Thaumatology 101 Read Online Free PDF Page A

not a magician.’
    ‘Most people are,’ Ceri replied. ‘I’m, uh, kind of tired. I’d like to rest.’
    Looper nodded. ‘I’ll come back later to check you over,’ he said. ‘I think I’d like to keep you in overnight, but assuming no complications develop, you’re safe enough to allow home tomorrow, I think.’
    ‘Thank you, Doctor,’ Ceri said as he turned and ambled toward the door.
    Over fifty thaums? “Safe to let out” was right; at that level she had been an environmental hazard.
    ~~~
    The door to the room opened and a head poked in. ‘May I enter?’ The voice was immediately recognisable to Ceri and she propped herself up to look at Doctor Tennant.
    ‘It’s okay, Doc,’ Lily said from her chair, which had been moved closer to the bed. ‘She’s barely glowing now.’
    Tennant stepped through and approached the bed. Her stride was a little less confident than Ceri was used to. ‘Miss Carpenter,’ she said, nodding to Lily. ‘Miss Brent, good afternoon. How are you feeling?’
    ‘Fine,’ Ceri said. She did. Aside from the mild shock anyway. ‘Did it work?’
    Lily giggled and Tennant’s look of mild worry cracked into a smile. ‘Despite the containment failure, which we are looking into, we got good readings. We have a lot of data to analyse, but I think we have evidence of T-Null bosons within the circle.’
    ‘Yes!’ Ceri exulted.
    ‘At least you didn’t get fried for nothing,’ Lily said, still grinning.
    ‘Hmm, yes,’ Tennant mused. ‘I should very much like to examine those tattoos of yours when your burns have healed. Truly amazing enchantment to have protected you like that.’
    Ceri lifted her bandaged forearms, looking at them. ‘One of the hospital witches coated them in gunk while I was out,’ she said. ‘I’m to keep the bandages on for another week.’
    ‘Did they always release so much heat when working?’ Tennant asked. Lily supressed another giggle as she watched the two thaumatologists fall into a pattern of enquiry about second degree burns.
    Ceri ignored her, or did not notice. ‘Nothing like this,’ she said, ‘but I’ve never been hit with anything like that before. When Lily uses her aura, or there’s magic near, they tingle. They sting a bit if it’s more of an attack. The lab makes them itch.’ She flexed her fingers. ‘Considering I’m still a bit hot, I’m surprised they aren’t burning now.’
    ‘The nurse said there was a pain relief mixture in the paste they put on,’ Lily said. ‘A numbing agent, she said. Otherwise you’d be feeling the burns.’
    Ceri shrugged. ‘I guess that explains it,’ she said. ‘Shame it doesn’t reach my hand.’ The nurse had removed her drip earlier when Looper had given her a physical check-up. She had passed with flying colours, but the back of her hand was still sore from the large-bore needle being stuck in it for days. She looked up at Tennant. ‘They’re letting me out tomorrow,’ she said. ‘When can I get back to work?’
    The researcher laughed and Lily swatted at Ceri’s leg under the covers. ‘I think they’ll want you to rest for a while longer,’ Tennant said. ‘Don’t worry, there’s lots of data, we’ll be working on it for weeks yet.’ Her hand hesitated slightly before patting at Ceri’s thigh, a rather familiar gesture she was obviously not sure about making. ‘You did well, dear,’ she said. ‘You cracked our problem and gave us a chance when I was starting to think we were getting nowhere. You sit back on your laurels and get well.’
    Kennington, September 3 rd
    ‘You live here?’ the driver said as he pulled the ambulance car up outside High Towers. ‘This is like… the Addams Family’s house!’
    Ceri giggled. ‘It’s mostly just illusion,’ she said. ‘My mother was a witch and she liked the idea of living in a haunted house. The inside looks like any other home.’ Which was something of a lie; most houses did not have a second kitchen for brewing