I asked, “What kind of things?”
“Thank-you cards and presents. I don’t understand why.” Ekon shook his head at the thought. “They must have me mixed up with someone else too. I keep telling them I’m not brave enough to run into a burning building and rescue anyone. I don’t understand why everyone keeps saying I did.” He heaved a sigh. “I hope they leave me alone soon. I don’t like the vampires coming here. Can you put a spell on them to stop them? Please.”
“I can do, if that’s what you want,” I told him. “Ekon, do you know anything about gargoyles or grotesques?”
He shrugged. “Don’t they live on buildings and pull faces at everyone?”
I smiled at his answer. “Some of them do. Have you met any of them?”
He shook his head.
“What about golems?” I persisted. “What do you know about them?”
“Aren’t they made of clay or something? We don’t have them around here. I don’t even know what they’re used for.” He looked down at Stanley. “Do you know what golems are used for?”
Stanley diplomatically said, “I don’t.”
I gave Stanley a grateful smile for not mentioning a possible golem army.
Ekon glanced at the door again. “Do you think it’s a golem who’s after me? Can you put a spell on my house to stop golems coming here?”
I straightened up and said, “Of course. I’ll put a strong spell on your house as soon as we leave. If that’s what you want?”
“It is. I don’t feel safe here. I don’t feel safe anywhere.” His bottom lip trembled. “I don’t like being scared all the time.”
I put my hand on his trembling shoulder. “Stanley and I can help you with that. And I know a guardian who’s very good at counselling. He could help you too. He’s called Luca. Would you mind if I asked him to come here?”
“I don’t know. I don’t like strangers.”
Stanley said, “Strangers are only friends who we haven’t met yet. I saw that on a cushion once. It must be true because we’re friends now, Ekon.”
Ekon’s lips stopped trembling and he gave Stanley a smile. “If you trust Luca so much, you can ask him to come here.” He looked at me. “Don’t forget to put those spells on my house, will you?”
“I won’t. Thank you for talking to us.”
Stanley and I said goodbye to the sad troll and left his house.
I cast a spell on his house and then said to Stanley, “We must have the wrong troll. Why did Yolanda send us here?”
Stanley’s eyes darted to the left. He whispered, “Someone’s coming.”
We dashed over to a nearby bush and hid behind it. We watched silently as a cloak-clad figure walked towards Ekon’s house. He was holding a potted plant and smiling to himself.
Taking in his pale skin and sharp teeth, I mouthed the word “vampire” to Stanley.
The vampire didn’t get very far along the path. My protective spell kicked in and the vampire was flung backwards. He landed on his back with a confused expression on his face. The potted plant landed on his stomach.
I said to Stanley, “We should talk to him.”
We moved away from the bush and over to the stunned vampire.
He looked up at us and said, “What just happened?” He picked the pot up and jumped athletically to his feet. He looked me over. “You’re a witch! You did this to me? Why? Explain yourself immediately!”
“Hey!” Stanley called out. “Don’t you talk to Cassia like that. We’re the ones who will be asking the questions. What are you doing here? What is your connection with Ekon?”
The vampire brushed dust from his cloak and said, “It’s none of your business.”
I folded my arms. My patience was running thin. “It is our business. You can answer our questions or I can make you answer them.”
The vampire broke into a wide smile. He looked me up and down again with renewed interest. “I like a woman with an attitude. If you must know, I came here to drop this potted plant off as a present for Ekon. Are you doing anything tonight, young witch?”
I ignored his question. “Why were you giving him a present?”
“To thank him for saving my family and me from that dreadful fire in our castle. What time should I pick you up later?”
My arms dropped and I pointed at Ekon’s door. “Let me get this straight. It was Ekon, the troll inside who saved you?”
“Yes, my good woman. He saved us all. Would you like to go to a restaurant? Or perhaps a midnight picnic in the park? I find moonlight to be very romantic.”
“We won’t be going anywhere,” I told him sternly. “We’ve been speaking to Ekon, and he claims it wasn’t him.”
