Tales from High Towers' Study Read online

  Tales from High Towers’ Study

  An anthology of short stories from the Thaumatology Universe

  By Niall Teasdale

  Copyright 2012 Niall Teasdale

  Cover artwork suggested by Tera S

  Amazon Kindle Edition

  Contents

  Foreword

  Bedtime Story

  Birthdays

  Black Lily

  Redemption

  Nightshade

  Foreword

  Manchester, England, January 2012

  Hello and welcome to the Thaumatology Universe. Some of you reading this will have read one or more of the three published novels, perhaps you’re waiting impatiently for the fourth to be released (well, I can but hope). Some of you will have picked up this anthology because it cost you nothing and you figured it might be worth a try. So, I have a couple of groups to address in this introduction.

  To you wonderful people who know all about Ceri and Lily, and the other people in these stories I’d like to say, “thank you.” I keep writing partially because I don’t seem to be able to stop, but mostly because people buy them, which presumably means they enjoy them. Knowing someone else enjoys my writing is the biggest spur I can think of to keep doing it.

  For those who are coming to this without prior experience, I think some introductions are in order. The Thaumatology stories are set in a world a little different from ours. The most obvious thing is that magic is real, and creatures we consider mythological walk the streets. It was not always so. At the end of World War II a series of disastrous events triggered “The Shattering,” a cataclysmic release of magical energy into a non-magical world. Societies across the world were broken and are still recovering in the Twenty-First Century. The most advanced societies left are those which were isolated from the magical rifts by sea water and distance: Great Britain, Australia, and the Chinese “Dragon Empire.” The United States is catching up, Europe is starting to struggle back from being thrust back into the Middle Ages. The Thaumatology stories so far take place in Great Britain, largely in London.

  The heroine of the novels is Ceri, Ceridwyn Brent. By the time of Thaumatology 101 she is about to become a research assistant in thaumatology at the London Metropolitan University, but in these stories we meet her at a much younger age. She was born in the evening on October 31st, 1986 and Birthdays follows her through a few of her birthdays (strangely enough) prior to meeting Lily. Her parents were two very skilled enchanters, and when she was just a baby they gave her a very powerful enchantment, taking the form of tattoos on her forearms, which protected her through her early life. Her parents die in a car accident in March 2004 turning her into a near recluse with a tendency to suffer panic attacks when travelling, especially in cars.

  Ceri’s best friend and housemate is Lily Carpenter, a stunningly beautiful half-succubus. She has not always had an easy life and you’ll get some idea of that in Bedtime Story, Black Lily, and Redemption. The last of those features Carter Fleming, Lily’s boss by the time of the novels. A playboy millionaire, he runs several clubs throughout Britain and other parts of the world. He lives a life of glamour and leisure, but his past has some very dark parts to it. Long ago, he was in love with Ceri’s mother and the best friend of Ceri’s father; he took their deaths pretty badly.

  The last of the stories in this book, Nightshade, has none of the major characters in it. Instead it spotlights the work and life of three “minor” characters: John and Lorna Radcliffe, and Kate Middleshaw. John and Kate are partners in the Greycoats, the branch of the Metropolitan Police Force charged with dealing with supernatural crime, much as Scotland Yard is the branch handling criminal investigation. John’s wife Lorna is a vampire, not by choice, and her turning is the reason he moved down from the North East of England to join the Greycoats. Because the novels focus on Ceri and Lily, we do not normally get to see much of these characters at home. I hope you enjoy this little insight into their private lives.

  Well, that’s it from me. On with the stories. Enjoy!

  Bedtime Story

  Bristol, July 15th, 1993

  She was really a bit too big to be carried to bed, but Faran did it anyway. He had missed out on eight years of her life and he was keen to catch up. Besides, she weighed nothing and he was reasonably strong. Her mother, and a couple of doctors, had worried over her weight, but Faran had taken one look at her and said that she was a little plump for a typical half-succubus child.

  She did have slim arms. They were wrapped tightly around his neck now, her face pressed against his shoulder. Her hair was a vibrant chestnut, cut short to keep it out of her face. It was more or less the same colour as his was right now, the colour his mother had chosen for him when they had first met. Metaphysical genetics were an odd thing.

