I considered the matter and concluded there was no harm in giving the comb back to Isla. I handed it over. She said thank you and then swept her hair to one side and placed the sparkling comb there.
Isla said, “Have you spoken to Rex yet about Nerita?”
“Rex? We have talked about another matter concerning Nerita. Why are you asking me about Rex?”
“Rex was in a relationship with Nerita, but she ended it recently. He was heartbroken. Still is. You should talk to him about that. Have you got any more questions? I want to see how Conway is. He hasn’t come up to the surface at all today. I hope he doesn’t take too long to get over Nerita’s death. I want to talk to him about our wedding plans.”
Her matter-of-factness over Nerita’s death rendered me speechless for a few seconds. I said, “I don’t have any more questions for now.”
Without hesitating, Isla dipped beneath the water and swam away. Her tail gave one last flap sending a small wave my way. I jumped out of its way.
The ground beneath me listed to the side and I thought for a second that I was falling over.
Stanley cried out in terror, “Cassia! The island is sinking! We’re going to drown!”
Water gushed towards his paws.
Chapter 15
I raced over to Stanley and scooped him into my arms. I was about to fly us out of danger when a deep voice spoke.
“I do apologise. I didn’t realise I had visitors. Come closer; let me see you.”
Stanley’s eyes were wide as he looked left and right. He whispered, “Who said that? Did you hear that? Tell me you heard it, otherwise I’ll think I’m going mad.”
“I did hear something.” I looked left and right too but I couldn’t see anyone.
The ground beneath us moved again and water ran over my feet.
“Over here, my friends,” the voice said, “to your right and downwards.”
We both looked that way and saw a huge turtle’s face peering back at us. Wrinkles lined his face and his eyes twinkled with joy. “Is that you, Cassia Winter? Come closer, please. I’m not as young as I used to be and my eyes are not as sharp as they once were.”
I whispered to Stanley, “Turtle Island! It’s actually a turtle and not an island. Or is he a living island that’s shaped like a turtle? Is Turtle his first name and Island his surname?”
Stanley whispered back, “I’ve no idea. Do you think it’s safe to move closer? He looks friendly enough.”
I stole another glance at the turtle’s smiling face and decided it was safe to move closer.
I kept Stanley in my arms as I made my way towards his head. The ground, or rather, the turtle’s back, kept moving gently from side to side. It was like being on a moving bus.
“Ah!” the turtle declared as we stopped near his head. “It is you, Cassia. How wonderful it is to meet you again. I don’t suppose you remember meeting me when you were young? You used to visit me with your mum.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t remember that at all. And I’m sorry for landing on your back and walking about.”
The turtle chuckled. “I didn’t feel a thing. I only realised you two were here when I heard you screaming just now. Was that my fault? Did I scare you? I didn’t mean to, but it’s time for me to submerge myself and return to the bottom of the sea for a while. If I’d have known you were on my back, I would have stayed still.”
Stanley said, “You did scare me a bit, but that’s because I’m frightened of the sea.”
The turtle gave him a slow nod. “That’s understandable.” He tilted his big head to one side and his twinkling eyes narrowed a fraction. “Cassia, are you here to investigate the death of that young mermaid?”
I nodded. “I am. I don’t suppose you know anything about it, do you?”
“No, I’m afraid not. I tend to keep to myself. I’ve been in these waters for more years than I care to remember and I’ve realised that the cause of most problems around here is love. Creatures change when they’re in love. They lose their common sense. Don’t you find that, Cassia?”
“I suppose so. I’ve just discovered that Nerita was in a relationship with someone, so love could be a factor in Nerita’s death.”
“Indeed.” The turtle turned his head and gazed out to the horizon. “Love is supposed to be a magical thing, but it often leads to tragedy.” He glanced back at us. “While I would like to chat to you some more, I really must go under the water. My back is beginning to sting under this sun.”
