Brimstone Witch Mysteries - Box Set 1

by April Fernsby

  Stanley blinked rapidly. “Her mummy? Cassia, she wants her mummy. Poor little thing.”

  The kitten began to cry, and I felt my eyes welling up in sympathy.

  I carefully examined her for any injuries and was relieved when I didn’t find any.

  Stanley said, “Put her next to me. Perhaps I can calm her down.”

  I did so, and the kitten stopped crying. She moved closer to Stanley and sniffed him. She whimpered, “Where’s my mummy? Have you seen her?”

  Stanley shook his head. “We haven’t. But we will find her for you. What’s your name?”

  The kitten stared blankly at Stanley.

  Stanley looked at me and said, “I think she’s about six or seven weeks old. We have to find out where she came from. Her mum will be distraught. Could you use magic on her that might help us?”

  I grimaced. “I wouldn’t dare. You know how badly some of my spells turned out. I don’t want to take the chance of hurting this little one. We can ask around the town about her.”

  Stanley nodded. “I can ask Rascal and the gang.” He turned his attention back to the kitten. “I’m Stanley, and that’s Cassia. Do you know a cat called Rascal?”

  The kitten looked confused and started to cry again.

  Stanley moved closer to her. “Hey now, there’s no need to cry. Everything’s going to be okay. We’ll soon find your mummy. Are you hungry?”

  The kitten stopped crying and gave Stanley a little nod.

  I straightened up and said, “I’ll get her some cream.”

  As I headed to the kitchen area, I heard Stanley soothing the kitten and telling her she was going to be back with her mummy soon.

  I hoped Stanley was right. Where on earth had the little thing come from? And how long had she been in my broomstick?

  I quickly poured some cream into a bowl and took it over to the kitten. I got to my knees and placed it in front of her.

  The kitten moved slowly to the bowl and sniffed it. Her tiny pink tongue darted out and she put her head closer to the bowl. She was soon lapping it up.

  Stanley lay on his front next to the bowl and watched her. He said, “She must be starving. Cassia, I’ll go out in a minute and find Rascal. He can put the word out about this little mite. Shall we give her a name?”

  “I don’t know. It’s not our place to do so.”

  “We can’t keep calling her a thing or ‘the kitten’.”

  “I suppose we can give her a temporary name until we find her mum. What do you think?”

  Stanley smiled at the kitten. “Something simple. Let’s call her Kitty for now. I know it’s not very imaginative, but I like it.”

  “I like it too.”

  We watched in silence as Kitty emptied the bowl. When she’d finished, she lay down and her eyes started to close. She muttered, ‘Mummy’ before falling asleep.

  Stanley got to his feet and said, “I’ll go out now. I’ll be as quick as I can.”

  “Thanks. I hope we find her mum soon.”

  Stanley left the apartment through the cat flap. I stared at Kitty for a while. She was incredibly cute. My heart twisted at the thought of what her poor mum must be going through.

  I stood up. I couldn’t sit here all day gazing at the cutie; I had work to do.

  The murder that I’d solved the previous day had involved damaged books. The owner of the books, a bookworm called Basil, didn’t want the books back and so I’d kept them. The books were all about the supernatural creatures who lived in Brimstone and had been written by the elders of each species. I’d already started to look at some of the books and found them fascinating. They were full of interesting facts. It was like having Google in print form.

  I went over to the bookshelf and located a book about centaurs. I put it on the table near the window and quickly made myself a cup of tea before sitting at the table. I had a good view of Kitty here, and she was still fast asleep.

  I started reading the book. There were a lot of illustrations with many muscular, naked chests. I had no option but to look at them. There was a section on the early history of centaurs. As with other creatures, the original centaurs managed to upset some gods and had to be punished. The centaurs had a reputation for wild drinking and wild behaviour. There were examples of that, but I found it disturbing so skipped many parts.

  As I flicked through the book, I came to the history of centaurs in Brimstone. There were quite a few families who’d settled here including the Cezerus family. It seems they’d been in conflict with another family ever since they came to Brimstone. The other family were called Oravatus. There was mention of the yearly race too. The book had been updated two years ago and showed Selo Cezerus as the winner at the time of print.

