Ancient

The Eighth Novel in the Thaumatology Series

By Niall Teasdale

Copyright 2012 Niall Teasdale

Amazon Kindle Edition

Contents

Part One: Being Mistress Ceridwyn

Part Two: Nachtmerrie

Part Three: A Soldier’s Life

Part Four: A Nice Country Drive

Part Five: Raynor

Part Six: The Blood War

Part Seven: Post Bellum

Part One: Being Mistress Ceridwyn

Kennington, London, March 23rd, 2012

Ceri towelled off her shoulder length, black hair and looked at herself in the mirror. She had decided to keep it longer after growing it in the US as a disguise, though she had let the blonde dye fade and now was just going with a red streak down the front on the right side. The red fringe had been her trademark, if she had one, and she felt she should keep it up. Besides, it was a really basic spell and she only had to apply it once a week or so. Nodding she used the mirror to school her expression properly. Generally she used props to psych herself up, but today was a special day and she wanted to make sure she could go without. Pulling herself up straight, she hung her towel on the rail and walked out of the bathroom, down the hall, and into the bedroom where Lily was waiting.

The half-succubus was kneeling on the floor, her wrists crossed behind her back, as she had been told. Around her throat was a brand new red collar with a ring mounted at the front; the first present she had been given for her birthday. Ceri took a moment to drink in the sight; the flawless, porcelain skin, the slim physique, wide hips, large, pert breasts, and the mass of lush, auburn hair. Then she ignored her friend, turning to the wardrobe to select something to wear. She selected a mesh teddy with leather along the edges, a thong back, and a halter neck, along with a short, leather skirt split at the side, and thigh boots. Then she turned to Lily, hands on her hips, legs a shoulder width apart, and smiled.

‘How do I look, pet?’

Lily had been concentrating very hard on a spot on the floor, but her nipples had hardened as Ceri dressed. Now she looked up, taking in the sight. Ceri could not come close to Lily’s lush body; her breasts were a little on the small side, her body was trim and showed muscle development from martial arts lessons and exercise. Her face had a slightly boyish quality; her jawline was too firm for her to be classed as pretty, and she had a longer nose, more masculine than Lily’s cuter one. The look on Lily’s face, however, suggested that she was looking at the most gorgeous creature in creation, and only immense determination was holding the half-demon back from jumping those beautiful bones right this second.

‘You look beautiful, Mistress. Pet is the luckiest succubus in the world to belong to you.’

They did not do full-on Mistress-and-pet very often. It had begun as a necessity, and one Ceri had found difficult at first. Lily was half-succubus, and a succubus needed a master or mistress. In the sixties particularly, wizards would summon succubi as demon lovers, and in their natural habitat they were usually the subjects of a greater demon. However, they had a dominant side and a weak-willed, or careless, wizard would become the slave of their lover if they were not careful. For three days, that had happened to Ceri when she had first manifested her sorcery. Neither of them were anxious to repeat it, so Ceri had to be willing to be Lily’s mistress when required. These days, as Lily gained better control of her powers and herself, it was rarely required and they were confident enough of their relationship that Ceri could indulge her submissive side and let Lily take control at times.

So, with Lily’s birthday coming up, Ceri had asked whether Lily wanted another day of having Ceri as a pet, as they had done the year before and both enjoyed. She had been a little surprised when Lily had said no. What she wanted this year was a day of being Ceri’s pet. Really, properly, from waking up to going to bed, Ceri was to be Mistress, and Lily was to be her adoring slave.

At first, Ceri had said she was not sure she could do it. A whole day! If she wore one of her corsets for the whole day she would be crippled by the end of it. And it was Friday and they were due in work in the evening, and Lily was not letting her off her duties even then. How was she supposed to do it in the tiny mini-dress she wore as a uniform at the Jade Dragon? Lily had said she should think on it. That she should consider what she had done over the last year or so, and then give an answer. Well, she had taken charge of a squad of werewolves when she needed to, she acted with authority when she was irritated or the situation called for it. When they had been trying to stop the United States going to war with their Native neighbours, she had acted as though she were a general in the army because she needed to. When she needed to, when there was a requirement for it, Ceri could take charge and be dominant. Well surely giving Lily what she wanted for her birthday was a situation which called for it, right?

‘You’re staying dressed like that for now,’ Ceri said. ‘We’re going out after lunch, but until then I’m going to entertain myself with all the sweet noises you make when you’re excited.’

A shudder of anticipation shook Lily’s body. ‘Yes, Mistress.’

~~~

Twill had baked cupcakes and added a candle to one of them, rather than making a full sized cake. Lily had said that seeing twenty-six candles would be depressing and they would be out for the afternoon so lunch was their birthday meal. Twill thought a big cake was overkill. Lily actually had a little trouble mustering the breath to blow the candle out.

‘My god, Ceri,’ Twill said as she hovered over the table, ‘what have you done to her? She’s a wreck.’

Ceri grinned at the four-inch, nut brown fairy with the bob of purple hair, and the blue and white, feathery wings. ‘Let’s put it this way, I’m going to have to clean all the toys.’

Twill’s tiny brows rose. ‘All of them? And she didn’t feed?’

Ceri shook her head. ‘Not yet.’

‘That certainly explains the mussed hair and the intense odour of sex.’

Lily was silent the whole time, but she squirmed a little at Twill’s comment. Her biology would not allow her to blush, but she could usually manage to look as though she was. Ceri suspected that was for their benefit, however. Lily never got embarrassed about sex; she was half succubus and sex was what she did, at least by nature.

‘I do think a shower is in order before we go out,’ Ceri said. ‘Finish your cake, pet, and then go clean yourself up. Then we’ll get you dressed.’

‘Yes, Mistress.’ Picking up her cake, Lily plucked the candle out and bit into the soft sponge. Her eyes closed in pleasure; Twill’s cooking was living up to its usual quality.

Ceri picked up one of the cakes. It was light as a feather and almost melted in the mouth and… ‘God Twill, how do you make simple things like this taste like Heaven?’

A sparkle of gold flickered around the fairy. ‘I’m a genius, I thought you knew.’

Mayfair

Lily’s eyes widened as Ceri walked up to the door of a four-storey building on Curzon Street. There was a small plaque beside the door which read, “Demi-monde. Private Club.” Ceri looked back at Lily. ‘What’s up?

‘I’ve heard of this place, Mistress. It’s very exclusive.’

Ceri smiled. ‘Yes, it is.’ She turned back and opened the door, walking in followed by a bemused looking Lily.

She only got more bemused as a man in an immaculate tuxedo bowed his head to Ceri as she entered the reception room. ‘Doctor Brent. It is a pleasure to see you again. Would you sign in, please?’ He had a cut glass accent to go with the slightly stiff, but pleasant demeanour. His arm moved back slightly, indicating a large register lying on the desk beside him and Ceri walked over to it, picking up a gold pen. She printed her name, then put Lily’s in next to it in a column headed “Slave,” and then signed beside that.

‘Thank you, Reynolds,’ Ceri said. She unbuttoned her long, leather coat as she turned back. A very well-built young man in very tight slacks, naked above the waist, stepped forward smoothly to take her coat as she slipped it from her shoulders. ‘Give your coat and bag to the young man, pet. Don’t be bashful.’

If there was one thing Lily was not it was bashful. Handing the bag containing their work clothes to the attendant she undid her coat and slipped it off, handing it over as well. Ceri had, sort of, dressed her appropriately and for maximum effect. Her breasts were bare aside from the three silver chains hanging from nipple rings. Ceri had been bemused to discover that Lily had once had her nipples pierced; only finding this out when she had had them redone for Ceri’s birthday, at the same time as she had had Ceri’s personal rune tattooed above her pubic mound. Since the rest of her outfit consisted of a tight waist cincher in black leather, a tiny leather thong, hold-up stockings with latex tops, and five-inch stiletto pumps, the rune was quite in evidence. It seemed fair, the dragon tattoo on Ceri’s back was on show as well.

Ceri tried not to let her amusement show; Reynolds was impressed by Lily and trying hard not to let that show. ‘We’ll take a drink in the lounge,’ Ceri said. ‘It’s Lily’s birthday and she deserves a treat.’

‘Of course, Doctor. I can have something brought out to you.’

Ceri smiled. ‘Two glasses of whiskey then. Carter always recommends the Jura. The twelve year old single malt.’

‘An excellent choice. I’ll have them brought out to you.’

Nodding, Ceri walked purposefully through the door on the left, down a short corridor, and into a large lounge with big, wing-backed chairs set on their own with a small side table, or in groups around larger, round tables. Beside each chair was a cushion and Lily got the idea almost immediately; men and women sat around in the chairs, most of them dressed in immaculate suits, some of the women in corsets, and their slaves sat on the cushions beside them.

The room, the club so far, looked like a Victorian Gentlemen’s club. There was a lot of wood panelling and dark red, flock wallpaper. There were unlikely to have been too many Victorian clubs where the male staff were largely naked from the waist up and the female staff were decked out in leather strap body harnesses, their breasts exposed. A girl so dressed arrived at the table Ceri had selected shortly after she sat down, placing two fairly large measures of whiskey in cut glass tumblers down. She said nothing, just bowed to Ceri and walked away on her six inch heels.

Ceri took a sip of her whiskey, feeling it burn down her throat and settle as a warm glow in her stomach. She decided to satisfy Lily’s curiosity; she knew she was curious. ‘When I told Carter about your birthday plans he was quite amused and suggested that I might like to bring you here. Apparently he owns a share and helped set up the initial finance for the owner so he has some influence. He arranged for me to have a trial membership, just for the day. I came over yesterday to have a look around and learn the ropes, if you’ll pardon the pun.’ She glanced down at Lily, who was a little wide-eyed again. ‘Don’t forget your drink. I had to ask Carter if it was okay to keep this up tonight. It seemed polite since we’ll be working and I assumed you wanted to get the full day.’

Lily gave Ceri a look of adoration and then picked up her drink. ‘Thank you, Mistress. Pet is happy she will still be able to be your pet at the Dragon.’

‘It’s your birthday, my pet. I’m quite determined that you have a good one.’

There were not too many people around on a Friday afternoon so it was maybe not too surprising that one of the members decided to sit down with them. Tall and attractive for a woman Ceri guessed was pushing fifty from the far side, her black hair was wound into a tight bun and she was dressed in an exquisite, silk corset coupled with a long, split skirt. As she sat down, crossing long legs, her companion settled on the cushion beside her. He was likely twenty years younger than she was, maybe more, handsome, and wearing a collar along with a silk shirt and leather slacks.

‘A new face,’ the woman said. ‘I’m Valerie.’

‘Ceri. I’m just here for the day I’m afraid.’

Valerie smiled. ‘People say that a lot. They usually find themselves becoming full members.’ Ceri was pretty sure she would not be after seeing the membership fees. ‘Who introduced you?’

‘Carter Fleming. He’s… a friend.’

Valerie’s smile was knowing; she thought she knew exactly what kind of friend Carter was. ‘Carter is quite an amazing man, very charming.’

Ceri grinned. She was quite sure that Carter had charmed his way under Valerie’s corset. ‘He is, yes.’ The statement could be easily construed as confirming Valerie’s assumption regarding Ceri, and Ceri was not really sure why she did not feel like correcting the mistake.

Valerie’s eyes shifted to Lily, quietly sipping her whiskey. The “slaves” did not speak unless spoken to; Ceri was proud to note that Lily needed no instruction in the matter. ‘She is a beautiful young woman,’ Valerie said. ‘Quite amazingly beautiful.’

‘Thank Valerie for the compliment, pet,’ Ceri said.

‘Thank you, ma’am,’ Lily said, her voice soft and carrying a hint of a purr.

‘Since I’m here for the day and you obviously know your way around,’ Ceri said, ‘what do you think I should try?’

‘Oh, sample a little of everything. I assume you’ve had the tour, but… The rooms upstairs are a glorious place to stay the night if you don’t live in town, as well as somewhere private to conduct… personal activities. The cellar rooms are semi-public, you may have an audience, but they have all the best equipment and…’ Her gaze shifted back to Lily and she developed a wicked grin. ‘With a female slave you’ll definitely want to try room sixteen. I put Philip in there when he’s naughty sometimes, but yours looks like she would have a wonderful time.’

‘It is her birthday,’ Ceri replied. ‘Room sixteen. I’ll keep it in mind.’

‘Oh, you might be interested in the library and the Open Room as well,’ Valerie added. ‘I think they’re more likely to appeal if you stay though.’ Ceri had seen the Open Room and been told its function, but she did not remember anyone mentioning a library.

‘Library?’ Maybe she sounded a little eager; she felt Lily’s amusement over the empathic link they shared though there was no sign of it on her face.

‘On the top floor. Sex is allowed in the side reading bays, as long as it’s quiet.’ Valerie grinned. ‘Something about having sex in a library feels more naughty than usual.’

Ceri remembered the basement of the LMU library and Lily being very insistent. ‘Yes, yes it does.’

Valerie looked at her, a perfectly plucked eyebrow rising. ‘That sounds like the voice of experience.’

‘The Metropolitan University library. It was one of the basement storage rooms so there wasn’t too much chance of us getting caught, but it was exciting.’

‘Oh, you have to become a member.’ The older woman sounded impressed; Ceri was not sure whether she should be worried by that. ‘Tell me, have you ever been with a werewolf?’ Her eyes flicked to Philip; well, that explained the physique, but… A submissive male werewolf? He had to be a ronin, living outside the packs. Maybe Valerie had got to him young and trained him. He seemed happy enough with his position.

‘Several,’ Ceri said. It felt like bragging, but it also felt good. ‘Three at once on occasion.’

‘Three?’ It came out almost as a squeak and Valerie’s eyes were wide.

‘I have to be really in the mood,’ Ceri added, feeling like a total slut and trying not to show her sudden discomfort. ‘Generally it’s at pack orgies.’ Actually it had been once and at her birthday, and she had been so far gone that she remembered most of it in snatches. Why was she trying to impress this woman?

‘Orgies… happen on Saturday nights,’ Valerie said, rallying. ‘The best time to go to the Open Room. They’re not obligatory or anything, but they make a nice change once in a while.’

Ceri drained her whiskey glass, noting that Lily was already finished. ‘Well, perhaps we’ll see you there one night. Come, pet.’ She started to rise from her seat, Lily uncurling like a cat from her cushion and rising beside her.

‘I hope so,’ Valerie said. ‘Enjoy your day.’

Ceri smiled at her. ‘Thank you, Valerie.’ She started off across the room to a small hallway beside the lounge, Lily following meekly behind. Ahead of them, through a door, was the staff area and to either side were two flights of stairs, one up, one down. Turning left toward the back of the building, Ceri went down into the cellars.

The main area below ground was laid out as a series of corridors with rooms to either side. Not closed rooms, the upper half of the walls were iron bars so that those on the outside could look in. Part of the appeal of the dungeon down here was that you could watch and be watched. If you wanted privacy you went to one of the rooms upstairs.

About three rooms in Ceri paused. Inside a man in a suit was busy using a flogger on a naked young woman cuffed to a frame on the wall. Red marks showed on the skin of her back, rump, and thighs, but she seemed to be enjoying it rather more than Ceri thought she would. A rack on the wall held a variety of chastisement equipment, from suede floggers to studded tawses.

‘What do you think, pet?’ Ceri asked softly. ‘Would you like to be her?’

‘Mistress is better at applying a whip,’ Lily replied, though her voice was breathy.

Ceri smiled. ‘I had a good teacher.’ She started off down the corridor again, looking for room sixteen.

‘Thank you, Mistress,’ Lily said, following along with a contented look on her face. It changed into wide-eyed amazement as Ceri stopped in front of another room, “16” marked on the wall beside the door.

‘I see,’ Ceri said. ‘What an interesting device.’ Inside the room, bolted to the floor, was a frame with a loop for the slave’s neck, cuffs for ankles and wrists, and a bar which would support the hips. It looked like it was designed to fix someone firmly in position on their hands and knees. The reason for that would be the box mounted behind it; fairly large, it had a rod sticking out of it toward the bondage frame. On the wall, on a shelf, were a variety of dildos which, Ceri guessed, could be mounted on the rod.

Ceri opened the door and walked in. Lily followed, her breathing already starting to quicken. ‘Get your knickers off and yourself in position then, pet,’ Ceri ordered and Lily moved eagerly to comply. Ceri adjusted the frame to fit her; it was very adjustable and designed so that the occupant had to rest on his or her elbows before the wrist cuffs could be closed. The resulting position was very vulnerable, hips pushed upward, legs spread; Lily was trapped, exposed to the ministrations of the machine behind her.

Finding the largest dildo in the collection, Ceri stretched a condom over it, and then fixed it to the rod. The height and orientation of the machine was also adjustable and Ceri took her time settling it into place and ensuring it would not penetrate too far. Lily let out a low moan as she was filled with flexible latex. ‘How does that feel, pet?’ Ceri asked.

‘Very full, Mistress.’

Ceri grinned and started the machine up, watching the thing begin to cycle in and out of her lover. It appeared that amusing herself with Lily’s little noises was not done for the day.

~~~

Ceri turned from watching Lily as a tall woman in a simple, but elegant, black gown appeared at the wall. Black hair fell around her shoulders in waves. She had strong, slightly masculine features and very full lips, coupled with a slim figure with a substantial chest. Perhaps her worst feature were her eyes which were a hazel colour and took away from the strength of her face, but she still managed to give off authority like a palpable force. Ceri turned the cycle rate on the machine up a couple of notches, eliciting a squeal of exhausted delight from Lily, before putting the remote control down and walking over to the bars.

‘How long have you had her in it?’ the woman asked. She was called Arabella and she owned the place. It was her who had taken Ceri on her tour earlier in the week.

‘About thirty minutes,’ Ceri replied. ‘I tried to stop it after fifteen, but she begged me to keep it going and it is her birthday.’ Ceri could see why it was something of a punishment for a man, considering what the device would be doing to them, and she did not think she could have stood up to it as long as Lily had, but the half-succubus was acting like she was a machine herself and seemed to be beyond happy.

‘She’s incredible,’ Arabella remarked, chuckling softly.

‘You have no idea. I’ll take her upstairs and feed her in a bit and she’ll be good to go again, if I let her.’

‘Ah yes, half-succubus. Carter claims she’s the most intense experience he’s ever had.’

‘I can’t speak for Carter’s sex-life, but no one I’ve ever been with has quite matched up to what she does to me.’ Ceri reached for the door latch. Watchers were not allowed to ask for admittance, but the dominant inside could invite people to participate. ‘Would you like to come in?’

Arabella smiled. ‘I can’t stay. I have a few things to do before the rush starts this evening. I stopped by to see if you were enjoying yourself.’

‘The important thing is that she is.’ Ceri nodded toward the panting, straining figure of Lily. ‘I am though, yes.’

‘Good.’ Arabella’s eyes scanned over Ceri, appraising. ‘I must say, most of the Doms wear more… severe clothing when here. It helps them get into the mind-set. You’ve all the same authority in club gear. I’m impressed. You’re a natural.’

Ceri tried not to look surprised. There was no way she was a natural at this. It had taken a couple of tries before she could manage to keep a straight face when she was being the dominant for Lily. She liked playing pet for Lily every so often; Lily was so good at it, made it look so easy. Ceri had to work at it… usually. It did seem to be coming easier. Much easier.

‘Thank you,’ she said to Arabella, mostly to cover her slight disquiet. ‘I think I’ll get her out of that before she totally exhausts herself.’

‘I’ll have someone get you a key to one of the upstairs rooms. Oh, and I might recommend the baths to relax in before you leave tonight.’

Ceri nodded, starting toward the remote. ‘Thank you. That sounds like a great idea.’

~~~

The baths were, indeed, fantastic. Set in their own area beyond the dungeon there were two pools, one “quiet” and the other where the patrons were allowed to indulge themselves however they wished. Backing up the pool rooms were a set of changing rooms with lockers and open showers. Both pools had padded, stone platforms around them where attendants of both sexes could provide massages, but Ceri much preferred Lily to do that and she lay on her stomach, contented, as her pet’s strong hands worked every last kink from her muscles.

‘Is that good, Mistress?’ Lily asked, her voice soft and purring.

Ceri said, ‘Ng mmm gff.’

‘Good. I’m glad you’re enjoying it.’

‘Mmm fngn.’

‘Maybe we should’ve gone to the other room, where I’d be allowed to do this properly.’

Ceri managed to lift her head, which she considered an impressive feat considering her neck muscles felt like bungee cord. She opened her mouth to say something and then reconsidered. ‘Maybe we should have, but I wanted to relax rather than come.’

‘And now you’re not so sure, Mistress?’

‘I just had the thought that screaming my lungs out in front of anyone who might be watching could be fun, yes. On the other hand, I’d be quite happy soaking in the pool too.’

Lily nodded and allowed Ceri to slide off the bench. Together they sank into the water, which was hot enough to relax any other worries Ceri might have had out of her, and sat on one of the ledges.

‘Can’t you tell what I wanted anyway?’ Ceri asked.

‘You’re almost impossible to read when your desires aren’t absolutely clear, Mistress.’ Her voice turned purring. ‘My Mistress is much too awesome for a simple succubus like me to read.’

‘Flattery will get you everywhere, pet. Not that you wouldn’t get there anyway.’ Lily giggled and Ceri smiled; Lily had been quieter than usual as she played her role and hearing her giggle felt wonderful. Ceri sighed, relaxing further into the hot water. ‘You were right.’

‘About what, Mistress?’

‘When we were in Cardiff? You wanted a hot tub for home. You were right.’ Lily said nothing, but cuddled up against Ceri in the heat. It felt wonderful, but it could not last. ‘Ten minutes, then we have to get ready for work.’

‘So soon, Mistress?’

‘Yes. We have some special preparations to make.’

Lily was not really sure what Ceri meant, but a little shudder of anticipation ran through her. She was quite sure she was going to enjoy it.

Soho

The night after new moon meant that there were a fair number of vampires in the Jade Dragon. Ceri was still not exactly happy about dealing with the older ones, she could see through the illusion they used to hide their real nature, but after feeding one she was rather better than she had been with the younger ones. Which was useful since she had five of them, a group of girls out on the town, on table nine.

She had just finished delivering five Dragon’s Bloods to them when Cheryl Tennant, her other boss, walked into the club. She was partially there to say happy birthday to Lily, but the gold, semi-translucent, sheath mini-dress she was wearing suggested she was also there for Carter and possibly Alec too. At thirty-four Cheryl probably qualified as sliding into middle age, but she was doing really well on it. A lecturer at the London Metropolitan University, a substantial proportion of her students had fantasies about sleeping with her. Red-headed and green eyed, with a pale, freckled skin and a substantial bosom, she had managed to attract the attentions of both Carter Fleming and Alec, his oldest friend and a werewolf. All three of them seemed quite happy about sharing.

Carter went to meet her, dressed in one of his immaculate suits, his ash-blonde hair perfectly coifed. Well into his fifties, he rarely looked older than thirty. Rich, attractive, and very charming, Carter could, and often did, have a different woman in his bed every night, but Cheryl had become an unlikely favourite; Carter said it was good to wake up next to a woman he could actually have a conversation with.

Alec, the man behind the bar, smiled his own, patented, leering smile. His own attraction to Cheryl was more purely physical. The two men shared a taste in women; they both found Ceri a terrible temptation as well though only Alec had acted on it and that had, initially, been when they had both been in wolf-form. Ceri was fairly sure Cheryl’s attraction to Alec was purely physical too. He was big, muscled, pretty hairy, and he had a werewolf’s stamina in bed.

As Ceri approached she could hear Cheryl’s voice. ‘Lily’s looking a little flustered…’

‘My fault,’ Ceri said, getting a raised eyebrow in response.

‘Lily asked that Ceri be her Mistress for the day,’ Carter explained. The barely restrained humour in his voice was obvious. ‘Ceri is playing it to the hilt.’

‘Oh,’ Cheryl said, none the wiser, ‘right. Well, could I get a glass of wine, Alec?’

Alec gave a smirking glance to Lily before saying, ‘Of course,’ and turning to the bottles at the back of the bar.

Lily did, indeed, look flustered. Ceri walked over and leant against the bar beside her, slipping a hand around her waist, fingers brushing her bare hip where it was exposed by her ridiculously short dress. Ceri felt the tremble in Lily’s body and the rush of desire coming over their bond. She knew why Lily was so sensitive; it was the little plastic egg buzzing away inside her. Ceri had some experience of the device; Lily had used it on her once during a not entirely perfect part of their relationship. On its own it was highly unlikely to get Lily to climax, which was just perfect because Ceri wanted her wound up like a piano string.

Just how tightly wound Lily was was indicated by the fact that Ceri noticed table seven needing drinks before Lily did. Leaning close, Ceri whispered, ‘Table seven, pet,’ and Lily almost jumped.

‘Thank you, Mistress,’ Lily breathed and strutted off toward the table. It was not easy; walking made the egg shift, bouncing over more sensitive areas and upping the pleasure welling up from her groin like a spring to more like a fountain. Ceri grinned.

‘What have you done to that poor girl?’ Cheryl asked.

‘She’s a little over-stimulated,’ Ceri replied. ‘I haven’t asked, because it would be breaking role, but I think she’s having a really good birthday.’ She turned slightly to look at Carter. ‘That club is wonderful, by the way. Thanks for arranging it.’

Carter bowed his head, smirking slightly. Cheryl frowned slightly. ‘Club?’ she asked.

‘Demi-monde,’ Carter explained. ‘It’s a… fetish club. Would that be an accurate description, Ceri?’

Ceri looked thoughtful for a second. ‘Alternate lifestyle club?’ she suggested.

‘Appropriate. It’s like a Gentleman’s club, but with whips and chains. The owner’s brother went to college with me and when she was looking into finances for it he suggested she contact me. I helped with the set up, and provided enough for a twenty per cent share. I’ve had a very good return on the investment.’

‘You usually do,’ Cheryl commented.

Lily returned from table seven with a tray of empty glasses, placing it down on the counter for Alec to clear. ‘A Vee-bomb and two white wines, Alec.’

Ceri glanced over at the table; she had not actually pegged one of the three as a vampire. He had to be very recently turned. Blinking her Sight on showed her the tell-tale negative thaumiton emissions from the man at the table. The two women were human, though one of them showed the development of her Chakral median which came from magic use. Through augmented vision the air in the club swam with magic of various sorts from Lily’s auras to the trickle of power from the undead, and overlaying everything were the fields from the wards which protected the building. Ceri’s parents had made those; she was rather proud of their effectiveness.

Turning, Lily started off toward her table, pausing briefly as she went. ‘Sasha, table thirty,’ she said, demonstrating that her professionalism had not been entirely destroyed by her arousal.

On the other hand, Cheryl gave a little shudder as the half-succubus strutted away. ‘Is it my imagination, or is her aura turned up a notch? My skin’s tingling.’

‘I believe it is,’ Cater said, ‘and I shall be taking every advantage of its effect on you later.’ His lips quirked. ‘Several hours until closing. I may even relieve Alec for a while so that he can take advantage of it too.’

Cheryl’s cheeks coloured, though Ceri noted that a flush spread down her throat and over her chest as well, so the red cheeks might not have been entirely embarrassment. Carter loved seeing Cheryl squirm.

‘You’re all heart, Boss,’ Alec commented, grinning widely enough that his fangs showed.

‘I don’t think that was his heart talking,’ Cheryl replied.

Kennington, March 24th

Lily was almost frantic by the time they got out of the tube station across the park from their home, but Ceri kept her waiting a while longer. There was almost no traffic about at nearly five in the morning, so crossing the road was easy, and soon they were under the trees and in near total darkness, even at the leisurely pace Ceri insisted on maintaining. There was no moon at all, not even the thin sliver which might have been there. It was cool, but not cold. Just perfect.

‘Wait, pet,’ Ceri said and Lily came to a stop instantly even though Ceri could feel her frustration. ‘Unbutton your coat.’ Lily complied as Ceri stepped around behind her. Stepping in close, Ceri pulled the open coat back and ran her hands over Lily’s breasts through the thin, silky material. Lily moaned, the intensity increasing as Ceri’s hands slid down over her exposed hips.

Ceri bent her head to whisper in Lily’s ear as she moved her fingers in to part Lily’s labia and find the little nub beneath. ‘You’re going to come now, my beautiful pet.’ It took exactly two teasing strokes before Lily’s body went rigid and began shaking violently. Ceri could feel the explosion of sensation through their link and it almost drove her over the edge too. Lily’s fists clenched, nails digging into her palms, as she tried to stay silent while her body went through something between a tornado and an earthquake. Then her legs gave out and only Ceri’s tight grip stopped her collapsing onto the dirt path.

The egg was still vibrating and Ceri held her and made soothing noises as a second, then a third, smaller climax wracked her. ‘There there, my pet… That’s it… You come all you want, you deserve it.’

Lily managed to get her legs, and her breathing, under some sort of control. ‘Thank you, Mistress.’ Ceri felt her stomach flutter; the love Lily could put into a phrase like that was a true wonder.

‘Let’s get into the house. You’ve got me all wound up now. When we get inside, I want you holding me on the edge for at least thirty minutes.’

Lily’s brows creased a little. ‘That’s starting to get dangerous, Mistress.’

‘I know, but you’re forgetting something.’ They started walking again, Ceri half-supporting her lover.

‘I am, Mistress?’

‘Yes. I trust you with my life, pet. I know you won’t hurt me.’

~~~

Light blazed in through the curtains when Ceri opened her eyes, but she stayed right where she was, wrapped in Lily’s arms. She almost always woke before Lily did, a fact which she enjoyed immensely because it allowed her the luxury of snuggling there against Lily’s warm body without any real pressure to get up or do anything, especially on a Saturday. The only day better was Sunday, when she would wake up between Lily and Michael.

When, finally, she decided that it was time to move, Lily woke. Ceri turned onto her back and Lily snuggled herself closer again, as though she did not want to let go. She probably did not.

Ceri smiled. ‘Now that it’s morning I can ask whether you enjoyed your birthday.’

Lily smiled sleepily. ‘It was absolutely fantastic, Mistress.’

‘You can stop with the “Mistress” now, love.’

Lily giggled. ‘I was doing it all day yesterday and I’m still half asleep.’

‘I know.’

‘Not that I would mind doing it all the time. You were perfect yesterday. I know you were concentrating on making it as pleasurable for me as possible, and well done on that, I don’t think I’ve come so often in a twenty-four hour period, but you were just great at being my mistress. You’ve come a really long way from the woman my demon side dominated.’

‘Thank you.’

They lay in silence for a few seconds, and Ceri was thinking of taking a shower which would undoubtedly turn into sex, when Lily spoke again. ‘Do you want to make it a full time thing?’

‘What? Being Mistress Ceri?’

‘Mistress Ceridwyn. You should use your full name, it sounds more… mistressy.’

‘I… uh… Not full time, no. Definitely not as strictly as yesterday all the time.’

‘Why not? My curiosity is peaked.’

Ceri giggled. ‘Well, there’s one thing there. I like you saying what you think when you want to, not when I give you permission.’

‘Okay, so I should be able to speak when I wish, unless we’re being strict.’

‘And, uh, well I like being your pet sometimes.’

‘So we should be able to switch once in a while if you tell me.’

It was like she was making a tick list. ‘And… well, how would it be different from what we do now? I don’t want to be in charge in bed all the time, or out of it. We both have things we’re good at and I bow to your experience when I know you know more than me. You already defer to me a lot, and when I sit on the chair in the lounge you perch on the footstool.’

Lily nodded against Ceri’s shoulder. ‘Maybe you’ve got a point, maybe we are already doing it as much as we can.’ She lifted her head and grinned. ‘Would Mistress like her pet to do disgusting things to her in the shower?’

Ceri gave Lily a swat on the shoulder. ‘Yes, she would, now pack it in.’ She swung her legs off the bed, Lily climbing after her and getting to her feet first.

‘Yes, Mistress,’ Lily replied sweetly.

Ceri’s hand landed on Lily’s behind with a loud smack. She knew exactly what the result would be before she did it.

‘Oo! Thank you, Mistress.’

‘You’re dreadful.’

Lilly giggled and pulled Ceri to her feet. ‘C’mon, I’m hungry.’ She half dragged Ceri toward the shower, which was distinctly not submissive; Ceri grinned happily. ‘I must admit though,’ Lily added, ‘you can call me “my beautiful pet” and stuff like that as much as you like. Even just “my pet.” Makes me all tingly and happy.’

Ceri thought about it for all of half a second. ‘Well that I can do, my pet.’

Lily giggled like a schoolgirl, giving a little shiver, and started the shower.

Soho

‘Did you have a good birthday, Lily?’ Carter asked. It was about an hour after opening time and things had settled into their normal rhythm. There was time for normal conversation.

‘God yes! And thanks for putting up with me being a little… distracted last night.’

Carter smiled. ‘Considering what Ceri was putting you through, I thought you were remarkably professional. And drink sales were up about five per cent.’ That got a giggle. ‘What did you think of Demi-monde?’

‘It was perfect. We didn’t get to try half of what they have there. Ceri even abstained from the library since she was really doing it for my pleasure rather than hers. I’d love to go again, but I’m guessing it costs a fortune to be a member.’ Lily looked a little sad at that, but fairly sanguine about her fate.

Carter nodded. ‘As I suspected.’ He produced an envelope from his jacket pocket. ‘Your birthday present,’ he said.

Frowning, Lily took it and opened the flap, pulling out a folded sheet of paper. Her eyes slowly widened as she read it, and then she looked up as Ceri came back from one of her tables. Saying nothing, she just held out the paper to Ceri.

Ceri took the paper and read it slowly before moving closer to Carter. ‘This names me as a lifetime member of Demi-monde.’ Her voice was low, but rather intense.

‘Yes, he replied. ‘Yes it does.’

‘Carter… it’s… we can’t accept this. I mean, I’d love to, but… I saw the basic tariff. I asked just in case, but we couldn’t even afford the yearly fee. I hate to think what a lifetime membership would cost. You can’t…’

‘First of all, young lady,’ Carter interrupted, ‘since when do you get to tell me what I can spend my money on?’

Ceri blushed. ‘Uh, well, you are spending it on me…’

‘Secondly, I wouldn’t say that a couple of hundred quid was a huge amount.’ Ceri blinked at him. ‘That’s what it cost to get a lawyer to handle the legalities. Since I’m part owner, I have a lifetime membership which I have used exactly once. I may mess about with a little bondage and a bit of spanking, but it’s really not my scene. I took Suzie there one weekend, Suzie Stacks. Frankly, you’d be doing me a favour taking it off my hands.’ His eyes tightened a little as he said it and Ceri winced in sympathy. Suzie was a porn actress with a liking for BDSM who had been murdered. The police had suspected for a while that Carter had killed her and it was not surprising that the memory would hurt.

‘In that case, thank you Carter. Really, this is an amazing present.’

Lily gave out a delighted squeak and bounced forward, wrapping her arms around Carter and hugging him before kissing him on the cheek. ‘I am the luckiest succubus ever. I have the best boss and the most wonderful mistress.’

Carter’s cheeks actually coloured as he patted Lily on the back. ‘You’re welcome, both of you. Now settle down before people start thinking I’ve gone soft.’

Lily grinned at him, but did let him go. ‘Your secret’s safe with us, Boss.’

‘Which secret would that be, my dearest Lily?’

‘You’ve always been soft. You’ve just got a crunchy shell. Like an insect.’

‘That’s our Carter,’ Alec said from across the bar, ‘just a really big bug.’

‘I’ve always wanted a fur rug to put in front of the fire,’ Carter growled, which just left Ceri and Lily laughing harder.

Kennington, March 25th

Ceri had had one regret about Lily’s birthday; the fucking machine had looked like an incredible ride and it would have been rather inappropriate for her to have tried it. Mentioning the wistful wish to Lily had produced a giggle. ‘You don’t need one,’ she had said. ‘Trust me’

Now, her arms stretched out to the sides of the altar in their own dungeon, her ankles tethered wide apart, and Michael banging away at her, Ceri understood with what was left of her brain. In wolf-shape, Michael had considerable stamina, and with Lily feeding on him he became little more than a big, furry, very energetic, fucking machine. They had padded the altar a bit, but Ceri’s hips were starting to feel the pounding against the rock plinth and her taught nipples were a little sore from rubbing against the altar cloth, but most of all her lungs were aching from trying to draw breath and she thought her pussy was going to catch fire. Then Lily suddenly released Michael and he came, and Ceri let out a shriek as her own body suddenly exploded with a final climax.

Michael collapsed over her. His weight on her back. His loud, ragged breathing in her ear, almost whimpering. Lily knelt down beside her and whispered in her ear. ‘Better than a machine, I think.’ Ceri nodded, not able to speak yet, and Lily giggled. ‘I think the explosion at the end really adds a great punch-line.’ Ceri groaned; it had, she was still feeling it.

Finally gathering the energy, Michael lifted off her. He pulled out slowly, thinking it would be easier on her, but it was exquisite torture, and when he finally slipped free she let out a whimper, half loss and half relief. Ceri lay there panting, barely aware of what was happening, but Lily had apparently moved.

‘God you’re wet.’ The half-succubus’ voice came from behind her. ‘You’re dripping on the floor.’ Ceri let out another little whimper. ‘We should’ve been filming this. I know just the markets. We could’ve made a mint.’ Another whimper, more of worry; Ceri was not entirely sure Lily would not act on her money-making scheme in the future. ‘Better get you cleaned up a little.’ There was a tiny pause and then, ‘It’s not like you can stop me.’ And then Lily’s tongue was lapping away between Ceri’s legs.

