Luca didn’t speak. He shook his head slowly and looked away from me.
I reached out to him and said, “Blythe thought she was doing the best for you. Luca, Mum’s death wasn’t your fault.”
His head snapped back to me. “Of course it was my fault! She was running after me. It’s because of me that your mum died. It’s all my stupid fault. Why did I have to show off and run about in my rabbit form? I was such an idiot. A selfish idiot.”
I shuffled closer to him. “It was an accident, Luca. You can’t blame yourself.” I rested my head against his shoulder. “I’m sorry I had to be the one to tell you. I only found out a few months ago. I wanted to tell you but Blythe and Gran said I shouldn’t.”
Luca let out a long sigh and put his arm around me. “No matter what you say, I’ll continue to blame myself. I’ll be speaking to Blythe about this later. This must be why the quarry seems so familiar to me. But there’s something else about that area that is bothering me. I can vaguely recall someone talking to me there. It wasn’t your mum, but I just can’t put my finger on who it was.”
“It’ll come to you.” I looked over at Stanley who was now fast asleep. “Luca, what are we going to do about this curse?”
There was a flash of red near the window and a woman in a long dress appeared. She gave us a sympathetic smile and said, “Cassia Winter, there’s nothing you can do about this curse.”
Chapter 21
The woman looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t think where I’d seen her before.
She took a step forward and said, “Sorry for intruding like this. I’m Rhea Summer, and I’m a descendant of the four original witches, just like you, Cassia.”
I freed myself from Luca’s embrace and stood up. “That’s it. That’s why you look so familiar. I was taken into a vision earlier and I saw your ancestor, Ruby Summer. She was arguing with Gertrude Winter about the curse. What do you know about the curse?”
She gave me a sad smile. “We never thought the curse would come into operation. Many of us have tried to break it over the years, but we’ve never been successful. As you now know.”
Anger flashed through me. “If you knew about the curse, why didn’t you tell us? Why didn’t you tell Blythe?”
Rhea said, “We tried. Every time we came to Brimstone with the intention of letting Blythe know about the curse, the memory of the curse would fall from our minds. We’d speak to Blythe about other matters, but the memory of the curse didn’t come back to us until we’d left the town. It seems Gertrude Winter suspected someone would try to break the curse and added a protection spell to prevent that happening. She wasn’t a very nice witch according to reports.”
I said, “I can’t argue with you about that. But you’re in Brimstone now and you’re talking about the curse. Does that mean you can do something about it? Can you use your magic to dispel it?”
She gave a slow shake of her head. “I wish it was that easy. As much as I’d like to help you, that’s not the reason for my visit. Brimstone is going to need new justice witches soon, and I’m going to offer my services to Blythe. I have three daughters who will be able to help too.”
My scalp prickled with fear. “Why would you need to work here? I’m already here. And Gran is. Somewhere.”
There was such sadness in her eyes that it made my own eyes sting with tears. She said, “You won’t be here for much longer. I know what’s been going on in Brimstone, and I know the residents have already forgotten you. It won’t be long before no one knows who you are, not even Dr Morgan.”
Luca abruptly stood up and came to my side. He said to Rhea, “Don’t be too sure about that. I haven’t forgotten who Cassia is. Instead of proclaiming doom and gloom, is there something you can do to help Cassia’s situation? She’s dealing with an unsolved murder and getting closer to finding the murderer. We could do with some magical help.”
Rhea said, “Oh? I got the impression there was no chance of Cassia solving the mystery.”
“Who told you that?” I said with irritation.
“The Grim Reaper, Andy. Our paths crossed on the way here. He seems to think you’re going to fail in your quest.”
I puffed my chest out and said, “Andy can keep his opinions to himself. I will be successful in my investigation. But I could do with your help. Will you help me?”
“Of course I will. What do you need?”
Luca recited the list of plants which Dr Morgan had found on Oddec.
Rhea nodded and said, “If used together those plants can only be used for one spell. It’s a mirror spell. It’s a very simple one, and even a new witch could make that potion.”
