Reality Hack (34 page)

‘That might be a good idea,’ Hanson told her, but her eyebrows had gone up. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone writing down magic using mathematics.’

‘You haven’t dealt with a reality hacker before. How are the people who survived the shadows? How’s Lisa May?’

‘Good point. Reality hacking is new. And they seem to be fine. They were confused about where they were, but their memories of what happened to them seem to have vanished along with the shadows.’

‘Daath effects can be like that,’ Kellog put in. ‘Where The System can adjust, it can wipe the memories of something out of existence. At least for those people, the Shadow Men did not exist, and all they had to worry over was what had happened to them.’

Hanson nodded. ‘We’ve managed to persuade them that they were drugged and kidnapped by a terrorist cell. That’s been the cover for the operation and the Order is going along with it to keep their own secrets. However, considering how the Order’s old guard are reacting to all this, specifically you, Nisa, I think it might be wise to get you out of London for a while. I think you could use the break and we can get you back here if business picks up.’

‘I have a number of books I think it would be useful for you to read,’ Kellog added, his lips almost curling. ‘You’ll be quite busy, and you can still access and file reports using your laptop.’

‘Thanks. Were you thinking of sending me anywhere in particular?’

‘Consider it a holiday,’ Hanson suggested. ‘Medical leave anyway. Norbery thinks you may find yourself worrying over what happened more than you realise. Take a month. Go somewhere pretty, with lots of fresh air.’

‘I think I might know just the place,’ Nisa replied.

Tower Hamlets.

‘Faline? Faline, are you human?’

Faline threw open the bedroom door, stepped through, and took off over the back of the sofa in a display of very cat-like agility for a human-shaped Witch Cat, and then she was hugging Nisa before she had got more than a foot into the room.

‘I’m going to take that as a yes,’ Nisa said, grinning.

‘I was worried. Your boss, Hanson, called as soon as she knew Kellog had found you. She knew I’d be worried since she called to see if you’d left.’

‘Nice of her.’ Nisa had not considered Hanson the kind to worry over the mental state of a Bug, but there she was doing so.

‘And then Mister Norbery called after he examined you.’

‘So you know I’m okay.’

‘Yes. I am exceptionally happy that I will not need to find myself
another
new owner so soon.’

‘You will if you puncture a lung when you break my ribs.’

Blushing, Faline backed off. ‘I was sorry to hear about Alaina.’

Nisa bit at her lips and considered for a second, taking the time to put her bag down and settle onto the sofa. ‘I’m not sure what to do about her. If she stays nuts it won’t be a problem, I guess, but if she recovers… The woman they’re putting in the sanatorium isn’t the one who was my wife
or
the one I got to know here.’ She shrugged. ‘Cross that bridge when I need to. Now, how do you fancy a holiday?’

Sinking onto the sofa beside Nisa, Faline blinked and then frowned. ‘I’m sorry?’

‘Hanson wants me out of London for a while. The Order is throwing threats around and she wants me out of the way.’

‘Okay…’

‘So I thought we could go visit Trina.’

‘We could?’

‘Well… yeah. Trina already knows and she’s living in a little cottage her aunt rents out in the summer, so there’s room for all three of us, and I can’t leave you here on your own. Trina says it’ll be fine having a house-trained cat in the cottage, and–’

‘You’ve already spoken to her?’

‘Yeah, on the way home. You… don’t want to come?’

‘I… I’ve never really been outside of London, Nisa. And I don’t think anyone’s ever actually considered taking me along when they left the city.’

‘Well… I am. Are you coming or not?’

Faline grinned, leaned forward, and gave Nisa a kiss on the cheek. ‘Very well, why not. Let’s go have a nice, quiet holiday in Cornwall.’

###

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 science fiction when I was playing
Traveller.
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 love 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.

Recently I took the big step of quitting my day job and taking up full-time writing. My favourite authors are Terry Pratchett, Susan Cooper, J.D. Robb, and 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

Take a look at the Witches and Ray-guns blog:
http://witchesandrayguns.wordpress.com

Other Books by this Author

Amazon US:
amazon.com/author/niallteasdale

Amazon UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B006J6II9O

The
Thaumatology
Series

Thaumatology 101

Demon’s Moon

Legacy

Dragon’s Blood

Disturbia

Hammer of Witches

Eagle’s Shadow

Ancient

Dragonfall

The Other Side of Hell

For Whom the Wedding Bells Toll

Vengeance

Anthologies in the
Thaumatology
Universe

Tales from High Towers’ Study

Tales from the Dubh Linn

The
Aneka Jansen
Books

Steel Beneath The Skin

The Cold Steel Mind

Steel Heart

The Winter War

The Greatest Heights of Honour

The Lowest Depths of Shame

Hope

The
Ultrahuman
Books

Ugly

Shadows

The
Unobtainium
Books

Kate on a Hot Tin Roof

The
Fox Meridian
Books

Fox Hunt – coming August 2015, available for pre-order in selected retailers.