The Murdered Mermaid (A Brimstone Witch Mystery Book 6)

by April Fernsby

  I took in the merpeople as they continued with their activities. “Jeremy, where are their tails? How are they able to walk around on legs? Does it hurt them?”

  “No. The Brimstone merpeople have magical abilities which were bestowed on them by ancestors of yours. When they’re in the sea, they have a tail. When they’re on the beach, they have legs. It’s that simple. As long as they don’t stray too far from this area, they won’t experience pain in their legs. If they do stray, they’ll get shooting pains on the soles of their feet which then travels up their legs.”

  “What happens if they stay away from this area too long?” I asked.

  “That’s never happened. The merpeople know this is a safe place for them. A few foolish youngsters have wandered too far from this beach in the past. They experienced painful tingles in their limbs which was enough to send them racing back to the beach.”

  I persisted, “But what would happen if they went too far?”

  Jeremy gave me a quizzical look. “I imagine they would experience an extreme amount of pain. It could even be fatal. Why are you asking me that?”

  “I was thinking about what you said earlier about there being a change in the atmosphere here.” I gave him a small smile. “I was thinking about how a merperson could be hurt by someone. Sorry. That’s my murderous mind warming up. Since becoming a justice witch, I’ve started to think like a murderer. I hope that doesn’t make me sound weird. I’m not planning on committing a murder. Honestly.”

  Jeremy gave me a warm smile. “I know what you mean. Why don’t we go for an ice cream at the café over there? It’s the best ice cream in the whole of Brimstone. I can tell you more about the merpeople and how things have changed recently.”

  “That’s an excellent idea. What do you say, Stanley?” I looked down at the sand. My little friend wasn’t there. “Stanley? Jeremy, where did Stanley go?”

  A sudden anguished cry shot through the air. My blood ran cold. I knew that cry. It was Stanley’s.

  The cry came out again and I heard Stanley shout, “Cassia! Help!”

  I looked towards where the noise was coming from. Stanley was at the edge of the sea. Long strips of dark, green seaweed were wrapped around his back legs.

  Jeremy dropped his broomstick. “The grindylows! They’ve got Stanley!” He raced across the sand.

  I couldn’t move. I watched in shock as my beloved cat was dragged into the sea.

  Chapter 5

  Jeremy rushed across the sand calling out Stanley’s name. The merpeople nearest to him stopped what they were doing and stared his way. Some began to run after him.

  After a few frozen seconds, my senses returned to me and I dashed after Jeremy. I screamed, “Stanley! Come back!”

  My feet pounded across the sand and my heart thudded in my chest. Stanley had completely disappeared beneath the waves.

  Jeremy ran into the water and prepared to dive in. He suddenly stopped as a creature ascended from the water with a bedraggled Stanley in her arms. She looked at Jeremy and said something. I couldn’t hear what she was saying because my heart was thudding like a drum in my ears. I ran into the water and over to Stanley. He leapt into my arms and I pulled his soggy body next to my chest. His little heart was beating as fast as mine. I closed my eyes and pulled him closer.

  A female voice declared loudly, “Does this thing belong to you? What was it doing in my sea? Who let it in? As if I haven’t got enough to do around here! Well? I’m waiting for an answer.”

  I registered a silence and realised the angry voice was directed my way. I opened my eyes and looked at the creature in front of me. Her skin sparkled and she was impossibly beautiful so I assumed she was a mermaid. She didn’t have long, thick hair like the others; hers was short and spiky. There was a small tiara stuck amongst the spikes. Her blue eyes looked at me coolly.

  I said, “Thank you for rescuing Stanley. I didn’t know he was so close to the sea. I’m so sorry.” My voice caught in my throat. “I thought he’d drowned. Thank you for bringing him back.”

  Stanley shivered in arms and muttered a shaky, “Thank you.”

  The mermaid’s expression softened and she gave us a smile. “Stanley? Then you must be Cassia. I knew your mum. I was sorry to hear about her.” She moved closer and placed a gentle hand on Stanley’s wet head. “Are you okay? You have to be careful near the water’s edge. Those grindylows are always on the lookout for something smaller than them to drag into the sea. They didn’t mean you any harm. They wanted to play with you. I’ll tell them to leave you alone.”

