Thaumatology 09 - Dragonfall Read online

  Dragonfall

  The Ninth Novel in the Thaumatology Series

  By Niall Teasdale

  Copyright 2012 Niall Teasdale

  Amazon Kindle Edition

  Contents

  Prologue

  Part One: The Containment Issue

  Part Two: Science!

  Interlude: Mayhew

  Part Three: Lines of Power

  Interlude: The New Lord of Grey Castle

  Part Four: Friends and Family

  Part Five: Power Politics

  Interlude: Cheryl

  Part Six: Draconis Cadit

  Part Seven: Lilith

  Prologue

  I remain unclear about exactly how things have come to the situation I now find myself in. A year ago I would have been hard pressed to believe that things could go so wrong so quickly. I was in a relationship with a woman I loved. It was the kind of love you read about in romance novels; absolute, heartfelt, so complete that I would have literally given my life for her. Now, it seems, I will be doing just that, giving up my life to save her, even though she does not love me anymore.

  So, this is where the story ends. I will walk out of the door and go to stop her. I will save her life, and stop her doing what she cannot be allowed to do, even though I know the cost. Because I cannot stop loving her, even though it seems her love for me is gone.

  These will be the last words I ever write, and I doubt anyone will ever read them. All I can hope now is that she lives a happy life without me and that they never have the power to influence her again.

  Goodbye.

  Part One: The Containment Issue

  Holloway, London, June 22nd, 2012

  ‘The problem,’ Ceri said, ‘is going to be optimising the power output.’

  Cheryl looked at Ceri across her desk in the High Energy Thaumatology building at London Metropolitan University. As the chief thaumatologist, Doctor Tennant was in charge of all the projects there and Ceridwyn Brent was her research assistant, and her brightest student. Cheryl was the first to admit that Ceri was more intelligent than she was, and had a better intuitive grasp of the science of magic. It was hardly surprising; Cheryl was also Ceri’s friend and knew a secret about her which few other people did. Ceri was a sorceress; her DNA was a little different from most other people capable of magic. She was more powerful, more magically aware, and more dangerous than any other practitioner on the planet.

  ‘If we’re really going for powering the whole city,’ Cheryl said, ‘then I agree. You have an idea?’

  ‘Stonehenge.’

  Cheryl grinned at her. ‘You’re going to have to give me more… No. You’re thinking of some sort of circular arrangement of generator units within a permanent containment structure. Like at Stonehenge.’

  Ceri gave her boss an eager nod. She knew Cheryl thought of herself as the less bright member of their partnership, but she also knew her boss was brilliant. Cheryl had taught her a lot and had come up with some incredibly clever ideas in her time. Cheryl Tennant was one of the best thaumatologists in the world, and she had got there without any of the advantages Ceri had. She just loved it when they were on the same page and she could tell from the look on the older woman’s face, eager enthusiasm with a hint of caution, that they were.

  ‘You really think you can duplicate the structure?’ Cheryl asked. ‘Preferably without several tons of rock?’

  ‘I think Stonehenge is stone because that’s what they had to work with. We should be able to replicate it with… I don’t know. Maybe silver-iron posts. I need to work it out, but it has to be possible.’ She paused, her mind racing. ‘Maybe some sort of Super-magic field manipulation.’

  ‘All right.’ Cheryl leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms up to put her hands behind her head, leaving her looking up at the ceiling. The action pushed her chest out and Ceri gave herself a mental kick for licking her lips. Cheryl was going to be thirty-five in a couple of weeks and was looking good on it. She had a slim body, ample breasts, and her Scots-Irish ancestry came out in pale, freckled skin, red hair, green eyes, and a nasty temper. Most of her male students were equal parts afraid of her and attracted to her; some of the women too. Something of a control freak in the classroom, Cheryl had a distinctly submissive side which pressed far too many of Ceri’s buttons at times. Kind of weird, considering that Ceri was naturally submissive too. Ceri watched Cheryl’s large breasts pressing the lace of her bra against the thin silky blouse… and realised after a second or two that her boss was now looking at her. She was grinning too.

  ‘Sorry,’ Ceri said, feeling her cheeks heating, ‘did you say something? I was enjoying the view.’

