Blythe went on, “We brought him into the human world and gave him memories of having grown up there. When you were born, your mum made sure your dad saw you as much as possible.”
I nodded. “Yes, I remember all the times that Dad came round to Gran’s house.” I frowned. “But then he went away. Why did he go away?”
Gran said, “It was when your mum died. The shock of it caused some of his memories to come back and he had a relapse. He was in no condition to look after you, so we organised for him to go away to recuperate. He never fully did and continued to have nightmares. Blythe found a job in Australia which would be perfect for him. With a bit of magic, we made sure he got the job. It’s done him the world of good and he no longer has nightmares.”
I stared at Gran. “Is that why he lives so far away? Because of what you and Blythe did? That doesn’t seem fair.”
“I know,” Gran’s voice caught in her throat. “It wasn’t a decision we made lightly. But it seems the closer he was to you and my house, the more strongly his memories came back. At least this way, you still get to see him a few times a year and you speak to him often on the computer. It’s the safest thing for your dad. Can you understand that?”
“Not really. You’ve deceived me about Dad all these years. And you deceived me about Mum too. While you were away, I found out that Luca was involved in Mum’s death.”
Gran gasped and her hand shot to her chest. “Who told you that?”
“Astrid did, just before she left. I spoke to others around here who confirmed that Luca was involved. Why haven’t you ever told me about that?” My eyes were stinging and I willed my tears not to fall. Even though I was glad to see Blythe and Gran back safely, I had many questions for them about the things they’d kept from me.
Tears travelled down Gran’s cheeks which made my anger vanish in a second. Gran rarely cried.
Gran shook her head slowly. “I’m so very sorry, Cassia. We should have told you the truth many years ago.”
Blythe said, “Esther, it was my decision not to tell Cassia. Don’t blame yourself.” Blythe stood up and came to sit at my other side. I turned away from Gran’s sad face and looked at Blythe.
She said, “Luca wasn’t to blame for Rosalyn’s death, but he was there when it happened. It occurred when he was seven years old; the same age as you at the time. He’d only recently discovered his shapeshifting abilities and was out in his rabbit form running through the fields one day. He’d been out a long time and his mum became worried about him. She spoke to Rosalyn to see if she knew where he was as you two were often out playing together. Rosalyn immediately went out looking for him and saw Luca, still in his rabbit form, running towards one of the quarries. He was very near the edge and didn’t seem to be slowing down. According to some of the trolls who worked at the quarry, Rosalyn managed to stop him from reaching the edge of the cliff. However, she lost her balance and,” Blythe quickly blinked, “and she fell down into the quarry. It was so sudden and she didn’t get the chance to use magic to save herself. There was nothing anyone could have done. Luca was distraught over what had happened and we had to remove his memories of that time.”
I said, “Astrid told Luca that he was to blame for Mum’s death.”
Blythe said, “I’ll put him right on that score. Let’s put talk about Luca to one side for a while. Cassia, there’s something we need to show you urgently.” She turned towards the table in front of us and waved her hand over it. A 3-D image of Brimstone town centre and the surrounding area appeared. In many parts of the image, black clouds hovered menacingly above the landscape.
“What’s that?” I asked.
Blythe said, “We picked this map up from my cousins’ house. It shows where dense areas of black magic first appeared when it was sent here. You can see there’s a huge amount over the town centre, and I think I’ve dealt with most of that now.” She pointed to a range of snow-capped mountains at the very end of the map and I noticed a couple of black clouds hovering there. “These are the Brimstone Mountains and they’ve been badly infected. We didn’t realise they had been infected until we got this map. We need you and Stanley to go over there and make sure everyone is okay. Can you do that?”
I was still angry with all the secrets Blythe and Gran had been keeping from me and I gave her a very small nod.
Blythe said, “You can’t tell Luca where you’re going. He’ll want to help you, and I can’t allow that at the moment. You need to keep some distance from him. Okay?”