Ceri felt like she was melting.

~~~

‘You’re walking a little funny, Ceri,’ Twill commented as she dished up Sunday lunch. As usual, it was a roast; beef this time, cooked to perfection, moist, but not bloody, and there were roast potatoes which everyone knew would be beautifully crunchy on the outside and meltingly fluffy on the inside.

‘Thirty minutes on the demon-powered-werewolf sex machine and you’d be walking like this too,’ Ceri replied.

‘Twenty-five,’ Lily said. ‘I went easy on you.’

‘It felt like twenty-five hours!’

‘You loved it.’

Ceri chuckled. ‘Yes, okay, I did, but I want a massage later.’

‘Of course, Mistress,’ Lily purred.

‘That’s enough of that,’ Twill said, hovering beside the table with her arms crossed. ‘Fill your mouths with food before I decide to keep Michael behind to try out this “sex machine” myself.’

Ceri raised an eyebrow, but started digging into her food. It was not that Twill was a nun; she had demonstrated that fae could be just as wild as their reputation suggested. However, she almost never made a statement suggesting she actually desired sex. Maybe it was time to get her laid again. Ceri glanced across the table at Lily and could just tell she was thinking the same thing.

‘How are the preparations going for your trip into Europe?’ Twill asked, almost as if she knew they needed distracting.

Ceri made sure of swallowing before she answered. ‘I’d just about forgotten about that after the last couple of days. Pretty well. We’re basically ready, but we’re being our usual paranoid selves and going over everything for the fourth time.’

‘And we have the survival course thing in a couple of weeks,’ Lily added.

Michael gulped down the food he was chewing. ‘Survival course?’

Ceri sighed heavily, rolling her eyes. ‘The Ministry won’t let me and Lily do the final section of the trip on our own unless we’ve done a three day survival course. They’ve got some specialist from the SAS or the Marines, or something.’

The werewolf looked confused. ‘What do you need a survival course for?’

‘I don’t, and I’m pretty sure Lily can cope with most things, but they’re still going to make us run through a lot of mud anyway.’

When Ceri had first met Michael he had been a bit insecure, especially in human form. Now he could manage a very respectable wolfish grin when the need arose. ‘Can I watch?’

‘It’s not like we’ll be naked.’

‘Though that’d be fun,’ Lily added.

‘Maybe for you. You’ve got internal heating.’

‘Technicalities. You’ve got magic. You’re the most powerful practitioner in the world that isn’t actually a dragon. You’re right, you don’t need a survival course. If you can’t survive something, some SAS guy is going to be so dead they couldn’t even raise his spirit.’

Ceri looked at her across the table, chewing mouth-wateringly good beef for a few seconds. ‘Yeah, but we get to spend three days with a bunch of hunky squaddies.’

‘Maybe we do need a survival course.’

March 26th

Ceri walked out of the little foyer with a stack of envelopes, checking each one as she went. Bill, junk, junk, junk… ‘Is there some sort of agency that manufactures junk mail in bulk?’

‘Probably,’ Lily said as she swung down the stairs to head for the kitchen. She stopped. ‘Twill sounds rather happy.’

Ceri got closer and the sound of singing could be heard. Twill had a beautiful singing voice. ‘Yeah, well, she doesn’t have to close her legs while she’s hovering.’

‘Is that sour grapes I hear?’

Ceri blew a raspberry at her. ‘At least she sounds happy… And it was a pretty good threesome.’

Lily looked thoughtful. ‘She always takes a little coaxing and then gets really wild.’

‘I can hear you,’ Twill sing-songed from the kitchen.

Ceri and Lily giggled and followed the continued singing. Twill was hovering near the cooker, conducting her various implements as they fried bacon and buttered bread. Watching Twill cook had given a few norms heart palpitations and Ceri had always wondered how people thought fairies got by in a world filled with things built for people nearly twenty times their size.

‘Breakfast is almost ready,’ Twill said, ‘and I am a little sore if you must know, but it’s my own fault. As you noted, I do get a little wild with two skilled young women working on me.’

Ceri sat down at the table, flicking through envelopes again. ‘Thank you, Twill.’

‘What for, dear? I should be thanking you.’

‘You said two skilled young women,’ Ceri explained. Lily was looking rather proud, which was fair since more or less everything Ceri knew about sex with girls she had learned from her pet demon. Well, Lily and her father, technically. Ceri stopped leafing, dumped all but one envelope on the table, and opened the rather thick bundle of documents open. ‘That club works fast.’

‘Huh?’ Lily said, suddenly interested.

‘It’s from Demi-monde, the membership agreement, rules… And there’s a big addendum section that Arabella didn’t mention. I guess they’re to do with the lifetime thing.’

‘Arabella?’

‘Yeah, she was there… Oh, you probably didn’t notice her while a machine was busy pounding your pussy.’ Lily giggled in response. ‘And it’s Mistress Arabella to you. She runs the place. I think you’d like her.’

Two plates floated over to the table with bacon sandwiches on them. ‘Eat them while they’re hot,’ Twill instructed. ‘I take it you’re going into the university, Ceri?’ The LMU T-shirt and jeans were generally a giveaway.

‘Uh-huh. Hey, I can bring guests as long as I’m there. No more than one Dom and one slave at a time.’ Twill rolled her eyes as Ceri continued reading while chewing on bacon and buttered bread.

‘We could take Michael,’ Lily suggested.

‘Not entirely his scene… I think. Though he did get off on that DVD…’

‘Wonderful breakfast conversation,’ Twill commented.

Ceri grinned and put the letter to one side. ‘Sorry, Twill.’

Holloway

‘I assume Lily did have a good birthday?’ Cheryl asked as she stood with Ceri in the little room they used as a kitchen in the High-energy Thaumatology Building. ‘She certainly seemed to be, uh, happy when I saw her.’

‘You’d be happy too with a vibrating egg in your pussy,’ Ceri replied, smirking.

‘Ah, that’s what you did to her. I wondered.’ Cheryl poured coffee. The kitchen was mostly meant for supplying water if they ever needed it. It had few conveniences, but one thing it had to have was a good coffee machine. Right now the machine almost seemed to be purring as it brewed; Ceri had got her hands on around eight pounds of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans, which the American government had paid for, so they were drinking the best. ‘Carter said something about giving you membership of that BDSM club too.’

‘Yeah. He did. Demi-monde. I think we mentioned it. Incredibly posh, really upmarket. Private rooms above ground, baths and dungeons below. All the dungeons are open so whatever you’re doing you can be watched. So if you ever have urges to be abused in public, or enormous luxury, let me know and we’ll go over there. I can take guests.’

‘Perhaps for my birthday.’ Was there a hint of breathy anticipation in her voice?

Ceri narrowed her eyes slightly at the attractive redhead. ‘You really are getting kinkier as you get older, Boss.’

‘Actually, I’m regaining the kink I had drummed out of me trying to get to where I am. Ten years ago the academic community still had a well-deserved reputation for misogyny. Any hint of impropriety and you could kiss most of your career, never mind tenure, goodbye.’ Her lips pursed. ‘Well, you could forget actually being academically successful, you could manage a paying job and your name on a few paper by bending over the right desks. Everyone knew you were doing it though, and if they knew you enjoyed sex then it was assumed you were sleeping with your boss anyway.’

‘So…’ Ceri paused, considering exactly how to put this. ‘When I first knew you, that cast iron bitch persona you used to affect…’

‘Was me keeping people at arm’s length so I could avoid having relationships with anyone at the university, yes.’

‘What changed?’

‘You.’ Ceri looked blankly at her. ‘Oh, threesomes with a wizard and a werewolf set it up, but then there was you in a tent on Salisbury Plain. I woke up thinking “oh crap, I slept with my assistant,” and then “and I enjoyed it,” and then “what the fuck.” Why should I deny myself? Why not be what I am? You are.’

‘Oh.’ Ceri had never really considered herself as some sort of facilitator of freedom. It was a bit of a shock, but she began to smirk after a second. ‘So after me you decided to let your hair down?’

Cheryl grinned back. ‘I remember you telling me I should. In a strip club, no less.’

‘I remember. I was right, you should let your hair down…’

Before she could finish the sentence Cheryl put her mug down, reached up, and pulled a couple of pins from her hair. Red waves cascaded down around her shoulders as she shook her bun out. ‘Anything you say, Mistress,’ Cheryl said meekly.

‘That’s mean,’ Ceri growled. Her boss was dressed in typical work attire, a satin blouse, pencil skirt, and heels. Her nipples were tenting the fabric a little, a fact which put a crack in Ceri’s belief that Cheryl was teasing. ‘Really mean. It’s not like we can…’

Cheryl was unbuttoning her blouse. ‘No one ever comes out here. There are plenty of cable-ties.’

Ceri looked at her. This was crazy. She should stop it… ‘You’ll need to be gagged, you’re too noisy.’ Switching into “Mistress mode” was just a matter of straightening her back and setting her features. ‘Take your knickers off.’

Cheryl swallowed. ‘Yes, Mistress.’

Kennington

‘Cheryl did that?’ Lily said from the vicinity of Ceri’s armpit.

‘Yes.’

‘And you just went with it? Turned Mistress, just like that?’

‘I did, yes.’ Ceri’s fingers played absently with Lily’s hair as they watched TV, and did not watch TV really.

‘You cable tied her to a chair, stuffed her thong in her mouth, and made her come.’

Ceri’s lips twitched. ‘That’s what I said.’

‘Lucky bitch,’ Lily said. Ceri could hear the pout. There was a tiny, subtle change in Ceri’s posture and Lily’s body trembled.

‘Go get your collar, a ball gag, and some rope.’ Lily was beaming as she bounced off the couch. ‘I’d use your knickers, but you never wear any.’

March 27th

‘You’re just switching into Mistress Mode whenever you feel like it now,’ Lily commented with a voice full of contentment. Her head was now on Ceri’s shoulder as they lay in bed. The room was almost entirely dark and they had just finished making love by touch; slowly, softly, and somehow more intensely than when they could see. Every touch had been a surprise, every sound had seemed to vibrate in the air. And there had been no Mistress Ceridwyn, just two people enjoying each other.

‘I guess. Sort of. I think I need a sub to trigger it.’

Lily giggled softly. ‘There’s not much point in being a Dom with no sub to dominate.’

Ceri grinned in the darkness. ‘Yeah, I guess. How does Tuesday nights sound for visits to Demi-monde?’

‘Tomorrow? Well, tonight really.’

‘Uh-huh. I have to sign some stuff, but after that we’ll be free to do whatever we want. You know they even have a farm out in Hampshire somewhere. It’s called “The Stud.” I’m not entirely sure what goes on…’

‘Pony training.’

‘Huh?’

‘You dress slaves up in harnesses, like carriage horses, kind of. It’s a really heavy discipline thing. Not, like whipping, though there would be some of that, more self-discipline. Learning steps, acting like a pony. I knew a girl who was into it. She had really amazing poise for a human.’

‘That’s not something I’ve heard of before.’

‘Always good to learn something new,’ Lily replied, giggling.

‘I think I should learn all I can about being a good ordinary mistress for you before we develop any other kinks.’

‘Thank you, my beautiful Mistress.’

Ceri smiled and stroked Lily’s soft hair. ‘My pleasure, my gorgeous pet.’

Mayfair

Ceri signed her name along the bottom line of the membership contract, and then added the date next to it. Arabella’s signature was already on the line beneath, Ceri had watched her putting it there.

‘Welcome to Demi-monde, Ceridwyn,’ Arabella said, smiling. She was dressed in a black, latex gown which hugged her body like a glove before spreading at her knees into a fishtail. Ceri could tell there was nothing but her under it.

‘Thank you.’ Ceri glanced over to the corner of the room where Lily was waiting patiently, hands at her sides, eyes downcast. She was wearing only her new collar and the triple nipple chains; Ceri had decided to keep it very simple tonight. Her own outfit was a short, black, strapless sheath-dress, slightly translucent. Her shoes were simple four-inch pumps; Lily was barefoot. ‘Time for that visit to the library, pet.’

‘You’re a practitioner, yes?’ Arabella asked. ‘With a licence?’

‘I have a PPC.’ The Public Practitioner’s Certificate gave Ceri the right to practice magic professionally, though the only reason she had it was for raising circles in the lab.

Arabella nodded. ‘Ask one of the attendants if you want access to the restricted section.’ Ceri raised an eyebrow at her. ‘Didn’t Carter say? We have one of the best collections of sexual magic grimoires in the country. Some of them definitely qualify as restricted reading, but there are several which are simply books on enhancing the experience. Considering your pet’s nature, you may find some of the demonology books particularly interesting.’

‘I’ll be sure to take a look,’ Ceri replied. ‘Come, pet.’

Lily moved smoothly, but swiftly, across the room to open the door for Ceri, closing it behind them both and following along, just behind Ceri’s shoulder without a word.

‘Does she practice?’ Ceri asked, her voice kept low.

‘Yes, Mistress. I can’t tell what. General magic. Wizard or witch, probably. Quite powerful.’

Ceri nodded and headed for the small lift which would speed them up to the top floor where the library was. It was just about big enough for two; a manual design where you pushed a lever one way to go up, pushing it back to stop and then further for down. In the close proximity, Ceri decided not to resist the urge to trail a finger over her meek little pet’s breasts as they ascended. Lily made no sound, but her tethered nipples stiffened. As they approached the top, Ceri slid the lever over, but there was obviously some form of override which brought the car to a stop at the right level. Lily slid the doors open, allowed Ceri out, and then slid them back.

There was a corridor off to one side, but ahead of them were double doors with a small, brass plaque on it; “Library. Quiet please.” Lily was already opening the door for Ceri to enter, a smile playing over her lips.

‘Are your Mistress’ weaknesses amusing, pet?’ Ceri asked, more or less knowing what the answer would be. Was she fishing for compliments? That would have to stop.

‘No, Mistress. I delight in seeing your anticipation.’

Ceri strode into the library, a smile playing over her lips. They seemed to be alone in the room which stretched from the front of the building to the back, its walls almost entirely lined with shelves except where a fireplace took up the space on the wall directly in front of them. The middle area of the room, in front of the fire, was taken up with reading tables in dark, varnished wood with lighter inlay. The room itself was dimly lit, but there were carefully shielded lamps fixed over the tables and shelves, and each of the heavy, wing-backed chairs which occupied much of the rest of the room had its own lamp attached to the chair back via a gooseneck stand.

‘Where shall we start?’ Ceri asked, though Lily took it for the rhetorical question it was and said nothing. Turning left on a whim, Ceri examined the nearest shelves. She heard a little gasp from behind her and glanced at Lily. ‘What’s wrong, pet?’

‘That’s Sonnetti Lussuriosi, Mistress.’

‘So?’

‘It was made in the sixteenth century or something, one of the first ever mass produced pieces of erotica. Definitely one of the most notorious. There isn’t supposed to be a complete copy in existence.’

‘Really? Interesting. That’s Ars Amatoria, Ovid as translated by Christopher Marlowe. The Golden Ass by Apeleius.’

‘This is practically an academic collection of pornography down the ages over this side of the room.’ Lily blinked, running her finger over the spine of a leather-bound volume. ‘The Yokel’s Preceptor. It was a sort of guide to gay London disguised as a rant about how terrible the place was.’ Her voice turned a little sad. ‘Professor Harrow could’ve sat here for hours.’

‘The old guy who told you about Vauxhall? We could invite him…’

‘He died a couple of years ago.’

‘Sorry.’

‘Well, he died in bed with twins so I don’t think he was too unhappy about it. It’s like a pornographic history lesson. The Story of O. The Pearl. Fanny Hill. Astarte. The Whipingham Papers. The Way of a Man with a Maid. Delta of Venus.’

‘More modern stuff here,’ Ceri said as she scanned another stack. ‘The Enchantress. A Succubus Abroad. The Call Girl Chronicles. You could spend years studying in this place.’

‘Is Mistress considering another thesis?’

Ceri turned, smiling, and spotted the books on the other side of the room. ‘Perhaps something on sexual positions through the ages. Multiple copies of the Kama Sutra and the Perfumed Garden, and… I may well have some reading to do.’ There were shelves of manuals and novels on the BDSM lifestyle just sitting there waiting for her to consume and she started carefully examining the spines, considering what to try first.

‘Mistress is well past half of these,’ Lily commented.

‘But I’ve never…’

‘Natural talent and a little instruction, Mistress. You understood the nature of the relationship from the start. The trust interactions inherent in the power exchange. Perhaps because you were more naturally submissive? If you want to go further you should go for the more specific stuff.’ She tapped the spine of one book. ‘Japanese rope techniques. Hmm… Sensual Torture.’

‘I’m not sure “sensual” and “torture” should be used in the same sentence.’

Lily smiled, lowering her eyes. ‘Mistress tortures her pet in the most sensual way just by being too far away to touch.’

Ceri’s eyes narrowed slightly and her lips quirked. ‘Really. Let’s have a look at the other side.’

The other side had more esoteric manuals, books of erotic photography, novels, and then they found the multi-media rack. ‘You in any of these?’ Ceri asked.

Lily’s eyes scanned over the spines of various DVDs. ‘Two more than my Mistress.’

Ceri blinked and looked at the cover of the DVD Lily had pulled out. It was titled Pastoral and, on turning it over, she found her own image, masked and corseted, looking back at her. The credits included “Lilith,” which was actually Lily’s birth name, though she had stopped using it after leaving the sex industry. There was also an entry for “The Mistress,” but no indication of any other name. Neither of them had even seen a production copy of the film; the one they had at home had been put together especially for them by Tawni, the producer. Tawni was on the cover, kneeling naked in a flower meadow, legs spread wide in a posture of rapturous pleasure.

‘I wonder how many people have seen this,’ Ceri mused. ‘I wonder how many would recognise us.’

‘They might recognise pet, Mistress.’

Ceri slipped the case back into the rack. ‘We can watch that any time we like. That must be the magic books.’ Crossing the room, she stood in front of the glass case with its locked doors and its array of randomly sized, variously bound books. ‘Enchantment on the doors?’

‘Yes, Mistress. Some of these have titles in Devotik.’ She crouched down to look at the spines of several thick tomes with odd glyphs marked on them in gold or silver. Devotik was the most common of the demonic languages; Ceri knew Lily’s father had been teaching her more of it than he had when she was a child.

‘Can you read any of them?’

‘Not entirely. This one’s about Lorril.’ Succubi and Incubi were Lorril in Devotik, not simply the same species, but the same creatures, able to be either sex, or no sex, at will. ‘So are these two. This one’s about Hoprak, the parasitic demon that likes possessing teenage girls. Uh… oh, yuck, Chelvig. Those are a big mass of tentacles. They feed on human fear, generally invoked by being attacked by a huge mass of tentacles.’

‘Attacked?’

‘Yeah, attacked in an intimate manner. Though they’ll happily go for strangulation or anything else they can use to freak someone out.’

‘Lovely. So what is a book on them doing here?’

Lily appeared to be purposefully not looking up from the bookshelves. ‘Properly controlled, tentacles probing everywhere. Some people get off on that kind of thing.’

‘Is my pet harbouring secret desires to have tentacles in all her orifices?’ Lily was concentrating very hard on the book covers and Ceri smirked. ‘Most of these seem to be moderately normal spell books, just concentrating on sex spells. Not that I want to know about that one.’ Lily lifted her head enough to see The Necromancer’s Karma Sutra on one of the books; even she cringed a little.

Turning from the cabinet, Ceri selected something more or less at random from a shelf and walked over to settle into one of the big chairs. There was a cushion beside it and Lily started toward that. ‘Ah, no,’ Ceri said. Lily stopped, looking confused, her eyes carefully fixed on the floor. ‘Stand in front of me, three feet back.’ She nodded as Lily stepped into the spot she was indicating. ‘Good. Ankles together, hands behind your back. Perfect. Look straight ahead, shoulder’s back, chest out.’

Lily stood there, not quite able to see Ceri and certainly unable to touch her. Ceri smiled and opened her book. It turned out to be an illustrated sex positions book. ‘Sensual torture, huh?’

There was a tiny, barely audible, whimper from Lily. It was just enough to let Ceri know that her pet appreciated the discipline. Mistress Ceridwyn smiled, crossed her legs, and started reading.

Part Two: Nachtmerrie

Kennington, London, April 6th, 2012

‘What are you reading?’ Lily asked. She was watching the lunchtime TV news, sat on the couch with her head in Ceri’s lap. It made reading a little difficult, but Ceri was not complaining.

‘It’s a book about Houdini’s escapology techniques.’

‘Escapology? What do you need escapology for?’

‘In case you hadn’t noticed, I keep getting kidnapped, tied up, shackled, and generally disabled.’

Lily’s lips twitched. ‘If I didn’t know any better I’d think you liked being tied up… Oh, wait…’ Without looking, Ceri reached out and gave Lily a slap on the rump. Lily gave a little giggling squeak and wriggled playfully. ‘Can I read it after you?’

‘No.’

‘Why not?’ Lily asked, pouting.

‘Because when I tie you up I expect you to stay tied up.’

‘Maybe we could practice that later.’

‘It’s pole dance day, and then we’ve got work. Two nights of Easter costumes, isn’t it?’

‘Uh-huh, but we don’t need to go in early this time. No body paint.’

Ceri folded her book, setting it down on the arm of the couch, and started stroking Lily’s hair instead. ‘I’m not sure whether that’s good or bad. If he’s not putting us in paint, what is he going to do?’

‘He wouldn’t say.’

‘Now, see? That’s just worrying.’

Lily giggled. ‘I’m going to get dressed for pole practice. What are you going to wear?’

Ceri looked down at the shirt she was already wearing, a translucent, pale blue one. ‘I’m going to add a thong and heels and dance in this.’

‘Yum,’ Lily said as she got to her feet and strutted toward the door. Of course, Lily would say that about just about anything Ceri chose to wear, but it was nice to be appreciated.

Soho

The full moon was in the sky outside the Jade Dragon and inside the werewolves were in high spirits. Being dressed as a rabbit was, perhaps, not the best thing under the circumstances, but Ceri was rather enjoying it.

Well “dressed” as a rabbit was probably the wrong term. The outfits were white; white six-inch, platform pumps, white push-up balconette bra, white satin, high-hipped thong with a little white puff-ball tail on the back, and, of course, white rabbit ears on a hairband. The four waitresses were basically naked rabbits dodging the paws of a bunch of horny wolves.

Still, there was a good atmosphere. It was a national holiday and people were out enjoying themselves. Boy were they enjoying themselves! The good humour of the werewolves seemed to be rubbing off on the humans more than usual, the drink was flowing freely. Carter was looking a little concerned that someone might get over-excited, right up until the point where Cheryl walked in in a pale yellow, halter-necked gown which flowed around her figure like water and left little to the imagination.

‘Business first,’ Cheryl said as Ceri walked up to the bar with a tray of empty glasses. ‘You know I’m going over to Amsterdam for a project meeting?’

‘Sunday, coming back Tuesday, right?’ Ceri replied.

Cheryl nodded. ‘I know it’s really short notice, but do you think you and Lily could come over with me? The Dutch project manager would like to meet you so he can talk over the ley line construction, and here’s a guide they’d like us all to meet.’

Ceri glanced at Lily, receiving a shrug in reply. ‘How would we be getting there?’

‘Car to Felixstowe, high-speed ferry to Rotterdam, train to Amsterdam.’

Ceri took in a deep breath. ‘I flew all the way back here from America on an airship, I can handle a few hours on a boat.’

‘Ship, Ceridwyn,’ Carter corrected. ‘They get annoyed if you call them boats.’

‘Whatever floats your boat,’ Ceri replied.

‘We’ll be there two nights?’ Lily asked.

‘Yes,’ Cheryl said. ‘Monday will be fairly busy, but we’ll be there from about seven pm on Sunday and we aren’t leaving until ten am on Tuesday.’

‘I wonder if Tawni has a contact number for Lia?’

Ceri grinned. ‘Probably. I’d imagine she’ll be happy to show us ‘round the town if she isn’t busy. I’ll call Tawni tomorrow.’

‘Business concluded?’ Carter asked.

Cheryl gave him a broad smile. ‘You’re driving us to the dock, yes?’

‘Indeed. I’ll pick you ladies up from High Towers at… around midday?’ Ceri nodded; that should work. ‘Excellent. Alec, wine for our lady.’

Grinning, Ceri turned to scan the room and immediately started across the floor. Table sixteen was looking ready for the next round, another six Wolfsbanes if she were any judge. Cranking her strut up to “high,” she headed out to satisfy their need.

Kennington, March 7th

By the end of the evening, Ceri and Lily could have gone home with about half a dozen different groups of werewolves. They had all been respectful about it; it was well known among the respectable packs the Ceri was mated, and that Lily was Ceri’s “property.” No one made any demands or lewd suggestions, but the offers had been there. They had all been politely declined because the moon was full and one werewolf in particular was going to be ready to pop if they did not get home to him pronto.

Usually, Michael came to the house on Saturday nights. It gave them a long Sunday lie in to get over it. However, the full moon made werewolves just a little hyper, and usually very horny, and none of the members of the unconventional threesome were willing to pass up the opportunity to indulge. Ceri was pretty sure that the same was happening somewhere else with Cheryl and Alec, and possibly Carter.

The girls were walking through Kennington Park, among the trees, when Ceri smiled slightly. ‘We’re being stalked.’

‘Michael?’

‘It better be, or he’s going to rip whoever it is’s lungs out.’

Lily giggled, turning it into a happy squeak as a long, grey-furred arm encircled her waist. Michael’s other arm was encircling Ceri’s and, in a moon-powered burst of enthusiasm, he carried the pair of them, laughing like children, the rest of the way to the house.

‘You’re more than usually happy,’ Ceri pointed out as he let her onto her feet to unlock the door. She noted that he still had Lily dangling, however.

Michael growled, a sound which was little more than an animal noise to most humans, but to her it was words. Mate heard me. Hiding good. Mate did good. Werewolf speech was not exactly eloquent, but it got the meaning over usually.

‘You’ve been training me for months. I should damn well hope I could spot you. You weren’t hiding your best either. I’ve got human ears and I still heard you.’ She swung the door open and stepped inside before he could pick her up again. He followed her in and there was a sudden shriek from Lily as he swung her under his armpit and started carrying her like a roll of linoleum.

They met Twill at the bottom of the stairs. She was standing on the balustrade, tapping her tiny foot, one eyebrow raised. Ceri tried really, really hard to straighten her face. ‘I thought we were being invaded by a horde of demon teenagers,’ Twill said.

‘Sorry, Mom,’ Lily said, her voice a little muffled by her position slung under Michael’s arm. Ceri burst into a fit of giggles.

‘I can see I’m going to get no sleep tonight,’ Twill said.

Ceri bit her lip long enough to still the giggling. ‘Well if you wanted to join in, Twill, you just had to ask.’

Bright pink splotches of colour flickered around Twill as she rose into the air spluttering. ‘I was not… I didn’t mean… You used to be such a sweet young thing!’ Vanishing into a ball of blue-white light, the fairy fled up the stairs.

‘That was mean,’ Lily said, giggling.

‘I’ll apologise in the morning.’ She started up the stairs, followed by a werewolf lugging a bundle of half-succubus, and determined to avoid the same fate. She came to a stop in the bedroom door; the light was on and Twill was sitting on the pillow looking a little sheepish.

‘Well… since I won’t be sleeping anyway…’

Grinning, Ceri summoned her power for the growth spell. It was going to be a really wild night.

~~~

Ceri smiled as she came down the stairs; Twill was singing in the kitchen again. The scent of coffee was another massive drawer, however. It had been a really wild night and Ceri had a feeling that she had not managed quite enough sleep.

The singing broke off as Ceri poured herself a mug of coffee. ‘I must admit,’ Twill said, ‘that you were quite magnificent last night, Ceri.’

Warm, brown, beautiful nectar of the gods slid down Ceri’s throat, accompanied by the firing of neurons and a sudden ability to comprehend the world in real time. ‘I was?’

‘You were. I admit I’ve never really been one to find submission arousing, but the way we just fell into it… Why are you blushing, dear?’

‘I… hadn’t really realised… I didn’t think about… It didn’t mean to… It just kind of happened.’

Twill zipped across the room to hover right in front of Ceri’s nose, an action which always resulted in Ceri’s eyes crossing, even if she tried not to do it. ‘I enjoyed it. Why are you apologising?’

‘Well…’ Why was she apologising? If Twill had enjoyed it… ‘Because… It’s supposed to be consensual. Lily just goes with it whenever I do it and Michael’s happy to once in a while, but we’ve sat down and sorted out the details. He’s even got a safe-growl. I didn’t ask you. I could’ve done something you didn’t want…’

Twill reached forward and tapped Ceri on the nose. ‘Don’t be silly. I trust you. You don’t think I’d be stupid enough to say nothing if things got out of hand?’

‘Well, no…’

‘Exactly.’ The fairy swept backwards with a beat of her wings. ‘I am pleased to see that you take it seriously. Lily is in good hands.’

‘Um… thank you.’ Twill floated over to the cooker, the fridge opened, and food began to assemble itself. Ceri stood and watched, sipping coffee and feeling slightly bemused.

After a minute or two Twill said, ‘And for future reference, my safe word is “flower blossom”.’ Ceri suspected her head might explode.

Amsterdam, Netherlands, April 8th

Lia van Daal was waiting for them when they got off the train. Tall, lithe, blonde and tanned, despite it being only early spring, she was a pretty woman with narrow hips and substantial boobs; a fairly perfect figure for an ex-prostitute and porn actress. The cropped T-shirt, short skirt, and thigh boots added to the look, but somehow the beaming smile and expression of someone meeting long-missed friends made her look more like any other girl waiting on the station concourse.

Lily wrapped her in a hug as soon as she got close enough, only letting go so that Lia could kiss her on the cheeks, left, right, left, which seemed to be the Dutch custom since Ceri could see others performing the same ritual. Then it was Ceri’s turn.

‘Lia, you remember Cheryl Tennant, don’t you?’

The Dutch girl smiled and moved forward to give Cheryl the same greeting. ‘Of course, though not so intimately. Welkom in Amsterdam. Which hotel are you staying at? Ceri didn’t know when she called.’

Juggling an overnight bag, Cheryl managed to pull an itinerary sheet from her jacket. ‘Uh, the Intercontinental?’

Lia nodded. ‘I know it. I’ve done… you call them out-calls there. We’ll take the subway and get you settled in. Then, if you aren’t too tired, we can come back this way and have a couple of drinks, see the Amsterdam night life.’

‘Try stopping us,’ Lily said.

Lia laughed and headed out through the doors to the subway. ‘You’ll love it, I think. My home town was built on tourism. Well, hedonism anyway. Hasn’t always been that way, but the rebuilding after the Shattering concentrated pretty heavily on the service industries.’

‘Not too late though,’ Cheryl said as they descended the steps. ‘We’re going to be busy tomorrow and we have got tomorrow night too.’

‘Yes, Boss,’ Ceri said, grinning. By the time they got a couple of drinks in her she would be far less worried.

April 9th

It was almost two in the morning and Cheryl was looking distinctly rosy cheeked as the four women rolled into what they had decided would be the last bar of the night. It was beside one of the canals, very bright, with music which was not horrendously loud. It also had largely naked men and women dancing in cages dotted around the room which was entertaining.

‘Are you working at the moment?’ Ceri asked Lia as they sat down with their drinks.

‘Right now, no, but I’m starting a job next week. Legitimate acting too! I’m only some slasher killer’s third victim. He nails me with a kitchen knife in the shower. I mean, it’s nude, but not porn.’

‘Moving up in the world though,’ Lily said. ‘I did a couple of things like that. Bit parts, but real acting.’

‘I still haven’t seen this thing you did with Ceri and Lily,’ Cheryl commented. Ceri’s cheeks coloured.

Lia grinned. ‘I’ve got a copy at my flat. Tawni says it’s selling well.’ She gave Cheryl a fairly fake timid smile. ‘We could watch it tomorrow night, if you want.’

From the look Cheryl returned, half horrified and half anticipatory, she had bought the timid look hook, line, and sinker, and was reading plenty more into the offer. Ceri was pretty sure Cheryl was not seeing anything that was not there though; Lia was extremely open about her sexuality, she would bed anyone she found attractive.

‘We’ll see how it goes,’ Cheryl said, hedging her bets.

‘Are we actually in the red light district?’ Ceri asked, trying to change the subject.

‘Not the proper one, it’s a few streets over.’

‘You used to work there?’ Cheryl asked.

Lia nodded. ‘It’s still a back-up option if the gaps between film gigs are too big.’

‘I honestly don’t think I could do that. Mind you, I don’t think I could do it on camera either.’

‘Ceri said the same thing,’ Lia said, grinning, ‘about the cameras anyway. It’s not quite the same thing as in Britain. It’s legal. You pay taxes. There’s a mandatory monthly health check with a witch who takes care of contraception and checks for any other health issues. You know, sex workers in Nederland, um, in the Netherlands, have the lowest instance of fatal breast cancer in Europe. It’s a job. With health benefits and a pension.’

‘I guess it’s an attitude thing.’ Cheryl was getting her professor on; you could tell by the musing expression. ‘I grew up thinking of sex as something special.’

‘It is,’ Lia replied, ‘when you’re with someone you care about. You learn to dissociate the physical act from the meaning, or you get out of the business before it destroys you. That’s what I think anyway.’

‘Well,’ Ceri said, ‘I used to think it was something that happened to other people.’

‘And now she has a half-succubus sub and a werewolf mate,’ Lily said, grinning happily.

‘And appears in popular porn movies,’ Cheryl added.

‘You were really good as a Domme, Ceri’ Lia commented. ‘I’ve met better, but most were professionals. I mean, I’ve met some very good dominants, but not so many who could act it for the camera as well as do it.’

‘She’s got better,’ Lily said, licking her lips.

‘Better?’ Lia licked her own lips and dipped her eyes pensively.

Ceri got the impression that they would probably not be leaving Lia’s flat the following night.

~~~

There was the impression of falling. Tumbling through darkness. It seemed to go on for a long, long time, but Ceri was not really sure since there was nothing to judge it by. There was no wind, so she could not tell how fast she was falling. All there was was the lurching shifts in her stomach as she turned.

A spark of light appeared below her, growing rapidly, but for some reason she felt no immediate sense of panic over it. As it got closer she covered her face with her arms…

And she was stationary. There was light. Lowering her arms she found herself standing in a tent she recognised, and dreaded. Outside there would be a copse full of sleeping demon werewolves and men in combat gear. Soon they would come in and…

The tent flap opened and five men entered dragging a woman with them. Ceri blinked; she was looking at herself, naked, bruised, but it was her hanging limply in the men’s arms. The man leading the group turned his head. His name was Phelps and he managed to speak even though his throat was a ruin. ‘The werewolves and the succubus are dead. This one’s still alive, but she won’t talk. What do we do with her?’

Ceri opened her mouth, but the words which came out were not hers, even if the voice was. ‘Tie her down. Your men deserve some R and R. That’s virgin arse. Use it.’

This had not happened! What the hell was going on? As she watched herself being tied to the table legs, Ceri struggled to move, but nothing she did brought her closer. Her voice was silent, her limbs immobile. As the first of the men unbuckled his belt and stepped between her double’s spread legs, Ceri felt tears on her cheeks. As he stepped forward, pushing the other Ceri’s buttocks apart and ramming himself in the pain seemed to seer up her own spine. There was screaming, but Ceri did not have that relief. All she could do was watch her own rape.

~~~

The pain was gone, replaced by emptiness. She looked up at the high, blue sky above her and felt… not calm, it was not calm. She felt nothing. Nothing aside from the cool breeze on her face and the hard stone she was sitting on.

In the sky above, huge shapes wheeled and twisted, exulting in the freedom of flight. It took a second for her to realise what they were; dragons, hundreds of them. Now she felt something; pride flooded through her at the sight of her children resplendent in their victory.

She looked down at the skyline. The city below her was burning, fire reaching up to meet the winter sky. The humans had resisted, of course, but they had been no match for the dragons. She had offered them terms, some had even accepted, but the rest had continued their futile resistance…

She felt the chain shifting in her hand and yanked on it. There was a sharp cry as her pet was jerked off balance and collapsed at her feet. ‘Draw attention to yourself again, pet,’ she said, her voice a harsh whisper, ‘and I’ll be forced to remind you not to.’

‘Sorry, Mistress.’

‘You know I don’t like hurting you.’

‘Yes, Mistress.’

‘It’s the only thing you seem to understand. It’s almost as though you want to feel the tawse on your skin. Perhaps it would be better education if we used the whip, the barbed one.’

‘No, Mistress. Please, Mistress.’

She pulled slowly on the chain, drawing her pet closer until she could look down into its face. Those beautiful dark eyes, one of them ringed by a purple bruise, looked anywhere apart from directly at her. Reaching out she ran a finger gently over its chin. ‘I don’t like to hurt you, but it’s for your own good. You make me do it.’

‘Pet is sorry, Mistress. She won’t do it again.’

‘Do what, my pet?’

There was the look of confusion. ‘Any-anything, Mistress.’

‘If you don’t know what you’ve done wrong, how can you stop yourself?’ Reaching out, she lifted a long, leather whip from beside her throne. The end of the snaking weapon had long, silver barbs sticking out every inch or so. ‘It’s for your own good.’

And there was the fear, the terror. That was what she had been waiting for. ‘No, Mistress. Please!’

Ceri smiled. ‘It’s for your own good.’

~~~

She could not move. There was a weight on her chest and she could not seem to draw breath. She was dying. Her body felt bathed in sweat and she could not even move her eyeballs. There was something on her chest, a presence, something…

The sensation of something sitting on her faded, the paralysis with it, and Ceri drew in a shuddering breath. She lay still, trying to regain some feeling in her limbs. Her head was full of fluff and fear, and she could not seem to concentrate. The dreams kept running through her mind. Her dreams usually faded, becoming barely remembered nothings soon after she woke, but these were staying with her. The pain, the dread, the feeling of absolute, terrible power…

Struggling up onto an elbow she looked across at Lily. The half-succubus was asleep still. Normally she would wake when Ceri did, in the middle of the night anyway. Getting her out of bed in the morning was never easy, but when Ceri’s sleep was disturbed she normally… ‘Lily. Lily are you awake?’ There was no answer and Ceri reached out to touch a bare shoulder. Still no reaction.

Slipping from the bed, Ceri went to the bathroom. She ran water into the sink until it was ice cold and then splashed it into her face. The shock seemed to cut through the fug in her head for a second, but then it was back. She ran water into a glass and drank, her eyes falling on the mirror. For a fraction of a second she seemed to see someone else there; a woman with her face, but dressed in a black gown and wearing an iron crown… She shook her head and the image was gone; a remnant of her nightmare.

Nightmare. Something about nightmares. The paralysis on waking. Something… Why couldn’t she concentrate?

Lily was still asleep, despite the light in the bathroom and the moving around. It was not like her. What time was it? She found the clock beside the bed, the glowing numerals spelling out five minutes to six. Far too early. She should go back to bed, but she knew sleep was going to be impossible. And Lily was still sleeping. She would go back to the bathroom, brush her teeth, maybe take some painkillers since she could feel a fatigue headache settling in. Then… Well, there were notes and plans on the ley line to go over. She would do that until Lily woke up.

~~~

Ceri woke up with a start and the feeling that something was stalking her from the shadows. Except that there were no shadows. Light was streaming in through the curtains and Ceri had fallen asleep at the room’s little desk, leaving a vague impression of a nipple smeared over the screen of her tablet. That would need cleaning. The fatigue headache she had feared was coming on was in full effect, but at least she had not had more nightmares, and her brain-fog seemed to have diminished.

Turning in her chair she saw that Lily was still asleep, completely unmoving in the bed. Worried now, she went so far as to check for a pulse. It was there, strong and regular, but that still did not wake her. She tried shaking and Lily’s eyes snapped open, sparks or red in her eyes and a sudden wash of heat indicating that she was alarmed.

‘Damn,’ Lily said, ‘I had some weird dreams last night.’

‘You too?’

‘You were in a cage, and I couldn’t get to you. You looked frantic. And then I was chained to the bed. Not in a good way.’

‘I couldn’t wake you. I got up around six and you didn’t wake up, even with me walking around. I had to shake you awake. Almost like you’d been…’

‘Enspelled?’

‘Yeah. I had nightmares. Maybe your dreams were a reflection of that. You felt my discomfort, but you couldn’t wake up to help.’

‘You usually don’t get nightmares when I’m with you. Where’s your amulet?’

Ceri reached, unconsciously, for a chain around her neck which was not there. ‘I haven’t worn it since before we went to America. I wasn’t having the dreams and I’d got used to not wearing it again. It’s at home.’ She frowned. ‘One of the nightmares felt a little like those dreams. The other was just… well, Stonehenge with added terror.’

‘Added terror?’

‘It was me ordering my torture.’

‘Oh. There were others?’

‘One…’ Ceri faltered, but told Lily about the other dream as best she could remember it. She was afraid it might affect her ability to be Lily’s mistress and needed to explain why.

‘Head games,’ Lily said when she was finished. ‘Some subs get off on that kind of thing, though it sounds like the physical violence level was a little over what most of them would accept.’

‘Some, but not you?’

Lily shook her head. Reaching out, she put her hands over Ceri’s. ‘Look, whether we play it out all the time or not, I’m yours. I’ve given myself to you. You’re my mistress, I’m your devoted slave. I trust you with my life because I know you’d never do anything to hurt me. In a way I won’t like anyway. You don’t need head games to make me obey you. I don’t need them to make me feel like a sub.’ She smiled. ‘And it was a nightmare, that’s all.’

Ceri grimaced and slapped herself on the forehead. ‘I am so dumb this morning. It was a Nightmare. Damn it, Lil, it was a Nightmare.’

‘Yes, just a…’ Her eyes widened. ‘Oh, you mean a Nightmare nightmare.’

‘You in a deep sleep I couldn’t wake you from. The terror and paralysis when I woke up. The clarity of the dreams, and the feeling like my brain’s been sucked out. It was! The damn thing’s siphon energy out of your mind.’

Lily smiled. ‘Oh well, that’s good.’

‘How is it good, exactly?’

‘They bring out your worst fears. If you’re so afraid of becoming… that kind of person, then you’ll be watchful of it. The nasty little bugger did you a favour.’

Ceri grinned. ‘Trust you to come up with something good out of it.’ She sniffed. ‘We’ve got about an hour to get ready before the car is picking us up. Better get moving.’ Lifting off the bed, she started for the bathroom. ‘Mind you, if that bastard comes back tomorrow night I’m going to have him.’

~~~

The morning session was an incredibly boring run through of the project details at the Groningen end where the ley line would terminate about a mile outside the town where the generator was going to be built. Lily lay back in one of the big leather chairs around the conference table and closed her eyes. With the only light coming from a projector they were using to display diagrams, Ceri was finding it really hard to stay awake. It had little to do with what she was there for anyway.

Running on a thankfully inexhaustible supply of coffee and a couple of Danish pastries she had eaten before dashing out to the car, Ceri fell upon the lunch sandwiches like a harpy. She did not get Dutch breakfasts anyway. Who the Hell put chocolate on bread? Or had cheese slices for breakfast? There had been cooked food, but she had been in a hurry and the bacon looked like it had been cooked with a blowtorch.

She was on her third sandwich when a swarthy man with half a day’s growth of beard and long, tangled, greying-black hair appeared beside her and Lily. No taller than she was, he was heavy-set; lots of thick muscle on a compact frame. ‘You’re the two girls going into Hamburg?’ The accent was thick and more Germanic than Dutch. Ceri nodded. ‘I am Gunter Strauss. I will be guiding your team.’

Ceri looked at him, frowning. ‘I’ve never met a werewolf with a surname before.’

That got a raised eyebrow. ‘Most people do not notice unless I smile. You are mad, you know. The magic around the pit will kill you, or worse.’

‘We won’t be going into the centre,’ Ceri replied. ‘That’s not needed. Lily’s half-demon so she’s immune to wild magic and I’m… I’ve survived higher levels of magic than that.’

‘What about the men going in with you?’

‘There won’t be any.’

‘There are things in that region…’

‘Worse than demon-werewolves?’ Lily asked. ‘Or Dakag?’

Strauss’ eyes narrowed. ‘They said you were Ceridwyn Brent, yes?’

‘That’s me. This is Lily Carpenter.’

‘It was you who killed Remus.’

‘Technically his brother did that. I just finished the job.’

The werewolf nodded. ‘All right,’ he said, and then started off across the room toward where the Dutch and British project leaders were chatting.

‘That was… weird,’ Lily commented.

‘He is, kind of.’ It was Cheryl, appearing behind them as though she had been waiting for Strauss to leave. ‘He was the only guide they could find willing to take you past Bremen. Most of them think the whole idea is insane. And when he heard he would be taking two “bloody teenage civilians” he was going to back out. Freddy persuaded him to meet you first. That’s why you’re here.’

‘Think he’s going to do it now?’ Ceri asked.

‘Freddy’s looking relieved. I figured he would. He’s a werewolf, you’re the famous Ceridwyn Brent…’

‘Yeah. I think I could get tired of that.’

‘It’s useful at times. Don’t knock it.’ Cheryl sipped her coffee. ‘You were practically nodding off this morning, will you be okay to give your input this afternoon?’

‘I had a visit from a Nightmare last night.’

‘A Nightmare? In the hotel? It’s got wards…’

‘Apparently not good enough ones,’ Lily commented, munching on a sandwich. Twill would have been very sarcastic.

‘If he comes back tonight I’m going to catch the son-of-a-troll and someone can ask him how he got in,’ Ceri stated. ‘I’ll be fine. Bit of a lingering headache, but I’m fine. I’m more worried about going to visit Lia tonight.’

‘Why?’ Cheryl sounded genuinely surprised.

‘Because you might actually want to watch that movie.’

Cheryl’s smile was positively mean. ‘Now you’re really making me interested.’

~~~

‘Doctor Brent, if I may?’ The man speaking was the Dutch government’s scientific advisor on magic. He had been resolutely negative throughout the entire meeting.

‘Of course, Doctor Claes.’ Ceri gave him a smile, even if she thought he was a pillock.

‘The final stretch from Bremen seems rather long. Are you quite sure you can cover that distance with the line?’

‘The physical distance is essentially immaterial, especially in the final stretch. The higher magical field level over the latter stages make it far easier to create the tunnel anyway, but the tunnel is operating at a sub-membrane level, essentially bypassing physical reality. You can find the equations on…’

‘That is my basic point, Doctor,’ Claes broke in. He managed to make “Doctor” sound like an insult. ‘The equations are so complex that it is impossible to determine whether they will work as predicted or not.’

The man was making her headache worse. ‘Doctor Tennant understands them.’ Ceri noticed Lily looking her way and glanced at her. The half-succubus gave a little half-smile and then, briefly, dipped her eyes submissively. Claes was winding himself up for another speech; Ceri pulled herself up straight and got in first. ‘Essentially what you’re saying, Doctor, is that you don’t understand what we’re doing. Doctor Tennant, with no interaction on my part, vetted the mathematics. I’m quite sure if you put them in front of anyone conversant with advanced quantum thaumatology, they could do the same. You’re a busy man. Perhaps you’ve not had sufficient time to study them. They are very complex, as you said.’

She had insulted his intelligence, but given him an escape route. He took it. ‘Indeed. My schedule is disruptive to careful study. Unfortunately, we do not have time to put this in front of a thaumatology team, however I think we can consider Doctor Tennant’s analysis sufficient.’

Ceri nodded. ‘How close can we get to the actual bomb site before the field levels rise to dangerous levels?’

Claes leafed through his notes for a second. ‘It’s around twenty thaums two and a half miles from the city centre. You could probably get closer, but there can be pockets of higher levels.’

‘That’ll do. Lily and I can walk the rest of the way in from there. Mister Strauss, are you okay getting in that close?’

The werewolf nodded. ‘You get the odd strong areas out to about three miles, but I can smell them before we walk in. We should probably walk the last five miles, just in case.’

Ceri nodded, smiling. ‘That should be fine.’ She scanned the room, lifting her chin slightly. Lily thought a little Mistress would be good right now and Lily was a way better judge of people than she was. 'I‘m encouraged. We have all the details mapped out carefully, a good guide, good people manning the generator site. I look forward to a successful experiment.’

