brimstone witch 11 - grotesque murder

by April Fernsby

  Without trying to alarm him, I said, “They could have been forced to leave. Kenway, I’m almost convinced that black magic has been used in your town. It could have been used on your grandson too.”

  Kenway took a floral handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his eyes. “Black magic? In our town? Who would do that? And why? What have the residents of this town done to deserve this?”

  “You haven’t done anything. Black magic is pure evil, and evil never needs an excuse.”

  “Can you do something about this?” Hope alighted in his eyes. “Can you help Pennington? Can you bring our butterflies back?”

  Stanley nodded at him. “She can! Cassia can do anything. She’s an amazing witch.”

  An invisible weight of responsibility settled on my shoulders. Kenway was looking at me with such hope in his eyes that all I could say was, “Yes, I can help you.”

  Chapter 18

  Before we left Kenway’s house, we went into Pennington’s darkened bedroom. If I hadn’t seen his chest slowly rising and falling, I wouldn’t have known the werewolf was even alive. His eyes stared unseeing at the ceiling, and he paid no attention to his grandad as he explained who we were.

  My heart clenched in pain at the hope in Kenway’s voice. “This is Cassia and Stanley. They’re going to fix everything. You’ll soon be back to normal. You’ll see.”

  Kenway gave me a hug before we left. His face was more animated now and his back less bowed.

  “You keep in touch,” he said at the door. “Let me know when you get everything sorted out. I can’t wait to see our butterflies again. I’m going to tell my neighbours about you. I don’t care if they don’t answer their doors. I’ll break them down if I have to! Goodbye Cassia and Stanley!” He beamed our way as we took to the sky on my broomstick. I did my best to beam back at him.

  When we were out of Kenway’s view, my smile fell from my face. I said to Stanley, “This is a mess. Everything’s getting worse. It’s one problem after another, and we haven’t solved any of them yet.”

  “But we will,” Stanley said confidently. “It’s like having a huge jigsaw puzzle. Each piece will soon fit together and then we’ll see the big picture.”

  I sighed. “I wish someone would show me the big picture now.” I looked down at the streets of Marbled White. An awful thought came to me.

  Stanley must have been thinking the same thing. He looked over his shoulder and said, “Cassia, the butterflies…You don’t think…?” He gulped.

  “That they’ve been hurt? Or killed? Yes, I am thinking that. I really hope that isn’t the case. I don’t know what kind of a vile creature would do that.”

  “A warlock?” Stanley suggested.

  I gave him a grim look. “Perhaps. I don’t know much about them. I hope Luca’s found that special spell book. I don’t think we can rely on Gran and Blythe for help, not while Quinn Ocean is so near to them.”

  “Speaking of Quinn, do you think he’s got something to do with Marbled White town and what’s happened here?”

  “I do. This isn’t a coincidence anymore. Stanley, we’ll go to the town of Speckled Wood next and see what’s happened there. Quinn told the story of a goblin called Ohxee who came from Speckled Wood.”

  “Yes, I remember that one. It was really scary. Oxhee had to fight demons in a forest. There were loads of them, but he fought them all just to get that special plant to heal his mum. What a hero.”

  “I hope he’s still acting like a hero or can at least remember being one.”

  We were silent as we flew onwards. We arrived at the town of Speckled Wood about twenty minutes later.

  My heart sank and my suspicions rose as I immediately noticed the absence of butterflies.

  Stanley and I had a quick walk up and down the streets in the hope of talking to someone. The residents were duplicates of the ones in Marbled White in their demeanour and dark clothing. They shuffled along the streets with their heads bowed and their eyes averted. Despite our wide smiles, none of them would stop to talk to us.

  We flew to the roof and spoke to a grumpy gargoyle who had the body of a bear and the head of a snake. He told us three gargoyles and two grotesques had vanished in the middle of the night. This had occurred six months ago. Despite sending out a search party, they hadn’t been found. He begrudgingly gave us the address for Oxhee, the demon-fighting goblin.

