'Sconie Girls [An R5/TMI Crossover]

The Cthonic Inquisition

'Sconie Girls

Chapter Eight: The Cthonic Inquisition

...

It was three in the afternoon the next day when three Clave members appeared; the Inquisitor, Lief Heartwell, and two higher status Shadowhunters of Idris, Kim Pinewolf and Jordan Mapletower. We were in the training room when they came, watching Kaysie hack up a dummy with a Kopesh.

"Don't stop on account of us," Heartwell said lightly when Kaysie put the weapon down.

"It's fine," she said. "I'm done anyways."

"Good. Then I'd like to speak with you three. If you'd come with us?"

Feeling strangely like we were about to be thrown in jail for something, we followed the three older Shadowhunters through the halls of the Institute to the library. Heartwell walked in front of us all, hands trailing along the spines of books. I resisted the urge to do the same, maybe pick out a book and just sit and read while the Inquisitor talked.

"Do you know why I'm here?" he asked suddenly. The three of us glanced at each other.

"Is it about the Greater Demon we reported?" Kaysie said.

"A little," the Inquisitor said, pulling out a particularly dusty volume, blowing it off, and returning it to its spot on the shelf.

"What else?" Ashlyn asked, leaning against a staircase railing.

"Hm. That can be discussed later. Firstly, we would like to hear about the Greater Demon you reported. We understand that you were hosting some mundane event at the shop above this Institute?"

"Yeah," Kaysie said. "It was a band, called R5."

"And how did you meet this band?"

Kaysie opened her mouth slightly, before turning to look at Ashlyn, who took over.

"Myra and I met them first. Well, one of them. The drummer was attacked by a hellhound and a Raum. We fought them off. When we were volunteering up in the shop on free time, we met them again. We've seen them a few times after that and they asked to put on a performance the other night."

The Inquisitor raised an eyebrow. "Really? And what of the supposed Hunger attack?"

"During the performance, we heard a disturbance in the kitchens," I said. "We went to check it out and found nothing. Afterwards, when the band and we were cleaning up, our Sensors went off."

"We convinced them to leave," Ashlyn continued. "Then Hunger attacked. The place was surrounded by Imps, which Kaysie took on while Myra and I fought Hunger. Then Jerome, Colton, Samuel, and Skyler showed up, and we reported the attack."

"I see." The Inquisitor sat in an armchair and looked to the other Shadowhunters. Kim stepped forward.

"Did any of you believe that you would be able to defeat Hunger?"

I frowned slightly, and Ashlyn answered. "It wasn't a challenge that we would normally take on, but we had no choice. Hunger was trying to kill us and the band."

"How did you defeat a Greater Demon? After all, none of you are even of age."

"We found its weak spot," I said. "Well, Ashlyn did. I distracted him. She stabbed him, and her seraph blade got past his armor. I finished him off."

Pinewolf nodded. "Did Hunger speak at all?"

"Yes," I sad hesitantly.

"A human language?"