There was a rumble of agreement from the assembled technicians, scientists and politicians. Ceri caught Cheryl’s eye and her boss gave her a little nod. Good, she had apparently done well. Now she had to face the really difficult part of the day; her boss was going to watch the porn movie she had appeared in.

~~~

‘You’ve got a lot of warding for a normal,’ Ceri commented as they walked up the final flight of stairs to Lia’s flat. It was on the canal bank, a top floor loft conversion, quite modern looking, and very open. At first sight the whole upper floor seemed to be one big, open room. The steps led up from the “front door” on the floor below; it had looked like a cupboard door off one of the corridors. Ceri had seen protective runes around the door frame, and they were also all the way up the stairs and over all the windows.

‘You won’t find many people who are entirely normal in Europe, schatje,’ Lia replied, tossing her little denim jacket onto a coat hook beside the stairs. Ceri blinked at her and the Dutch girl grinned. ‘You know, I kind of figured you’d noticed, or Twill told you. I’ve a little fae in me.’

Frowning, Ceri blinked in her Sight and peered closely. There were none of the tell-tale signs; no thaumic reservoir, no emission of positive thaumitons. She shook her head. ‘I can’t tell at all.’

Lily nodded. ‘I can’t sense a hint of magic about you either.’

‘Pieter, my elder brother, got the magic.’ The bed, a huge four-posted thing, occupied the area between the stairs and the lounge. There were also some clothing racks fenced off from the rest of the room with white mesh curtains and Lia vanished behind the improvised screens. ‘Go sit down. I’ll sort out drinks in a minute.’

They wandered past the bed, the only sign that they were passing from one “room” to another being the change from fluffy carpet to carefully waxed floorboards. There were two very large, very comfortable looking, sofas arranged where they could be used for viewing a big, flat-screen TV. Near it were several racks featuring DVD cases and even video tapes. Lily wandered over to it and began looking at the titles.

Lia reappeared dressed in a short, white silk robe. ‘Get comfortable. If you want to strip off, Lily, be my guest. There’s a pervy old guy across the canal likes watching me through binoculars, but I don’t suppose you’ll mind.’ She sat down beside Cheryl and reached out to open a wooden box on a table beside the sofa. ‘My great-grandmother was fifteen around the end of the Shattering,’ she went on as she pulled out a lighter and a large cigarette, thicker at one end than the other. ‘A local beauty, according to my mother. Along came a Sidhe with an appetite and the next thing she knows she’s the unwed mother, of a half-fae daughter. Couple of generations later and me and my brother are a little bit fae. It’s not that uncommon.’ She lifted the blunt to her lips and then paused. ‘Uh… you guys don’t mind if I smoke, do you?’

‘Is that what I think it is?’ Cheryl asked.

‘Probably.’

‘Haven’t smoked since I was a student.’

Lia grinned and lit up, puffing a couple of times to get it started before blowing a cloud of white, sweet-smelling smoke into the air. ‘I’ll share. I grow it in the kitchen. Legally, we’re allowed to grow a couple of plants each for personal use.’ She sucked in a lungful of smoke, let it out again, and seemed to immediately relax. She passed the cigarette over to Cheryl.

The sound of a drive mechanism working drew Ceri’s attention to Lily. She was busy loading a DVD into the entertainment system. The screen was already flickering into life and soon the disc’s menu was loading. Ceri cringed slightly and sank back into the sofa. Lily kicked off her shoes, stripped off her jersey-dress, and sank into the space between Ceri and Cheryl before pointing the remote at the screen and pressing the button to kick off the movie. At least there was about an hour of other stuff on the disc before it got to her bit.

‘Oh wow,’ Cheryl said. ‘That’s… strong stuff. I’m used to resin. Was used to resin. Oh wow… He’s big.’ She was talking about Cruise, one of the male stars who had made it onto the final cut. One of them had, unfortunately, ended up dead and using the footage would have been bad taste.

‘Wait until you see Leon,’ Lily commented, accepting the blunt from Cheryl and taking a drag on it with a professional air which suggested it was definitely not her first time. Ceri felt a slight shift in Lily’s aura as the half-succubus closed her eyes with a sigh. ‘I shouldn’t smoke this stuff, it does funny things to me, but I doubt it’ll make much difference to the outcome of the evening.’ Ceri eyed her carefully, not sure this was such a great idea.

On screen, Cruise was busy with Lia having already got her out of her top and bra. As with most porn, the film was tailored more for men than women; minimising plot, they got to the sex pretty quickly.

Lily took another drag on the cigarette and held it out to Ceri. ‘Oh, no… I’ve never…’ Ceri began.

‘You’re tense,’ Lily said. ‘This’ll help. Just suck in the smoke. Try not to swallow. Not too much and breathe it out fairly quickly. It’s pretty strong so you don’t need much. You’ll be fine.’

Feeling like a complete idiot novice, Ceri gingerly took the cigarette, pursed it between her lips and pulled in air through it. The smoke felt rough on her throat and she breathed out quickly before she started coughing. She blinked. Suddenly her brain felt numb though she was vaguely aware it had crept up on her. She sank back into the sofa and handed the cigarette back to Lily, aware that her skin was tingling and not sure whether it was the drug or Lily’s aura, or both.

Lily grinned at her and handed the blunt back to Lia. ‘Much better,’ Lily said. ‘You can have another puff later.’

‘Yeah,’ Ceri replied wearing a soppy grin. ‘Sure.’

~~~

Lia stretched languorously and slipped off the bed. ‘I think we broke your boss.’ Cheryl was lying in the middle of the bed, twitching occasionally. Lia padded into the lounge and picked up the half of the fourth roll-up they had not yet smoked. Lighting it up, she took a drag on it and let the smoke out with a small sigh. ‘Ik moet toegeven, ze neukt als een professional.’

Ceri wandered over to the window facing the canal to breath in some fresh air. ‘Do I want to know what you just said?’ Across the water she caught a flash of light from a pair of binoculars and decided to ignore it.

Lia giggled. ‘Cheryl is surprisingly good in bed, for someone a little older than us.’

Lily joined in the giggling as she took the blunt from Lia. ‘I think it’s a good job she’s too far gone to realise what you’re saying.’

‘She was telling me that she had to hold herself back while she was climbing the academic ladder,’ Ceri said. ‘She’s been letting go a lot more since…’ She broke off and wandered over to take a drag on the cigarette; the guy across the canal was probably very disappointed.

‘Since what?’ Lia asked.

Ceri blew out smoke and felt the now familiar buzz settle in. ‘We got hammered in a tent on Salisbury Plain and ended up in bed together.’

‘Ah. If you want, you guys can stay here tonight.’

‘I think Cheryl better stay. Just make sure she gets to the station in good time tomorrow.’ Ceri took another short drag and handed on to Lia. ‘I want to see if I can catch a Nightmare tonight.’

‘A real one?!’ Lia sounded surprised. ‘In the city? Godverdomme, this place is going downhill.’

‘It got into the hotel somehow,’ Lily explained. She sounded a little disappointed.

‘Huh, you’d think they had better wards.’

‘I thought about that,’ Ceri said. ‘You’re right, they’re wards should be up to stopping a Nightmare. I think it’s been there since they built the place. It can’t get out. On the other hand, lots of people in a hotel, drunk or just figuring they’re sleeping badly on a strange bed.’

‘Good point. The perfect place for one really.’ Lia took a drag on her smoke and handed it to Lily. ‘You going now or can we have another doobie and some dessert?’

‘Dessert?’ Ceri asked.

Lia dropped to her knees in front of Ceri. ‘Smoking weed always gives me the munchies.’

April 10th

Ceri felt the alarm spell shiver in her mind, dragging her out of a doze. She had not managed to actually sleep, but the after effects of Lia’s drugs had made her drowsy enough to feel quite relaxed about waiting for a malignant spirit creature to attack her.

Sitting up quickly, her Sight cutting in, she saw the thing immediately. Not in the visible spectrum because it had not materialised, but it was there, sitting at the foot of the bed, little more than a humanoid distortion in the magic field. She saw its “face” shift, forming something like a grimace of annoyance. It turned away, probably going to look for easier prey.

Ceri drew in her power, forming the spell she wanted. ‘Not so fast you little freak,’ she muttered, and the Nightmare stopped, turning to look at her. There was a second of indecision, and it gave Ceri just enough time to complete the spell. ‘Arhoswch, yr wyf yn eu gorchymyn i chwi.’ The spirit froze and Ceri let out a little gasp at the amount of sheer power it took to control it. It sat there on the carpet, more distinct now and obviously annoyed.

Lily was sitting up in bed now, unable to see the creature, but sensing it. ‘You got it?’

‘Yeah. Can you get me a bottle or something from the bathroom? Anything with a lid and a good seal.’

Lily slipped quickly out of bed and rushed into the bathroom while the Nightmare hissed and gibbered at Ceri. They had no real language of their own, as far as she recalled. They were not even that bright, but they did have considerable strength of will. Ceri watched it, mostly concentrating on the glowing lights which were its eyes. She might have told it to materialise, but she wanted it immaterial and anyway they were supposed to be ugly creatures at best.

‘This do?’ Lily asked, returning with a glass jar with a rubber seal on the lid. The scent of lavender bath salts filled the room.

‘That’s fine.’ Taking the jar, Ceri placed it down beside the Nightmare and stood back. ‘In there,’ she commanded firmly. The spirit chittered, but obeyed, and Ceri pushed the top on. She still had maybe fifteen seconds before the command spell would need renewing. Summoning more power, she sealed the jar with a spell she had last used to trap an angel. ‘There we go, bottled Nightmare, just add water.’

Lily grinned at her. ‘What do we do with it now?’

‘Put some clothes on. Take it down to reception. The local cops should have a more permanent containment vessel they can put it in.’

Lily’s nose wrinkled. ‘Do you think Cheryl and Lia have gone to sleep yet? This place stinks of bath salts.’

‘It’s three in the morning, Lil.’

‘Yeah, but it is Lia…’

Ceri giggled as she pulled her jeans on. ‘I guess I could distance view it to see if the lights are still on.’

Lily beamed. ‘We can always sleep on the boat.’

Part Three: A Soldier’s Life

Kennington, London, April 15th, 2012

Lying between Lily and Michael, Ceri had even less reason to move than normal on a Sunday morning. By mid-afternoon she would be on Salisbury Plain again, this time with an SAS survival specialist and Lily, learning to do stuff that Michael had already taught her. Unfortunately it was going to mean missing out on Tuesday night at Demi-monde, and Wednesday night with the pack, and it was Michael’s birthday on Tuesday… but various government agencies would not let them do the final walk into Hamburg unless they did the course. They had both promised to at least make it up to Michael.

Remaining quite still, Ceri revelled in the warmth. Lily was hotter in more than one way than the average human; the reaction which fuelled her demonic powers also kept her body temperature higher than human norms. Michael was a comfortable, furry mass in front of her. The analogy with a childhood teddy bear had not actually escaped Ceri, though if she had got up to the things she did with Michael with a stuffed toy her parents might well have sent her to a psychiatrist. At the very least they would have confiscated the bear.

Then Twill flew in, looking apologetic. ‘You did say you wanted lunch before you left,’ the fairy said, ‘and I assume you want a shower since you won’t get another until Wednesday.’

‘Yeah,’ Ceri said, shifting enough to wake Lily. Michael’s head turned as well. ‘Time to get up. Some of us have a long day ahead of us and I’d like it to start well.’

Michael shifted his shape as he rolled out of bed. ‘In that case, let’s hit the shower. I’m sure we can kick things off with a bang.’

Twill floated off and started for the door. ‘Just leave the shower intact, please.’

Salisbury Plain

An army Land Rover dropped Ceri and Lily off in what they could only describe as “the middle of nowhere.” The middle of nowhere featured short grass, longer grass in random clumps, some mud, and a man in camouflaged fatigues who did not exactly look pleased to see them. Ceri had more or less expected that, however, and went for being bright and breezy.

‘I assume you’re the instructor? I’m Ceri Brent, this is Lily Carpenter. You’re expecting us, right?’

‘Nolan,’ he replied, his pale blue eyes scanning over them. He was Ceri’s height, but stocky. His fatigues disguised a lot of his frame, but he had bulky thighs and shoulders suggesting close combat training; he was built like a shorter version of Ceri’s staff fighting instructor, Ray. There was no sign of hair poking out from under his sand-coloured beret, which bore the regimental insignia Ceri had been expecting; the winged dagger with “Who Dares Wins” embroidered over it. Nolan had a broad nose, which Ceri was a little surprised to see looked straight, and wide cheek and jaw bones which gave a flat sort of look to his face. His hands were huge. Ending her examination he looked up. ‘You can call me “Sergeant”. Follow me.’

A couple of hundred yards from the track they had been dropped off on was a small camp with four other men in fatigues sitting around a small fire. The day was overcast and the wind cold; Ceri recalled that there usually seemed to be a chilly wind up on the plains. Lily brightened at the sight of four well-built young men, and they all seemed both surprised and pleased at the new additions. It was not hard to guess why.

Ceri had come dressed in jeans, T-shirt, and a padded, wind-proof jacket, but she was obviously female and they likely were not expecting that. Lily was in a gypsy-style outfit with a low cut bodice and a wide, layered skirt. The men were probably too busy looking at her chest to consider the pair of daggers at her hips or the steel bracers on her forearms. Neither girl seemed to be carrying much. They had packed essentials; bedrolls, wet-wipes, and Ceri had a plastic bottle of salt and her staff. They figured that Nolan would be adding to the load and they were not used to lugging around the huge packs the soldiers carried. Ceri had one other advantage, the studded leather collar around her throat.

‘All right,’ Nolan said, ‘I’ve been detailed with giving you people basic survival instruction for Europe west of the Rift. We’ll be covering some hunting, trapping, threat assessment, identification of health hazards, awareness of the environment…’ His gaze turned slowly upon Ceri and Lily. ‘…proper dress for a variety of conditions, setting up camp. I’m honestly not sure what I’m going to do with you two. Didn’t you check the weather conditions before you dressed?’

‘Rain overnight,’ Ceri replied, ‘temperatures down to three degrees. Temperatures should climb tomorrow reaching a high of fifteen Celsius with clear skies and falling, south-westerly winds. I hope you’ll all be all right.’

Nolan looked at her, his expression flat. ‘We’ve got ten miles to cover to the first camp site. Let’s get moving. Douse the fire before we leave.’

~~~

‘Brent, which way’s north?’

They had been marching for almost an hour and a half and had to be almost to where they were going if Nolan’s estimate had been correct. He had said little to the little group the entire time, just watching how they were progressing. The pace he had set was fairly punishing, over rough ground, and it was starting to tell on the men. Ceri and Lily, with much lighter packs, were not doing as badly, but Ceri was impressed that the men were managing as well as they were.

Pointing to their left, Ceri said, ‘That way.’

Nolan’s eyes narrowed. ‘How do you know?’

‘Magical North is about three degrees off True North. Which is that way.’ She glanced at him; he was frowning now. ‘They didn’t tell you I was a practitioner?’

He did not reply, which probably meant they had and he had assumed that meant she would be soft and fairly useless. He had likely had a briefing on Lily too. What he had made of that would be interesting to discover.

‘We’re camping beside the trees there,’ Nolan said pointing at a copse of scruffy, spring-leafed trunks ahead of them. ‘Not under them, beside them. The trunks will break the wind, but it’s going to be pretty strong tonight and we don’t want branches landing on us, do we?’ It was the first piece of actual advice he had given.

They had no tents. The soldiers had heavy, waterproof ponchos which could be used to keep the weather off their sleeping bags. The sky was threatening rain at any moment and Nolan watched, bemused, as Ceri marked a very rough circle around the blankets she and Lily had put down in the short, scrubby grass.

Shaking his head, he turned to the soldiers. ‘Higgs, Potts, you’ll come with me. We’ll set some traps for rabbits. The rest of you get some dry wood for the fire.’

There was not much in the way of dry wood about, but it was better deeper into the trees. Looking around for it, Ceri could also tell that they were not going to get much in the way of rabbits from their traps. She figured Nolan knew it too, but was more intent on teaching the men to build traps. Werewolves did not build traps; they had a number of natural talents which made them rather less useful than for humans. As Lily wandered over with a bundle of sticks, Ceri handed her the bundle she had collected and started to undress.

‘What are you doing?’ Lily asked.

‘Going hunting. Take the wood back and get their fire started for them. I’ll be back in a little while.’

‘Nolan will freak.’

‘Nolan is supposed to evaluate us on our survival skills. I’m going to show him my survival skills.’

Lily shrugged. ‘He doesn’t strike me as someone with a sense of humour.’

Ceri reached for her collar, there was the familiar tingle in her skin, and then she was looking at Lily through eyes which saw muted colours. Back soon, she growled and ran off toward the edge of the trees.

The wind was carrying scent from the north. She could sense grass, the rain hanging in the air, and rabbits. There was a warren perhaps three hundred yards away on the north side of the little patch of trees. Ceri had chased a lot of rabbits in her time; Michael had made a game of it and she had known that he was training her to hunt, but he had never actually pushed her to kill any of them. She was still pretty confident that she could do it, though being hungry would have made it easier.

She spotted four of them out in the open, totally unaware of the fate which was about to befall them. They were all males, from the scent, which made her a little happier; she did not like the thought of leaving any babies motherless. Keeping close to the ground, she was almost on them before she broke into a dash. Two heads went up, one of them actually bolted clear, but two clawed hands and a mouth full of sharp teeth had the other three before they could move. The one in her jaws died instantly, but the others struggled for a second until she slit their throats with her claws. Dropping the one from her mouth into her hand, Ceri growled a soft apology and then loped back into the trees.

Nolan was calmly berating Lily for allowing Ceri to go off on her own as Ceri walked out of the woods holding her prizes. Lily was looking back at him with an equally calm expression. Ceri heard, ‘I really don’t think there’s much on Salisbury Plain to worry a werewolf,’ as she walked up to the camp and dumped three dead bunnies onto the grass beside the fire.

‘Do you want me to dress them as well as catch them?’ Ceri asked. She pulled a plastic box of wet-wipes from her pack and started cleaning the blood from her hands.

‘Where did you learn to hunt?’ Nolan asked.

‘Battersea Park, with the pack there. They live out in the open all year. They’re not really big on predating the local rabbits, but chasing them is a good game. I think the Battersea ones are more of a challenge, actually. You wouldn’t think rabbits would learn to dodge werewolves, but they’ve probably been doing it for generations. There’s no pack claiming the Plain.’

‘And you can turn into a werewolf?’

Ceri nodded. ‘A gift from a friend. Do you know what happened at Stonehenge a couple of winters ago?’

‘I read a briefing paper.’ Probably because he was going to be training her, Ceri figured.

‘My reward for that was this collar. It lets me change. I usually spend two nights a week in fur, learning to be a good werewolf. I’ll never be as good as the real ones, but I’m good enough that I was made a pack Guard.’

Nolan sucked on his teeth. ‘And you, Miss Carpenter? Do you secretly know more about making your way in the wild than this lot put together?’

‘Oh I doubt it. I lived rough on the streets for a few weeks when I was fifteen and Ceri’s taught me a few things, but I’m no expert. I’m better at urban survival.’

Nodding, the SAS sergeant turned on his heel. ‘Gentlemen! I suspect Doctor Brent is well capable of skinning a rabbit. Possibly using her teeth, so I’ll just have to get you up to speed, and we have three fine specimens here for you to learn on. Let’s get started.’

~~~

The rain held off until it had been dark for about two hours and they had dined on rabbit stew which, Ceri had to admit, was not too bad.

The reason for the ring of salt became apparent as Ceri raised a weather-proof shield around Lily and herself. Even Nolan looked a little envious as the two girls climbed under their blankets, out of the wind and rain, but he did acknowledge that if Ceri could do it then it was a valid survival technique and he could not fault it. Instead he concentrated on making sure the soldiers were keeping themselves dry. Ceri decided not to mention that she also had the advantage of a “hot water Lily” to keep the chill off; that would have just been rubbing salt in the wound.

The fire was standing up to the rain at least. Lily had, rather proudly, told Ceri that she had used a spell to light it. Her magic was nowhere near as powerful as Ceri’s and she delighted in her little victories.

‘You two really took on a bunch of mercenaries and a horde of demons?’ Nolan asked, his voice quiet. He was wrapped in his sleeping bag and poncho, his boots tucked away in his backpack. He looked a lot more snug and happy than the other men.

‘We had help,’ Ceri replied.

‘But Ceri did most of the heavy lifting,’ Lily added. ‘I went in with the wolves at the end. By then the mercs were dead. It was just the wizards Remus had been working with to deal with.’

‘I’ll be honest. The report read like a fantasy story. I didn’t entirely believe it.’

Ceri smiled across at him. ‘It felt more like a horror movie. I’ve never read the reports they did, so I don’t know what they wrote down. We were told not to talk about it and the werewolves would rather forget the whole thing happened.’

‘You must have been involved in a few actions you can’t talk about too, Sergeant?’ Lily said.

‘A few. Extraction ops mostly. We’re there for things the regular Army isn’t equipped to handle. Almost all of us are specialists in one field or another. We were sent in to recon that village that was overtaken by angels a few months ago. My briefing said you were involved with that too.’

‘We work with the Greycoats,’ Ceri said. ‘We were called in to help with the murders.’

Nolan looked across at her. He knew far more than he was saying, probably everything the British government knew about the business in America. ‘I’m just glad we won’t have to deal with that again,’ he said. Yeah, he knew Gadriel had been destroyed.

‘What are you boys doing on this little excursion?’ Ceri asked, changing the subject.

‘We’re going to be stationed at one of the monitoring posts near the German Rift.’ It was Higgs who answered. Brash, no more than nineteen, good looking with close-cropped, blonde hair, he was the most confident and vocal of the four. When Lily had taken her skirt off to climb into the blankets he had done nothing to hide the fact he was looking. ‘This course is mandatory for everyone going out there, even if we may never use it.’

‘We have monitoring posts out there?’ Lily asked.

‘Ever since the sixties,’ Nolan answered. ‘We were best equipped to set them up. It used to be a far nastier experience than now, but it’s still not a particularly safe place to be. And you two are planning to walk right into Hamburg?’

‘I’m half demon,’ Lily explained. ‘The magic doesn’t affect me like it does a human. Ceri’s just far too awesome to let it touch her.’

‘I’ve survived exposure to levels higher than anything outside the actual pit. I’m a freak of nature.’ Which was true. Not that Ceri was going to explain why she was immune to wild magic. Knowledge of her dragon-enhanced genome was not something she was anxious to have spread around and far too many people had had to be told already.

‘That close in it starts getting weird,’ Nolan said. ‘One of our specialists explained it once, but it makes sense anyway. Long term exposure to a lot of magic has left some of the animals a bit… warped. You get rats the size of dogs, big spiders. The spiders can’t leave the higher magic band near the Rift, but the rats can, and they hunt in packs. There’s weirder stuff close in. Animated plants that prey on the rats, or bigger prey if they can get it. Things that are half spirit. There’s some sort of cat evolved out there. About the size of a leopard, but it’s invisible while stalking. Close in you get the really freaky mutants. One of the soldiers I worked with said he had seen a giant, three-headed dog out there, prowling around the lip of the Berlin Pit.’

‘It sounds like the perfect holiday location,’ Ceri said wryly.

Nolan actually chuckled; maybe he was human. ‘Let’s get some sleep. We’ll be moving again at first light.’

Ceri settled the blanket over herself and snuggled up against Lily. The fresh air was making her sleepy, sex was out of the question, they might as well get some sleep. Lily’s lips touched her neck lightly and then they settled down. It was not long before they were both unconscious.

April 16th

The clouds had parted before dawn and the wind was, indeed, dropping to little more than a light breeze by the time they started marching across the grassland toward their next destination. As the sun got higher in the sky and the temperature rose, the soldiers really started to suffer.

‘Continental temperatures at this time of year are noticeably higher than here,’ Nolan told them. ‘It gets even worse in the summer. Make sure you keep hydrated, don’t overdo it. Make sure you’re aware of your water and don’t use it up too quickly. If we’re getting short we’ll need to practice conservation, and probably stop more for you guys to piss.’

Lily just smiled and kept walking. Ceri could feel her contentment over their link. In fact, given the chance, the half-succubus would have been stripping off to get more skin exposed to the sunlight. Ceri was not quite so comfortable, but at least she was not lugging around the huge packs the men had.

They were, at least, learning something. Not so much from the actual survival pointers Nolan was giving the troops, but from the additional things he said about the territory east of Bremen and south along the German Rift. The wildlife had been affected by long-term exposure to high level magic fields, but so had the land itself.

‘You can’t always trust your eyes,’ Nolan said. ‘You see a forest just ahead of you, but no matter how long you keep walking toward it, you never get there. The same can happen with water. Rivers aren’t usually affected, but lakes and ponds can shift about. Not that it’s safe to drink from still water out there. Moving water follows the usual rules. Boil everything. Still water… Don’t even touch still water.’

‘The big cats are invisible to normal sight, but they still give off body heat. If you’re in a team, make sure someone is always using an infra-red vision set. If you’re on your own… well, don’t be, but if you have no choice then watch for moving undergrowth and keep your ears open. They won’t normally attack a healthy human, but if you’re hurt, you’re fair game.’

They stopped just after midday to set up a small burner and brew terrible coffee, and to eat dried fruit bars which were designed primarily to give them the energy to go on in the afternoon. It seemed obvious to Ceri that Nolan was watching them all, assessing everything they did, evaluating how they were handling the stresses of the situation.

For an hour or so they went over field first aid; the dressing of wounds, making splints. Ceri and Lily went through the exercises, knowing that they would never use what they were learning. Ceri’s idea of first aid had come from Alexandra who had shown her all the healing magic she knew. Then Ceri had built on it.

Then there was more tramping until they reached the peak of one of the rolling hills close to sunset. ‘All right, we’ll be camping here tonight,’ Nolan said. ‘Anyone got any preferences for where we set up camp.’

‘That mound looks good,’ Higgs said, pointing at a circular rise in the ground a hundred yards away. ‘I can see some white through the grass, probably chalk. It’ll have good drainage. Should be drier than the surrounding ground.’

Nolan nodded. ‘That’s good thinking, Corporal Higgs. Doctor Brent, your thoughts?’

‘Anywhere but that mound,’ Ceri replied.

‘I can feel it from here,’ Lily agreed, nodding.

‘The magic field up there is close to a thaum, I think,’ Ceri went on. Her Sight showed her the swelling of power as an increased density in the lines of force around the mound. ‘Nothing horribly dangerous, but it’s a tumulus with a high magic field… I wouldn’t light a fire on it. You’ve no idea what you might attract.’

‘And the same is true with added blood, gore, and nightmares near the Rift, gentlemen,’ Nolan said. He was smirking at Ceri and Lily, his back to the soldiers. He turned to continue. ‘You don’t have the advantages these two have, but be very wary of strange mounds, areas where the grass seems to be unusually lush, especially when it grows in a ring. Rings of toadstools are practically asking to drag you into the Otherworld to be a plaything for fae for a century. Up here the worst you’re likely to get is some spirits you don’t want to meet, but they can mess with your sleep. Try to avoid them.’ He started taking off his pack. ‘We’ll camp right here, it’s as good as anywhere.’

There was no wood for a fire so they used one of the butane stoves to cook up some slabs of compressed rations. ‘They’re nutritious,’ Higgs said as he stirred the pot. ‘All the vitamins, minerals, and protein a growing body needs. Unfortunately, they taste like boiled leather.’

Lily giggled and looked around at Ceri. ‘Didn’t Twill teach you something for seasoning food?’

Taking a little of the soupy fluid out of the pan, Ceri tasted it, grimaced, and said, ‘Yeah, I think I can improve it a little. Don’t expect wonders.’

It turned out to be edible, even tasty, but certainly not wonderful. It was still a big hit with the soldiers, even Nolan. They followed it up with more of the deplorable coffee they had had at lunchtime.

‘So, why are you two walking into one of the hottest places on the planet anyway?’ Higgs asked as they drank.

‘Science,’ Ceri said. ‘We’re doing a science experiment, basically. Building an artificial ley line from Hamburg to a town in Holland. The idea is to generate electricity. It’s a prototype, but it’ll probably run the town, for free.’

‘You’re scientists?’

‘She’s the scientist,’ Lily replied. ‘I’m a waitress.’

‘We need to plant the last of the ley line posts fairly close to the Pit for maximum effect,’ Ceri explained, ‘and I’m not stupid enough to go in there solo. I’m also not going to risk taking troops in that close. It’s not safe.’

‘We won’t come out blue, or shaped like a frog,’ Lily added.

‘The magic up there can really do that?’ Hough did not speak much. He was probably the most nervous of the group and had got very quiet whenever Nolan was talking about the weirder dangers of the Rift border area.

‘Just the really intense patches,’ Ceri replied. ‘It gets called Wild Magic, but it’s basically areas where the field is unusually intense. Probability gets a little screwed. You probably won’t get turned into a frog, but a chimpanzee is possible.’

‘Or you can just get dead,’ Nolan said. ‘You boys should never have to go anywhere like that, but it’s wise to learn the signs just in case of random bursts.’

‘Odd distortions in the air or the light,’ Lily said. ‘If you start feeling disoriented suddenly, turn on the spot and walk out the way you came. Strange plants or animals, spirits becoming visible, those are good signs too.’

‘You’ll be issued with thaumometers,’ Nolan said. ‘They’re basic, designed to give warnings at various levels. You’ll get specific training on site. Basically, when the most urgent alarm goes off, you’re in trouble.’ He raised his tin mug toward Lily. ‘However, if you stay sharp, keep your eyes open, and look for the kinds of things Miss Carpenter mentioned, you should never have to hear that alarm.’

Lily smiled at the sergeant, and Ceri smiled at Lily. Lily being smart was one of Ceri’s turn-ons. It was a shame they were stuck in a field.

April 17th

There was the barest hint of light in the sky and Ceri was unsure at first why she had woken up. The air was cold and she huddled a little closer to Lily under the blankets. Then she saw them.

Looking like flickers of light at first glance, the shapes on the mound could only really have been one thing and Ceri was really glad they had not decided to spend the night up there. She counted more than a dozen fairies dancing around in the dawn light. They had to be fairies; they were flying, brightly coloured, and very small. The only other possibility she knew of was sprites, and a hundred yards of open field would probably not have deterred the fairies’ cousins from flying over to play pranks.

As it was, one of the tiny creatures flitted across the grass to the small camp, hovering a few yards away to check out the group before flying up to a spot a few inches outside Ceri’s ring of salt. This one was male, maybe a quarter inch taller than Twill, and naked, of course. His wings were a deep red colour and he watched Ceri watching him, apparently unconcerned that she knew he was there.

‘We mean no harm,’ Ceri said softly. ‘We’ll be leaving in an hour or so. I’m Ceridwyn Brent.’

‘Thorn Merry Whitebow,’ the fairy replied. ‘It was wise to avoid the mound, but we expected no less from you, Ceridwyn Brent.’ Ceri had to stop herself frowning; did every supernatural creature in the world know who she was? ‘Stay as long as you like, but keep the humans away from the circle.’

Ceri nodded. ‘They’re being taught to avoid places like that. They’ll stay clear.’

Thorn nodded, more of a bow really. ‘Blessings be on you, sorceress.’ Then he was gone, vanished into a globe of blue-white light and zipping back to his friends. A few minutes later they were all gone, back to wherever it was they had come from, and Ceri drifted back to sleep.

~~~

There was one moment where Ceri wondered exactly how long Higgs was going to survive in Germany. She looked up just in time to see him wandering toward the mound with the air of someone who was not going to stop at the edge. She was about to say something when Nolan’s voice boomed out at a level she was quite surprised he could actually achieve; he always seemed so quiet.

‘Corporal Higgs! Do you have a death wish?’ The soldier froze in mid-stride less than a yard from the edge of the mound. ‘We’ll be setting a watch tonight and guess who just pulled first shift?’

Higgs slumped and turned back toward the camp to finish packing his kit. ‘You said there probably wasn’t any danger up there,’ he muttered as he got close to Ceri.

Nolan had very good hearing. ‘And then we had a little visit from the fairies around dawn. They only paid attention to Doctor Brent and Miss Carpenter, but they paid attention. We’ll be posting a watch tonight just in case any of them decide to pay us another visit.’

‘Fairies don’t normally do that,’ Ceri said as she slung her pack onto her back.

Nolan nodded. ‘True, but you get less fairies and more sprites on the continent, and it’ll be good practice. I assume you two are up to standing a watch?’

‘Lily needs about half as much sleep as a normal human. I used to get a lot of nightmares and I trained myself to need less sleep.’

Nolan smirked slightly. ‘This is the same woman who grumbles when we have to get up at dawn?’

‘She needs less sleep,’ Ceri replied.

‘I’m really not a morning person,’ Lily added, grinning.

April 18th

Despite doing an early watch, Lily had got out of bed when Ceri was called for the pre-dawn shift, demonstrating, if nothing else did, that she needed relatively little sleep. Nolan was officially on watch with Ceri and he sat with them on their bedroll because it was warmer out of the light breeze and he was not an idiot.

‘Have you ever been into the Hamburg area?’ Ceri asked. They were keeping their voices low for those sleeping, but they were making conversation. Nolan seemed to have warmed to his civilian students, at least a little; probably because they had both complained less than anyone.

‘Once.’

‘What was it like?’

The soldier was silent for a second, apparently considering his answer. ‘There’s not much left of the city. The bomb demolished most of it, but you can still see the ghosts of buildings. Foundations mostly, some remnants of walls. A lot of it’s overgrown now. It’s almost seventy years since it happened, even the Pit is starting to look weathered and nature’s crawling back in.’ He stopped again, seeming reluctant to speak about it, and Ceri was about to change the subject when he continued. ‘One of my unit was a sensitive and he said the place was full of ghosts. Thousands of them. Like everyone who died that day was trapped in this world. You see the odd skeleton. I don’t think there were animals getting in to disturb the bodies for decades. Your eyes start to play tricks. You see… things out the corner of your eye, even if you can’t normally see ghosts. We eventually had to sedate our guy and carry him out. You’re walking into Hell, kid.’

‘Wouldn’t be the first time,’ Lily said.

‘We’ve never actually walked into a high field area on purpose, love,’ Ceri objected.

‘Oh no, last time we walked into a null-magic zone with a top secret, high security, heavily fortified base in it pretending to be soldiers to stop an angel blowing a hole in America. It’s not the same thing at all.’

Nolan chuckled softly while Ceri’s jaw moved up and down a few times before she came up with, ‘Exactly, they don’t even sound like the same thing.’ It was a bit lame, but it was the best she could come up with.

‘Let’s not forget leaving me in a field while you walked into the camp of an ancient ghost, surrounded by demon-werewolves and gun-happy mercenaries.’

‘Well, yes, but…’

‘And we went off to confront Barnes in that house, which was guarded by a demon, with no backup because you didn’t want anyone else hurt.’

‘Well that was barely dangerous…’

‘Walking out of the house to confront an Archangel because you were fed up of him?’

‘Okay!’ Ceri hissed. ‘Maybe we have walked into dangerous situations before.’

Nodding, Lily leaned toward Nolan conspiratorially. ‘Technically, we drove onto the army base, so we drive into danger as well as walking.’

Nolan chuckled some more, picking up his mug of coffee and grimacing when he discovered it was cold. Ceri reached out a hand, light flickering around her fingers, and steam started to rise from the liquid; it was sufficiently bad that reheating it could not make it worse. ‘Thanks,’ Nolan said. ‘I think you two will probably be fine as long as you keep your wits about you. Try to keep your escorts safe as well and they’ll do the same for you.’

‘That’s the plan,’ Ceri said. ‘We go in, do what we need to do, and leave. Everyone comes home safe and sound.’

The SAS man nodded. ‘It sounds good. Just remember, no plan ever survives contact with the real world.’

Part Four: A Nice Country Drive

Germany, just west of Bremen, May 16th, 2012

Standing in the hatch of the armoured vehicle, wearing what felt like a huge helmet, Ceri watched the German landscape rolling past at a fair rate. The crew had decided that having her keep watch was practical for a couple of good, solid reasons. The official one was that her Sight gave her a considerable advantage in spotting certain varieties of trouble which they could not. The other was that, while Ceri was a lot better in a moving vehicle than she had been, half a day cooped up in the sealed confines of the armoured car on bumpy, unmaintained roads had had her ready to tear through the armour with her fingernails.

Down below were the crew and Lily. Lily seemed perfectly happy cooped up in the armoured bucket with four soldiers. Who would have guessed?

The leader of the little group was Sergeant Taylor. Late twenties, married with one daughter, moderately good looking with a very solid jaw and a military haircut which had to be exactly a millimetre inside regulation length. He looked like his body was composed of solid bone and muscle. If there was an ounce of fat in there, it was hiding really well. Career military to the core, he had a ready grin, but he was all seriousness when on the job.

The driver was Corporal Shaw, thinner, but obviously very fit and with quite remarkable reflexes for a normal. At least he was remarkably good at avoiding potholes when there was any space between the potholes. Shaw had something of a pronounced overbite and was a little shy around women, probably because of it. Lily had told him she thought he had gorgeous eyes, which Ceri had to admit he did; they were a very pretty blue and went nicely with slightly Nordic features and very blonde hair. Shaw had gone the colour of beetroot.

Corporal Trevor was the other girl. A real hardbody, she had more muscle than Taylor, though it was slightly leaner and she still managed a feminine shape, despite having breasts which probably did not make it to A-cup. Her skin was a dusky colour, and her features suggested some southern European heritage, and she was quite attractive for a woman who seemed determined to be better than the men around her at being male. She also had something of an obsessive habit of cleaning her assault rifle.

The last of the team was Corporal Watts, the technician. His main job was radio operator, but he was also responsible for ensuring that they got to the correct points to deliver the ley line posts and he was a minor practitioner, specialising in wizardry with a strong line in technology spells. He wore glasses with thick rims and had mentioned that his grandfather had come over to Britain from Barbados just after the Shattering. He was moderately nice to look at in a nerdy sort of way. Ceri had seen him with his shirt off and he had shoulders a bull would have been proud of, but he was quiet and liked to read when he was not busy with some piece of equipment.

The army people had tried to get Ceri and Lily into combat fatigues and neither had been having it. Ceri had been rather amused watching Lily demonstrate on Taylor exactly why she preferred her skirt and bodice outfit over what she considered restrictive fatigues. Ceri had said that if she needed to be concealed, she could be invisible, but she was wearing the helmet and a flak jacket to be sitting in the hatch on the roof.

In front of her, mounted on a gimbal which gave it all-round movement was the vehicle’s armament. It was a heavy machine gun of some sort, though Ceri was not sure how you used it or exactly what it was. That was not her problem; she was watching the magic field on the road ahead, just in case. The vehicle was called an Archmage; an eight-wheel, heavy-duty, armoured vehicle with layered armour. Two, one-inch layers of steel plate were separated by a layer of silver-iron mesh set into a solid polymer. It provided protection against anything up to anti-tank weapons and fairly strong magic, directed or undirected. Even with her head and shoulders sticking out the top, Ceri felt safe inside the thing, which was good because the country they were driving through did not inspire that much confidence.

Most of western Germany was essentially feudal. Small villages survived on farming, selling excess when they had it to the lands to the west. They had passed a number of them on the way through and had been watched the whole time by people cowering behind stockades which encircled the buildings. As they had travelled east the reason for the suspicion had become clearer when they started passing cars and trucks, and even carriages, burned out at the side of the road. Not huge numbers, but enough to suggest that there were bandits operating in the region.

‘Hey Watts,’ Ceri said into the microphone in front of her mouth, ‘how much further to Bremen?’

There was a short pause, probably while he consulted his navigation console. ‘We’ve got a choice. It’s coming up on about ten miles off. You can probably see it at about ten o’clock. We can take the road here further south and then swing around. That’ll be a bit smoother, but it’ll take twice as long.’

Ceri turned her head a little to the left and, sure enough, the remains of the city of Bremen were visible. There seemed to be little of it left. No tall buildings at all, though there seemed some evidence of a wall. A little research before they had left had suggested that the area had been a city-state prior to being absorbed into Germany; perhaps it had reverted to type. She knew the British monitoring post there had little to do with the town.

Taylor’s voice came over the headphones in the helmet. ‘You all right with a little cross country travel, Doctor Brent? I don’t know about you, but I’d like to get there as fast as possible.’

‘With you on that, Sergeant.’

‘Shaw? You see the route?’ Taylor asked.

‘I got it, Sarge,’ Shaw’s Geordie accent. ‘Quarter of a mile ahead. Adjusted route plotted.’

The road remained patchily tarmacked for around half a mile and then the surface decayed into dirt. The suspension on the Archmage coped fine, however, and Ceri noted that it was actually a little smoother than hitting the heavy ruts in the main road. That lasted for two miles until Ceri spotted something on the road ahead.

‘You seeing this, Shaw?’ Ceri asked.

‘Looks like a fallen tree, Sarge.’

Taylor’s voice was almost immediate. ‘Slow it down, Corporal. Can we take it off road?’

‘Yes, Sir.’ The vehicle began to turn, heading off into the field on the right and that was when Ceri spotted the figures lifting up from behind cover at the sides of the road,

‘Trouble,’ she said into the microphone.

‘I see them,’ Taylor said. ‘Get your head down before they try something.’

Ceri could already see men raising bows, but what worried her was one of them picking up what looked like some sort of grenade launcher. She was not sure they had armour-piercing weapons, but she was also not giving them the option. They were barely fifty yards away from the squad of bandits and there was no way they were going to miss. Raising her arm over the lip of the hatch, she aimed it at the grenadier, focussed her power, and fired. An orange ball of light jetted out across the gap, hit the ground, and exploded into an enormous ball of flame. Then she dropped into the main hull of the vehicle, pulling the hatch shut behind her.

She heard Taylor’s voice. ‘Floor it!’ Suddenly Lily was there, catching her as she tumbled backwards, and they were bouncing across the field. ‘Kind of stupid, Doctor,’ she heard from Taylor, ‘but I can’t fault the effect.’

Ceri struggled into a sitting position, giving Lily a quick smile of gratitude. ‘They had some sort of grenade launcher. I didn’t want to risk it.’

There was a thump as they broke through a fence and then the ride smoothed out again. ‘They aren’t trying to follow,’ Taylor said. ‘I guess we’ll chalk that up as a successful engagement, but I’d appreciate it if you let us keep you safe. That’s our job.’

Ceri gave Lily a long-suffering look, getting a shrug in reply. ‘We’ve been through this, Sergeant,’ Ceri said. ‘We’re a team. We keep each other safe.’

‘I wouldn’t argue with someone who can throw fireballs like that around, Sarge,’ Shaw put in.

‘You didn’t use too much power, did you?’ Lily asked.

Ceri grinned. ‘Nah, just a small one.’

‘That was a small one?’ Shaw asked, the disbelief evident.

‘I didn’t have time to charge up a big one,’ Ceri replied. ‘Besides, I didn’t want to set light to our own tires.’

It took maybe another fifteen minutes before they made it to the outer gates of the compound. A fifteen foot chain-link fence surrounded it and, once through the guard post, they had to drive a hundred yards to reach the heavy, steel gates set into a prefabricated, concrete wall at least twenty-five feet in height. There were armoured turrets mounted on the wall, each of them with a pair of rotary canon facing out into the surrounding land. Except for the one turret which was following them along the track.

When Ceri and Lily walked out through the large rear door of the Archmage they were faced by four soldiers carrying their assault rifles at the ready. It was not exactly an encouraging sight.

‘Doctor Brent?’ The speaker was a tall man wearing captain’s insignia standing just behind the cordon of troops.

‘That’s me,’ Ceri said.

The captain moved forward and his squad lowered their weapons, which was something of a relief. ‘Captain Tebbit.’ He offered her a hand and she took it; he had a firm grip. ‘Corporal Davis will take you over to the women’s barracks and get you settled. I assume you’ll be setting up this “magic post” of yours in the morning?’

Ceri nodded. ‘Working fresh is better. I understand you’ve set up a site for it?’

‘We got the specifications sent over and some of the engineers built it for you. As I understand it there’s a concrete raft to hold it in place, but the bottom will be plunged into soil.’

Ceri smiled. ‘Better than the last one. That’s just rammed into the ground.’

‘Won’t someone walk off with it?’

‘Part of the enchantment is a grounding spell. Locks the post in place. They could take it as long as they’re willing to pull up a ton or so of earth with it.’

Tebbit grunted. ‘Magic isn’t something I’m particularly familiar with.’ He glanced back at one of the squad. ‘Corporal, get the Doctor and her associate inside. I need to talk to Sergeant Taylor before he gets some rest.’

Now that Ceri looked more closely she could see that Davis was a woman. It was not easy between the fatigues and a helmet which obscured her head and face fairly thoroughly. It was mostly the walk which gave her away. Then she slung her rifle and pulled off her helmet revealing short hair much like Ceri’s had been before she grew it out. Davis’ was just as black as Ceri’s, but she had more tanned skin and a pixyish face with a bright smile.

‘There aren’t too many girls here,’ Davis said. ‘We put you in the bunks down the end of the room. You’ll have a bit of privacy.’ She was leading them toward one of four low, blocky buildings with grilled windows. Most of the buildings were concrete, but these were wood and built off the ground. They reminded Ceri of old prisoner of war movies.

‘Is there a shower?’ Lily asked. ‘I’m starting to feel like my clothes are growing on me.’

Davis laughed. ‘They’re communal, but the water’s hot. I hope you’re not shy.’

Ceri and Lily looked at each other. ‘No,’ Ceri said. ‘That won’t be a problem.’