  Stanley continued to shiver in my arms. He attempted to talk, but his teeth were chattering too much.

  I thought about the magic spells I’d been reading about recently and the perfect one came to my mind. I put Stanley on the sand and sat at his side. I pictured a giant hairdryer and felt magic travelling into my hands. I aimed them at Stanley and felt tingles in my fingers. A warm current of air flowed from my fingertips and over Stanley. His grey fur ruffled under the hot breeze coming from me. He moved his head left and right in the current and he started to purr. I smiled at his cute face and continued to focus on getting him dry.

  When he was dry, he let out a little chuckle and said, “That was lovely. I’m tempted to run into the sea so you can do that again.”

  “Don’t you dare,” I told him. I picked him up and got to my feet.

  Jeremy’s eyes were welling with tears. He said, “You looked just like your mum then. She was always quick to perform spells to help others.”

  I smiled at him. “Don’t be getting all soft on me.” I turned my attention to the mermaid in front of me and noticed her eyes glistening too. I said, “I’m sorry, I don’t know your name. I didn’t even know this beach existed until a short while ago. I’m not familiar with who lives here.”

  The mermaid gave me a soft smile. “We’ve met before. You used to come here with your mum. I often saw you making sandcastles with Rosalyn. I used to bring you sparkling shells from the bottom of the sea. I’m Nerita.”

  “Hello, Nerita,” Stanley said. “Pleased to meet you.”

  I looked at Nerita’s tiara and said, “Are you a princess?”

  Nerita laughed. “Sort of. My father, King Taron, rules this stretch of sea. He doesn’t like coming onto the beach and says it isn’t natural for merpeople to have legs. I look out for our people when they are up here as well as taking care of matters under the sea. Father isn’t as strong as he used to be and there’s a lot of work to be done at the moment.” She abruptly stopped. “You don’t want to hear about my problems. Pardon my nosiness, but why are you here, Cassia? Are you here for a friendly visit or is it work related? I know about your work as a justice witch in town.”

  Jeremy spoke for me, “I wanted Cassia to see where her mum worked. That’s all. We’re here for fun, not work.” He gave Nerita a big smile.

  Nerita gave him a suspicious look. “Are you sure about that? Jeremy, you know that I can deal with any issues with my people. I trust you won’t interfere in any problems that may or may not arise.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” Jeremy replied in a friendly manner. “I’m taking Cassia and Stanley to the café now. Perhaps we’ll catch up with you later. Bye for now.”

  He put his hand on my arm and turned us away. I shot a smile at Nerita before being led firmly along the beach.

  I whispered to Jeremy, “Why did you lie to her? If there’s something funny going on here, she might know what it is.”

  Jeremy whispered back, “I think Nerita is behind the funny business. I’ll explain everything in a minute. Where did we leave our broomsticks? Don’t tell me those cheeky grindylows have pinched them.”

  “Are you looking for these?” A merman was standing a short distance ahead of us with Jeremy’s broomstick in one hand and mine in the other. He held them towards us. “I saw what happened to your cat. Is he okay?”

  We walked closer and retrieved our broomsticks. I kept Stanley in one
arm. There was no way I was letting him go.

  Jeremy said, “Hi, Conway. Yes, Stanley is okay, thank you. Your sister rescued him. This is Cassia.”

  Conway smiled at me. Just like everyone else, he was incredibly handsome. His short, spiky hair matched his sister’s.

  Conway said, “I hope Nerita didn’t give you a hard time. She’s been in a terrible mood these last few days and she’s taking it out on anyone who gets too close to her.”

  “She was fine,” I replied. “Why is she in a bad mood?”

  Conway looked towards the sea before saying, “Because of the sirens. Jeremy, don’t you know about them?”

  Jeremy shook his head. “What about the sirens? Have they been causing problems again?” He looked at me. “They sometimes sing too loudly late at night.”