“Can’t you allow Luca to make his own decisions?” I asked abruptly.
Blythe lifted her head and turned her purple eyes directly upon me. “I don’t like to assert my authority over you, but that’s what I’m going to do. Cassia, I am ordering you to go over to this area immediately. You will not ask Luca for help. Is that clear?”
I stiffened and felt like I’d been slapped. Blythe had never spoken to me like that before.
Blythe stood up and nodded in the direction of the door. “Leave immediately. I want you out of Brimstone town as soon as possible. When you get to the mountains, look for Giovanni. He will give you all the help you need. I don’t expect to see you around here until you’ve made sure that everyone in that area is safe.”
There was a sudden strained atmosphere in the room. I looked Gran’s way, but she had her head turned away from me. I scooped Stanley into my arms and got to my feet. Keeping my voice steady, I said, “We’ll be off then. Goodbye.”
I collected my broomstick which I’d propped against a wall and left Blythe’s house as quickly as I could.
As soon as we were outside on the path, Stanley turned watery eyes my way and said, “What just happened? Why did Blythe talk to you like that? She was so cold.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know, but it’s clear we’re not welcome here.”
Chapter 3
We hadn’t even made it to the end of the path before I heard someone shouting my name behind me. It was Gran.
“Cassia! Wait there! I need to talk to you!” Gran came walking towards us and I noticed she had a slight limp. That was new. How did she get that?
As soon as Gran got closer, I spotted wrinkles around her eyes that hadn’t been noticeable inside Blythe’s house. Those were new as well.
Before Gran could say a word, I said, “Gran, what exactly happened when you confronted Blythe’s cousins? Were you involved in any actual fighting? Were you injured?”
“There’s no time to talk about that now. I may have picked up one or two injuries, but I’ll be fine.” Gran gave me a tired smile. “All I need now is a long rest in my bed. Cassia, Blythe didn’t mean to be so harsh with you inside just now. We’ve been through a lot recently; we’re both very tired and not thinking straight.”
I lifted my chin. “Yes, I appreciate that. It’s just that I’m fed up with people keeping secrets from me. First, there’s all this information about Mum, and now I’m finding out things about Dad. What else have you been keeping from me?”
Gran said, “I can understand how you feel, and I promise that when we get time we’ll sit down together and have a good chat about everything. But for now, you do need to get over to Brimstone Mountains to see if there’s any trouble brewing there. But before you go, I’d like to cast a warming spell over you and Stanley. It’s quite nippy over by the mountains, and even with thick clothes on, you’ll still feel the cold. There are some warm clothes waiting for you in the log cabin that I own there, but if I cast a spell on you now you can set off in the clothes you’re wearing.”
Despite my annoyance, my interest was piqued and I said, “A log cabin? What’s it like?”
Gran let out a little chuckle. “It’s charming, quite charming. Will you allow me to cast the spell on you? If you remember the words, you can cast the spell again later if needed.”
I looked into Gran’s lovely face and could see the remorse in her eyes. My heart was suddenly filled with love for this old woman. She’d cared for me sin
ce Mum passed away and I was being ungrateful. I smiled and said, “I would love you to cast a spell on me.”
Gran raised her hands in my direction and began to recite the spell. I concentrated on remembering the words. It wasn’t a complicated spell and I was confident I would be able to recall it. Due to the amount of murders I’d dealt with recently, I hadn’t had any official training as a witch and my knowledge of spells had mainly come from books.
When Gran had finished, I gave my arms a shake and said, “I don’t feel any different. I thought I might feel warm all over.”
“You’ll feel the benefit as soon as you get near the mountains,” Gran explained. She turned her attention to Stanley. “I’m going to make your fur thicker to keep you snug and warm. I can also change your fur back to its original colour of black.”
Stanley shook his head. “No, thank you. I like my fur being grey. Many creatures have told me it makes me look distinguished.” His mouth moved back into a little smile.