~~~

Dinner was served in the Officer’s Mess. It was something of a grand name for a concrete walled room with little in the way of decoration and a table which seated eight. Ceri would have preferred eating with their little squad of guardians, but Tebbit had insisted that the guests were treated to what little comfort the base could provide and it would have been impolite to decline.

There was one female lieutenant on the base, a technician. The three others under Tebbit were men, most of them fairly hardened to the life on a remote watch post in the middle of nowhere. The only one doing much talking was the Captain.

‘Do you see much of the people living in the town?’ Ceri asked as they worked their way through a four course meal.

‘They keep themselves to themselves,’ Tebbit said. ‘When this place was being built there were some attacks, I believe. Before my time. Since then they aren’t armed well enough to take on our defences and they know it. I understand you helped see off some of the locals on the way here?’

‘I get travel sick,’ Ceri said. She suspected he did not approve of where she had been when they were attacked. ‘Actually, that’s an understatement. I used to get severe anxiety attacks in road vehicles. The rough roads were bringing it back. I insisted on getting some air. As it turned out it was a good thing.’

‘They had some sort of grenade weapon,’ Lily added.

‘Probably from that shipment that was hijacked last year, Sir,’ Haversham, the female techy, suggested.

Tebbit grunted. ‘A supply convoy was attacked last winter. Seven men were killed and we never found out exactly who hit them. Looks like they were some of the Bremen natives.’ He stabbed at his vegetables with a fork. ‘We’ll put out a general warning and I’ll let Taylor know there could be more where that came from.’

‘Did our guide turn up?’ Ceri asked. Strauss had gone ahead since they did not really need him for the journey to Bremen. The idea was that he would run a reconnaissance mission into the outer regions of Hamburg and return for them.

‘He stopped off here for provisions on Monday,’ Tebbit replied. ‘He should be back here by tomorrow at the latest. Strauss is a little eccentric, but he’s reliable. When he says he’ll do something, he does it.’

Ceri nodded. ‘We only met briefly, but he seemed like he knew what he was doing. And he was the only guide they could get to take us east of here.’

Tebbit’s brows knitted. ‘We’ve been getting some odd stories from people going in that way. The sensitives… Haversham, you conducted the interviews…’

The lieutenant straightened in her chair, looking uncomfortable. ‘Practitioners and the like going in there have been suggesting that something is changing. Most of them weren’t able to give any detailed basis for the feeling, just an impression of things changing for the worst. Two people did report a dream with similar imagery.’

‘There aren’t too many people who stay out there overnight,’ Tebbit explained, ‘so dreaming isn’t common. Go on Haversham.’

‘The details appeared different, probably based on the individual. One reported that he was standing on the edge of the Hamburg Pit, the ground opened up, and some sort of multi-tentacled monster rose out of the hole, but I know he was into Gothic horror novels. The other said that she dreamed she was being chased through some sort of labyrinth or castle. She was not sure what was chasing her, but she knew it was very old. It had been sleeping and it had woken hungry. The common thread seems to be something ancient waking up. Possibly that the thing is underground and will rise up.’

‘That isn’t ominous at all,’ Lily commented.

‘It’s likely that it’s just some memory surfacing from the war,’ Tebbit suggested. ‘The closer they get to the Pit, the more practitioners and sensitives tend to pick up all sorts of random thoughts and feelings. They say Hamburg is full of the ghosts of everyone who died there when the bomb went off.’

Ceri nodded. ‘I can’t say I’m looking forward to it.’

‘It’s driven people mad.’

‘No need to worry about that,’ Lily said sweetly. ‘We’d never be able to tell anyway.’

Bremen, May 17th

They had worked out a method of planting the posts which allowed Ceri to draw power through Lily without anyone noticing. It was simple enough; they lowered the post into the concrete collar the engineers had made, fingers touching. Lily had the little thrill of pleasure she felt as Ceri pulled energy through their bond. Succubi loved power and Lily loved the fact that Ceri could use her as a power sink. The runes inscribed down the sides of the post glowed briefly and it was done.

‘Will we notice anything when this line of yours powers up?’ Tebbit asked.

‘The runes may glow a little,’ Ceri replied. ‘Theoretically the thaumic energy is contained entirely within the tunnel, but there could be some leakage at these nodes.’

The captain nodded. ‘Strauss arrived a couple of hours ago. He’s eaten and he’s briefed Taylor. I believe they’re ready to move out when you are.’

Ceri held out her hand to him. ‘Thanks for your help, Captain.’

Tebbit gave her another firm handshake, nodding a goodbye, before the two women headed for the Archmage and its waiting back door.

Shaw was grinning at them as Lily hit the button on the inside wall which pulled up the hatch and sealed it. ‘Enjoy the Officer’s Mess, ladies?’

‘What did you guys have?’ Lily replied.

‘Bangers an’ mash.’

Lily frowned. ‘Gravy?’ Shaw nodded, grinning. ‘Lucky bastard. Sergeant, tell this nasty man to drive before I decide to not talk to him for the rest of the day.’

There was a chuckle from the vehicle captain’s bay up front. ‘Corporal, you heard the lady.’ Shaw was already moving.

Ceri turned to the man sitting in one of the troop chairs in the back. Strauss looked as though he had spent several days in rough country. He had tired eyes and there were smudges of dirt around his face. ‘Anything we should know about?’ Ceri asked taking one of the seats opposite just as they pulled away.

‘I’m not sure,’ Strauss admitted. ‘The one good thing is that the bandit groups who used to operate on the outskirts of Hamburg have moved out. You will not need to worry about coming across them on your way in.’

‘Sounds great,’ Lily said, ‘but the question would then be why?’

‘I’m not on speaking terms,’ the werewolf replied, ‘but there is something… beunruhigend… unsettling about the atmosphere in there. It smells wrong.’

‘What sort of scent?’ Ceri asked. A year of spending a couple of nights a week in fur had taught her a lot about scents.

‘It is hard to explain. The land up there, especially the ruins, have always smelled of death. It seems to me that that scent is stronger, or… more immediate. The ghosts are more active. Something is disturbing them.’

Ceri’s brow knitted. ‘Why now? Do you know when it began?’

‘It’s been building since Halloween, but the last month or two things have become far worse.’

‘The reports of bandit activity have increased over the last three months,’ Taylor supplied. ‘Analysis suggests groups from the Hamburg area have moved west creating tension with other groups. A couple of villages normally considered safe were raided.’

‘Zeven and Elsdorf were entirely wiped out,’ Strauss agreed.

‘How much ground do we have to cover before we’re walking?’ Lily asked.

‘Forty-five miles,’ Watts said from his navigation console. ‘If Shaw can follow the route I’ve set, we should be there mid-afternoon.’

‘I would suggest camping just outside the higher magic zone,’ Strauss said. ‘We might be able to get in and out before nightfall, but it would be safer to go in in the morning.’

‘That sounds like an excellent plan to me,’ Taylor said.

The Archmage ran over a bump and Ceri grabbed her seat, feeling her heart jump along with the vehicle. ‘I’m probably not going to want to go walking after this ride anyway.’

Twelve miles from Hamburg, Germany

They pulled the Archmage into a clearing in what would probably have been classed as a small forest, though the trees were low and scruffy. Strauss said they were a little south of what had been Beckdorf, though the town was entirely abandoned now due to bandit activity.

‘The bandits have cleared out, mostly,’ the werewolf said, ‘but we should mount a watch in case any have moved into the ruins.’

Taylor had agreed and started setting up a rota which had not included Ceri or Lily until they had glared at him. He had insisted on slotting them in early since they, along with Strauss, would be walking a fair distance in the morning. They could get behind that and there was work to be done before they settled down for the night.

‘Everything’s ready at this end.’ Cheryl’s voice was distant and rough with static over the radio-telephone connection. ‘Do you know when you’ll be ready at your end?’

Ceri glanced at Strauss. ‘Around midday?’ She got a nod from their guide. ‘Yeah, midday, roughly. We’ll put through a call before I activate the line.’

‘We’ll be ready. How are you two doing?’

Ceri grinned, even if Cheryl could not see it. ‘Fine. The guys are being a little over protective, but we’re getting on well. We’re camped outside the effect of the Rift. It’s pretty calm out here so we should get a good night’s sleep before going in tomorrow.’

‘All right. Sleep well and good luck tomorrow.’

‘See you soon, Boss.’ Ceri gave a nod to Watts who cut off the call. ‘Now all we have to do is get this thing working,’ she added.

‘You’ll do it, love,’ Lily said. It was not encouragement, as such, more a statement of fact. Lily had supreme confidence in Ceri’s abilities and saw no reason to doubt them. She just had to remind Ceri what she could do now and again. ‘Come on, Corporal Shaw’s cooking sausages for tea.’

May 18th

Ceri’s eyes snapped open and she was somewhat relieved to see the interior of the Archmage above her, dimly illuminated by a hint of sunlight coming in through the back hatch. The dream was fading rapidly, but there were still hints of it in her mind and they were not good. She shivered.

‘You had the same nightmare?’ Lily whispered.

The question brought one aspect of the dream back into stark clarity; they had been there together. ‘What do you remember?’

‘We were in a cave…’ Lily’s brows knitted as she tried to remember. ‘A cave or a corridor. Do you remember whether the walls were smooth?’

‘Concrete. They were concrete, but old. Water had got in and made stalactites from the ceiling. Man made, but underground.’

‘Right. It was dark, and you were there, and there was something else.’

‘I made a light!’ Ceri exclaimed. ‘You said something about it being too dark to see anything and I made a light, but…’

‘Whatever it was that was there it stayed in the shadows.

‘Yeah.’

They were silent for a few seconds before Lily said, ‘It didn’t feel like a dream, Ceri.’

Ceri had to admit that it was odd. The binding between them allowed the sharing of emotions, sensations, the state of the other partner. It had never before provided a mechanism for sharing dreams. ‘I don’t feel like sleeping anymore,’ she said, sitting up. Lily rose beside her, silently agreeing.

Expecting to find only Taylor, who had elected to take the dawn watch, awake, they were surprised to find the entire squad around the small fire they had built. Shaw was still in his sleeping bag, but he was awake and sitting up. Trevor was sat looking outward at the forest, dressed only in shorts and a T-shirt. She was busy rebuilding her assault rifle without looking, her body tense.

‘Coffee?’ Taylor asked, his voice soft, as soon as he spotted them emerging from the armoured car. He did not seem particularly surprised to see them. The only people missing were Watts, still in the vehicle at his post by the radio, and Strauss, who was nowhere to be seen.

Both of them took mugs of strong, dark, not particularly tasty coffee, feeling like they needed them. ‘Where’s Strauss?’ Ceri asked after she had taken a drink.

‘He got restless an hour or so ago,’ Taylor said. ‘Went wolf and then dashed off into the trees.’

‘Anyone else had bad dreams?’ Ceri asked. There was no reply, just some uncomfortable looks. ‘I’ll take that as a yes. Does anyone remember anything about them?’

‘Darkness,’ Trevor said, her voice soft, but carrying a hint of disquiet, ‘and a feeling like there was something there with me.’ She snapped the last part of her rifle into place, slotted a magazine, and worked the bolt to make it ready with a firmness which suggested she expected to use it. ‘Whatever it was was not good.’

Ceri nodded. ‘We’ll head out as soon as Strauss gets back. I don’t know about you people, but I’d like to be a long way from here as soon as I possibly can be.’

Shaw summed it up for the rest of them. ‘Amen to that.’

~~~

They drove the Archmage in to five miles from the city centre, but the last mile of it was slower going as Strauss and Ceri walked ahead of the vehicle watching for trouble. Nothing came up, but the density of force lines Ceri could see with her Sight climbed steadily and started getting a little more random as they got closer.

They stopped when Lily called out from the roof hatch. ‘Thaumic reading just hit ten thaums.’

Strauss turned along with Ceri to wait for Lily to climb out of the Archmage. ‘I’ll walk in another mile with you,’ the werewolf said. ‘That should be safe enough and I will be able to point you to where you are going.’

‘We can manage,’ Ceri began.

‘Another mile,’ he replied firmly.

The land around them was largely twisted bush and rough ground which had once been buildings. There were ghosts; Ceri could see them as shifting distortions in the magic field, though she was trying her best to ignore them and it was not too hard since they were few in number.

Lily walked over to Ceri and Strauss, handing Ceri her staff. Slung across Lily’s back was the heavy, stone rod they would be planting in the ground soon. She looked a little uncomfortable despite the magic level. Higher power magic fields generally made Lily happy, but not here. Ceri could feel it too. It was as if the reason for the field here, the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, was tainting the field.

‘Let’s go,’ Strauss said. ‘We head toward the buildings. Keep your wits about you. Things start getting more interesting as we get closer.’

‘Interesting,’ Lily said, cracking a smile. ‘That’s one of those interesting words.’

‘So many meanings,’ Ceri agreed.

The guide’s lips twitched slightly, but he said nothing as he started marching toward the city.

The unevenness of the ground got worse along with the thickness of the undergrowth and, unfortunately, the quantity of ghosts. It seemed as though nature had gone all out to hide what remained of Hamburg’s suburbs, as though it were embarrassed by what had happened there. Then again, there had been an enormous number of fae on this side of the Rift so perhaps nature had had a helping hand.

The ghosts became more distinct as the remains of their homes become less so. Ignoring them became more difficult as they started to gain visibility in normal light. Ceri could tell that Lily and Strauss were starting to see them, mainly because they started pointedly not looking in certain directions. The ghosts seemed entirely oblivious to the living. They went about pointless tasks which had probably consumed their time ever since their untimely deaths. The one thing Ceri noticed was that those activities seemed a little odd for people who had lived in a city.

‘They all seem to be hiding,’ Ceri said. Her voice was low even though she doubted any of the ghosts would have paid attention if she shouted. ‘There’s no normal activity.’

‘The bombs were set off when Hitler was sure the war was lost,’ Strauss said. ‘The people were told to fight to the last, but they were being attacked on all sides. The Russian army in particular was seeking revenge for the German attacks into their territory. I heard stories of rape, murder. It was bad, the populace was under great stress, and then their Führer killed them.’

They walked down what had probably been a street, coming out into an open area which overlooked what appeared to be a docklands. ‘And this is as far as I go,’ Strauss said. ‘I’ll head back to the others if you’re sure you can get back on your own. I dislike this area. Be careful of the troops.’

‘Troops?’ Lily asked, looking down at the ruined loading areas and wharves. In the distance they could see an absence of buildings which was likely to be the Pit, though the actual hole in the ground could not be seen.

‘You’ll see them,’ Strauss told her. ‘Try to ignore them. They get… annoyed easily.’

Giving each other a glance, the two girls headed off toward the docks, walking at a good pace for the simple reason that they did not want to hang around any longer than they had to.

‘The dock area should be fine for the rod,’ Ceri said after half a mile or so. ‘I’m already building up a good charge to spark the line off with and the field level there should be quite sufficient.’

‘Good. I hate walking long distances.’

Ceri’s eyebrows rose. ‘You walk all the time. You have the best walk I’ve ever seen!’

‘Well that’s the problem. People don’t walk like this normally. You know, normal people who aren’t succubi. Humans evolved the way they walk to be efficient, walking the savannah and stuff. When you’re trying to look attractive though, you walk differently. Women swish their hips, men swagger more. It’s not as efficient.’

‘I do that? I suppose I do.’

‘You didn’t when I first knew you, back when your enchantments were hiding you. You got no positive reinforcement so you stopped doing it. Now you do.’

‘All right, but why don’t you like walking?’

‘Because I have to concentrate to walk like you do. I naturally walk sexy. It’s easier for me to just go with it, but I expend all this effort doing it unless I put effort into walking normally.’

Ceri giggled. ‘The trials and tribulations of being the sexiest woman on the planet.’

‘Damn right, baby.’

‘Baby?’

‘It, uh, sounded right for the…’ She stopped as they rounded what had probably been a warehouse at some point before a large tree had grown through the roof. In the yard beyond were two dozen men in uniform, standing at attention in front of what looked like their commander. All of them were too stationary to be alive and they were dressed in black uniforms. The yard looked pristine, flat concrete forming a perfect parade ground.

‘Great,’ Ceri muttered, ‘Nazi ghosts. This must be what Strauss was on about. We’ll go around.’

‘Maybe too late.’

Ceri looked around to see the Captain at the front of the group looking straight at them. He barked something in German which Ceri did not understand, but the sudden raising of guns toward them was not exactly encouraging.

‘Can they hurt us with those?’ Lily asked.

‘I don’t feel like finding out.’ Ceri raised her staff, pointing it toward the soldiers. The head of it was already glowing brightly, the result of Ceri using it to store power gathered from the surrounding magic field. The light flared brightly as ghostly machine guns opened fire. The bullets evaporated as a wave of energy swept out and intercepted them. The wave swept onward and a second later the soldiers were gone and they were looking at an empty courtyard, heavily overgrown with grass and bushes, the concrete base cracked and broken.

‘We won’t need to go around,’ Lily commented.

‘No, but I need to rebuild some charge before we power up the rod. Lucky the field strength is higher. You want me to carry that thing for a bit?’

Lily smiled. ‘I’ve got it. It’ll be more trouble passing it over and that staff of yours is heavy enough.’

Ceri smiled back. She did not believe her friend, but it was not much further. They set off toward the nearby docks, looking for a suitable place to drive the rod into soil. They had gone barely another five hundred yards before they found what Ceri guessed had been a small site building, overgrown and piled up with earth after seventy years as a ruin.

Ceri’s Sight showed a slight increase in the magical field over the mound which seemed to drive deep into the earth below. She nodded. ‘This’ll do nicely. Plant it right on the top of the hillock, I’ll use a little power to drive it in.’

‘Magic pile-driver?’ Lily asked with a grin as she unslung the rod from her back. They had all been built more or less the same; the bottom third or so tapered to a point to allow them to be pushed into soil. ‘You know, it’s a shame. These things are kind of pretty to be left in a lousy wasteland like this.’

The granite the rods had been cut from was almost black with flecks of white and pink in it. They were quite beautiful in a way. Ceri was just happy no one had asked about some of the stranger symbols she had “designed” for them; not all the glyphs were draconic thaumatology notation, but some were and very, very few other people would recognise them.

‘Yeah,’ Ceri said, ‘I know what you mean.’ She summoned a little of her stored power from the staff as Lily held the rod in place and gave it a little telekinetic tap which drove it eighteen inches into the ground. ‘That should do it. Let’s get Cheryl on the radio.’

Lily grinned and took a radio from her hip, lifting it to her mouth and pressing the key. ‘Line Unit One to Line Unit Base, are you reading me? Over.’

There was a hiss of static and then Watts’ voice. ‘Loud and clear, Line Unit One. You want the connection to Home Base? Over.’

‘Yes, please. We’re ready here. Connect us up. Over.’

More static and a few clicks followed, and then… ‘Home Base here,’ Cheryl said, her voice sounding particularly distant relayed through the Archmage’s transmission system. ‘We are ready and waiting for the line. Over.’

Lily looked over at Ceri. ‘We ready?’

‘As I’ll ever be. Step back and let them know I’m going to fire it up.’

Backing up a few paces, Lily thumbed the transmit button and said, ‘Home Base, we’re initiating the line now. I’ll call back when it’s running. Over.’

Ceri took a deep breath and settled the heel of her staff against the top surface of the rod. Her mind filled with the complex set of equations needed to make the magic flow and she gathered the huge store of energy she had made ready, allowing it to flow through her…

‘Shit!’ Lily exclaimed. Ceri could see the light through her closed eyelids. For a brief second she felt as though the whole of the local magic field was flowing through her body and she let out a gasp. Then there was a lurch and she felt the tunnel forming; a hole in the fabric of reality which leapt from rod to rod until it reached the final one miles away in the Netherlands.

She backed away, opening her eyes to look at the mound. She could see the field lines flowing into the tunnel. It looked perfect. ‘It’s working,’ she said, grinning.

The radio crackled. ‘Home Base to Field Unit One.’ Cheryl sounded exultant, even over the radio. ‘We have positive thaumic flow. We’re getting close to twenty-five thaums at a constant level. Over.’

Lily lifted the radio again. ‘Good news. I’ll just hang on to Ceri while she floats back and we’ll be in touch. Over and out.’

Ceri grinned. ‘I am not going to float back.’ To make her point she started walking back the way they had come.

‘I don’t know,’ Lily replied, falling to step beside her, ‘you look kind of floaty.’

‘Someone is asking for a spanking.’

‘Huh. Chance would be a fine thing.’

~~~

Ceri stopped as they walked down the shallow slope to where the Archmage was waiting for them. She could see Strauss, Taylor, and Trevor standing around the rear gate of the vehicle, and knew that at least Strauss had seen them, but she could not help but look back the way they had come from the crest of the slight rise. Her eyes narrowed.

‘Something wrong?’ Lily asked, looking back as well.

There was something wrong with the way the shadows were falling. That was what it was, something slightly wrong with the patches of light and dark. It was mid-afternoon and the sun was largely unobscured by clouds… She shook her head. ‘Nothing. I’m just seeing shadows.’ Turning again she started down the slope. They could be back at the base at Bremen by nightfall. That seemed like a really good idea.

Bremen Monitoring Station, May 18th

Ceri lay in her bunk watching the shadows move for several seconds. There had been no dream to wake her, she just felt uneasy. She had no idea what time it was, but it was still dark. And the shadows seemed darker than they should be. Her Sight showed her nothing which meant the added darkness was nothing more than a trick of the eyes, but why were her eyes tricking her?

The bed frame creaked and Lily slipped off the top bunk, dropping to a crouch beside Ceri. The half-succubus’ eyes were bright in the darkness. ‘Something’s not right,’ Lily said.

Ceri turned over, looking back at the small group of occupied beds at the other end of the barracks. One person stirred and Ceri knew it was going to be Trevor. Turning back to Lily she said, ‘Put some clothes on. We’re going for a walk.’

Trevor fell into step beside them as they walked past her bunk. Her rifle was held at the ready and Ceri briefly wondered whether she slept with the thing. Then she dismissed that; no way would the soldier risk getting fluff in the mechanism. Trevor said nothing to them, just giving a brief nod.

‘You didn’t need to come with us,’ Ceri said when they were outside and the sound was not going to wake anyone else.

‘Our job is keeping you safe,’ the soldier replied, ‘and I don’t think you’re going for a stroll at this time of night because you like the night air. Besides, something feels weird.’

‘You feel it too?’

‘You never looked at her with your Sight?’ Lily asked.

‘My mother was a witch,’ Trevor said. ‘I’ve got no real talent for it, but I can still feel it when something’s off.’ Her gaze swept the interior of the compound. ‘Something is off.’

Ceri’s Sight scanned the area as well, showing her tiny fluctuations of magical energy, probably from equipment in some of the buildings, and the bright arc of the ley line as it passed through the base. And there was something else, something trying hard not to be seen around the gate… ‘Why can’t we see the gatehouse?’ she said, keeping her voice down.

Trevor’s rifle shifted upward immediately and she shifted into a semi-crouching posture, scanning the area ahead of them as they moved toward the gate. Ceri heard the soft sound of Lily’s daggers being drawn from their sheathes. Technically unarmed, Ceri raised her staff, the crystal sphere at its head starting to glow as she focussed her power.

The darkness around the gatehouse seemed to shift and grow as the light in Ceri’s staff brightened. Ceri’s eyes narrowed; it was not natural, and there was definitely something there. She focussed her will, raised her staff, and let light blaze out. There was a hiss of displeasure from the darkness and Trevor’s rifle barked out a burst of fire, aiming at the source of the sound. Whatever it was, it moved; there was the impression of a sudden shift in the black, and then the patch of all-encompassing shadow leapt forward, engulfing them.

Ceri felt something move to her right and moved her staff. It shuddered as something powerful hit it. There was a harsh, guttural cry, but she ignored it, focussing on her spell, driving power into the light from her staff to push back the darkness. Somewhere there was the sound of an alert siren which almost hid a gasp from Lily, but not the sudden feeling of pain which came over their link. Clenching her fist, Ceri barked out a single world in Welsh. ‘Golau!’ There was a brief impression of a humanoid shape caught in the sudden blaze of light before it moved, running back toward the open gate faster than anything Ceri had seen before. There was the rattle of Trevor’s rifle on full automatic, but Ceri was too busy worrying about Lily to wonder where the bullets were going.

‘I’m okay,’ Lily insisted as she saw the concern on her lover’s face. There were four deep scratches showing on her left arm through rents in her shirt. Blood was starting to run and Ceri reached out, ready to heal them, stopping as Lily raised one of her daggers. ‘I got it before it got me.’ There was blood coating the first couple of inches of the blade.

‘Okay,’ Ceri said, ‘you got him, but I still want those wounds healed.’ She stepped forward, her hand hovering over Lily’s arm, light flickering around her fingers as she healed the damage.

Lily did not object further. ‘What do you think it was?’

‘It bleeds, so it wasn’t a spirit. I’ve never seen anything move that fast though. A demon?’

‘The magic felt… it was sort of demonic, but not like any demon I’ve felt before.’

Trevor walked up to them, frowning and looking a little sick. ‘I put a couple of rounds in it at least, but it kept going. No sign of a body, but there’s blood-spatter on the gates. The guards are dead. Something tore their throats out.’

Ceri looked around. There were more soldiers there now. Two with medical armbands were at the gatehouse, but they were just standing around looking as though there was nothing they could do. She caught sight of Tebbit marching toward them, his normally immaculate uniform looking as though it had been thrown on, and Strauss moving around the gates with an intense, worried look on his face.

‘What the Hell happened?’ the captain asked as he approached.

‘Something breached your defences,’ Ceri replied. ‘Maybe a demon. Maybe whatever’s been scaring the bandits out of the Hamburg area.’

‘What makes you say that?’

‘Something woke us up, Sir,’ Trevor replied. ‘We all had some weird dreams while we were camped last night. It felt kind of the same.’

‘I’m not sure it was a demon,’ Lily said. ‘Ceri, sniff this…’ She held out her bloody dagger and Ceri gave it a tentative sniff, her nose wrinkling.

‘Smells…’ she began.

‘Undead,’ Strauss said as he walked up to them. ‘The gatehouse stinks of it. There is not enough blood from the wounds.’

Ceri frowned. ‘Vampires are fast, but I’ve never seen one move like that. And they don’t normally tear at the throat.’ She glanced at Lily. ‘And you said the magic seemed demonic.’

Lily shrugged. ‘Undead demon?’

‘I’m not even sure you can have undead demons.’

Tebbit looked annoyed, but the glances he was throwing at the gatehouse suggested it was regarding the loss of his men. He went up a little in Ceri’s estimation; he had not seemed like he was the sort to care that much. ‘It’s gone for now. Good work, all three of you. I’ll change the guard patterns and make sure we have practitioners on duty. I’d suggest waiting until full light before you leave.’

Ceri steeled herself and asked the question she was dreading the answer to. ‘Do you want us to stick around in case it comes back?’

The captain smiled bleakly. ‘You’re civilians, Doctor. Apparently very capable ones, but still civilians. It’s our job to deal with things like this. You’re better off getting back to civilisation.’

Ceri nodded, her eyes on the gate. She had a strange feeling that that would be better for the soldiers at the base anyway. She had a strong feeling that whatever the thing was that had attacked, it had come after her and Lily. Something had been waking in Hamburg, and somehow they had caused it to finally rise. She looked at Lily and saw a little hint of fear in her dark eyes; the half-demon thought the same thing. This was not the last they would see of the monster in the dark.

Part Five: Raynor

Kennington, London, May 21st, 2012

Despite the new moon, Michael seemed like a rather happy young werewolf. Shifting into human form, he was wearing a broad grin as he slumped onto the bed between Ceri and Lily. ‘I’m glad you’re back,’ he said as he wrapped his arms around them and pulled them in close.

Lily giggled. ‘Yeah, no sex for a week. I bet you were really grumpy.’

Michael’s cheeks coloured, which probably meant he had been, but he said, ‘It’s not just that. Alexandra was worried about you. She said something about an ancient shadow following you.’

‘We’ll come back to Battersea with you later,’ Ceri said. ‘Something attacked the base we were at. I don’t know about ancient, but it was weird and shadowy.’

‘I’m not going to complain about you spending more time with me,’ he replied happily. ‘Later? You don’t want to go now?’

‘Later,’ Ceri said.

‘We’ve been busy,’ Lily explained. ‘We haven’t had sex all week either.’

Michael let out an exaggerated puff of air and a sigh. ‘You know, I’m just one wolf…’

Lily started to move almost immediately. ‘Oh well, I’m sure we can find a few extra ones willing to…’ She was cut off as a strong arm pulled her back down against his chest.

‘Mine,’ Michael growled amid giggles from the girls.

Battersea

Alexandra, enigmatic Alpha of the Battersea werewolves, smiled warmly as Ceri, Lily, and Michael walked toward her across the little clearing which was her main base of operations in Battersea Park. It was on an island in the boating lake, screened by trees all around, and while they did get the occasional tourist in the summer rowing across from the boathouse, it was generally very private. There was always a fire burning in an old oil drum in the middle, which the old werewolf usually sat beside, and when there were “guests” there was invariably a small gas stove with a kettle on it. Alexandra had a sometimes annoying habit of anticipating people’s needs.

‘How was your trip, dears?’ Alexandra asked as she prepared the china teapot which seemed incongruous in an open-air werewolf camp. Well over a century in age, the Alpha looked a young sixty. Her age was starting to tell on her face and figure, but she kept fit and what had obviously been considerable youthful beauty was fading very slowly. She had the most gorgeous hair Ceri had ever seen on an older woman; not grey, but a shining silver which seemed to glow in moonlight, not that there would be any of that tonight.

‘Successful,’ Ceri replied, settling down to wait for the inevitable mug of tea. ‘Cheryl is still in Groningen. Carter and Alec have gone over to keep her company until Wednesday. We’re getting ten megawatts out of the trial generator and Cheryl thinks she can squeeze another five out of it without adding extra units along the line. The Army is already talking about installing one at the Bremen monitoring station so they don’t have to ship fuel for the generators.’

Alexandra poured the tea, handing a mug with flowers on to Ceri, and a second mug with “Werewolves do It in the Woods” printed on it to Lily. The half-succubus grinned, her fingers stroking over the words on the pottery and her tongue running over her lips. Alexandra’s cheeks coloured and she looked a little flustered; Lily was the only person Ceri knew who could disturb the Alpha’s poise. She suspected it was a simple matter of Alexandra becoming used to not being desired, which Ceri had to admit was a crying shame.

‘There was something… disquieting however?’ Alexandra resorted to business to cover her mild embarrassment.

‘Intelligence was saying that people were moving out of the Hamburg area before we got there,’ Ceri said.

‘People actually live there?’ Michael asked, sounding surprised.

‘Bandits mostly,’ Lily told him. ‘It seems like it was bad dreams. Always of something evil rising from somewhere underground.’

‘When we stopped for the night before going in we had the same sort of dreams,’ Ceri continued. ‘Even the soldiers with no sensitivity to magic had them, or something like them. When we got back to the monitoring station it was attacked. Two guards were killed. It was humanoid and it seemed to have the ability to shroud itself in darkness. Lily said it felt demonic, our guide said it smelled undead. It looked like it drank blood from the guards, but it moved like no vampire I’ve ever seen.’

Alexandra sipped her tea thoughtfully. ‘Hamburg…’ She pronounced the name the way Strauss did. ‘I recall some rumours after the war… You should ask Alec about it when he gets back. He was more involved with Intelligence and such then.’

Ceri frowned at her Alpha; the old wolf was not saying something in a pointed matter. ‘Michael said you were worried about something shadowy and ancient coming after us. What did you dream?’

‘An army,’ Alexandra said, her voice growing distant. ‘Faceless men in black shirts marching. At their head was a man in black, surrounded by darkness.’

‘Why were you worried about us, Alexandra?’

The Alpha looked down at her tea as though the answer was there. ‘Not all of the men in his army were men or faceless. You two were in the front rank. Your features were indistinct. Clear enough to recognise, but… blurred. I think I saw a possibility rather than a sure outcome, but it’s the first dream like that I’ve had about either of you in months.’

‘I’m beginning to feel like the portents of doom are ganging up on us,’ Lily commented.

Ceri shrugged. ‘What’s new?’

Mayfair, May 22nd

Valerie walked toward Ceri and Lily with an odd combination of purposeful strut and uncertain expression. She was dressed in one of her exquisite, embroidered corsets and a long, flowing skirt, and there was no Philip following behind her. She paused beside the table where Ceri had chosen to sit and it was clear that she was unsure about what to do next.

‘Evening, Valerie,’ Ceri said to break the ice. ‘Did you want something?’

‘Some advice?’ the older woman asked. ‘You know a fair bit about werewolves, don’t you?’

Ceri smiled. ‘It’s amazing what I don’t know sometimes, but I probably know more about them than most humans do. Sit down. What’s the problem? I assume this is about Philip.’

Valerie settled into one of the other seats, crossing her legs and leaning toward Ceri. ‘In a way, but it’s more me. I feel I don’t understand him as well as I could. I… I’m afraid I might lose him. When we met he had just moved to London from somewhere near Cambridge, I think. He was very insecure. I don’t think I took advantage. He seemed to need someone to take charge of him.’

‘Has he ever mentioned the Fenlanders?’

‘That was the pack he belonged to. He doesn’t like talking about why he left and I’ve never pressed him on it.’

Ceri nodded. When Remus had come to England he had gone first to the Fenlanders. Their Alpha had handed over a large number of his pack and they had been converted into demon-possessed monsters, a process which had involved extreme torture. Most of the ones who had survived to return to their real form did not really remember much of the experience, or their time as demons, but they knew what had been done to them. A lot of Fenlanders had left after that, either joining other packs or becoming lone wolves, ronin. Not all of them were probably suited to a solo life.

‘I’m guessing a little,’ Ceri said, ‘but I think Philip has formed his own little pack with you. Given the relationship, you’re basically his Alpha… Do you mind if I ask a very personal question?’

‘I’m asking your advice…’

‘Do you love him?’

There was not a second’s hesitation. ‘Yes. He’s a perfect sub, but he really seems to care about me as well. He’s beautiful and I’m not exactly in the flush of youth, but he genuinely seems to like me and that’s hard to ignore.’

Ceri looked down at Lily, sitting at her feet. ‘Lily, any thoughts on his view of Valerie?’

‘It’s more like Stefan and Catherine than, say, Dane and Aleena, Mistress. Love, but love of a superior.’

Ceri nodded, smiling at her pet, and turned back to Valerie. ‘Lily has unique talents for determining things like that. All right, so he’s basically viewing you as a superior wolf who graciously accepts him into her bed. You probably aren’t his mate, as such, because he’s not “good enough” for you, but the relationship can be as close as a mating without the formality of it. Werewolves have quite a hierarchical structure. Females of the same rank are generally subservient to males, but you’re a higher ranking female so psychologically he has no trouble dealing with you as a Domme, so long as you respect him.’

‘I do, but can I do more to be… better at being like the women he knows?’

‘Get him to teach you a little wolf,’ Ceri suggested. ‘I assume you’ve made love with him in fur. Those growls and barks mean something and communication is always good. It takes a little practice to learn and you’ll never be able to speak it, but it’s useful. Werewolves are tactile. You must have noticed he likes to touch and be touched.’ Valerie nodded; well a good dominatrix should be observant. ‘Speak less, use more body language and touch to communicate. One trick you can work up to, females offer themselves to males by lowering their eyes and turning their backs. Werewolves love doggy-style, clichéd, but true. If you’re really worked up and he’s figured out that you’re trying to be more wolfish for him, try doing that. Brace yourself, you’re asking him to jump you on the spot. If you’re wet enough to take it that’ll be an extra cue for him. His sense of smell, even when human, is better than yours.’

Valerie sat up with a sigh. ‘You could keep telling me stuff for hours and I wouldn’t get it all, couldn’t you?’

‘I’ve been spending two nights a week as a member of a pack and they still surprise me. I think people see werewolves as being kind of simple, a bit primitive. They’re a lot more complex than people realise. I mean, I’ve rationalised his submission to you, but until I met him I’d never have considered the idea of a submissive male. Werewolves never wear collars, but Philip does to fit into the culture here. A lot of werewolves are rather hidebound, but individually they can be as adaptable as any human.’ She grinned. ‘And just as kinky if they swing that way.’

‘Thanks. I’ll try some of that. He’s worth it.’

Ceri smiled. ‘I feel the same way about Lily.’

Valerie looked down at the half-succubus who was risking an adoring glance at her mistress. ‘You said she had unique talents…’

‘Lily is a half-succubus. She reads people’s desires.’

Valerie’s cheeks coloured a little. ‘Really? That’s a little embarrassing.’

‘Ma’am need never be embarrassed of her desires,’ Lily said softly, her eyes on the floor.

The Domme rose to her feet with a smile. ‘I’d better go get Philip out of the Open Room and have a word about learning how to growl.’

‘Good luck,’ Ceri said as Valerie strutted off toward the staircase. ‘She wants you?’

‘Yes, Mistress, but she was embarrassed about wanting you. I don’t think she’s ever felt that way about another mistress.’

‘Ah right,’ Ceri said. After a second she realised she was surprised to discover she was not surprised. ‘I think I may be starting to believe all your encouragement about me being awesome.’

‘Good, Mistress. You are awesome.’

Ceri chuckled softly. ‘I’ll have to try not to let it go to my head.’

Holloway, May 24th

‘Fifteen point three megawatts,’ Cheryl said, grinning as though she was announcing she had won the lottery.

Ceri grinned back across Cheryl’s desk in the High-energy Thaumatology Building at London Metropolitan University which was where they worked when they were not gallivanting around Europe. ‘Repositioning some of the collector nodes worked then?’

Cheryl nodded. ‘We didn’t know the exact cross-section of the tunnel so I built it wider than required. Shifting some of the outer nodes into the stream worked perfectly. The Army wants a small unit to install in Bremen. I agreed because it’ll be a good test. If we can place multiple collectors along the lines without noticeable loss of power it makes them far more useful. The Ministry wants us to look into building a line from Munich to London.’

‘Across the Channel?’

‘Yes. I said I wasn’t sure it was possible with the salt water, but we would run the maths. And by we, I meant you.’

Ceri giggled. ‘I’ll run it. Hoofer did a paper on the relative transmission of thaumitons through various saline solutions, didn’t he?’

Cheryl’s eyes narrowed slightly. ‘Hoofer and Pellman, eighty-five, I think. Does it actually apply or does the tunnel effect insulate the stream?’

‘The equations don’t consider the medium the tunnel is transiting through,’ Ceri mused. ‘Theoretically the physical medium shouldn’t matter, but I’d like to go over the equations with that in mind.’

‘Which is exactly why I’m giving you the job. That stuff was insanely advanced.’ She frowned as if remembering something. ‘Oh, one of the military types said I should tell you that the two guards who were attacked at the base woke up.’

Ceri blinked at her. ‘They were dead!’

‘He said they rose the following day. They’ve put the attack down as vampires. Would you believe they have procedures for people being turned while on duty?’

‘Boss, there was just one attacker. Have you ever heard of a vamp who could turn people like that?’

‘My knowledge of necromantic effects isn’t too good, but I didn’t think the process was that reliable, no. Peter may know more.’

