Brimstone Witch Mysteries - Box Set 1

by April Fernsby

  Blythe cupped her hands around her drink as if gaining strength from it. She explained, “I used a locating spell on Jane. She’s a powerful creature and tried to extinguish the spell. She tried, but to no avail. I tracked her down. She’d moved to the very centre of the 1,000 Acre Forest.” Blythe pulled a look of disgust. “She was already luring her next victim towards her. A little fairy called Cora who has an amazing singing voice. I’ve no idea what Jane was intending to do with her, but I’m certain it wasn’t going to be pleasant. As soon as I found Jane, I sent Cora on her way and then used a binding spell on Jane. She was livid. The names that she called me! Well, I won’t repeat them.”

  “Did you ask her about the Cezerus family?” I enquired.

  “Yes. She gloated as she explained how clever she’d been. She denied killing Selo, and I believed her.”

  “Blythe, I’ve been thinking about this for a while,” I began warily. “Is there a truth spell I can use when I question creatures about murders and other matters? It would save me a lot of time.”

  Blythe gave me a wry smile. “I wish there was something like that. It would make our lives a lot easier. The problem is that the residents In Brimstone can very easily convince themselves that a lie is the truth if they put enough conviction behind their words. When I was younger, I did experiment with truth spells, but they didn’t work out well. I got into trouble more than once.”

  I smiled. “I can’t imagine you getting into trouble.”

  “We won’t talk about that today. Maybe another time.” She finished her tea in one go, smacked her lips together in appreciation and put her cup down. “That was just what I needed. Where was I? Oh, yes. I had Jane bound up and she was spilling the beans about Selo and his family. She didn’t kill Selo, but she knew he’d been attacked by a Breath-Taker. It won’t surprise you to know she has the contact details of many assassins. After a bit more probing on my part, I discovered she doesn’t know who killed Selo. It wasn’t her, though. I delved into her recent memories to confirm that.” She shuddered. “Those images are going to give me nightmares.”

  I asked, “Did you find out where Jane had come from?”

  Blythe gave me a slow nod. “She’s a nomad. She moves from town to town causing as much damage as she can. I discovered she recently passed through the towns where my cousins live. They suggested she visit Brimstone even though it’s off limits to creatures like Jane. They convinced her black magic was rife here, and it would be easy for her to find willing victims. Jane came here a few months ago and has been stalking the town on the lookout for unwary citizens. It didn’t take her long to find Selo and to see how determined he was to win the centaur race. He was the perfect victim for her.” She waved a hand at me. “Anyway, that’s all in the past now. I’ve taken care of Jane. She won’t be bothering anyone in Brimstone again. I’ve banished her from this town.”

  Stanley leapt onto the sofa and said, “Wow! I don’t know what was in that water, but I feel amazing.”

  Blythe reached out and stroked his head. “That’s good to hear. Have you met up with your cat friends recently?”

  Stanley replied, “I have, but I’ve been too busy helping Cassia. And then there was the business of looking after Kitty.”

  Blythe withdrew her hand and frowned. “Kitty? Who’s Kitty?”

  I put my cup on the table. “Of course, you don’t know. You never got the chance to meet her.”

  I proceeded to tell Blythe about Kitty. Stanley added his own parts. I hesitated as I got near to the end of my explanation as Blythe had gone extremely pale. Her hand shook as she waved it over her tea cup to fill it with fresh tea.

  I concluded, “So, everything turned out okay in the end. We’ve got two dragons as friends now.”

  Blythe’s hands were still trembling as she drank her tea; her eyes fixed steadily on the cup. She finished the drink and put her cup down with a small amount of force.

  She clasped her hands tightly in her lap. “Cassia, I don’t know where to begin. Someone intended to cause you a great deal of harm. And they were prepared for those around you to be hurt too. Someone was out to destroy you.”

  I gave a nervous laugh. “But everything worked out okay.”

  “If your gran hadn’t turned up when she did, the injuries to others would have increased, and quickly too. I have no doubts that someone would have been killed; someone close to you. I’ve seen it happen before.”

