Brimstone Witch Mysteries - Box Set 1

by April Fernsby

  “A ball of wool?”

  “Yes, so he can knit himself a scarf.” Stanley waved a paw at me impatiently. “That’s not important. We paid him, and then the little villain ran away! We chased after him through the fields and we fell into a hole. It was a trap! The evil little monster had organised it.”

  “Oh, Stanley. Did you get hurt?”

  “No. It wasn’t a deep hole. We didn’t get hurt. That wasn’t the worst part. There we were, stuck in that hole when the horrible field mouse came back. He brought all his friends with him. They stood around that hole and laughed their little heads off. You should have heard Rascal shouting at them! He was furious. He said he was going to get his revenge on them.”

  I’d met Rascal a few times, and he had a wild touch about him. I said to Stanley, “Don’t you go getting yourself involved in any mouse-cat vendetta. How long were you in the hole?”

  “Not long. We managed to climb out.” Stanley let out a heavy sigh. “I’m furious with that mouse for wasting our time. We could have been out looking for you-know-who. How is she, by the way?” He smiled in Kitty’s direction.

  Kitty scampered over to him and said, “I missed you. I’ve been flying with Cassia. We found a man who was asleep on the ground.”

  Stanley gave me a quizzical look.

  I said, “I’ll tell you about that soon. Stanley, guess what?”

  “What?”

  “Kitty’s got wings growing on her back.”

  Kitty jiggled in front of Stanley. She said, “I’m going to fly, like my mummy.”

  Stanley’s eyes widened. “You’re going to fly? Wow. That is amazing. I wish I had wings.”

  Kitty moved closer to him. “I will help you fly, Stanley. And my mummy will too. Where is she? Where’s Mummy?”

  I quickly said, “Kitty, let’s play hide and seek! Go and hide!”

  Kitty raced towards the curtains and hid behind them. She giggled to herself.

  I swiftly informed Stanley about Alan.

  I raised a finger and said, “We are going to question those centaurs again tomorrow. We are going to get some answers.”

  Chapter 13

  I was woken up the next morning by Kitty calling out my name. I opened my eyes to find her cute little face inches away from mine. She had a pale green butterfly perched on the end of her nose.

  Kitty said, “Look. It came through the cat flap. It’s on my nose.”

  “So I see.” I sat up straighter and held my hand out. The butterfly flew off Kitty’s nose and landed on my hand.

  Not only is the town of Brimstone named after this beautiful creature, the butterflies provide a valuable service to the town. They receive and deliver messages to residents by a variety of methods. You can talk normally to the butterfly and give it your message. Or you could sing, shout or whisper your message. The butterfly would then deliver your message in that form. It was like sending an audio text to someone, but much prettier.

  Some of the butterflies were too shy to repeat an audio message, so the information would be written on their wings. Once the message had been delivered and read, the writing would disappear. The butterfly in my hand was one of the shyer ones. I knew this creature as I had helped to free her during my first murder investigation.

  I smiled down at her and said, “Good morning, Sarah. Do you have a message for me today?”

  She flapped her wings twice which meant yes.

  Kitty bounced on the bed. “She’s going to fly! I’m going to fly too.”

  “You’re not going anywhere just yet,” I informed Kitty. “Stop bouncing, please. I won’t be able to read the message.”

  Kitty stopped bouncing and her eyes widened in surprise as Sarah opened her wings fully to reveal a written message.

  I quickly read it, and then said to Kitty, “It’s from Lifin. Do you remember him?”

  Kitty nodded. “He can’t fly, not like me.”

  I continued, “He’s given me some information about another centaur like him, someone called Treto. He’s told me where I can find him. We can go and see Treto after our breakfast.”

  Kitty gave me a serious look. “I will fly. I don’t need to go on the stick.”

  I turned my attention to Sarah and said, “Please give this message to Lifin: Thank you for letting me know about Treto. I will speak to him very soon. I will also pay a visit to you later. Kind regards, Cassia.”

  Sarah closed her wings to confirm she had my message. I nipped out of bed and opened the nearest window. Kitty called out a goodbye to Sarah as the butterfly fluttered out of the opening. Having butterflies deliver messages was such a pleasant experience.