  It was Cheryl’s turn to blush. ‘I didn’t say anything, no. You concentrate on the field equations and how to build that structure, I’ll talk to the Ministry about construction. You know, you’re normally a bit more focussed.’

  ‘I know. I blame the weather. All this sun is over-stimulating my pituitary gland.’

  Cheryl’s mouth twisted from grin to knowing smirk. ‘Are you sure that’s not Lily sunbathing on the roof that’s doing the over-stimulating?’

  ‘I admit she’s something of a distraction. But she’s not sunbathing this morning. She’s gone shopping, and we’re meeting for lunch.’ Ceri smiled. ‘I doubt she’d mind if you joined us.’

  Cheryl’s head tipped to one side; she looked thoughtful. ‘I might just do that.’

  Covent Garden

  Lily was almost lying in a metal-frame chair at one of the outdoor tables outside The Witch’s Kitchen on Neal Street. Her long legs were stretched out, barefoot with her shoes resting under the table. Her miniskirt had ridden up a bit, revealing more of her toned thighs than was entirely decorous, but she was not the kind of girl to give much of anything about decorum, as was further indicated by her bare midriff and the tiny, flimsy, camisole top which was covering her large, gravity-defying breasts. Despite all her sunbathing, her skin was pale, porcelain-smooth, unmarked by any form of blemish. Her hair was a mass of chestnut which almost touched the ground with her head lolled back on her long neck. She had small, delicate features; pixie-like. She looked up as Ceri and Cheryl walked toward her, her dark eyes sparkling and her full lips curling into a bright smile.

  ‘You don’t mind me joining you two?’ Cheryl asked, knowing what the answer was going to be, but she was polite enough to ask.

  ‘Of course not,’ Lily replied. Her eyes scanned from Cheryl’s three-inch pumps to her knee-length pencil skirt, to her sheer blouse; her jacket was draped over her arm since it was far too hot for it. ‘Ceri’s in jeans. You’re better eye candy.’

  Ceri pouted; she had worn the racer-backed, MIT T-shirt Lily had bought her in America especially. ‘Just for that you don’t get a kiss.’ She pulled out a seat across the table and sat down, stretching her own long legs out. She actually had longer legs than Lily, but that was partially by virtue of being several inches taller. Where Lily was toned, she also had a slightly voluptuous quality, but Ceri was all toned muscle, the result of martial arts lessons every Saturday. Her breasts were a little below average, her features a little too masculine to be pretty, but not at all unattractive, her hair was shoulder length and black with a red streak down the front edge on one side. Her eyes were a startling blue, one of the few really notable features about her, but people did notice her, even next to her stunning girlfriend; Ceri gave off an air of confidence these days, and to some an aura of power which compelled you to pay attention.

  That left two chairs at the table and Cheryl started toward one of them only to have Lily shake her head and point at the one a little closer to her. Cheryl let out a soft chuckle and shook her head, but sh
e took the indicated seat, sitting down and crossing her legs. Lily nodded and then looked across at Ceri. ‘See? Eye candy.’

  ‘You’d prefer I take my shirt off?’ Ceri asked. ‘You’re barely wearing one.’

  ‘Well obviously,’ Lily replied, ‘but I don’t think they serve you if you’re not wearing a shirt. How are you, Cheryl? Carter keeping you in dresses?’

  ‘And out of them,’ Cheryl replied, quite smoothly, as she picked up a menu and began scanning over it. Carter Fleming was a millionaire with a reputation as a playboy. He owned several night clubs, including the one where Lily worked and Ceri moonlighted, and he had access to a lot of attractive young women. Despite that he had an almost stable relationship with Cheryl. According to Carter it was nice to wake up beside a woman he could have a conversation with. ‘Are the salads any good here?’

  ‘All organic,’ Lily said. ‘It really is run by witches. They grow all their own fruit and vegetables.’

  ‘Organic with a little help from some magic,’ Ceri said. She looked up as a handsome young man in a spotless white shirt and pressed black slacks appeared beside their table. ‘Glass of wine each?’ There were two nods in response. ‘White, please, and a couple of minutes. We just got here.’