  I pulled Stanley close to me. My own hands were trembling now.

  Blythe said, “I’m sorry if I’m scaring you, but this is a serious matter. It’s bad enough that someone would place an Aitvaras in your possession, but to steal a baby from its mother is heartless. We’re dealing with a malicious and calculating individual here.”

  “It must be the murderer who put Kitty in my broomstick to stop me from finding them.” My voice was unnaturally high.

  Blythe shook her head. “I don’t think that’s the case at all. Someone has been planning to do this to you for a while. Now that Kitty has gone, this evil individual will be planning what they can do next to you.” Her eyes narrowed. “Or is it more than one individual? Would my cousins really stoop that low and target an innocent witch?”

  Blythe’s words were making me nervous and I pulled Stanley onto my knee for comfort. He gave me a concerned look.

  We watched as Blythe stared into the distance. I could almost see the thoughts racing through her mind.

  She made me jump as she banged her hand on the table and declared, “Enough! I was going to be civil about this, but not anymore. They’ve pushed me too far.” She got to her feet. “Cassia, I’m leaving town immediately. I’m going to confront my cousins with this new information. I’ll use magic on them if I have to. I’ll get the truth out of them.”

  “I thought you didn’t have any spells that could do that.”

  She gave me a dark look. “I know other ways to get information from people. How are you doing with your murder investigation?”

  “Good. I’ve got a new suspect in mind. Do you want to know what I’ve found out so far?”

  “No. I don’t have time. I trust that you know what you’re doing. Is there anything I can help you with before I go?”

  I remembered the photos of the gnomes’ gardens on my phone. “I don’t suppose you have any books on flowers and plants, do you? I need to do some research.”

  She pointed to a full bookshelf at the side of the room. “You’ll find some over there. Help yourself. I really must go. I can’t let anything else affect your safety. Knowing my cousins, they’re already plotting their next move.” She stopped talking and gave me a long look. “Has anything suspicious happened to you recently? Anything unusual?”

  I shrugged. “Everything in Brimstone is unusual. You go. We’ll be alright.”

  Blythe looked at me more closely. “Okay. You be vigilant out there. I’ll let Luca know what’s happening before I leave. Call on his help if you need it.” She aimed a tight smile our way, clicked her fingers and disappeared.

  Stanley said, “Where did she go? That was amazing. Cassia, you’ve got to learn how to do that.”

  I stroked his head. “Let’s get those books and go back to the apartment. I’d like to get this murder solved as soon as possible.”

  “You sound worried.”

  “I can’t help it. Someone wants to hurt me and those close to me.” I lifted his chin gently. “That means you. If anything happened to you, I’d – ” The words got stuck in my throat.

  Stanley said defiantly, “Nothing’s going to happen to me. Or you. Come on; let’s go and catch a murderer.”

  Chapter 28

  As we walked towards the apartment, we saw a crowd of residents gathered around the door. My heart sank when I saw how furious they were.

  “Now what?” Stanley said with menace in his voice. “What have they got written on those signs they’re waving in the air?”

  I looked at the crowd. Treto was in the middle of them
, and he was thrusting a large sign in the air and chanting something. He was surrounded by creatures of all sorts and sizes. A lot of them were holding signs and chanting too. I spotted the nose-picking ogre I’d had a run-in with at the café recently.

  As we got closer, we could hear their words:

  ‘Cassia, go home!’

  ‘Cassia is a wicked witch!’

  ‘Down with Cassia!’

  Stanley muttered darkly to himself and ran straight towards the crowd.

  “No!” I yelled and chased after him.

  The crowd suddenly stopped chanting as Stanley ran up to them and waved his paw in the air. When they spotted me, anger washed over their faces and their chants thundered out in my direction.

  Stanley was yelling something, but no one could hear him above the din. The ogre moved closer to Stanley with his big, green feet and I feared for Stanley’s life.

  I dashed forward. I was carrying three books which I’d taken from Blythe’s house, but with my free hand I scooped Stanley up and tucked him close to me. I shouted to the crowd, “You’ve got it all wrong! I haven’t done anything wicked! If you stop yelling, I’ll explain everything.”