  Kitty bounced on the bed again. “When can we go? I want to fly!”

  I went back to the bed and scooped up the excited kitten. “How is your back today? Does it hurt?”

  “No. Can we fly now?”

  “Just a moment.” I gently ran my hand over her back. The ridges were more prominent today. Did that mean her wings would appear soon? I hoped they wouldn’t pop out in the immediate future. I didn’t want a flying Kitty on the loose. We really had to find her mum quickly.

  Stanley padded into the room. “Good morning, Cassia. Did you get Sarah’s message? I heard her tapping at the cat flap earlier, so I let her in.”

  “I did, thank you. It was from Lifin. He told me where we could find Treto.”

  Stanley nodded. “Good. Shall we go and see him after breakfast? We need to eat to keep our strength up.”

  “Yes. I’ll get something ready for us.” I yawned and scratched my stomach. “What would everyone like?”

  Stanley held up a paw and said, “I’ve got it all under control. I’ve been awake for hours thinking about everything. I went down to the café for an early breakfast and I ordered something for you and Kitty. Gilda brought it up ten minutes ago. She’s made you a hot breakfast with bacon, eggs, sausages and hash browns. And some toast on the side.” He stopped talking and put his head to one side. “Cassia, you’re dribbling.”

  “Sorry.” I wiped my mouth. “Stanley, have I told you lately how wonderful you are?”

  He gave me a small shrug. “It’s nothing. Someone needs to look after you.” He turned his attention to Kitty. “Gilda’s made something for you too. Come on, little one.” He turned around and left the bedroom.

  Kitty jumped out of my hand and onto the bed. Her face scrunched up and she said, “I’m going to fly now.” She threw herself off the bed.

  “No!” I reached out to catch her.

  Too late.

  Kitty didn’t fly. But she landed on the cushion next to the bed.

  She gave me a confused look. “Why didn’t I fly?”

  I picked her up. “I don’t think your wings have come through yet. Give it a bit longer. Kitty, I’m going to do my best to find your mummy. I’m sure she’ll want to give you flying lessons.”

  Kitty nodded. “I think she will.”

  “Promise me you won’t try to fly until then. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

  “Okay. I promise.” Kitty looked at me and nodded. “Can you be my mummy too? I like it when you look after me.”

  I couldn’t talk for a moment and I blinked away my sudden tears. When I found my voice, I said, “Of course. Stanley and I will take good care of you until we find your mummy.” I picked her up and carried her.

  I followed the smell of cooked food into the living area. The table next to the window had been set with a couple of plates covered in foil, a full glass of orange juice and a teapot and cup. There was a cushion on the floor and a bowl with Kitty’s name on it. The bowl was full of something smooth and creamy-looking. I placed Kitty next to the bowl and told her to tuck in.

  Stanley said, “Gilda brought all this up while you were still asleep. She said the food will stay warm for a while yet.”

  I shook my head slowly. “I never heard her coming in. I must say thank you to her later. Thanks for organising this, Stanley.” I lowered my voice and moved
closer to him. “Is there any news about you-know-who?”

  He shook his head. “Gilda asked around again, but with no luck. Rascal and the gang were out all night searching for information. They didn’t have any luck either. You-know-who is nowhere to be found.”

  We both looked in Kitty’s direction. She was making slurping noises as she enthusiastically consumed her breakfast. One of her paws was in the dish. My heart sank as I watched her.

  Stanley whispered, “I know what you’re thinking. I’ve been thinking that too. But we can’t think the worst.”

  “I already have,” I whispered back. “Kitty was found in the same area where Alan was lurking. She could have been with her mum at the time Alan attacked Selo. What if her mum started to make a noise as Selo approached and Alan decided to silence her?” My eyes stung with tears.

  Stanley shook his head vehemently. “Nope. We are not going to think those thoughts. Not at all. We will find Kitty’s mum. You can use magic if you have to. There must be some sort of locating spell you can use. Surely?”

