Chilling Cadence

Eight

In the morning, Chau came by Inquiring Siren and picked out a necklace made of blue kyanite; as Cadence was ringing up her purchase, Chau regarded her seriously, watching all the while as her item was rung up and handed to her before she spoke.

“Do you really think you can catch this thing? The Cyra…um…Cyra…?”

“Cyhyraeth,” Cadence offered, not unkindly. “And I really don’t know Chau. I hope so. During Samhain, I should be strong enough.” But even Cadence could feel a little wariness roiling in her stomach. To catch a Cyhyraeth, there was a large possibility she'd have to use some magic, more than she'd ever had to use in a long time. The thought didn't please her.

Chau glanced over at the clock hanging over Cadence’s head. It was a nice clock, the only thing that she was able to snag from her apartment after finding out that Hansel and Gretel were after her. It was the only thing she had left of her Grandmother; it was carved from mahogany and imbued with crystals in the face of it, on the back, the pentacle of sacred protection was carved and, even though the pentacle had been carved more than fifty years ago, Cadence could still feel the power behind the sigil, still powerful after all this time.

Chau let out a long breath. “I’ll see you later,” she said before heading out, the bells above the door jingling as she exited.

Cadence couldn’t help but remember Chau’s face the day before yesterday when she had come to have lunch with Cadence at Spellbound. From her knowledge of being a lonely, isolated teenager, she recognized the signs of a child who was the same as she had been. She wondered what she could do to help and then she wondered again if attempting was even her place at all.

INQUIRING SIREN WAS busy for the better half of the day. The Witches of Glasskeep had learned that a Blackwood was running a shop in town and it didn’t take long before they were flocking in, asking for potions and buying up her herbs. She did a quick inventory during one of the slower hours and determined if this kept up, she’d be out of nightshade, crushed rose, lavender, and eucalyptus each within three days.

At around three, Chau came back into the shop, offering her help the way she had done for the past three days. Cadence was busy, ringing up the third wave of Witches who had come into the shop and she gratefully accepted Chau’s assistance.

Once they were taken care of, Cadence sat back in her chair, a little exhausted in spite of herself. She was used to such crowds of Witches—if there had been a royal hierarchy of Witches, her grandmother would have been the queen—and all of her childhood had been spent working the counter of the Inquiring Siren when it belonged to her grandmother. But after working on potions and contemplating ways to stop the Cyhyraeth, she was the kind of tired that resided deep in the bones.

Cadence and Chau spoke in passing and she was glad to see the girl in a better mood than she had been in earlier. Today was Friday and so it was easier, undoubtedly, to be in a better mood.

When the sunlight was beginning to dim, Lorelei appeared. Cadence really shouldn’t have been so surprised to see her—this shop wasn’t private property, so of course she could enter—but she still started a little. She walked into the shop with her unnerving, languid movements, her black lacy parasol blocking out the harshest of the dimming sunlight. She was slower, Cadence noticed, than she normally was. The Dead Sleep had large effects on a Vampire’s body, that was what all the Witches said. Cadence had read countless books discussing how terribly sleep affected their bodies. It wasn’t until much later, when night had fully taken over, that Vampires no longer felt the difficulty in their muscles.

“Lorelei, you’re up early,” Chau commented. She was grinning, her face containing not a single worry in the world as she watched the Vampire steal over to the darkest corner of the store. Cadence envied her. “Isn’t it hard to be awake like this?”

Now immersed in the corner where sunlight could not touch her, Lorelei shut her parasol. In the darkness, her eyes looked like they were glowing, they were like blue flames in the darkness. Cadence shivered in spite of herself.

“It is but I had to be awake today,” she said. Even her voice was not as strong as it normally was. It was no more than a strained whisper. “It’s Friday.”

Chau’s mouth parted in understanding before a frown spread across her face. Cadence looked back and forth between the two of them, her lack of understanding undoubtedly showing all over her face.

“The Crypt Bangers are performing today,” Chau explained. “They perform at Spellbound today and tomorrow. It’s one of the only reasons humans from the other towns come to Glasskeep. The weekend is the only time when Glasskeep is full of people.”

Now she understood. Cadence looked over at Lorelei. “What time are they performing?”

“They go on at seven,” Lorelei said. “But humans crowd in before then, they like to go to the Sizzling Griddle or book a room at Davey Jones’ Locker. A lot of them stay in Glasskeep overnight, to see Laurel and the guys through the weekend.”

“They also stay for the creep factor,” Chau cut in. “A lot of teenagers do crazy things on dares. Last year, they stumbled across Ayami’s place and some stupid teenagers egged it. Sometimes, they go to the graveyard behind the church for the creepiness of it. Rev’s good at keeping them away.”

