Thaumatology 06 - Hammer of Witches Read online

  Lily grabbed Ceri’s hand. ‘Never mind that. C’mon. I’ve got a strap-on with your name on it.

  Ceri whimpered as she was dragged off toward the dungeon door.

  ~~~

  ‘Do you think John will actually go for it?’ Lily asked. They were laid out on the couch in front of the TV. Ceri had intended to do some work, but she had ended up lying in Lily’s arms instead.

  ‘Go for what, exactly?’ Ceri asked in return.

  ‘Well, let Kate help him feed Lorna.’

  ‘Yes. He’s not stupid. We just forced him to confront the situation he’s been avoiding for two years.’

  Lily shifted slightly, settling Ceri against her stomach more comfortably. ‘What about three-in-a-bed, kinky, vampire and witch sex romps?’

  Ceri giggled. ‘That one’s a tough call. I give him… two weeks before he decides “what the Hell.”’

  ‘Two weeks, huh? How much are you willing to bet?’

  Ceri’s eyes narrowed. ‘What’s your estimate?’

  ‘I’d say… three.’

  If she was saying he would last longer, then she was not basing it on knowing he would fold quickly. ‘Okay,’ she said, ‘twenty quid?’

  ‘I was thinking of more… interesting stakes.’

  ‘Oh, you would be. Like what?’

  ‘If you win I’ll… let you lead me into the Dubh Linn in a collar and chain as your mufty.’

  ‘Okay… A night at the Fun Factory. And you can lead me around on a chain. And I’ll have a glass of fae wine before we start.’

  ‘It’s a bet,’ Lily said. There was just a hint of something in her voice which suggested Ceri had just let herself get royally suckered.

  Battersea, October 26th

  There was no moon, but the sky was shot with green waves; the Aurora flaring brightly as the Earth’s magical field interacted with its magnetic field. Ceri watched it through muted colours, fascinated by the play of light.

  Michael was less interested. Despite the fact that the moon had set before the sun, the werewolves could feel the new moon and it made them lazy, sullen, a little depressed. Ceri, being only physically a werewolf tonight, was not affected. On the other hand, her mate’s mood affected her and even if the light show was impressive, Michael needed cheering up.

  Patrol! Her bark jerked his head up and he took her hand so she could yank him to his feet. It never failed to amaze her how strong she was in this form. He followed her off on a run along the territorial boundary, but he did not look particularly excited about it. By the weekend, with the moon waxing, he would be his usual self. For now the best she was going to get was “less grumpy.”

  By the time they were running into Clapham Common the endorphins in his system were actually having an effect and he seemed bouncier. She was a little surprised, then, when he came to a sudden stop and lifted his muzzle, sniffing.

  Raising her own head she wondered whether she would ever be as good a wolf as Michael was. Unlikely, considering that he did it full time and she got two nights a week to practice. She caught a scent she recognised, two in fact. Jenny and Lee were here. Well, Jenny did live in Clapham and this was still pack territory so them meeting here seemed safe.

  Come, Michael growled. He moved off in a direction which was not where the scent was coming from. Was he planning to sneak up on them or…?

  There was another scent. Human, but not one she really recognised. It did have a hint of familiarity about it, but nothing strong enough for her to identify. Then her eyes picked out the shape in the bushes; there was a man crouched there, a camera with a long lens pressed against his eye.

  ‘The lights are really bright tonight.’ It was Jenny’s voice. Whoever the creep was, he was watching Jenny and Lee.

  ‘Yeah. Alexandra says Samhain will be really wild this year. It’s probably something to do with that.’ Ceri did not recognise the voice, but she had never actually met Lee out of fur.

  The two wolves moved closer, the man oblivious to them. Jenny’s voice came again. ‘Good thing we’ll be at Ceri’s place then.’

  ‘Her place is really that well warded?’ Lee asked.

  ‘Her parents were the best enchanters in the country.’ Possibly an exaggeration, but Ceri was happy to hear Jenny thought it.

  The man suddenly jerked his head around. Ceri caught a glimpse of his face; a flat sort of nose, broad cheekbones, a flash of close-cropped, dark hair. Then he was off, running out of the clump of bushes and away. Michael glanced at Ceri, his brow furrowed. He was probably thinking the same as her; odd behaviour for a reporter.

  Looping around the bushes, they trotted across the grass to Jenny and Lee. The young werewolf looked up and smiled. ‘Michael, Ceri, hi. You on patrol?’

  Michael dipped his head yes and then placed a clawed hand on Lee’s shoulder. Take care, he growled, keep nose high.

  Lee looked a little confused, but nodded. Michael nodded back and then set off across the park, Ceri close on his tail.

  She heard Jenny’s voice receding into the distance. ‘I wonder why he said that…’

  Ceri decided that she needed to talk to the staff at The Wednesday Witch. There was something a bit strange about this reporter who was supposedly working for them.

  Poplar, October 27th