“What does the mirror spell do?” I said.
“It reflects the immediate environment around it.” She shook her head at herself. “I’m not making myself clear.” She pointed to the sofa. “If I sprinkled some of the potion on that area of carpet beyond your sofa, the carpet would disappear and another sofa would appear. It would be like placing a huge mirror at the end of the sofa. But, of course, if you tried to sit on the new sofa, it wouldn’t be there. It’s like an optical illusion. Has the mirror spell been used in Brimstone?”
I quickly told her about Oddec and Dr Morgan’s findings.
Rhea said, “That makes sense. Oddec could have been lured to that cave by the murderer who had made a hole in the bottom of the cave ready for Oddec’s arrival. If the murderer sprayed mirror potion in front of the hole, it would have reflected the unbroken ground in front of it. Thus, making it look as if the whole floor was stable when in fact there was a big hole there. Oddec wouldn’t have seen it. Do you think that’s what happened?”
I nodded. “That does make sense. The hole needed to be a certain size to ensure that Oddec didn’t fall right through it and to his death. Unless the murderer did want him to fall to his death. Yes, tricking Oddec into thinking the way ahead was clear would explain how he got stuck like that. Thank you for that information. Do you know where these plants grow? I’ve come across some of them in Brimstone, but one of them, Bristly Sneezeweed, I haven’t heard of before.”
Rhea replied, “I don’t know where that plant is from, but I can find out. Is there anything else I can help you with?” She glanced nervously over her shoulder at the window behind. “I keep expecting the ghost of Gertrude Winter to appear and to cast a curse on me as retribution for helping you.” She looked back at me. “Let me know if you see her ghost appearing behind me.”
I said, “I will do. Rhea, I’m concerned about Gran. I can’t find her anywhere. The doorway back to Gran’s house has disappeared, and I wonder if she’s gone back to the human world through another doorway. Can you find out where Gran is?”
Rear said, “If you tell me where your doorway to the human world was, I can attempt to open it for a short time. Then I can go into your gran’s house and have a look for her. Would that help?”
I gave her a grateful smile. “That would help a lot. Thank you.” I moved over to the window and pointed to the area where Gran’s cellar door used to be.
Rhea gave me a swift nod and said, “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” She disappeared in a flash of red smoke.
Luca walked over to me and put his arms around me. “See? Everything is turning around for us now. I’ll make some enquiries and find out where Bristly Sneezeweed grows. We’ll track down the witch who made the mirror spell.”
We both jumped has Rhea abruptly reappeared at our side.
I said to her, “Did you forget something?”
She shook her head. “No, I’ve been into your gran’s house and had a good look around.”
“But you were only gone two seconds,” I said.
She cast me a quick smile. “I’m a witch, a very old witch. I’ve learnt how to slow time down.”
I asked her, “Can you slow down time for me? The Grim Reaper has only given me twenty-four hours, and I could do with a lot longer.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t slow down time for some
one else. Cassia, when I went into your gran’s house, I saw a black cat asleep near the cellar wall. He looked peaceful, so I didn’t disturb him.”
“That’ll be Oliver. He must be worried sick about Gran. Did you find Gran in the house somewhere? Perhaps peacefully asleep too?”
“No, I didn’t find her anywhere. Cassia, the curse is taking effect in the human world also. Your gran’s belongings are there, but they were slowly disappearing. I witnessed items in the kitchen vanishing too. When I went upstairs to a bedroom, I saw items disappearing before my eyes.”
I felt as if I’d been hit in the stomach. My knees buckled and I leant back against Luca for support. I said, “I don’t understand. Why would that be happening? I can understand Gran disappearing from everyone’s memories in Brimstone, but why is evidence of her existence disappearing in the human world?”
Rhea frowned. “I don’t know. There’s never been a curse like this before, and nobody knows how it’s going to pan out. I’m very sorry about what is happening to you. If I could stop it, I would.”