Cadence was annoyed just thinking about it but she couldn’t blame the humans for their curiosity. Undoubtedly, Glasskeep must be creepy to all those on the outside looking in. Humans could usually tell when they were in the presence of a supernatural creature—they would feel discomfort or something deep down telling them that the person in front of them was not what they seemed—and so it made sense that a town full of those creatures would creep humans out. Their instincts were undoubtedly screaming at them that something was not right with Glasskeep.

“Sheriff Clearwater is coming, too,” Lorelei spoke up. Now that the final rays of sunlight had dipped behind the horizon, her voice was stronger, back to the silky, smooth deceptive beauty that was normal for her. “Since there are no police in Glasskeep, it was the only thing I could do to keep tensions from getting too high. He’s bringing a couple of officers with him…to keep an eye on things.”

Cadence’s lips pursed. “They’ll all be in danger here. The Cyhyraeth isn’t going to care that he’s the sheriff.”

Lorelei nodded in agreement. “That’s why we’re going to keep an eye on things.”

Cadence looked at her warily. “We are?”

Lorelei’s face twisted in amusement even though she didn’t smile. “Yes, we are. Ruth will keep an eye on the future, Jaxon and a couple of guys will patrol Glasskeep, Reverend Whitlock will shelter the human residents of Glasskeep and you, Chau, and I will go to Spellbound and keep an eye on things.”

Chau lit up, happy to be included in things. Cadence, on the other hand, felt anything but. She was a Witch powerful enough to crush, even a Vampire, where they stood but she could not use magic. It was something that went against her very nature, but something she had no choice but to do. She knew what the prophecies said, she understood what she could do, who—or rather what—she would become if she gave in to her magic. She understood it all very well. It didn’t mean she thought it was any less frustrating to not be able to cast spells.

“Fine,” she relented, standing. “But if someone attacks me, I expect you to save me.”

Lorelei’s lips twitched, the amusement in her eyes so strong, Cadence wasn’t sure how she managed not to laugh. “Naturally.”

“WELL, NOTHING HAPPENING is better than someone being a victim,” Ruth was saying, placing a hand over her heart. “It’s better that the thing didn’t attack.”

The Sizzling Griddle was filled to the brim with outsiders who had just come from watching the Crypt Bangers’ Saturday show. Usually, there were only truckers or families who were going on road trips who sat in the main room, but now it was filled with groups of teenagers and college students. She had noticed a group of goth kids staring wide-eyed at Lorelei as she had passed by; they had watched her like she was some kind of goddess.

All outsiders knew that those who lived in Glasskeep were quite different than normal people and they had probably already had their theories on what Lorelei was. Even humans who didn’t believe in myths might change their tune upon seeing someone like Lorelei. Everything about her, even the very way she moved, defied all that was natural.

The locals had all piled into the more quiet space that was reserved for them. Lorelei had deemed it appropriate for all the locals to meet and discuss the current state of the town. Everyone was here currently, even the Vampires. She understood they needed to be here, but she wasn’t exactly happy about it.

The discussion had been brief. It mostly consisted of Cadence and Lorelei replaying what had happened in Spellbound. They had sat in the back of the cafe for the entirety of the Crypt Bangers performance but nothing had happened. Even though Cadence had forced herself to pay attention to her surroundings, to feel out for the Cyhyraeth and not get too engrossed in the band onstage, the Cyhyraeth didn't make an appearance. 

Which made no sense. A Cyhyraeth was supposed to store souls every three to five days, and all of the humans who had piled into Glasskeep made this the optimal time to take in another soul.

When Cadence trudged into her home, drained in a way she hadn’t been since the first day she arrived in Glasskeep, Grimm was sitting on the arm of her couch, waiting for her.

“You look tired,” he observed.

“I am. You know how I hate large crowds. All those auras and emotions. It’s draining.”

“I suppose you are more sensitive to such things than most.”

“You went out today, didn’t you? Did you find anything about the Cyhyraeth?” Her eyes closed.

“I looked for it but it was like searching for a needle in a haystack. This one is clever. All that I know is that the creature grows impatient. I can feel that it is here, but I cannot determine its exact whereabouts. You’re taking the day off tomorrow, are you not? Let us search for the one who called it.”

Cadence’s eyes opened as she considered that. “Do you think it’s important? Hasn’t the summoner lost control of it? I don’t understand how it would help.”

Grimm was silent for a moment and Cadence could feel through their bond that he was determining how to phrase what he was going to say next.

“I was only able to sense the Cyhyraeth’s presence for a brief moment since it’s still too weak. Undoubtedly, the creature was afraid to show itself to me. However, in that brief moment, I sensed something…amiss. It is natural to assume the one who summoned this creature lost control of it but what if they did not.”

Cadence jerked upright, her mouth agape. “You mean…”

“Yes. There might be a Witch controlling the Cyhyraeth, like your mother could. There may be a Necromancer hidden here in Glasskeep.”