Ceri nodded. Peter Mallow was a cryptozoologist, but he was one of those people who liked to widen his areas of research. If he did not know about the way people became vampires, he might know someone who did. ‘I’ll go ask him later. I want to dig up that paper first.’

~~~

‘The actual mechanism of turning is very poorly understood.’ Peter Mallow looked over his half-spectacles at Ceri with an intent expression. He was in his forties with a receding hairline, but little in the way of wrinkles. If you engaged him on one of his subjects he tended to become pretty intent; he was the kind of man who got very involved with his work. In fact, in one way, he was far too involved since he had been bitten by a lycanthrope on one field trip and had to spend three nights a month locked in a cage. Unlike werewolves, lycanthropes became little more than beasts under the full moon.

‘Anything you can tell me would be useful, Professor,’ Ceri replied.

‘Well, there has been very little academic study on the subject. Vampires tend to be rather private about it, for obvious reasons.’ He frowned. ‘There have been a couple of papers on the subject. As I recall, the author was a vampire. Let me see… Uh, generally a “victim” must die soon after a vampire has fed on them. Obviously that means that if they are being turned on purpose, the easiest way is for the vampire to drain them entirely. The suggestion is that the initiation of the process requires one of the chemicals they secret into the victim to be present and active.’

Ceri pursed her lips. ‘Maybe a minute and a half of grace after they stop feeding.’

‘You’ve been bitten.’ It was a statement rather than a question.

‘A friend needed feeding and I wasn’t having a hungry vampire under my roof. It wasn’t as bad as I expected, but we were careful about it. I didn’t suffer any withdrawal symptoms.’

‘Anyway, after death it seems to be something of a lottery. The stronger the vampire, the more likely it is that it will work. If it does the corpse will start to reconstruct itself after a time and when it’s sufficiently complete to support life, or unlife, the original spirit will return.’ He frowned slightly. ‘Though I believe that process can fail. The victim is left in a comatose state, a mindless, undying husk, if you will.’

‘It sounds very hit or miss.’

‘It is. Some vampires never manage to turn anyone.’

‘So, something turning two people in one night after two attacks would be unusual?’

‘Not exactly a statistically valid sample, but unusual, yes.’ He gave her a slight grin. ‘This happened on your trip into Germany?’ Ceri nodded in reply. ‘Not a particularly statistically valid location then.’

‘We were well outside the higher field area, but I think whatever it was came out of Hamburg.’

‘Ah well, the intense fields and wild magic in that area can produce all sorts of aberrations. Take this, for example…’ He picked up a folder from a pile on his desk and flipped it open, showing Ceri a photograph of what looked like a large rabbit with deer antlers growing out of its head. It was a little blurred, but fairly obviously real. ‘They started appearing in Virginia in the US a month or so ago. The cryptozoologists over there are in uproar over them. They’re calling them Jackalopes.’

Ceri felt her cheeks heating up. ‘Uh… there was an incident over there a little while ago. A brief wild magic effect. I think they were created in that.’ The incident had been Ceri using vast amounts of magical power. The magical residue left in her system had produced a huge wild magic effect localised around her body and had almost killed her. Discovering she had spontaneously manifested antlered rabbits had been a little embarrassing at the time.

‘Really?’

‘Yeah, but I suspect the government over there is keeping it very quiet. There are some security implications.’

‘You seem to get involved in a lot of things with security implications,’ Mallow said, smiling slightly.

Ceri sighed. ‘Tell me about it.’

Soho, May 25th

It was, perhaps, not a great time of the month to be discussing vampires or related subjects at the Jade Dragon. This close to the new moon, the undead quota was higher, though it was tailing off. Luckily vamps were not noted for great hearing, no better than a human’s anyway and with the normal chatter of Friday night at a popular nightclub it was unlikely Ceri would be heard talking to Alec.

‘Alexandra said you might remember something,’ Ceri said. ‘Vampire related in Germany during or just after the war?’

Alec was silent for several seconds, his expression serious and thoughtful. ‘There were some odd rumours about an SS Oberführer. What was his name? Rudolf… Reinhardt… Raynor. Yeah, Raynor. No one knew much about him. Not even whether that was a first or last name. He was never seen in daylight, but no one in the intelligence community thought vampires were real back then. Or if they did they weren’t saying it aloud. He was involved with the Thules, and I think he visited several of the concentration camps. Whoever and whatever he was, he was not a nice man and he was fairly close to Hitler at times.’

‘Do you know what he looked like?’

‘Second hand. He was just the kind of guy Hitler liked. Tall, strong, blonde hair and blue eyes. Handsome, I think. Rumour was he could have any woman he wanted. Real Aryan ideal sort of guy. No one knew what happened to him. He vanished sometime during the Shattering. I never gave it much thought, but I figured he was in Berlin or maybe Hamburg when the bombs went off.’

Ceri spotted empty glasses on one of her tables and straightened up from leaning on the bar. ‘Thanks, Alec.’ She started off toward table twelve, but could already tell that she was not going to be needed. The two vampires there were getting ready to leave, the man dropping a couple of notes onto the table for her. She continued on to clear the table and pick up her tip while they headed for the bar to pay their bill.

Lily fell into step beside her as she returned through the room. ‘Does something seem a little off to you about the vamps?’ the half-succubus asked, her voice kept low.

‘Kind of a fast turnover.’

‘Like they don’t want to be out late.’

Ceri put her tray down on the counter. ‘Vampires getting an early night?’

Lily sucked on one of her fangs thoughtfully. ‘I think we should drop by the Dubh Linn on the way home.’

Ceri grimaced, but Alec broke in before she could answer. ‘You want to drop by that hole in the early hours of Saturday morning? Did someone hit you in the head?’

‘We’d be perfectly safe,’ Lily replied. ‘The Black Lady likes Ceri and Sean’s scared of her.’

Ceri barked a small scoffing laugh. ‘A fairly old, powerful Unseelie fae is afraid…’ She stopped. Maybe he was not exactly afraid of her, but he was certainly scared of the enigmatic, faceless woman who seemed to haunt his pub and the Black Lady did seem to like her. ‘Well… maybe. If the vamps keep acting oddly we’ll go.’

Mayfair, May 26th

The Dubh Linn was a subterranean pub on Vigo Street just inside the bounds of Mayfair. The walls were bare brick, the floor and ceiling were bare boards. It was one room divided up by the wooden supports which held the building above up, and booths which occupied the side walls. Its best feature was the polished counter along the back wall with its array of optics and bottles, and Sean standing behind it, tall, dark, handsome, and dangerous.

It was also noticeably lacking in clientele. The place normally had people in it on a weekday in the middle of the afternoon. The one time Ceri had been in it at night it had been fairly full. Tonight, even if there was a little light in the sky outside, there was a distinct lack of anything undead. The other supernaturals around the room checked out the new arrivals as they walked in and then went back to their drinks. The first time Ceri had been there she had been watched the entire time she was there; tonight there was none of that, word had got around it seemed.

‘Quiet tonight, Sean,’ Lily said as they arrived at the bar. She slipped off her coat, entirely relaxed, and placed it on one of the stools before sitting on it. The uniform of the Jade Dragon’s waitresses was a dress which bore the name only because there was no other name for a garment that shape. Incredibly short and very revealing, it seemed the height of stupidity to be dressed like that among supernaturals who liked nothing more than seducing attractive young women. Ceri understood what Lily was up to and followed suit. It said, “We know we’re not in any danger here because we’re more dangerous than any of you,” and that was probably true.

‘Staying for a drink, Lil?’ Sean said in reply. ‘I thought you were too good for us.’ The surliness which had graced his lilting Irish-accented voice the last time they had been there was gone.

‘Ceri’s too good for you, I just prefer spending time with her.’

Sean’s dark eyes flicked over Ceri and then he said something Ceri was not expecting. ‘I can understand that. Fae wine?’

‘Small ones,’ Lily replied. ‘We’ve got work tomorrow night.’ His lips twitched into a half-smile as he turned toward the bottles at the back of the bar.

‘You’re a little short on vampires tonight,’ Ceri said. The statement begged an answer.

He placed two glasses of deep red liquid in front of them. ‘Noticed it at the Dragon too? They all left early. Looked edgy before then.’

‘What’s got into them?’ Lily asked, her brow knitting.

‘No idea, but when a vamp that’s been around since Victoria was a brat is acting scared I tend to get a little worried myself.’

‘You’re being very accommodating, Sean,’ Ceri said, her own lips twitching into a slight smile. She picked up her glass and took a sip of her wine. The effect was almost immediate; fae wine tasted like nothing else she had ever drunk, rich, full of fruit, full of the taste of weakening inhibitions. A slight tingle began in her groin and her nipples tightened.

‘If you’re asking about this, then you’re probably going to do something about it, if something needs doing. It’s affecting my profit margins.’

Lily sank half her wine and licked her lips. ‘Very public spirited of you.’

The bartender leaned across the counter, lowering his voice. ‘Lily Girl, I’m Unseelie, not stupid. Your mistress here has power and she’s clever, and I’ve never underestimated you. Something bad’s in the air and I’d rather you were after it sooner than later. Enjoy your drinks.’ He stepped back and turned, moving down the bar to give them some space.

Lily turned her head to look at Ceri, raising an eyebrow. Ceri gave a tiny shrug. ‘What next?’ Lily asked.

‘Tomorrow we talk to Lorna. She’s about the only vampire I know we can trust.’ Ceri lifted her glass and took a long drink, feeling her head growing fuzzy and her skin warming. ‘We’ll stay here a little longer though. I’d like to see the sun up before we leave.’

Hammersmith

The wine had worked its usual magic, Ceri had been very keen to get Lily out of her dress while they were still on the tube train to Kennington, they had gone to sleep very late, or very early, and it was mid-afternoon before they were walking up to the terraced house on Tabor Road where John and Lorna Radcliffe lived.

Lorna answered the door in a long, satin robe which she was clutching together at the waist. Her long, black hair was dishevelled, which just looked sexy on a woman who could have made a living on a catwalk if the flashbulbs would not have given her headaches. The squinting was a lot less sexy. ‘Who is that?’ she mumbled. ‘Ceri?’

‘Hi, Lorna. Lily’s here too. Can we come in?’ At least there was no hangover to deal with or Ceri would have been squinting too. Fae wine never gave you a hangover. Sometimes drinking it left you wishing you could not remember what had happened afterward, but there was never a hangover.

‘Of course,’ the vampire said, backing up into the shadow of the hallway. She let go of her robe as she turned toward the lounge; both of them had seen her wearing less before. ‘John’s at work though.’

Walking in after her, Lily shut the door and Ceri explained that, ‘We came to see you. We didn’t wake you, did we?’

‘No. Yes. Sort of. I was dozing on the couch. I slept really badly last night. Gave up entirely after an hour. Would you like some coffee?’

‘Yeah, please. We were up kind of late.’ They went through to the lounge and sat beside each other on the couch while Lorna breezed through to the kitchen. The Radcliffe’s kept a relatively modern looking house. The sofa and matching armchair were a soft cream colour, the wallpaper was a beige and gold abstract design. There was a large TV mounted over the non-functional fireplace, which was decorated with an arrangement of dried flowers. Ceri and Lily sat quietly, waiting for Lorna to return.

‘What did you want to talk about?’ the vampire asked upon her return. She handed over two mugs of dark brown liquid and settled onto the armchair, crossing her legs and letting her robe fall wherever it wanted.

‘You not sleeping,’ Lily told her.

‘Bad dreams?’ Ceri suggested.

‘No dreams, no. I was restless. It felt like I was waiting for something. I felt like that most of yesterday.’ She frowned. ‘It’s not there now.’

‘Something good or bad?’ Ceri asked.

‘I don’t think it was good, but it didn’t feel like a threat. Why? What’s going on?’

‘It seems like every vamp in the city was feeling the same way,’ Lily said. ‘They were leaving the Dragon early. Even the ones who go to the Dubh Linn were a bit freaked. We figured we’d ask you if you’d felt anything.’

Lorna was about to say something else when the sound of the front door being opened stopped her. A few seconds later John, her husband, and Kate Middleshaw, his partner in the Greycoats, appeared in the doorway. He stopped and blinked. ‘What are you two doing here?’

Ceri giggled. ‘Nice to see you too.’

‘They came to ask why I wasn’t sleeping well,’ Lorna supplied.

‘Interesting,’ Kate said, pushing John into the room and waving at Ceri to move over so she could sit down. ‘We came to ask the same thing. Also convenient since High Towers was our next stop.’

‘I’m intrigued,’ Ceri said. The couch was a little tight for three, but it was amusing to have John resort to sitting his wife in his lap to sit down. Despite loosening up a lot in recent months, the man was still a bit of a stiff when on duty and this was just not good for his image. Lorna did not help by wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her head contentedly on his shoulder. ‘Why were you coming to see us?’

‘You first,’ John replied. ‘Why were you asking about my wife’s sleeping habits?’

‘We weren’t, exactly. She’s the only vampire I know to talk to. Something had them all spooked last night. Lorna said she was restless and it seems like they all were.’

John grunted and twitched his chin at Kate. ‘Show them.’

The red-headed detective reached down and pulled a couple of photographs from her bag, handing them to Ceri. ‘What do you make of that?’ It looked as though the pictures had been taken inside a boat. The boat, it seemed, had been used as an abattoir. There was blood spattered about all over, but one wall in particular drew Ceri’s attention. The second photo was a closer shot of that wall and the runes which had been painted onto it in blood.

‘They’re Futhark runes. I could transcribe it… um… bloot slitsan?’ The words meant nothing to Ceri.

‘Best guess is that it’s Old High German,’ Kate said. ‘Bluot slīzan. It means “shed blood.”’

‘Vampire terrorist manifesto?’ Lily suggested.

‘Don’t say the T-word,’ Kate responded immediately. ‘Special Branch will be all over it.’

John grunted, though he seemed to be having trouble maintaining his gruff exterior. ‘At the moment it’s a double homicide. The owner of that yacht and his wife. Dutch nationals.’

‘Thankfully, we put both bodies in isolation,’ Kate added. ‘They woke up about two hours ago. Hungry.’ Ceri saw Lorna stiffen. John wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Kate saw it too. ‘Sorry, Lorna. I could have put that better.’

The vampire relaxed a little, though she still held onto her husband. ‘You couldn’t have put it any way I liked, and it’s work. I’m not mad at you or anything.’ Lorna had not been voluntarily turned. She knew what it was like to wake up after thinking you were dead and suddenly discover you had a craving for someone else’s lifeblood.

‘You said they were Dutch?’ Ceri asked. She was getting a bad feeling about this.

‘Yes,’ Kate replied.

‘Crap.’

Lily was getting the same bad feeling. ‘You think it’s followed us?!’

The two detectives looked at each other and then back to Ceri and Lily. ‘What’s followed you?’ John asked, frowning.

Chiswick

The yacht had run aground on a bank right beside the entrance to a small marina. It was large, maybe thirty feet, and looked luxurious until you got inside and found the remains of the carnage.

Decked out in disposable coveralls and with bags on their feet, Ceri and Lily edged inside the main cabin. This was not where the writing was, but there was a large, bloody swastika on the ceiling. Ceri looked up and frowned at it. ‘Nazi symbolism?’

‘It’s the wrong way around,’ John said as he came in after them. ‘The Nazi one is right-facing, this is left.’

‘Ignorance or meaning?’ Ceri asked, receiving a shrug in reply. ‘There might be a connection with some guy who was high up in the SS during the war. Alexandra suggested a connection, but I’m not sure about it. It’s pretty circumstantial.’

‘The man was killed in here,’ John said. ‘It seems like he piloted the boat in down the Thames, and then the vamp came up from the bedroom and tore his throat out. He just stood up here and steered…’ The detective broke off, shaking his head.

Ceri frowned at him and headed down the stairs to the lower deck. There were bloody handprints on the rail and she avoided touching them. One side of the small space had a door leading into a bathroom. Lots of chrome and opulence for a boat. On the other side a corridor went aft, presumably to the engine room. The bedroom with its bloody message was ahead, in the bow.

The bed was huge. The pillows on it were blood-soaked, but the sheets suggested something else. Ceri’s nose suggested the same thing. She looked back to where Lily and Michael were standing in the doorway. ‘The woman died here?’ John nodded slowly. ‘Her husband steered the boat into London while the vamp was down here screwing his wife?’

‘She had several bite wounds,’ John said. ‘They examined her before she woke up. She wasn’t raped, but there had been recent sexual activity.’

‘This doesn’t make sense,’ Ceri said. ‘A vampire old enough to control two people like that wouldn’t have the anatomy left to have sex.’

‘We’re still waiting on some results,’ the detective said. ‘It’s possible her partner was her husband and the vamp was being a voyeur.’ His brow knitted. ‘I just don’t think that’s what happened. It doesn’t feel right.’

Ceri nodded; somehow it did not feel right to her either. She looked at Lily, raising an eyebrow.

‘There’s no magic I can sense here, but there’s a vague sensation of demon again.’ She looked around at the room and shivered. ‘This is sadistic. He’s taking pleasure in subverting them, making puppets out of them before he turns them.’

‘Have you been able to talk to them?’ Ceri asked John.

‘Me? No. A councillor was brought in. We have a couple of vampires on retainer for forced turnings.’ A flicker of emotion passed over his face; Ceri wondered whether the Northumbrian force were so thoughtful. Doubtful. Lorna had probably had to deal with it all herself, with whatever support John could provide.  ‘They don’t remember much of anything after arriving at the marina they moored this thing at in Amsterdam. We’ve sent a request to the Dutch force to see if they can find anything at that end.’

‘See if they have any similar odd vampire victims,’ Lily suggested. ‘This guy seems to have quite an appetite.’

‘And he seems to turn anyone he kills,’ Ceri added. ‘We need to catch him, John. This guy’s a walking vampire plague.’

Soho

Ceri watched the night closing in outside the Jade Dragon’s entrance and shivered slightly. Dean Street was bright with street lights and the illuminated signs of clubs and bars, but somehow the light outside did not seem as bright tonight. Her Sight showed her nothing unusual, but she could not quite shake the feeling that there was something out beyond the wards.

The vampires in the club seemed back to their normal spirits now. There was none of the restlessness of the evening before and no one seemed likely to leave early. There were no older ones around to look disgusting under their glamour; somehow that made Ceri a little edgy tonight, though she was trying not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

At the bar Cheryl was looking happy and stunning in a new gown Carter had bought for her. Ceri had to admit it looked gorgeous, and Cheryl looked good in the shimmering silver fabric. Carter looked rather pleased with his purchase as well. Then again, so did Alec and Lily, not to mention various people passing by. Ceri was just having trouble shaking the feeling that something bad was happening somewhere and she should be there doing something about it. She sank herself into work instead, trying to ignore the world beyond the doors.

It was almost midnight when she felt the disturbance around her. The club’s warding spells were reacting to something and, looking over to where Carter was standing beside the bar, she could tell that the owner of the Dragon had felt it too. His gaze turned toward the entrance and she saw him frown. Ceri quickened her pace across the floor and soon she was standing beside him and looking at the figure standing outside.

It was difficult to make out the face, which seemed to be shadowed even though there should have been a light shining right on him. He was tall with broad shoulders and a muscular frame. His shadowed features were framed by long hair, probably blonde, and falling around his shoulders. As Ceri came into view he smiled; she could tell by the gleam of light on white teeth with long canines. Distantly, Ceri heard Alec letting out a low growl made more audible by the sudden hush which fell upon the club.

‘Do you know him?’ Carter asked, his voice low. ‘He seems to know you.’

‘I may know who he is,’ Ceri replied.

‘Raynor,’ Alec growled and the figure’s head shifted slightly toward the werewolf.

Ceri did not like the reaction. She raised her hand almost casually, fingers cupped, and a ball of light began to grow in her palm. The vampire, or whatever he was, shifted again. Ceri saw red sparks light up where his eyes should have been, and then he moved, vanishing from the doorway in a sudden burst of unnatural speed. Ceri closed her hand, the light breaking out briefly from between her fingers before it died.

Suddenly the room was full of noise again, as though nothing had happened. Ceri turned to the others, putting on a smile. ‘Raynor,’ she said. ‘At least we’re sure of the name now.’

‘I’ve never seen the wards react like that to anyone,’ Carter commented. He looked across the bar at Alec, his expression thoughtful. ‘I think, my friend, that Cheryl and I would enjoy your company in Winchester this weekend.’

The werewolf raised an eyebrow. ‘I don’t think…’

‘Don’t argue, idiot,’ Lily told him. She pointed at Cheryl and raised an eyebrow questioningly. ‘You are so not dumb enough to miss out on this. And it’s your birthday on Monday…’

‘What about you two?’ Alec said, not quite ready to allow his libido to overcome his chivalry.

Ceri shook her head. ‘He’s not going to come straight at us. He’s powerful, but he knows I am too. And Lily’s always with me and enough of a match for him that he knows he can’t surprise me and get away with it. No, we’re safe enough from physical attack.’

Alec’s expression was shrewd. ‘Be careful, kid. If he’s been around since before the Shattering he’s probably got good at being sneaky.’

‘Uh-huh,’ Ceri replied, ‘and I’m good at research. I need to pay a visit to the library.’

Beneath Somers Town, May 28th

The room was clinical, sealed, watched by cameras in every corner, and buried deep under the British Library. Ceri sat at one of the tables wearing lint-free gloves. The documents she was going through were not particularly old, but the protocols about handling anything in the special collections were very strict.

Raynor had been the subject of no less than three attempts by the wartime intelligence agencies, the SOE and the American OSS, to learn more about him. None of them had found very much and what they had discovered had been rejected as outlandish.

Intelligence gathered from an operative within the SS suggested that Raynor was involved with an aborted “super-soldier” project. Plans to produce men with heightened strength and speed had been phased out when they also developed an inability to see properly in daylight and what was described as “unsustainable dietary requirements.” Ceri read the report knowing they were talking about vampires, but to the wartime analysts it must have seemed like fantasy.

The reports on Raynor were no less fantastic. No one had ever seen him sleep, but he never left his rooms during daylight hours and only travelled at night. He was described as a tall, muscular man with blonde hair and blue eyes, a perfect Aryan specimen as far as the Nazis were concerned. His involvement with the Thule Society was documented in official reports, but at the time the Thules had been considered cranks and it had been ignored.

One letter caught Ceri’s attention however. It seemed to have been written by one Wilhelm Blatt to Heinrich Himmler in nineteen-forty-three. Oberführer Raynor’s expertise in runic inscription has been invaluable in our research into implosive systems. We have achieved a sixty per cent increase in efficiency following his suggested rewrites. Not everything was perfect, however. Raynor’s constant requirement for blood has necessitated us moving a contingent of undesirables into the facility. This I consider a security risk.

Clearly Raynor was a vampire, but not any kind Ceri was aware of from the descriptions of him. He seemed to be more affected by sunlight. Or perhaps he played up the legendary weakness. It almost seemed like he wanted those he worked with to believe he was a vampire rather than hiding his nature as most vampires did prior to the Shattering.

Then she found the second letter with Himmler’s name at the bottom. Raynor’s proximity to the Führer must be curtailed. He has promised to “turn” the Führer if we are successful and this must be prevented at all costs. It would make Raynor the default leader of the Third Reich. Keep him in Hamburg at all costs. If necessary, seal him in one of the bunkers and let him starve. His purpose has been fulfilled.

So Raynor had been planning to turn Hitler and become ruler of the world? Well that had been a near miss. Instead he had assisted in blowing the world apart. Had Raynor known what the bombs would do? It had always been assumed, at least by most historians, that the Nazis had not known what they were doing when they created the thaumic bombs Hitler had detonated. Perhaps they had. Perhaps Raynor had known and had said nothing, knowing it would bring about another age of magic. Somehow she doubted that.

The heavy sound of the locks disengaging on the door brought Ceri back to reality with a jolt and she looked around to see one of the librarians enter with a new, brushed aluminium case. ‘We managed to track down one older piece,’ the woman said. ‘How’s your Greek?’

Ceri stroked her bracelet; an enchantment her father had made allowed her to read most human languages. It had worked on everything she had tried so far. ‘Theoretically, fully fluent,’ Ceri replied. ‘How secret is this one?’

‘Actually, this is just obscure and delicate. It’s out of the normal Library’s collection, but it came up in a full-text search so we thought we’d bring it down for you.’

Ceri nodded, raising her eyebrows a little to suggest the thought had impressed her, and took the case. ‘What about that other book I asked to see?’

The woman’s face went a little pale. ‘They’re still putting through the necessary clearances.’

‘Will they bring it…’

‘No,’ the woman said abruptly. ‘That book never leaves its cell. You have to go to it. I’ll be back when we’re ready for you.’

Ceri frowned. The other thing she had asked for had been something unrelated to Raynor. She had run the search on a whim and almost binned the results when she saw them, but her eyes had caught on one entry in the list and she had submitted a request for the book. The work was far older than all the others she had found and might reveal something interesting, but she had not expected viewing it to be so difficult. She turned her attention to the contents of the case.

It was actually a scroll. Ceri rolled it out carefully on one of the spotlessly clean tables, her eyes scanning the words for what she wanted and finding more than she had expected. I have spoken to a number of the creatures in my time in the mountains. The locals consider them evil, creatures of night and blood and terror, but I find them as much tragic victim as unnatural predator. The writer was a Byzantine monk travelling in the more northern states, or what passed for states at the time, during the ninth century. He seemed to have been primarily involved in the lands of the Bulgars and Magyars, but he had travelled into Frankish lands as well. It seemed that he had met more than one vampire in his journeys, and perhaps they had been more tragic then.

It seems they are mostly weak, hardly the horrifying creatures the local legends speak of. They feed from cattle and animals they catch. They seem to fear the light of the sun for it burns their eyes. Some claim a fear of the cross, others deny it. One of the older ones, a ravaged, ghoulish figure who seemed barely able to stand, much less molest me, claimed that religious symbols were useless, but in older times those who wielded them had had power against the undead which they had learned to fear.

He was writing in the period after the flare of magical activity which archaeologists said had accompanied what was known as the Dark Ages. For most of the fifth century the world’s thaumic field had been on a high and it had died away during the second decade of the sixth century. By the ninth it had fallen to a bare minimum making magic very hard to perform. It would have weakened vampires back then, Ceri was sure, just as the larger fae had found it impossible to survive for long periods, and the dragons had vanished or gone dormant.

Several times I have asked of the oldest ones I can find where they come from. What form of demon gave rise to these creatures who live without life? How is it that they can walk God’s Earth despite their obvious decay? Well, that confirmed one thing Ceri suspected; the vamps back then had had more trouble concealing their nature. They speak of being bitten in the night and awaking a monstrosity, but none seem to understand the nature of their condition. One withered cadaver I discovered in the mountains claimed that she had been turned by what she called an Ancient. The Ancients, she said, were the first of vampires, cursed by God for consuming blood and cast out from their fellow men. Certainly the Bible speaks of such a punishment, but to make such an outcast immortal seems strange. The old hag said that she had met her vampire lover in the lands of the Franks perhaps a century earlier. I may seek this “Raynor” out when I journey into that region.

From the dates on the document, he had gone into the East Frankish Kingdom, which had eventually turned into Germany for the most part, around five years later. He had not found Raynor, but he had found someone who claimed to have known him. Lord Gottschalk claims that he has seen the monster several times, but never done battle with him. Raynor, he says, is tricky. He never leaves his lair in daylight and when he goes abroad to hunt, It is said that he can dampen the light of fires and candles around him to hide himself. Gottschalk claims that his family have been trying to destroy Raynor for four generations, though I find that unlikely. When I mention the decay I have seen in other vampires, Gottschalk scoffs. “Raynor is no petty undead. He was the first. His nature is different and his curse cannot end.”

That was encouraging. Raynor, assuming it was the same vampire, seemed to have been around longer than anything Ceri had ever heard of. She knew there were supposed to be a few vampires who had been around for five or six centuries, but they were very much the exception. Vampires as a race had survived through the low magic years, but the individuals had not lasted so well. The majority of vampires alive today had been turned since the Shattering. It was starting to seem as though Raynor had been around since the Dark Ages.

The door opened without warning and Ceri’s attendant librarian poked her head through. ‘We’re ready for you. Please come with me.’

Pulling off her gloves, Ceri stood up, winced, cracked her back, and set off after the woman. They walked in the opposite direction from the way out, down the row of reading rooms to a lift at the end. The attendant started talking again once they were going down.

‘Normally we would require you to wear full protective gear, but we’ve been told you can stand up to very high thaumic levels. Do not touch the book with unprotected hands, however. There are disposable gloves, use them. Whatever you see in the room with you, it’s not real. Ignore it. Seriously, we’ve lost several readers that way.’

Ceri swallowed. ‘What the Hell did I ask to read?’

The lift doors slid open revealing a long, white corridor with lights every ten yards or so. ‘That’s a very aptly put question,’ the librarian said and set off down the corridor.

After about five hundred yards, the corridor branched into a T-shape and they took the right branch. ‘What’s on the other side?’ Ceri asked.

‘Above my pay grade.’

‘It’s worse than the book I’m going to see?’

‘Reputedly not, just more secret.’ The librarian stopped in front of a blank, metal door which blocked the corridor. ‘This is as far as I go.’ She waved her hand at a box of disposable latex gloves on the wall and Ceri grabbed a couple, starting to pull them on. ‘Beyond this door the thaumic level rises pretty steeply. You’re walking into a concrete bubble embedded with silver-iron mesh. You’ll go through this door and then another. The second will not open until this one closes. There’s a camera in the antechamber, but they tend to fuse in the reading room, so you’re on your own’ She looked pointedly into Ceri’s eyes. ‘You’ll be checked on the way out. If there is any sign of possession or anything with you, they’ll flood the chamber with nerve gas.’

Ceri swallowed again. ‘O-okay.’

The librarian nodded and pushed a button to open the door. ‘Good reading,’ she said as she turned and marched down the corridor the way they had come.

Feeling as though she might be jumped by a demon horde at any moment, Ceri walked into the antechamber. Her skull tightened as she felt the thaumic energy level rise around her; not dangerous, but higher than average by a fair way. The door slid closed behind her and she heard heavy bolts slide into place with a noise suggesting of the Gates of Hell slamming shut. There was a button beside the inner door and she walked up and pressed it, not really sure what to expect. A wave of energy flowed over her and the air sparkled. Ceri let out a gasp; there was a vast amount of power in the room beyond. Hesitantly, she stepped through the door.

The room was circular, painted white, lit by overhead runes, and there was only one thing in it. In the centre of the room, chained to a lectern which Ceri suspected was cast from silver-iron, was a book. It was thick, perhaps eight inches cover to cover, but the paper bound into it seemed thicker than normal; vellum perhaps. As she walked closer she took in the cover; bound in what appeared to be purple leather, but it had an odd, iridescent quality to it. It took her a second to realise what she was looking at; the book had been bound in demon skin. Someone had skinned a demon, a Devim or maybe even a Devos, to cover a book.

There was no title on the cover and she opened it up to find the first page bore the book’s name, Of the Other Hells. There was no author, no date, nothing other than the four words which seemed to twist in Ceri’s mind as she looked at them. She caught a flicker of something runic replacing the writing and realised what was happening. The book was written in one of the demonic languages, which Ceri did not understand and her bracelet could not help her with, but the book was translating itself for her. This was a book which wanted to be read.

‘Oh, what the Hell are you?’ Ceri said, not expecting an answer.

‘The book was written by Gunt, a sorcerer.’ Ceri looked up at the sound of the voice and found herself looking at a man with a long, white beard and a bald head. Dressed in a shining, white robe, he looked every bit the Merlinesque teacher. ‘That would be around four thousand years ago. He did, indeed, flay a Devos for the cover. The skin for the vellum was taken from the backs of no less than five hundred Seelie Sidhe. For his crimes he was bound into rock for eternity, but his book could not be found.’

Ceri swallowed. Ignore the things you see in the room. She knew roughly the page she was looking for; suspecting that looking at as little of the book as possible might be a good idea, she guessed the right page and opened the book at it. She found herself looking at a carefully painted picture and frowned, trying to make out what she was seeing.

‘I’m sure they told you to ignore everything you see here, Ceridwyn,’ the old man went on, ‘but I’m here to assure you that it won’t be easy.’

The room around her vanished. The picture she had been looking at became suddenly quite clear. She was standing on a column of rock, the book still on its stand in front of her. The ground below was strewn with bodies, all kinds of bodies, but none of them human. They were burned, sliced, crushed. She could see intestines torn from bellies, skulls split open and their contents smeared across the stone. Through the carnage, huge creatures stalked; tall with iridescent purple skin, horns, a long, powerful tail, and hooved feet. These were Devos demons and they had noticed her. One of them roared and charged toward her.

Ceri flipped the page and the room was suddenly back to normal. The old man was gone; Ceri was alone again with the book. She took a deep breath and looked down at the page. Of the Overlord Molech, his rise to power and his fall. That was the right section then. Lord Molech comes of the Devos line, as is readily apparent from his commonest form. He is as far in power from a common Devos, however, as a man is from a cockroach. Since his fall from power he has been easier to summon and speak with, but let none treat him lightly for he is still among the most powerful of demons.

She had asked about the book because Faran, Lily’s father, had once mentioned Molech and the name had been sitting in her head along with another matter for a while, slowly twisting into an idea she did not like. As she read, the idea was becoming more solid and her stomach was sinking.

In days past, Molech discovered an ancient rite which would allow him to draw power from worship. He set about a campaign on Earth, persuading a group of people in the eastern lands that he was a god. His worship spread by conquest as he gave his warriors armies of demons with which to take land. In return, he demanded constant worship and sacrifice. His followers, seeing his power, would do anything to placate him. Prisoners were sacrificed on his alters. At the height of the summer festival, parents would throw their children onto a bonfire while praising their Lord. Molech’s power swelled beyond any other demon since Gorefguhadget, the greatest of all Demon Lords.

Supposedly, Gorefguhdget had been this semi-legendary figure who had forged a crown giving him power over all demons. The demon might have passed into legend, but his crown was, according to Faran, still there, sitting on a throne in a castle in the demon realm.

Lord Molech took Gorefguhadget’s crown and, for three hundred years, he ruled over all demons. Some say his reign was a time of terror. Others say he was a fair and beneficent ruler. For those in his kingdom on Earth, his rule was a dark time and, eventually, there were those who rose up against it. No demon could stand against him, not even to plot, or assist those who plotted against him, but the humans of that land found other allies who kept their faces hidden and worked behind the scenes, yet granted great power. It is my belief that dragons were the secret masters of the rebels, for those beasts have long been among men, whispering and plotting in the background while others die for them.

Ceri frowned. Gunt the mysterious sorcerer did not have a great opinion of dragons. Then again, the man had killed hundreds of people to make his book; it did not exactly give one a high opinion of his moral compass.

The altars and temples of Molech were torn down, crushed into dust, the land sown with salt. Even then, those places were shunned by most for centuries after. Molech’s priests were thrown into their own fires and his worship was banned among all peoples. Anyone caught venerating his name was executed by fire and laws were passed in many lands to ensure that none should worship in the ways he prescribed lest his power grown again.

With his source of power gone, the crown fell heavy upon Molech’s brow and he tore it from his head, screaming in pain. The other lords turned against him then, as did many of his once loyal followers. Only his own personal power and the loyalty of a few kept him from being utterly destroyed. The once proud Overlord of Demons was exiled beyond the Mountains of Khedra. Many believe, however, that he is still searching for a way to regain his power.

The text stopped and Ceri turned the page to see whether there was anything more. There was another plate, a painting which, at first glance appeared to be nothing more than an image of a Devos. Then there was a sensation of vertigo and the world changed. She was standing in a snow drift which came up to her knees. The wind howled around her, whipping at her hair and blowing snow which stung her face and bare arms. Standing on the other side of the book was a demon, a demon perhaps three times her height in the basic shape of a Devos. Its body was thickly muscled and there was a faint flicker light around his horns. Ceri had seen him before, in Kennington Park one wild Samhain night; the flicker had been more like a crown of flames that time.

The demon looked down at Ceri, its eyes glowing a dull red. ‘Do you now care whether you live or die, Ceridwyn Brent?’

Ceri slammed the book shut and stood in silence for several seconds while the shock wore off. That had been Molech. She had seen him, on Earth, twice now. The first time had been just after her parents died and she had walked out on Samhain hoping that something might kill her. She had told him that she did not care about her life then, and then he had said he might come back when she did. Then she had seen him outside High Towers on the Samhain just gone. He had, apparently, come to Earth and protected London south of the Thames from the worst night on record for supernatural events. He had smiled at her through the window on her birthday.

She turned and headed for the door. The thought that she might be gassed on the way out had become less of a worry; Molech, once Overlord of All Demons, seemed to have a particular interest in her.

Kennington

There was a cat lying on the porch of the house as Ceri arrived home. The smell made her stop with her foot on the bottom step. The poor creature had been dead for a while; perhaps the result of a car accident. Its fur was matted with dried blood, maggots had started on its eyeballs. To her untutored eye the animal’s ribcage appeared to have been crushed. She was wondering who had put a dead cat on her porch when the dead animal looked up at her and made a noise like a choking yowl.

‘Widder-fucking shit!’ Ceri stated emphatically, stepping back from the worm-ridden zombie. She at least had a reasonable idea who had put the cat on her doorstep.

The door opened and Lily was standing there looking down at the cat. ‘Zombie moggie?’

‘It would appear to be.’

‘Should I get a shovel?’

Ceri focussed on the cat, which seemed to be trying its best to climb to its feet. It was barely powered, the result of a weak spell designed to get the animal to their door and give her a little bit of a shock. There was no control to override; Raynor had directed the creature to crawl to this spot and lie down, and then there had been nothing. Even now the basic elements of the cat’s living personality were trying to asserts themselves. It was struggling to rise and making pathetic little mewling noises. It wanted to be cuddled.

‘Sick bastard,’ Ceri whispered. Her fist clenched and the magic animating the corpse vanished in an instant. The cat sagged back onto the boards. The air being driven from its lungs as it relaxed sounded almost like a sigh. She raised her voice. ‘We’ll bury it at the back. I’ll lay it to rest, the poor thing.’

‘Raynor playing games?’ Lily asked; more of a suggestion really.

‘Well, I’ve no real way of telling, but that would be my guess.’

Lily smirked. ‘Twill will kick his butt up and down Vauxhall Bridge if he keeps leaving dead animals on the porch.’

Ceri grimaced. ‘Personally I was hoping he’ll stop at dead animals.’

May 31st

There were no more dead animals on the doorstep, but Ceri felt odd as she walked back from Battersea in the early hours. The feeling that she was being watched would not leave her until she turned into the end of St Agnes Place and heard what sounded like a child’s laugh. Stopping, she looked around, but there was nothing to see. She turned, heading down the narrow part of the street toward High Towers.

The sudden sense of alarm came as a shock. Her hand was on the gate and suddenly she was feeling worried, even scared. Her heart was racing. Her fists clenched as she fought the urge to run. Lily! The feelings were coming from Lily! She was in trouble… somewhere… The Park!

Vaulting the fence she ran across the garden to the side gate and through that to the path which led into the park proper. There was light in the sky, but it just made the shadows darker. In her panic to find Lily, she almost fluffed a simple night vision spell, but the half-light was suddenly brighter and she spotted the three figures near a tree. Two were crouched, the other looking around as though keeping watch. Ceri ran toward them.

There were more than three; two more of them were hidden behind the tree trunk and they were holding down a struggling figure. One of them was bent down at Lily’s neck…

Ceri summoned her power, the spell forming in her mind in a second. She raised her arms and brought them down, not for any really magical reason, but it felt right; she needed some violent action. Blazing sunlight lashed down from the sky; a beam of bright light from nowhere which blanketed the figures beside the tree. The vampires screamed, blinded by the sudden daylight, and leapt away. Ceri was dimly aware of how small they seemed before one of them, the watchman, regained enough sense to turn and hiss at her. Ceri lifted her hand, a ball of fire forming in it. The vampire snarled, appearing to consider its next move. It seemed little more than an animal, not like any vampire Ceri had seen. What alarmed her more was that the vamp was little more than a teenager, a boy of maybe fourteen, and he had not been dead long.

Lily was struggling to her feet and Ceri moved toward her, into the circle of daylight still streaming down from the sky. There was blood on Lily’s neck and her dress was torn open. As Ceri got closer she saw blood running down Lily’s left leg from the inside of her thigh. Keeping her eyes on the vampires as best she could, Ceri moved closer. ‘Lil? Are you okay?’

‘I’ve been better.’ Her voice sounded husky. Ceri could feel the euphoria of the vampire’s saliva over their link. Lily was fighting it, but it was obvious from the way she was shaking that it was a hard fight. ‘They’re kids, Ceri. The bastard turned a bunch of kids.’

Ceri was watching the one who had been on guard. He seemed to be the leader, and the oldest. One of them looked to be about six or seven. And all of them looked feral. ‘He did more than turn them. He…’ She stopped as the vamps suddenly ran off. The light in the sky was growing brighter and Ceri suspected their almost animal brains were considering it a threat. It was; in daylight they would be effectively blind.

Closing her hand around the flames, Ceri slipped her arm around Lily and started to half-carry her toward the house. ‘You can hold on to the house?’ she asked. ‘I’ll heal you up there.’

‘Legs are weak. They jumped me before I could fight… too many…’

Ceri clenched her will and almost forced power into Lily. She felt the half-succubus straighten against her. ‘That should help. Damn it! I should’ve seen this. I was so sure he wouldn’t come at us directly.’

‘Unless he didn’t. Maybe he’s after you and I am an indirect attack.’

They went through the arbour at the side of the house and Ceri propped Lily against the wall to open the door into the second kitchen. ‘Take your coat off,’ Ceri instructed as soon as they were inside and the door was closed. Lily let the leather garment fall to the floor and stood there, leaning against the kitchen counter. Ceri moved closer, looking at the wound on Lily’s neck. The vamp had certainly been young; the punctures were torn and a little hesitant. It was bad; Lily had lost a lot of blood.

Twill appeared, red light flashing around her as she rushed into the room. ‘Vampire?’ she said immediately.

‘Several,’ Lily husked. The euphoric effect was gone now, but her throat looked bruised.

Light flared around Ceri’s fingers as she moved them over the tears in Lily’s throat. The wounds closed and the bruised flesh returned to a more normal colour. ‘Twill, we need to brew up some of that stuff for accelerating blood production.’ She dropped to her knees and checked Lily’s inner thigh, a task made easy by the Dragon’s waitressing dress. The wounds there were cleaner; a slightly more adult vampire, perhaps. A flicker of light and the bite marks closed as the others had.

‘I’m on it,’ Twill said, buzzing off into the hall at speed to go down to the store room in the cellar.

Ceri stood up. ‘Let’s get you up to the lounge and sat down. You’re still weak.’

‘And you’ve used quite enough power,’ Lily replied, her voice sounding more normal, but still carrying a hint of huskiness.

Ceri could see the threads of magical residue lacing the pattern of her hand, the result of drawing on a lot of energy; she ignored it. ‘If you go to work tomorrow, Michael and I will be with you. I’ll arrange it with Alexandra in the morning.’

‘You should call the cops. Now. There are five feral vampire children running around town. That’s not good.’

Ceri nodded. ‘Once you’re in front of the fire in the lounge. It’s daylight. They won’t be doing much until evening now.’

Nodding, Lily pushed herself away from the counter and started for the door. She looked wobbly on her feet and Ceri moved quickly to help support her. She had never seen Lily move with such little grace and that, aside from anything else, indicated how close a call it had been.

~~~

‘A little anaemic,’ Alexandra said as she examined the whites of Lily’s eyes with a professional demeanour, ‘but that potion of yours should help build her red blood cell count quickly. I would recommend a day’s rest, but I’d imagine several hours rest and a gentle session in bed should suffice.’ The old wolf smiled. ‘Bedside manner takes on an entirely new meaning with you, child.’

Lily smiled back. She was sat on Ceri’s wing-backed chair in the lounge with Alexandra currently sat on the footstool beside it so that she could examine her “patient.” Not used to sitting in the actual chair, Lily was feeling uncomfortable. ‘You didn’t have to come over here, you know? I’m quite fit enough to get to Battersea.’

‘You’d deny me an excuse to get out of the park?’ The Alpha climbed to her feet and took a couple of paces over to the second of the leather chairs in the lounge. Ceri slipped onto the footstool before Lily could react, grinning up at the half-succubus in an exact reversal of their usual positions.

Lily squirmed a little in her seat. ‘Of course I wouldn’t. Thanks for coming to check on me.’ She frowned at Ceri who was fairly obviously enjoying the chance to turn the tables and play at being Lily’s pet.

On either side of Alexandra’s chair were Michael and his Captain, Anita. An incredibly statuesque woman, tall, muscled, and attractive, Anita looked like she had stepped out of the pages of a barbarian fantasy novel, particularly since she had arrived in fur and was now a nude Amazon. If Conan had been real, Anita was the kind of woman he would have drooled over. As it was, she was dating Ceri’s martial arts instructor.

‘I’m perfectly happy for you to borrow Michael tonight,’ Anita said ‘I need him back in the park by tomorrow evening though. I have a date with Ray and Michael’s agreed to be Captain for the weekend.’

‘I think that’ll work,’ Ceri said, grinning. ‘Doing anything special?’

Anita’s cheeks coloured a little. Always something of a career woman, she was a little embarrassed that she had somehow picked up a boyfriend, and a human one at that. ‘Actually we’re going out of town. To a hotel in Devon. We’re going to walk on the Downs.’

‘Nice.’ Ceri’s eyes narrowed speculatively. ‘It’d be nicer if he could be a wolf some of the time.’

‘Well, yes, but you’re not coming with us.’

Ceri’s grin was mischievous. ‘Drop by here before you leave. I might be able to arrange something.’

Twill appeared in the doorway before Anita could reply. ‘Two people coming up the path. It’s probably Kate and John, the woman is a witch.’

Ceri bounced to her feet. ‘I’ll go let them in. You’re welcome to stay. Michael, would you get a couple of chairs out for the detectives?’

John was looking serious, but that was fairly normal. Kate was also looking serious, however, and that suggested that things were not going well. ‘How’s Lily?’ The witch detective asked as soon as the door opened.

‘You can come and see yourself. Her main complaint is that that blood potion tastes like sand.’ Ceri stepped back to allow them in.

