Thaumatology 07 - Eagle's Shadow Page 4

  Cheryl was in her thirties and looking good on it. Rather like Ceri, she was a pale-skinned woman with more than a few freckles, but she had the red hair to go with the complexion. Shoulder length, she usually wore her hair up in a tight bun, especially when working. Slim and long-legged, and possessed of a substantial chest, she was the subject of more than a few student fantasies, but her heart belonged to two men who were a fair bit older than her. Where Ceri had Lily and Michael, a half-succubus and a werewolf, Cheryl had Carter and Alec, a millionaire wizard and a werewolf.

  ‘How was the ball?’ Cheryl asked as Ceri walked into her office. ‘I saw you on TV. Catherine’s going to be really pleased with the coverage of her dresses.’

  Ceri blushed. ‘It was good, and the dress was amazing. I got to meet another of my distant relatives. I danced with a dragon.’ Her grin was infectious.

  ‘I wish I’d been there. However…’ She pointed to the side of the room where a cardboard box was standing against the wall. Maybe six inches in cross-section and six feet long, it had no labels on it. ‘That’s the first of the staves for the ley line trial. The Ministry wants you to go over the inscriptions, check them before they make the other ones.’

  Nodding, Ceri walked over and picked up the box. ‘Oof! Heavy. I’m going to have to carry one of these a few miles on foot.’

  ‘You’ll have Lily to help. You specified the thing. What did you expect when you asked for a carved, granite rod?’

  ‘Yeah, true. What are you up to?’

  ‘Well,’ Cheryl said, ‘we haven’t had external confirmation of the thaumino data yet, but I’m going through the Super-magic field equations based on the mass we got. I want to see how it all works out. It could be our figure won’t work properly, or it predicts something that isn’t right, or even something new…’

  ‘The last paper I read suggested a figure in our range, but it’ll be interesting to see what you come up with.’ The thaumino was a currently theoretical heavy particle suggested by super-symmetry theory. It was the governing force particle for what was known as the Super-magic Field; the field which controlled how strong magic was in any given place. Cheryl had found data suggesting a proof of its existence, but it was yet to be confirmed.

  Cheryl nodded. ‘We won’t know until we plug everything in and see what comes out.’

  Ceri lifted the heavy box onto her shoulder and walked out, across the lab floor, and into her own office at the back. It was actually bigger than Cheryl’s, having been intended for two people. It was always possible that they would eventually get another research assistant in, so Ceri was still there. Besides, Cheryl had her office just the way she liked it and did not want more space.

  Leaning the box against her desk, Ceri slit the tape holding it together with a scissor blade and lifted the top off. The packing fell from the top and Ceri was left looking at one surface of the hexagonally shaped rod. She pulled out the remainder of the paper packing and then lifted out the carved stone. It was almost six feet in height, hexagonal at the top, but about two-thirds of the way down that narrowed into a spike with a circular cross-section to allow it to be driven into the ground. Down the six faces of the upper section were a series of runes carefully cut into the stone. These were the carvings she needed to check.

  But for a few seconds she just stood and held the dark grey rock staff in front of her, turning it slowly and looking at the intricate crystal structure. It was really quite beautiful. Flecks of white and pink where mixed into the near-black and the abrasion marks of the runes turned the black into true grey.

  Ceri drew in a breath and started work. Each rune needed to be perfect before she could pass the stave and let the Ministry for Supernatural Affairs go ahead with production of the remaining three. Laying the staff down, she got her tablet from its bag, found the original specifications, and started work.

  Battersea

  There was no sign of Michael near the tree where Ceri hid her clothes. That meant, she thought as she started to strip, that there was a far better than average chance that he was waiting to pounce her. Technically she was still in training and this gave him the opportunity to ambush her in an effort to improve her responses to attack. Of course there was the fact that her “punishment” for getting it wrong generally involved her mate asserting his masculine rights. It was not exactly an incentive for her to improve her close combat skills.