  ‘It’s time for bed, little Lilith,’ he said as he lowered her onto the mattress.

  She pulled the covers up over her legs and looked up at him with her big, black eyes. Her chubby cheeks were split by a wide smile. ‘Story first!’ she exclaimed.

  He sagged visibly; it was part of the ritual. ‘It’s late and you have school tomorrow.’

  She pouted. He had a deep suspicion that she was going to be able to melt strong men with that pout when she grew up. ‘Pleeeease,’ she whined.

  He settled onto the corner of the bed and, giggling, she snuggled down, pulling the blankets up around her chin. ‘What will it be tonight then? The Three Little Devim?’

  ‘You told me that last night.’

  ‘The Cherich who Ate the Moons?’

  ‘The night before.’

  ‘All right,’ he said, ‘I’ve got one I haven’t told you.’ Her giggle made his heart jump. ‘Back when Gorefguhadget was Lord of All Demons,’ he began. Sally had told him that human fairy tales started with “Once upon a time,” but he preferred the proper start to these things. From the way Lilith was grinning, so did she. ‘Way back then, on the shores of the Silver Lake, in the village of Shoshteffrif there lived a young succubus named Tef.’ He looked at Lilith and said, ‘That means “red” in Devotik.’

  Lilith looked thoughtful for a second as if memorising the word. Faran smiled. ‘Now Tef was a very good little succubus and had learned all her lessons well. Her mother had told her that she should never go into the nearby Darkest Forest on her own. There were things in the forest which would prey on a little succubus.’ He reached out and tickled Lilith’s stomach through the blankets and she giggled happily. ‘And one of the biggest, baddest things in the Darkest Forest was the Great Black Horg.’ Lilith gave a little, open-mouthed gasp and her father grinned at her.

  ‘Now the Great Black Horg was big, and black, and it had huge teeth for biting, and a long tongue for tasting, and huge eyes for seeing in the Darkest Forest, and a great big nose for smelling out little succubi. Because the Great Black Horg just loved to find little succubi out on their own. And when he found a little succubi out on her own, he would pounce on them, and then he would eat them, and eat them, and eat them all up.’

  ‘There aren’t any Horgs on Earth are there Daddy?’ Lilith asked. She was trying to be brave and not quite managing it.

  ‘No, there are no Horgs on Earth, little Lilith. They can’t cross over. Shall I go on, or are you getting too scared? Your mother will berate my mercilessly if you’re awake all night with nightmares.’

  ‘No, please, I want to hear what happens.’

  ‘Well then, Tef’s grandmother lived in a little cottage in the Darkest Forest, all on her own. She was a venerable old succubus and afraid of nothing, but she became ill and Tef decided that she should take some medicine to her aging relative. It meant going into the Darkest Forest, but Tef put o
n her blackest cloak and her mother told her that she would be safe, just so long as she stayed on the path to her grandmother’s cottage.’

  Lilith’s eyes were wide and attentive now. Faran was fairly sure that he knew that she knew that Tef would not stick to the path, but knowing and hearing were always two different things. ‘Now, Tef was a good little succubus and learned her lessons well, and she went into the Darkest Forest along the path where the trees were wide, and she walked along ignoring the sounds she could hear and the glowing eyes she could see in the darkness. She walked, and she walked, and she kept on walking along the path until the forest grew darker and the path grew narrower, and she almost lost her way. And in the dark, dark forest, Tef put her foot down on the grass at the side of the path.’ Lilith gasped at the horror of it; oh poor little Tef! ‘And when she did that, the Great Black Horg knew that she was there, because he could smell her with his great big nose.’

  Small hands pulled the blankets up to Lilith’s nose now and Faran had to suppress a smirk. ‘But Tef quickly returned to the path, and the Horg could not touch her there, and he knew it too. He could see Tef with his great big eyes, and he knew that she was a good little succubus, who had learned all her lessons well, and she would not stray from the path again. But he could also see that she was the prettiest little succubus he had ever laid his great big eyes upon, not unlike a little Lilith I know.’ Faran’s only daughter grinned and giggled from behind the blankets. ‘Oh yes, she was the tastiest looking little succubi he had ever seen, and he could not wait to taste her with his big, long tongue. So the Great Black Horg, he hatched a plan.