‘It does,’ John replied, ‘but I’ve felt a lot better since I started taking it.’

Ceri giggled. ‘Twill threatened to tie her down and force feed her if necessary. She wisely decided to drink the potions.’

John gave a stiff little chuckle, trying to keep his working cool going. ‘Not many people can stand up to Twill when she’s right.’

‘I’m never wrong, detective.’ Twill materialised, apparently from nowhere, right in front of John’s face and he stopped dead in his tracks before stepping back.

‘No, ma’am.’

Twill’s lips curled into a smile. ‘Coffee?’

‘Yes, please,’ John said and Twill flitted off toward the kitchen. John exhaled.

‘We have wolves here,’ Ceri said, hiding her smirk. ‘In the lounge. I hope you’re not worried about talking shop in front of them.’

John started up the staircase. ‘Michael’s a Special Advisor, just like you. I assume you’ve got Alexandra and Anita here, and the Chief trusts both of them more than some of his officers. Besides, didn’t Alexandra put you on the trail of this Raynor character?’

‘Fair enough, come on into the infirmary.’

‘I am not that sick!’ Lily protested as they walked in.

‘Her hearing is certainly working,’ Kate commented.

‘Good morning, detectives,’ Alexandra said, bowing her head to them as they sat down and Ceri returned to her footstool. The Alpha’s lips twitched. ‘I hope my Captain isn’t too distracting. She doesn’t carry clothes with her unless she knows she’ll need them.’

John gave a small cough. ‘I’m a married man. I think I can manage. Lily, how are you holding up?’

‘I’m fine, or I will be. All I’m saying is that you must really love your wife to keep drinking that potion.’

John’s lips twitched. ‘I do, but that’s beside the point. What happened?’

Lily sighed. ‘I was coming home. I thought something was a little off when I got to the park, but I couldn’t feel or see anything so I just picked up the pace a little. Then they jumped me. They were just kids, but with a vampire’s strength and speed. Four of them, initially, I think. A fifth turned up shortly after.’

‘I think the fifth was trailing me coming back from Battersea,’ Ceri put in. ‘I heard a kid laugh just before I got to the house. Then I heard Lily cry out from the park and ran in.’ It was a lie, but the alternative was telling them that she had bound Lily to her; which was illegal and immoral, and Ceri had only done it to save Lily’s sanity, but the law would not see it that way.

‘I caught something of their desires,’ Lily went on. ‘They were focussed, very focussed. Not like any vampire I’ve ever read before. I think they were controlled, sort of. They were almost animals.’

Ceri nodded. ‘They looked feral.’

‘We think they attacked a work crew in the Underground sometime after they left here,’ Kate said. ‘North of the river, between six and seven o’clock. Two dead, one in critical condition.’

‘And,’ John said, ‘we’ve had a ten per cent rise in missing persons reports over the last three days. Four children went missing yesterday evening from Hammersmith. Another vanished the night before around Clapham. There have been various adults as well, from various parts of the city.’

‘Raynor is building himself an army,’ Alexandra commented.

‘Clapham’s our turf,’ Anita said, her eyes tightening. ‘I’ll increase patrols.’

‘Patrol in fours,’ Ceri said, ‘and no one goes after him solo.’

‘For a vampire?’

‘Not an ordinary vampire. He’s something like fifteen hundred years old. He doesn’t decay like other vampires. He’s turning anyone he kills. He’s got a lot of power, more than any vamp I’ve ever seen before. You be careful.’

‘I agree with Ceridwyn, Anita,’ Alexandra said. ‘This one is dangerous. Take the precautions.’ Anita bowed her head in response.

‘I still think he felt demonic,’ Lily said. ‘There was a definite hint of demon about both the thing we saw in Bremen and the magic hanging about that boat.’

‘Some sort of hybrid?’ John suggested. ‘Like that guy Matthew Barnes possessed with a demon after turning him into a zombie.’

Ceri raised an eyebrow and looked first at John than at Lily. ‘I hadn’t considered that.’

‘I hadn’t either,’ Lily admitted. ‘I’d forgotten all about Shane.’

‘Raynor’s not quite like that though,’ Ceri went on. ‘If he’s been about for that long it’s something else. More like a symbiosis. Or some sort of binding enchantment.’ She looked around as Twill floated in through the door with a tray of mugs following her. ‘Twill? Some sort of spell binding together the patterns of demons and humans?’

Twill came to a stop in the middle of the small circle and looked thoughtful while mugs began to disperse themselves between people. ‘It isn’t really my area of expertise, but no. Obviously there’s the more normal demonic binding, and there are possession spells, but not a true symbiosis or hybridisation. I would imagine it would require an enchantment.’

‘Binding an immaterial demon into a physical body?’ Ceri mused.

‘Indeed. I’ve heard of nothing like that.’

‘And as far as I know,’ Lily added, ‘demons can’t rise as undead. Certainly not on Earth.’

Ceri shook her head. ‘They usually discorporate rapidly here. I doubt trying to raise them as undead would work, even assuming the magic would function on the different morphogenic structure.’

‘You’re using long words, love,’ Lily commented. ‘I’m still feeling a little weak.’

‘Sorry. It’s sunny out. We’ll take you up on the roof in a bit. Some sunshine is bound to make you feel better.’

Lily’s lips curled into a smile. ‘Sunshine?’ She sighed. ‘It seems like the sunny weather is starting really late this year. It’ll be nice to feel the heat.’

~~~

Stretched out naked on one of the three loungers on High Towers’ roof, Lily did look more relaxed and happy than she had in the lounge. Her porcelain skin refused to tan, no matter how much she sunbathed, but the sunlight warming her body always made her contented.

Ceri lay on her lounger basking in the contentment Lily was feeling. It was one of the nicer aspects of sunny days and she really enjoyed it. She was moderately sure that Michael, stretched out on the third lounger, would get restless after a while and decide to do something, but for now he was happy lying in the sun. He might actually tan.

The thought drew Ceri’s attention to her own skin and she sat up, running fingers over a forearm. There was no sign of burning even though she had forgotten about sunscreen. Her skin had changed when she had almost killed herself using too much power in America. She had gone paler and her freckles were now gone. She did not quite have the perfect, unmarked flesh Lily was currently exposing, but it was closer to that than it had been and, apparently, had the same resilience to infrared light.

‘Are you in need of some oil, Ceri?’ She looked around to see Faran emerging from the roof hatch. He looked far too young to have fathered a twenty-six year old woman. In fact he looked barely older than Lily and had the same auburn hair, cut a little shorter than his daughter’s. He appeared to be dressed in dark jeans and a T-shirt, though that, like his appearance, could be nothing more than an assumed shape.

‘Apparently not,’ Ceri replied. She noticed Michael open his eyes to watch the newcomer approaching. The werewolf remained lying on the lounger which was an improvement; Michael generally preferred not to be around Faran.

‘Ah well,’ Faran said, faking disappointment, ‘I really came for Lily anyway. I heard she was attacked.’ He walked over to Lily’s lounger, standing over her and looking down. ‘Not that she appears badly damaged.’

‘I’m not,’ Lily replied, ‘and you’re standing in my light.’

Faran chuckled and settled down beside his daughter. ‘I heard it was vampires.’

‘Four of them. They hit me before I knew what was happening. I lost a lot of blood, but my mistress is hideously powerful.’

‘Then thank you for saving my daughter’s life, Ceri.’

‘My pleasure. Michael’s too, actually. A little recuperative sex before we came up here.’ Faran chuckled at the comment. ‘Faran, what do you know about demons and vampires?’

The incubus frowned. ‘They don’t exactly mix. Demons can’t be turned. There is a form of vampiric demon, Holodvoi, but they can’t exist here. Even in our world they’re immaterial. They take the form of a… living cloud of darkness. Bright light destroys them almost instantly, they don’t even like lamps. They wrap themselves around their victims and, well, once one of them has you you’re more or less done for. Everything bleeds, even your skin. A Holodva can suck a human-sized creature dry in a few seconds.’

‘But they’re stuck on the other side?’

Faran nodded. ‘Well… They can’t be summoned, even by name, and they can’t cross over on their own. There are ways that such a det, uh, a common demon, can get here. Usually it requires something of considerable power, a Lord or a powerful angelus. They couldn’t survive here for long even then.’

‘The description kind of matches some of what we’ve seen Raynor do,’ Lily said. She sounded a little drowsy; the sun was really getting to her.

‘Raynor?’ Faran said.

‘He’s some sort of ancient vampire,’ Ceri supplied. ‘Been around since the Dark Ages. Doesn’t rot. He probably turned the vamps who attacked Lily. We think he followed us back from Hamburg.’

‘Ah, the Rift. They still tell tales of armies passing through from our world to this one through that. The largest force ever amassed being able to rampage across…’ He stopped. ‘That possibly wasn’t very tactful.’

‘Were you amongst them?’ Lily asked.

‘I’m not quite that old, child.’

‘Then there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.’

He shrugged. ‘They mostly took fighters anyway. The… less military demons stayed behind. We knew the bridge would close up.’

‘You knew it was going to happen?’ Ceri asked. It made sense; when the bombs had gone off there had been little delay before the demons climbed out of the Rift.

‘As I understand it, diviners and the like were foretelling a great joining of the two worlds for almost a year before it happened.’

‘Alexandra knew it was coming,’ Michael pointed out.

‘True,’ Ceri agreed. ‘She told me once that it was inevitable after a certain point.’ She frowned. ‘Could a Fallen bring one of those Holodvoi over?’

‘A fallen angelus? It isn’t impossible, I suppose. They travel to our world more readily than their “better” brothers. Why?’

Ceri’s voice was musing. ‘Angels don’t like vampires. There’s some evidence to suggest some people, probably thaumaturges and evokers, could use that to fight vamps. I assume they’d set a couple of angels on a vampire. But angels aren’t really bothered by demons, or even werewolves, so why should they dislike vamps?’

‘Because vampires were made by a Fallen?’ Lily suggested. She was sounding less sleepy, more interested. ‘Raynor is some sort of human-demon fusion. Maybe he’s not even really undead.’

Ceri nodded. ‘I think he is, undead that is. He smells of it, supposedly. He probably died in the ritual and was brought back with a Holodva embedded in his pattern. No one really knows were vampires came from. They’re unlike other forms of undead and no one has ever explained them. Mind you, no one knows how ghouls are created either.’

‘Most people don’t stick around to find out with ghouls,’ Lily pointed out. ‘So… Raynor is either a lot older than you think, or there are others like him. I mean, vampires have been around since before the Dark Ages, right?’

‘No idea, but I know someone who might.’

~~~

Professor Edward Perry was the kind of thaumatology lecturer who really looked the part. Studious, tall, but stooped, with dishevelled salt and pepper hair. He constantly dressed in tweed jackets with leather elbow patches, his shirts and trousers were rarely ironed, and if they were it was badly. He did have piercing, green eyes which had probably skewered more than a few wayward students in their time.

Neither his eyes nor his knowledge of thaumatology were the reason he was currently standing in the summoning room in High Towers’ cellar, however. Ed was also the dragon Athro, a name which meant “teacher.” He had been around long before the Dark Ages and if anyone knew where vampires came from it would be him.

‘Actually, no,’ he said. ‘I don’t know where they came from exactly.’

‘You realise your status as my fount of all historical knowledge is at stake here, Ed,’ Ceri told him, though she was grinning. ‘I may have to go talk to my great-grand-dragon instead.’

He grinned back. ‘She won’t be able to tell you any more than I. There were no vampires around during the Toba Flare period. We were away for quite a significant period of time between then and around five thousand years ago, and when we came back we started hearing stories about walking corpses who drank the blood of the living. They were created sometime in the zero magic period between the flares.’

Ceri frowned. ‘Well, that confirms that they were around before the Dark Ages at least.’

‘Oh yes, long before. I would estimate at least four thousand years. Why?’

‘There’s a vampire named Raynor. He followed us from Hamburg and now he seems to be intent on turning half of London. Since just about anyone he drains turns, he might succeed.’

Ed’s image frowned and he stroked his chin thoughtfully. ‘I recall stories of a blood cult of some sort in northern Europe. Those started during the Dark Ages. I spent most of my time in Wales and Cornwall back then, but we heard tales from traders. They claimed that the leader had been cursed by God for the drinking of blood, but he had made a deal with the Devil. Very Stoker-like, though rather before his time.’

‘Does the Devil do that kind of thing?’

The dragon blinked at her. ‘I have no idea, Ceridwyn. I’ve never met him. I’m not even sure he exists as a specific entity. If the story has any basis in fact, the “Devil” figure was likely any random Fallen.’

Ceri frowned, equally thoughtfully. ‘Not a random Fallen, I don’t think. This one has some specialist knowledge. He’s moved a demon over from their world which can’t survive here and then welded it into a dying human to create some sort of super-vamp. I think he’s been doing it for, what? Six or seven thousand years?’

‘A reasonable estimate, but you can’t be sure it’s the same Fallen.’

‘No,’ Ceri replied, ‘but somehow it feels like I’m right.’

Soho, June 1st

Carter was frowning as he emerged from the back rooms. He glanced out toward the street before leaning on the bar and apparently coming to a decision. ‘Alec, could you make sure Sasha and Tess get home safely?’

The werewolf raised an eyebrow. ‘Of course. You expecting trouble?’

‘I just had a call from the Greycoats. There have been a number of apparently random and particularly vicious vampire attacks this evening. The sun won’t be fully up when we close.’

‘Are you going to be okay?’

‘I have a car, and I’m heading over to Cheryl’s house to check on her. She isn’t as close to Ceri as Lily is…’

Ceri suppressed a wince. ‘Good idea, Boss. This has to be something to do with Raynor.’

‘A distraction,’ Alec said, his tone matter of fact. ‘He’s got his newly turned minions spreading the fear, and it makes it harder for the cops to spot a pattern in who he’s attacking personally.’

‘You make it sound like a guerrilla war,’ Lily commented.

‘A terrorist campaign,’ Alec replied. ‘Dogmatic messages in blood. Vampire rampages. He’s spreading fear.’

‘But to what end?’ Carter mused.

‘If he’s made demands,’ Ceri said, ‘I haven’t heard about them.’

‘He’ll be making demands soon enough,’ Alec said. ‘He’ll want to be sure of his forces first. Remember, he’s basically starting from scratch. He’ll talk to the press when he’s ready.’ The werewolf paused. ‘Unless he’s going to do something drastic first.’

‘More drastic than lots of random vampire attacks?’ Lily asked, frowning.

It was Ceri’s turn to sound musing. ‘He’d be a bit limited by being unable to work in daylight… Large scale attack on a club, perhaps? The Underground! That would get around the daylight problem.’

‘You’re far too good at this, kid,’ Alec stated flatly. ‘It might be an idea to talk to your Greycoat colleagues about it.’

Ceri nodded. ‘But if I put that kind of scenario in front of them Special Branch will want in.’

‘Special Branch are not equipped to deal with this situation.’ The voice came from behind them and Ceri felt Lily tensing as she turned to look. ‘Then again, I doubt the Greycoats will be too much use either,’ the woman added. She was tall, very slim, and stunningly attractive. Her pale skin might have marked her as a vampire, but Ceri was quite sure she was Sidhe, high fae, like Sean; she could feel the power and there was no sign of the glamour older vamps used to hide their degradation. The carefully sculpted features, narrow face, dark eyes, and long, black hair were all hers.

‘Ophelia,’ Lily said, ‘what are you doing here?’

The woman smiled; she had a perfect smile though somehow there seemed to be more teeth in it than normal. ‘Don’t worry, Lily, I’m not planning to stay. I’m just a messenger.’

Lily’s eyebrows went up. ‘You? Playing messenger girl?’

The smile faltered. ‘Some people you don’t say no to.’ Her eyes turned to Ceri. ‘Someone wishes to meet with you, Ceridwyn Brent. Hildegard Braun.’

Ceri felt Lily getting more anxious, but the name meant nothing to her. ‘And that is?’

‘Probably the oldest vampire in Europe,’ Carter said, trying to keep his voice flat. ‘Certainly the oldest in Britain.’

‘Oh,’ Ceri said. ‘Why?’

Ophelia shrugged. ‘Like I said, I’m just the messenger. You’re to meet her at dawn. Lily knows where she lives and she’s expecting both of you. The Lady guarantees your safety. That’s why I’m passing the message on.’

Ceri frowned. One of her tables needed attention. ‘All right. I’ll meet her. If you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.’ She started off across the floor, but Ophelia’s voice could still be heard as she walked away.

‘Considering who she is, she’s not what I expected.’

‘No,’ Lily replied, ‘she’s better.’

Waterloo Underground Station, Lambeth

They got off the tube train one station before normal, at Waterloo. Above them the mainline trains were still, the first to run would be at six am. The tube trains were on a reduced schedule at that hour. They could have gone home and changed before going to the meeting, but they had stayed behind at the club to make sure Carter had got to his car safely and Lily had said Hildegard Braun was not someone who cared excessively about what you wore.

Lily lead the way from the southbound platform and through a door in one of the tiled walls which bore an “Authorised Personnel Only” sign. Michael was left there, keeping an eye on the doorway, even though he was not happy about it. The door opened onto a narrow corridor which seemed to see little use and took up a space between one main tunnel and another. Ceri wondered who was actually authorised to enter. She felt unusually nervous and covered it with hushed conversation.

‘So who’s Ophelia?’

‘She’s one of the highest ranking members of the Unseelie Court in London. Sort of an ambassador.’

‘You met her in the Dubh Linn?’

‘Uh-huh. She’s there a lot. To be fair to her, she mostly tries to keep the other fae in line. On the other hand, she’s a murderous bitch.’

‘Huh.’ Ceri grinned; Lily was really good at saying the right thing to keep her happy. ‘What about this vamp? How do you know her?’

‘I don’t, exactly.’ The corridor was too narrow for them to walk side-by-side and Lily looked over her shoulder briefly. ‘Lots of people know where she lives. Even the Underground workers. They have to know where she is so they can stay out of her way.’ She turned back. The lighting was terrible, coming from a few scattered light runes, and the floor was covered in rubbish. ‘I met her once though. She came to the Dubh Linn after one of hers. Everyone watched while she tore the other vamp’s head off.’

‘What did they do to deserve that?’

‘Don’t know. No one was going to ask. She sat down at the bar afterward like nothing had happened. Right beside me. She said I was pretty.’

‘What did she look like?’

‘To me? About thirty, attractive, but stern. Shoulder length, blonde hair and blue eyes. She had a German accent. I’m glad I couldn’t see what she really looked like.’ Ceri grimaced; whatever image Braun might use to hide herself, Ceri would see right through it.

‘How old is she?’

‘Old. No one’s really sure. That’s another thing no one’s prepared to ask her.’ She stopped as they reached another door. ‘This is it. Time to be Ceridwyn the Sorceress.’

Ceri nodded, sucked in a deep breath, and pulled herself up straight. ‘All right, let’s do this.’

Lily reached out and knocked on the door twice. It was opened by a male vampire. He was projecting the image of a twenty-something man with carefully groomed hair in a dark suit, but Ceri could see the desiccated corpse underneath, the lips drawn back to reveal his pronounced canines. She guessed he was pre-Shattering, maybe eighty to a hundred years old.

‘We were told Miss Braun wished to meet Ceridwyn Brent,’ Lily said, keeping her voice neutral, but firm.

The vampire nodded and stepped back to allow them in. ‘You’re expected. The sorceress goes in alone. You’re to wait with me, Lily.’ The room was bare, concrete walls and little in the way of furniture. There was a table and a couple of chairs, a cot in the corner which the vampire presumably used. There was one other door.

Lily nodded. ‘I’ll be fine, Mistress,’ Lily said, obviously playing the demon pet role. ‘Aden would never do anything to me.’

Ceri came to a decision and unbuttoned her coat, slipping it from her shoulders and handing it to Lily. There was enough defiance in going to see Britain’s oldest vampire in a dress which barely covered her arse to kick in Ceri’s dominatrix attitude. Without another word she headed for the inner door, opening it without knocking and walking through.

The room beyond was dimly lit, the concrete walls softened by the shadows. There was an old, oak table and a huge, throne-like chair, but the room was dominated by a four-posted bed with thin, almost ragged curtains drawn all the way around it. There was no light within the curtains, but Ceri’s sight showed her a humanoid shape within, picked out by the aura of negative thaumitons it was giving off. The voice which came from the bed was thin, but Ceri could hear the undertone of authority which was probably all anyone else heard.

‘Good morning, Doctor Brent. I appreciate you coming to see me.’ There was, indeed, a German accent in there, though it sounded like she had not been in her homeland for a long time.

‘I’m told you’re a very old and powerful vampire,’ Ceri replied. ‘It would seem unwise not to. Besides, it would be rude.’

A rasping laugh; Braun still had a sense of humour. ‘I hope you don’t mind me remaining behind these curtains. To most I can appear as I did when alive, but I’m told you see through such tricks and I’m not as pretty as I was five hundred years ago.’

Ceri struggled to keep the surprise out of her voice; five centuries was a hell of an age for a vampire. ‘Most considerate of you. Might I ask why you asked me here?’

‘I’m sure you can guess.’

‘Raynor.’

‘He was a thousand years old when he turned me. I was the daughter of a shoe maker in Hamburg and nothing to him. I made the mistake of being in his path one night. There was nothing I could do but join his army when I woke up. We were weak, quick to age, easy to spot. We fell and only I escaped with the Ancient.’

‘What does he want?’

‘Everything. Dominion over all. The rise of the vampires to their true place in the world.’

‘Not much then?’

Another dry laugh. ‘No, not much, but now the world has changed. Now he might have a chance of succeeding. He cannot be allowed to achieve his goal, Ceridwyn.’

‘Pardon me, but shouldn’t you be cheering him on?’

‘You might think so, I suppose. Vampires have been accepted by society. We are even valued in some circles, no longer the monsters of the night we once were. Raynor will destroy that. His foolish crusade will see us hunted down and destroyed. I know you’re not fond of us…’

‘I… have changed my mind a little over the last couple of months. Not all vampires are monsters.’

‘The detective’s wife.’

‘Lorna. She’s a good woman. What happened to her…’

‘Was deplorable. I have few illusions at my age. There are vampires who deserve to end.’ The hard edge to her voice was obvious; she was not dissembling.

‘Raynor then. What can you tell me about him?’

‘His story tended to change as he retold it, depending on the listener.’ Her rasp of a laugh accompanied the statement. ‘I heard enough different versions to come up with a composite truth. I believe he was the son of a Teutonic noble, possibly cast out for the murder of a holy man. He claims he was visited by an angel who gave him a sacred duty, but I’m sure that what he found was a Fallen One. It turned him, somehow, into the creature he is now.’

‘I’ve been doing some research,’ Ceri broke in. ‘The most likely method seems to be some sort of demonic hybridisation.’

‘Not impossible. He claimed that his task on Earth was to bring about the Blood Rule. Vampires had been created by God to rule the world, and he had been chosen by God’s representative to see that it happened. He always made it sound like he was the first and only one of his kind, but he lied. These Ancients do not seem to play well together. They avoid each other, tend to come to blows if they meet. They are as susceptible to fire as any vampire. Their eyes work in light or dark, but their bodies burn in direct sunlight. That is not so great a vulnerability, however, since they can… weave darkness about themselves like a cloak. Of course, they almost always turn anyone they drain and they do not decay.’

‘Basically then, he won’t be that much harder to take down than a normal vampire?’

‘He’s faster than us, stronger, and he’s had centuries to learn to use his powers, but yes. If you can find him, get past his soldiers, get past his zombies, and stop him from escaping… Under those circumstances he’s not much harder to kill than I am, for example.’

Ceri smiled at the dimly lit canopy. ‘I get the picture.’

‘I’m sure you do. I’m afraid I don’t know where he is, but he prefers to stay below ground, somewhere holy or venerated if he can find something. If anyone loyal to me discovers his location, I’ll get word to you, but beyond that I am of little help.’

‘You’ve been of great help, Miss Braun.’

There was the rasping laugh again. ‘Hildegard. That’s a very nice dress you’re wearing. It’s a shame I’m not a few centuries younger.’

Ceri allowed herself a chuckle, though the actual idea of having anything physical to do with a vampire that old was likely to make her throw up. ‘I should be going. I have work to do tomorrow.’

‘One more thing. A gift, if you will. Lorna Radcliffe’s Elder, the vampire who turned her, is named Lo Chan. He was turned in China during the Boxer Rebellion. After John Radcliffe destroyed his operation in the north of England, Chan moved south and rebuilt. He is as dangerous personally as he is efficient as a drug lord, and he holds grudges a long time.’

‘Thank you,’ Ceri said, though she was not sure what to do with the information; was it a lead, or a warning? ‘Perhaps we’ll meet again.’ She turned, starting back toward the door.

‘Perhaps we will.’ There was an almost wistful tone to the vampire’s voice. As she opened the door and walked out to a smile from Lily, Ceri wondered how lonely it was being a five-hundred year old woman almost alone in a room buried beneath one of the most vibrant cities in the world.

Kennington

‘Fifty people attacked, five of those are in the morgue.’ The phone line probably cut out some of Kate’s fatigue, but Ceri could tell she had had no sleep since yesterday. ‘We’ve had another seven missing persons reports on top of that, including two uniforms who went missing from Hammersmith.’

‘I checked in with the pack,’ Michael said at the phone; speakerphones were great for remote conferencing. ‘A small pack of vamps started causing trouble in the park just before midnight.’

‘Anyone hurt?’ Kate asked.

‘Three of the vamps won’t be rising again. A couple of scratches on our guys, but they healed quickly enough. We got word from the Dog Boys as well. Their Alpha female, Freya, is a bit more… communicative. A group of vamps was playing around the docks. According to her you’ll find the bodies of four of them floating near Greenwich View.’

‘I’ll get someone on it. Special Tactics nailed another three last night. Not all of them are new vamps. It looks like Raynor is recruiting as well as turning.’

‘Great,’ Ceri said sourly. ‘Where’s John?’

‘Home with Lorna, which is where I’ll be in thirty minutes. They insisted. I’m staying in their guest room… mostly.’

Ceri grinned. Kate had been helping to feed Lorna for a few months now and while they did keep it semi-clinical some of the time they did not do so all the time. ‘I need to have a chat with you. Privately. Probably when this business is out of the way.’

‘Mysterious. Okay, I’m sure we’ll be able to sort that out sometime.’

‘Good. You go get some rest. You sound tired.’

‘That’s better than I feel. Later.’ The line went dead.

Lily reached out and switched off the speaker, disconnecting their end. ‘So what are we going to do?’

‘Get dressed,’ Ceri replied, rising to her feet. ‘We’re going to church.’ She headed out toward the stairs leaving Michael to raise an eyebrow at Lily, and Lily to shrug back.

City of London

The view was spectacular. Vertigo inducing, but spectacular. Below and around them was the City, the real City of London. They were atop the tallest point, the spire of St Paul’s Cathedral, which was on top of Ludgate Hill, which was one of the three hills in London. It was one of those weird items of terminology, in a way; London City was huge, but the City of London was just a tiny bit of it.

They were alone on the narrow walkway known as the Golden Gallery. Even here there was more of the building above them, but this was as high as you could get without climbing gear. They were alone because Ceri had flashed her warrant card and said that they needed to clear the gallery for thirty minutes. ‘You were right,’ Lily said from the other side of the walkway, ‘there’s one up here.’ Ceri started walking around.

‘I don’t see anything.’ That was Michael. He would not be able to see what they were looking for.

Ceri rounded the building and saw the humanoid figure outlined in the Earth’s magical field. She had figured that if they were going to find an angel it was going to be up here; even if that was only because this was the highest point in the city rather than because it was a church. ‘I need to talk to one of you lot,’ Ceri said to the angel. It ignored her. ‘It’s about an Ancient vampire,’ she added.

She could see energy flooding in toward the immaterial shape as it solidified in front of them. Michael took a step back; the thing was barely six inches from him and between him and Lily. The half-succubus could sense them, or rather the distortion they made in the magic field, but her perception of them was not as precise as Ceri’s Sight. The angel appeared as a young man dressed in street clothes; a white T-shirt, blue jeans, and a leather jacket. It bent forward and leant on the rail.

‘We are not in the habit of providing information to atheists.’

‘Except when you need help kicking an opposing angel and his army out of the country?’ The local angels had been enigmatic when Ceri had become involved with fighting an army of angels from Brazil, but they had been very keen to make sure she dealt with it. ‘You owe me. I nearly died, twice, taking out Gadriel.’

The angel looked at her. That was when she realised his eyes were a uniform black, no whites at all. It was probably thinking that would be intimidating; angels tended to like a little awe. ‘We owe you…’

‘No, I’m not expecting you to be nice about it. Never mind the intimidating eyeballs and the attitude, Raynor was made by a Fallen. That’s why angels don’t like vampires, right?’

The angel returned his gaze to the skyline. ‘We have observed the vampires becoming more violent recently. Why do you mention an Ancient?’

‘Because one woke up in Hamburg and came here. He’s the one pushing the vamps. His name is Raynor and he was turned by a Fallen in the Dark Ages.’

Energy boiled around the spirit though physically it appeared quite calm. ‘We will contact you,’ it said, and then it dissolved. Ceri saw its spirit form rise into the air, vanishing skyward.

‘Ungrateful bastard,’ Michael commented.

‘It’s gone,’ Ceri told him.

He shrugged. ‘Doesn’t make him any less ungrateful.’

‘Do you think they’ll actually help?’ Lily asked.

Ceri sighed, took one more look across the city, and turned to head back down. Over five hundred steps for two minutes of possibly wasted time. ‘Well, we can hope.’

‘Have faith?’ Lily suggested.

Ceri winced.

Part Six: The Blood War

Soho, London, June 2nd, 2012

Full moon was three nights away and the Jade Dragon should have been humming with boisterous werewolves as well as the humans who enjoyed the kind of atmosphere which resulted from them. Instead it was almost empty. Friday night had seen more vampire attacks and the government had called for a state of emergency. The streets were full of police and army units armed with incendiary rounds. They were not taking prisoners and vampires had been warned to stay off the streets entirely.

‘This sucks,’ Ceri commented. ‘I feel guilty taking the pay for this evening.’

‘If you have a brilliant idea on how to find Raynor,’ Carter replied, ‘I’d be happy to pay you to go out and do that.’ He was not his usual ebullient self, even though Cheryl was there in a very short, backless dress. ‘He’s bad for business. You realise a lot of places are shut tonight so we’re getting the people who would be elsewhere… and this is all we have.’

‘You could always close up early,’ Cheryl suggested. ‘It’s your birthday tomorrow.’

The wizard shrugged slightly. ‘Honestly, I’d rather wait until it’s light before we head out. Normally I’d have taken this week off, but the way things have been…’

‘You’re going out to Winchester?’ Lily asked. Her eyes were on the customers, even if there were few of them.

‘Alec is driving,’ Cheryl said. ‘I have my laptop to work on.’ She looked at Ceri. ‘There’s no real need for you to go into the lab. How’s the work on the cross-channel line coming?’

‘I’m still working on the maths, but so far I can’t find an interaction between the normal space medium and the sub-membrane conduit. It’s looking good.’

‘What sort of power do you think you can generate out of a line like that?’ Carter asked.

‘Megawatts certainly,’ Cheryl said. ‘We’ll know more when the Army have finished building their collector in the Bremen base.’

‘I had an idea that might get us more,’ Ceri added. ‘I need to do some more work on it. A ring system to let us put more collectors in the stream. When I have the maths worked out I’ll pass it to you to check, Cheryl.’

‘You think you can do that?’ Cheryl asked, sounding enthusiastic.

‘So far it’s looking good.’ Ceri grinned. ‘Would you believe I dreamed it up? I woke up one morning last week and there was this idea sitting there in my head.’

Cheryl chuckled. ‘Not unheard of. Kekulé supposedly figured out the shape of benzene after having a daydream. He saw snakes biting each other’s tails to make a ring or something.’

Ceri giggled. ‘I saw dragons doing it. I figure it was my tattoo. There were eight dragons and they sort of merged into one big one.’

‘With you it would be dragons,’ Carter commented.

‘Sometimes it’s wolves,’ Lily said.

‘Yeah,’ Cheryl agreed, ‘that’s true. Maybe she can do wolves biting tails tomorrow night.’

‘Werewolves don’t have tails,’ Alec said from across the bar.

Ceri frowned at them. ‘If I dream of werewolves biting each other in the butt tonight…’

Northern Line, June 3rd

There were four of them on the platform at Embankment; three men and a woman dressed in too much black. Ceri saw them through the window, and her Sight showed her the bloom of negative thaumitons around them. She relaxed, a little, when they got onto one of the cars further toward the front of the train.

‘You see them?’ Lily asked.

‘Vamps.’

‘I figured. They moved like vamps.’

‘The question is, what kind?’

Lily shook her head. ‘Vamps either like being vamps, or don’t. Lorna’s the latter type. Those were the former, but it doesn’t make them Raynor’s.’

‘No, but did that sound like a scream to you?’

Lily reached into her coat and produced her daggers. ‘Let’s assume it was, just in case.’

Ceri nodded and lifted her hand, a ball of orange, flickering light forming in her palm. She usually used area effect fire against vampires in groups, but in the confined space of the train that was too dangerous. She would be limited to single targets.

The train pulled into Waterloo. No one screamed or ran off. No one simply walked off and there was no one waiting to get on. Ceri was starting to relax again as the train pulled away, but that lasted about three seconds before the connecting door slammed open and one of the vamps could be seen standing in it, his face covered in blood.

He let out a howl of glee as he spotted Ceri and Lily, and took two steps into the car before Ceri’s fireball hit him in the chest. Lily was on her feet and moving down the carriage before the remaining three could get past his falling body. They were vampires, fast and strong, but young ones and without Lily’s training. One of them swung a clawed hand at her and she simply slid under it, her blades slamming forward into his chest. The female screamed and swung a fist at Lily’s head. Ceri’s power flared and the vampire let out a yelp as she hit skin like iron. Lily turned, yanking her knives free and spinning. The woman screamed as Lily rammed an enchanted weapon in under her armpit, the change of position gave Ceri a shot at the last man, and his throat evaporated as the flame bolt hit him.

The woman was still standing and she made a grab for Lily’s throat with her left hand; the right one was useless now. Lily felt fingers touching her and slammed her second knife upward, right through the girl’s wrist. Then she felt a third flame bolt passing her head and the vampire’s scream of pain was cut off as half her face turned to ash.

Lily pulled her knives out of the body and straightened up. ‘Remind me not to piss you off.’

Ceri gave her a grin and walked over to the emergency stop lever. ‘Think that one’ll live?’

Lily looked down at the man she had stabbed. ‘He’s a vamp. It’d have killed a human, but…’

The train pulled into Kennington station and Ceri yanked the lever. ‘At least the Chief won’t tell us off for killing them all.’

Westminster

‘You couldn’t have kept a couple more alive?’ John Radcliffe asked.

‘They weren’t planning to do us that honour,’ Lily replied blandly. ‘Get anything from the live one?’ She was sat in one of the big conference room chairs, Ceri on her left. John and his partner were sat opposite; their office at Greycoat Street was far too small for four people to sit comfortably.

‘Nothing that’s actually useful. He’s told us how he was recruited. Hell, he was enthusiastic about it.’

Kate grunted in disgust. ‘He kept telling us how he’d be out as soon as Raynor heard he’d been taken. That Raynor would kill every last cop in the station to get to him. That vampires stuck together and never left a slight un-avenged.’

‘I highly doubt Raynor gives so much as a fuck about the little creep,’ Ceri said.

‘No,’ John agreed, ‘and when he figures that out he might start saying something useful. Though I doubt he actually knows anything useful. Raynor’s been having meetings, apparently. Always at random locations passed by word of mouth a few hours before the event. I can’t think of a practical way to use that against him.’

‘No snitch you can call in?’ Ceri asked.

John raised an eyebrow; his lips actually twitched. ‘Snitch? Have you been watching cop shows on TV? No, the informants we might expect to be useful have gone very quiet.’ He looked at Lily. ‘You don’t know any…’

The half-succubus shook her head. ‘I’ve never been that involved with vamps. The ones I knew who might hear about this kind of thing wouldn’t talk to me now anyway.’

‘Do you think Sean might help?’ Ceri asked. ‘He might hear things.’

‘I think the vampires Raynor is recruiting wouldn’t go to the Dubh Linn.’ Lily looked to John for confirmation. ‘He seems to be picking up younger vamps?’

‘From what we’ve seen, yes.’

‘It’s mostly older ones at the Dubh. Like Hildegard, they don’t want the status quo disturbed.’

‘Hildegard?’ Kate said, disbelief in her voice. ‘Hildegard Braun? You talked to Hildegard Braun?’

‘Ceri did,’ Lily replied, nodding.

‘She supplied some of the information I gave you on Raynor,’ Ceri told them. ‘She seemed nice enough. Kind of lonely, actually.’

John was frowning. ‘Should I know that name?’

‘She’s the oldest vampire anyone knows of,’ Kate said. ‘Aside from this Raynor anyway. No one gets to see her. Or if they do they don’t usually get to walk away afterward.’

‘Inviting us to see her and then killing us would’ve been kind of rude,’ Lily pointed out. ‘Anyway, she doesn’t like Raynor much. He turned her, or so she said.’

‘Currently we’ve no reason to suppose he didn’t,’ Ceri said. ‘She, and probably a lot of the older vamps, are afraid this will end up as some sort of pogrom.’ She saw John’s face darken and her eyes narrowed at him.

The inspector’s fist clenched on the table. ‘There are a few noises being made about “emergency measures” if he isn’t caught soon. People are starting to panic and that’s never good. The military forces on the streets are just the start.’

Ceri sighed and looked down at the polished wood of the table. If there was one thing you could expect people, especially politicians, to do when things got tough, it was to overreact to a threat. ‘Great,’ she said. ‘Just great.’

Kennington

Lily watched the evening news with a deep frown marring her perfect features. There were no signs that Raynor was spreading his activities beyond London, but there were signs that people were not waiting for him to.

‘On Deansgate in Manchester,’ the announcer said, ‘a crowd gathered outside the “Type-O Plus” club, a noted hang out for vampires in the North West. While initially a peaceful protest, police were called when several members of the crowd attempted to smash their way into the closed building.’

Film footage which had been showing a crowd gathered around what looked like a shop front on a fairly wide street changed to shots of a burning building. ‘Police Scene of Crime Officers have confirmed that remains found amongst the ashes of a house in Cheltenham belong to Adam Caldecott and his wife. Caldecott fought in the war, receiving the Distinguished Service Order for saving the lives of five members of his team following the retreat across Europe which followed the Shattering. Caldecott was bitten and turned during the engagement. He had been living quietly with his wife of fifty-two years, Helen Alice Caldecott, having retired from the military fifteen years ago where he worked as an advisor on undead beings. Police have stated that they are treating the fire as arson.’

‘You’re right,’ Lily said sadly, ‘it’s getting worse.’

Beside her on the sofa, eyes fixed on her tablet’s display as she went over the news feeds, Ceri nodded. ‘I know. There are reports from various sources about gangs forming to go hunt vampires, or seen doing it. I’m surprised there’s not more dead vamps on the news.’

‘People are still dumb enough to believe some of the legends,’ Lily replied. ‘They go hunting in daylight and expect to find the vampires sleeping. I mean, a lot of vamps do sleep in the daytime, but they don’t sleep much and it’s usually in the early hours.’

‘Lorna prefers sleeping at night.’

‘Exactly.’ Lily turned and gave Ceri a worried look. ‘I hope she’s okay.’

‘She’s got John and Kate looking after her.’

‘Not while they’re on duty.’

‘What do you suggest? Want to move her in here?’

Lily sucked thoughtfully on her right canine. ‘Do you think they’d accept the offer?’

Ceri laughed and then sobered up just as quickly. ‘Honestly? I don’t know. I think John was worried about this kind of thing too.’

‘Would the wards actually stop a mob with pitchforks?’

‘Anything with intent to do harm.’

‘Are we expecting trouble?’ Twill asked as she flew in followed by a tray of mugs.

Ceri smiled and waved her over; she felt like she needed the coffee. ‘Have I mentioned you’re gorgeous? We’re always expecting trouble.’ She lifted her mug from the tray and took a drink, sighing as the hot liquid flowed down her throat.

‘We were discussing whether we should get Lorna over here,’ Lily said, taking her own mug. ‘The anti-vampire tensions are growing.’

‘Oh well…’ Twill began and then stopped as several things happened at once.

Lily’s eyes widened suddenly. Ceri turned sharply, looking for the source of the sudden tightening in the skin at the back of her neck. That was when the angel appeared in the room.

Its head almost reached the ceiling and its wings stretched out to the walls on either side of the room. It was more or less male, though its narrow features were lacking in real definition and its eyes shone with a brilliant white light. It was dressed in a robe which shone almost as brightly and was wearing a crown. There was a sceptre in his hand, which seemed wrong for an angel. Ceri covered her eyes and winced at the glare, and growled as the thing’s aura rolled over her.

‘Harken unto me, you unbelievers.’ The voice was loud enough to pop eardrums, if it had been a real voice rather than an echoing roar of sound in their minds.

‘Not until you’ve turned the bloody glare down!’ Ceri yelled back. ‘You’re really not impressing anyone.’

The light sort of stuttered and then dimmed, and Ceri felt the aura roll back. When she lowered her arm the angel was still fairly bright, but it had shrunk down to about six foot tall and the wings had vanished. It looked annoyed. ‘I came to help you, sorceress. There’s no need to be snippy.’

Ceri was a little surprised at the change of tone, but she was also annoyed. ‘Well if you’re here to help there’s no need for all the “Awe of God” crap, is there? As you said, we’re unbelievers. Hell, Lily’s half-demon, Twill is fae, and I’m part dragon!’ Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm down. ‘What’s with the crown and sceptre?’

The angel looked vaguely disgusted. ‘I might as well not have bothered. I’m a Principatus, a Principality or Ruler, one of the seventh choir. We usually appear to mortals with a crown and sceptre, but if you haven’t a clue…’

‘I’m sorry,’ Ceri said, actually meaning it. ‘Theology isn’t one of my strong areas.’

There was a slight pause. ‘Well, perhaps I overdid it. It’s been a while since I was called upon to appear on Earth. I am Zuriel. I am here because of the abomination you call Raynor.’

‘We kind of knew that bit,’ Lily said. ‘We were hoping you could tell us something about him, or maybe even help…’

‘We cannot help against the vampires.’ Zuriel said quickly.

‘But you used to fight them,’ Ceri said. ‘Alexandra said you still don’t like them.’

‘In times past they were considered anathema, cursed for their… culinary habits. Then one of them turned to God, begged forgiveness. We were instructed that they should not be persecuted simply for what they are. We know of your relationship with one of them. She is not a believer, but would you have us deny her for being forced into this state of unlife?’ Ceri shook her head. ‘Nor can we go against the others of her kind for their nature.’

‘That’s good of you, but what about Raynor?’ Ceri asked.

‘He is a different matter, but we are unable to simply find and attack him.’

‘Because?’

‘Because we cannot simply find him.’

Ceri sighed. ‘There’s a war starting out there, angel. Lots of people are dying…’

‘He is hidden from us, sorceress. He was made by a Grigori, a Watcher who long ago fell from grace. His skill with magic was beyond that of any save the dragons and the greatest of sorcerers. We caught up with him about a thousand years ago, stripped him of his name, and cast him from this world into the deepest part of Hell. Raynor has been looking for a way to get him back ever since.’