  Grinning, she stuffed her clothes into her satchel and pushed it into the hole in the tree roots before reaching up to her throat where the silver-studded Collar of Luperca was fixed. A small exertion of her power, a tingling shiver in her skin, and suddenly the world was different. Her nose filled with scent as she breathed in; far away to the north was the river and the scents of water and oil, closer where the more complex aromas of trees and grass and wolves. Someone was walking a couple of Dobermans up near the bandstand. Her vision was both far more clear and less acute. It was a dark night, but she could now see far more. However a werewolf’s eyes lacked some of the receptors a human had so the colours were different, more muted. None of her senses were telling her where Michael was, so she started through the trees to the paths on the other side.

  She both heard and felt something coming up behind her, but did not have time to respond before an arm came over her shoulder, wrapping around her throat. The arm had grey fur on it, but she could not be sure it was Michael, and anyway giving up easily was simply not an option. Before the arm could fully lock, she kicked out with her leg, pushing off the tree beside her. The surprise move unbalanced her attacker and sent them both tumbling back into the little clearing. He came out on top, but her knees were braced under her and she grabbed the offending arm before he could reapply his hold. Yanking hard on the arm and pushing up with one hip, she tipped the body off her onto the grass, hearing a gratifying grunt as he hit the ground.

  Moving quickly, Ceri planted her elbow over the wolf’s windpipe… and let out a surprised gasp. It was not Michael. She was about to say something when another body hit her from the side, carrying her off her current victim and rolling her across the grass and into the bole of a tree. She grunted as her ribs were squashed against the bark, not quite hard enough to wind her. Arms slid under hers and then locked behind her neck, and she was yanked to her feet and spun around as her new attacker braced himself against the tree. This was actually starting to get serious.

  The first wolf jumped to his feet and started toward her, licking his lips. She waited until he was closer before acting; the wolf at her back had far too firm a grip and made a great platform. Lifting her legs she planted both feet in the first wolf's chest and pushed. His eyes widened as he flew across the clearing, vanishing into the bushes on the other side. Swinging back down, she used her shifting weight to get some extra play and slammed the back of her head up into the second wolf’s muzzle. He let out a yelp which meant something extremely rude in werewolf, and her arms were loose. Ceri turned, her right arm swinging down, and then up, and then the wolf’s eyes bulged out on stalks as she got a really firm grip on his balls…

  The sound of someone laughing made her turn her head and look around. The wolf she had kicked into the bushes was staggering back out, pulling twigs out of his fur, but the laughter was coming from the naked, human, shape of her mate, Michael, leaning on a tree trunk. She eyed him balefully and ignored the mewling noises coming from the wolf she was still torturing.

  ‘You win, love,’ Michael said. ‘Sorry guys, if I let this keep going, Ingram’s going to be singing falsetto.’

  Ingram, who was presumably Ceri’s current plaything, nodded hurriedly in agreement, adding a pitiful mewl in supplication. Ceri growled at him and squeezed a little bit harder before letting him go. He sagged in relief and limped over to his friend before they both headed off through the bushes. Two at once? Ceri’s growl held a hint of annoyance.

  ‘I told them they could both have you if they could catch you,’ Michael said. The way her eyes narrowed did not redu
ce his humour at all. ‘What? I knew you could beat them.’ She moved. In human form he was really no match for her in wolf shape and he let out a gasp as her hand wrapped around his testicles. The grip was just firm enough to not be painful, but if he changed shape it was going to become distinctly uncomfortable. ‘Uh, Ceri… what are you doing?’

  Ceri let out a snickering noise and ran her long tongue over his throat. She was going to have some fun, that was what she was doing. Her tongue snaked out again, across his chest this time, and she got the response she was expecting as his balls tightened in her hand. The amazingly nervous look on his face as she got down onto her knees was exactly what she was hoping for.

  Kennington, January 26th

  ‘Seriously?’ Lily said, trying to stop herself giggling. ‘You really gave him head in wolf form?’

  Ceri bit her lips to silence her own giggles. ‘Well… well it was more like “giving tongue” really.’

  Lily wriggled against her, pulling her closer and giggling again. ‘That’s so hot. I’m surprised he could keep it up though.’

