‘Pretentious?’
‘I was going to say “up their own arses,” but that’s a really good word.’ He put the clean glass down behind the bar. ‘I’ll ask around and see what I can do. I’m surprised you want more werewolves, I heard the North Hills wolves had a really good time at your place.’ His smirk spoke volumes and Ceri’s cheeks flared.
‘Three Vee-Bombs for table six, Alec,’ Lily said, placing her tray on the counter.
Ceri glared at her. ‘Have you been gossiping?’ she snapped.
‘I just said that you’d been an excellent hostess,’ Lily said, entirely unabashed. ‘With two or three of the pack at once,’ she added without changing her tone.
‘I did not do three at once!’
‘So,’ Alec said, ‘just two.’
‘I’m just going to shut up now,’ Ceri said.
‘You could tell me why you want more wolves though,’ Alec pointed out.
‘Oh yeah, tease me after I get dressed up for you, and then expect information.’ She grinned at him. ‘The pulse at the end of your transformation, you remember that?’
Alec nodded. ‘The theory was it was what caused the cascade effect.’
‘Yeah. The one you produce, and the ones the North Hills weres produce are different. I think it’s pack-specific, learned from the Alpha, but I need some wolves from another pack to prove it.’
‘Now that’s interesting,’ Alec said.
‘It certainly is,’ Carter commented. Ceri turned to find him behind her, dressed in a crisp, black suit. ‘You’re taking all the mystery out of the world, my dear Ceridwyn.’
‘Oh, I hope not,’ Ceri replied. ‘I like a bit of mystery.’
‘Don’t we all,’ Lily said.
‘Amazingly,’ Carter replied, ‘no. There are plenty of people who don’t. Most of the Ministry for Supernatural Affairs for starters.’
Ceri giggled. ‘The one who came to see me was allergic to magic,’ she said.
‘Strange, but true,’ Carter said in an instructive tone, ‘there are no supernaturals in the Ministry.’
‘None?’ Lily asked, picking up her tray as Alec placed the drinks on them.
‘It was a policy decision made in the fifties and never reversed,’ Carter replied. ‘Despite considerable lobbying, not one supernatural of any kind, including magicians, has ever been part of the Ministry’s civil service or political staff.’
Lily shrugged and headed off toward table six, her hips swinging. The dress she was wearing, if it could be called a dress, was black silk with a floral pattern in red, blue, and gold. Cut very high on the hip and very short in the skirt, it showed off the half-succubus’ exquisite body fantastically well.
‘I thought there was some sort of affirmative action policy in the government,’ Ceri said.
‘There is,’ Carter said, nodding, ‘but not in the MSA. Their original purpose was to police magical practitioners and they are still using the excuse that supernaturals should not police their own to keep them out.’
‘Even though they now control all government supernatural activities,’ Ceri commented sourly.
‘One of the reasons I stay out of politics,’ Carter replied. ‘If I spend too much time with politicians my skin suffers from scrubbing it in the shower.’
‘How’s Naira doing?’ Ceri asked. ‘The Wednesday Witch had a small article on her this week. “Rare were-panther joins the Collar Club” kind of thing. The reporter seemed… enthused.’
‘She’s doing very well. As predicted, she’s been going down a storm with the customers.’ Carter smiled. ‘Jasmine’s been teaching her table dancing, which they both seem to have been enjoying.’
‘Yeah,’ Ceri said, ‘Naira offered to demonstrate her dance technique to me.’
Carter nodded. ‘I’d gathered she had a preference for the fairer sex. It won’t be a problem for her work as long as she can pretend for the clients, and she has been acting to stay alive most of her life.’
‘It’s got to be a pretty sucky way to live,’ Ceri said. ‘Always lying to people, not being yourself. Hiding what you can do from everyone.’
‘Yes,’ Carter said, looking at her, ‘it must.’
Neither Carter nor Alec knew that Ceri was a sorceress, as far as she knew. They knew she could work magic, but not how. Very few people knew that particular fact because Ceri’s parents had worried over what might happen if it were generally known. In particular, Ceri’s mother had suggested that she should be very sure of Carter before trusting him. Now Ceri wondered just how much Carter did know. She looked back at him and said, ‘Carter, could I ask a favour?’
‘You can ask, my dear,’ he replied. ‘I cannot say until you do whether I can do as you wish.’