  Treto boomed out, “Don’t listen to her! Every word from her lips is a lie! She viciously attacked me! She’s a wicked witch! Down with Cassia!” He thrust his sign in the air and started up his nasty chant again.

  “You don’t understand!” I yelled in vain. The crowd began to close in around me. Their words thundered in my ears and panic rose in me. I was tempted to use magic, but I knew that would make the situation worse.

  Stanley trembled in my arms. “Cassia, I’m scared. I don’t like the look in their eyes.”

  “I don’t either.” No one was going to scare my cat. I decided I would have to use magic after all. I knew it worked better when I was calm, so I closed my eyes and shut out the hate-filled glares which were being aimed at me. I tried to stop the hurtful words that were landing on me like little daggers. I took a deep breath and imagined the crowd calming down and lowering their signs. I kept my focus clear and ignored the jostling at my side.

  Stanley nudged his head into my arm and said, “Cassia, look! It’s amazing.”

  I opened my eyes. The crowd around me had stopped chanting, and they had lowered their signs. They were staring at something in the middle of the town square. I looked that way too.

  The Brimstone butterflies were hovering like a beautiful yellow and green cloud over the gazebo. Their wings were gently fluttering and sending a gentle breeze our way. The breeze was warm, and as it settled on me, it brought a feeling of immense peace and joy. My mouth moved into a smile and I looked at the creatures surrounding me. They were smiling too. Even Treto.

  The butterflies moved in the air and began to arrange themselves into letters. It was amazing to watch and no one spoke a word as we looked at the clever butterflies.

  I thought my heart was going to burst with joy as I read the message the butterflies made:

  ‘Cassia is a good witch.’

  ‘We love you, Cassia.’

  The butterflies had even managed to punctuate their messages. My eyes filled with happy tears.

  The nose-picking ogre burst into tears and sobbed, “I’m so sorry Cassia! I’ve been so mean. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Forgive me.”

  The signs were placed on the floor and tearful faces turned my way. Many apologies were called out to me. I could only nod and smile at everyone.

  Treto slowly came towards me. Anguish filled his face and he quietly said, “I don’t know where to begin. I don’t know what came over me. I’m so very sorry. I’ve caused you so much pain when you were only trying to do your job and protect our town. I’m so ashamed.” His head hung down and he looked at the ground.

  I said, “It’s okay. No harm done. There’s some peculiar magic going around Brimstone at the moment.” I looked at the butterflies who were still hovering over the gazebo with their supportive messages. With the gentle fluttering of their wings, they’d dispersed the anger and hate from everyone.

  Stanley and I listened to apology after apology from the mortified residents. I kept telling them it was okay, and no I didn’t hate them.

  Eventually, the last resident walked away and Stanley and I returned to the apartment. I did take the opportunity of speaking to Treto before we left. I thought I would take advantage of his sorrowful state before he changed his attitude. He told me he had an alibi for the time Selo had been murdered. Why he hadn’t told me that when I first met him, I don’t know. I think he liked being annoying.

  As we walked into the apartment, Stanley said, “Do you believe Treto has an alibi?”

  “I think so, but I’m going to confirm it anyway. It’s wise not to trust anyone around here. Speaking of which, let’s find out what Mrs Tarblast has been up to.”

  I placed the plant and flower books I’d taken from Blythe’s house on the table, pulled a chair out and sat down. I rubbed my forehead. “I should have brought some of Blythe’s magic tea with me.”

  Stanley was standing by the window and looking out using a pair of binoculars which had been secured at the perfect height for him. He said, “I’m keeping an eye on everyone. If anyone suspicious comes this way, I’ll let you know.”

  “Thanks.”

  I started to flip through the pages of the first book. My attention was drawn to a chapter title: Medicinal Plants And Flowers. Were these what Mrs Tarblast was growing in her garden?

  I took my phone out and looked closer at the photos I’d taken. It didn’t take me long to match them up to the drawings in the book.