“It most definitely was.” The vampire frowned. “He’s not the same troll anymore. He used to be brave and was constantly helping creatures, but not any longer. He stays in his tiny house all the time. I don’t know what’s come over him. Still, we’ll keep leaving presents for him.” He gave Ekon’s house a dismissive look. “Enough about him. Let’s talk about us.”
“Let’s not,” I said. “What do you know about gargoyles or grotesques?”
The vampire shivered. “Ugly little blighters. I keep away from them.”
“What about golems?” I asked.
The vampire’s face twisted in disgust. “Foul creatures. No heart or blood flowing through them. A complete waste of space.”
Stanley said tartly, “The same could be said about vampires. Cassia? Have we finished here?”
“We have.” I flashed a polite smile at the vampire. “Thank you for your time.”
The vampire smiled and showed his sharp teeth. “Playing hard to get, eh? I like that.”
Stanley and I left the vampire and got on my broomstick. The vampire had his eyes on us as we flew away.
I said to Stanley, “What’s going on? Why can’t Ekon remember what he did? And why is he so frightened of everything now?”
Stanley looked over his shoulder at me and gave me a knowing look. “It’s Quinn Ocean. He did something to Ekon. And he made Ekon forget that they ever met.”
“I think you’re right. Let’s go back to Brimstone and have a chat with him.”
Chapter 12
During our flight back to Brimstone, Stanley and I made a plan about how we were going to approach Quinn Ocean.
Stanley advised, “Let’s keep our cards close to our chests. We won’t reveal what we know about him. If we play our cards right, we’ll get him to blurt out his secrets all of his own accord. But we’ll have to keep our poker faces on.”
“Stanley, have you been playing cards online again? I thought we’d spoken about this.” I was talking to the back of his head as we flew along, which was probably to Stanley’s advantage as he could avoid my gaze that way.
In a casual tone, he said, “I may have gone online once or twice with Oliver. He’s very good. He can bluff with the best of them.” He turned his head my way and his eyes shone with excitement. “Oliver’s got an online tournament next week. It’s a big one which takes place live in Las Vegas. Las Vegas! In America! It’s so exciting.”
“Where does Oliver get his money from?” My eyes narrowed. “I hope he hasn’t hacked into my bank account.”
Stanley’s head whipped back to face forwards. “No, he hasn’t hacked into your bank account. Look, we’re nearly back at Brimstone. I can see Quinn Ocean near the gazebo.”
“Nice change of subject, my friend. But we’ll talk about your gambling activities at a later date.”
We headed towards the gazebo and landed at the side of it. Quinn was surrounded by adoring beings, Gran and Blythe included. I was glad to see Luca wasn’t amongst the fawning audience. Perhaps he was still keeping an eye on Relloc and the other stone creatures.
Quinn looked our way and announced, “Cassia! Stanley! There you are. Have you got time for our chat now?”
Hostile looks were shot our way. I paid them no attention. Whatever spell the town was under would ho
pefully vanish when Quinn left.
I nodded at Quinn. “Yes, we do have time. Shall we go to the café?”
“Good idea. I’ll buy you a coffee and some cake,” Quinn said with a smile. “No one can resist the cakes which Gilda makes. She must use magic on them to get them so light and fluffy.”
Gilda was standing a short distance away. She blushed, flapped a hand at him and muttered, “They’re just cakes. Nothing special.”
Quinn bowed his head. “I disagree. No one makes cake like you, and I’ve travelled many lands. Allow one of my butterflies to express my appreciation.”
Two Whorled Black Flickers alighted on Gilda’s shoulders. They leaned in towards her cheeks and gently touched her with their heads. It looked like the butterfly equivalent of a kiss.
I heard someone mumble in the crowd, “I’d rather have a proper kiss from Quinn. A proper big one right on my lips.”
I closed my eyes for a second in exasperation. It was Gran who had spoken. I’d be having words with her later.
Stanley nudged into my leg and said, “That was nice of those butterflies to do that. Our Brimstone ones never kiss us. I wonder what a butterfly kiss feels like?”
