Brimstone Witch Mysteries - Box Set 1

by April Fernsby

  Luca said, “I’ll contact the doctor. She’ll examine Augustus’ body and then take it away. She’ll give us a report soon. What are we going to do now? Who shall we question first?”

  “I’d like to visit the mines where the goblins work. Augustus had some of them as clients. Someone there might know if Augustus had any enemies.”

  “I’ll take you,” Luca offered.

  “You don’t have to. Just tell me where the mine is.”

  “No. I’m coming with you. I insist.”

  I couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. My head was already full of thoughts about the bed warming goblin and who would want to kill him.

  As we left the hotel and walked along the gravelled drive, Stanley nudged my leg and said quietly, “Someone is watching us. I can sense it.”

  I could sense it too. I discreetly glanced over my shoulder but didn’t spot anyone looking our way. I did see Mr Collins standing near the door of the hotel. He was wagging his finger furiously at Dilly and saying something to her. Dilly’s head was bowed and she kept her eyes downcast. It was obvious she was being reprimanded for something. But what?

  Chapter 9

  We left the hotel and stopped at the nearest Brimstone butterfly tree. Luca sent a message to the doctor regarding Augustus Stez. We then walked down a road at the side of the hotel and towards the fields at the back of it.

  Luca said to me, “What do you know about the energy source in Brimstone?”

  I shrugged. “Do you mean gas and electricity?” I glanced at the field in front of me. “Where are the electricity pylons? Are they on the other side of town?”

  “We don’t use electricity and gas here,” Luca said. “I do know what gas and electricity are because your gran explained them to me. Has Esther ever mentioned shadowstone to you?”

  “No.” I looked down at Stanley as he trotted at my side. “Have you ever heard of shadowstone.”

  “Nope.”

  Luca steered us towards a field that had a stone path at the side of it. “This way. Shadowstone powers Brimstone, rather like your gas and electricity. We put portions of it in central generators and it works its magic. Only a small portion is needed for the whole town. It’s a clean source of energy.”

  I frowned at him. “It works its magic? What do you mean by that?”

  “Once it’s placed in the generator, it heats up and provides a massive amount of energy. Nothing needs to be done to it. It seems to know exactly what to do on its own. And when the energy is getting low, the shadowstone lets out a low whistle to let the workers know a new stone is needed. It’s an efficient system, and we’ve never run out of shadowstone.”

  He stopped at a wooden gate and opened it for Stanley and me.

  We walked through the gate and headed along another field.

  I asked, “What does this shadowstone look like? And where does it come from? Who discovered it?”

  Luca smiled. “Those are good questions. I will tell you about the history surrounding the shadowstone. You’ll like it.”

  I gave him a tight smile. “It always makes me wary when people say that.”

  Luca began, “Many thousands of years ago in this area, the moon passed in front of the sun three times in one month. The shadow cast by the moon’s movements caused a portion of the earth in Brimstone to change into shadowstone. Once the moon had completed its third journey, there was an earthquake which resulted in the earth under the new shadowstone to split open and rise up. The earth swallowed the stone and took it hundreds of miles beneath the surface. A family of mining goblins first discovered it years later.”

  I shook my head as we walked along. “That doesn’t make sense. The moon can’t pass in front of the sun three times in a month! And why would its shadow be so powerful? You’re making this up.”

  “I’m not.” Luca stopped walking and gave me a serious look. “The moon passed in front of the sun three times as a result of magic.” His serious look intensified. “Magic brought on by four witches.”

  I stopped too. “Witches? What kind of witches?”

  “Don’t you know about the four original witches? Haven’t you read any of those history books Blythe gave you?” Luca asked. “She said she gave them to you weeks ago as part of your witch training.”

  I looked away from his stare. “I flicked through a few of them.” I looked back at him and lifted my chin defiantly. “I’ve been too busy dealing with murders. I haven’t had the time to sit down and read all those books.”

