Thaumatology 101

by Teasdale, Niall

  ‘I’ll get some scissors,’ Lily replied and she was on her feet and sprinting through the door.

  Cheryl managed to crawl her way back into having a functional brain. ‘What’s happening?’ she asked, confused that both Ceri and Lily seemed very worried about something she could not identify.

  ‘You wanted to see my protective sigils, Doctor?’ Ceri replied.

  ‘Really, dear, I may have been off my head on succubus magic yesterday, but I did mean it when I said you could call me Cheryl.’ She smiled. Her pupils were dilated. ‘And, yes. I’d very much like to see them.’

  Lily reappeared with a green first aid box. Opening it up, she searched through it and located a pair of snub-nosed scissors, holding them out to Ceri. Ceri looked at her. ‘Could you?’ she said. ‘It’ll be easier.’ Lily nodded and, taking Ceri’s left arm in her hand, slipped the scissors into the bandages and began to cut.

  ‘Ceri,’ Cheryl said, ‘what’s wrong?’

  ‘My parents put the enchantment on me when I was three,’ Ceri said. ‘I can’t remember a time when it wasn’t there, keeping me safe. I used to cry sometimes when Dad was doing something really big in the summoning room, because it made my wrists hurt.’ Lily pulled a section of the bandage away from where it was stuck down by the paste beneath. The skin looked healthy. ‘No magic could affect me. No magical being could touch me in malice. Vampires couldn’t enthral me, and Lily’s auras just made my wrists itch.’

  The scissors reached the end of the bandage and Lily peeled it off. There was healthy skin and a lot of grey-green paste beneath. Lily took cotton wool and a little bottle of alcohol from the first aid kit. ‘Just now though,’ the half-demon said as she began to clean the gunk off Ceri’s wrists, ‘I used my aura without really thinking about it. You felt it…’

  Cheryl let out a sigh. ‘Yes, I did.’

  ‘Ceri responded as well,’ Lily said. She finished swabbing Ceri’s skin and lifted the cotton wool ball. She gasped and Ceri looked down.