‘I could do with learning a few spells,’ she said, grinning at his rather political answer. ‘Y’know, defensive stuff. Maybe some basic utility spells.’
The wizard contemplated for a second or two. ‘Do you think you could join me at my flat tomorrow?’ he asked. ‘Lily knows the way, don’t you, Lil?’
Lily put her tray down on the counter and smiled. ‘Yeah,’ she said, ‘I know where it is.’
Ceri nodded. ‘Okay, I can do that.’
‘I’ll come over to your place Sunday afternoon,’ Alec added. ‘We can go up to Regent’s Park and talk to some werewolves.’
‘A busy weekend,’ Carter said, smiling.
Lily giggled. ‘After the last couple of nights she’s had, this’ll be relaxing.’
Ceri’s eyes narrowed. ‘That’s you spending the night in the dog cage in the dungeon,’ she said, knowing exactly what the answer was going to be.
‘Promise?’ Lily said brightly.
Chelsea, November 27th
Chelsea Square, a grassed and treed area in one of the richer areas of London, was flanked by brick-built flats and houses which cost more to rent for the year than Ceri’s entire salary. Lily and Ceri walked down from South Kensington tube station, past the Victoria and Albert museum, and on to the three storey building on the east side of the square which housed Carter Fleming’s flat.
‘It’s at times like this,’ Ceri said as they stepped up to the door, ‘that you realise he’s loaded.’
Lily just grinned and pressed the button for the top floor flat. There was a short pause and then Carter’s voice from the speaker. ‘Ladies, do come straight up.’ There was a click and a buzz from the door and Ceri pushed it open.
Inside was a hallway with a staircase leading up, and a grey-haired old lady poking her face out through a door. Old, but hawk-like, eyes regarded the two girls walking in and she said, ‘You’ll be going to see the gigolo on the top floor then?’
Lily grinned. ‘That’s right, Mrs Winter.’
‘Does he ever sleep?’ Mrs Winter asked. ‘He’s already got one up there.’
Ceri could tell that Lily was trying not to giggle. ‘You know Carter, ma’am. Why have one girl when three gives more options?’ Ceri felt her cheeks heat up; it was not like they were there for that.
The old woman grunted. ‘Your friend seems like such a nice girl too.’ She fixed her gaze on Ceri. ‘You don’t let that man corrupt you with his decadent ways, girl!’
Ceri blinked. ‘Uh, no ma’am, I’ll try not to.’ The chance would have been a fine thing.
Mrs Winter’s face vanished behind her closing door and Lily started up the stairs, giggling quietly. ‘Such a nice girl too,’ Lily mimicked. ‘Such a nice girl who’s spent half the week getting boned by werewolves.’
‘Am I ever going to live that down?’ Ceri asked.
‘No,’ Lily said. ‘Not until they’ve done me anyway.’
Ceri grumbled up the next flight of stairs to the top landing where the door was already ajar and they could walk straight into Carter’s flat. They entered through a small hallway with two doors off it. Lily pointed to one of them and said, ‘That’s the bathroom, for reference,’ before opening the other door and walking through.
; The lounge had a lot of cream coloured, leather sofas, chrome and glass tables, and heavy-looking, oak chests of drawers. It also had an attractive blonde wearing a push-up, black satin bra and matching thong lying on one of the sofas with a TV remote in her hand. The TV had to be at least fifty-inches across, and currently displaying some soap that Ceri did not recognise.
Carter emerged from one of the inner rooms wearing a silk, floor-length robe loosely tied around his waist. He smiled. ‘Ceri, Lily, I don’t believe you know Petra,’ he said.
Petra looked up at them with interest. ‘Afternoon,’ she said in a precise, upper class accent.
‘We’ve sort of met,’ Lily said. ‘Petra Charles, yes? You’ve been to the Jade Dragon a few times.’
‘That’s me,’ Petra replied. She narrowed her eyes slightly and then recognition dawned. ‘Yes, I remember. You’re the waitress with the awesome body.’
Lily grinned. ‘You’re not so bad yourself,’ she said.
‘And Ceri,’ Carter said, ‘is a very promising young thaumatologist and practitioner.’
Ceri was frowning. ‘Charles as in Malcolm Charles?’ she asked.