“You’ve already helped me by telling me about the mirror spell.” I turned around and faced Luca. “Can you find out where Bristly Sneezeweed came from as soon as possible, please?”
“Of course I can.” Luca kissed the top of my head. He looked at Rhea and said, “Can we ask you for a bit more help?”
“Of course.”
Luca continued, “Could you find out if any witches have supplied the mirror spell potion to anyone recently? Hopefully, someone in Brimstone.” He frowned. “No, it wasn’t recently. It would have been over twenty-three years ago.”
Rhea nodded. “I’ll get on to that immediately.”
I said to Rhea, “Thank you for helping us. I hope you won’t get into any trouble because of it.”
She gave me a kind smile. “You’re not alone, Cassia. We witches have to stick together. Keep positive. I can see the strength in you.” She gave us another smile before disappearing.
Luca said to me, “I’m going straight over to Blythe’s and I’m going to get answers about what happened in that quarry twenty-three years ago. I know there’s something important I can’t remember and I feel it’s got something to do with your case. I’m hoping a conversation with Blythe will jog my memory.”
“Don’t be hard on her about the spell she cast on you.”
“I’ll try not to. I’ll also ask her about Bristly Sneezeweed. She might know where it grows. She might even know who’s likely to have supplied the mirror spell. Do you want to come with me?”
I shook my head. “I’ll stay here with Stanley. I don’t want him to wake up and find me gone. If you have some paper I can use, I’d like to get my thoughts down about this investigation. Things always come to me when I start writing stuff down. I might be overlooking something really obvious.”
“Help yourself to anything.” He planted a kiss on the end of my nose and said, “And try to eat something. I’ll see you very soon.”
He rushed out of the apartment. As he closed the door behind him, Stanley woke up. He blinked and looked around him. “Where’s Luca gone?” His whiskers twitched. “Has someone else been here? I can smell flowers. What have I missed?”
I was about to tell Stanley about Rhea’s visit when someone caught my attention outside in the town square. It was Andy, the Grim Reaper. He was staring straight at me. He curled his finger in a beckoning motion. He was standing under a lamp and his sinister shadow was with him.
I quickly gathered Stanley in my arms and said, “I’ll explain everything to you on the way out. There’s someone I need to speak to. Urgently.”
Chapter 22
I told Stanley about Rhea’s visit as we dashed down the steps and out of Luca’s building. We rushed towards Andy who was now leaning against the gazebo as if he had nothing better to do than to take in the evening air. The lights from the gazebo elongated his shadow.
Andy smiled pleasantly and said, “Hey there, how are you two doing? Isn’t it a lovely evening?”
Stanley marched towards him with his tail poker straight. He stopped inches from Andy, lifted his little face and shouted, “No! It is not a lovely evening. Cassia and I are having the worst day of our lives. It’s been one nightmare situation after another. Poor Cassia has barely eaten anything all day. And that’s not like her at all. She normally has a healthy appetite and will eat anything that is put in front of her.”
I said to Stanley, “Not everything. Not sprouts.” I picked Stanley up and continued, “Stanley, don’t get yourself worked up about this situation. We’re dealing with it.”
Andy said, “I know you’re dealing with it, Cassia. But time is ticking away and you need to find out who killed Oddec Hammerhands as soon as possible.”
I shot him a quizzical look. “How did you know it was Oddec Hammerhands who’s been murdered? Did you know about him earlier?”
Stanley joined in with my indignation. “Did you know it was Oddec hours ago? Why didn’t you tell us? We’ve wasted so much time asking questions and zipping back and forth everywhere. This has taken a huge strain on Cassia. Have you seen how tired she looks?”
Andy answered, “I only found out it was Oddec at the same time you did. The information came to me mentally. I have no idea who killed him before you ask me that.”
Stanley hadn’t finished arguing with Andy and said, “This is such an unfair situation, don’t you think so? It’s hard enough for Cassia and me to deal with a murder investigation under normal circumstances, but to have a time limit thrust upon us is another thing altogether. Cassia already spends a lot of money covering up the small amount of grey hair that she has. If she carries on being so stressed, it’s going to cost her a small fortune for all the hair dye she’ll need.”
