by HDA Roberts
I'd already decided to spend most of my 'exile' at the Archive, at least I could use the time constructively. Before going, I made an appointment to see Tethys for lunch at a diner she liked. I'd learned my lesson- never just show up to see Tethys, it ruined innocent ideas.
The Archive was where the British Magical Community kept a store of every Magic book ever written. I was told that most countries with a large Magical population had one. Ours was made up of thirteen large floors, each one heavily warded to prevent Magic use. Each floor below the top was restricted, based on qualifications issued by the government. My level-nine paperwork allowed me into anything down to the sixth floor. I'd get into seven when I had my level-ten, goodness knows when that would be at my current rate of advancement...
It was accessed through portals, one of which was in every major city. The Stonebridge portal was in the Old Quarter, inside a small room with a gold plaque saying Archive above the entrance. I made my way in and through to the Archive proper. The entrance hall was long and thin, leading to a wide desk where the Administrator worked. There were guards either side of him, in front of doors that led to a viewing gallery around the top floor.
Each level was circular, with a wide gap between the edges and the viewing galleries. The gap went straight down to the thirteenth floor... and just kept going. I wasn't sure how long it would take to hit bottom if I fell, but I'd imagine it would be a while.
The guards nodded to me as I walked past. They were both armed, and there were more of them on the floors below, making sure nobody went where they weren't qualified to go. I made my way around to the side room where the lockers were kept and got my Shadow Codex out along with my notepads and writing tools. I was hoping to get some translation work done.
First things, first, though, I went to see my other book.
I made my way to the stairs and down to the bottom floor. Nobody ever gets into that level (except me, and that's only because I broke in, not that anyone has been able to prove it). I walked past the six guards and into the viewing gallery. It was the same as the top floor, only this level was much smaller, and there was just the one book.
She was the repository of all the Black Magic ever known by man. She bound herself to one Magician in a generation, the one with the greatest potential for Black Magic.
She was currently bound to me.
"Hello Mira," I said once I was out of sight of the guards.
"I missed you, my Master," said the avatar of the Grimoire, as she appeared beside me.
She looked a lot like Cathy, having chosen her form from my memories. There were some differences, the eyes looked like mime, matching the design on the front of the book, which had altered to match me, her hair was black and long, and her Windward uniform was considerably less modest than you'd ever see Cathy wearing. She called me 'Master' in spite of my repeatedly asking her not to.
"How have you been?" I asked.
"Bored," she replied, "I haven't seen you in weeks."
"Sorry, I've been busy."
"Do tell."
I sat down and laid it all out for her while she sat opposite me against the far wall, absorbing all the information. It took a while.
"Well, shit," she said.
"Thanks."
"Don't glare at me, you're the one who jumped your life into the toilet. There aren't many hard and fast rules for Magicians, Mathew, but here are a few of more sensible ones: learn all you can, when you can; don't make enemies you don't need to make, and never get involved with Fairies. You've broken all three in the last three months."
I sighed, rubbing my eyes.
"Things got complicated," I complained.
"Evidently," Mira replied dryly, "and this production of Black Magic has me worried. Using Fairies to make it was generally considered too abhorrent for even the worst of my former-masters. And unwise with it. You should be careful, who knows what they'd want it for. And this business about Revenants... definitely not good."
"What's a Revenant?"
"Could mean any number of things. A Revenant is generally a corpse that is reanimated with something of its former self still in place, which distinguishes it from a simple Reanimate; that's essentially an automaton, a zombie by your modern terminology. The Revenant spell is difficult and dangerous on its own, as the results tend to be quite insane, powerful and difficult to control. Black Revenants are a hundred times worse. The Black reanimates the body, restores it to its pre-death state, and then acts as a replacement for the corpse's soul. They tend to be highly intelligent, utterly evil, and horribly hungry. You don't have any dead loved ones, do you? No, I'd know. Good."
"Bloody hell," I grimaced.
"And if they had Magic in life, they'll have it in reanimation, so watch out for that," Mira continued.
"How many corpses could they raise with say, a dozen harvested Fairies?" I asked.
"That depends on the spell used, the skill of the harvester and the type of Fairy. The most effective form of Revenant summoning is cast against a single living target; the curse uses the target's love links to find dead hosts, much like the way the Severing would have worked. Usually the curse sends the resulting Revenants against the initial living target. The energy requirement is quite high, but it's mostly a one-size-fits-all type spell. Maybe... half a dozen casts with that many Fairies? But each cast is capable of creating a dozen or more Revenants if you choose the right target, say an older Mage with a lot of family in the ground."
Damn, that was bad news...
"How do I stop it?" I asked.
"Once it's cast? You'd have to destroy the Revenant, and best of luck with that. You have to destroy both the head and the heart. If you leave either one even slightly intact, they can regenerate. Even if you get them both, the rest of body will still try to kill things. Fire is your best bet, lots and lots of fire. Life Magic can destroy them, but it would take Sorcerer-level skill and power, which you don't have. So just smash it and rip it apart as quickly as possible."
"Yuk."