  ‘They must’ve… burned out,’ Ceri said, her voice a little distant. ‘All the power from the circle running through me. They must’ve burned out keeping me in one piece.’ She raised her clean, unmarked, left wrist so that Cheryl could see. ‘They’re gone,’ she said.

  ~~~

  ‘I told you,’ Lily said as she pulled on her coat, ‘you’re coming out to the Dragon. Both of you are.’

  ‘I’m hardly dressed for a nightclub,’ Cheryl replied.

  ‘And I… don’t feel like going out,’ Ceri said.

  Lily looked at them. She pointed a finger at Cheryl. ‘Undo the top two buttons on your blouse, you’ll be fine.’ Her gaze turned to Ceri, who she had persuaded to get into a lace teddy and a short skirt. ‘And you need to get over this pronto, or you’ll be afraid of leaving the house like before.’

  Ceri sagged slightly. Lily was right, of course. The rest of the world managed to get by without enchanted protection. She nodded and glanced at Cheryl, who was unbuttoning her blouse. Lily nodded back and turned to the door.

  A ball of speeding red light dropped into the space between Lily and the big, double doors. ‘There’s something out there!’ Twill’s voice was high and excited, and not a little worried. ‘Something bad is out there, coming closer.’

  ‘Twill?’ Ceri said, frowning. ‘What…’

  The doors creaked suddenly, then the outer ones slammed against the walls, followed by the inner doors bursting open. Wind howled around the hallway, throwing Twill back to the staircase over their heads.

  ‘I thought the house enchantments stopped this kind of thing?’ Lily yelled.

  Ceri’s head was buzzing. In front of her, she could see the air currents swirling with lines of force. ‘It’s very powerful,’ she yelled back, ‘and no one’s maintained the enchantments in five years.’ There was something else, beyond the swirling energy of the magical wind. A figure stood out in the garden, on the path, surrounded by a twisting column of raw magic. There was only darkness out there, night had fallen and the new moon would not rise for several hours. Whatever the figure was, it was a shadow among shadows. It began to move forward.

  The light from the porch illuminated the figure as it mounted the steps. Shane looked… wrong. His skin was paler than usual and his eyes glowed; not just the pupils like Lily’s did, but the whole eye shone a dull red. He opened his mouth, but the voice which came out was barely recognisable as his. ‘You,’ he said in a thick, guttural, growl. ‘You all die.’ The wind died away, and he raised his hands which began to glow. In his palms he held two balls of bright, yellow-green fire.

  ‘Back,’ Ceri said. Lily moved, grabbing Cheryl and pulling her back toward the stairs.

  ‘Ceri,’ the half-demon shouted, ‘you can’t fight him!’ Ceri felt a wave of heat pass over her as Lily’s aura lashed out, focussed on Shane. It seemed to have no effect.

  Fire roared through the doors and the sigil on the floor of the entrance way burst into life. The flames rolled, bouncing back on themselves, but some still washed through toward Ceri. She threw up her arms, crossing them, palms out, in front of her face. The fire did not touch her; it wrapped around her and over her, and then fell back. Ceri heard Lily gasp behind her.

  As the fire died, Shane staggered forward into the entrance of the house. The lines on the floor shone brightly, and it seemed like the wizard was walking through treacle, but still he moved on. And Ceri stood waiting for him, her arms held down, and out from her sides. As he approached, one stuttering step at a time, light began to glow in her palms. Energy twined around her hands, bands of it curling around her arms as she waited.

  Shane stepped through the inner doors of the house and his lips curled into a sneer. ‘Now,’ he hissed. ‘Die.’ The fire in his hands burned brighter as he raised his arms.

  ‘Widder take you,’ Ceri said. She thrust her arms forward and the energy coursing around them combined into a twisting comet of raw power. It hit Shane in the chest and he screamed as he was thrown backward through the doors. The fire in his hands died as he smashed onto the stone portico steps and lay there thrashing and screaming for several seconds before he stopped moving entirely.

  Ceri sank to her knees. She felt numb, drained, and she barely heard the other women as they clustered around her. She looked up, blinking, into Lily’s face. The half-demon was wearing the oddest expression, part awe, part fear, part desire. Slowly, Ceri began to recognise words. Cheryl was almost hysterical. Twill was speaking too fast to be understood. Lily was silent as she checked Ceri for signs of damage, but when she found nothing and finally spoke, it was her words which Ceri actually heard.

  ‘My God, Ceri, you can work magic!’

  Part Two: Power

  Soho, London, September 23rd 2010

  It was Friday night, with a full moon overhead, and the Jade Dragon was heaving. Ceri sat with her elbow propped on the bar and watched Lily moving between her tables like the true, supernatural professional she was. Every so often, she cycled back to what she called her “special guests” at the bar, but she was busy tonight and the visits were not quite as frequent as Ceri would have liked. At least she had company.