  ‘He was kind of nervous at first, but he got into it.’ Boy had he got into it. ‘He’s pretty sure bitches don’t usually do that, if ever.’

  ‘I swear you’re going to breed a whole new generation of kinky werewolves. Considering they think missionary is weird, they’re pretty vanilla. I mean I’ve had some funny looks just for suggesting I sit on top.’

  Ceri giggled. ‘Anita was really amazed when Ray went down on her, but she loves it.’

  Lily gave an exasperated groan. ‘I was going to just go to sleep tonight and now you’ve got me all wound up.’

  Ceri’s giggle became throaty. ‘You just lie back then. I’ll make you sleepy again.’

  It was an offer that Lily was simply unwilling to decline.

  ~~~

  She stood looking down upon the land below. Rolling hills dotted with towns and villages. In the blue, blue sky above, huge birds circled, dived, and wheeled about, dancing in the sun. She felt good, very good. The air smelled sweet, she had power, untold power, and her pet was at her feet. She yanked on the chain in her hand and heard the gasp…

  Ceri opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. She must have moved because Lily made grumbling noises in her sleep and resettled herself against her.

  The dream was sliding away. Ceri could remember almost none of it now. There had been blue sky and birds. She had been high up. The dream had left her feeling uneasy somehow, but she could not understand why.

  Slipping out of Lily’s arms, Ceri headed for the bathroom and started the shower. The water streaming over her face felt good and began to wash away the lingering feeling of dread. She heard the door open and close, then the cubicle door open, and she glanced at it with one eye. Lily was there, stepping into the shower, all perfect body and willing smile… except it was not Lily.

  ‘You can come in if you want, Faran, but all you’re getting is to scrub my back.’

  The figure in the doorway actually sagged a bit as it shifted. Suddenly “Lily” had grown several inches, lost almost a foot of hair, added some muscle, and changed sex. ‘You’re usually more playful about it,’ Faran said, sounding a little disappointed.

  ‘Weird dream. If you’d let me finish the shower, I might’ve been more receptive.’

  He frowned; concern? ‘Pass me the shower gel,’ he said. Feeling a little odd, she did and he popped it open, poured a little of the orange fluid, and began to wash her back. There was not even a hint of sensuality about it. ‘Dreaming about that… Witch Hunter character?’

  Ceri braced her arms against the wall, and allowed him to continue. ‘I don’t think so. It faded quickly. I don’t remember pain or fear, but it left me feeling… weird.’ He was crouched down, washing her legs now. ‘Another thing that feels weird is you doing that without an ulterior motive.’

  ‘If it makes you feel better, I could be doing this to lull you into a false sense of security.’

  ‘Thanks, now I can add paranoia to my list.’

  Faran laughed and lifted to his feet, handing her the gel bottle. ‘I’ll go and wake my daughter before you start on your front and I become tempted.’

  Ceri watched him dry himself off and then leave the room before she continued washing. Faran was a more complex person than he liked to let on. He was a demon, and they were selfish, power-obsessed, untrustworthy; yet he loved his daughter and showed concern for Ceri’s wellbeing. A contradiction, even for an incubus. Shrugging, she squeezed out a handful of gel and finished what he had started.

  Holloway

  There was no sign of Cheryl in the lab, so Ceri went straight to her office to finish off going over the runes on the stave. Lifting it out of its box, she laid it on the floor, retrieved her tablet, and began going over the final line of runes. Concentrating fairly hard, she did not hear people entering the lab and remained unaware of them until she heard slightly nervous laughter and Cheryl’s voice.

  ‘And this is my research associate, Ceridwyn Brent, though not, perhaps from the best angle.’

  Straightening up and looking over her shoulder, Ceri saw Cheryl along with a man she did not recognise. The Dean was behind them… And Ceri had been displaying her backside to them as they walked in. At least she was in jeans and a T-shirt. ‘Uh, sorry,’ she said, ‘I get deaf when I’m concentrating.’