  Luca’s look softened. “Of course. I apologise. Let me tell you who the four witches were. They’re named after the four seasons, and one of them was your ancestor - a Winter witch. It was she who decided to have the shadowstone here. She must have known that the town of Brimstone would be founded in this area many years later.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Isn’t that amazing? All those years ago, and your ancestor was looking out for this town and you.”

  “Hang on,” I said, “I was told that the Brimstone butterflies found this area, and then they advised the witches to settle here. Is that true?”

  “It is. But how did the butterflies know where to look? They must have had some guidance. It’s all a mystery, isn’t it? A wonderful mystery.”

  I scowled at him. “I don’t like mysteries; I like facts and answers to questions.”

  Luca laughed and reached out to ruffle my hair. “You are funny. You used to look at me like that when we were young. I called it your angry face.”

  I tried to straighten my face out. “Well, we’re not young anymore. Where is this mine? I haven’t got all day to be walking through fields.”

  Luca pointed ahead of us. “Just through this next field and over that small hill. You’ll be amazed at what you see there.”

  “I doubt it.” I set off at an increased pace. “Don’t give me any more nonsense about witches and moon movements.”

  Stanley jogged after me and said, “I liked that story. Luca, have you got any more stories like that?”

  “I have,” Luca confirmed. “But I’ll tell you them another time when Cassia’s in a better mood.”

  I saw him share a wink with Stanley. I didn’t know why I was suddenly in a bad mood. Normally, I would love magical tales of the kind Luca had just told us. But something was bothering me. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that someone was following us and listening to everything that was being said. It’s that irritated feeling you get when you’re having a private conversation with a friend, but then you spot someone blatantly listening in. You give them a filthy look, but they continue to listen anyway. It was like an invasion of privacy. I glanced around the field at my side but couldn’t see anyone loitering. I wished I could confront whoever was following us. The only problem was that I couldn’t see them.

  We walked through the field and towards a small hill. Luca walked slightly in front of us and when we rounded the hill, he held his hands out and said brightly, “Ta-da! What do you think about this?”

  My mouth dropped open at the sight in front of me. Huge stones had been placed in a circle around a small mound. Some of the stones were standing on their own, and some were in pairs with a further rock placed across the top of them. The stones were pale in colour but had flecks of silver in them just like the stones at The Brimstone Hotel.

  Luca planted his hands on his hips and said, “I know what you’re thinking. It looks like Stonehenge.”

  I closed my mouth but continued to stare at the amazing formation. Of all the things I expected to see in Brimstone, this wasn’t one of them.

  A question came to me and I jabbed my finger at Luca. “How do you know about Stonehenge?”

  He took his hands from his hips, folded his arms and shrugged. “Esther lent me some history books about your world. It’s a fascinating place.”

  “You seem to know a lot about my world. Are you sure you haven’t sneaked through to it a couple of times?”

  Luca gave me an indignant look. “Certainly not! It’s again
st the rules. I would never break the rules.”

  Stanley said, “You should have a word with Blythe about that. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you came through to our world for a short visit. Blythe likes you. Everyone likes you, don’t they, Cassia? I’ve never been to Stonehenge. We could all go together. That would be great fun, wouldn’t it, Cassia?”

  I tried to give Stanley a glare to get him to stop making comments like that, but he was too cute for me to be angry with. I turned my attention back to the standing stones.

  “So, where’s the mine?” I asked. “Is it invisible?”

  Luca shook his head. “Why do you think everything in Brimstone is invisible? The entrance to the mine is right over there. Can’t you see it?” He pointed to the small mound.

  I squinted in that direction. “Where?”

  “There.” Luca waggled his finger.

  “Where? I can’t see anything.”

  Stanley suddenly gasped. “Cassia! I can see it! It’s made of glass.”

  I tried again to focus on the entrance to the mine. Hang on. What was that? I saw something glistening above the mound.

  Luca pulled me to his side. “You can’t see it properly from there. It’s the wrong angle. Look again.”

  I did so. I saw a tall box made of glass with buttons visible on one of the inside walls.