“Oh! Right. Yes. Sorry, we didn’t mean to keep you.” I smiled at the turtle. “It’s been lovely to talk to you.”
“You too, Cassia Winter.” He cast me a slow smile. “You’re so like your mother. I’ll wait until you’re safely on your broomstick before submerging. Goodbye for now. Good luck with your investigation. Remember to look for the love as you go along.”
Stanley waved his paw in farewell and then got onto my broomstick with me. We moved off the turtle’s back and watched as he slowly sank beneath the sea.
Stanley said, “What a magnificent creature.”
“He is. I think he’s given me some good advice about looking for the love in this case. Rex never mentioned his involvement with Nerita when we first spoke to him. I think it’s time to talk to him again.” I scanned the sea below us. “Where will we find him?”
“Would you mind if we returned to dry land for a while? I don’t like to be near so much water.”
I looked down at my little friend and noticed he was trembling. “Oh, Stanley, I didn’t realise. Sorry. I’ll take us back to the café. And I’ll get you something to eat.”
As we headed back to the beach, something caught my eye in the waters below. I looked down and saw a couple of grindylows on the surface of the water. They were waving their thin green arms our way and staring up at us. They were saying something but I couldn’t make it out from this distance.
I put my hand on Stanley’s back and said, “Don’t panic, but I’m going closer to those grindylows for a moment. I think they want to tell me something.”
Stanley’s back arched beneath my hand. He hissed, “Don’t let them get me! I don’t want to play with them!”
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” I promised.
I swooped lower and went closer to the grindylows. Their green faces beamed up at me.
In a childlike voice, one of them said, “We have to talk to you! We know a secret! We know a secret about the dead mermaid! We have to tell you!” He ended this with a giggle and waved his hands at us to beckon us closer.
Stanley shivered and said, “It’s a trick! Don’t fall for it.”
“I don’t think it is a trick,” I replied. “Stanley, I’ll take you back to the café and then I’ll come back here and talk to the grindylows.” I waved down to the green-faced creatures and called out, “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
I flew over to the café and ignored Stanley’s warnings about going anywhere near the grindylows. He was convinced they intended to drag me down to the depths of the ocean and keep me there.
As I placed Stanley in Gia’s welcoming arms a short while later, I said to him, “The grindylows won’t hurt me. Don’t forget that I’m a witch. I can use my magic if I get into trouble.” I kissed the top of his head. “Trust me.”
Stanley didn’t look convinced and Gia tried to take his mind off my visit to the green creatures by offering him a sardine lollipop. I ignored Stanley’s worried face as I hurried out of the café.
As I walked along the sand towards the water, I tried to recall the words Jeremy had muttered yesterday, the ones for the spell that allowed us to breathe under water. There was only way I was going to find out if I remembered the correct words. I stopped at the water’s edge and looked out.
The grindylows were bobbing in the sea a short distance ahead of me and kept beckoning me closer. They had such cheeky smiles on their faces and looked like mischievous children who were up to no good.
I recited the w
ords of the spell and then stepped cautiously into the water. When I was in deep enough, I slowly dipped my head under the water and attempted to breathe. I was half expecting water to rush up my nose. But that didn’t happen. I had performed the spell correctly. A twinge of smugness passed through me, then I remembered why I was doing this.
I ducked fully under the water and headed for the small, green creatures. They were waiting beneath the water now and curled their fingers towards themselves in a ‘come closer’ motion. There was mischief in their eyes and big smiles on their faces. I felt a flicker of fear. Was I doing the right thing? Or was this a trick?
The grindylows turned their backs on me and began to swim away. One of them came back over to me and wrapped its thin fingers tightly around my arm. She giggled as she did so. For a little creature, she was strong and I felt myself being pulled helplessly downwards.
Just when I thought about using magic to free myself from the creature’s grip, we came to a stop in front of an underwater cave.
The grindylow holding me said, “Mum wants to talk to you. She heard the dead mermaid talking to someone. She wants to tell you about it.”