  “They’ve disappeared,” Conway explained. “Every single one of them. Nerita’s been looking for them everywhere or so she claims. Father doesn’t know they’ve gone and Nerita is doing her best to keep that information from him.” He frowned. “I thought that’s why you were here, Cassia. I thought you’d heard about them. I think their disappearance has something to do with that black cloud that hung over our sea about a month ago.”

  For the second time that day, my blood ran cold. I said, “Tell me more about that cloud.”

  “It came from Brimstone town one morning. It hovered over the sea for two days and then rain came from it. It wasn’t like normal rain; it was black. It rained over one area of the sea for about an hour until the cloud melted away.”

  In my arms, Stanley said, “Cassia, that cloud must have been filled with black magic.”

  Conway’s perfect brow wrinkled. “Black magic?”

  I nodded. “It infected Brimstone town. Blythe got rid of it recently. Some of it must have made its way over to you.” I looked over my shoulder towards the sea. “Whereabouts did the rain go? Has anyone checked that area beneath the sea?” I looked back at Conway.

  He nodded. “Nerita checked it immediately.” He paused and looked towards the sea again. “The area beneath the black cloud was where the sirens lived. Do you think they were affected by the black magic?”

  “I don’t know. It does seem a coincidence that they’ve now disappeared. Do you have any idea where they might have gone?”

  Conway moved closer to me and lowered his voice. “I’ve been thinking about that. What if they’ve somehow found a way into your world, Cassia?”

  “My world? How? Why would they want to do that?”

  Jeremy took a sharp intake of breath and said, “If they have been infected with the black magic and made their way into your world, they’ll cause havoc. Sirens haven’t been allowed into your world for hundreds of years, and for good reason too.”

  Stanley snuggled closer to me. “Cassia, I don’t like the sound of this. What do sirens do? I don’t know anything about them.”

  Conway said, “They find sailors and target them. They sing mournful songs which lure the sailors into the sea.”

  Stanley gulped. “And then what?”

  “They kill them,” Conway finished.

  In a hesitant tone, I asked, “How many sirens have left your sea?”

  “Over a hundred.” Conway gave me a fearful look. “Cassia, can you do something about this? Before it’s too late?”

  Chapter 6

  I couldn’t look away from the expanse of sea. The thought of over a hundred sirens making their way into my world with murderous thoughts in their heads wasn’t fully registering in my brain. I felt a hand on my elbow and looked that way.

  Conway gave me a gentle smile. “Perhaps we should have a sit-down and discuss this? I might be able to help you in some way. Shall we go to the café?”

  I nodded numbly. With Gran and Blythe gone, it would be up to me to stop those sirens. But how? Where would I start looking?

  I allowed Conway to steer me towards the café. My arms were shaking slightly and Jeremy took Stanley from me. With each step on the sand, the responsibility on my shoulders felt heavier and heavier.

  When we entered the open-air café, my spirits lifted somewhat at the welcome sight of a familiar face. I hesitated. She did look familiar, but I was almost sure I’d never met her before. I scanned the tall, slim creature who was gliding towards us with a welcoming look on her face. Her long dress brushed the sandy floor as she moved.

  From Jeremy’s arms, Stanley said, “Cassia, she looks like Gilda from the Mooncrest Café. But a bit older.”

  The creature let out a gentle laugh. “I am a few years older than Gilda.” She pointed to the tiny lines around her eyes. “These give me away. Gilda is my younger sister. I believe you’ve met our other sister, Gisela. She runs The Razzle Dazzle club in Brimstone. I’m Gia, the old one of the bunch.” She placed a warm hand on my shoulder. “I know who you are, Cassia. Gilda has kept me up to date with your investigations in Brimstone. I knew your mum well. She often came here to think. You came with her sometimes when you were little. I know exactly what to get you. Please, take a seat and I’ll return shortly.” She smiled before gliding away.

  Stanley and I were regular visitors to the Mooncrest Café and Gilda was a good friend. She had a special talent for knowing precisely what you needed to eat and drink. I’d met her sister, Gisela, when I’d investigation the murder of a vampire a while back. Gisela had the same talent as Gilda for knowing what I needed to drink and had brought me an amazing drink which I still dreamt about. It looked like their older sister had the same gift too.