  ‘Sure,’ the man said. ‘Take your time. I’ll bring your wine.’

  ‘He fancies you,’ Lily said once the waiter was back inside the building. Ceri raised an eyebrow. ‘Not everyone wants the walking sex doll look, y’know? And he’s a practitioner.’

  ‘Witch?’ Cheryl suggested.

  ‘Probably. I’m not that precise.’ Lily was a half-succubus, her father was an incubus, and her demonic heritage accounted for her looks and several supernatural senses, including the ability to read people’s desires and to detect magic around her.

  Ceri’s senses were a little more specific and she turned her Sight on the young man as he returned with a tray of drinks. The air around them was full of magic; nothing extreme, just the natural field which was always there and the faint, almost ephemeral, aura which Lily projected to allow her senses to work. This way she could see their waiter’s medians, the two lines of energy which ran up his body at front and back. His Chakral median, running up from the base of his spine to the crown of his head, showed slightly more energy than that of a normal human. It was a pretty good indication that he practised magic. What kind was another matter, but he was likely into witchcraft or wizardry.

  ‘Are you ready to order?’ he asked once the glasses were on the table.

  ‘The Caesar Salad,’ Cheryl said almost immediately.

  ‘I’ll have the same,’ Ceri told him.

  Lily gave a little giggle. ‘Make it three then. Easy to remember…’ She left a space for him to fill in his name and he obliged.

  ‘Ryan. I’ll get those for you. Enjoy your drinks.’

  The wine was not bad; dry, but with a lot of fairly complex flavours to it. Cheryl took a sip and said, ‘English, I think. Carter’s been trying to educate me.’

  ‘I didn’t know there were any English wines,’ Lily said with a grin.

  ‘There are even some Welsh ones. Scotland is a bit too cold. Ever since the Shattering the weather has been fine for growing grapes, but it was done before then too.’

  ‘The Romans grew grapes here,’ Ceri supplied. ‘And rabbits. Probably not in the same places. Oh, do you fancy a trip out to Stonehenge on Monday? If we can borrow a car from Cater.’

  ‘Day trip? Sure. I’m sure he’d be willing. Work, I assume?’

  Ceri nodded. ‘I want to have another look at the stones, but I figure it’ll be a nice trip out too.’

  ‘I’ll give the visitor centre a call this afternoon,’ Cheryl said as Ryan emerged to put down their meals. ‘I should be able to get you permission to enter the circle if you’re just looking.’ Her eyes strayed to the back of Ryan’s slacks as he bent to lay the plates down.

  ‘Enjoy your meals,’ the waiter said, flashing them a smile before heading back inside.

  ‘Talk about eye candy,’ Cheryl said.

  Ceri and Lily burst into a fit of giggles.

  Kennington

  One glass of wine had turned into two glasses, and then three. It was a nice, warm day, almost too hot, and Cheryl had said she could not face sitting in her office for hours. Occasionally even the boss needed to play hooky, and by mid-afternoon Cheryl had made her call and was on the roof of High Towers, stretched out on a lounger with Ceri and Lily on similar, slatted wood beds beside hers. Each had a glass of wine beside them; Cheryl was well on her way to tipsy, which likely explained why Lily had had so little trouble getting her to sunbathe nude.

  For Lily, the sun beating down on her bare skin was one of the reasons she loved the house. The roof was large and flat, with a railing around the edge which had bats worked into the design. Most importantly, with the loungers situated in the middle of the roof there was no way anyone could see them from the ground. Technically, they were overlooked by the tower blocks to the east, but those were far enough away that figures on the three storey building were distant smudges.

  ‘I could get used to this,’ Cheryl said. There was a slight slur in her speech though it was a little hard to tell whether it was from the alcohol or the heat making her sleepy.

  ‘I did,’ Ceri replied. This summer was different for Ceri. She had been joining Lily on the roof more often, and was doing so naked more often, because her skin had changed. The previous year, without sunblock, she would have burned to a crisp very quickly. She had never tanned, just burned, but then something had happened, she had almost died, again, and now her skin did not tan or burn, just like Lily’s. She was still a little unsure of what physical changes like this actually meant, and whether she liked them, but she could get behind not worrying about sunburn.