I looked towards the cave and expected an older version of the grindylows to come out. The creature who swam out was older, but not by much. She had the same childlike face and mischievous look in her eyes as the smaller creatures who were now swimming around my feet. She stopped in front of me and giggled.
“Hello,” I said. “I believe you have some information for me about Nerita, the mermaid. Is that right?”
The mum grindylow put her hands over her mouth and giggled again. She lowered her hands and said, “Yes! I heard the dead mermaid. I heard her talking to those sirens. She was so bossy! So loud!” She put her hands back to her mouth and giggled some more. The other grindylows giggled too.
I said, “What did the mermaid say?”
She dropped her hands. “That bossy mermaid said the sirens had to do something for her, something important. She said they had to go into another world and be an army against some humans.”
“Humans?” I felt my blood run cold. “Is that what she definitely said?”
The grindylow nodded. “She said they had to go into that world immediately and not tell anyone what they were doing. They couldn’t tell King Taron. Oh no! She kept saying that over and over. ‘Don’t tell King Taron! I’m dealing with this! I’m in charge!’ That’s what she said. She told the sirens they had to be ready for the humans. They had to collect them. She said her uncle knows what they’re doing, but her father doesn’t.”
“Her uncle?”
The grindylow nodded enthusiastically. “Yes. Her uncle knows about the humans, but the king doesn’t. That’s what the bossy mermaid said. I heard her.”
“When did the mermaid talk to the sirens?” I asked.
The grindylow’s face creased in thought. “Two days ago? Six days ago? Fifteen days ago? I can’t remember. But the bossy mermaid told them to go and get those humans.” The grindylow wagged a finger at me. “And don’t tell King Taron! That’s what she said. And then the sirens went. They’ve gone. All of them. And now, so has that bossy mermaid. She’s gone forever.”
“Did you hear anything else?” I asked.
The grindylow shook her head. A calculating look came into her eyes. “Come into our cave. You can play with us. You can stay here forever and play with us.”
The other grindylows moved slowly towards me with eager expressions on their faces. I felt little fingers curling around my arms.
I shrugged myself free. “No, thank you. I have to go. Thank you for letting me know about Nerita and the sirens. Goodbye.”
I shot off at a speed I didn’t know I possessed. I didn’t stop swimming until I reached the beach. Once I dried myself off using my amazing hot air hands, I strode towards the café to see Stanley’s relieved face peering out at me. I was just as relieved as him to be back safely on dry land.
As I entered the café, Gia handed me a welcome cup of tea. I took it and asked her, “What do you know about Nerita’s uncle.”
“Nerita’s uncle?” She gave me a slow nod. “Yes, I know plenty about him. You’d better sit down.”
Chapter 16
I took my cup of tea over to a table at the front of the café and looked out onto the sea. I couldn’t see any beings of any sort swimming about out there. Stanley settled himself on the chair at my side and asked me what the grindylows had said to me.
I waited for Gia to take a seat opposite us before telling them about my strange conversation.
Stanley said, “What do you think it all means? Why would Nerita send the sirens into the human world? What did she want them to do there?”
“Collect them, whatever that means,” I answered. I looked at Gia. “Have any humans ever made their way into this area? Apart from me and other witches.”
“Never. Why do you ask that?”
“I was wondering if some humans had become a threat to this area somehow. Perhaps Nerita discovered them and decided to put an end to any further trouble. Gia, how would the sirens get into the human world anyway? I have to go through Gran’s door to return to my world. Are there any doors around here that the sirens could use?”
“I’m not sure about a door, but I do think there is a way into your world from here. I heard your mum talking about it once. Jeremy would know more about that, and so would Rex.”
I nodded. “I need to speak to Rex about another matter, so I’ll ask him about that too. Did you know he was in a relationship with Nerita?”
Gia’s eyebrows shot up. “Was he? I didn’t know that. It must have been a secret relationship. Who told you about it?”