  When we arrived at Oxhee’s house, a female goblin let us in and took us over to her son in a dimly lit corner of the living room. The shrunken creature in the chair didn’t look as if he could fight off a cold, never mind a forest full of demons.

  The female goblin was Oxhee’s mum. We asked her the same questions which we’d asked Kenway. Her answers were almost the same. The butterflies left a while ago, and not long after, the citizens of the town began to change. Oxhee had changed a few weeks after he completed his heroic feat. And yes, Quinn Ocean had spoken to Oxhee shortly after he’d returned from the demon-infested forest.

  She added, “We all like Quinn Ocean here. He brightens up our day whenever he visits. He’s been coming here for years, and his stories get better every time. He describes them so well. You feel as if you’re having an adventure with him.”

  The sadness in her eyes matched those of Kenway’s as she spoke about her silent son. And the same hope lit up her face when Stanley told her we could help. The burden on my shoulders increased in weight, but somehow, my resolve strengthened.

  Stanley and I discussed our latest findings as we flew back to Brimstone.

  I said, “I’m convinced more than ever that Quinn Ocean is behind all of this. What do you think, Stanley?” There was no answer. Stanley was staring straight ahead. “Stanley? Did you hear me?”

  He slowly turned his head. I’d never seen him look so frightened. “Cassia, what if Quinn wanted us out of the way? What if he killed Nitoth and Budomm because he knew we’d investigate their deaths? And he knew our investigation would take us away from Brimstone?”

  “Why would he want us out of Brimstone?” My eyes grew wide as I thought about Stanley’s words. “You think he’s going to change the residents in Brimstone. Like he did with those other towns.”

  Stanley said fearfully, “And he’s going to hurt our Brimstone butterflies. He’s going to destroy them or make them leave town.”

  “That will never happen. We won’t allow it. Stanley, hold on tight. We’re going to fly faster than we ever have before.” I cast magic on the broomstick, gripped it tightly and put my head down. Cold dread ran through my body and I wished with all my heart that we weren’t too late to save Brimstone from the evil storyteller.

  Chapter 19

  Brimstone town came into view.

  Stanley let out a loud sigh of relief and declared, “Everyone is still here! Right where we left them. Phew!”

  My heart lifted at the sight below us. The residents were still in the town centre listening to Quinn Ocean. His butterflies were forming the shape of a mountain range behind him.

  I said to Stanley, “Quinn looks as if he’s in the middle of a story. I’ll wait until he’s finished before I interrogate him.”

  “Are you going to use magic on him? Have you got a spell which will show his true self, a sort of unmasking one?”

  “I know a few spells I can use.” Something small shot towards us. “Stanley, watch out. Incoming!”

  The missile landed in front of me on the broomstick. It was Cherry Dustjewel. Her little face was filled with worry.

  She cried out, “Cassia, something terrible has happened in Bronze Hollow! Something awful. I never should have left it. I never should have come here. I should have stayed by Yolanda’s side and tried to help her. I knew something awful was going to happen. I just knew it!” She put her hand over her chest and gasped, “I can’t breathe!”

  I said, “Take some deep breaths. Like me.” I inhaled deeply while keeping my eyes on the stone fairy. She imitated me, and after a few more breaths she was able to breathe
normally.

  I said, “Cherry, start from the beginning. Tell us what’s happened.”

  “It’s the gargoyles. And the grotesques. They sent a message of help on the wind. We heard it here in Brimstone on the roofs.” She looked towards the horizon. “We heard Yolanda calling for help too and shouting something. We heard her screaming.”

  “When was this?” I asked.

  “About ten minutes ago. That bad-tempered gargoyle on the roof said he was going to tell Blythe about it, but I told him to wait for you. I said you’d know what to do.”

  “What did Yolanda say exactly?” I asked.

  “It was hard to tell between the screams, but she was telling someone to leave them alone. Then she screamed. She called for help. The others called for help too.” Cherry’s head dropped. “Then it went quiet.”

