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

to heat and electricity. It will provide protection against energy weapons, Laser Strike, and Fire Blast. It also has a reactive capability making it effective against most firearms. It’s flexible, so it’s not as effective against large impacts and falls, but it is still better than the older suits. Just not much better. Both the military and civilian models have a chameleon surface, providing camouflage when viewed under visible and infrared spectrums. The military version is effective against a broader range of frequencies and has a radar-stealth coating. The camouflage is less effective when moving. You have been warned. Both variants have spell matrices for Might and Armour, enhancing your strength and providing far greater protection, but at the cost of periodically recasting the spells.’

‘The ranks of those spells?’ Sienna asked.

‘For the civilian version, Might is rank three, Armour is rank ten. The military version has ranks five and twenty.’ Nava lifted the helmet. ‘I won’t put this on because you sound like you’re talking into a bucket. The helmet seals to the suit and has air filtration. It’s equipped with a radio and a protected-hearing system. You see via a screen mounted over your eyes and the field of view is not restricted. The civilian version provides infrared optics. The military version gives you ultraviolet too. The internal power cell can operate for a day and, in addition, there are slots for C-size Q-cells. Two slots in the civilian version, four in the military. You can use the stored quintessence for whatever you wish, including running the spell matrices in the suit, obviously. I think that covers everything. Oh, all versions have integrated MagiTag detection for training purposes. Now that’s everything.’

‘Yes,’ Sienna said. If she was annoyed that Nava had covered everything, she was not showing it. ‘Your opinion of the new suit?’

‘With limited time to use it, I find it comfortable and effective. I’ve yet to be shot while wearing it, however. I reserve judgement on its protective capabilities.’

‘I don’t think anyone has been shot while wearing one, to date. Okay, you might as well stay on your feet as we’ll be doing some breaching exercises. I want to see for myself what you’re all capable of. Nava Greyling, since you have that suit, your team can defend.’ Sienna frowned as a groan went up from the majority of the class.

‘They were probably hoping you wouldn’t say that,’ Nava said. ‘Our previous instructor usually had my team take the defensive role.’

‘Oh, really? This I can’t wait to see.’

Melissa and Rochester moved over to stand beside Nava as she checked her MagiTag pistols. ‘Your suit is military spec, isn’t it?’ Melissa asked in a low voice.

‘It certainly is,’ Nava replied. ‘My family had the school colour scheme added as a special feature. I don’t think we’ll mention that to Captain Sienna Acker. Somehow, I don’t think she’d take it too well.’

~~~

‘Theory this afternoon,’ Melissa said. ‘You’re not taking it, Hoshi? That’s right, isn’t it?’

Hoshi had joined the others for lunch. She was wearing casual clothes and looking rather happy about it. ‘They got a proper replacement. One of the postgrads finished his studies and decided he wanted to teach. I’m not absolutely positive that you’ll be getting him, but it’s likely.’

Part of her pleasure with no longer having to teach was likely due to not having to teach Rochester. Their relationship was not physical, but there was still a dubious element to it given that Hoshi was his metaphysics teacher. Her regression back to being just a postgrad gave them more legitimacy.

Rochester appeared to feel the same. There was no hint of disappointment at not having his girlfriend teaching him anyway. ‘Do you know the man?’ he asked.

‘By sight,’ Hoshi replied. ‘I mean, half the faculty, by which I mean the female half, knows him by sight. I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to him. He’s been doing pure research for three years. He’s an excellent theoretician, from what I hear. Not so good with practical magic, hence he went into academic research.’

Something in the pit of Nava’s stomach twisted. Butterflies fluttered. Nava was not used to fits of nerves; she had not suffered from the problem since she was seven. A new metaphysics teacher, even one described as very attractive, should not be causing her to feel uneasy, but…

‘You haven’t mentioned his name?’ Mitsuko pointed out.

‘Oh! Sorry, it’s Miles Paris Sonkei,’ Hoshi supplied.

Nava recalled the schema for the See Spirits spell and activated it. The nervous feeling was already gone, but she looked around anyway. Maybe the feeling had been the result of a Harbinger being nearby. Maybe that sensation was not directly the result of a nearby Harbinger, but the one Nava had killed had triggered it for some other reason. Maybe… Too many maybes and not enough visual evidence of a big blue alien which happened to be invisible to everyone else in the refectory.

‘Are you okay, Nava?’ Hoshi asked. ‘You look… No idea what you look like, but not normal.’

‘It’s nothing,’ Nava said. If there was a Harbinger nearby, it had escaped her sight. She was not confident enough in that particular weird sense to say anything. It would only scare people. ‘I’m fine.’

‘Oh. Okay.’

‘Melissa,’ Mitsuko said, ‘you know Miles Paris’s cousins.’

‘I do?’

‘Yes. You remember Alain and Phillipe? Their father is Miles’s uncle on their mother’s side.’

Melissa blushed. ‘Oh. Yes. I remember them. S-small world, isn’t it?’

‘Where did you meet them?’ Rochester asked. His eyes were a little narrowed.

‘We met at a party. It was the one welcoming Nava into the clan. That was the one, right, Suki?’

‘That was it. Nice boys. Well, they’re adults now, of course. Still doing everything together. I believe they’re both going into acting.’

‘Well,’ Melissa said, ‘they’re both handsome men. If their cousin is the same, the girls will be whimpering this afternoon just like the boys were when Captain Sienna Acker walked in this morning.’

‘I did not whimper,’ Rochester said, looking a little huffy.

‘Of course not, Chess,’ Mitsuko said.