  I nodded. “You’re right. I will use whatever magic I can to help Kitty.” I lifted my chin. “We can do this.”

  With a more hopeful attitude, I tucked into my delicious breakfast and thought about the questions I was going to ask Treto. This was going to be a productive day, and I was going to get all the answers I needed.

  I tried my best to ignore the sense of foreboding that was trying to invade my mind. It could clear off. I didn’t have time for negative thoughts.

  Chapter 14

  Before we set off on my broomstick, I made Kitty promise again that she wouldn’t attempt to fly on her own.

  Even though she said yes, I didn’t like the glint of mischief in her eyes. Stanley noticed that too and said he’d keep a paw on her.

  It was a beautiful sunny day and there was a warm breeze wafting through the air carrying the scent of flowers. It was a day for taking a lazy stroll around the town, followed by a scrumptious picnic next to the gazebo. It wasn’t the kind of day for tracking down a cold-hearted murderer; but that was my job and any thoughts of picnics were forced from my mind.

  Lifin had told me Treto’s family were five miles east of the Cezerus Ranch, so we headed that way. As we flew over the ranch, I noticed how busy it was. Business must be good for the Cezerus family, despite the death of Selo.

  Stanley kept a firm paw on the wiggling Kitty as we soared past the ranch, over a forest and towards a clear area behind it where Treto’s family were living. I looked down and was surprised to see huge, steel caravans dotted around a central area. The whole back wall of the caravans were down, and centaurs in all sizes lounged in front of them. I wondered if the centaurs had those caravans specially made. They must have. I could see large portable buildings placed here and there. Perhaps those were toilet facilities or communal eating areas. When Lifin told me the Treto family wandered around, I was expecting to find the centaurs living out of tents. This kind of living was more like … I searched for the right word.

  Stanley beat me to it. He said, “Glamping. Glamorous camping. That’s what it looks to me.”

  “Were you reading my mind?” I asked him.

  He chuckled. “I could tell what you were thinking. Do you know what Treto looks like?”

  “No.” I pointed to the central area. “They’ve got a barbecue area down there and a Jacuzzi. This is my kind of camping.”

  We flew lower, and I aimed my broomstick towards a group of centaurs who were standing next to an ice cream van. Just as I was thinking I could make room for an ice cream, I heard someone shout, ‘Treto! You need to come to your senses!’

  I looked over my shoulder and saw two centaurs standing at the side of a caravan. One was older than the other, and it was him who was shouting. He yelled, “As your father, I demand you stop this nonsense. It’s disrespectful to Selo. Treto, are you listening to me?”

  Treto replied angrily, “I didn’t have any respect for Selo when he was alive; I don’t have any for him now. The race is going ahead, and that’s that.”

  I lowered us to the ground a few feet away, and we all jumped off the broomstick.

  I called out, “Hello, sorry to disturb you. Are you Treto? I’d like to have a talk with you about Selo’s death.”

  Before I could politely add a smile to my request, Treto spun around and galloped away into the trees.

  His father hollered, “Treto! Come back this minute.”

  We heard the sound of Treto’s hooves fading into the distance.

  His father looked my way. “I’m terribly sorry about that. I don’t know what’s got into my son lately. Can I help you with anything? It’s Cassia, isn’t it? How’s your gran?”

  “She’s fine, thanks.” I swung the broomstick up in front of me. “I need to talk to your son urgently. Stanley, Kitty, get back on and hold tight.”

  Within seconds we were flying after the escaping centaur. I wasn’t putting up with any nonsense today. I was going to get my answers, no matter what.

  “Stanley, can you see him?” I asked.

  “No, but I can hear him. He’s heading that way.” He raised his paw to the left.

  I veered the broomstick to the left and looked down at the top of the dense trees as we zoomed along.

  Stanley cocked his head. “I can’t hear anything now. He must have stopped running.”

  “He’s hiding,” I said. I looked at the thick foliage beneath us. “But where?”

  Kitty spoke up, “I can see something over there.”

  “Can you?” I asked. All I could see were leaves.

  She nodded and pointed to an area to our right.

  I slowly flew over to that area and hovered above it.

