Quite probable,” the Soldier supported her version. “To keep a seizure group at the railway station is expensive, the more so that they don’t know when we are going to show up. The group must consist of at least six people. The easiest way is to have two observers, one will watch the ticket office and the other will be at the railway platform, and take pictures of everything suspicious. These images will be analyzed and checked with special software. If they are identical, an armed agent group will be sent to detain us as soon as we leave the rail car. 24-hour survey security cameras can also be installed. Then these cameras will be everywhere, even in the can. We don’t know about the scope of the operation but I think the agents did not take it seriously and sent few people to detain us. It’s sad. No cordon, amateurship …”

“Calm down,” the Stranger interrupted him mildly. “They are not police. They are security. I think they don’t take us for criminals. Although these people are manically distrustful, they are no fools. The Seer probably asked his friend to detain us and that is why the operation scope is limited.”

“You are right,” the Medium interfered. “It is the Seer who wants to detain you. He believes that your energy will show up in the City and will be a threat to City residents. Moreover the agent in the hotel showed around your photograph only,” the woman looked up and down the skinny Stranger. “And three people are too many to detain you. I don’t know what the right way to choose is. Understand me; the Seer is a very intelligent and far-sighted man. He knows what he is doing…”

Suddenly the woman’s eyes sparkled and perspiration showed on her forehead. The Stranger looked into her eyes, felt something, and listened attentively, while she continued:

“Don’t go to the City. Your power is free to destroy,” the Medium seemed to have lost control of her, she was breathing heavily, and falteringly. “You will be our judge. Who will resist your spirit, who will be able to fight? I know who you are. He has sent you and who is able to withstand the arrival of your Prince? Who will survive when he appears?” the Medium was in a trance, her countenance sharpened, she had a slightly croaky voice, and her pupils widened.

The Stranger got up from the bench. He felt the Wind. He felt how the skin on his head was getting numb impacted by that power, as if needles pierced his head, or to the contrary, protruded from it. Human consciousness was going away… The Wind took hold of the Stranger’s will.

“Do not speak,” he commanded. “Do not speak. I prohibit you to do this,” the Stranger put one of his hands on the woman’s nape and the second on the forehead and uttered slowly: “do not worry her anymore.”

The Medium shuddered from head to toes, her hands were shaking, and she became very pale. She was nauseated.

“I feel bad, very bad… Let me go.”

“That’s fine. It’s better like this. You will feel better,” the Stranger said, caressing her black hair. At the last movement he saw how the Power was breaking the woman. Some more time and it would crush her. So, he let the power go. The Medium pressed against his chest and wept.

The Soldier turned away, took out a cigarette from a pack, looked at it, crumpled it, and threw away. Tears welled in his eyes. The Soldier was rejoicing as a kid. He believed that he faced miracle again: the Stranger won from the Seer, drove a demon out of the Medium. Now he is on the right side, among the warriors of the light. No one will be able to stop him now.

Chapter 14. Husband and wife

The Functionary sprawled on the sofa in his two-level apartment and was sipping twenty-year cognac from a glass and smoking a cigar rolled on the bodies of black beauties, at least that was the supplier’s version. The Functionary was relaxing. He was disturbed that he could not satisfy the request of the man who was so important to his family.

“What’s wrong, darling?” his spouse came up, sat down beside him, and covered his hand with hers.

The Functionary often shared with her government-level rumors and secrets and thus maintained his authority in her eyes. He did not know if he should tell her about his conversation with the Seer and its consequences or conceal it, being aware that the whole case was unflattering. But he wanted to share and learn her opinion which could help to make another decision. He exhaled another jet of smoke:

“I’d like to tell you something. I think you might find it interesting. Do you remember the night when I had to leave unexpectedly?”

“Yes, darling. Sure, I do. I’m used to it. That’s your work. Where have you been?”

“I visited the Seer.”

She became nervous and took a sip from his glass.

“He called and asked for an unusual request,” the Functionary fell silent again.

“Don’t keep me waiting,” his wife’s eyes opened with curiosity. She understood that the visit to the Seer had nothing to do with her.

“He asked me to detain two people whom he found to be a menace to the society. I sent my guys twice to hunt and to no avail, they failed. I have decided to roll the operation back because one of the suspects works for a powerful government authority. I don’t have power to detain a man of this level. I’ve broken the rules.”