  On her left, Cheryl was sat on a bar stool, smiling happily. She was dressed in a dress which was just a little shorter and tighter than Ceri thought a woman her age should be wearing, but she did fill it out quite well and Carter seemed to be appreciating it.

  The owner and manager of the Dragon stood between them, leaning on the bar with nonchalant confidence. Here, in public, and in his own domain, he was the playboy club owner with an appraising glance for every woman and a ready line of mildly flirtatious banter. Part of the reason for Cheryl’s smile was that she was getting plenty of attention, and plenty of free alcohol. Carter had insisted, now that they had finally got around to the celebration Shane had interrupted, that the drinks were on the house. Judging from the way he was flirting, Ceri was fairly sure that Carter intended the celebration to end with a bang and C
heryl was certainly hoping it would.

  Ceri felt the now familiar tightening in her scalp along with a sudden shiver of sensation that ran from her groin up through her stomach. She turned her head to find Lily putting her tray down on the bar. Ceri smiled and Lily returned it with a bright smile of her own. It sent another shiver through Ceri. She had to admit that the loss of her enchanted tattoos had made things more pleasant around Lily; especially when her aura was on.

  ‘Having a good time?’ Lily asked.

  Ceri thought about it for a second. ‘Yeah,’ she said, sounding slightly surprised.

  ‘You always said you weren’t into clubs,’ Lily said.

  ‘I’m still not, consciously,’ Ceri replied, ‘but I guess I feel… less shy.’

  Lily regarded her friend. Ceri was wearing one of her teddies and a skirt short enough to be classed as a belt. The mesh and lace teddy was halter necked, high-hipped, and thong backed, and there was a distinct hint of areolae showing through. ‘Yeah,’ she said, ‘I’d say you’re less shy. Alec’s been paying you more attention tonight and,’ she leaned closer, lowering her voice, ‘Carter wants in your knickers too.’

  Ceri suppressed a giggle and replied in a voice just as low, ‘But I’m not wearing any knickers, Lily.’

  Lily’s smirk was practically obscene, the light in her eyes flared; Ceri felt her stomach flutter. ‘Less to take off,’ the half-succubus breathed. Ceri’s chest felt tight and she did not think it was just the result of Lily’s aura. Lily’s tongue slid slowly from one fang to the other and Ceri felt an almost irresistible urge to kiss the full lips in front of her… And then Lily looked away as Alec approached. ‘Four Banes, Alec,’ she said.

  ‘Table four?’ Alec asked and Lily nodded. ‘I’m keeping an eye on them,’ the barman stated flatly. Four werewolves out drinking on a full moon, yeah, Ceri could just bet he was watching them. ‘They giving you any trouble?’

  Lily raised an eyebrow. ‘Four licks versus me?’ she said. ‘No contest.’ Alec grinned wolfishly and went to get the drinks.

  ‘They’re from the Dog Boys,’ Lily said, absently. All the erotic tension of a few moments earlier had gone.

  ‘Dog Boys?’ Ceri asked. She had never really kept up with the wolf packs around town.

  ‘The pack from the Isle of Dogs,’ Lily replied. ‘Most of the other packs laugh at them, they’re a bit high-strung as a result.’

  ‘I didn’t think there were that many packs in London.’ She took a sip of her wine thoughtfully. ‘Which pack is Alec with?’

  ‘None,’ Alec said from behind her. She jumped, almost spilling her drink, and he chuckled. ‘I’m ronin,’ he said, ‘and I bet if you don’t know about the Dog Boys, you don’t know what that means either.’ Ceri shook her head. ‘Ronin were master-less samurai in feudal Japan,’ he explained. ‘The packs started using it for wolves who don’t belong to a pack about… forty years ago.’

  ‘Oh,’ Ceri said. She tried for a cute grin. ‘I’ve spent five years as a near recluse,’ she said. ‘If it’s not in a book I’ve read…’ Lily grinned at her and picked up her tray of drinks, strutting off to table four.

  Alec favoured Ceri with a long, appraising look, lingering over her chest. She kept her arms from covering her breasts by force of will and tried her damndest to avoid blushing. ‘That,’ he finally said, ‘is a crying shame.’ He grinned and turned away as another waitress approached the bar.

  ‘Enjoying yourself, Ceri?’ She turned at the sound of Carter’s voice. He was smiling.

  ‘Yes, thank you,’ she said. She was, though a tiny part of her mind was sitting there asking why the ronin bartender who had had largely ignored her a few weeks earlier was flirting with her now.

  Carter’s eyes darted over her shoulder, presumably at Alec, and then back again. ‘Have you managed to read any of the material I put on the NAS box yet?’ he asked.

  ‘Uh, no.’ She nodded toward Cheryl. ‘We’ve been writing up the research paper. Now that’s gone to bed, I get to have a life.’ She grinned wryly and Cheryl laughed.

  ‘I’m a slave driver,’ the Doctor said.

  ‘Really?’ Carter said, glancing at her. ‘Perhaps we can explore that later.’ He turned back to Ceri without waiting for Cheryl’s blush, but his smirk suggested he knew full well it was there. ‘Can I recommend the contents of the “Psychology” directory? It’s quite fascinating reading. Something outside your normal area of expertise. A break from the norm, if you will.’