  “Oh! Yes! I can see it.” I laughed. “Stanley! Look at it.”

  Stanley hopped from paw to paw. “It’s a glass elevator! Just like the one in Roald Dahl’s story!”

  I explained to Luca, “‘Charlie And The Great Glass Elevator’. That was one of my favourite stories growing up.”

  There was a softness in Luca’s eyes as he said, “I know. I’ve read it too.”

  I shot him a warning look. “You’re starting to sound like my stalker. I used to read that book to Stanley and we’d pretend we were in a glass elevator zooming into space.”

  Stanley yelled, “We don’t have to pretend anymore! I’m going in!” He scampered towards the glass elevator before I could stop him.

  “Stanley! Wait!” I ran after him.

  By the time I reached him, the doors to the elevator were open and inviting us to enter.

  Luca caught up with us and said, “I can’t give you a trip into space, but how about a journey to the centre of the earth?”

  Stanley answered for me. “Let’s go!” He leapt into the elevator and bared his little teeth in a big grin.

  Chapter 10

  Luca and I got into the elevator and Luca pressed the last button in the row of buttons to our side. Stanley’s eyes were wide with excitement as the doors closed. A slight humming noise sounded out and we began to move. I must admit that I was excited too.

  The elevator moved smoothly downwards into the dark earth. When the last of the glass walls disappeared beneath the surface, a bright light came on in the elevator. I looked towards the roof and saw a tiny speck of light there. It seemed to be the sole source of light.

  I pointed to it and said to Luca, “What’s that?”

  He gave me a proud look. “It’s shadowstone. I told you how powerful it is, and now you can see that for yourself. It’s magical stuff. Hold onto your stomachs, the speed is going to increase.”

  Even with that warning, I wasn’t prepared for the sudden drop of the elevator. The earth outside the glass zoomed past in a blur as we were taken downwards at an impossible speed. My hair lifted up as if blown by a hairdryer, and I could have sworn my feet left the floor. Stanley howled in dismay and Luca immediately picked him up to comfort him. I put my hand over my mouth as my stomach threatened to heave in protest.

  All of a sudden, the elevator stopped and the doors opened. My head felt heavy with the abrupt landing and I leant against the glass wall to steady myself.

  Luca grinned at me. “Wasn’t that fun? We travelled at over five hundred miles an hour.” He looked down at Stanley, “Are you alright, my friend? Did that scare you?”

  Stanley gazed up at Luca. “That was awesome! Let’s do it again!”

  My ears popped and I pushed myself off the wall. My legs felt like jelly and I stamped my feet a few times to get some normal feeling back into them.

  I said to Luca, “That was not awesome. That speed shouldn’t be legal. You could have warned me it went so fast.”

  “And spoil the fun?”

  “Fun? I nearly saw my breakfast again,” I complained.

  There was a twinkle in Luca’s eyes. “I didn’t mean fun for you. I meant fun for me seeing your face like that. Follow me.” He stepped out of the elevator with Stanley still in his arms.

  I went after him and immediately wished I hadn’t. We were in a large cave and it was freezing. Absolutely freezing. It was that painful kind of cold which grips you in its icy claws and takes your breath away.

  Luca shivered. “I’d forgotten how chilly it was down here.” His breath froze in a cloud in front of him.

  “Chilly?” My teeth chattered. “It’s more than chilly I’m going to be frozen solid in ten seconds.”

  Stanley whimpered, “Cassia, it’s too cold. I’m getting frostbite. Use your magic. Please.”

  Luca’s face was turning blue. “I’m so sorry. We should have brought coats with us. I’m not thinking straight today. Can you do something to warm us up, Cassia?”

  “I’ll try.” I rubbed my frozen fingers together and tried to bring an image to my mind of a hot summer’s day. The kind of day that’s too warm for movement and all you can do is bask in the sunshine and enjoy the heat.

  When I use magic, a tingly feeling travels down to my fingers to let me know my magic is working. But however much I pictured the hot day, there was no tingly feeling in my fingers.