  Stanley said, “Cassia, look at the sand. Gia isn’t leaving any footprints as she moves along. How do they do it?” He looked up at Jeremy. “Do you know how they do it? How do Gilda and her sisters move? Do they glide across the floor on air? Are they magic? What sort of creatures are they? Cassia has been meaning to ask Gilda, but she’s been too polite to do so.”

  “Stanley,” I said with more than a touch of embarrassment in my voice. “It’s none of our business what kind of creatures they are.” I shot a cursory glance at Jeremy. “Unless you do know? Do you?”

  Jeremy opened his mouth and then shut it. He shrugged. “I’ve no idea. I’ve been meaning to ask Gia too, but it seemed rude to do so.”

  We all turned our nosy faces to Conway.

  He frowned, looked at Gia as she busied herself behind the counter and then shook his head.

  We made our way over to a table which looked out across the beach. Gia returned with bowls of ice cream for us. The ice cream was white with tiny silver and gold stars sprinkled on the top. Butterfly-shaped chocolate pieces stuck out of the ice cream.

  Gia said, “Everything is edible including the stars. Stanley, this is for you.” She whipped out a small blanket from somewhere behind her and placed it on the sandy floor. She put a bowl down on it and smiled over at Stanley. “Fish-flavoured ice cream. I hope you like it.”

  Stanley’s little pink tongue shot out and he licked his lips. He was out of Jeremy’s arms and on the blanket in a nanosecond.

  I wanted to question Conway about the missing sirens, but my attention was fully drawn to the ice cream. A gentle memory stirred in my mind. I saw an image of being here with Mum. We used to share a bowl of this very same ice cream. I picked up my spoon and scooped up a small amount. As soon as I put it in my mouth, the image in my mind intensified. I saw Mum smiling down at me and tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear. I heard her asking if I wanted any more or if I’d had enough. I heard my own reply of ‘More, please!’ followed by Mum’s lovely laugh. I continued eating as the memory filled my heart to overflowing.

  When I’d finished the last of the ice cream, I put my spoon down and leant back in my seat. Jeremy and Conway were staring at me with their mouths open. Neither had touched their bowls of ice cream.

  “What’s wrong with you two?” I asked. “Eat up. It’s delicious.”

  Jeremy’s voice was hoarse as he said, “You glowed. When you were eating just now, you glowed. It was like a pink c
loud had surrounded you. It was beautiful. How did you make that happen?”

  I felt my cheeks warming up. “I was thinking about Mum. I remembered our time here together. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.”

  Conway pushed his bowl of ice cream towards me. “How wonderful. Here; have mine.”

  I was tempted, but I didn’t want to look like a greedy-guts in front of him. I pushed the bowl back and said, “No, thank you. Tell me more about what’s been going on with the sirens. Has there been any other unusual activity? Jeremy said he picked up on an uneasy atmosphere.”

  Jeremy nodded as he picked up his spoon. “It’s like something terrible is going to happen.” He put some of the ice cream in his mouth. His eyes closed and he let out a sigh of appreciation. He opened his eyes and said, “I might need to order another bowl of this.”

  Conway said, “There has been a strange feeling amongst everyone here recently. I put it down to that black cloud and Nerita shouting at everyone more than usual. I can talk to Nerita on your behalf and see what she knows about the sirens, if that’s okay? I have tried to talk to her before about it, but she tells me it’s none of my business. I can tell she’s worried about something, though.”

  “If you don’t mind me asking, who is in charge of your people? Is it your father?” I asked.

  Conway nodded. “Yes, but Nerita does most of the work now. I do what I can but Nerita likes to take control of everything.”

  I was about to ask him another question when I felt someone standing behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw a mermaid there. She had long, golden hair which was pinned up on one side by a beautiful comb which sparkled and twinkled with many small, silver stones which were embedded in it.

  She smiled at me and said, “Sorry to disturb you. I hope you don’t mind if I say something about Nerita?” Without waiting for an answer, she pulled a chair over and sat at my side.