‘Without a name?’ Lily said. ‘Is that even possible?’

‘With enough power, perhaps. Raynor was given a tiny part of the Grigori’s power when he was made. That keeps him hidden while he stays in darkness, which is always thanks to the demon he was imbued with. That power would also provide the link to draw the Grigori back.’

‘I’d imagine we’re talking rivers of blood and general devastation if he does?’ Ceri asked.

‘Something like that.’

‘Bad, but to be honest that’s not what I’m worried about. He’s going to turn humanity against the vampires at this rate. It won’t be hard given that they drink the blood of the living. I’m not fond of them myself, but a general cull is going to be bad for everyone. Drive the vamps underground and they’ll be a real menace.’

The angel pulled its arm back and threw its sceptre to Ceri. When she caught it, it had become a silver cross about as big as her hand with angelic glyphs carved into its surface. ‘Find him and press that to his skin. One who can deal with him will come to your aid.’ Then, before any of them could respond, Zuriel’s wings spread and he vanished, apparently flying upward through the ceiling.

Ceri blinked. ‘Great. If I can get close enough to plant this on him, I could roast his nuts myself.’ She held the cross out to Lily. ‘You’re faster than me.’

The half-succubus looked at the piece of metal as though it might bite. ‘Put it somewhere for when we need it. I don’t want to hold it and I don’t exactly have any pockets.’

Ceri giggled. ‘Now you know why you should wear clothes around the house. You never know when an angel might give you a holy artefact for destroying ancient vampires.’

June 4th

The sounds of sirens had woken Ceri and she had gone up to the roof, soon followed by Lily and then by Twill who sat on Ceri’s shoulder looking as grim as a four-inch tall woman with bright butterfly wings could look.

Up there, in the last hours of the night, sirens could be heard from all over the city. Flashing lights were visible reflecting off the buildings nearby. Worse was the rattle of automatic weapons firing which came irregularly, but too often for Ceri’s liking.

‘It’s difficult to believe there are that many vamps out there,’ Ceri said after several minutes.

‘He’ll be turning anyone he can find sleeping rough,’ Lily said, ‘but there can’t be much more than a couple of thousand of those. Maybe another two or three thousand vamps already in the city, and a lot of those will be post-Shattering.’

‘I suspect he’s drawing vampires from outside the city,’ Twill said. ‘They hear rumours, come in for one of his meetings and get fed the vampire superiority line. He must be quite charismatic. He can’t be using his powers to bring all these people onto his side, it has to be force of personality and oratory.’

Lily looked at Ceri, who was looking out to the west. ‘Worried about the pack?’

Ceri nodded. ‘Twill, would you move?’ The fairy lifted off Ceri’s shoulder to land on Lily instead, and Ceri pulled her T-shirt off before slipping out of her jeans.

‘What are you going to do?’ Twill asked, and then added, ‘Oh!’

Where Ceri had been, a raven flapped its wings rapidly as it rose up into the air and started off toward Battersea. She concentrated on gaining height for the first few minutes. Having no practice at flying, she felt like she was doing it all wrong, but it seemed like it was working well enough until she hit a gust of wind at about three hundred feet and found herself fighting to stay upright. Regaining some level of control, she went for soaring, which seemed easier and got her where she wanted to go fast enough. Inside of ten minutes she was coming to a landing on the roof of the boathouse beside the lake in Battersea Park.

It looked like Alexandra had pulled in the pack and put up a warding around the island. The magic was disturbing the slight ripple in the surface of the water. Stuck as a bird, Ceri could not use her Sight to see the magic, but she could see the vampires skirting the lake. She doubted they were what had caused the pack to pull in, however; something else was going on.

Ceri shrugged, which resulted in her wings flapping and her almost falling off the boathouse. That was something she should avoid in the future. With the ward up, the pack was safe and she could not get in to them. Back at the house she could try to connect up with Michael and check on what was happening. Spreading her wings, she lifted into the air with a powerful beat.

Lily and Twill were still waiting on the roof as Ceri transformed back and dropped the last couple of feet. ‘I need to learn to get that transition better,’ Ceri said, grinning.

‘That,’ Lily said, ‘was awesome.’

‘What did you find out?’ Twill asked.

‘They’ve holed up on the island behind a warding spell,’ Ceri replied.

‘For some random vampire attacks?’ Lily frowned; she was unsettled by it too.

‘Yeah. Now I’m sure they aren’t fighting, I’m going to link up with Michael. But not up here.’ She headed for the roof hatch, making for the lounge.

Ceri was getting good at the telepathy spell; Michael’s mind, not expecting the connection, resisted briefly, but then she was in despite the warding. She felt the flurry of thoughts and knew instantly why Alexandra had ordered the pack pulled in.

‘Did you ID the shooters?’ her thought rang clear in his mind.

‘Soldiers,’ he replied and she could taste the bitterness in his mind. ‘Trina’s dead. Alexandra couldn’t help her. Brian’s really badly hurt, but we think he’ll live. They used incendiary rounds, Ceri.’

‘I know.’ Ceri bit back on the bile crawling up her throat. ‘It’s meant for vampires. Why did they shoot at our people?’

‘We don’t know. Trigger happy?’

‘I’ll call the Greycoats and…’

‘Alexandra says she doesn’t think the Greycoats are running this anymore, Ceri. We’re pulling everyone back to the park until this is done with. The humans are too dangerous to be around.’ She felt the rush of emotion, the sudden burst of memories of Trina, one of the Guards, ending in the image of her body, a gaping, burned wound over half her chest.

‘It wasn’t your fault, Michael.’

‘I’m Captain. Anita’s going to come home tomorrow to a dead Guard. Who’s fault is it?’

Ceri’s fists clenched and she gritted her teeth. ‘When I find out, they’ll wish they were dead.’

‘No, Ceri. Leave it. It’s not worth you getting hurt.’

Ceri was silent, though she knew he could see the flashes of angry thought bursting through her mind. ‘We’ll come over to the park tomorrow for the funeral,’ she said. ‘We can do that much.’

‘I’ll see you then.’

Ceri broke the connection and wiped the tears out of her eyes. Lily was looking at her, worried, but she found she could not quite speak yet, and Lily moved forward across the couch they were sitting on and just held her until she could tell the story.

~~~

Two cars arrived outside High Towers earlier than was usual for people paying them a visit. Ceri was there to open the door as the small group walked up the path, John leading the way.

‘I’m sorry,’ the detective said. ‘I know it’s early…’

‘We didn’t get much sleep,’ Ceri broke in, her voice flat. Her eyes drifted past him to Kate, Lorna, and Chief Inspector Barry bringing up the rear. ‘I assume you know what happened in Clapham last night?’

Barry, a big man, ex-military and built like a parade ground sergeant-major, was looking haggard and small compared to his usual demeanour. ‘That’s why I’m here.’

Ceri narrowed her eyes slightly. ‘But not you three?’

‘We’re here on personal business,’ John replied, ‘though once that’s done it’s police business too.’

Ceri stepped aside to allow them in, though what she said was, ‘I’m not really sure I want anything to do with police business right now.’

‘I don’t blame you,’ Barry said. Ceri blinked at him. ‘Officially this isn’t police business, but I want to apologise for what happened.’

‘It’s not me you need to apologise too, Chief.’

‘I know, but I was hoping you could help me do it to the right people.’ He paused, turning to look at her as she closed the door. ‘But that said, I feel like we betrayed your trust as well and I’d like to apologise for that.’

Ceri felt the flare of anger rising and bit back on it. He was being genuine and, if Alexandra was right, it was not really his fault… ‘I don’t think it’s you who needs to apologise though, is it?’

She saw the anger in his face and knew it was not directed at her. ‘No. I suppose not. The Home Office has basically handed this over to the military. There will be an announcement sometime this morning regarding a night-time curfew until further notice. Anyone on the streets from nine pm to eight am is liable to be shot. They’re even pulling the police out between those hours. It’s going to be little short of military rule.’

‘What about Malcolm Charles?’ Lily said from the staircase. ‘What does he have to say about this?’

‘He isn’t getting to say anything,’ Barry replied. ‘The Home Office is enacting some plan they’ve had filed away in secret. Some sort of emergency policy for supernatural uprising. The Ministry for Supernatural Affairs, it seems, was not consulted.’

Ceri closed her eyes to gather her thoughts. ‘What was the personal business, John?’ She was fairly sure she knew already.

‘We were hoping Lorna could stay here for the time being.’

Yeah, that was what she had expected. ‘The three of you are welcome,’ she said.

‘We were actually thinking of asking if you wanted to come here,’ Lily added. ‘We weren’t sure you would say yes.’

‘It’s getting crazy out there,’ Kate put in. ‘People know Lorna’s a vampire.’

Ceri nodded. ‘There’s the spare room, or we can make up some beds in the dungeon.’ She waved them on. ‘Go up to the lounge. We can work out sleeping arrangements later.’

Lorna took off her sunglasses and gave Ceri, and then Lily, a weak smile. She looked relieved, but also tired; there were shadows around her eyes which were not there because she was technically dead. When they got to the lounge, Barry practically ordered Lorna to sit in the guest wing-back while he took a smaller chair.

‘You look like you’re about to fall over,’ Barry said to her. ‘Are you getting enough… to eat?’

Lorna nodded. ‘Yes, sir. I’ve just been sleeping badly. I need less sleep than a human, but I’ve been getting an hour or two a night for the last few days.’

‘You sleep at night?’

‘I usually keep more or less the same sleep pattern as John.’ She gave her husband a small smile. ‘I’m not really interested in the vampire lifestyle.’

‘What can you tell us about what’s going on?’ Ceri asked once everyone was seated.

‘I’m not entirely sure what’s going on,’ Barry admitted. ‘Special Branch started becoming heavily involved with the investigation into Raynor early yesterday. Last night I got a call from the Chief Super saying that Special Branch was taking over entirely and that the Army would be moving in to handle security on the streets. I’ve made several enquiries, but I’m getting blocked at every turn. It’s like someone has decided that anything supernatural isn’t to be trusted.’

‘The investigation into Raynor was going nowhere,’ John said, ‘and now it’s probably going backwards. There have been rumours of Special Branch pulling various supernaturals in for questioning, and other rumours saying they aren’t being released.’

‘Someone apparently went to the Dubh Linn,’ Kate said. ‘My friend said that they walked out again really quickly, but she’s had people muttering about sending troops in there.’

Lily gave a laugh, mirthless. ‘The Black Lady won’t like that.’

Twill, perched on the back of Ceri’s chair, sounded a lot more serious. ‘If they do that they’ll have a real supernatural war on their hands. The Lady was exiled from Court, but they won’t allow humans to threaten her.’

Barry grunted. ‘I’ll see if I can pull in their horns a little, but this whole business feels wrong. People are getting too worked up too quickly.’

‘You’re thinking some sort of magic?’ Ceri said.

‘Some sort of influence. Magic, psychic… supernatural anyway. Raynor has essentially turned normals against those they need to fight him, and those most likely to be a threat to him.’

‘So we need to counter that,’ Ceri agreed. ‘Trina’s funeral is in about an hour. I think we should all go. From the sounds of it, you guys have been classified as supernaturals whether you are one or not. We all have to stand together, and the real supernaturals need to know they have friends among the humans.’

‘Including me?’ Lorna squeaked.

‘Especially you. You’re the vampire rep at the funeral.’

The vampire representative for the funeral looked worried.

Battersea

It was not nearly as hard as they had all expected. The wolves were, to Ceri’s mind, unnaturally calm, and did not react at all badly to the humans or the vampire as they landed their rowing boat on the edge of the island. Catherine of the Royals was there, standing beside Alexandra while her sister, Anita, chatted to Catherine’s Captain and lover, Stefan, and her own boyfriend, Ray. Much more surprisingly, Dolf and Freya of the Dog Boys were there, standing a little to one side. Dolf, a thuggish, scarred man with an enormous superiority complex, looked uncomfortable to be among the more “civilised” packs, and he glared balefully at Ceri’s small party as they entered the clearing. Freya, who was also Anita and Catherine’s sister, muttered something in her mate’s ear and he bit his lip.

Ceri had brought her staff and was wearing her collar. She figured that between all that she would come over as a bridge between the two cultures, but as she walked across the clearing toward Alexandra she was beginning to think the grand gestures were going to be a waste of time. Anita and Stefan moved closer as Ceri did, though Anita’s relaxed baring indicated that she simply wished to speak. The fact that the Captain perceived no threat allowed Ceri to relax as well.

Alexandra smiled as they approached, though there was a bleakness to her normally pleasant smile. ‘Detectives, and Mrs Radcliffe, I assume. Thank you for coming. As you can see, we’ve had a few people drop by to pay their respects.’

Ceri nodded as Barry took Alexandra’s offered hand. ‘Luperca’s been up to something, hasn’t she?’

‘There have been some… influential dreams going around,’ Alexandra replied.

Lily flicked a glance at the leaders of the Dog Boys. ‘Even Dolf?!’

Alexandra’s smile became a little more like its usual, mischievous self. ‘Even Dolf, though I think Bea is having to prod him back in line occasionally.’ Beatrice was Freya’s real name, just as Dolf was actually “Earnest.” The difference was that Freya became “Bea” when she was away from her pack and could get away with it while her mate actually thought “Dolf” made him sound more macho. Well, it probably was more macho than “Earnest,” but still…

‘I don’t believe you’ve formally met Lorna,’ Ceri said, because sticking to the topic of Dolf being nice was hurting her brain. ‘Alexandra, Alpha of the Battersea pack, this is Lorna Radcliffe, John’s wife. She’s here because not all vampires have turned into idiots in the last few days.’

‘You’re all welcome. The ceremony will begin shortly. We were hoping Luperca’s Chosen might say a few words…’

‘I’d be happy to,’ Ceri replied. Her involvement in werewolf funerals was becoming a habit. She was hoping she could avoid it becoming a frequent one.

‘I need her for a few minutes first, if you don’t mind, Alpha,’ Anita said. ‘And Lily, if you would.’

‘Ah yes,’ Alexandra said softly. ‘There’s a young wolf who needs talking to.’

Ceri’s brow knitted. ‘Michael?’

Anita waved for them to follow her, leading the way toward the band of trees which divided Alexandra’s clearing on the southern side of the island with a slightly larger, more open one on the north. ‘He’s taking Trina’s death pretty hard, blaming himself, thinking I should be blaming him. I don’t. I think that’s making it worse.’ Ahead of them, Ceri could see the wolf-man sitting with his back to a tree. ‘Do you want me with you?’

Ceri bit her lip, thinking. ‘Yes.’ Then she walked over and squatted down beside the grey-furred werewolf, Lily taking the opposite side. Michael did not shift, did not move, like maybe if he kept still they would leave him to mope in peace. There was silence for maybe a minute before Ceri decided what she was going to say. ‘You know, if you won’t let me hunt down the prick who shot her, I’m not letting you blame yourself for her death.’ She felt the slight warmth from the thaumic field he generated as he shifted.

‘If I’d been there…’ he said once he could speak.

‘I might be burying you, and then no one would be stopping me from blowing every armoured car in London to shrapnel.’

‘Lily would…’

‘Be helping,’ Lily interrupted.

‘When my parents died,’ Ceri said, ‘I would lie awake at night and imagine all the ways I might have saved them if I had been with them. Chances are I’d have been a charred corpse on a beach too, but it didn’t stop me blaming myself for their deaths.’

‘Trina was mated, right?’ Lily asked.

‘Gareth,’ Ceri replied. ‘You met him at that gathering for the full moon. Well, you were fucked by him.’

‘Right. Is he blaming you, Michael?’

‘Well, no,’ he replied, and went on quickly before they could interrupt again. ‘Look, I realise I shouldn’t be feeling this way, but I do. I’ve never lost someone I was in charge of before. It’s going to take me a bit of time to get over it.’

‘It’s full moon tonight,’ Ceri said. ‘I doubt you’ve got time to get over it. Too many hyperactive werewolves. Too much chance of trouble. Anita’s going to need all the help she can get keeping a lid on things.’

Michael looked up to see his Amazonian captain nodding resignedly. ‘At least give me until the funeral’s over?’ he said.

‘That I can do,’ Anita said, walking over. ‘We should go through and get ready. Gareth said he would be most honoured if you would light the pyre, Ceri. Alexandra said to say a few words after her and then set the fire.’

Ceri reached out and took Michael’s hand, squeezing it. ‘Yeah, I’ve been to a werewolf funeral before.’

They had built the pyre in the open clearing on the island. When they had burned Michael’s father, Alpha of the Brecon pack, they had formed the thing from wood they had brought in especially, though they had gathered tinder and small branches from the nearby woods. For Trina the pack had scoured the park, and a few had gone wider afield; the pile of wood on which her body lay was made of broken branches, scrap wood, even bits of old palette found in some of the factory grounds between Vauxhall and the power station. Not exactly the most glorious send off the girl could get, but somehow appropriate, and anyway it was not the quality of the wood, but the quality of the gathering that counted. The Alphas of three packs had come together to see Trina into the afterlife; that had to be worth something.

With the whole pack gathered around the pyre, Alexandra stepped forward. ‘We gather to send our sister, Trina, on her way to the Goddess. She was taken from us before her time, but she died fulfilling her duty as a Guard. Rightly, there are those among us who would see her death avenged, but Trina died ensuring the safety of our territory and our pack. She would not want us to jeopardise that safety with rash action. We have learned to put trust in people outside our pack, and some of those people are here to show that that trust is not without foundation.’ The tall, beautiful, and above all strong old woman looked around the wolves slowly. ‘And just remember that revenge is better when there is time taken to savour it.’ She looked at Ceri, giving her a short nod.

Stepping forward, Ceri planted her staff in the earth and the crystal sphere mounted in its head shone with a bright, white light which she had carefully chosen to mimic moonlight. Her collar, Luperca’s Collar, felt warm around her throat and she knew that the goddess was with them as she spoke. ‘Luperca, Mother of Wolves, harken unto your children in this sad time.’ The entire pack, and the wolves who had come to pay their respects, seemed to grow unnaturally still at her words, and Lily let out a tiny gasp. Even Kate, not a wolf, but a witch, felt something around them. The goddess really was listening. Swallowing, Ceri continued. ‘Our sister lies dead before her time. Find it in your heart to take her spirit for she was a loyal and dutiful wolf, and a good friend.’ Ceri’s eyes fell upon Gareth, standing nearby in grey fur. His amber eyes were red at the edges, and wet from held back tears, but he held his muzzle up proudly. ‘And a mate who will be much missed,’ she added. Gareth turned his head slightly and nodded.

Ceri summoned her power, not much of it really, but the wood was fairly green and there was little in the way of kindling to help. Reaching out a hand, fist clenched, she focussed on the pyre and opened her hand. Flames burst up from the sticks, quickly catching through the whole of the pile. As the flames rose they began to take on an odd, bluish tint, and a few seconds later everyone was taking a step back as searingly hot, blue-white flames consumed the body.

Barry looked a little whiter than usual when Ceri finally turned away from the fire. ‘You okay, Chief?’ she asked.

‘Yes,’ he said, but his eyes dipped downward. ‘I’m not a religious man, but…’ He trailed off and pulled in a lungful of air before looking up at Gareth. ‘I can’t promise that we’ll bring the people responsible for this to justice, young man, but I can promise that we’ll do our utmost to.’

Gareth regarded him for a moment and then gave a short bark. ‘He says “thank you,” Chief Inspector,’ Alexandra translated.

Barry nodded. ‘In which case we’ll get started on seeing whether we can sort this situation out. Alexandra, it’s been a pleasure to meet you again, even under these circumstances.’ Alexandra smiled and bowed her head; with the funeral done she was looking happier. Wolves were like that. Barry turned and headed back through the trees.

Ceri gave her Alpha a nod. ‘I’ll keep you informed of what’s going on.’

‘End Raynor, Ceridwyn,’ Alexandra said. ‘The soldier who did this is one thing, but that vampire was ultimately responsible. Find him, and end him. Anything we can do to help, we will.’

‘We’ll get him,’ Lily said. She sounded pretty determined about it.

They were rowing back the short distance across the lake when John spoke. ‘That was… kind of strange. I’ve never felt anything like that before.’

‘You felt it too?’ Lily asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lorna let out a sigh. ‘I haven’t felt that calm since I was turned.’

Ceri and Lily looked at each other and then at Barry. ‘You see how advantageous it is to be friends with Luperca’s favourites?’ Ceri said. ‘Even if you’re a vampire she treats you well if she likes you.’

Kennington, July 5th

‘There’s no point in you coming back into town,’ Ceri said to Cheryl’s image on her tablet. ‘I got a call this morning from the Dean. And that freaked me out some, but he said he knew you were out of London and he wanted to be sure I knew. They’ve closed our building. There are armed, military guards outside it.’

‘What?!’ Some of the outrage was lost in the compression used over the video link, but Cheryl still sounded almost apoplectic.

‘And Carter and Alec might as well stay there too. There’s a curfew in effect. No clubs or bars are to be opened after dark. The Home Office has instructed the Army to basically close the city down. The only people who can move about freely are Raynor’s vamps. They seem to be using the sewers and the Underground, and no one’s going down there.’

Carter’s face appeared behind Cheryl. ‘One would almost think the government is working for Raynor.’

‘The thought had crossed my mind. It seems too much though. He’s been awake too short a time to have pulled something like that off. Manipulating them into freaking out though? I can see that working for him.’

‘It’s more than just that,’ Carter replied. ‘I spoke to Petra. Her father is being very closely watched, for “security reasons,” but she told me that he’s frustrated. His ministry should be handling this, but he’s being frozen out. Even though they have no supernaturals at all on their staff he’s being told that they are too close to the supernaturals. The Home Office is acting in an abnormally paranoid manner.’

Ceri nodded unhappily. ‘It does sound like some sort of influence. If we can’t trust the people who are supposed to be dealing with this, how do we find Raynor to stop him?’

‘I had a thought about that,’ Cheryl said. ‘You mentioned big gatherings of his vampires?’

‘Yes. He’s supposedly holding rallies somewhere.’

‘Well that’s a big concentration of negative thaumiton emitters.’

Ceri blinked. ‘Holy fucking crap, Boss, you’re a genius.’

Cheryl grinned brightly. ‘No, I’m clever, you’re the genius. And it’s going to take one to work out how to use that to actually find one of their meetings.’

‘Huh, yeah, you have a point.’ Ceri frowned at the air just above the monitor screen. ‘Then I’ll need a way of capitalising on it.’ She shook her head and returned her focus to the screen. ‘It’s still a plan. I’ll see what I can come up with. You guys stay safe.’

‘Don’t worry about us, Ceridwyn,’ Carter said. ‘You watch your back. Raynor seems to have far too much interest in you.’

‘Oh, we will,’ Ceri replied before closing down the connection.

Lily looked up at her from the stool beside her chair. ‘You think you can do it?’

‘It ought to be possible. It’s the area I’d need to cover that’s the problem…’

‘A lot of power to cast a net that wide. There’s isn’t a dragon here to keep you alive if you start irradiating the place again.’

‘Aside from that, I’d need power available to take him on when I find him.’ Ceri’s brow knitted. ‘There has to be a way…’

‘When you were taken by Gadriel, Gwyn taught Alexandra and Carter that scrying technique to find you. They were searching a huge area, the whole of southern England, for days.’

‘They had you as a focus and they were looking for a specific target.’

‘But you wouldn’t have to set your search so wide. He must be in the city. You’d need to cover… five miles radius?’

Ceri bit at her lips for a second or two. ‘Okay. We’ll go over to Battersea and see what Alexandra remembers of the spell.’

Lily grinned. ‘I’ll go put some clothes on.’ She bounced to her feet. ‘We got a plan!’

Battersea

There was an Archmage armoured transport sitting across the Queen’s Circus gate into the park and Ceri could see soldiers with guns patrolling along Queenstown Road and Prince of Wales Drive. Worse, they were stopped by men in combat fatigues as they walked in through the gate.

‘I’m sorry. The park is off limits to humans. It’s not safe.’ The speaker was a mid-thirties man with a neatly trimmed, ginger moustache and little enough hair that it was entirely hidden under his scarlet beret.

‘Well,’ Ceri said, trying very hard to maintain her calm, ‘my friend isn’t human and I’m technically a member of the pack in there, so I think we’re safe enough.’

The soldier’s hand moved to his sidearm and Ceri saw the two men standing beside the Archmage shift their rifles to low ready. ‘I need to see some identification,’ the man said.

They had expected it and both girls lifted their warrant cards. ‘We’re also special constables,’ Ceri said, ‘we have the same powers… actually, Royal Military Police only have jurisdiction over military personnel, right? We have greater police powers then you do.’

The reaction was not quite what Ceri was expecting however. ‘Under the current emergency action, those mean squat. I have specific orders to arrest any member of the Greycoats attempting to contact the licks in here, so unless you want to spend the next few days in a cell, I suggest you piss off.’

Ceri frowned. ‘Werewolves,’ she said absently. ‘Licks are lycanthropes. Entirely different.’ She turned and started walking away with Lily trailing along beside her, confused.

‘You’re just going to give up?’ Lily said, keeping her voice low.

‘They’ve been given specific orders to arrest Greycoats trying to speak to Alexandra,’ Ceri said, not really answering the question, ‘and did you see the clips in those rifles? They’re carrying silvers, not incendiaries.’ “Silver bullet” was actually something of a misnomer; the rounds were hollow-point slugs, the cavity filled with powdered silver. Real silver bullets tended to make guns jam and were a pain to make. Military grade silver bullets were, however, just as bad news for a werewolf as a solid silver slug would be, but they were no worse than an ordinary bullet to a vampire.

‘Yes, but…’

‘We’re just going to get out of sight of those idiots, then I’ll port us onto the island, but I don’t like what’s going on here. Someone has determined that we need to be kept away from the pack. Or they’re trying to block the Greycoats off from the pack.’ Ceri looked around and then ducked into a side alley which probably lead to the rear of the expensive flats they were walking past. ‘Keep still when you arrive, I don’t want to bump into you.’ She reached out before Lily could say anything, power building in her hand as her mind went through the complex forms required to teleport someone. Lily’s mouth was half open when she vanished into thin air.

Ceri grinned and focussed her power again…

‘…would mean they had someone in the Greycoats,’ Lily was saying. ‘Damn! Now you missed half of what I said.’

‘I got the important bit,’ Ceri replied, grinning. ‘Yes, they have to have someone in the Greycoats supplying information. Or they’re picking the mind of someone, somehow. Raynor could do it, but it seems easier to have a mole.’ They walked out of the trees toward the oil drum in the middle of the clearing. Despite the fact that the park was surrounded by armed guards, Alexandra was pouring tea into two mugs for them.

Anita was walking over to her Alpha too, and just turning human as they saw her. ‘How did you get past our guardians?’

Ceri shrugged. ‘Bugger all can keep me out of somewhere if I know where I’m going.’

‘Huh. Did you talk to the pillock in the red cap?’

‘Yes. He told us he was under orders to arrest Greycoats trying to get in here.’

‘And he didn’t seem keen on letting us anyway,’ Lily added.

‘No, they’ve basically isolated the entire park,’ Anita agreed. ‘On the plus side, since they’re isolating us in a confined location, we’ve got a military cop leading things and they’ve had to bring in food.’ She indicated a pile of crates on one side of the clearing. ‘Honestly, we might be eating better than usual at this rate.’

Alexandra chuckled as she handed over mugs of tea to the visitors. ‘Just make sure we keep an eye on that stuff,’ she said to Anita. ‘We don’t want fat wolves and problems getting more food.’ She smiled at Ceri as Anita nodded and turned away again. ‘And to what do we owe the visit?’

A pair of grey arms wrapped around both girls’ waists before they could answer, followed by a contented growl from Michael. Ceri giggled. ‘Obviously, we had to come see Michael,’ she said, ‘but I also need to know what you remember of that spell Gwyn taught you.’

‘You have some way to use that to find Raynor?’

Ceri’s nose wrinkled. ‘Not exactly, but it might give me a head start on working out what I do need to find him.’

‘I’m worried about the power requirements,’ Lily said. ‘That spell you used was a lot more efficient than the usual wide-area scrying spells.’

Alexandra nodded. ‘I’ll see if I can explain the principles behind it. I’m sure if Cheryl managed to explain it to me, I should be able to explain it to you… but if it’s a lot of power you want there is another way.’

‘There is?’ Ceri asked, raising an eyebrow.

‘Yes, dear. We’ll get the pack around me and you can draw power from me, I think?’

A slow smile spread over Ceri’s lips. ‘Show me what Gwyn showed you. I’ll work through the maths and rework the spell, and then we’ll be back.’

Kennington, June 6th

Ceri stood in the big, high ceilinged hall of High Towers, looking around her at the equations and symbols hanging in the air. Occasionally she would walk from one group of patterns to another, purse her lips, and make an amendment with a finger, rubbing out one sigil and replacing it with another.

Lorna came up from the cellar and stopped in the doorway, her mouth dropping open. Her husband and Kate had already left the house and she had decided to stay “in bed” a while longer. She liked being in the cellar, in the pitch dark of the dungeon where a bed had been set up for her and John. She quite liked the hall though; it was not particularly bright in there either.

Spotting Lily sitting naked on the stairs, the vampire walked around the room, taking a wide path to avoid the mass of illusory characters floating in the air. Lily grinned at her as she sat down beside the half-demon. ‘What’s she doing?’

‘Thaumatology,’ Lily replied proudly. ‘She has to basically take a spell and re-craft it to do another job.’

‘Some people call it spell crafting,’ Ceri said, her tone absent as she examined a block of complex symbols which Lorna thought ought to be able to solve the national debt in a stroke. Or something like that. ‘Thaumatology is a wider discipline. I guess you’d call this “applied thaumatology.”’

‘What’s it going to do, when you’ve got it doing what you want?’

‘This is hopefully going to locate Raynor so we can go kick his arse.’ She gave a nod. ‘All right, I think I’ve got this.’ Her hands swept up, pulling blocks of glowing symbols from various areas of the room to line up along one of the walls.

Lorna looked at Lily. ‘Does everyone do thaumatology like this? It’s amazing. They should get this on TV.’

‘No, most people don’t do this trick. In fact, she’s the only one I’ve ever seen do it.’

‘One of my teachers can do it,’ Ceri said. Turning, she waved a hand at the bulk of the symbols, leaving two ranks of glyphs and mathematical notations hovering near the wall. ‘There we go. That’s the spell.’ She nodded again. ‘Yes, that’ll work. Now we just need to…’

Twill burst out of the kitchen, a ball of blue-white light which swished once around Ceri before materialising into an angry looking, brown fairy. ‘Men, in the grounds. two are moving out toward the side doors, three are moving to the front door.’

Ceri frowned, but she picked up her tablet from the stairs and snapped a picture of her glowing notations before dismissing them. She was heading for the door when someone banged on it. It was not knocking; this was someone hitting the door with what sounded like a rifle butt. She opened the inner door and glanced back. ‘Lorna, go back down to the dungeon and stay there until we come get you.’ The vampire moved quickly across the hall as another banging sound came through the doors and Ceri moved forward to open the outer ones.

She recognised one of the three on the doorstep as soon as she saw him. He was holding up a warrant card from Special Branch, but she knew him from when she had been arrested in January. Fit, attractive enough; his dark blue suit fit his frame well, his face was narrow, but strong-featured. He had short, straw-coloured hair, recently cut, and grey eyes which were glowing with a hint of triumph. The two soldiers behind him raised their rifle barrels a few inches as the door opened. A quick glance showed marks on the clips which suggested incendiary rounds.

‘Detective Inspector Lowell,’ Ceri said. ‘What can I do for you?’ Behind her, Ceri could feel the house wards starting to burn; that was not a good sign.

‘You can stand aside. We have reason to believe that you are harbouring a fugitive. A vampire seen attacking a shop last night. We’re here to search the building. That’s all. Are you going to let us in?’

‘The only vampire here is the wife of a cop and she was here last night, not attacking anything,’ Ceri replied calmly.

Lowell ignored her. Looking at him, Ceri could tell he was hoping she would resist. ‘Are you going to let us search your house, Miss Brent?’

Throwing both doors wide open, Ceri backed into the short porch between the two sets of doors. She threw her arms wide and said, ‘Enter without malice, leave without hindrance, Detective.’

Lowell stepped forward into the porch. Light flared from the circle in the floor, runes suddenly bursting into life as the detective’s foot crossed the threshold. ‘What the fuck?!’ The two rifles came upward and one soldier fired at Ceri, the bullets hitting the circle’s wall and stopping, pancaked against the magic.

‘It seems, Detective,’ Ceri said, a slight smile on her lips, ‘that you are not entering without malice.’ There was the sound of gunfire from the sides of the building; the troops there trying to affect an entry through the kitchen doors. ‘My parents made the wards here to hold back demon lords. The structural enchantments are as strong as the warding ones.’ Her face hardened and she raised her hands, blue-white energy building in both palms. ‘Get off my property, detective. Come back when you can act like a cop.’

Lowell backed up a short distance to the bottom of the steps. ‘Don’t just stand there!’ he screamed, almost hysterical. ‘Open fire!’

There was something just wrong about what was happening. Ceri could feel it and, when she opened her Sight up to look, she could see it. A miasma of… something, some sort of influencing energy, hung around the policeman and the soldiers. Ceri ignored the bullets splattering against the magic of the wards and focussed instead on Lowell. The detective stumbled back, blinking rapidly, as Ceri’s magic stripped away the suggestion which was controlling him.

‘What… what the fuck?’ Lowell looked confused. Very confused. ‘Cease fire, for God’s sake! Stop shooting! What the fuck is wrong with you guys? You’re firing on a civilian!’

The gunfire kept on going. The soldiers were still affected by whatever form of magic Raynor had cast on them and they were not going to stop because some policeman was yelling at them. Then Lily appeared beside Ceri, a wave of warmth swept out from her, and the rush of ecstasy overcame the other emotions.

Ceri grinned, letting the energy drain from her hands. ‘You’re getting really good at controlling that. Lowell’s still standing.’

Lowell was looking like he might have a fit any moment, however. ‘Would you mind explaining why I had the urge to come down here with troops, and then lost it?’

Ceri was working on undoing the spell on the troops as she spoke. ‘Someone, probably Raynor, cast a spell on you. A suggestion of some sort, I think. Pretty powerful. These men are just affected by something which is ramping up their aggressor responses, but yours was more complex.’

‘Magic? And who’s Raynor?’

Ceri looked up at him from where she was crouching beside one of the troops. ‘Raynor? Ancient vampire who’s causing all this. Didn’t you idiots read the reports from the Greycoats?’

Lowell looked confused again. ‘There was some directive came down… Uh, we were to ignore any reports or leads from extra-agency sources. Special Branch derived information only.’ He frowned. ‘Why would someone order that?’

Breaking down the last of the emotion control spells, Ceri looked across at Lowell. ‘Come here. Let me have a proper look at you.’ He looked hesitant, but he did as she asked, and Ceri’s brow knitted as she began to closely examine the man’s head.

She gasped suddenly as Twill came sweeping out of the house, stopping suddenly to her right and lifting an arm. There was the rattle of automatic gunfire, but no bullets hit. Twill had spotted one of the troops coming around the side of the house. For a being who could barely lift a pan with her arms, she had hideously powerful telekinesis. Not that she had to hold the rifle up for long; one of Lily’s knife hilts impacted the soldier’s right temple and he went down like a rag doll. Ceri looked around, expecting to see the fourth soldier taking aim. He was there, but Lorna was standing over his fallen body.

The vampire looked over at them through her sunglasses. ‘He’s still alive. Promise. Might have a headache when he wakes up.’

Ceri grinned at her. ‘I told you to stay downstairs.’

‘I heard gunfire. I’m a wimp, but I’m a vampire wimp. Might as well use supernatural speed and strength for something useful.’

Lowell had gone pale. ‘She’s a vampire?’

‘Yeah,’ Ceri said. ‘You turned up saying she had been “attacking a shop” last night.’

‘Uh…’

‘But she was in my house, with me the whole time, and you wouldn’t listen when I told you that.’ She frowned, her eyes on Lowell’s forehead. ‘It’s hard to tell, but I think someone’s been screwing with your memory. There’s traces. They look a little like the way Lily’s mind looked when someone did it to her.’

‘The memo,’ Lowell said. ‘The one about other agencies. I mean, it doesn’t make sense, but I remember reading it and thinking it was common sense.’ He frowned, hard. ‘Damn! Someone’s screwing with…’

‘Special Branch,’ Lily said, ‘the Home Office, and the Army. Raynor has to have agents dotted all over the place!’

‘It seems… too much, too quick,’ Ceri said, frowning. ‘How could he have set all this up so quickly?’

‘What am I going to do?’ Lowell asked, derailing her train of thought. ‘If I go back to the office I’ll either get zapped again, or I’ll be the only uninfluenced person there.’

‘Go to Greycoat street. Tell them what happened and have them run a full forensic analysis on your head. Talk to DCI Barry, or DI Radcliffe. Maybe if they can get evidence that the people running the emergency operations are compromised they can do something about it.’

The tall, slim shape of Lorna Radcliffe appeared beside them. ‘I’ll take him. Make sure he gets there.’

Ceri looked up at her. ‘Are you sure?’

‘It’s daylight. Raynor’s people will be under cover and I’m not helpless. If someone tries to take him, I can handle myself. I’m not as fragile as John likes to think.’

‘I know,’ Ceri said, smiling. She turned back to Lowell. ‘She’ll get you there safely. You can trust her. She’s the most un-vampiric vampire I know.’

‘Yeah, thanks, I think,’ Lorna said.

‘I just mean he shouldn’t worry about you biting him.’

‘Oh God no! I mean… I have taste. Come on, Mister Special Branch. You have a car, right?’ Lowell nodded and started for the gate, Lorna behind him. ‘Mind you,’ she said wistfully, ‘I haven’t fed in a couple of days…’ Lowell’s steps got faster very suddenly.

Battersea, June 7th

Ceri sat amidst the pack, her eyes closed and a constant stream of complex equations streaming through her head. Beside her, Alexandra sat with one hand resting on Ceri’s arm, feeding power through to her from the pack. And around them the pack sat in congress; a circle of Elders, then the Guards, then the rest of the pack, all of them concentrating on Alexandra, lending their power to her, and through her to Ceri. This was how they powered her defensive circles around the island, but now it had a different purpose.

In Ceri’s mind, the formula of the spell she had created repeated, and through that she sensed the thaumic field of the entire inner city. The power was incredible; she was having trouble keeping it bound to the spell. She knew she was drawing more than she had expected to need. Something was working against the spell; probably something Raynor had cooked up to stay hidden, though it seemed vastly wide-ranging. Manipulating such power gave her a new respect for Alexandra, though she could not express it, she was too busy processing all the data she was receiving.

Lily moved between them, bringing water where it was needed and looking worried. She could feel the power too, vast amounts of it flowing around and from the wolves. The last time she had felt anything like it was when Ceri had raised a huge barrier around the Black Fields null magic zone in America. Her head knew that this was safer; the load was being spread across a lot of werewolves instead of one sorceress. Her heart, though, was screaming that this was too much power and it was all feeding into Ceri.

It was almost one o’clock when Ceri noticed the slowly growing mass of negative energy building. ‘I have something.’ Her voice was little more than a whisper.

‘Where?’ Lily was suddenly at her side. Her long, auburn hair drifted in a breeze which was not in the air.

‘Wait…’ It was almost like a pressure building in a corner of Ceri’s mind. Negative force particles of thaumic energy, a bending of the world’s magic field in one small area. ‘It’s above ground… they must have somehow cleared the patrols…’ She narrowed her search, tightening her field of vision, closing in on the site. It became easier as more of them gathered… ‘Blackwall. The gas works in the bend of the river. The Lee. The gasworks in the bend in the Lee.’ Her eyes snapped open and she let the spell die. ‘Got them!’

The pack relaxed and Ceri let out a gasp as the power was withdrawn. ‘That’s almost in Dolf’s territory,’ Alexandra said.

Ceri looked at her. ‘You think he’d work with us on this?’

‘I think,’ Alexandra said with a smile, ‘that for this he’ll even join up with the Marshwallers. We’ll hit them with three packs under Luperca’s banner. Anita, we need to move fast. Send out messengers. I want as many wolves as we can get ready to hit them within thirty minutes.’

‘All right,’ Ceri said, climbing to her feet. ‘Lily and I will go ahead to scout. I’ll contact Michael with the information.’

‘Be careful, dear,’ the Alpha replied. ‘They’re vampires, and it’s night. They’re at their best.’

Ceri gave her a grin. ‘So are you guys. Just be careful getting there. You’ll need to avoid the human patrols.’

‘I’ve got an idea about that,’ Lily said, taking out her phone. Ceri raised an eyebrow. ‘Trust me, this’ll be good.’

Blackwall

‘That was mean,’ Ceri whispered as they edged around one of the huge gasometers. ‘I mean, it was great, and genius, and awesome, but really mean.’

‘It’ll get them out of this part of London,’ Lily replied from in front of her. She had both her daggers held ready and had come dressed in the long, wide, gypsy skirt she wore when she was expecting to have to carve someone up. Tight leather, she said, looked great, but it was like moving in a straightjacket.

‘I didn’t even know you had Kipple’s number.’

‘He practically forced it on me. He said if I ever wanted to try a gremlin I should make sure I brought you too.’

Ceri grimaced. Kipple was a gremlin, a technology fae. He had helped them crack the encryption on a computer once, at the cost of Ceri curing of a particularly disgusting curse by kissing him. Right now he was busy making sure the switchboards at New Scotland Yard were jammed with people reporting vampires massing in northern London. ‘What’s it going to cost us this time?’

‘Nothing. He said the Black Lady had made it known that any fae helping to defeat Raynor would be in her good books.’ The half-succubus stopped, indicating that she could see something. ‘That’s worth more than anything we could offer. There they are. God, Ceri, there’s hundreds of them!’

Ceri edged closer and looked past her lover to the flat area which occupied maybe a quarter off the gas works. It was heaving with pale figures made paler by the moonlight. None of them were looking their way, which was a plus. Everyone’s attention was on the man standing in the middle of the gathering. Tall, handsome, and just as pale as the other vamps, Raynor gave off an air of arrogance even from here. She could hear him speaking in a strong, German accented voice.

‘Brothers, Sisters, our time is near.’ Ceri focussed her will and began the spell to connect her mind to Michael’s. ‘Our numbers grow and our position is assured. Soon we will be ready to act and the streets will run red with the blood of the humans.’ There was almost no resistance and suddenly Ceri knew that the Battersea pack were less than ten minutes away and had encountered no problems. They had already met the Marshwallers and a messenger from the Dog Boys. And Michael knew what would be facing them when they arrived.

The roar of the crowd which had followed Raynor’s triumphal statement died away and he went on. ‘We have had some fun tonight, have we not?’ Another roar, this time of agreement. ‘And we will have more before the sun comes up. The humans stay away from our gatherings for fear of our power. In two more nights we will take this city. The living, supernatural or not, will flee from us. Those who do not will be our slaves to bleed as we wish.’

‘Hurry,’ Ceri thought to Michael, and then broke the connection. Her palms were sweating and she tucked her staff into the crook of her elbow to wipe them on her shirt. It was warm, but there was a strong wind whipping around the huge tower.

‘We are the masters of this world!’ Raynor roared out across the waste ground, receiving another ovation from the crowd. ‘Soon we will fulfil the destiny which has awaited us for thousands of years! Nothing can stop us. Our time has come. The Time of Blood has come! The Cult of Blood will be victorious!’

Lily’s elbow tapped Ceri in the ribs and she looked where the half-succubus was pointing. The Dog Boys had arrived. Dozens of werewolves streaming in through the Leven Road gate and fanning out along the fence. The wind was with them, coming from the north-west and keeping their scent from the vampires, but if anyone looked their way… ‘You think they might attack without the other packs?’ Lily whispered.

‘They might have to,’ Ceri replied. ‘He’s hit his climax. They’ll break up soon.’ She began to build power in her right hand, drawing it through her staff. ‘If they have to go, they’ll have some artillery on their side. Try to keep the vamps off me.’

Raynor was still basking in the shouts of “Shed blood!” and “Raynor!” The longer they kept the time-wasting rabble-rousing up the better as far as Ceri was concerned. The arrogant Ancient seemed happy to let them continue as long as they wanted too. Idiot. Then again, he had no idea what was coming.

‘Bothers!’ Raynor yelled eventually. ‘Sisters in Blood!’ The crowd slowly quieted down. ‘Go now. Bring terror to this city of mortals and fools. Go now and shed the blood of the unworthy!’ The crowd burst into cheers again, but the vampires at the edge were starting to slowly move outward.

‘Now or never,’ Ceri said and launched the ball of orange light she was holding. Whether they took that as a signal or had decided to move on their own, Ceri did not know, but the wolves started running toward the vampires at the same time. The orange globe began to spark as it looped over the crowd and fell. The vampires were still screaming and calling out to their leader as it dropped into them and exploded.

‘Holy shit!’ Lily exclaimed as fire enveloped a thirty yard radius, blasting vampires into cindered corpses, igniting clothes and hair, and turning the night into day for a second. As the blast died away, the pack hit the first ranks of vampires, and Ceri started building her next fireball.

‘We need to get closer,’ Ceri said. ‘We need to get to Raynor.’

Lily set her jaw and moved forward. The vampires were too busy with the werewolves and the fireball’s source had gone unseen for now, but that was not going to last. Ceri could see Raynor yelling orders, but his voice was lost in the clamour of battle. The Ancient was being a good general and leading from the back. There were vampires sweeping around to flank the wolves and Ceri knew she needed to do something. A second fireball, smaller than the first, but still lethal, flew out, blasting into the flanking wing, and now the vampires knew where the fire was coming from. Raynor was pointing their way and the flanking movement was turned into an outward swing toward Ceri and Lily.

‘At least they aren’t attacking our wolves,’ Ceri said.

‘I never took you for that much of an optimist.’

They had a second, not much more. It was enough time for Ceri to throw a third ball of fire into the oncoming vamps, thinning the front wave of them a little. Then she set her staff in her hands and got ready to fight. There were too many of them, far too many. She risked a quick look around and saw the other packs streaming in through the gate, but they were too far away to help. Ceri saw the gleam of moonlight on fangs, the glint on fanatical, manic eyes. They were battle-crazed, berserk. This was going to hurt.

And then they were surrounded by vampires. Not the young ones Raynor had made and recruited; these were old and not trying to hide it. One moment they were standing alone against a horde of vampires, the next there was a phalanx of undead guarding them, and they were not angry, not fanatical, not berserk, these were cold and controlled, and far more powerful than the youths they were facing.

‘I called the Dubh Linn too,’ Lily yelled.

Fire burst all along through the horde of vampires and Ceri glanced around, searching for the source. She found them on the gasometers; ranks of fae preparing spells. It was hard to tell, but Ceri thought there were Seelie and Unseelie up there working together.

‘We’re moving in,’ Lily said, drawing her attention back to the fight. The older vamps were now pushing forward, cold and calm and vicious, through Raynor’s soldiers. Ceri summoned up another fireball as they moved, tossing it forward into the tightly packed horde and hearing the screams.

There was plenty of screaming. The younger vamps were worked up, fanatical, but they were facing their own kind with decades of experience and werewolves who spent a lot of their off-time learning how to be better killers. It was carnage. Ceri almost felt sorry for them. Almost. They had picked their side based on a promise of power, most of them. Well, power had to be earned and they were certainly having to earn it now.

A particularly energetic, and rather acrobatic, vampire managed to vault over the wall of protectors around Ceri and Lily. Ceri gasped, surprised as claws and fangs appeared before her. She struggled to get her staff in the way and blocked one blow, fire ripped through her left arm as the vamp’s claws scraped down her bicep. And then Lily was there, screaming in anger and slamming her daggers into the vampire’s chest. She ripped the curved blades back out again and the creature’s dead eyes became confused and pained as he staggered back. Lily turned, whipping around to add force to her blow, and her knives passed, one before the other, through the vampire’s throat.

Ignoring the stinging pain and the blood running down her arm, Ceri looked up and saw Raynor. He was turning, preparing to run. Fire from the fae mages erupted to his left and he staggered to one side, stumbling and then pulling himself to his feet. He looked slow, confused, as though the battle going against him was revealing his true colours. He was afraid; as she watched, darkness gathered around him as he prepared to flee. Ceri pulled power through her staff. There was no way she could let him escape. His back was to her and he was starting to run when she launched another fireball. It hit him right between the shoulder blades and the darkness twisting around him exploded into light.

It was as if the fight just drained out of Raynor’s vampires. He had to be dead. One moment the gas works was full of undead fighting for the glory of the Cult of Blood, the next they were falling back before angry werewolves and surrendering. Within a few minutes, Raynor’s vamps were kneeling, their hands on their heads, in a ring of werewolves who stood over them doing a very good job of looking menacing. The older vamps were moving through them and, occasionally, Ceri would hear a scream, suddenly cut off, as something older who had been foolish enough to join Raynor’s ranks was executed. She did her best to ignore what was going on as she searched through the wolves.

She found Michael, and Anita, standing guard over Alexandra while she worked on wounded werewolves to one side of the main throng. The old Alpha was naked and there was blood on her right thigh which looked like it was her own; she had not stood back and left the fighting to the younger wolves.

‘Are you all right?’ Ceri asked. Both Michael and Anita, still in fur, were covered in blood, but she could see no wounds; it was likely vampire blood.

‘I’m fine, dear,’ Alexandra replied. Her fingers flickered with light as she sealed a wound in a man’s leg. ‘I caught an unlucky claw in the leg, but that healed while I was furry. I barely got to hit anyone with those two guarding me.’ Michael actually looked a little sheepish. ‘I have most of the minor wounds covered. Could you see to Dolf?’

Ceri looked around and spotted Bea kneeling over someone. She looked upset, almost frantic, and Ceri hurried over to her. She was an impressive woman, like her sister, and being covered in vampire blood just made her more impressive. Ceri’s attention was drawn immediately to her mate, however. Dolf had a ragged wound on his throat and something had practically opened his stomach from one side to the other.

Bea looked up as Ceri knelt across from her. ‘He went right in,’ she half-sobbed. ‘Right in the first rank. Fought like a demon, but there must have been six of them hanging off him when we tore them off.’ From the way she said “tore” Ceri got the impression that none of the vampires had lived much longer. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever been so proud of him.’ She swallowed. ‘Alexandra said she couldn’t help him. He’s too badly hurt.’

Ceri began pulling power through her staff. ‘As Alexandra occasionally reminds me, I can pull way more power than she can, and I’m not losing an Alpha tonight.’ Light grew around her hand, burning brighter and brighter as she focussed it. Her mind filled with the injuries Dolf had suffered; lacerations, damaged organs. The stomach wound was deeper than it looked and he had lost a lot of blood from the gash in his throat which Bea was trying to block with a now blood-soaked bandage. ‘Come on, you irritating bastard,’ Ceri growled, ‘you’ve done something good for once in your life. You’re not allowed to die now.’ She placed her hand flat on his chest and the light wrapped around him in a burning nimbus. His back arched off the dirt and his teeth clench. Bea let out a yelp of surprise and fell backwards. Even as she hurried to put pressure back on his neck wound, she could see the skin reknitting and stopped. Ceri held the spell for perhaps fifteen seconds and then lifted her hand, leaving Dolf to relax back onto the ground with a sigh.

His eyes opened and he looked around. ‘Damn,’ he growled, ‘if this is Valhalla, I could get used to it.’

Bea reached out and slapped his shoulder with a blood-soaked hand. ‘You’re not dying today, you old fool, and I doubt Ceri or Lily are going to give you any tail any time soon.’

‘You did good for once, Dolf,’ Ceri told him. ‘Your pack could have taken a lot of damage rushing in when you did.’

‘They were breaking up,’ he replied. ‘Had to hold them here ‘til the others arrived. And you were throwing fireballs in. If a human can risk her life over it, a werewolf should be ready to.’

Ceri gave him a smile. The Dog Boys had a reputation among the werewolves as a weak, rather foolish pack. Most of the other packs looked down on them. They had been among the first to side with Remus when he had sent emissaries into London. She had the feeling that their reputation might improve after tonight.

‘You think you could help some of the others,’ he said. ‘We did take some heavy hits before the others turned up.’

Ceri nodded. ‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘That’s the least I can do.’ Standing, she moved toward the next fallen wolf in the little triage area.

‘We did it,’ Lily said as they walked. ‘We killed the ancient bastard.’

Nodding, Ceri knelt down next to a girl with four huge gashes in her right arm, almost tearing the muscle away. She sighed and summoned up her power again. ‘Yes, it looks like we won,’ she said. Her words were punctuated by a high-pitched scream from among the vampires; another old one executed by her fellows. Ceri flinched, and ignored it, and kept on healing.

Part Seven: Post Bellum

Soho, London, June 9th, 2012

Five nights after the full moon werewolves were usually becoming a lot less boisterous, but not this time. The Jade Dragon was reopening and, after the “fun” of the last few weeks, Carter had decided to lay on something a little special, as well as marking down all the drinks for the night.

The Collar Club would not be opening until next week, so one of its most popular and exotic dancers, Naira the were-panther, was dancing on one end of the bar. Actually on the bar! In full fur with her long, black tail sweeping around her, the sexy feline woman was dancing, and twirling, and performing the kind of moves you saw gymnasts do on balance bars as though she had been doing this kind of thing her entire life. It was distracting, at least for Ceri, though she was pretty sure she was not alone.

The waitresses had been dressed up in two-piece, fur swimsuits, leopard print ones, their shins and forearms wrapped in matching fur. They were barefoot, instead of in heels, but between the party atmosphere and the fact that it was, frankly, less painful than usual, all four girls had a strut in their step. They more or less pranced around the room with arched backs, and giggled at the playful werewolves who took up most of the tables. Ceri was even letting more hands connect than usual; Michael was sitting up at the bar and none of the wolves were going to really try anything with her mate there watching.

Cheryl was also at the bar, sat on a stool next to Carter. She was dressed in the same kind of fur swimsuit as the waitresses, with an added sarong to add a little decorum. Apparently it had been her suggestion and she was thoroughly enjoying herself, chatting happily with Carter, Alec, and Jasmine, who was Naira’s were-fox partner.

It really was a party; everyone was celebrating the return to near normality. Near normality because the repercussions of what was being called “the Blood War” were still playing out. There were no vampires in the club and out in the city Ceri knew that various older vamps were still working their way through the undead population making sure that none of Raynor’s recruits had any ideas about continuing his campaign. It was a witch hunt, and not the only one going on.

The Ministry for Supernatural Affairs, the Greycoats, and MI5 were going through Special Branch and the Home Office searching for people under Raynor’s influence. Everyone was under suspicion. It was going to take weeks to interview everyone in both agencies, and MI5 were also working their way through the Army. Lorna was still staying at High Towers because John and Kate were on double shifts and she was lonely. Carter’s contacts in the government were saying that various high-level people were concerned that a greater penetration of supernaturals among the various agencies might have prevented such influence. Ceri had been horrified to discover that Special Branch had, quietly and without due process, locked every supernatural they had in the cells under New Scotland Yard. Raynor had worked on the nascent distrust normals had for supernaturals, amplifying it into full-on paranoia. It was genius, really. And it had shown up divisions in society which many had thought were long gone.

Tonight, however, everything was good. Everyone was happy. The Dog Boys were in evidence and getting a lot more respect than they usually did from the other packs. The state of near constant warfare between them and the Marshwallers was entirely forgotten. A few moments of fighting together against a common goal and they were all friends. That had been enough to make Ceri giggle; it had been enough to make Alexandra laugh so hard some of her pack had been worried she would break something.

The only person who was a little disgruntled about the whole thing was Alec. ‘Best damn fight since Remus,’ he muttered, ‘and I missed it!’

‘I’m sat here in a fur swimsuit and you’re worried about missing a battle?’ Cheryl countered, grinning broadly. She jiggled her chest at him across the bar to punctuate the question.

‘All I’m saying is, I could have had a good fight and seen you in an under-sized furry bra.’

Cheryl looked down. ‘I am kind of hanging out of this,’ she commented, reaching up to adjust the cups a little.

‘Fairly standard procedure,’ Carter said, keeping his tone matter-of-fact. ‘The bras are all a size too small. It makes your breasts look a little bigger. Not that you really need it, but it was your idea so I thought you’d want the full treatment.’

‘She may not need it,’ Ceri commented, ‘but my boobs are appreciating it.’

‘I think it’s us doing the appreciating,’ Michael replied with a growl.

Lily, walking back from one of her tables with a tray of empty glasses almost carelessly balanced in one hand, gave them both a bright smile. ‘I’m certainly appreciating.’

Ceri giggled. ‘Boss, are you sure you didn’t get Lily’s size wrong. I’d swear that’s more than one size too small.’

Carter’s lips twitched. ‘I may have gone a little smaller with Lily’s outfit.’

‘I like it,’ Lily said, putting her tray down. ‘Four ‘Banes, Alec, table six. Hey, do you think we could get Anita in an outfit like this?’

‘No,’ Michael replied flatly, though his lips were twitching and there was a mischievous glint in his eyes.

‘She would look like… a warrior goddess!’ Lily said, beaming.

‘We can’t,’ Ceri told her. ‘Much as I like the idea, the only way we could do it would be if we persuaded her Ray would love it, and then he would drown in his own drool, and I’m not willing to lose my martial arts instructor like that.’

Lily giggled brightly. ‘You have a point.’