  I made some notes as I read. I wished the author of the book had given more information on the rivalry between the Cezerus family and the Oravatus one, and why it had started in the first place. It could be relevant to Selo’s murder.

  I finished flicking through the book and then looked at my notes. I needed to speak to a member of the Oravatus family and to find out more about the rivalry issue. Also, I had to find out more about Selo and who he’d upset recently. I nodded to myself. I could do that. Luckily for me, I’m a naturally nosy person and I like asking questions. Being a justice witch gave me free rein to do that.

  Kitty stirred and lifted her head. She looked my way and said, “Mummy?”

  I went over to her and scooped her up. “Not yet. Stanley is looking for her. He’ll be back very soon.”

  “Stanley?” She looked confused.

  “My cat. The one with the grey fur?”

  Kitty’s mouth moved into a smile. “Stanley. I like Stanley. He smells nice.”

  “I like him too. I’m Cassia.” I pulled her little body to my chest.

  Kitty let out a tiny purr and snuggled closer to me. “Cassia. I like Cassia. You smell nice too.”

  “Would you mind if we called you Kitty?”

  She nodded. “I like Kitty. It sounds funny.”

  I knew I had work to do, but I couldn’t resist spending time with this adorable creature. I sat on the sofa and placed Kitty on my lap. I stroked her head and she purred. I decided to sing Kitty some of my favourite songs. To my delight, she purred louder. It was nice to have someone who appreciated my singing.

  And that’s what I was doing when Stanley returned.

  Chapter 5

  Stanley came over to the sofa and leapt onto it.

  Kitty exclaimed, “Stanley! I like you.”

  Stanley chuckled. “I like you too.”

  “Well?” I asked him. “Did you find Rascal?”

  “I did. I described Kitty, but he doesn’t know of anyone who’s had a kitten recently. He’s going to put the word out amongst the cats in Brimstone. If Kitty’s mum lives nearby, we’ll find her.”

  “Mummy?” Kitty asked. “Where’s Mummy?”

  Stanley said, “We’ll find her. I promise.”

  “Stanley, I’ve been thinking about where Kitty could have come from. I don’t think she’s been in my broomstick too long. I put it down when we were at the Cezerus Ranch. Do you remember? It was at that bend in the track where Selo died. I put the broomstick down while we looked for clues. Kitty could have been lost in the bushes and wandered into the end of my broomstick by mistake.”

  “Yes, that could have happened,” Stanley agreed. “That means her mum could live around there somewhere. We could go back and have a look for her.”

  I nodded. “I want to talk to the Cezerus family again. I’ve read up about them and discovered they have a fierce rivalry with a family called the Oravatus. Well, it used to be a fierce rivalry; I’m not sure if it still is.”

  Kitty turned her little head my way and said, “I’m hungry.”

  “Me too,” I advised her. “I think we should go to the café. Gilda might have some appropriate kitten food for you. You’ll like Gilda.”

  Stanley added, “We could ask Gilda about Kitty too.
She might know something about her mum.”

  “Mummy? Where’s Mummy?”

  I gave Stanley a pointed look. “We’ll have to stop using the ‘M’ word. It’s upsetting her.”

  We left the apartment. I carried Kitty safely in my arms as we went down the steps and into the café.

  We stopped at the entrance.

  “Wow,” Stanley said. “I’ve never seen it so busy. I can’t see any free tables, can you?”

  I was about to say no when a couple of goblins in front of us stood up and moved away from their table. I immediately took a seat and Stanley leapt onto the other. I kept Kitty in my arms. I could have put her next to Stanley, but I liked holding her.

  Gilda, the owner of the café floated over to us. She was tall, thin and almost translucent. I had no idea what species of creature she was, and it seemed incredibly rude to ask her. Gilda had a gift of knowing exactly what you needed to eat and drink. It could be annoying sometimes as what I needed was not always what I wanted. There’d been one occasion when I’d wanted a stuffed crust pizza, but Gilda had given me a salad instead. It was a nice salad, but still.