  I turned my mind to another image and pictured a roasting hot fire on a winter’s day. Sitting too close to it and Gran warning me I’d be toast if I wasn’t careful.

  My fingers didn’t register any tingles, not even a tickle.

  Stanley said hoarsely, “Cassia, I don’t feel well. It hurts to breathe.”

  “Hang on, I’m trying my best.”

  I’d lost the feeling in my toes now, and my cheeks were stinging from the cold.

  What would Gran do in this situation?

  Gran.

  That was it.

  I imagined Gran giving me one of her warm hugs; the ones she used to give me when I was little and upset about something. She’d wrap her arms fully around me and pull me close until all I felt was love and warmth. I smiled as the memory intensified. A wonderful heat made its way to my fingers and the tingling began. I moved over to Luca and Stanley and placed my hot hands on them.

  The effect was instant. A glow appeared around both of them and they let out sighs of happiness at the same time.

  Stanley looked at me with love in his eyes. He said, “I got a picture of Esther hugging you in my mind. Is that what you were thinking about?”

  I nodded.

  Luca’s voice was gruff as he said, “I got that image too. I felt a lot of love. It was nice. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” I lowered my hands. “Let me know if you need any more heat. I’ve got plenty more magic where that came from.”

  “Magic!” an angry voice shot out. “Magic! You shouldn’t be using magic down here. It’ll interfere with the shadowstone. Who are you, and what are you doing down here?”

  I turned around to face the owner of the voice. I looked down and saw a goblin who came up to my waist. Compared to the other goblins I’d met, he was on the small size. He was wearing thick clothes and I noticed a tiny spot of light inside the pocket of his overcoat. A bit of shadowstone to keep him warm? His face had a green tinge to it, and his nose was long and sharp. He stared at me with beady eyes, and his lips were pressed together in a thin line. But his most obvious feature, and the one I was trying my best not to stare at were his ears. They were enormous. Massive. Huge. They were as big as his face.

  “Well?” he snapped. “Answer me.”
<
br />   I couldn’t take my attention off those gigantic ears. They must cause problems for him. Perhaps he got them stuck in doorways sometimes. Maybe he had to get hats specially made to accommodate them.

  I felt a nudge at my side and Luca hissed, “Stop staring at his ears and answer him!”

  I came out of my ear-hypnotic state and looked into the angry goblin’s eyes. “Hello, I’m Cassia Winter. I wanted to question you about Augustus Stez.”

  The goblin stepped closer and jabbed his finger at me. “Have you found that lazy good-for-nothing then? He was supposed to be doing work for me this morning, but the idle lout didn’t show up! My bed was freezing. I couldn’t sleep a wink so I decided to come back to work for a while. I’ll be demanding a refund from Jeff Collins.”

  I took a guess and said, “Are you Ulx Gurdley?”

  “I am.” A look of disgust crossed his pointy face. “It’s not right. You pay for a service upfront, and you expect everything to run smoothly. I should have known better. Augustus is the laziest goblin I’ve ever met. Where is he then? Where did you find him? I’ll wager he was in his own bed snoring his lazy head off. Pah!”

  “He was found in his bed,” I admitted. “But he wasn’t snoring. He was dead. There’s a possibility that he was murdered.”

  The green tinge faded from Ulx’s face. “Dead? Murdered? But he was supposed to be warming my bed up.”

  “I’m sorry for your inconvenience,” I replied, trying to mean it. “When did you last see Augustus?”

  Ulx pulled on the lobe of one of his gigantic ears. I couldn’t help but look that way again. He said, “I saw him last night before I set off to work. I wanted to make sure he’d be in my room when I returned from my shift. I was going to be digging down further into the mines today, and it’s colder than a snow wererat’s tail down there. I wanted to make sure my bed would be warm and toasty when I came back.”

  A snow wererat? I glanced around me. Were those creatures scampering around in the shadows now? I’d never met one, and I didn’t want one scampering towards me now.