Petra smirked. ‘He’s my father.’ Petra was the daughter of the Minister of Supernatural Affairs. Ceri recalled reading that she was something of a wild-child, prone to drinking, clubbing, and sleeping with the “wrong” people. She made it into the gossip column in The Wednesday Witch on a fairly regular basis.
‘Petra and I have an arrangement,’ Carter said.
‘Yeah,’ Petra said. ‘Whenever I want to piss Daddy off, I make sure plenty of people see me retiring for the night with Carter.’
‘What do you get out of this arrangement?’ Ceri asked Carter.
He chuckled and walked over to stand over Petra. ‘Petra, of course,’ he replied. ‘I’m a man of relatively simple tastes. One of them is nubile, attractive woman who happen to be young enough to be my daughter.’ Ceri happened to know he was embroidering the truth; Carter liked women, age irrelevant. ‘Petra, my dear,’ he said, ‘would you mind using the television in the bedroom. I promised to give Ceri some magic lessons.’
Petra turned off the TV and rose from the sofa. ‘Sure,’ she said, ‘just so long as you come in later and give me some schooling.’ She strutted off toward the door Carter had emerged from, giving him a flirtatious grin as she passed.
Carter turned back to Ceri when Petra was gone and shrugged slightly. ‘What can I say? I’m irresistible.’ Both girls giggled. ‘Shall we begin? You wanted defence and utility spells, yes?’
Ceri nodded. ‘Yes. I thought… I had this feeling I needed to learn to defend myself better than just reacting on instinct.’
‘Very well,’ Carter said, ‘we’ll start with a couple of basic combat-oriented spells so that you can throw them at me and I can show you how to block them.’
‘And I suppose I’m the target dummy?’ Lily said quite happily.
‘Well,’ Carter said smiling, ‘since you’ve offered, my dear Lily…’ He pulled himself up straight and raised a hand, speaking a few words in a language Ceri did not understand, but suspected was demonic. Ceri watched the power build in Carter’s spine, forming a pattern at the crown of his head before flashing down through his arm and across the room where it settled around Lily’s head. Normal sight revealed nothing other than a shimmer of light around Carter’s fingers, but Ceri’s other Sight showed the magic twining about the Median nodes in Lily’s head.
Lily stood there with a slight smile on her face, apparently entirely unharmed. Frowning, Ceri waved a hand in front of her friend’s eyes, getting no reaction at all.
‘It’s called a Daze spell, generically,’ Carter said. ‘Some call it “Distraction” or “Confusion.” Essentially her mind is tied up. She’s in a world of her own. Nothing you do short of slapping her will be noticed and she won’t remember a word of this conversation or anything she’s seen.’
‘Useful,’ Ceri commented.
‘Very,’ Carter replied, ‘and since it’s temporary and does no lasting harm, quite legal.’
‘How long does it last?’
‘A minute or so, but you can put more power into it to keep it going. However,’ he grinned, ‘give her a slap and wake her up. There’s no point in prolonging it.’
Ceri grinned back and slapped Lily on the behind. The half-succubus jerked and then giggled. ‘You’re supposed to be learning magic, not foreplay,’ she said. She looked between Ceri and Carter as they grinned at each other. ‘Did I miss something?’
‘Think you have it, Ceri?’ Carter said. ‘The words don’t matter so much as the will and intent.’
‘Okay…’ Ceri raised her own hand toward Lily, forming the same pattern of energy she had seen in Carter as she murmured some meaningless words under her breath. She released the spell as Lily started to turn toward her. Her friend stopped, blinked once, and was just as vague as she had been when Carter had thrown his spell. Ceri waved her hand in front of Lily’s eyes and nodded.
‘You’re a quick learner,’ Carter commented. ‘Now, try it on me and watch what I do.’
Nodding, Ceri raised her hand, built the spell, and released it. Carter dropped into something like a combat-ready stance, his arm sweeping across before him. ‘Thetidas!’ he said and Ceri saw a wall of thaumic energy form briefly in front of him. Her spell struck it and there was a flare of visible light as it fizzled and died. Ceri raised an eyebrow. ‘Thetidas means “stop” in Devotik,’ Carter said, ‘but again it’s the intent that counts.’ He raised his hand. ‘Ready?’