  Gilda smiled down at Kitty and said, “Who is this delightful creature? A new addition to your family?”

  “I wish.” I stroked Kitty’s back and explained to Gilda how Kitty had appeared to us.

  Gilda reached over and stroked Kitty too. “Poor little thing.” She paused. “She’s weak, but I know exactly what she needs. I’ll bring it over for her. Cassia, I’ve made a special cake which is perfect for you. I know how much you love chocolate despite it being full of sugar.”

  I shrugged. “What can I say? I have my vices.”

  Gilda continued, “I’ve made you a chocolate cake. A healthy version with added vitamins and less sugar.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”

  “You’ll love it. It tastes extremely chocolatey.” She looked back towards the counter. “In fact, it’s been very popular with all my customers. I hope it hasn’t all gone. Just a moment.” She moved silently away.

  Stanley said, “She didn’t ask me what I wanted. I hope she doesn’t forget about me.”

  “She won’t.”

  Gilda came back to our table with a tray full of plates. She handed one to me. “Here you are. It was the last piece. Enjoy.” She put a plate in front of Stanley and lowered part of the table in front of him so he wouldn’t have to strain to reach his food. “For you, my little friend. A combination of your favourite things.”

  Stanley chuckled. “Thank you. I knew you wouldn’t forget about me.”

  “And, finally, this is for our newest customer.” Gilda placed a smaller plate next to mine along with a little cushion. “Kitty can sit on this.”

  “Thanks so much,” I said. I placed Kitty on the cushion and told her to go ahead and eat. She did so eagerly. I picked up the fork next to the cake and dug in. The taste of chocolate exploded inside my mouth. “Wow. This is amazing, Gilda.”

  Gilda smiled. “I knew you’d like it.”

  “Hey!” a loud voice called out. “I want some of that cake too!”

  We looked over at a large, green-faced ogre who was glaring at us.

  “Cake. Give me cake,” he demanded.

  Gilda said, “I’m sorry, but that was the last piece.” She moved away from our table.

  The ogre glowered at us and pointed to Kitty. “I’ll eat that then. Pass it over.”

  Stanley yelled, “How dare you! Kitty is not a snack. She’s our friend and a customer of this café.”

  The ogre stuck his finger up his nose and said, “She shouldn’t be eating off the table. It’s unhygienic.”

  He looked as if he was about to say a lot more but panic suddenly came into his beady eyes. He tried to pull his finger out of his nose but it was clear he was having problems.

  “It’s stuck! My finger’s stuck!”

  Customers around us pulled faces of disgust. One of them yelled, “Get out, you disgusting specimen.”

  The ogre continued to wrestle with his finger. A troll got to his feet, grabbed the ogre by the scruff of his neck and threw him out of the café. The rest of the customers cheered.

  Stanley shook his head. “I don’t know what’s going on with everyone around here. There seems to be arguments all the time.” He turned back to his food.

  Kitty and I did the same. My chocolate cake was beyond delicious. It was so light and fluffy, yet bursting with a rich chocolate flavour. And thanks to the added vitamins, it was good for me.

  I was in a great mood when I’d finished my cake and let out a sigh of contentment. Such was my contentment that the arrival of Luca and Astrid didn’t dampen my spirits. I beamed at them and said hello.

  Luca’s attention went straight to Kitty and he picked her up. “Who is this beauty?” He smiled at her. Kitty purred.

  I explained to them both about Kitty.

  Luca frowned. “I will make enquiries about her – ”

  “Don’t say the ‘M’ word!” Stanley warned. “It causes upset.”

  Luca nodded. “Of course. I’ll ask around about you-know-who.”

  Astrid folded her arms. “Luca, put her down. You don’t know where she’s been. She could be ridden with fleas.”

  Luca ignored her comments and said, “Cassia, I’ve spoken to a group of gnomes who came in here earlier. They’d made written complaints and wanted to know what was going on with them. I’ve made a note of my conversation with each and every gnome. I don’t think there’s anything too urgent. The gnomes insisted I tell you about their claims. They said they’d feel better knowing you were dealing with their problems.” He gave me a big smile. “You are becoming quite the authority around here.”