  ‘It’s quite all right, Doctor Brent,’ the unknown man said. ‘My visit was unannounced. I’m Barclay Macbay, the President’s scientific advisor.’ He was tall, well-built, handsome in the same way Carter was; aging well, exercised regularly, a little grey in his black hair to add a touch of distinction. Ceri was not so keen on the accent which sounded like something from a gangster movie.

  Stepping forward, Ceri took his offered hand and shook it. ‘Pleased to meet you, sir. I met President Wilson and his wife on Tuesday. I liked them.’ Behind the Dean she could see the university’s Physics head and two men in dark suits who she suspected were Macbay’s escort.

  ‘They are very personable people,’ Macbay said.

  Ceri frowned slightly. ‘Macbay? Didn’t you write one of the early papers on Infinite Field Theory?’

  The American raised an eyebrow. ‘You’ve read that? That was a long time ago. My doctoral thesis. The basics were published in the Journal of Thaumatology. I broadened my horizons, however.’

  ‘It was an insightful paper back when IFT was really thought of as a joke.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Doctor Macbay is on a visit to see what we’re doing down here,’ Cheryl said. ‘Us and Physics anyway. Can you give him a rundown on that?’ She nodded to the staff on the floor. ‘It’s cleared with the Ministry.’

  Ceri nodded and stepped back to allow them into the room where they formed a circle around the granite rod. ‘Okay,’ Ceri said. ‘This is going to be one of four staves which we plan to use to create a sub-dimensional tunnel between Hamburg and Groningen in the Dutch Territories.’

  ‘An artificial ley line,’ Macbay said, his voice suggesting a hint of awe. ‘How did you come up with that?’

  ‘A lot of hard work and some insight,’ Ceri said.

  ‘My research assistant is smarter than I am,’ Cheryl said, smiling proudly.

  ‘Well,’ Ceri said, ‘sitting waiting for the line when it arrives in Holland will be an extremely efficient energy converter designed by my boss. Assuming it all works, we should be pumping out megawatts. Maybe enough to run the city over there.’

  ‘And then we scale up from there,’ Cheryl said.

  Macbay looked up at the Dean. ‘You have a really excellent thaumatology team here.’

  ‘We’re very proud of them,’ the Dean replied.

  ‘Except when we threaten to blow up half the city,’ Cheryl said.

  The Dean rumbled with what was probably laughter. ‘Except, perhaps, then. Though that did produce the final data you needed for that Null Thaumiton paper.’

  ‘This power g
eneration system could work with any large thaumic energy source?’ Macbay asked.

  ‘That’s the theory,’ Cheryl said, ‘assuming it works.’

  Macbay looked thoughtful for a second. ‘The President is holding a… function before he leaves next week. Monday night. Would you two be willing to come and explain some of this to President Wilson? By all means bring a couple of guests along.’

  The Dean was nodding. Ceri smiled. ‘I’m happy to if Cheryl is. My partner would probably hurt me if I said no, for one thing.’

  ‘Do you think Carter can be trusted with the President of America?’ Cheryl asked Ceri.

  ‘Oh yes,’ Ceri replied. She was not so sure about the First Lady, but even Carter had his limits.

  ‘In that case, certainly,’ Cheryl said.

  ‘I’ll see to getting invitations to you,’ Macbay said.

  ‘Looks like we’ll be getting some more use out of those dresses,’ Ceri said, grinning.

  Soho, January 27th

  Four nights after the New Moon the werewolves were still a little too down to be out partying so the clientele of the Jade Dragon was primarily human and undead. Ceri did have a threesome of stunningly attractive women on one of her tables who were probably Fae. Power floated around them like a warm, comfortable blanket. She was pretty sure they were Seelie Court; supposedly the good guys. In practice the larger Fae tended to be arrogant, unsympathetic, selfish, and possessed of an unpleasantly large superiority complex. At least they were easier on the eye than the vampires.

  Cheryl was perched on a stool at the bar, dressed in a deep red mini-dress with a low neckline. She was smiling a lot. Then again she was getting a lot of attention from the suave, successful, rich Carter Fleming on one side of the bar, the good looking, rugged Alec behind the bar, and most of the random men who happened to be walking past. It was the kind of thing to make a woman in her early middle age smile.