Andy nodded. “I understand your concerns. I’m sorry you’re both going through this. But this curse isn’t any of my doing.”
Stanley raised his paw and jabbed it at Andy. “So you keep saying, but you’re not helping us by constantly pointing that out. Surely you can do something to help Cassia. Don’t you have any magical powers?”
“I do, and that’s what I’ve used to slow down the effects of the curse on Cassia. I can’t do any more than that.” He held his hands out in a placating manner but his shadow didn’t.
I said to him, “Yes, I appreciate that. I want to ask you something about Gran.”
Andy nodded.
“Where is she?”
Andy gave me a direct look. “That’s an interesting question. Would you care to elaborate?”
“Where is my gran? She’s not in Brimstone, and she’s not in her house in the human world.”
Andy’s direct look was unnerving me now. He said, “No, she’s not in those places. She’s somewhere else. It was part of the deal she made with me.”
“What deal?” Stanley and I said together.
Andy pushed himself away from the gazebo and stood up straight. “Didn’t she tell you? No, I don’t suppose she would have. After we saw the vision of your ancestor earlier, Esther took me to one side for a private discussion.”
“Yes, I know,” I said. “She told me she’d asked you for more time to solve this murder.”
Andy shook his head. “That wasn’t the only condition of the deal she made with me.”
Stanley snapped, “A deal with the Grim Reaper? This isn’t going to be good. Come on, Andy, tell us everything.”
I stroked Stanley’s head as I could feel how angry was. “Stanley, you’ve become very agitated since you woke up from your sleep. Try to calm down. I don’t like to hear you talking like this.”
Stanley lowered his head. “Sorry. I can’t help it. Cassia, I can feel how worried you are about Esther. I’m feeling it too. I’ll try to keep my thoughts to myself and keep quiet.”
Andy stared at Stanley for a couple of seconds before turning his attention to me. He said, “The curse Gertrude Winter cast was supposed to extinguish your powers immediately. I slowed the
curse down so that your powers diminished until you had none left by the time twenty-four hours were up.”
I nodded. “I know this.”
He continued, “Esther wanted to ensure you had strong magical powers for as long as possible. I told her the only way I could do that was if I took Esther’s remaining powers and gave them to you. I could only take Esther’s powers away if I put her into a limbo state.”
I stiffened. “A limbo state? What do you mean by that?”
Andy explained, “It’s just as it sounds. She is neither asleep nor awake. She’s in a coma of sorts. You won’t find her in Brimstone or in your human world either. She’s in a place which is invisible to your eyes. It’s a place between worlds.”
Despite his earlier promise to keep quiet, Stanley burst out, “Why did you do that to her? You can’t keep her from us. This isn’t acceptable at all. Show us where she is! I demand it.”
Andy kept his eyes averted from Stanley and continued talking to me, “Esther is quite safe, at the moment. As you’ve already discovered, the residents here no longer remember her. Apart from your good friend, Luca. Dr Morgan is already forgetting her. I know Rhea Summer has just spoken to you after she paid a visit to Esther’s house in the human world. Esther’s existence is disappearing there too. Do you want to know why?”
I gave him an urgent nod.
“I don’t like making deals with anyone. It’s never to my benefit. I told this to Esther when we spoke earlier. She said if I transferred her powers to you, it would help you with your investigation as you could continue to use your magic. I didn’t think that was much of a deal and told her so. Then she offered me something that I couldn’t resist.” The shadow behind him raised the scythe.
I shivered. I didn’t like where this conversation was going.
Andy smiled as he went on, “Esther said if you didn’t solve the murder I could take her life. That’s the kind of deal I couldn’t refuse. Time is progressing and you’re no nearer to finding out who killed Oddec. Those twenty-four hours are trickling away. As far as Brimstone and the human world are concerned, all evidence of Esther Winter is slowly vanishing. Soon, it’ll be like she never existed. You won’t remember her either.”
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