‘It’s from me,’ Carter said. ‘I bought it… oh, fifteen years ago. I really don’t know why. I think, at the time, I thought it would increase my power.’ He chuckled. ‘It’s never worked for me, so I’m passing it on to you.’
Frowning, Ceri untied the silk and unwrapped the object. It was a staff. The head came out first; a blue glass orb held in a moulded metal grip. She pulled the rest of the shaft free. The top third of it was slightly thicker than the rest, with carved and inlaid lines in what looked like a simply artistic pattern in blue. The base was another piece of moulded metal and the shaft between the two sections was textured wood, dimpled for an easier grip.
‘It’s beautiful,’ Ceri said. ‘I thought you didn’t give presents.’
Carter smiled. ‘Call it another investment. It’s never been much use to me. It just sat on my wall looking enigmatic. I have this… feeling, an intuition if you will, that giving it to you is the right thing to do.’ He chuckled. ‘Besides, a magician needs a staff, I feel. It sets the right tone.’
‘Mages hardly ever use staves these days,’ Twill said. ‘Something of an archaic practice, don’t you think?’
‘I’m an old fashioned sort of wizard, my dear Lady Twill.’ He took a drink from his glass, watching as Ceri ran a finger over the inlaid design. ‘Sometimes,’ he said, ‘the old ways are best.’
November 1st
Ceri had to step over two sleeping couples to reach the kitchen. Alec did not “do brush,” but it seemed that was not a trait shared by all werewolves. The pack had brought their bedrolls in with them, and they were doing double duty as sleeping space for wolves, foxes, and humans. Looking back before she entered the kitchen she found herself wondering which of them were paired up. Or indeed whether there had been couples or just a mass of tangled bodies. It was hard to tell. She turned and went hunting for coffee.
By the time the activities in the hall had got heated, Ceri had already retired with Lily to engage in some heated activity of their own. She was moderately sure that Cheryl had ended up with Alec again, in Lily’s room. It was rapidly becoming “the guest bedroom” and Ceri was starting to wonder when Lily would just move her clothes into Ceri’s room. What had happened to Carter, Kate, and Dane she did not know.
Twill had made coffee. Ceri blessed the little woman silently and poured herself a mug. She settled down at the table and relaxed, letting the caffeine work its magic.
Lily’s bare feet slapped on the slate as she wandered in rubbing her eyes. ‘You got up,’ she said, pouting. She poured herself a mug of coffee and took a drink before adding, ‘I was planning to wake you up properly.’
‘You almost never wake up before I do, Lil. Besides, didn’t we spend enough time doing that last night?’
‘She’s half succubus, my dear Ceridwyn,’ Carter said from the doorway. He was dressed in his tuxedo trousers and a white shirt which was now a little rumpled. It occurred to Ceri that she had not remembered to dress before coming down.
‘Yes,’ Ceri said, moving herself slightly to cover more of herself with her arms, ‘enough time is never enough time.’
Lily, of course, was not the least bit bothered to be standing before her employer in the nude. ‘It’s not like I’m a nymphomaniac or anything,’ she said. ‘You want coffee?’
‘That would be glorious,’ Carter replied. ‘Then I should be heading off. I have afternoon plans with a French supermodel.’
Ceri laughed. She noticed that while she was embarrassed to be sat there naked in front of Carter, he seemed not entirely comfortable with her nudity as well. He was obviously not bothered by Lily, so why her? ‘Where did you end up last night?’ she asked.
‘In what I assume is Lily’s room,’ he said. Ceri thought about that for a second and decided that she was not going to ask. ‘Kate fell asleep on that lounger of yours after Alec and Cheryl left. I believe Dane went to sleep on the rug beside her.’ He smiled and took a coffee mug from Lily. ‘Thank you, my dear.’
Lily did a little curtsy and grinned. ‘It was a good night,’ she said. ‘It’s been a good summer, even with all that’s happened.’
‘It has been… interesting,’ Carter agreed.