Quinn smiled down at Stanley. “Allow me to answer that for you.” He gave a nod to some black butterflies who were resting on the head and shoulders of a goblin. As one, they rose and came Stanley’s way.
There was a sudden swirl of green and yellow in front of us. The Brimstone butterflies had swooped in front of the black ones. They flew around Stanley and me and gently landed on us.
I felt a warm rush of love coming from them. “Thank you. A butterfly hug is just what we needed.”
Stanley chuckled and said to the Brimstone butterflies. “I didn’t mean to make you jealous. Thank you for the hug.”
The Brimstone butterflies dipped their heads in acknowledgement and then flew away.
Stanley looked up at me and said, “I hope we didn’t make them mad.”
“We haven’t. They know how much we love them.” I turned towards the café. “Mr Ocean, we would like to talk to you about something. It’s an urgent matter.”
“Of course, and do call me Quinn.” Quinn clasped his hands behind his back and began to follow us to the café.
His audience came with him.
I held my hand up and told them, “This is a private conversation.” Someone muttered a rude comment. I addressed them, “That means you too, Gran.” I gave her a long look before turning around. I would definitely be having a conversation with her when Quinn had gone. She was acting more like a belligerent teenager than my loving grandma.
Quinn opened the café door for Stanley and me. I gave him a stiff nod of thanks before entering the empty café.
Gilda followed us in and said, “I’ll keep everyone out so that you can have some privacy. Can I get you something to eat and drink?”
Quinn rubbed his hands together. “It would be rude of us to refuse such a wonderful offer.”
I didn’t have time for good manners. I said, “No, thank you, Gilda. This is a business matter.” I felt a pang of guilt at the hurt on Gilda’s face as she turned around and left the café. I’d have to apologise to her once our visitor left Brimstone and everything returned to normal.
Stanley sat on my knee and we regarded Quinn Ocean for a few seconds. Quinn smiled politely at us.
I began, “We’ve just paid a call on Ekon.”
“Ekon the troll? The one who saved those vampires?”
I nodded.
Quinn smiled. “How is he? No doubt committing more acts of selfless bravery. What’s he been up to? Tell me his latest adventure.”
“He hasn’t been up to anything,” I replied. “In fact, he doesn’t recall rescuing those vampires.”
Quinn’s mouth dropped open in surprise.
I went on, “He doesn’t seem the rescuing type to me. He’s terrified of everything, and he’s hiding away in his cabin.”
Quinn recovered from his shock. “This can’t be! I spoke to him. I got every tiny detail about what he did. I spoke to witnesses. I talked to the vampires. They all confirmed Ekon’s story. It wasn’t the first brave thing he’d done either. He’d helped many other creatures. Are you sure you visited the right troll?”
Stanley said, “We met a vampire outside Ekon’s cabin. He said Ekon was the right troll.”
Quinn scratched his ear distractedly. “Something’s not right. You say he’s terrified of everything?”
Stanley and I nodded in unison.
“Someone must have done something to Ekon,” Quinn concluded. “This sounds like dark magic is at work. Perhaps it’s the work of a warlock.”
“A warlock?” Stanley asked. “What’s a warlock?” He turned his head to look at me. “Is that who the sisters battle on Charmed? Does Buffy deal with them too?”
I nodded at him. “I think warlocks are evil versions of wizards. They dabble in black magic and want to hurt everyone. They’re evil beings who cause destruction for their own selfish needs. According to the TV, anyway.”
Quinn frowned. “I don’t know who this Buffy person is or what a TV is, but you are right about warlocks being evil. They don’t always work on their own, they like to have creatures of lower intelligence to do their work for them. An army, if they can get it.” He looked out of the window. “Warlocks would never come here. Not to Brimstone. Not with Blythe in charge.” He looked back at us. “I’m sure you’ve got nothing to worry about here.”
I swallowed my rising fear. “Would a warlock ever use an army of golems?”
The colour drained from Quinn’s face. He didn’t have much to begin with and now looked as white as a sheet. He said in a low voice, “Golems? Why are you mentioning golems?”