  The offices of The Wednesday Witch were a little underwhelming. Ceri had been expecting a huge room packed with reporters busily talking into telephones, teenagers rushing around with copy, that kind of thing. Instead there were a half-dozen offices in a managed office building, though they did have a nice view over West India Quay. No one even yelled “hold the front page” or “copy!”

  Alison Wentworth had been Editor in Chief at the magazine for almost a decade. Around fifty, she was something of a stress bunny and her brow showed more than a few worry lines. Apparently she had been taking dressing lessons from Bets Meech, though the corset part had been left out and Alison needed it rather more than Ceri suspected Bets did. She did, however, agree to see Ceri and Lily without an appointment and, actually, with rather too much enthusiasm.

  ‘Somehow,’ Ceri said as they sat down on the little couch in Alison’s office, ‘I expected more people here.’

  Alison sat across a low coffee table from them. Ceri got the impression they did interviews here. ‘Well, this is primarily the editorial staff. There are a couple of desks the reporters can use on a hot-desking system. Most of our people operate from home, or on a freelance basis. The Witch is a bit of a cottage industry really. Always has been.’

  ‘So, you do employ freelance reporters? Ceri asked.

  ‘Oh yes, but on a contract basis.’ Alison’s nose wrinkled a little. ‘We get offers of photographs and articles all the time, but I have a strict policy. If I haven’t commissioned an article then it’s not going in the magazine. People do come along with ideas, pitch them, and I may take them up on the idea, but I don’t even read it if I haven’t asked for it.’

  ‘Have you commissioned a piece on human-werewolf relationships?’

  There was a shake of the head; blonde hair wound into a bun took a second longer to stop then her head did. ‘Why would I? It’s not our kind of article. If we learn someone’s going out with a werewolf and either is famous, that goes in the gossip column, but we don’t do major articles on that kind of thing.’

  ‘Well,’ Lily said, ‘someone’s been snooping around the packs and claiming to be doing an article for the Witch.’

  ‘Not on my say so!’ Alison almost shrieked.

  ‘Dark hair,’ Ceri said, ‘wide cheekbones, a flat sort of nose. I’ve only caught a glimpse of him. He’s… very furtive.’

  ‘Not a description I recognise,’ Alison said. ‘Not one of our regulars anyway. He could have used our name rather than give away the real publisher. I’ll make some enquiries.’

  ‘I’d be grateful,’ Ceri said. ‘I’m a little worried this guy has some other motive.’

  Alison developed an almost predatory grin. ‘Grateful
enough to do an interview for the magazine?’

  Ceri grimaced. ‘What do you want an interview with us for? I’m a research scientist, Lily’s a waitress. Neither of us are actually witches.’

  ‘You’re a rather unconventional love story,’ Alison replied. ‘We could do with something up-beat, frankly. The next issue is going to have an article on these recent deaths. I’m not hearing any suggestions that the Greycoats are close to finding a suspect, so I suspect that’s going to run on. “Local girl discovers her power and then has her gorgeous housemate fall in love with her?” It’ll cheer people up.’

  Lily giggled. Ceri said, ‘If you can confirm this guy isn’t a reporter, or that he is, we’ll do it.’

  ‘Fantastic!’ Alison enthused. ‘The photo shoot will be fantastic too.’

  Ceri’s eyes raised skyward; what had she just agreed to?

  Kennington, October 29th

  Ceri lifted her head and listened. Something had disturbed her, but it took a second to realise what it was. In fact it was the sound of a motorcycle engine cutting out that clued her in, and she jumped to her feet, heading for the front door.

  Kort and Tabby looked just the same as ever. He was a wiry sort of man, thin in face and body. He always managed to look a little scruffy, his short hair tousled and his chin showing half a day of beard. She was short, slightly stocky, with mildly boyish features and a mop of mid-brown hair. They were both in leathers, the quintessential biker and his girlfriend.

  Kort gave a broad grin, his fangs showing, and hurried down the path so that he could be the first to sweep Ceri into a big hug. She was almost positive that the thin shirt she was wearing had nothing to do with his enthusiasm. Hugging back, Ceri allowed herself to be carried back into the hall. Tabby, by now wearing a grin of her own, followed behind to shut the doors.

  ‘Put her down, you lummox,’ Tabby said. ‘I want a turn.’

  Ceri took the short break between hugs as an opportunity to get some words in. ‘You’re both looking good. Everyone in the pack well?’ Then she was being crushed against Tabby’s chest.

  ‘Yeah,’ Kort said. ‘Doing great. A few more of them now too. We have two more couples and four unmated males.’

  ‘Good,’ Ceri said, when she was allowed air. ‘We could do with a few extra men at the party. It’s always girl-heavy. I’m assuming you’re not here to say they can’t make it?’

  ‘Course not,’ Tabby said, grinning. ‘They’ll be here on Monday. I need to go to Baltzman’s, so we came down early. We can stay here, right?’

  ‘No one’s using the spare room at the moment,’ Ceri replied. ‘Lily and I will be working tonight so you’ll have to amuse Twill. Tomorrow… Oh, do you want to come over to Battersea? We’re having a pre-birthday party with the pack there. I’m sure Alexandra will welcome you.’