  ‘Quickly, on his long legs, the Horg ran ahead of Tef, and got to her grandmother’s cottage first. Now, the Horg was not fond of older succubi so he tied up Grandma and stuffed her in a cupboard and then he climbed into her bed and hid beneath her bed robes to wait for tasty young Tef to arrive.’

  ‘But he didn’t hurt Granny did he?’ Lilith squeaked from under the blankets.

  ‘No, dear, he didn’t hurt her. But he lay in wait for Tef who was the tastiest looking little succubus he had ever laid his big eyes upon. Tef arrived at the cottage and she went to the bedroom to give her grandmother the medicine. There in the bed was the Great Black Horg and the Horg said, “My, my, my, what a fine young succubus you have grown into, little Tef.” Now Tef was a good little succubus who had learned all her lessons well and she looked at the Horg in the bed, and she thought that there was something odd. And she said, “Grandmother, your nose is bigger than I remember,” and the Horg replied, “I have a cold, my dear, sweet Tef.” And Tef said, “Grandmother, your eyes are much bigger than I remember,” and the Horg said, “My cold has made my eyes swell, my dear, sweet Tef.” And Tef said, “Grandmother, your teeth are much bigger, and your tongue much longer than I remember,” and the Horg said, “Ah, but that’s because I’m the Great Black Horg and I love the taste of sweet, young succubi!”’

  Lilith’s eyes grew as round as saucers and she tugged the blankets even higher. Faran smiled at her and went on. ‘But Tef was a good little succubus who had learned all her lessons well. She knew just what to do. She grabbed the blankets and pulled them back, and she said, “My, what a big boy you are, Great Black Horg.” Then she pounced upon the Horg, and she ate him, and she ate him, and she ate him all up.’

  The blankets were pulled back from Lilith’s face and she grinned and giggled happily. ‘When I grow up, I’ll be a good little succubus, Daddy.’

  ‘I’m quite sure you will, little Lilith.’ Standing, Faran stepped closer and gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead. ‘And good little succubi who learn all their lessons need to get their sleep.’

  Lilith giggled again, and turned on her side, and snuggled down under her blankets. Faran smiled and turned out the lights. When he looked back, his daughter was fast asleep, just like a good little half-succubus should.

  Birthdays

  Kennington, London, October 31st, 1993

  The sky was almost entirely devoid of sunlight now, though not of light. Overhead, sheets of colour rippled across the upper atmosphere as the world’s magic field interacted with its magnetic field and the air. Ceri knew this, even at seven, but right now she did not care one jot because she was far too busy running to the next house, clad in a red bodysuit with a pair of fake horns on a headband, a plastic pitchfork gripped in one hand, and a plastic carrier bag from Sainsbury’s in the other. She had a tail too, though it was currently knotted around her thin waist because she had already tripped over it once.

  Mrs Short’s house was the last place they would be going to tonight. The Rastafari temple and the squats along St. Agnes Place were not noted for handing out sweets, and anyway the temple was nailed up tight by now, like more or less every other supernatural site in the country. Ceri’s friend Jenny Li banged on the door and they waited. Jenny had an awesome Oni costume, even if Ceri was not sure what an Oni was, or why Jenny’s costume was so awesome. There was certainly a lot of face paint involved and…

  ‘Well what have we here?’ Mrs Short said, cutting off Ceri’s train of thought. ‘A scary demon… two scary demons, and a werewolf, and a skeleton… My how terrifying. I’m sure you’ve all done a wonderful job of keeping the spirits away.’ Well, yes, so far, so good. While the sky overhead was flaring with blues and greens there was little evidence of anything nasty down on the street yet.

  ‘Hello, Mrs Short,’ Tanya said. Tanya was the skeleton, and the most forward of the four children, and had been doing most of the talking. She actually came from one of the squats, but just about everyone on the street knew her and she had been friends with Ceri since moving in. Not many people were friends with Ceri, so people forgave her a lot just for that.