Gran gave him a nod. “They’re right; you do look very distinguished. Keep still a minute.” She wiggled her fingers in Stanley’s direction and his fur immediately increased in volume. It looked luxurious and thick.
Gran took a small mirror from her pocket, tapped it with her finger and it grew in size. She lowered it next to Stanley and said, “What do you think?”
Stanley stared at his image and then slowly moved from side to side while keeping his eyes on his reflection. His voice was hoarse as he said, “Look at me, look how thick my fur is. I look so healthy. I’d go as far to say that I look ten years younger. Thank you, Esther.” He looked up at me and said, “What do you think?”
I knelt down and ran my hand over his lovely thick fur. “I didn’t know it was possible for you to look even more beautiful, but you do now.” I straightened up and said to Gran, “I’m not sure I fully understand why you and Blythe have been keeping so much from me, but we can leave all that for another time. Stanley and I will go to Brimstone Mountains and have a good look around. Would it be okay if we came back to inform you of any disturbances,” I paused, “or anything worse? Or would you like us to stay away altogether?”
Gran placed her hand against my cheek. “You come back whenever you want to.”
She lifted her hand towards a tree at her side and made a beckoning motion to the green and yellow butterflies who were resting there. They were Brimstone butterflies and the town was named after these magical creatures.
One of the butterflies flew over and alighted on Gran’s open palm. She said to it, “Please guide Stanley and Cassia over to the Brimstone Mountains. Keep them safe on the way. Thank you.”
The butterfly flew back to the tree. There was a rustling sound as many wings fluttered gently. The butterflies lifted off the tree, came our way and hovered a few feet in front of us. To my astonishment, they formed the shape of an arrow and pointed themselves towards the north.
Stanley chuckled at my feet. “These butterflies never cease to amaze me. What will they do next?”
“Cassia! I’ve got you some coffee!” Luca walked quickly towards us holding up a cardboard cup. He said, “I’ve got you some cake too.”
Feeling Gran’s eyes on me, I whipped my broomstick into position and told Stanley to hop on. As soon as he was on, I sat on my broomstick and we swiftly ascended. I called over to Luca, “Sorry, I haven’t got time for coffee. See you later.” I turned away from his confused face and said to the butterfly arrow in front of me, “I’m ready to go.”
Stanley looked down at Luca as we flew away and said, “It’s not fair that we have to be away from Luca, not now that we’ve become friends again. I don’t think Blythe and Esther should interfere in your relationship with him.”
I kept my gaze away from Luca. “I agree with you, but let’s not talk about that now. It makes me feel sad.” I stroked Stanley’s head. “Your fur feels lovely. I may end up stroking you all day long.”
Stanley looked over his shoulder at me and said, “Go ahead, I like it.” He held out a paw in front of his face. “I hope Esther’s spell lasts for a while. I like my new look.”
I glanced towards the butterflies in front of us and noticed they were already a good distance ahead. I sent some magic into the broomstick which made it speed up considerably. We soon caught up with the butterflies who were now heading towards some distant mountains.
We flew onwards for about twenty minutes and I felt sure we must be getting nearer to our destination. We did fly over the first set of mountains which I’d spotted on take off, but the butterflies continued towards another set which looked impossibly far away. I looked down at Stanley to make sure he was okay about being on the broomstick for so long but my little friend was too busy admiring the fur on his front paws to notice anything else.
Thankfully, after another twenty minutes, the butterflies changed direction and began to head downwards. As we descended, we came to a snow-covered residential area. There was a large square of ice in the middle of the area which had a light blue, wooden gazebo in the middle of it. The gazebo looked just like the one in Brimstone town centre except this one didn’t have any steps and there was a dark blue carpet which led from the opening of the gazebo to the end of the ice square.
Wooden buildings were placed around the square with pavements and roads veering off in different directions. Thick snow adorned the roof of the gazebo and the wooden buildings. The roads and paths were clear of snow.
