Freedom, Humanity, and Other Delusions (Death's Handmaiden Book 3) by Niall Teasdale (best summer reads txt) 📕

‘Okay,’ Nava said. ‘For those of you still conscious, you’re all under arrest. I’ll make sure your wounds are healed just as soon as I have some backup. I have recordings of this entire incident, so your fake alibis are going to be worth squat. You are all going to be leaving this school in disgrace, but I hope you’re feeling hurt and humiliated. I will be repeating this for those of you who aren’t conscious later.’

Now all she had to do was figure out where the Radio Noise spell was so she could dispel it and call reinforcements. Hopefully, none of them would bleed to death before then.

236/6/5.

Sunday lunchtime and everyone was there. Hoshi and Rochester were looking distinctly pleased with themselves, which likely meant they had just got up. Carina was there, though Trudy was, as usual, absent. Everyone wanted to know what had happened the night before, even if the details were not especially conducive to a nice meal.

‘When my backup arrived,’ Nava said, ‘I used Active Recovery on them all. They were back on their feet in a few seconds and we hauled them all in for the administration to deal with.’

‘What about the ones who were going to give false alibis?’ Courtney asked.

‘We picked five of them up later. They were the ones carrying an extra ketcom to give incorrect locations. The others… Well, no one’s talking, but I don’t see it as a major issue. They weren’t willing to fight last night and I don’t think they’ll be willing to stick their noses out any further than they have.’

‘You may be right.’

‘The main group of six are likely to be expelled. All of them are suspended until next term. The initial judgment came down more or less immediately.’

‘It sounds like justice has been done,’ Carina said.

‘Something like that,’ Nava agreed.

‘Uh, there is one thing I don’t get.’

‘Ask away.’

‘Why didn’t their trap go off when you walked over it?’

Around the table, people looked up from their food at Nava, wondering what she would say.

‘I was wondering that myself,’ Courtney said, ‘though I’ve a feeling I know the answer.’

‘It’s simple enough,’ Nava said, ‘though you’re to keep this to yourself, Carina.’

‘Sure. I’m great at keeping secrets! Uh, I mean, anything you say, I’ll take to my death bed, Champion of the Light.’

‘Mm. Well, the trigger for the commonest form of Lightning Mine is when a human comes within two metres of the point the spell was cast on.’

‘Yes, but you walked right over it, didn’t you?’

‘When a human comes within two metres, Carina,’ Mitsuko said.

‘Yes, but…’ Carina’s eyes widened with a slowness that spoke of dawning shock. ‘Oh. Oh! Wow, that’s– Oh wow, I knew you were awesome, but this is… You really are the Champion of the Light!’

Part Four: One-Woman Army

Shinden Alliance School of Sorcery, Shinden, Clan Worlds Alliance, 236/6/20.

‘Do we have any idea how the additional chromosomes will express?’

‘We have some idea. He hasn’t given us a precise map. If I’m honest, I don’t think even he really knows.’

‘But she’ll look human?’

‘The homeotic genetics are entirely human. The general stuff is human, the details may be different.’

‘Right. And we believe it’ll boost sorcery capabilities, obviously.’

‘Nothing’s certain, but…’

Nava shifted in her sleep, turning over with a soft moan. The voices faded.

‘I’m a biologist, you know,’ Trudy said. She did not look like a biologist; what she looked like was a girl in a rainbow dress with too many frills.

‘You said,’ Nava replied. ‘What’s that got to do with anything?’

‘I can tell these things. That you’re not human. You’re not even a little human. Not really. Have you looked at yourself?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘There’s a mirror behind you.’

Nava turned. What she saw in the mirror was…

Twisting, Nava tossed the bedsheet away from her body. She felt half asleep, half awake, and too hot. The cool air swept over her skin, raising goose bumps. It was too cold, but it was better than too hot. Half awake became totally asleep.

Light blossomed before her. A quintessence explosion. The Harbinger was not in it and it continued chasing her. She dodged its counterattack, a massive blast of kinetic energy which would have likely torn her in half. She ran, twisting as she got to a corner and firing off another Magic Burst. Not waiting to see whether she had hit her target, she ran on…

And slammed right into the monster’s chest. Long fingers wrapped around her wrists as she tried to reverse her flight. It stretched her out, crucified her before it, and looked down into her eyes with cold, blue eyes of its own. ‘You’re not strong enough,’ it said. She could not pull away; its grip was too firm. ‘You’re not strong enough,’ it repeated. She screamed into its face, kicked up to plant her feet against its stomach and push. She could not budge the thing’s grasp on her. ‘You’re not strong enough,’ it said again. This time, its eyes began to shine a brighter blue which turned whiter the brighter it got. ‘Let me fix that.’ The light…

The light was bright enough to blind her.

The light was burning into her body, her mind.

The light exploded within her…

Nava struggled against the hands gripping her shoulders. It was entirely ineffectual struggling and her confused mind initially thought that was because the Harbinger was holding her. But the Harbinger had been holding her wrists…

‘Nava! Nava, wake up for God’s sake!’ The voice sounded distant. Familiar.

There was a clattering noise and another voice. ‘Hell’s teeth, what’s going on?’ That one was familiar as well.

‘Is she okay? What’s happening?’ Third voice. Also not an unknown. ‘Something woke me up and then I heard noises.’

‘I don’t know what’s wrong with her. She won’t wake up. She was boiling hot a minute or two ago, but–’ Back to that first familiar voice and it belonged to…

‘Suki?’ Nava opened her eyes to see Mitsuko’s worried expression. She turned her head