  ‘Who’s in there?’ Mrs Short asked, plucking at the werewolf’s rubber mask.

  ‘It’s me, Tony Brough,’ the werewolf replied. His voice was a bit muffled and Ceri was pretty sure he only knew who was asking because Tanya had said so; the visibility out of the mask was pretty restricted.

  ‘Lovely,’ Mrs Short enthused. ‘And Tanya Keyes, and little Ceri Brent. I don’t know this one though.’

  ‘Jenny Li, ma’am,’ Jenny introduced herself. ‘I go to school with Ceri and Tanya.’

  Mrs Short reached for a carrier bag of sweets. ‘Well, let’s give you terrible monsters some treats,’ she said. Ceri was happy that she was getting to that part. Under the tight, red suit her forearms were starting to tingle.

  ‘Thank you, Mrs Short,’ the children chorused, and a few seconds later they were running off toward High Towers. The wards around the fence line were already shimmering with orange light. Ceri put on a burst of speed; she hated going through the wards when they were active, it made her arms sting. Tanya knew, and her longer legs carried her ahead of the little red demon to push the gate open so that Ceri could run through. Even at that speed she gave a yelp of pain and rushed onward to where her mother was waiting in the doorway with open arms.

  ‘Come in, children,’ Marion said as she scooped her daughter up and carried her inside. David was waiting just inside, ready to close the door. The Brents allowed their daughter out on Samhain, to be with the other children, but they stayed indoors where it was safe. Halloween was a time for children, mortal ones, normal ones. Supernaturals who went out after dark were not safe. Bad things could happen to them. Sometimes very bad things could happen to them.

  For now though, it was their daughter’s seventh birthday and her friends were in the big house with the strange illusion which made it look haunted. Marion had done some work inside and illusory ghosts and will-o-the-wisps were occupying the hall, and there were little joyful screams. High Towers was the place to be after dark on Halloween. Outside the world was full of spirits, maybe even demons, but within these walls it was safe and full of the laughter of happy, partying children.

  October 31st, 2002

  The problem was he did not even seem to know she existed. His name was Paul He
aton and he had gorgeous blue eyes and thick, black hair. He had the looks of a movie star and he was just sixteen, which was how old she was now. On this very day, in fact. Outside the wards were flaring orange and even red in some places. It was quite a bad Samhain. Ceri had even heard her father saying that he thought he had seen a real demon outside the wards. Then they had rung around the parents of the children there and the birthday party had turned into a sleepover.

  And that would have suited Ceri just fine if Paul Heaton even knew who’s birthday party he was at. Instead he was spending his time with Lisa Kudington who had long blonde hair and a pretty face, and had filled out very nicely thank you while Ceri still had a rather boyish figure. None of the boys at school really noticed Ceri. Well, none except Frank Dalton, but Frank’s father was a necromancer and Frank had inherited the talent. Frank was creepy and Ceri really did not want him noticing her.

  ‘I don’t know what you see in that boy,’ Tanya said while they sat near the fire in the lounge and drank orange juice.

  ‘Who?’ Ceri said in reply, knowing her cheeks were going scarlet.

  ‘You know damn well who, Paul “I’m so hot my pants catch fire” Heaton.’

  ‘He’s nice! And Lisa’s pouring herself over him like…’ Ceri did not have the vocabulary to express what she felt Lisa was doing.

  ‘They’re made for each other,’ Tanya said. ‘I know for a fact she’s been with at least two guys and he’s out for anyone that’ll lie down for it. You’re better than both of them.’

  ‘He’s not like that. He…’

  ‘He tried it on with me.’ It was a flat statement and Ceri could tell her friend was not lying. ‘He thought I’d be easy because I live in a squat.’

  ‘Tanya, you are easy, and you know it.’

  ‘Hell yeah, but he doesn’t have to treat me like that.’

  Ceri grumped, unwilling to let her image of Paul as her White Knight go quite so easily. ‘I’d be easy if he’d just ask.’