Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Clam Acres was a small café tucked along the pier on the waterfront.
It had an outdoor seating area, but the umbrellas and chairs had all been taken in for the season, and the tables were covered with condensation.
They were made of metal and bolted to the cement, so if anybody had been thinking of stealing one, they would have their work cut out for them.
The building itself was the size of a large fast-food joint, and the outer walls were made of slate-blue siding. All the trim was decked out in both navy blue and white.
Immediately, I thought of sailors out on the ocean.
The place was jumping, but as I pushed through the door and wove through the line of customers, I heard someone calling my name.
I peeked around the man standing in front of me and saw Freda at a corner table.
She waved as I threaded my way through the crowd to join her.
I seldom came downtown during the day. My store was in the Belles-Faire district, which was off the main thoroughfare that was downtown Seattle.
I slid into the chair opposite Frieda and placed my purse next to my foot closest to the wall.
It didn’t pay to keep your valuables in plain sight.
This way I could press my foot against it and tell instantly if someone tried to steal it.
I shrugged out of my jacket, letting it drape over the back of the chair.
Freda Shazar was human and in her mid-fifties.
She had been a witch since birth, trained by her mother and her grandmother, and she had managed to develop her powers to a greater degree than most any human I had met.
She was petite, like Menolly, except she wore her hair short, and dressed in midi skirts and short-sleeve sweaters most of the time.
A cameo—white on pink—hung around her neck on a silver chain.
At one time Freda told me it had belonged to her mother, and her grandmother before that. I could tell she missed them.
“It gets busy here, doesn’t it?” I asked.
“Yeah, for a long time this little gem went unnoticed by most people, but then there was a write-up of it in the Seattle Times lifestyle section, and that ended its anonymity. Now it’s hard to get a seat, much less make a reservation.
I mean, it’s good for the owners, but it kind of sucks for those of us who’ve been coming here a long time. ”
She handed me one of the menus that had been placed between the saltshaker and the dish of sweetener packets. I knew some people needed artificial sweeteners, but I didn’t like them, and since the Fae very seldom had problems like diabetes, we preferred sweeteners in their more natural element.
I glanced over the choices. Everything sounded good, and the restaurant was filled with appetizing aromas. The waitress showed up at that moment.
Freda ordered first. “I’ll have the three-piece cod and chips, a cup of clam chowder, and a cup of coffee.”
“I think I’ll have a bowl of clam chowder, cheese biscuits, and a double mocha.” I smiled at the waitress, who gave me a nod and turned to go.
After she left, Freda cleared her throat. “Okay, what was it you wanted to talk to me about? And don’t feel you have to make small talk and pretend like this was just a spur-of-the-moment invitation.”
“I have something and I want to know if you can figure out the energy. It’s called a tenzar, and it carries curses.
Sort of like an amulet, or talisman. A friend of mine found one, and he didn’t know what it was.
When he picked it up, it triggered a curse, but we can’t figure out what kind.
And we can’t do anything about the curse unless we know what we’re dealing with. ” I placed the disk on the table.
Freida stared at it for a moment, then cautiously picked it up. She examined the front and back, staring at the runes engraved on the metal.
“I’ve seen one of these before. A long time ago. My mother neutralized it. But I remember when she found it. Luckily, she knew what it was before she picked it up, and so she avoided setting off the curse. I assume it’s safe to touch since you handed it to me?”
I nodded. “One thing I do know is that, once it’s triggered, the curse won’t affect anybody else.
Unless they happen to become collateral damage by getting in the way of whatever is thrown at the person who was hexed.
I don’t know if this has anything to do with it, but last night a kappa appeared in his apartment. ”
Freda tapped her neck. “Is that what caused the ring around the throat?”
I nodded. “It’s tongue caught hold of me. But it wasn’t just a kappa — do you know what they are?”
Freda nodded. “I specialize in cryptos and Supes, remember? What was different about it?”
“Well, the back of the kappa split open, and a centipede-like creature was trying to crawl out of it.” I shuddered, remembering the grisly scene.
Freda arched her eyebrows. “I’ve never heard of that. Well, so you’re saying the kappa just appeared in his home?”