“Isla did.”
Gia gave me a knowing look. “Well, if there was something going on with Rex and Nerita, Isla would have known. She was always following Nerita around to see what she was up to.” She shook her head in disbelief. “Rex and Nerita? They seem an unlikely pair. But who am I to judge? Shall I tell you about Nerita’s uncle now? I was surprised to hear you mention him. Mortimer hasn’t been spoken about for years around here.”
I cupped my tea in my hands and said, “Yes, I’d like to know all about him, please.”
Gia began, “Mortimer is older than King Taron. He found this area years ago, led the merpeople here and then made himself king. He wasn’t a fair or just king. He had a malicious streak. He liked to organise competitions and get the sea creatures to battle against each other. Mortimer organised these events just for his own pleasure. If a creature got hurt, it seemed to make him happier. His brother couldn’t bear it and often pleaded with him to stop. Mortimer refused.
“Things came to a head one day when Mortimer ordered Nerita and Conway to fight each other.” Gia’s face twisted in disgust. “They were only young at the time, not much older than toddlers. Mortimer didn’t have children of his own and he said whoever won the battle would become his heir. That was the breaking point for Taron. He refused to let his children fight each other and said he would take on Mortimer instead. Whoever won that fight would stay king forever. The other would be banished from this area and a spell would be cast on them which would make them lose their merman abilities. They would never be able to return to the sea.”
I put my cup down. “It’s obvious that King Taron won. But how? Did he have help? Was he injured in the fight?”
Gia gave me a sad smile. “His children’s health and happiness were at stake and that gave Taron the strength to take on his older, and stronger, brother. I’ve heard tales about how the fight lasted for hours and how Taron never gave up even when he’d been beaten to a pulp. He kept going until he won the fight. Once he was king, Taron ordered his brother to leave the sea and never to return.”
“Where is Mortimer now?” I asked.
Gia shrugged. “No one knows. I don’t know if he’s in Brimstone anymore. He could have moved to another town. I don’t know why Nerita talked about her uncle to the sirens. She was
only little when Mortimer left and I wouldn’t have thought she’d remember him. Had she been in touch with him recently?” Her brow creased. “You could ask the guardians in town about his whereabouts. If Mortimer is living in the forest or on the outskirts of Brimstone, the guardians might know where he is. Isn’t Luca the guardian who’s in charge? You could ask him.”
I shared a quick look with Stanley. I didn’t want to talk to Luca in his present state. It hurt my heart too much.
Stanley placed his paw on my knee. “We can’t ignore him forever, Cassia. Especially if he could help us with this investigation.”
“You’re right,” I said with a small smile. “We have to talk to him.” I looked back at Gia. “We’ll go back to the town now and find Luca. If you see Rex, will you let him know I need to talk to him, please?”
“I will do.”
I quickly finished my tea and we headed back to Brimstone town centre. From the air, we spotted Luca sitting on his own on the gazebo steps. His elbows were resting on his knees and his chin was in his hands. He was staring into the distance and looked forlorn. He looked so lost and alone.
We landed at the side of the gazebo and I let out a polite cough. Luca looked our way and lifted his chin from his hands. I’m not sure if I imagined it, but I could have sworn I saw a glimmer of recognition in his eyes. His lips lifted a minuscule amount at the corners as if he were about to smile.
That all changed in a second and that horrible cold look came into his eyes instead.
“What do you want?” he snapped.
“Your help,” I replied as calmly as I could in the presence of his hate. “As a guardian, you have a duty to help me. I’m still dealing with the murder of Nerita and I’ve come across new information. I’d like to ask you something.”
Luca’s lips twisted in disgust and I felt my heart withering a touch. To have him look at me like that was breaking my heart. I felt my eyes stinging and quickly blinked. This was not the time to cry!
Brimstone Witch Mysteries - Box Set 2 Page 24