  I took one last glance at Brimstone and then turned my broomstick around. “We’ll go there right now. Cherry, you need to hold on tight. We’re going to travel quickly.”

  Stanley looked over his shoulder and offered, “I can hold you in my paw, Cherry. You’ll be safe there. I’m used to going at fast speeds. I love it.”

  “I would like that, thank you.” Cherry moved along the broomstick.

  Stanley turned around and scooped her into his paw. He gave me a meaningful look before turning back around. I suspected he was thinking the same as me. Cherry kept turning up for one reason or another, usually when something terrible had happened. She could be the one behind all the troubles. She could be making up a story about Bronze Hollow and Yolanda’s cries for help. This could be a trap she was leading us into.

  Stanley and I had been deceived many times during our investigations. We’d be ready to take action if needed.

  After sending a fresh bout of magic into my broomstick, we whizzed through the sky and arrived at Bronze Hollow within five minutes.

  We landed on a deserted street. It was immediately obvious that something was wrong. We got off the broomstick. Cherry was now sitting on Stanley’s back. We stared in horror at the scene in front of us.

  Mounds of sand were piled along both sides of the pavement. I shot a fearful look upwards at the roofs. No eyes peeped over at us. I couldn’t see any stone creatures perched on the roofs.

  Cherry’s voice was a horrified whisper, “Where is everyone? Where did they go?”

  Stanley said quietly, “They didn’t go anywhere. They’re still here.”

  Cherry looked at me. “I don’t understand. What’s going on?”

  “I’ll explain later,” I said. “Cherry, can you fly above the roofs and see if anyone is there, please?”

  “Of course.” She left Stanley’s back and flew upwards.

  Stanley turned to me. “Look how many piles there are. Cassia, this is beyond awful. Who would commit such a terrible act? This can’t have been Quinn Ocean. He’s been in Brimstone all day.”

  “As far as we know. We’ll talk to him later about his movements today. Let’s do something about this first.” I waved my hand in the direction of the nearest mound of sand. “We can’t leave them like this. There’s a slim chance that a Life Giver could bring them back to life. If so, we don’t want parts of them being blown away by the wind.”

  I moved to the first portion of sand and cast magic on it. A small gargoyle took shape. He had a horrified look on his face. I didn’t know if that was his normal look or if this had happened shortly before his life force was taken away.

  I continued down the street and returned each creature to their original shape. It was awful seeing them so lifeless. Stanley began to cry at my side. I picked him up and gave him a quick cuddle. I told him to be strong.

  “I’m trying,” Stanley said. “But we haven’t dealt with anything as horrific as this before. It’s hard enough dealing with one murder, but this is…” his voice trailed off.

  “Stanley, there is hope. There’s always hope. Yolanda gave these creatures life. She might be able to do that again.”

  “But where is she? And why couldn’t she protect them?”

  “I don’t know. Let me finish this job first, and then we’ll look for her.”

  I carried on up and down the streets and stopped at every pile of sand I came to. Each creature I made whole made my heart feel heavier as I gazed at their still faces. Holding on to hope was getting harder.

  My last speck of hope almost left me when I tripped over something on the ground. It was Yolanda’s book of names. I picked it up. It felt thinner than before. I opened it. There was only one page in the book. And it was blank. I showed it to Stanley.

  “What does this mean?” he asked. “Have the pages been torn out?”

  I examined the book. “It doesn’t look like it. The pages have vanished.”

  Stanley’s shoulders dropped. “Vanished, just like Yolanda. What are we going to do?”

  “We’re going to keep going.” I put the book in my pocket and then turned my attention to the final pile. I aimed magic at it and the last gargoyle appeared. I picked him up. Just like Nitoth and Budomm, he was light. And hollow, my mind added.

  “What are you going to do with them?” Stanley asked.

  “I’m going to put them inside the buildings. I don’t want them sitting outside like—” I didn’t want to finish the sentence.

  Stanley finished it for me, “Like sitting ducks. Can I help?”

  “You could carry some of the smaller ones. Don’t drop them. I think they could smash easily.”