  ‘We should give Dane a call,’ Kort said. ‘For form’s sake really. He won’t say no.’ He looked around. ‘I was expecting to have been crushed to death by a naked succubus by now.’

  Ceri giggled. ‘Lil’s busy,’ she said. ‘Learning to be a better succubus in the dungeon with her dad.’

  Kort’s eyes actually bulged. ‘She can get better?!’

  Soho

  The last open night before Samhain, the Jade Dragon always did something special. Since the standard uniform for the waitresses was a micro-dress barely large enough to carry the name, “something special” had to be quite something and Carter had developed a taste for coating his girls in paint.

  Examining herself in the locker room mirror, Ceri had to admit that Audrey was quite the artist. Carter had just let her loose on his waitresses this time and, with relatively limited time to work, she had done them proud. Seeing the tattoo on Ceri’s back, Audrey had wound Chinese-style dragons up Ceri’s legs, over her back, and over her shoulders. Two dragon heads looked at each other over her breasts. Then a scale pattern had been painted over her hips and the little white string she was wearing, and thinner dragons had been twisted down her arms, their heads on the backs of her hands.

  ‘You look amazing,’ Lily whispered in her ear.

  Ceri turned, grinning, and her jaw dropped. Audrey had gone with a demon motif for Lily. The previous years she had painted Lily red and they had added a tail and horns; a half-succubus playing a cartoon, fantasy succubus. This time Carter and Audrey had gone a little overboard. Lily’s skin was coating in a shimmering purple paint from her gorgeous breasts down. The upper edge was feathery fronds which seemed to have tiny, naked figures dancing through them. There were horns, and a tail secured onto a belt around her hips, but it was the feet which really made Ceri stare. Somewhere, someone had found a pair of purple, latex boots which formed Lil’s lower legs and feet into hooves. She was stood there, balanced on her toes, showing not the slightest sign of stress. She looked like someone’s wet dream version of a Devos demon.

  ‘Uh… you can walk in those?’ Ceri asked.

  Lily pirouetted on the spot. The paint on her back dipped to a point at the base of her tail. ‘Of course. The shoes are really supportive. It’s just a matter of balance. You could do it too.’

  ‘I don’t think…’

  Lily raised an eyebrow. ‘You could do it too,’ she said.

  Ceri looked down, considering. Maybe she could. ‘I’m not sure I’d want to, certainly not for long.’

  Lily’s lips twitched. ‘I could make it worth your while.’

  Ceri laughed. ‘I bet you could. Go on, club’s opening in ten.’

  Giggling, Lily tip-toed out of the room to play at being a demon for the night.

  October 30th

  Three werewolves walked into the club around two in the morning. Michael was dressed in his leather jeans and mesh T-shirt; he had relatively few clothes, though the collection was growing, so his choice for clubbing was limited. He knew this outfit was a hit with his girls, however. Ceri had never seen Kort in anything other than scruffy leathers, so the tighter, cleaner ones he was wearing came as a surprise. So did the pressed, white shirt. He had even combed his hair. The fact that Tabby even owned a dress was a shock, but she looked great in an LBD.

  ‘I stopped by your place to get changed,’ Michael said, ‘and I found these two reprobates bothering Twill.’

  Ceri giggled. Kort was already leaning over the bar to clasp hands with Alec. ‘Oh,’ Ceri said, ‘you remind me. Can you check with Alexandra tomorrow that it’ll be okay for Kort and Tabby to come to the party tomorrow? Just let me know if there’s a problem.’

  ‘Sure,’ he replied, ‘but there won’t be. You look… I mean… Wow!’

  Ceri did a little turn for him, smiling. ‘Wait until you see Lil.’

  As if on cue, Lily strutted through the tables toward them and Michael’s jaw dropped, much as Ceri’s had done. The half-succubus walked up to him, smiled, and kissed him on the cheek. ‘That is exactly the kind of reaction a girl expects from her mistress’ mate,’ she said.

  ‘I just can’t figure it,’ Kort said from behind Michael.

  ‘What?’ Ceri asked him.

  ‘Well, this young pup had to have done something so fantastically good in a past life to get you two that he should’ve gone straight to Nirvana. So what’s he still doing here?’

  Michael smirked at him. ‘You mean this isn’t Nirvana?’

  ‘No, dear chap,’ Carter said from his place beside the bar, ‘it’s not. However, on nights like this I do believe it could be a small slice of Heaven.’ He grinned. ‘Tabitha! You’re looking gorgeous tonight. Could I woo you away from your boyfriend, do you think?’

  Tabby grinned wide enough to show fangs. ‘Handsome, rich, and charming,’ she said. ‘I might be persuaded.’

  Lily giggled. ‘Oh, you’re in trouble now, Kort.’

  The werewolf gave a shrug. ‘I’m sure I can find someone to console myself with.’

  ‘Hi,’ Cheryl said from behind him, ‘have I missed much of the party?’ She frowned as Ceri and Lily burst into giggles. ‘What?
’

  Kort turned around and grinned at her. ‘Hello, fair maiden,’ he said. ‘Your boyfriend seems to have stolen my mate.’

  Cheryl blushed a little at the “fair maiden” line. ‘Really? Well, turnabout’s fair play.’