Ceri took a drink of coffee and considered. She had started her first ever job, survived being practically drowned in thaumic energy, twice, and discovered both a fundamental particle and that she was a sorceress. She had almost fallen prey to the demonic side of her best friend, and the machinations of a demonic wizard. She had defeated both through wit and power, and her relationship with Lily had become something she suspected she had yet to discover the true nature of. Yes, it certainly had been a very interesting few weeks.
‘Academia is going to be quite boring after all this excitement,’ she said, ‘but I think I could live with a little boredom for a while.’
Carter and Lily looked at her. ‘Planning to finally get that doctorate?’ Lily asked.
Ceri’s cheeks flushed. ‘I have plenty of incentive,’ she said. ‘I was thinking of doing a full study on the were-creature transformation, if you wouldn’t mind me bothering a few of your dancers, Carter.’
The club owner nodded. ‘Be my guest. I suspect the north Hills pack might be available to help as well.’
Ceri nodded, experiment plans and a thesis outline already forming in her head. ‘That sounds like a plan, she said. ‘And I can’t imagine there’s much chance of me accidentally blowing up the planet doing that. It should be a fairly safe area for study.’ Both Carter and Lily winced, looked at each other, and started laughing. Ceri looked between them, bemused, and then began laughing herself.
Well, laughter was as a good a way as any to start a new year.
###
About the Author
I was born in the vicinity of Hadrian's Wall so perhaps a bit of history rubbed off. Ancient history obviously, and border history, right on the edge of the Empire. I always preferred the Dark Ages anyway; there’s so much more room for imagination when people aren’t writing down every last detail. So my idea of a good fantasy novel involved dirt and leather, not shining plate armour and Hollywood-medieval manners. The same applies to my sci-fi, really; I prefer gritty over shiny.
Oddly, then, one of the first fantasy novels I remember reading was The Dark Is Rising, by Susan Cooper (later made into a terrible juvenile movie). These days we would call Cooper’s series Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy and looking back on it, it influenced me a lot. It has that mix of modern day life, hidden history, and magic which failed to hit popular culture until the early days of Buffy and Anne Rice. Of course, Cooper’s characters spend their time around places I could actually visit in Cornwall, and South East England, and mid-Wales. In fact, when I went to university in Aberystwyth, it was partially because some of Cooper’s books were set a few miles to the north around Tywyn.
I got into writing through roleplaying, however, so my early work was related to the kind of roleplaying game I was interested in. I wrote “high fantasy” when I was playing Dungeons & Dragons. I wrote a lot of superhero fiction when I was playing City of Heroes. I still loved the idea of a modern world with magic in it and I’ve been trying to write a novel based on this for a long time. As with any form of expression, practice is the key and I can look back on all the aborted attempts at books, and the more successful short stories, as steps along the path to the Thaumatology Series.
Writing, sadly, is not my main source of income. By day, I’m a computer programmer. I work for a telecommunications company in Manchester, England. My favourite authors are Terry Pratchett, Susan Cooper, and (recently) Kim Harrison. Kim’s Hollows books were what finally spurred me to publish something, even if the trail to here came by way of Susan, back in school, several decades ago.
For More Information
The Thaumatology Blog: http://thaumatology.wordpress.com
Other Books in the Series
Demon’s Moon - B006JPN7A0
Legacy - B006OKR8PK
Dra
gon’s Blood - B0072S1DOU
Disturbia - B007GNICZO
Hammer of Witches - B007YG2I44
Eagle’s Shadow - B008E17TYW
Ancient - B00923F8AS
Dragonfall – Coming December 2012
The Other Side of Hell – Coming December 2012
Anthologies in the Thaumatology Universe
Tales from High Towers’ Study - B006ZAJ7TY
Tales from the Dubh Linn - B0080XPD88
Table of Contents
Part One: T-Null
Part Two: Power
Part Three: Sorcery
Part Four: Doomsday
Part Five: All Hallows’ Eve
Thaumatology 101 Page 24