~~~

It was close to midnight when three figures, two of them looking very tired, walked into the club. John and Kate were still dressed in work clothes, fairly standard suits, but Lorna was shrink-wrapped in a white, strapless sheath dress which showed off her exquisite body and, from the way she was clinging to her husband and his partner, she was wearing it for their benefit.

Carter directed the two cops to sit down “before they fell down” and Lorna propped herself between them. Alec was placing glasses of whiskey in front of them before they even spoke; they looked like they needed it.

Ceri scanned the room. Various wolves had noticed the vampire walking in; she knew they could smell her if nothing else. None of them seemed to be bothered by it, but Ceri glanced at Lily anyway.

The half-succubus shook her head. ‘No one’s thinking about doing anything,’ Lily whispered.

‘Alexandra put the word around,’ Michael said, his voice low. ‘The vampires are cleaning house. They don’t represent a threat. We leave them be unless attacked, just like normal.’

‘Yeah,’ Ceri replied, ‘but it’s nice to know it’s working.’

Carter was being solicitous. ‘You look like you need about a month’s holiday, my dear Kate.’

‘Huh,’ the detective responded. ‘I thought telling some family that their teenage daughter had been used as a light snack by vampires was as low as it got, but this job really sucks.’

‘I have to concur with my partner,’ John said. ‘I did not join the Greycoats to play internal affairs to the rest of the police force.’

‘Learned anything?’ Ceri asked. ‘Correction, have you learned anything you can tell us? I mean, I still don’t understand how he could have infiltrated Special Branch so quickly.’

‘No, we can’t say much,’ John replied, ‘aside from “investigation is on-going,” and you know what that means, right?’

‘You don’t know?’

John gave her a bleak smile. ‘However, the Chief did ask me to relay a message. Monday morning, nine o’clock, Greycoat Street. We’re doing a briefing for various personnel and politicians. Chief wants all three of you there.’

‘Nine?’ Lily moaned; she was really not a morning person. ‘We don’t need briefing. We were there.’

‘Uh-huh,’ Kate said. ‘You’re not being briefed, you’re doing the briefing.’

‘Part of it anyway,’ John added. ‘How you found Raynor and what happened during the fight. Oh, and also what you were able to figure out about the manipulation applied to Lowell and the soldiers.’

Ceri sagged. ‘Sounds like awesome fun.’ She looked at Lily as the half-succubus opened her mouth to speak. ‘And no, I can’t do it on my own. If I’ve gotta get up that early, you’re coming with me.’

Lily pouted, a lot.

Kennington, June 10th

It had been an unsettled June so far, to say the least, and the blazing sunlight which fell on the roof of High Towers resulted in an almost unheard of response from Lily. She actually got up as soon as she noticed the sun coming in the window, and was showered and sunbathing within thirty minutes of that.

Ceri could feel contented, sun-warmed half-succubus as she climbed up through the roof hatch. It was a nice feeling and it seemed like ages since they had had time to just relax. She had put on a two-piece swimsuit, but as soon as she felt the sun on her skin, Ceri untied it and stretched out on her lounger in the nude. She knew full well Michael would not be wearing anything when he emerged and three little triangles of cloth seemed absurd rather than modest.

And the sun was warm on her skin in a way she did not remember it feeling the summer before. She was changing; physically changing. The thought passed through Ceri’s mind that she was becoming less human. Lily had always been not quite human, her physiology a little different from normal. Her skin did not burn in the sun, she could not blush, her breasts really should have sagged more given their size and weight, but remained resolutely firm. They were tiny little expressions of her demonic heritage; to be expected really. They had been there definitely since she had hit puberty, but Ceri was changing. Becoming more… draconic?

‘Lil?’

‘Uh-huh?’ Ceri could tell Lily was not opening her eyes; she was not either.

‘Did you burn in the sun when you were a kid?’

‘That was a long time ago…’ Lily was quiet for a few seconds. ‘Maybe. I always liked the sun, but Mum used to make sure I wore sunblock. I remember getting a tan at one point. Then I got boobs and hips and my skin got paler.’

‘So, probably, until you hit puberty you were basically human?’

‘You’d have to ask Mum or Dad to be sure. I think she’d say I was a bit demonic and he’d say I was more human. Why?’

‘I was just thinking, I seem to be getting more draconic. I hit puberty a while ago though.’ It was her turn to pause for a second. ‘I was a bit later than some of the other girls, but nothing weird.’

‘I was second in my class.’

‘Yeah,’ Ceri said, ‘I can believe that.’

Lily gave a throaty little chuckle. After a minute or so of silence she said, ‘You know, dragons are really big. They might go through puberty a lot later than humans.’

Ceri winced softly. ‘Thanks, Lil, that’s really put my mind to rest.’

‘That’s okay. I like to be helpful.’

Westminster, June 11th

Rather than one of the conference rooms, DCI Barry had convened the meeting in what looked like a small lecture theatre. John had explained that it was used, mostly, for briefing large teams prior to a large operation. Today, however, it was full of politicians from the Home Office and Ministry for Supernatural Affairs, including both Malcolm Charles and Anthony Lorian, the Home Secretary. The remainder of the occupants were Special Branch, aside from Avery Sachs and a couple of others who Ceri was sure were MI5 too.

The front row had been kept free for Ceri, Lily, Michael, and various Greycoats, including John and Kate, and one man Ceri had not met before. She figured he was another of the Special Advisors, because she was pretty sure none of the regular cops had been dead for fifty years or so. He projected an image of a thirty-something man with a muscular body and an angular face with a goatee. Ceri could see the slackening skin, starting to discolour, hung on a body which had lost enough flesh to be gaunt. She was glad he had chosen to sit on his own at the end of the row.

‘All right,’ Barry said from the front of the room, ‘let’s get this started.’ The murmured conversations around the room died away and he went on. ‘We’re here for a run through of what has happened recently. Everyone in this room has been vetted by our forensic practitioners, or was not subject to suspicion in the first place.’ Her brow creased slightly. ‘Mister Lorian, you have a question?’

‘How can you know that these people you say are above suspicion can be trusted?’ Ceri glanced around at the man. He was in his forties, but looked as though he had far too much on his plate between the crow’s feet and the worry lines. He was fairly thin; a look which probably did not help with the worried appearance. She got the feeling he had been questioned closely.

‘There are only three people here who fall into that category,’ Barry said. ‘Even my own detectives have been checked. Doctor Brent, Miss Carpenter, and Michael were responsible for Raynor’s death and Doctor Brent was the first to discover someone had been influenced. All of which makes it unlikely that they were under the man’s influence in the first place.’

The only response the Chief Inspector got was a grunt, but he seemed happy with that. ‘Detective Inspector Radcliffe will now go through the evidence collected so far on Raynor’s infiltration into government departments.’

John swapped places with Barry, pausing at the small lectern to take some notes out of his pocket and lay them out. ‘So far we have been through most of the upper ranks of the Home Office and Special Branch. I’m not exactly an expert on the magic used, but the reports from forensics indicate an extremely sophisticated use of memory alteration and emotion control. Evidence of such manipulations have been discovered and countered in more than eighty per cent of the people examined so far.’ He paused while the murmur of amazement went around the room. ‘No one in the Ministry for Supernatural Affairs or the Greycoats has been found to be affected, and the lower ranks of the Home Office and Special Branch seem less affected than the upper ranks. Raynor appears to have been highly selective in his choice of victims, even if the penetration has been high where required to meet his needs.’

‘What exactly where his “needs”?’ One of the Special Branch people. Ceri rolled her eyes; were they really that dense?

‘The manipulations were designed to promote distrust of supernaturals,’ John replied. ‘He wanted to be sure that anyone in authority was busy distrusting those who could help defeat him. Divide and conquer. The oldest strategy in the book.’ His gaze moved down a little toward Michael. ‘It helps that he was working on fears which we thought had largely worked their way out of society. We found the men responsible for firing on some of the Battersea pack. They had not been influenced in any way, they were just wound up and stupid. The RMP are investigating with an intention to prosecute since they had no reason to fire on the wolves and one died.’

Ceri put her hand over Michael’s, feeling the tension draining out of him as she did so. ‘I told you we could trust the humans to deal with it,’ she murmured. He gave a curt nod in reply. In truth it was still not certain that the men responsible would be held accountable, but at least it was a start.

‘We’re continuing to clear people,’ John went on. ‘Current estimates suggest we should have worked through the Home Office and Special Branch in about a week. From there… That’s up to our superiors.’ He looked over at Barry, who nodded for him to sit down, but did not stand up himself.

‘Doctor Brent, would you tell us what happened in Blackwall? And, if you would, explain to our colleagues what you learned about Raynor.’

Ceri grimaced, but got to her feet and walked up to the lectern. ‘I don’t have notes or anything. I’ll tell you what I know.’ She paused to collect her thoughts.

‘Who exactly was this “Raynor,” Doctor?’ Lorian asked.

‘An Ancient,’ Ceri replied. ‘Vampires had to come from somewhere, right? Vampires are unusual among undead. The only other kind close to them are liches. From the research I did and from what I was told, Ancients are the precursors to the vampires we’re used to. They don’t rot. They are more powerful than normal vamps. Stronger, faster. I’ve witnessed that myself. More or less anyone they bite and kill is turned, and normal vampires actually have a moderately poor turn rate. And most of them are old. Raynor was turned in the Dark Ages. He belonged to some sort of blood cult. His aim was to turn as many people as he could into vampires and, basically, rule the world.’

She paused, looking around. She could tell that some of the people in the room were having a hard time believing her. On the other hand, Raynor had been doing a fairly good job of doing just what she was claiming…

‘The idea for how to find him came from my boss, Doctor Tennant. We knew that he was having meetings, big gatherings of vampires. Political rallies, if you like. Vampires, like most undead, give off negative thaumitons and a large number of them in one place should be detectable. I worked out the spell, and the Battersea pack supplied the power I needed to work it. Once his gathering was located, we hit him with everything we had. The Battersea, Dog Boy, and Marshwall packs were the foot soldiers, but we had fae and vampire support. Raynor appealed to some of the younger vamps, but the older ones are quite happy with the life they have.’

‘And Raynor is dead?’ Sachs asked from the side of the room.

‘I saw him burn. I put a fireball between his shoulder blades as he tried to run. Michael, what was the final casualty list?’

Michael looked up at her. ‘The Dog Boys took the worst of it trying to keep them in the gas works. Ten dead, three still wounded, but recovering. Most of the other wounded have recovered thanks to you and Alexandra.’

Ceri nodded. ‘We were lucky. We shouldn’t have had to do that job, but we couldn’t trust the Army. They were busy killing just about anything supernatural they could find.’ She stopped, glad they could not see her clenched fists behind the lectern. ‘Any questions?’

No one said anything and Ceri went to sit down. She had the feeling that she had just shamed a lot of politicians and policemen into silence. Good.

Mayfair, June 12th

Arabella smiled apologetically as Ceri and Lily stepped through the door into the reception area of Demi-monde. ‘We’re a little short-staffed,’ the tall, elegant woman in a black, tightly bound corset dress said, ‘but it’s quiet since a lot of the members are only just returning to town.’ She held out her hands for their coats.

Ceri frowned a little; even short on staff she would not have expected Arabella to be doing such menial tasks. Still, she slipped her coat off and handed it over, revealing the black, leather corset, short, black skirt, and thigh boots she had selected to wear tonight. Lily did the same, though she was almost entirely naked under her coat. Her six-inch heels were closed with small, silver padlocks, and she had on one of her collars, a black leather one with an O-ring at the throat and a padlock at the back. She had also selected star-shaped nipple shields, kept in place by a pin through her piercings. As usual, she looked exquisite, the perfect submissive.

‘We’ll go up to the library,’ Ceri said. ‘Would it be okay to have someone bring us a drink? Whiskey. One for Lily as well. She’s earned it the last week or so.’

‘Of course,’ the club’s owner replied. ‘Someone will be up shortly.’

Nodding, Ceri walked through from reception to the main lounge, and then through to the central hallway. There was no one around that she could see. Of course there could have been someone sat in one of the chairs to the rear of the lounge and they would, likely, have been all but invisible. Still, the lounge felt cold and unloved, somehow, compared to the warmth it generally exhibited. Shutting down for a week had hurt the atmosphere. Ceri headed for the lift to go up to the top floor.

The library was just as quiet; it was rare that they would find anyone up there anyway. Scanning down the shelves, Ceri found a copy of Hotten’s The Romance of Chastisement and pulled it from the shelf before continuing down to one of the quieter alcoves at the back of the room. There she sat herself down in one of the large, leather armchairs, propping her leg up on one of the arms so that she could balance the book on it. Lily slid smoothly to the floor in front of Ceri’s chair, her knees on a throw pillow.

‘While we’re waiting, pet,’ Ceri said, her voice soft, ‘why don’t you exercise that talented tongue of yours.’ It was clearly an order rather than a question and Lily bent smoothly to duck her head under Ceri’s skirt. A few seconds later and Ceri was lying back on the chair, her book forgotten, as Lily’s pointy little tongue worked its magic.

The gentle licking stopped, after minutes or hours of bliss, and Ceri let out a whimper of frustration. Lily had not been feeding which meant that Ceri was left sprawled on her chair with her nerves on fire and her body begging for more, and she totally failed to notice the sense of alarm coming over her link with Lily until the half-succubus spoke.

‘Ceri?’ It was the fact that she did not use “Mistress” which made Ceri pay attention. ‘Something’s not right,’ Lily went on, her voice low.

Ceri turned her head, her Sight cutting in as she did so, and she gasped. Perhaps three or four yards down the room the light seemed to vanish as though a thick cloud of boiling, oily smoke had taken up residence in the library. Her Sight showed the bending of the magic field which was causing the darkness. This was a spell; there was magic swallowing the light. But it also looked far too much like another wall of darkness they had seen recently.

‘It can’t be him,’ Ceri murmured. ‘He’s dead. We saw him die.’

‘I don’t like the coincidence.’

‘No, neither do I.’ If it was magic, she could do something about it. Ceri pulled her power together and pushed out at the wall of smoke, watching it pull back, revealing the room beyond, and something suddenly moving to escape into the shadows. Ceri looked at Lily.

‘That looked bad,’ Lily said, ‘and I’m really not dressed for fighting.’

‘If I’d known there was going to be weird shit, I wouldn’t have put you in six-inch pumps.’ Ceri frowned and started to rise, Lily moving as she did. ‘Maybe some of his followers. That was a spell, not like his darkness.’

‘How did they get in?’

‘Don’t care. If they’re hiding in patches of darkness and running off when uncovered, they aren’t friendly.’

‘Well I can kick them real hard. You’re the only one with effective weaponry.’

‘If they’re some of his converts they’ll be young. Your aura should work on them. We need to find Arabella and the rest of the staff.’

‘Uh-huh. You notice that drink never arrived.’

‘Uh-huh. Come on.’

There was no sign of anything on the corridor outside. No vampires, no darkness. Ceri reached out and laid a hand of Lily’s shoulder, pulling power through her and focussing her will to search the building. ‘Nothing alive in the upper levels.’

‘The dungeon then?’

‘If I were going to take prisoners, I’d take them there.’

‘Unless everyone’s dead.’

Ceri grimaced. ‘I’d prefer option one.’ She headed for the stairs; the lift seemed like a bad idea in the circumstances. As they started down, however, it seemed like less of a great idea; darkness filled the stairwell below them. Nothing was visible within it, but Ceri got the distinct feeling that there was something there.

‘It’s behind us too,’ Lily whispered.

Ceri glanced back. The corridor above was now a blanket of black and from it a voice hissed out. ‘The Master wants you, sorceress.’

Ceri moved, her arm swinging back, and a six-foot column of flame erupted from her hand. A scream erupted from a throat as the fire contacted someone standing in the darkness. A second vampire leapt out of the darkness below, roaring in anger, only to meet Lily’s knee slamming up into his chest. The roar turned into a gasp and then a shriek as Lily caught the man’s arm, wrenching it up and back as he fell. There was a sickening popping sound as his shoulder joint gave out.

The vampire above them, his left shirt sleeve smouldering, emerged from the darkness, hands raised to claw at Ceri. She flicked her hand upward and the stream of fire hit him right in the face. There was the smell of burning flesh and something which sounded horribly like an eyeball exploding. Fighting the urge to throw up, Ceri ducked to one side as the vampire fell past her into the failing darkness below. She turned, only to wish she had not as she saw Lily pulling her heel free from the base of her victim’s skull.

‘Not bad for a chick in heels, huh?’ Lily said.

‘My head is awed. My stomach, not so much.’

Lily grinned up at her, then the smiles fell away. ‘Their “master”?’

‘I hit him right between the shoulder blades, Lil. I saw what was left of the corpse. The bastard was a cinder!’

Lily shrugged. ‘Dungeon?’

‘Dungeon.’

They met no one else on the way down. Nothing got in their way, perhaps because of what they had done to the last two vamps, though Ceri had the feeling that whoever was waiting in the dungeon did not want to delay them any further.

Someone had broken half the light bulbs. The dimly lit corridors were even more dimly lit than usual and the rooms were dark, except for a few where the lights had been left untouched. Ceri flinched as she looked into the first of them. The woman hanging by her wrists from the ceiling was covered in blood. Her naked body showed multiple bite wounds and red streaks ran down from her throat, breasts, and thighs. There was no sign of any vampires nearby and Ceri stood guard while Lily checked the girl’s pulse. Ceri’s jaw clenched as Lily shook her head and came out again.

Two rooms down and they found another woman in a cell. This one had been chained to a whipping post and flayed. There was almost no skin on her back and she too was dead.

‘Whoever is behind this,’ Ceri said through gritted teeth, ‘I’m going to pull their spine out and beat them to death with it.’

‘That might be a little redundant,’ Lily suggested. ‘Not that I’m going to stop you.’

Then they found the first male victim. He had been placed facedown and sideways on a table, his arms spread and shackled to the corners. Someone had torn his back open, severed the ribs along his spine and broken them apart, and then his lungs had been pulled out and spread out on either side of his neck. Some part of Ceri’s mind recognised it as an old, semi-legendary, Norse torture; the Blood Eagle. The rest of her mind was too busy dealing with throwing up.

She heard a sound over the rushing in her ears and then hands were grabbing her. She let out a shriek and tried to focus, but they had picked the perfect time to attack. When Ceri had regained control of her stomach she was in one of the cells, her wrists held behind her back by two very strong hands.

‘Such power, but a weak stomach.’ The accent was German and she recognised the voice, she just could not believe she was hearing it.

‘I saw you die,’ she said, swallowing back bile and biting down on the remains of her nausea. ‘You burned. I saw you burn.’

She looked up into a handsome, pale-skinned face with strong features, short, blonde hair, and icy blue eyes. The last time she had seen that face he was surrounded by vampires, egging them on to take over the world.

‘A duplicate,’ Raynor said. ‘Another vampire altered to look like me. You burned him and I flew away on leathery wings, laughing inside as I went.’

Ceri’s gaze flicked around the room. Arabella was chained to the rear wall of the cell, her dress now gone. She looked dazed, confused, probably controlled. Lily had been thrown into a corner where she was huddled up. Blood ran from her head down her neck and there was a hulking brute of a vampire standing over her, but Ceri could feel her, tense and waiting.

‘First of all,’ Ceri said, ‘If you’ve hurt Lily, I’m going to make your second death really slow and painful.’

‘You are not in a position to make threats Fraulein Zauberin.’

‘And second, you turn into a bat?! Seriously? Have you heard of stereotypes?’

‘Ah, British humour in the face of death.’ He looked amused enough. ‘However, I am not going to kill you. Your humour is misplaced.’ He turned away from her, his hands behind his back. He was at his ease; not the least bit worried. ‘I saw you attack us. I saw the power. I have seen such power before, Fraulein. During what you in this age laughing call the Dark Ages there were those who used magic like you do. Sorcerers, they called them.’

Ceri watched him as he walked slowly around the room, not looking at her. He looked like the kind of swaggering Nazi general you saw in old movies. Overconfidence; she could use that. Of course, with two big vampires in the room with them and another half-dozen standing outside he had a right to be confident.

‘It has become clear to me,’ Raynor went on, ‘that my initial plan has fallen foul of the same problem that the fool Hitler had. I believed my people to be perfect, the Chosen. They have failed me and I will have my vengeance, just as he did. You, Fraulein Brent, will be my vengeance weapon, the core of my army.’

‘You want me to fight for you,’ Ceri said. ‘You want me to destroy the humans who…’

His laugh stopped her. ‘No, no. Hitler’s bombs were not revenge against the Americans, or the Russians. They were revenge against his own people. They failed him, Fraulein Brent. They were unable to fulfil their destiny and he destroyed them. I will follow a less self-destructive path. My recruiting will be more careful. With your power I will control your government. You want this, I feel it. There inside you is the desire to be more than you are. To take these insects and bend them to your will. It may take years, but we have plenty of time to spare.’

Ceri blanched at his assertion. She did not want that kind of power, no way! And a tiny part of her mind, somewhere hidden, a small voice said, Yes, you do. ‘I thought you were already doing a pretty good job of controlling the government,’ she said quickly. ‘I admit the little pushes and manipulations in the Home Office were genius.’

Raynor turned and looked at her. ‘I’m glad you appreciated it.’

Ceri looked back, trying to keep the shock off her face. He had known nothing about what had been going on at the Home Office. Raynor had not been responsible for what had happened. ‘Thank you,’ she said.

The Ancient’s lips quirked into a half smile. ‘I was expecting to need more persuasion to get you to join me.’

‘Oh no, thank you for telling me everything I needed to know. I have a present for you, Raynor, from an old friend.’ She watched his confusion growing for a fraction of a second as her power flared. ‘Lil! Now!’

Raynor began to turn toward the half-succubus, even as she slid smoothly to her feet, one arm uncurling in a wide circle and her pupils glowing a brilliant red. Ceri felt the hands on her wrists slacken as the vampire holding her had his Tantric Median pushed into overdrive. Lily continued turning, her arm rising. Pressed between her fingers was one of the stars she had been wearing as a nipple shield and the thin metal carved through her guardian’s throat like a knife. Raynor let out a roar, his hand rising as he stepped toward Lily, and then Ceri caught his hand, pressing the cross she was holding into his palm.

‘I told you,’ Ceri said, ‘if you hurt her I was going to kill you.’

The room filled with flame. Ceri heard the vampires screaming, but to her it felt warm, almost pleasant. Raynor’s hand was wrenched from hers as he was pulled into the air by the angel which appeared right in front of them. His hands were wrapped around the Ancient’s throat and the look on his once angelic features was pure hatred.

‘It has been a long hunt, abomination,’ Zuriel hissed. ‘You wanted to reunite with the thing which created you. Now you will.’

Raynor let out a long scream, his voice trailing off into nothing as both he and the angel faded into nothing. The flames died away with them and Ceri was left looking at Lily. Around them were piles of ash where Raynor’s vampires had been. The two girls just looked at each other for several seconds before Lily took the two steps closer and wrapped her arms around Ceri’s neck.

‘Where were you hiding that cross?’ Lily asked, her voice a whisper.

‘I wasn’t. I teleported it here from home. I wasn’t sure it would work, until it did.’

Lily let out an almost hysterical giggle. ‘Of course it worked. You’re awesome.’

Ceri returned the laugh, holding onto Lily, partially because she was worried she might fall over otherwise.

‘Could someone explain why I’m chained to the wall?’ Arabella said, breaking the moment. There was a tiny pause and then, ‘Why I’m chained to the wall, naked?’

‘Amnesia,’ Ceri said, ‘it’s pretty common following vampire mind control.’

‘You’ll be fine in a bit,’ Lily said, breaking her hold on Ceri and starting to look for the keys to Arabella’s shackles. ‘You’ll probably be glad you don’t remember what happened.’

The dominatrix looked between the two of them, confused. ‘Don’t you two usually come here on a Tuesday? Today is… Friday? I thought you both worked Friday?’

Ceri gave her a smile. ‘You’ve missed a few days. Lily will get you out while I call the police.’ She paused, half way to the door of the cell. ‘You might want to stay here until someone comes down to get you. There’s… a bit of a mess in some of the cells.’ She started off again, trying hard not to look left or right as she headed for reception.

Behind her she could hear Arabella’s voice, far less confident than it usually sounded. ‘I don’t understand. What’s been happening here?’

‘It’s kind of a long story…’ Lily began to explain.

Kennington, June 13th

‘You’re quite sure that Raynor was not responsible for the manipulation we’ve been finding?’ DCI Barry was pacing across the study floor with a frown on his face. He had decided that High Towers should be the venue for the debriefing, partially because Lily was supposed to be recovering from the bash on the head she had taken. He had not exactly said as much, but he also wanted to be out of Greycoat Street, somewhere with very good scrying wards; Ceri was pretty sure he wanted this kept on a need-to-know basis.

‘I’m not positive,’ Ceri replied, ‘but he looked a little too surprised when I congratulated him on it. And I never quite bought it. He’s been here for too short a time. It would have taken a small horde of Ancients to enact that level of control in the time he’s had.’

‘He had a lot of vampires,’ Barry countered.

‘Young ones can’t control minds.’ Ceri nodded to John, sitting beside his wife on the chaise longe. ‘John will tell you. Lorna can’t do that yet.’

‘I can’t even do glamours,’ Lorna said. ‘As I understand it, it’s something which develops as you get older so that you can still hunt.’

‘So you’re saying that we have some other… group who decided they would intervene to make things worse.’ Barry did not look happy about it; Ceri could not blame him. ‘An unknown organisation with powerful magic.’

‘That’s what it looks like, yes,’ Ceri said.

The chief inspector was silent for several seconds, still pacing. ‘You’re quite sure Raynor is dead this time.’

‘Not exactly. I’m quite sure he won’t be a problem. I think he got dragged into Hell.’

‘Impressive,’ Kate said. ‘Remind me not to piss you off.’

Ceri gave her a bleak smile. ‘There are others like him. Other Ancients, anyway. I don’t know whether they’ll have his world conquering outlook, but they exist out there, somewhere. Some of them are possibly older than he was.’

‘But you don’t believe they were involved in this?’ Barry asked.

‘I think if they had been, we’d have lost.’

Lily waited until the police had left, taking Lorna with them to finally go home, before she spoke. ‘You don’t think the Order of Merlin was responsible for this, do you?’

Ceri frowned. ‘I don’t think so. It seems a little subtle for them, but I can’t rule them out.’

‘If not them, who?’

Lying down on the chaise, Ceri patted the space beside her, and Lily moved quickly to curl up against her. Ceri felt herself relaxing in her lover’s embrace. It had not been the relaxing evening they had hoped for and they both needed some time to themselves.

‘I don’t know,’ Ceri said after a moment of silence. ‘Something we haven’t seen before. Something very subtle, and very powerful. I’m not sure who it was, but I doubt we’ve heard the last of them.’

Lily snuggled closer against Ceri’s side and her lips touched Ceri’s neck softly. And then they lay still and tried hard to forget that anything was wrong.

###

About the Author

I was born in the vicinity of Hadrian's Wall so perhaps a bit of history rubbed off. Ancient history obviously, and border history, right on the edge of the Empire. I always preferred the Dark Ages anyway; there’s so much more room for imagination when people aren’t writing down every last detail. So my idea of a good fantasy novel involved dirt and leather, not shining plate armour and Hollywood-medieval manners. The same applies to my sci-fi, really; I prefer gritty over shiny.

Oddly, then, one of the first fantasy novels I remember reading was The Dark Is Rising, by Susan Cooper (later made into a terrible juvenile movie). These days we would call Cooper’s series Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy and looking back on it, it influenced me a lot. It has that mix of modern day life, hidden history, and magic which failed to hit popular culture until the early days of Buffy and Anne Rice. Of course, Cooper’s characters spend their time around places I could actually visit in Cornwall, and South East England, and mid-Wales. In fact, when I went to university in Aberystwyth, it was partially because some of Cooper’s books were set a few miles to the north around Tywyn.

I got into writing through roleplaying, however, so my early work was related to the kind of roleplaying game I was interested in. I wrote “high fantasy” when I was playing Dungeons & Dragons. I wrote a lot of superhero fiction when I was playing City of Heroes. I still loved the idea of a modern world with magic in it and I’ve been trying to write a novel based on this for a long time. As with any form of expression, practice is the key and I can look back on all the aborted attempts at books, and the more successful short stories, as steps along the path to the Thaumatology Series.

Writing, sadly, is not my main source of income. By day, I’m a computer programmer. I work for a telecommunications company in Manchester, England. My favourite authors are Terry Pratchett, Susan Cooper, and (recently) Kim Harrison. Kim’s Hollows books were what finally spurred me to publish something, even if the trail to here came by way of Susan, back in school, several decades ago.

For More Information

The Thaumatology Blog: http://thaumatology.wordpress.com

Other Books in the Series

Thaumatology 101 - B006IYIESW

Demon’s Moon - B006JPN7A0

Legacy - B006OKR8PK

Dragon’s Blood - B0072S1DOU

Disturbia - B007GNICZO

Hammer of Witches - B007YG2I44

Eagle’s Shadow - B008E17TYW

Table of Contents

Part One: Being Mistress Ceridwyn

Part Two: Nachtmerrie

Part Three: A Soldier’s Life

Part Four: A Nice Country Drive

Part Five: Raynor

Part Six: The Blood War

Part Seven: Post Bellum