Brimstone Witch Mysteries - Box Set 2

by April Fernsby

  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 cloud had surrounded you. It was beautiful. H
ow 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.

  Conway said, “Isla, this isn’t the time. I’ve already told Cassia about the black cloud and the missing sirens.”

  Isla gave him a sweet smile. “Have you told her everything? Have you told her about the secret meetings your sister had with the sirens before they went missing?”

  Conway’s fingers clenched around the spoon he was holding. “Isla, you know that’s only a rumour. I asked Nerita about that, and she denied it.”

  “She would, wouldn’t she?” Isla gave me her full attention. “I’m Conway’s betrothed. I’ve known Nerita long enough to see how badly she treats Conway. Just because she’s older than him, she thinks she can get away with treating him as if he’s worth nothing. She never gives him any responsibility in the sea. He’s more than capable of helping her rule over everyone when King Taron passes on. She’s been having secret meetings with the sirens for weeks. It wouldn’t surprise me if she ordered the sirens to –”

  Conway dropped his spoon and got to his feet. “Isla! That’s enough. Those are rumours. I told you not to listen to gossip about my sister.” He held his hand out to her. “Come on, let’s go for a swim. I’ve been out of the water too long.”

  Isla hesitated before standing up and taking his hand.

  Conway looked at me and said, “Will you investigate the disappearance of the sirens, please? Don’t tell my father; I don’t want him to worry. I’ll speak more forcibly to Nerita and see what she knows about them. Thank you.”

  He walked out of the café holding Isla’s hand tightly.

  I watched them go. “Well, Jeremy, what do you think about that?”

  Jeremy replied, “I think I’m going to have Conway’s ice cream. There’s no point letting it go to waste.” He pulled Conway’s bowl towards him and stuck his spoon into the melting mixture.

  I shook my head at him. “What’s going on with Isla? What are the rumours about Nerita?”

  “Isla doesn’t like Nerita. She wants Conway to be in charge. Then when they get married, she would become queen.” He shoved a large amount of ice cream into his mouth. Some of it dribbled down his chin. I picked up a serviette and passed it to him.

  Stanley suddenly leapt onto my knee. His eyes were wide with fright. “Cassia! The sea! Look at it! It’s coming to get us.”

  I looked out and saw a huge wall of water rising up from the sea. It rose higher and higher. The watery wall blotted out the sun. There was a roar which sounded like animals roaring.

  The wall stopped going upwards. It was still for one second, then it raced towards us.

  Stanley screamed. So did I. I urgently sent magic to my fingers and scanned my brain for the appropriate spell. I couldn’t find one. I glanced at Jeremy who was watching the rushing water with a small amount of interest.

  “Do something!” I yelled at him.

  He waved his spoon in the air. “There’s nothing anyone can do. Watch what happens. You’re going to love this.”

  Chapter 7

  Stanley quivered on my knee as we stared at the massive wall of water. The noise it made changed from a roar to a cacophony of neighs.

  Neighs? I shared a look with Stanley. He tipped his head as if trying to make sense of the new noise.

  The white foam at the edge of the water began to change into something else. I saw a hoof, and then a leg, followed by many more hooves and legs. Horse legs?

  Stanley and I watched in astonishment as the water transformed into white horses running up the beach. As if that wasn’t startling enough, the horses then changed into tall, muscular men with flowing white hair. They were naked apart from a pair of long, white shorts stretched across their thick, muscular legs. They stopped running and came to a slow walk. Some turned to chat to each other and some looked along the beach as if searching for something. A tall man at the front stared right at us and headed our way.

  I said to Jeremy, “What was that? How did that happen? Who are they?”

  “What are they?” Stanley added. “They came right out of the water like magic. Where did the horses go?”

  Jeremy pushed his second bowl of ice cream to one side. It was now empty. He said, “They are kelpies. Haven’t you ever heard of them? They’re shapeshifting water creatures. They patrol the seas as water horses and then turn into human form on land.” He looked down at his empty bowls. “I think I might be able to squeeze in another bowl. What do you think?”

  I stared out at the kelpies. The sun shone brightly on them and picked out every firm jawline and taut muscle. I thought the merpeople were magnificent to look at, but the kelpies took perfection to another level.

  Stanley nudged his head into my arm and whispered, “Cassia, your mouth is hanging open and you’re drooling a bit. It’s not a good look.”

  I snapped my mouth shut just in time as the tall kelpie reached the café and strode over to our table.

  His long hair settled in perfect waves around his face like a horse’s mane. Well, I suppose it would do, wouldn’t it? His features looked as if they’d been chiselled onto his face by a skilled artist.

  He stopped at our table, gave me a tight smile and stuck his hand out. “Cassia Winter? I’m Rex, the leader of the Brimstone kelpies. I’m here to carry out your orders. What would you like me to do?”

  I put my hand in his and tried not to wince at his strong handshake. He was here to carry out my orders? I don’t know why, but I thought about the garden back at Gran’s house. I’d been meaning to clear out the old shed for months now. And there was the decorating in the bathroom. That had been on my list for a while. As for the windows! That window cleaner Gran employed never reached the corners. I could do with someone going up a ladder and giving them a good going over.

  Rex released my hand and said, “I know what you’re thinking. You’d like me and my colleagues to investigate the disappearance of the sirens.”

  I gave him a slow nod. “Right. Yes. That’s exactly what I was thinking. Won’t you sit down?”

  Rex pulled out the chair next to Jeremy and lowered his impressive body into it. The chair creaked under the weight of his many muscles. Rex looked Jeremy’s way and n
odded in acknowledgement. “Jeremy.”

  Jeremy smiled at him. “Nice to see you again, Rex. Do you fancy some ice cream? I know I shouldn’t have any more, but I can’t resist.” He looked over his shoulder at Gia and gave her a wave.

  Rex put a hand on his taut stomach. “You know I don’t eat refined food, and you shouldn’t either. It dulls the brain. It stops you from making wise choices.”

  Jeremy shrugged and then mouthed an order for more ice cream to Gia.

  I was tempted to ask for more too, but I didn’t want Rex to think my brain was going to be too dull to give him orders about the sirens. I wasn’t sure what those orders were going to be yet, but I wanted to stay sharp.

  Rex turned his light, green eyes on me. His tone softened, “I knew your mum. I helped her with her work here. She was an amazing woman. You look like her.”

  “Thank you. I’m hearing a lot about my mum today. You’ll have to forgive me, but up until a short while ago, I didn’t know this beach existed. I spoke to Conway a few minutes ago and he told me about the missing sirens. What do you know about them?”

  “I know they’re missing and that they’re nowhere to be found around here. I’ve been searching for them for days now.” He hesitated a fraction. “Discreetly, of course.”

  “Why discreetly?”

  “Because of Nerita. She knows the sirens are missing and she’s looking for them on her own. She ordered me to stop searching for them. She feels responsible that they’ve gone missing.”

  I asked, “Why does she think that? I’ve heard she’d been meeting with them recently. Is that true?”

  “I’m not sure about that,” Rex replied. “Nerita keeps herself to herself a lot of the time. Her father, King Taron, is getting weaker by the day and it’ll be time for him to give up his throne soon. That’s going to be a lot of responsibility for Nerita and she’s already taking on some of the king’s duties. She’s a stubborn individual and won’t let anyone help her. Not me, and not her brother.”