  “I’ll be very careful.” He walked towards a tiny grotesque which was in the shape of a mouse. Stanley detested mice as much as his brother did, but the gentleness with which he picked the stone mouse up made my heart swell with more love for him. I don’t know what I’d do without Stanley at my side.

  It took us a while, but we managed to place the creatures in the empty houses which lined the streets. We used a total of four houses. When the last stone creature was safe inside, I cast spells over the houses to prevent anyone going in. I hoped my magic was strong enough to keep a warlock at bay. I had no idea how powerful a warlock was. It crossed my mind that I also had no idea how to defeat a warlock. I’d have to deal with that problem later if needed.

  When the last house had its protective spell on it, Stanley and I took a moment to think about our circumstances.

  Stanley said, “Cherry’s been gone a long time. Do you trust her?”

  “I don’t trust anyone at the moment. Except you.” I smiled down at him. “And Luca, Gran and Blythe. But they’re not here.”

  Stanley looked skywards. “Ah, here’s Cherry now. If she’s the evil warlock, she’s very good at playing an innocent being. She looks worried again. I wonder what calamity has occurred now?”

  We watched Cherry as she came closer to us. She did look worried again. She cast a quick glance up and down the street. “Where did the sand go?”

  “I’ve dealt with it,” I advised her. “What did you see on the roofs?”

  Her wings drooped. “Nothing. I checked them all. Everyone has gone. I flew over to that cave where the golems were in case anyone was hiding in there. The cave is empty.”

  “Empty?” I asked. “What do you mean? Have the golems gone?”

  “They have. You need to see the cave. Follow me.” Cherry turned around and began to move away.

  “Hold on!” Stanley shouted. “Can’t you just tell us what’s in the cave? Why do we have to go there?”

  Cherry blinked in surprise. “Oh, I thought you would want to see it in case anything important has been left behind. Am I wrong? Sorry. I thought I was helping.”

  She looked genuinely upset, but I still had my suspicions about her. I said, “You are right. We should see the cave. We’ll follow you.”

  She gave me an uncertain smile before flying away.

  Stanley said, “It could be a trap.”

  “I know.” I took a look around the empty streets. “But there’s nothing more we can do here. Who knows? We might find a v
aluable piece of evidence in that cave.”

  Chapter 20

  Cherry surprised us by going into the cave first. I was still wary as we followed her.

  She fluttered in the air and waved her arms about. “Look. They’ve all gone. I flew as far back into the cave as I dared, and there aren’t any golems hiding in the shadows.”

  Stanley proceeded to examine the area in front of us. He sniffed the ground as he moved along. He looked back at me and said, “I can smell clay. Not surprisingly. Cassia, there isn’t one piece of broken clay here. When you stopped the golems moving earlier, they smashed to pieces. We saw them. If someone has moved the golems, they’ve made a good job of clearing up after themselves.”

  “I’ve got a theory about what’s happened,” I began. “Stanley, you won’t like it.”

  He braced himself. “Go on. I can take it.”

  “I think whoever made the golems came back and repaired them and made them whole again. I think the golems walked out of here.”

  Stanley stared at me unblinking. “Walked out of here? Where have they gone? There were hundreds of them.”

  “Maybe thousands,” Cherry added. She shot a fearful look over her shoulder. “Where are they now? Do you think they attacked Bronze Hollow?”

  “It’s a possibility,” I carefully said while trying not to give Cherry an accusing look.

  Stanley looked into the darkness. “Cassia, I felt a breeze then. It’s coming from back there. There must be another opening.” He turned his head back to me. “I suppose we’re going to explore further, aren’t we?”

  “We are. Cherry, do you want to come with us?”

  The fairy backed up. “No, I’m not brave enough. But I’ll go with you if you really want me to.”

  “No, that’s okay,” I said.

  “What can I do to help you?” she asked. “There must be something I can do.”

  “You could fly back to Brimstone and tell Luca what’s happened here. Do you know Luca? He’s a guardian.”