I wasn’t sure whether to confide in him or not but then decided to do so. I wanted to see what his reaction was. “Stanley and I have seen an army of golems in a cave near Bronze Hollow.”
Stanley added, “Cassia aimed some magic at them and destroyed them.”
“By accident,” I defended myself.
Sweat dotted Quinn’s forehead. “Golems? So close to Brimstone? It doesn’t matter if you destroyed them or not. That won’t stop a warlock, not if he made them. He could easily rebuild them. These golems must be related to the unfortunate death of your grotesque. This can only mean one thing.” He stood up. “Evil is heading this way. If it’s a warlock with an army of golems, there’s nothing you can do to stop them.”
Chapter 13
I stood up with Stanley in my arms and said, “There’s always something we can do. Always.”
We left the café. I headed straight over to Gran and Blythe and stopped a short distance away. They twirled their hair and gave Quinn Ocean saucy looks as he came to a stop at my side.
I beckoned the smiling witches over to me. They didn’t look as if they were going to follow me at first, but then Quinn beckoned them too and the shameless witches rushed over to us.
When I was sure none of the Brimstone residents could hear us, I said, “Brimstone could be in danger. You need to listen to me carefully.”
Blythe and Gran weren’t listening to me at all. They were shooting coy looks at Quinn.
I put Stanley on the ground and then did something very rude. I clicked my fingers in front of Gran and Blythe’s faces. I absolutely hated anyone doing that to me. But drastic times call for drastic measures and all that.
A hint of admonishment came into Gran’s voice, and for a second, she sounded like her old self. “Cassia! There’s no need for bad manners. Apologise immediately.”
“I won’t apologise,” I told her. “While you and Blythe have been listening to Quinn and his tales, Stanley and I have been dealing with an investigation. A possible murder investigation.”
Stanley said, “A double murder.”
“What?” Gran said with her eyes still on Quinn.
I continued brusquely, “Our investigation led us to a cave full of golems.”
<
br /> Gran’s glance turned to me. “Pardon?”
“Golems. In a cave,” I repeated. “Hundreds of them. Maybe thousands.”
Blythe looked at me now. “Golems in a cave? Where?”
“Near Bronze Hollow.” I took a deep breath before adding, “Quinn thinks a warlock could have made the golems.”
A silence descended. Gran and Blythe stared at me.
All of a sudden, their youthful looks and clothes vanished. Gran’s wrinkled face reappeared along with her tweed skirt, iron-free blouse and the cardigan she’d knitted herself. Blythe’s face did grow older, but not by much as she kept herself looking young anyway. Her shorts and T-shirt were replaced by a long, flowing purple dress.
Gran put her hand on my arm and said, “Tell us everything. Every little detail.”
Between us, Stanley and I told Gran and Blythe what had happened in the last few hours. Their expressions became sterner and their backs straighter.
Blythe looked across the square and to the roofs of the buildings. She said, “I can see Relloc and his fellow gargoyles. Just a minute, Luca is sitting on the roof next to Relloc. Luca’s trembling and his face is white.”
“He’s scared of heights,” I told her. “Petrified, in fact.”
“Then why is the silly guardian on the roof then?” Blythe asked.
Stanley answered, “Cassia asked him to look after Relloc. I’m afraid I had to shout at Luca to get him to listen to Cassia.”
Blythe looked down at Stanley. “Why did you have to shout at him? Luca is an excellent guardian. He always does whatever is asked of him.”
Stanley looked at the ground and casually rolled a pebble along it with his paw. “He was under the spell. Like the rest of the town. Like you and Esther were.”
“Under a spell?” Blythe shook her head. “Whatever are you talking about, Stanley? Look at me when I’m talking to you, please.”
Stanley looked up and slightly turned his back on Quinn. “Ever since a certain somebody arrived on the scene, everyone in Brimstone has been acting weird. You haven’t paid any attention to Cassia and me. You’ve been under his S.P.E.L.L.”
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