  ‘Always have, always will,’ Lily murmured. ‘Since I was a kid. Always loved hot sun on my skin. It feels like I’m recharging, even though that’s a load of bull.’

  Ceri giggled. ‘Just makes me horny. It’s got a sensuous quality. The heat on my skin, warm and comfy. Being naked outdoors… You’d think I’d be used to it after all the time I spend with the pack, but it’s different when you’re furry.’

  ‘I know what you mean,’ Cheryl said. ‘It’s cultural. Hard to overcome that idea that it’s a bit naughty.’

  Lily chuckled softly. ‘I’m not going to complain if you two are horny. The only time I’m not feeling that way is when I’ve got something more urgent to think about.’

  ‘You’ve got an excuse, love,’ Ceri told her.

  ‘It’s not really a very good one though. When you had your tattoos I went for five years without much sex. I’m quite capable of doing without.’

  ‘It seems somehow unnatural, though,’ Cheryl commented, ‘for a succubus, or a half-succubus, to do without sex.’

  The lounger Lily was lying on creaked as she shrugged. ‘It was good for me. I didn’t do entirely without. I just cut back a lot, especially compared to the years before that. I enjoyed it more when I did get some.’

  ‘Too much of a good thing,’ Ceri said.

  ‘Familiarity breeds contempt,’ Cheryl supplied. All three of them burst into giggles and Cheryl sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the lounger and picking up her drink. She pouted a little. ‘My wine’s getting warm.’

  Ceri raised her head, shading her eyes to look across at Cheryl. Her will focussed, energy surged through her Chakral median; a tiny exertion of her magical power which left a glittering sparkle hovering around the glass for a minute and then was gone. Ceri lowered her head again.

  Cheryl sipped her now cold wine and smiled. ‘Perfect. Could someone do my back?’

  Lily was up and moving before Ceri could respond, but she had been going to suggest Lily did it anyway. She had always really liked rubbing oil on Ceri’s back and was missing it. Ceri missed it too, and not entirely because it almost always ended up with them having sex. Cheryl let out a soft groan as Lily
set to work smoothing the sun-oil into her shoulders and Ceri could almost feel the half-succubus’ delicate, strong hands working over her muscles. Cheryl would be quietly melting under those hands; Lily was very good at massage.

  ‘You should do this… professionally,’ Cheryl mumbled through her arms.

  ‘Mmhmm,’ Lily replied and there was silence for a few minutes aside from little grunts from the thaumatologist as Lily continued to work the oil into her skin. Then there was the tiny gasp, and then the moaning started.

  Ceri smiled.

  Highbury

  Cheryl lived in a little mews-style house just off Highbury Grange. Somehow Ceri felt it fitted her perfectly, but was not at all what she had expected. The furniture was not new, but it had a nice, comfortable feel to it and it filled up a lot of the lounge making the whole room seem cosy. The front door led straight onto the lounge and there was a kitchen at the back. Upstairs there was a bedroom and quite a large bathroom. That was all there was to it; a simple little house for a fairly complex woman.

  They were there because Ceri and Lily were going to work and Cheryl had decided that she would come along too. After an afternoon of drink, sun, and multiple long, slow, succubus-fuelled orgasms, Cheryl had decided that she might as well write off the rest of the day. She would go to the Jade Dragon, sit at the bar, chat to Carter and Alec, her other boyfriend, and probably end up in bed with one or the other.

  ‘Have you started on your presentation for the conference yet?’ Cheryl’s voice floated down the stairs as Ceri and Lily sat in the lounge waiting for her.

  Ceri grimaced. “The conference” was the First International Thaumatology Conference. Last year it had been just as international, but held at Cambridge and the parochial nature of Cambridge’s Thaumatology department had still hung over it. This year it was happening in London, and jointly run by the LMU and the University College London, the two main universities dealing with magical sciences in the city. Pretty much all the best thaumatologists, cryptozoologists, meta-geneticists, and other esoteric scientists in the world, academic and commercial, would be attending, and Ceri was due to present her work on creating artificial ley lines.