"Or you could always embrace the Black and simply take command of any Revenant you see with an instant's effort," she said with a sensuous smile on her face, "There is literally no Black Magician who could cast a spell you couldn't take from them."
"We'll call that Plan B, alright?"
She smiled and kissed my cheek, "One day," she said with a sigh, "Now run along, you have a lunch date, remember?"
"Thanks!" I said, looking at my watch, and darting to my feet, "Wait, how did you know?"
She was already gone. I shook my head and ran back up the stairs, returning my other book to my locker along with my unused writing things. I hadn't anticipated talking to Mira for so long.
Well, that had been a useful, if disturbing, morning. Revenants... I shivered at the thought. The very idea made my skin crawl, and someone had the power to make a lot of them. An awful, awful lot of them.
How do I get myself involved in these messes?
Chapter 16
Tethys and I met in her favourite diner, one she owned from behind the scenes. She was waiting in her favourite booth and her face broke out in a smile as I came over. She wore a purple business suit, sexy and expensive. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, and she wore some tasteful jewellery.
She enveloped me in a hug before turning my head so she could see my mangled cheek.
"I was right, very sexy," she said, "and love the new scent, by the way."
"I'm not wearing anything," I said.
"Sure you are, Violated; by Cathy," she said with a very wicked grin on her face as she used the same tone of voice you hear on perfume adverts.
I don't think I'd ever gone so red in my entire life.
Naturally Tethys just grinned wider and sat me down so she could slide in a little too close to me.
"It's a very nice taste on you. You've lost that purity sharpness, it's more of a mellow sweetness now. I like it," she said, her nose up against my neck.
"Easy, you," I sai
d turning my head so I could glare, she just stared back with those violet eyes. I could suddenly feel the chink in my armour that had been created by my 'intimacy' with Cathy. The one that Tethys' powers were now pressing up against.
"Uh oh," I said involuntarily.
"Aw, you thought your resistance to me was all you, didn't you?" she said, planting a kiss on my cheek, which felt twice as good as it usually did.
"Tethys, one of the things I love about you is that we've moved past the point where I have to throw up a mental shield every time I see you."
"Sweetie, you can shut that door as much as you want, but you keep leaving the window open, and I don't object to climbing," she said, biting my jaw just a little.
"I'm not cheating on my girlfriend."
"Who's offering?" she asked innocently, sliding her hand inside my jacket, "I'm just being friendly."
"Well, take it down a notch or I'll make a scene," I said, trying to extricate myself.
"Ooh, promise?" she purred.
And her legs were on my lap...
"We're in a public place, you'll get us arrested," I said, pulling her hands away and holding them in her lap. She let me, she's got approximately thirty times my physical strength if she wants it.
She sighed, planting a last kiss on my cheek, "Fine, feed me, but I'm getting to you, I know it."
"Well of course you are, you always have," I replied, which made her smile, "but I would be no more willing to hurt my girlfriend than I would you. Do you really want to change that about me?"
Her eyes narrowed as she thought that one through.
"Damn it," she said.
"There you go," I said, patting her hands.
"This isn't over. There's a way around your reasoning. I'll find it."
I picked up her hand and placed a kiss on the knuckles. She shivered, licking her lips like I'd done something far more intimate, there was no winning with Tethys...
"In the mean time, what about lunch?"
"Ugh, fine. Ruin my fun, why don't you?" she said, sliding off my lap before perusing the menu, muttering darkly under her breath.
"So, how's the empire?" I asked after we'd ordered.
"Expanding delightfully," she said, leaning back, "Three new places in Stonebridge alone, eight more nation-wide in the last three months. All thanks to you, by the way."
"Oh yes?"
"Mm hm," she said with a smile, "you'd be surprised how much weight your name carries in certain circles."
"Do I want to know what those circles are?"
"Doubt it," she said, linking her arm with mine and leaning her head on my shoulder, "Missed you. Things are less interesting when I don't have you to torment with my sexual indiscretions."
"I'm still traumatised after the last one!"
"Most men would be flattered to be the object of two women's obsession."
"Most men haven't walked in on it."
"Most men would have joined in!" she countered with a laugh.
"I don't have a safe reply to that," I said, which made her snort.
"So, what brings you by? Shouldn't you be enjoying a traditional, nauseating Christmas?" she asked.
I winced.
"Ooh, I saw that, I smell dirt. Tell your Tethys."
I told her what had happened and her face fell.
"Crap, I'm sorry," she said, "Hey, I'm not doing anything for Christmas. Want to come sleep with- I mean stay with- me? We'll watch action movies and get wasted. It'll be great."
I smiled widely. I hadn't expected that, but it sounded like just what I needed. Well, not the wasted part. Sorcerers and mild-altering chemicals didn't mix. But something to help me forget the snub would be terrific.
"You sure you wouldn't mind?"
"I was dreading yet another Christmas. I haven't enjoyed December since Lucy died, Christmas was always her holiday. It'll be nice to spend it with someone again."
"If you'd told me that earlier, there's always space at our place."
"And if I'd been there, I'd now be stuck with your family and your psycho brother while you were... where exactly?"
