Brimstone Witch Mysteries - Box Set 2

by April Fernsby

  I told Dr Morgan about seeing Leonard on YouTube, and that a human must have captured him on film either in Brimstone or in the human world.

  I said, “I suspect there’s a passageway located somewhere in Brimstone Mountains which leads into the human world.”

  “It’s possible the black magic could have caused that to happen,” Dr Morgan said. “This is a worrying situation. Our residents wouldn’t fare well in the human world. And we don’t want nosy humans popping up all over the place in Brimstone. It would be disastrous.” There was a series of three beeps from the machine at the side of the room. “Ah, it’s finished. Let’s see what the results are.”

  She walked over to the machine and looked at the printout at the side of it. She frowned as she read it. “That’s strange. Very strange.”

  I went over and looked at the printout. I couldn’t make any sense of the numbers or graphs that were printed on it. I asked, “What’s strange?”

  Dr Morgan pointed to the bottom row of numbers. “This is a synthetic poison. It’s man-made. Some of these components are new and are only available to certain medical establishments. Because it’s quite new, I should be able to find out who’s supplying it.” She gave me a serious look. “This means that whoever killed Leonard had access to this new poison. As it’s only available in the human world, your suspect is a human. This is a disturbing turn of events.”

  I stared down at the printout. “But why would a person do that to Leonard? What reason could they possibly have?”

  “That’s for you to find out,” Dr Morgan said. “Since hearing about Leonard’s death, I’ve made some investigations myself about yetis and the myths surrounding them. I came across many pages on the Internet filled with stories from yeti enthusiasts. Unfortunately, I came across a few malicious groups who claimed they wouldn’t hesitate to kill a yeti if they came across one as they consider them to be evil beasts. Let’s hope that no one like that made their way into Brimstone and came across Leonard. That would be too awful.”

  Stanley said, “Oliver is going to find out who posted that video. We could ask him to find out more about that poison. He could find out who supplied it and who they’ve sold it to recently. I think Oliver can find anything on the internet. He’s very clever.”

  Dr Morgan nodded. “Esther’s told me before how wonderful Oliver is on the computer. I’ll tell you what, I’ll pay a visit on Oliver and give him a copy of this printout. I’ll tell him what we’re looking for and I’ll let him get to work. That will save me a job.” She glanced towards the other door in the room. “I still haven’t had the heart to examine Leonard further. He can wait a bit longer. He’s not going anywhere.”

  I said, “Thank you for this new information. Stanley and I will go back to Brimstone Mountains and look for a passageway. We’ll start with the area where Leonard lived.”

  “Let me know how you get on. And take care out there,” Dr Morgan said. “Having murders amongst the residents in Brimstone is bad enough, but having them come from the human world is much more terrifying.”

  Chapter 18

  We headed back to Brimstone Mountains and the first thing we heard was Xodia’s booming voice below us somewhere. She really did have a loud voice.

  Stanley shook his head. “Who is she shouting at now?”

  We hovered in the air and turned in the direction of Xodia’s angry yells.

  I said, “Her voice is coming from Ravette’s cabin over there. Look, we can just see her and Ravette standing at the side of it. They’ve got their backs to us. Let’s go closer and see what they’re arguing about.”

  We moved closer but stayed hovering in the air as we blatantly listened to what was being said.

  Ravette shouted, “It was you who gave meat to my Boris! I know it was. You gave it to him to bring out his wild animal side so he’d be more competitive! You should be ashamed of yourself.”

  Xodia cried out, “I didn’t give him any meat! I wouldn’t do such a thing. Everyone knows Boris has to keep away from that kind of food. That’s one of the first things I was told when I came to this town. How dare you accuse me of such a thing?”

  Ravette let out a low growl and continued, “I wish you’d never come to this town. You’ve been nothing but trouble since you arrived with your aggressive ways and your competitive talk. I saw how you spoke to Leonard and how you pestered him over and over again to be part of your stupid Festival! And now Leonard is dead and I’m sure that’s got something to do with you. What did you do to him?”

  “I had nothing to do with Leonard’s death. And I wasn’t bothering him! I was making him see sense. We had friendly chats now and again about his athletic abilities.”

  “Chats now and again? I saw you outside his cave many times shouting at him. Why couldn’t you just leave him alone? Why can’t you leave us all alone? We were doing fine here until you turned up and told us we were a disgrace to ourselves. I want to know what you were talking to Leonard about. It can’t have been just about him running in your festival, what else were you saying to him?”

  Xodia’s voice was slightly quieter now as she said, “It’s none of your business what I was talking to Leonard about. It was private and I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

  From our hovering position, I saw Xodia turn around and start to head away. I quickly landed in front of her and blocked her escape.

  I said, “You do have to explain yourself to me, though. Both of you. How do you know Leonard is dead?”

  Ravette muttered, “Everyone is gossiping about it. How did he die? You have to let us know. It’s your duty to let us know the details of his death. Was he murdered?” She cast a glance Xodia’s way.

  “I’m not able to give you any information about Leonard at the moment,” I said. “Xodia, what were you talking to Leonard about? I want details of all your conversations with him. How often did you visit him? Did you visit him at his cave or somewhere else?”