  ~~~

  The night lit up like a summer lightning storm as the four waitresses stepped out onto the carpet outside the club. Ceri, Lily, Sasha, and Tess walked out through the main door and spread out in a shallow arc under the entrance portico to pose for the cameras. They had never done this before; generally the girls stayed well inside on special event nights, but it had actually been Sasha who suggested they should show off Audrey’s work and Carter had been perfectly happy to get the extra publicity.

  Some discussion and a little choreography had been required. If they were going to do it, they were going to do it properly. Each girl got her moment in the spotlight, stood before her three compatriots, and there were group shots before and after. The press seemed most appreciative of all of them from Sasha’s gold and black abstract artwork, through Tess’ mass of ghostly white plant stems which crawled up her limbs against a dark basecoat, to Ceri and Lily’s designs.

  With the show concluded, Carter, Alec, Michael, and Kort came out to drape the girls’ coats over their shoulders, but the cameras kept flashing as Cheryl and the rather bemused Tabby came out to join their partners. Carter and Kort exchanged a glance before steering the two women out for a quick press call.

  ‘But I’m not anybody,’ Tabby whined as the little group started walking down Dean Street to the tube.

  ‘I beg to differ,’ Kort replied, tightening his grip on her waist.

  ‘You’re a really good artist,’ Ceri said, ‘and a generally awesome person.’

  ‘And you look hot in that dress,’ Lily added.

  ‘Cheryl was much sexier,’ Tabby countered. ‘That dress was…’

  ‘Almost non-existent,’ Kort supplied. ‘She wasn’t wearing anything under it either.’

  ‘Knickers would’ve shown through,’ Ceri said. ‘Carter buys them for her. I think he enjoys her squirming when he points out that everyone knows she’s going commando.’