Wicked Harmony

Chapter 2 | Sin

Chapter 2

Sin

A few hours later, I clock out without having seen another customer. I’m exhausted as I trudge home. I didn’t sleep too well last night and it’s making all my limbs feel hollow and heavy. Another night of waking up in a cold sweat from that dream again. The same one I’ve had maybe once a week for the past twelve years.

The Herald grips my arm tight and looms over me, I can smell the rot in his mouth beyond the veneers and see the hardness in his eyes as he glares down into my face.

“I need you to do this, Saint. It’s not a request.” His grip tightens and I can’t shake him off, no matter how hard I try.

I glance at the woman he wants me to influence. She’s been one of his Devoted for six months and she can’t afford the next payment. He wants me to put the fear of God into her as a little push for payment.

“I don’t think she can afford it,” I tell him, twisting uncomfortably in my holey sneakers. “Her daughter’s sick.”

“Her daughter’s an abomination,” he spits back. “If she doesn’t make the payment, she needs to know there are consequences for her actions.”

I blink at that. An abomination. The daughter’s half shifter and as the Herald’s eyes harden into chips of pure malice, it strikes me that’s how he sees me as well.

Half human. Half something else.

All wrong .

I turn to the woman, shaking slightly, and do exactly what he’s asked. Her eyes grow wide as raw, unfiltered terror fills her as she fumbles for her wallet.

“P-please. I’ve got another credit card here, put it on that. Just let me stay on The Path.” Her face is filled with desperation and my stomach twists with guilt.

“Good job, darling Saint. You know how we need the money. If you’re discovered as unregistered, the fine will bankrupt us all and we’ll be left homeless.”

I nodded, struggling to swallow past my dry throat. But the woman’s expression still haunts me.

It still makes me feel vaguely sick to think about now. Not surprising, considering it’s not so much a nightmare as a memory. A reminder of my past misdeeds.

My unregistered status was something the Herald always held over me. All magic-users are supposed to be tested and registered as soon as their powers come in, but since my mom is human and we moved around so much, she never took me in for testing.

I had these teenaged visions of being hustled into some windowless room and questioned by big burly mages. I knew that if they discovered quite how much unsanctioned magic I’d been involved in, they’d lock me up and I’d never see daylight again.

I’ve no idea how accurate any of those fears were. Those that followed The Path tended to be human, so I didn’t have anyone to ask.

I’m fully registered now, though. If I’d known it was as simple as Elara filling in a form online for me, who knows how different things could have been. Maybe I could have got out earlier.

My legs still feel numb and weirdly shaky as I head back to my grotty apartment. It’s only once I get inside I remember that I have no food in the fridge and my oven is busted until I can try to cajole it into working again .

Too tired to do anything about it now, I shove my feet back into the sneakers I just kicked off and grab the tiny stash of cash I have saved up. I can afford takeout tonight and maybe tomorrow, and then I really need to get groceries.

Willow Ridge is quiet as I wander through the streets toward the little diner. We’re hidden out the way, too far from any major cities for anyone to bother with. There’s Shadwell, a small city, located about forty-five minutes away, and even that’s mostly just used as a stopgap for people heading to bigger and better places.

We have a single takeout place that does everything so long as you’re looking for something bland yet greasy. There’s also a diner, a pub on main street, a doctor's office, Grizz’s, and a grocery store. Not a lot, but it’s enough to get by.

Provided you don’t want any entertainment or excitement, that is.

As I’m waiting for my order at the diner, I spot Mrs McClusky making a beeline for me. While most people in town stay out of each other’s business, Mrs M is an unfortunate exception. She pops into the shop about once a week, bringing me items that are always impossible to fix and telling me all about the virtues of her adult son.

Unfortunately, there’s no time for me to duck out of sight, or maybe make myself invisible. I brace myself for another unpleasant encounter.

She aims a wide smile at me. “Sinjin, I’m so glad I caught you. Did I see that woman head into your shop earlier? She came into the supermarket too, looking for salvation.”

“Not salvation, Mrs McClusky. She was looking for a saint or something,” Ally, the young woman working behind the counter, says. She’s bright and bubbly and doesn’t seem remotely embarassed that she’s eavesdropping on our conversation .