Ceri nodded, moving herself into a more steady stance to prepare. ‘I’m ready,’ she said. She saw the spell building and reacted as it was launched from Carter’s hand. ‘Aros!’ she said, sweeping her hand across the space before her. The spell burst as a bright light as it struck the thaumic shield which appeared before her and she grinned brightly. ‘Yes!’ she exclaimed.
Carter laughed. ‘I’m not sure why you needed me to teach you,’ he said. ‘You seem quite capable of working all this out for yourself.’ He raised an eyebrow quizzically. ‘What’s “aros”?’ he asked.
‘Welsh,’ she replied. ‘It means “stop.”’ She grinned. ‘I’m not too hot on common demonic, but I was born in Bala.’
Lily shook her head. ‘Did I drop off or something?’ she asked.
‘Or something,’ Ceri replied.
Carter wandered around to one of the couches and sat down, leaning back and crossing his legs, the picture of the languid playboy. ‘I was quite serious, Ceri,’ he said. ‘You are, I think, not so much learning as observing and applying what you know from magical theory. That is a most unusual talent.’ He looked intently at Ceri. ‘Certainly for one so recently come into her power.’
Ceri looked at Lily. The half-demon shrugged; she trusted Carter completely, but she had not told him about Ceri’s powers because Ceri had told her not to. Ceri looked back at Carter. ‘I’m a sorceress,’ she said. She watched him for a second and then added, ‘You don’t seem terribly surprised.’ Sorcerers were things of legend. The last of them, if they had ever truly existed, had died at the Battle of Badon during the Dark Ages. Most modern scholars believed that actions attributed to them were actually the work of wizards with demonic pacts.
‘I may have had some idea that you were not a common practitioner,’ Carter said. ‘Equally, I may throw a fit later when the repercussions have sunk in.’ He considered for a few seconds and then said, ‘How many people know?’
‘Lily, Twill, and Cheryl,’ Ceri said.
Carter nodded. ‘Thank you for including me in the club,’ he said. ‘Why Cheryl?’
‘She did some tests for me, discovered I was generating power in an abnormal way,’ Ceri explained. ‘She would have figured out something herself. I told her so that she would stay quiet.’
‘Wise,’ Carter said. ‘Very well, I will also tell no one. I know of a number of people who would not take the return of real sorcerers well. I be
lieve that, for now, you are better off not knowing about them. Keep your secret and learn all you can. That would be my advice.’
‘These people you’re talking about,’ Lily asked, moving closer to Ceri, ‘they’re dangerous?’ Her arm slipped protectively around Ceri’s waist.
‘Some of them will simply try to exploit you, Ceri,’ Carter replied. ‘Some will want you dead.’
Lily gasped, her grip tightening on Ceri’s waist. Ceri was rather less surprised; her mother’s letter had suggested it would not be an easy ride. ‘Why would someone want her dead for being what she is?’ Lily asked.
Carter looked at Lily, his expression almost amused. ‘Lily, you ask that? Given what you are.’
‘People fear things which are different,’ Ceri said quietly, ‘things they don’t understand. My parents feared it. That’s why the locked it away behind powerful enchantments.’
‘Enough depressing talk,’ Carter said. ‘I suggest that I demonstrate some more of my spells and you demonstrate your amazing ability to recreate them, and so become a better practitioner.’ He pursed his lips, considering. ‘Some divination spells, perhaps. Information is always useful. I assume that you are aware of the laws of Contagion and Sympathy? These can be particularly useful…’
Ceri disengaged herself from Lily and moved around to sit on one of the couches. She had the feeling that she was going to have a long and tiring afternoon.
London Underground, District & Circle
Lily stood patiently on the platform, waiting beside Ceri for the next eastbound train. Unlike the trip to South Kensington station, Lily’s coat was draped over her shoulders, the arms swinging free at her sides, and Ceri was wearing something of a smirk.
‘So,’ Lily said, ‘do you think that was an afternoon well spent?’
A gust of wind jetted down the platform presaging the arrival of the train and Ceri did not speak until the two were settled onto plastic seats in the car. It was late for shopping and early for clubbing; there were relatively few other passengers and Ceri selected an empty pair of benches facing each other, Lily sitting down opposite her in a slightly awkward pose with her hands behind her back under the coat.
Thaumatology 02 - Demon's Moon Page 6