  “Stanley, Mrs Tarblast is growing medicinal plants in her garden. The plants can do all sorts of amazing things. They can relieve the symptoms of diseases I’ve never even heard of.” I ran my finger down the information on the page in front of me. “There’s a plant here she’s growing that looks like a toilet brush, and it can only be found in towns outside of Brimstone.”

  “Dingy Skipper?” Stanley asked hopefully, still looking through the binoculars.

  “No.” I skimmed through the rest of the pages. “All of these plants are illegal in Brimstone. I wonder why?”

  “You should ask her,” Stanley said. “She’s walking across the town square now. She’s got a basket with her, and it’s full of blue and purple flowers.”

  I went over to the window and looked through another pair of binoculars. “Mrs Tarblast makes a terrible criminal. Look at how furtive and nervous she looks.”

  We watched the gnome scuttling across the square with her overflowing basket pulled close to her side. She warily glanced our way as she came closer. She couldn’t see us watching her as the apartment windows were tinted.

  Stanley gave her a wave anyway and called out, “Hello there! We can see you clearly.”

  I put the binoculars down. “It’s time we had another talk with her. But first, I need to find out if she is growing Screaming Devil’s Fungus in her garden. I need evidence.” I walked back to the books and went to the index page of each one.

  I found what I was looking for in the third book under ‘Lethal Plants’. I located the page which had a large, clear drawing of the plant known as Screaming Devil’s Fungus. I had to double-check the facts before calling Stanley over.

  He looked at the drawing of the plant and then shared my look of surprise.

  Screaming Devil’s Fungus was a small, daisy-like plant that grew in clumps of grass. The poison from the plant was so strong that it caused the surrounding grass to turn brown.

  I walked over to the bookshelf and located a book about gnomes and their history. I found the section which referred to fishing gnomes. They lived in a town that had many rivers. That town was Dingy Skipper.

  “Ivan Snapnert?” Stanley asked.

  I gave him a grim-faced nod. “It looks that way. Unless he’s been set up by someone else. Let’s go and have a word with him.”

  Chapter 29

  When we arrived
at Ivan’s house, we found him dozing in a chair in his front garden. His hands were clasped over his stomach and he had a happy smile on his face.

  Stanley said, “He doesn’t look like a murderer.”

  “They never do.”

  I opened the gate and we walked over to the sleeping gnome. I gave a polite cough and Ivan’s eyes opened.

  “Hello again,” he said. “Twice in one day? I am lucky.” He looked upwards. “Isn’t this a beautiful day? I’ve never seen the sky so blue or the clouds so white and fluffy. Yes, it’s a truly beautiful day. A good day to be alive.” He chuckled to himself.

  Stanley whispered, “Is he drunk?”

  I whispered back, “I don’t know. He sounds it. Go and check.”

  Stanley padded over to Ivan and surreptitiously sniffed him. Ivan was blissfully unaware as he gazed up at the sky and hummed to himself.

  Stanley came back to me and said, “I can’t smell alcohol, but I can smell something else that I can’t identify. It smells sour.”

  I moved closer to Ivan and said, “When we spoke to you earlier, you said you used to live in another town. Where was that?”

  “Dingy Skipper,” Ivan announced cheerfully. “Awful place. Awful creatures too. I was glad to see the back of it. Brimstone is much more picturesque. I love living here. I’m such a lucky fellow. A very lucky fellow.”

  “Why did you leave Dingy Skipper?” I asked.

  “Because of the fishing I was expected to do. I’d had enough of that. I couldn’t bear to look at another fish. Slimy-looking things they are. I’d had my eye on moving to Brimstone for a long time. A friend helped me get this house.” His smile turned crafty. “My friend was good at persuading those in charge to do the right thing.”

  “Oh? What’s your friend’s name?”

  “Alan. He was a nice chap, good at his job.” Ivan chuckled. “He did a job for me, actually. His last job.” Ivan raised a finger to his lips. “Alan charged for his services, but I didn’t pay his fee. Don’t tell anyone. I played a bit of a trick on him and got out of paying. That doesn’t matter now. Alan doesn’t need money anymore.”