  Xodia’s face creased up in anger. “I wanted to convince him to take part in the competitions, that’s all. I could see the potential in him as he raced about the mountains. He could have made so much more of himself.” Her face straightened out and she sighed. “I know I can be a bit pushy now and again, but it’s in my nature and I consider it to be a positive personality trait. I had nothing to do with his death and I would never hurt anyone on purpose.”

  I was about to tell her about our visit to her hometown and the deadly sword when Boris appeared at the open door of the cabin.

  “Mum,” he called out. “I’m hungry. Can I have something to eat?”

  Ravette said to him, “There are some berries next to your bed. Go back inside!” She looked at me and said, “You can argue with Xodia somewhere else. I’m going back inside to see to my precious cub.”

  I moved with her towards the cabin door. “Now that Boris is awake, I’d like to speak to him some more.”

  “Do you have to do that right now?” Ravette asked.

  I nodded. “Yes, it’s urgent.” I looked over my shoulder at the Amazon. “Xodia, I’ll be speaking to you later about your conversations with Leonard. There are some other matters I want to discuss with you too.”

  “If you must,” Xodia said tightly. She produced a pair of gloves from her pocket and put them over the woollen gloves she was already wearing. She noticed me staring and explained, “I can’t seem to get warm in this place at all.” She quickly fastened the gloves and stalked away.

  I looked down at Stanley and said, “Did you notice how she fastened those gloves?”

  He nodded. “She used Velcro. I didn’t know they had Velcro in Brimstone.”

  “I don’t think they do have it here, but it’s available in the human world. Which begs the question: where did Xodia get those gloves?”

  We went into Ravette’s house and found her muttering to herself about Xodia and how she was sure she was the one who gave Boris meat. She rounded on me and said, “You have to do something about that Ama
zon. Not only is she interfering with everyone’s lives here, I know she’s the one who gave my Boris that evil food. You have to search her cabin and find her supply. I don’t want her turning Boris into an aggressive bear. He’s a sensitive bear with an unusual imagination. He has unique talents. It was obvious when he made that sculpture the other day. It wasn’t a boring tree or plant like the other sculptures.” Her eyes narrowed. “It was probably Xodia who destroyed his sculpture. She wanted to destroy his artistic dreams and turn him into a snarling vampire bear.”

  I said, “Xodia was standing with me when Boris started crying yesterday. I don’t think she’s the one who caused the damage.”

  Ravette hadn’t finished with her accusations. “She probably forced one of the other residents to do it then. Yes, that’s what she did. She should never have come to this town. She doesn’t belong here.” Her voice grew deeper and I noticed her fangs started to elongate and her eyes turned black. It was obvious that Ravette had quite a temper when it came to Boris and his welfare. How far would she go to protect him?

  I took a small step back and said, “What do you know about Leonard? Did you ever talk to him?”

  Ravette hissed, “I didn’t know much about him. I saw him running around like everyone else did, but I didn’t go out of my way to talk to him. You should ask Xodia about him. Make sure you search her house for that meat. She must have it somewhere. I’ll come with you and sniff it out.” Her eyes turned darker and her fangs grew even more.

  I swiftly turned away from her. “I’ll have a talk with Boris now.” I went into the little bear’s bedroom with Stanley jogging at my side.

  Boris was sitting up in bed with a bowl of berries on his knee. He threw a handful of them into his mouth and smiled at us.

  I took a seat at the side of his bed. “Hi, Boris. I see you’re feeling much better now.”

  He nodded enthusiastically. “I am. Thanks for rescuing me. I don’t know what happened to me. One minute, I was walking along, and then suddenly I felt all cold and I was flung into that waterfall. Then I saw you looking at me. Would you like a berry? I don’t really like them, but Mum says I have to eat them.”

  I waved his offer of berries away. “What were you doing in that part of the forest?”

  “I was looking for that creature with the smooth face,” Boris began. He licked his lips and continued, “he keeps giving me meat. Lots of delicious meat. It’s yummy.”

  “Boris!” Ravette snapped as she strode into the room. “Don’t talk about meat like that. You’re drooling.”

  Boris shrugged. “I can’t help it.”

  I asked Boris, “When did you first meet the smooth-faced creature? You mentioned him being male? How do you know that?”

  Boris replied, “He had a deep voice. Not as deep as Mum’s, but deep enough. I saw him a few weeks ago when I was in the forest. I was looking around for something I could make into an ice statue. I was looking for a wild animal or something exciting. Then I saw that creature with the soft face. He was holding a little box in front of him and was talking to it. It was funny. I went closer and I heard him saying something about finding a monster. I saw him looking at Leonard’s footprints and he kept pointing the box at them. I don’t know why he was so interested in Leonard’s footprints as they’re all over the mountain. They’re not interesting at all.” He looked towards his mum and lifted his empty bowl. “Can I have something else, please? I’m starving.”

  Ravette took the bowl and said, “I’ll get you some porridge.” She gave me a wary look. “I’ll get it in a minute. I’m not leaving you alone with Cassia.”

  “Boris,” I said, “did you speak to this creature?”