Stanley said, “It looks like a snowy version of Brimstone centre, doesn’t it? Look at those buildings around the square; they’re log cabins. Aren’t they beautiful? I love the lights they’ve got hanging from their roofs and windows. I bet they look beautiful at night-time.”
I looked at the delightful cabins and added, “I like how they’ve all got porches at the front with seats on them. Have you noticed that some of them have got smoke coming out of their chimneys? They look very welcoming. I wonder which one is Gran’s?”
We spotted creatures walking on the pavements and crossing the roads, but it was hard to make out what kind of creatures they were because they were wearing thick coats, hats scarfs and gloves. Perhaps we’d get a good look at them later.
The butterflies led us down to the end of the blue carpet near the gazebo and then hovered in the air. We landed on the snow in front of the carpet and I let Stanley hop off the broomstick before I got off. The butterflies changed into a big butterfly shape, flapped their wings as one, and then flew away still in one huge butterfly formation. They looked magnificent.
I called after them, “Thank you!”
Stanley added his call of thanks too.
I suddenly noticed something. Even though I was wearing a thin T-shirt and jeans, I didn’t feel cold at all. Thank goodness for Gran’s spell.
The next thing I noticed was someone staring at us from the gazebo.
Chapter 4
I took a longer look at the gazebo and realised it was larger than the one back in Brimstone town centre. This one had tables and chairs inside. There was a wooden counter with display containers placed along it. Behind the counter, shiny urns with taps were attached to the wall. A dark-haired man was standing in front of the urns and he was the one who was staring at us. He suddenly smiled, raised his hand and beckoned us over.
I said to Stanley, “He looks friendly enough. Let’s go and talk to him.”
Stanley said, “Do you think it’s safe for us to walk on this carpet? I don’t want to be sliding all over the place. I don’t want to damage my new fur.” He tentatively put a paw on the carpet and gave it a suspicious look.
“I’ll go first,” I told him. I took a careful step onto the carpet and rested my weight on it. I took another step. “It’s okay, it’s not slippery.”
We walked along the carpet and I kept glancing at the creatures who were walking around the square. They were different sizes and shapes, but I still couldn’t make out what kind of beings they were.
We came to the e
ntrance of the gazebo and the dark-haired man came out from behind the wooden counter. He beamed at us and opened his arms wide in welcome. Now that we were closer, I could see how handsome he was with his swept-back hair, his twinkling brown eyes, firm jawline and a wide smile that showed perfect teeth. He was wearing a white shirt and dark trousers. The trousers seemed too tight over his slim hips.
The man advanced on us still with his arms open and declared, “Cassia Winter! You’re even more beautiful in the flesh! I never imagined you’d be this beautiful! Come closer; let me gaze upon your perfect face.”
I took a wary step back and muttered to Stanley, “He’s obviously mad. Be ready to make a quick escape.”
The man threw back his head and laughed. “Forgive me for being so forward, but sometimes the truth has to be told.”
He settled his brown eyes on me and continued to move closer with his arms still out. Before I knew it I was enveloped in his embrace and a lovely musky smell wafted up my nose. He kissed me firmly on both cheeks and then held me at arm’s length. He said, “I’m Giovanni. I know your gran very well. She sent me a message to say you were coming to visit us here in the mountains. I’m delighted that you’re here. I’ve had many conversations with your gran about you, and I feel I already know you. I’m ready to have intimate chats with you and to get to know you even better.”
For some reason, I felt all hot and bothered as he gazed into my eyes. It must be Gran’s spell working overtime on me.
Giovanni turned his attention to Stanley. “And you must be Stanley! I’ve heard all about your brave antics, little chap. My! What a magnificent creature you are.” He leaned over, placed his hand under Stanley’s chin and raised it slightly. “And what intelligent eyes you have. I see I’ll have to have some intimate chats with you too. I think you’ll have plenty of interesting things to tell me.”
“I don’t know about that,” Stanley said shyly.
Brimstone Witch Mysteries - Box Set 2 Page 33
