Dead like ned, p.15
Dead Like Ned,
p.15
Familiars:
Familiars are animals with limited magical capabilities. They usually reside with witches. A witch does not choose her familiar. The familiar chooses the witch. The most common familiar animals are cats, though other animals have been known. The most notable magical ability of a familiar is the ability to communicate in any language it chooses – thus, familiars may communicate freely with their witches. They have been known to converse with other supernatural beings, but only when they want to. Speaking with humans is rarer still for familiars, but not unheard of.
The Unempowered:
Not to be confused with the disempowered, the unempowered witch is, like the wizards, far too often overlooked. In fact, unempowered is a modern term, and will not be found in compendia earlier than the Year of the Cat (2010 AD). Before then, there was no word for these witches. Officially, they did not exist. In the compendia dating from the Year of the Cat to the Year of the Lizard (2010-2016 AD) you will find the unempowered under the listing: Others.
In rare cases, a witch is empowered from the moment of conception, but most do not display any signs of power until a little later (five or six is the norm). The very latest that any witch has been known to come into their power is twenty-one. If they have not been empowered by then, they never will.
Some unempowered witches study wizardry, in order to gain power by other means. In the Year of the Rat, thirty-eight percent of new enrolments at Wentforth’s College for Wizards were unempowered witches, thus continuing the upward trend.
Like most supernaturals other than witches and familiars (recent evidence suggests that the sióga and the Púca are also able to travel in and out as they please), unempowered witches must wear special jewellery in order to access witch enclaves.
Although recent changes in Magical Law have meant that unempowered witches now have equal rights, many unempowered still choose to live outside the witch enclaves.
The Disempowered:
A disempowered witch is a witch who has been stripped of all power, as a result of crimes committed. This can only occur by decree of the Wyrd Court – although Wayfarers are also entitled to temporarily disempower any witch suspected of a crime. The length of disempowerment depends on the crime in question. In serious cases, a witch may be disempowered for life.
The Outsiders
(Note: In compendia prior to the Year of the Misfit – 2019 AD – all chroniclers were banned from defining outsiders as Major Supernatural Beings)
Outsiders are any supernaturals who live outside the witch-run enclaves. The most powerful of all known outsiders are the sióga, (also known as the fae, faeries, the Other Folk and the Good People). This chronicler cannot comment much on the nature of sióga power, but it is clear that it is beyond the comprehension or ability of the witch. Even the Púca, shapeshifters who live under the protection of the Queen of the Sióga, have been known to exhibit power far greater than ours.
One unusual example of the Púca’s power can be seen in every chronicle ever written about them. The Púca have devised a so-far unbreakable spell, a spell which ensures that they always get a capital letter, despite the fact that their name is no more a proper noun than witch, human, or cat.
The relationship between witches and faeries has been, on occasion, troubled. Despite that, the Queen of the Sióga has come to our aid many times, and this chronicler is grateful to finally have a Minister for Magical Law who sees the Queen and her people as our allies instead of our enemies.
For almost a century, the sióga have protected many supernaturals within their realm – supernaturals who, like the sióga, have experienced a troubled relationship with witches. This includes the Púca, sprites, sirens, succubi, banshees, genies, unicorns and the yeti to name just a few …
Books by A.A. Albright
All of my books are set in the same magical world, with the same magical rules and supernaturals occurring throughout. Each series itself is self-contained, and you don’t need to read any one series to understand another. But my characters do reserve the right to pop in on one another from time to time to make a little cameo or two.
Books in the Infernal Artefacts Trilogy
Book One: Dead Like Ned
Book Two: A Grave Situation (coming soon)
Book Three: Dancing With the Dead (coming soon)
Books in the Wayfair Witches Series:
Book One: Bottling It
Book Two: Bricking It
Book Three: A Trick for a Treat
Book Four: Winging It
Book Five: Wrapping Up
Book Six: Loved Up
Book Seven: Rocking Out
Book Eight: Acting Up
Legally Red: A standalone featuring Melissa, with the action occurring between books eight and nine of the main series
Book Nine: Swotting Up
Book Ten: Forget Me Knot
Book Eleven: All Hallowed Out
Holiday Heist: A standalone featuring Melissa, with the action occurring between books eleven and twelve of the main series
Book Twelve: Doing Time
Book Thirteen: All Tricked Out
Book Fourteen: Faking It
Book Fifteen (coming in late 2021): Testing Times
Wayfair Witches Side Stories:
(These books can be read as standalones, but if you’d like to read them in order with the main series, see the list above for their placement in the series timeline)
Legally Red
Holiday Heist
Books in the Riddler's Edge Series:
Book One: A Little Bit Witchy
Book Two: Witchy See, Witchy Do
Book Three: Lucky Witches
Book Four: Shiver Me Witches
Book Five: So Very Unfae
Book Six: Old-School Witch
Book Seven: A Little Bit Vampy
Slippery Slope: A standalone featuring Pru, with the action occurring between books seven and eight of the main series
Book Eight: A Little Bit Chilly
Book Nine: A Little Bit Spacey
Book Ten: Totally Married
Riddler’s Edge Standalones:
Slippery Slope: A standalone featuring Pru, which can be read on its own – if you’d like to read in order with the main series, the action occurs between books seven and eight
Books in the Katy Kramer Series:
Book One: The Case of the Wayward Witch
Book Two: The Case of the Haunted House
Book Three: The Case of the Listening Library
Book Four: The Case of the Strange Society
Book Five: The Case of the Treacherous Train
Book Six: The Case of the Christmas Carol
Boxed Sets:
Riddler's Edge Books 1-3
Wayfair Witches Books 1-3
A. A. Albright, Dead Like Ned