  Boris nodded. “There was a lovely smell coming from him so I crept closer. The creature screamed when he saw me and he pulled something out of his pocket and threw it at me.” His eyes lit up and he licked his lips again. “It was a sandwich. A meat sandwich. It was delicious and I gobbled it all up. I said thank you to the creature. He screamed again and said something about me talking and that I shouldn’t be talking. I thought that was weird as everyone around here can talk and I told him that. I asked him if he had some more meat sandwiches and he said yes. He pointed to Leonard’s footprints and asked me if I knew if a yeti lived around here. I told him everyone knows where Leonard lives and I’d take him there if he’d give me some more meat.” Boris looked at Ravette. “Mum, I told you about this when it happened. Don’t you remember?”

  Ravette quickly looked away and mumbled, “I don’t remember you telling me that. You often talk nonsense. Am I supposed to remember all the silly things you tell me?”

  It was obvious that Ravette was lying and I made a mental note to confront her later about that. I said to Boris, “Did you show him where Leonard lived?”

  Boris nodded again. “I took him over to Leonard’s cave. He said he’d already been inside and didn’t realise it was where the yeti lived. He kept looking at that box again and waving it about in the air. He asked me when Leonard would be back, and I said he’d be back when he’d finished running. The creature asked me to talk to him while he waited for Leonard. He waved the box at me and told me to look at it when I talked. I talked and talked, and then I sang a bit.” Boris frowned. “Mum, I did tell you about this because I told you about the songs that I sang to the funny creature. You must remember.”

  Ravette shook her head, moved forward and put her paw against Boris’ forehead. “You’re becoming delirious. You’re talking nonsense again. You need some more sleep.” She roughly tucked the covers around him and ordered, “Sleep. Now.”

  I said, “I’ve got more questions for Boris. I want to know what the smooth-faced creature looks like.”

  Ravette suddenly rounded on us and her fangs were more obvious now. “You’re going to leave my house right now! I insist.” She put her paw on my shoulder and lifted me to my feet. “I’m going to make a complaint about you and your aggressive questions. You’ve upset Boris. He’s not himself at all. He’s talking complete nonsense.”

  I struggled under her firm grip. “He didn’t sound as if he was talking nonsense to me. And I’ve a feeling you know it too.” I struggled some more. “Let go of me.”

  Ravette threatened, “I’ll let go of you when you’re out on the street.” She almost dragged me off my feet as she pulled me out of Boris’ room and through the living room. I was out on the street before I could catch my breath. Stanley followed me. The door was slammed behind us.

  Stanley said, “Are you alright? Did she hurt you? You should have used magic on her.”

  “I was tempted to. I’m fine. She didn’t hurt me. That was an interesting conversation we had with Boris, wasn’t it?”

  Stanley nodded. “Who is the smooth-faced creature? Do you think it’s a man from our world?”

  “It certainly looks that way. Did you hear what the man told Boris about Leonard’s cave? He said he’d already been there. That must be where the passageway is. Let’s go over there now and see if we can find it.”

  Chapter 19

  We flew straight over to Leonard’s cave and I was pleased to see there was no one hanging around outside. With other murders I’d dealt with, beings of all kinds had a habit of hanging around the murder site and having a good nosy. I quickly removed the enchanted spell I’d put on the entrance to the cave and we went inside. Stanley began to sniff around the bottom of the walls.

  He said, “That spell you put on my nose is still working. I might pick up on the scent of a human.”

  I examined the walls and ran my hand along them hoping to find something sticking out like a convenient doorknob. As I did so, I felt a draught around my legs and remembered that I’d had the same feeling when we first came into this cave with Leonard. It was a calm day outside, so the draught wasn’t coming from there. Where was it coming from?

  Stanley came to my side and said, “I can’t smell anything suspicious. All I’m getting is rock and dust.” His nose wrinkled sligh
tly. “I can still smell Leonard as well. It’s making me feel sad. I’m picking up on something else too, but I’m not sure what it is.”

  “I think it’s time for me to do the revealing spell. If there’s a magic doorway in here, the spell should show us where it is.”

  I lifted my hands, sent magic into them and recited the words of the revealing spell. There was a grating noise which sounded like stone moving across stone.

  Stanley called out, “There! Leonard’s bed! It’s moving.” He scampered over. “There are some steps here! I’m going down them!”

  Considering Stanley had scampered off a couple of times today without any warning, I had my next spell ready and I shot it his way. It was an immobilising spell which caught him in mid-air hovering over the first step. I went over to him, picked him up and then removed the spell.

  “Sorry about that, Stanley, but you keep rushing off without any warning. If I put you down, will you promise to behave yourself and stay by my side?”

  Stanley gave me a serious nod. “You gave me quite a shock then. I didn’t know what had happened to me. Sorry for running off.”

  I placed him on the first step and we went down the rest of them together. I kept my broomstick firmly in my hands ready to use as a weapon if needed.

  I said to Stanley, “I felt a draught around my legs earlier and this must be where it’s coming from. Even though we’ve got the warming spell on us, I can still feel the cold against my legs. Can you feel it too?”