"Not important," I said, scratching my head, "Oh, look the food's here."
We ate, we chatted, and then I paid and we left. I went back to Windward to collect my things and was at her place within half an hour; I easily made my way past the bouncer and the substitute bartender. The girls were in short supply, and they didn't look enthusiastic. They were closing for Christmas that night, and I think everyone just wanted out.
Kandi was with her Mother and sisters for the holidays, and I didn't recognise anyone else as I made my way through to Tethys' office, where she greeted me and showed me through to her room. There was a huge bed, expensive carpet and furnishings, as well as beautiful antique furniture. She showed a chest of drawers, and I put my stuff away before being led to a sitting room with a wide fireplace.
"Can you set one of those?" she asked, pointing at the hearth.
I gave her a look and she grinned before walking off.
I built and set a fire before settling down on the sofa. Tethys came back a few minutes later, dressed in tracksuit bottoms and a loose t-shirt. She sat next to me and leant against me. I put my arm around her.
"This is nice," Tethys said, staring into the fire, "even if you smell slightly of the outside world."
"Oh, sorry," I said. I was still wearing my travelling clothes.
"En-suite in the bedroom," she said, levering herself up.
I showered and changed into something comfortable, returning to find Tethys with a pad and pen.
"So, on a scale of one to ten, how proficient are you in a kitchen?" she asked.
And that's how I had Christmas with a Succubus. It was surprisingly sweet, actually. We made a list, went shopping, and between us, we managed to cook something resembling a Christmas dinner, making a thorough mess in her small kitchen, which made her howl with laughter even as we were making it.
We exchanged gifts, just some little things, but it still made her cry. I'd bought her some magical chocolates from Kereby's, a tiny shop in Stonebridge's Old Quarter. They mixed and matched more than a hundred different flavours in each block, and a discreet enchantment let you taste each one. She'd cried because Lucy used to get them for her at Christmas time, and it brought back happy memories. She spent the rest of the day clamped to my side like a limpet, seemingly unwilling to let go. I didn't object.
I spoke to Cathy, who was nearly ecstatic over her gift, which was a snowflake necklace made from actual snowflakes. I'd made it myself. It was rather a tricky little spell I won't bore you with, but I transformed snow into crystal and attached a white gold necklace to it. She liked it. A lot. Even Tethys blushed as she heard Cathy describe in detail how she was going to thank me for it.
"That girl is filthy. I love it," Tethys said after the call.
"Me too," I admitted.
So, Christmas wasn't so bad. I called home and wished everyone a Merry Christmas. I heard a distinct lack of enthusiasm from Grandpa as he described proceedings. He'd never been a big fan of Des, and that got worse after he started trying to kill me. I'd get to see him for a bit when I came home on the 27th, but Des wasn't leaving until midday, and Grandpa was leaving a couple of hours later.
In the meantime, I had four days of complete indolence with Tethys, who hardly tried it on at all. We slept in the same bed, and I occasionally woke up with her hands in interesting places, but she swore it was accidental. We grew closer, not that we were exactly strangers before. But it was growing more familial than sexual, which was astonishing, and incredibly satisfying. I could sleep with her wrapped around me and be completely comfortable and relaxed. And I think she was, too.
Every day, we went walking to a cafe or a market. She would show me her favourite places in the city, and only some of them were... adult establishments.
It was Boxing Day, late, and we were sitting on a park bench near the river, watching the ducks and other water birds. She was
sharing my jacket, her arms around my chest.
"This was the best Christmas I've had in a century, you know that?" she asked.
"I enjoyed it, too. Thanks for having me."
"Haven't had you yet, looking forward to it, though," she said, quick as a flash.
I shook my head and opened my mouth to retort.
But then I felt it.
I tensed up hard, looking into the sky.
Black clouds were forming rapidly, directly overhead, spreading and boiling in the sky, flecks of dark purple energy flaring like lightning. It was thrilling, and utterly horrible. It called to me, drawing my attention, my desires.
If I was reacting like that, then there was only one thing it could be.
Pure Black Magic.
"Tethys," I said standing up and readying my Will, "Run!"
"What?!" she asked, looking confused.
"RUN!" I shouted.
She obeyed, and was only just out of range when the beam hit.
I had a half dome of Will between me and a lance of pure Black energy; I knew without a doubt that my only defence wasn't going to be good enough. My Well was emptying through my shield, and it would be gone long before the Black had exhausted itself.
But would that be so bad?
I could feel it there, splashing at the shield. I knew instinctively that it wasn't going to hurt me. It was for me. Someone had sent it to become a part of me. It wasn't a curse, there was too much of it. My teeth chattered as the promise of that power ate at my Will.
The ground around me had already cracked, as tiny flares of massively concentrated Black Magic impacted all around me. The stone turned sharp and barbed, the plants grew grotesque and sharp, ugly and poisonous, twitching and predatory. The bench I'd been sitting on had transformed into a twisted, monstrous living thing, like it was trying to turn back into a tree. Just the sight of these things made me tremble in anticipation and desire. Some part of me desperately wanted that sort of power, and that part was getting closer and closer to the surface.