Mrs McClusky sniffs derisively. “I wonder if that means the band are looking for someone to absolve them of their sins. I’m sure they’re numerous.”

I stare at her blankly. “Can’t say I know what you’re talking about. Sorry, Mrs McClusky.”

She looks at me like I’ve grown an extra head. “Rockers, Sinjin. Tattooed, sin worshippers. You want to be careful mixing with those sorts.”

“It must be so cool working with the band, though. Too bad she didn’t ask me to find her a saint or I could have tried really hard to find someone for her. I’d do just about anything to see them in person.”

This entire conversation feels like it’s happening in a foreign language, something that must be clear from my expression as Ally beams at me.

“Oh my stars, didn’t you hear, Sin? Orpheus Underground are in Shadwell tonight. We’re heading over tonight to see if we can catch a glimpse.”

“You’ll catch more than a glimpse if you get too close to those rocker types,” Mrs McClusky says. “You too, Sinjin. Be careful about fraternizing with people like that.”

I stare at her, confused as hell. I’ve heard of Orpheus Underground, of course. They’re a metal band, made up of so-called ‘monsters’. And while we’re supposedly a mixed society of supernaturals and humans, it’s still rare to see a Minotaur grabbing milk, or a centaur walking out of the dentists.

There are certain... tensions between humans and supes, and between some supe groups. Despite that, Orpheus Underground are crazy popular. I think they’ve sold a couple hundred million records or something and people go nuts over them.

“What has Orpheus Underground got to do with me?” I ask .

Mrs McClusky frowns at me and reaches out to pat my hand. “Well, like I was saying, I saw their manager come over to you earlier today, dear. Did she not manage to catch you, or did you have too much on to see her?” Her expression and tone are innocent, but the back of my neck tingles.

Their... manager. I pause, pulling the forgotten business card from my pocket and feeling slightly dazed. I probably should have looked at it immediately, but I was too busy having a mental breakdown and acting like our interaction never happened.

That’s me. Always good at sticking my head in the sand.

When I finally read the card, things start to slot into place.

Julia Michaels — Band Manager for Orpheus Underground.

My mind whirs as I take this new information in. My suited visitor had nothing to do with the Herald, The Path, or my past.

Huh.

The tension in my shoulders that formed as soon as that woman came into Grizz’s thaws slightly and I let out a slow breath.

“Oh, right. She left pretty quickly, I guess she didn’t find what she was looking for,” I reply vaguely.

Ally shoots me a beaming grin as she hands over my food. “Have a good one, Sin.”

I grab the bag, ready to make a quick exit. But the business card burning a hole in my pocket has me hesitating. Now that I know that the suited woman is the manager for Orpheus Underground, I’m even more confused about what the hell she was doing here asking about me.

“You said you’re going to Shadwell tonight?” I ask Ally.

Her eyebrows shoot up, her smile slipping in her confusion. “Uh, sure. The Titan hotel, that’s where the band are rumored to be staying.” She pauses and shifts on her feet. “Do you want to come with us? ”

I can’t blame her for the surprise underlying her tone. I’m both at least ten years older than her, and not the friendliest or most social person in town.

But Ally is clearly too nice for her own good. She smiles again, like she can’t keep it off her face for over ten seconds at a time.

“I, er, maybe. Yeah, I think I do,” I tell her.

She squeals, bouncing on her toes. “You’re coming, Sin? Seriously? You’re going to come with us while we try to hunt down the band?”

My gut flips over as I wonder how many people will join her. I’m imagining them all dressed up in sexy Nancy Drew costumes as they go from clue to clue, searching for the band by sifting through piles of discarded panties.

I nod, gesturing to my bag of food. “Meet you in a few hours?”

She beams at me and I feel guilty. I should probably set her expectations for me joining her, but I decide to leave it for now.

“We’ll pick you up at nine thirty,” she says.

Past the time I’m usually inside my locked apartment, settled in for the night. Bra-less and pants-less.

Well, tonight I’m leaving my apartment, for once. And I’m going to assuage my curiosity, find their manager and work out why she’s looking for Saint.

I’m going to find out what the hell the manager of a monster metal band wants with little ol’ me.