  I waved a hand dismissively and ignored the heat rushing into my cheeks. “It’s only because I’m a justice witch. I’m nothing special.”

  Astrid retorted, “That’s what I told the gnomes.”

  Luca shot Astrid an annoyed look.

  I shifted in my seat. Stanley did the same. He must have been feeling as uncomfortable as me.

  “Luca,” I began, “do you think the recent complaints have anything to do with black magic? We’ve just witnessed an argument in this café. Arguments seem to be on the increase.”

  Luca nodded. “I’ve noticed that. Everyone in this town is becoming grumpier. Except for you and Stanley. You two always look on the bright side.”

  “That’s because they’re outsiders,” Astrid said sharply. “They don’t feel the effect that Brimstone is having on true residents. Luca, I’m bored. Let’s go.”

  There was an unmistakably harsh tone in Luca’s voice as he said, “You go, Astrid, I’m talking to Cassia.”

  Astrid stiffened and glared at Luca.

  Luca turned his full attention to Kitty and he tickled her under the chin.

  Astrid focused her eyes on me and I was startled at the hate in them. In a scathing voice, she said, “Cassia, I’ll be having a talk with you later. A private talk.” She gave me a cold stare before leaving the café.

  Luca said, “Sorry about that, Cassia. I don’t know what’s got into Astrid lately.” He pulled a free chair up to the table and sat down. “Right, tell me all about your murder investigation. I know who it concerns, and I think I’ve got some information that could help you.”

  Chapter 6

  I told Luca what we’d found out so far. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

  Luca still had Kitty in his arms as he listened. She seemed quite at home there.

  When I’d finished talking, Luca said, “I saw Selo on the outskirts of Brimstone a few nights ago, in the forest to the west. I’ve been doing extra patrol work there recently. It was just after midnight when I heard shouting and hooves pounding through the trees.”

  Stanley said, “Were you in your animal form at the time?”

  “I was,” Luca looked down at Kitty and said, “I’m a shapeshifter, and I turn into a rabbi
t. There are hundreds of rabbits in the forest so I blend in easily.”

  Kitty gave him a serious look as if she were following his every word.

  Stanley added, “Luca turns into a rabbit because that was Cassia’s favourite animal when she was little. Luca and Cassia used to be friends when they were little.”

  “We still are,” Luca said. “Anyway, back to the other night. I kept still as the noise got louder and I saw Selo rushing through the forest, whooping with delight and not caring about the chaos he was causing. I saw many a night-time animal dodging out of his way. He wasn’t alone. Another centaur was with him. Treto Oravatus.”

  “Oravatus? As in the rival family?” I asked. “I’ve been reading up on centaurs in Brimstone.”

  “The very same. Treto is about the same age as Selo, and they often race against each other in the yearly competition. Treto almost beat Selo last year.”

  “Are they friends?” I asked.

  “No. They were shouting at each other and calling out names which I won’t repeat.” Luca shook his head. “They were running far too fast. It’s a miracle no one was hurt. When they’d gone, I spoke to some rabbits nearby who told me it was becoming a regular thing for Selo and Treto to race each other at night. The creatures in the forest were becoming terrified. I was going to speak to Selo and Treto about it, but then we got busy with the other murder case and I never got the chance.”

  “Lifin, Selo’s brother, never said anything about Treto to me. I think I’ll go back there and talk to him. I want to look at that area where Selo died again anyway.” I stood up.

  Luca said, “Shall I keep an eye on Kitty for you? I like having her in my arms. She’s lovely and warm.”

  “I don’t know,” I replied. “I thought I might take her with me in case we find you-know-who at the Cezerus Ranch.”

  “Are you going there on your broomstick?” Luca asked.

  “Of course,” Stanley replied for me. “It’s the only way to travel.”

  Luca lifted Kitty up. “But what about Kitty? Will she be okay flying on it too?”

  Kitty wriggled in Luca’s arms. “I love flying. I fly with Mummy.”