“Yeah, it was there waiting for him. He doesn’t work with magic, so it seems odd that it would be there. And he’s human. He’s never had anything like this happen before.”
Freda picked up the tenzar and clasped it in her hand, closing her eyes. At that moment, the waitress brought our drinks, but Freda didn’t look up. She just sat there, eyes closed, focusing on the tenzar. The waitress gave her an odd look, then turned and left.
A moment later, Freda shuddered. “Okay, I know this sounds strange but I think this turns the person who triggers it into a demon magnet.”
I groaned. “Demon magnet? You got to be kidding.”
“That’s a common spell, actually. It’s an easy way to do away with an enemy without having to do the dirty work yourself. You say this wasn’t aimed at him?”
“No, it wasn’t,” I said. “He accidentally stumbled into a portal and found it there. As to why he picked it up, I don’t know. But then again, we are all curious beings, and he might have thought someone lost something valuable. So, is there a name for the spell?”
Freda chuckled. “Yeah. It’s called a demon magnet spell.
It’s exactly the way it sounds. Most human-based spells — and I think this is one of them — don’t have exotic names.
At least not the ones I was brought up learning.
And yes, there is a way to break the spell, but I don’t know what it is off the top of my head.
I’ll have to do some research and call you.
And you can start looking around on your own.
Until then, your friend is just going to attract bigger and badder demons, until there’s one he can’t get away from.
I wonder who this was intended for,” she said, musing.
“I don’t know, and I have no idea who lives in that portal dimension.
Whoever they are, they’d better give a thousand thanks that they didn’t end up finding it first. I wish they had,” I added.
“My friend can’t do much against demons.
At least anything bigger than imps or the like.
And I’m not sure what good human weapons do against them. ”
“It’s not whether it’s a human weapon or not,” Freda said. “Whether something is effective against the demon matters because of the magic involved, and sometimes the metal. Remember, some of the strongest magicians were human to begin with.”
The waitress brought our food then, and Freda and I caught up on everything else that was happening in our lives as we ate.
I made a mental note to ask Iris to try making clam chowder.
It was incredible. After about forty-five minutes, we’d said all we had to say, and, after agreeing to call the minute we found out something, we paid our bill and left.
As we exited the restaurant, the clouds had socked in, and now they opened with a clash of thunder.
Icy rain skittered against the streets, and I hurried to my car.
When I returned to my store, Delilah was there. She had opened the shop and was selling books for me. I shrugged out of my coat, hanging it on the rack to dry.
“Where were you?” she asked.
“I was talking to Freda. She knows what the tenzar is — she was able to tell me what kind of curse it had on it.”
Delilah stopped sorting out a stack of paperbacks and sat down at the table near the front of the shop. I joined her, grabbing a tissue to blow my nose. The shop smelled musty, and I made a note to air it out.
“She knew? What is it?” She leaned forward, all ears.
“Well, it’s not the best news,” I said. “Apparently it’s a demon magnet spell, and it will attract bigger and badder demons to Chase until it’s either broken, or he dies. So, yeah. Not great news.”
I sighed, picking up one of the paperbacks. Glancing through the pages, I saw it was a romance. Apparently it had been big in its day and I thumbed through the first few pages. Some woman was dreaming of a castle named Manderley. It looked interesting, so I set it to the side.
“What the hell are we going to do? Do you have any clue on how to break that kind of spell?” Delilah looked worried. I knew she liked Chase. Liked as in friendship. Delilah had seldom ever had a crush on any man. She never seemed interested in romance.
“We’re not talking about just breaking a spell,” I said.
“Breaking a curse is more difficult. Spells are relatively easy to break as long as you find someone who is stronger magically than the original spellcaster. But curses… Curses are a whole different breed of magic. They feed on anger and revenge, and they’re usually driven by stronger powers.
I’m not sure what the next step is. I’ll call Asheen and ask her advice again. ”
“I didn’t think we'd ever get involved in something like this,” Delilah said. “When we were first sent over here, I assumed we were just going to be shunted off for a long sabbatical.”