  Kitty whispered, “He’s down there. I can smell him.”

  That was good enough for me. I found a gap in the leaves and rapidly lowered the broomstick. We descended so quickly that I almost left my stomach behind.

  We landed in front of the startled centaur.

  “How did you find me?” he asked. Without waiting a second, he took off running again.

  He didn’t get far. He ran into a tree and collapsed to the ground. He roared in pain and yelled, “My leg! You’ve broken my leg!”

  “I did no such thing,” I informed him. I got off the broomstick and waited for Stanley and Kitty to leap off. I kept hold of my broomstick as I walked towards Treto. If this was a trick, I wanted to be ready to chase after him again.

  Treto didn’t look as if he was going anywhere. His face was twisted in pain, and he was gasping for breath. He turned wild eyes my way and spat, “You did this, you witch! You put a spell on me. You’ve broken my leg. I’ll never be able to run again. I’m going to report you. I’m going to let everyone know what you’ve done. You can’t use your magic for evil deeds; everyone knows that!”

  I pointed my broomstick at him. “I didn’t put a spell on you. You’re the one who ran away from me. I wanted to talk to you, but you fled.” I was about to give him more of a lecture, but he couldn’t hear me as he was howling so much.

  “Oh, for goodness’ sake,” I said. “Stop making such a fuss. Let me have a look at your leg.” I put my broomstick down and moved closer to him.

  “No!” he shouted. “Keep away from me, you wicked witch!”

  I raised my voice, “Be quiet! I’m trying to help you. I certainly did not use magic on you which made you run into this tree. But I can use magic to make you better.”

  Treto stopped moaning and gave me a wary look. “I don’t trust you. You might make my leg fall off.”

  I nodded. “That is a possibility. I’m still getting used to my magical abilities. Okay then, I won’t try to help you. I’ll leave you here to moan to yourself all day.” I made to walk away.

  Treto grumbled, “Alright, you can try a bit of magic on me. If anything goes wrong, I’ll let everyone know it was you who broke my leg.”

  Stanley trotted over to us and declared, “Cassia didn’t
cause your accident, you nitwit. I saw what you did, and so did Kitty over there.”

  Kitty nodded in agreement.

  Treto tutted. “Who’s going to take the word of a scrawny cat over the word of a respected centaur?”

  Stanley lifted his chin proudly. “There is a thriving cat community in Brimstone. We are well respected. So there.”

  I put my hands on my hips and said, “Do you want me to heal you or not? I’ve got a busy day planned. I don’t have time for messing about.”

  Treto mumbled something to himself before saying, “Go on then; get it over with.”

  I was so tempted to walk away from the ungrateful creature, but I had an investigation to deal with.

  I knelt next to Treto and put my hands near the leg which was lying at a funny angle. It was definitely broken. I chased all annoyed feelings from my mind and pictured the leg mending and becoming strong again. I closed my eyes and felt the familiar tingle in my fingers. I let the magic flow down into the broken limb.

  Once my fingers had stopped tingling, I opened one eye and said to Treto, “Well? How does that feel?” I opened the other eye and was relieved to see his leg hadn’t fallen off.

  Treto raised his leg and moved it around. “It feels okay. Let me stand on it.”

  I straightened up and took a step back as the centaur got to his feet - all four of them.

  Treto gingerly walked from side to side. He slowly nodded. “Yeah, everything feels alright. You’ve fixed it.” He gave me a nasty look and added, “After you broke it.”

  I sighed. “I didn’t break it. You ran into the tree.”

  “I’ve never run into a tree in all my life. I’m too clever for that.” He gave me a sneaky smile. “See you later; you group of idiots.”

  In a flash, he sprinted away leaving me there with my mouth hanging open in shock.

  Stanley yelled, “Hey! Come back!”

  My hands curled into fists and rage shot through my body like lightning.

  No! I was not going to be treated like this!

  “Arghh!” I screamed in fury and raised my hands at the departing centaur. My fingers felt like they were on fire as I aimed a spell in Treto’s direction. I regretted it immediately. Even though I was new to using magic, I knew I should never, ever cast a spell in anger.