  ‘Well, I have got some spare time coming up,’ Ceri said.

  ‘Indeed,’ Cheryl said, ‘this slave driver decided we needed a week off now that the paper is done.’

  ‘You are indeed, a merciful Mistress,’ Carter said. Cheryl was eating up the risqué banter.

  ‘That sounds like my kind of conversation,’ Lily said, returning from her drinks run. She dropped her tray onto the counter and glanced at Alec. ‘Two white wines for table nine when you’re ready.’

  ‘Well,’ Cheryl said, ‘I’ll be resting by catching up on all the reading and paperwork I should have been doing for the last month.’

  ‘Right,’ Lily said, ‘into sadomasochism. If only I’d known…’

  Carter nodded. ‘Something else to explore later.’

  The combination of Lily and Carter flirting with her had Cheryl more than a little flustered. Ceri tried a rescue. ‘Well, I’ve got some work to do as well,’ she said. ‘I figure if I can actually work magic now, I’d better set about getting the house enchantments up to scratch.’

  ‘You can do that?’ Lily said. ‘I thought it was, like, all skilled and stuff.’

  ‘Creating enchantments, inscribing them, researching them, that requires considerable skill and knowledge,’ Carter said, ‘though I suspect young Ceridwyn has a considerable head start should she wish to take it up. It’s the most technical of the disciplines and thaumatologists are often remarkably good at it.’

  Ceri nodded. ‘But maintaining them is far easier. And I have my parents’ original designs. Aside from anything else, it’ll be an interesting exercise.’

  ‘So you’ll be home all week?’ Lily asked, picking up her tray. ‘I’ve hardly seen you recently.’

  ‘Yup,’ Ceri replied. Lily’s smile as she turned to take the drinks to their table had a very mischievous edge to it and her hips seemed to swing a little more as she walked away.

  Carter leaned toward Ceri. ‘Psychology directory,’ he said.

  Cheryl finished her drink and slipped off her stool as decorously as was possible. She was wearing stockings. ‘I’ll be back shortly,’ she said, and headed off toward the toilets.

  Carter watched her go until she was out of sight and then turned back to Ceri. ‘It would be nice to see you pick up your parents’ work,’ he said, ‘but I was rather surprised to discover you could suddenly work magic.’

  ‘Uh, yeah,’ she replied. ‘Yeah, “surprised” is a word for it.’

  ‘Have you any idea how it happened?’

  She had several ideas, but only one she was willing to talk about. ‘No one’s ever survived being hit by that much thaumic energy before,’ she said. ‘I guess it… changed me.’

  He nodded. ‘It’s a working theory. Hmm… perhaps you should learn to raise a circle as well.’

  ‘Huh?’

  ‘Well it was the other assistant who did that for Cheryl, wasn’t it? And he’s no longer with us.’

  ‘Uh, yeah…’ Ceri said. She was still trying to shake the image of Shane’s body flying backward propelled by a bolt of raw thaumic energy. ‘Good point. Well, I know the principles.’

  ‘I’m quite sure you’ll be better at it than Mister Walters was,’ Carter said. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go and… check on Cheryl.’ He turned and headed off in the direction the Doctor had taken.

  ‘He’s starting early,’ Lily said, coming up behind Ceri.

  ‘Cheryl went to the toilet,’ Ceri said.

  ‘Uh-huh,’ Lily sai
d. Ceri looked at her. ‘You’ve seen the loos here, right? Plusher than a Persian kitten? Stall doors that don’t have those gaps at the top and bottom?’ Ceri’s jaw was getting a little slack as she connected the dots, but Lily was determined to ram it home. ‘Bet you she comes back after he does, looking all flushed.’

  Ceri grimaced. ‘Isn’t that a bit… sordid?’

  Lily giggled. ‘No, it’s exciting. Someone might hear you. Spices things up, puts a bit of an edge on things. And she’s kind of a control freak, right? Used to being in charge? People like that can get a big kick out of being out of control.’

  ‘You know way too much about stuff like that,’ Ceri commented.

  Lily shrugged, her eyes scanning her tables. ‘Ex-prostitute,’ she said.

  Ceri’s eyes followed Lily’s, trying to see what she saw. ‘I think,’ she said, ‘that you’re just very perceptive. You see details and interpret behaviour from them. I mean, I have no idea what you’re looking for now.’

  ‘Empty glasses,’ Lily said. ‘People looking for me.’

  ‘It’s not just that though, is it? I’ve seen you go to tables when they seemed to be quite involved with themselves, but they always seem to need something when you get there.’

  Lily looked at her briefly and then back to the room. ‘True Succubi are able to change and assume the form their subject desires,’ she said. Ceri nodded, she knew that. ‘Well, I can’t change shape, but I can still tell the needs and desires of anyone within my aura.’ She stopped and looked around at one of the other girls who was dressed in a bright blue version of Lily’s dress. ‘Sasha? Table fourteen, hun.’

  The blonde waitress smiled. ‘Thanks, Lil,’ she said before strutting off across the room.

  ‘And my aura covers the room when I’m working,’ Lily added.

  Ceri frowned. ‘I only feel it when you get close,’ she said.