“That doesn’t make any sense. How did you get from Brimstone to here? And how did Dr Gilbert know you were injured?”
Gran let out another little yawn before saying, “I don’t know how I got back home, but I suspect someone from Brimstone carried me here. That is totally illegal. Residents of Brimstone are not allowed into our world without severe consequences, so whoever brought me here was taking a big risk. I can’t think of who would take such a risk unless it was the person who attacked me and they then wanted me out of the way.”
“How did Dr Gilbert know about you?”
“I asked him that. He said his receptionist received a phone call about me. The doctor didn’t know if it was a male or female who’d phoned. I asked him to ring the receptionist to find out, but she couldn’t remember either as they’ve been so busy this morning. All she could say is that whoever made the call was very curt and said the doctor needed to get here immediately.”
Gran settled back on the pillows, and her eyes began to close.
“Gran, what can we do about this? Should I go to Brimstone and find out who attacked you?”
Gran’s eyelids flitted open. In a tired voice, she said, “Cassia, leave everything to me. I don’t want you getting involved in Brimstone business. I’m sure I’ll be up on my feet in no time. If I wasn’t so tired and weak, I’d use magic to heal myself.”
I swallowed my nervousness before saying, “Could I use some of my magic on you? If you tell me what to do, I could have a go.”
The corner of Gran’s mouth lifted slowly. “No, thank you. You haven’t been trained, and with all the best intentions in the world you might end up turning me into a frog or a caterpillar. No, Cassia, leave everything to me. You get yourself back to work. I’ll be fine. And don’t even think about going into Brimstone. It’s not your concern, and I don’t want you to have any part of it. Forget about this magic business and being a witch.”
“There’s no way I’m going back to the office and leaving you on your own. I’ll stay here with you and keep an eye on you.”
Gran nodded slowly and her eyelids closed. Within seconds, she was snoring lightly.
I looked at Oliver and raised my eyebrows as if asking him what I should do next. He jumped off the sofa and padded over to the cellar door. I went after him. He must have been thinking the same thing as me.
I looked down at Oliver and said, “I’m going to Brimstone to find out who attacked Gran. Do I need to take anything with me? Some lunch? A coat? Some form of protection which will keep me safe from werewolves?”
Oliver gave me a look as if to say, ‘I’ve no idea; just get on with it.’
I went back over to Gran and made sure she was sound asleep before heading back to the cellar door. I was about to open the door when my phone alerted me to a text. I quickly read it. It was from Alistair, and he was wondering where the hell I was. His words. Anger bubbled up inside me, and my reply was ‘Family emergency’. I knew from experience that he would be texting me back within minutes to demand more information. I didn’t have time for that. I switched the phone off, put my hand on the cellar door and pulled it open. I ran down the stairs, across the floor and towards the door that would lead me to Brimstone.
I smiled to myself. I hadn’t felt this sense of purpose in a long, long time. I was going to find out who attacked my lovely Gran, and if that meant walking into a pack of angry werewolves, so be it.
Chapter 11
I stepped onto the cobbled path, closed the cellar door behind me, and took a moment to take in my surroundings. I could see individuals milling around the town square, busy with their everyday lives. If they knew Gran had been attacked, they showed no obvious signs of it. I glanced towards the butterfly tree at the end of the cobbled path, and saw the butterflies flapping their wings in my direction as if saying hello to me. I realised I’d forgotten to tell Gran about the butterfly who came to my office. Had someone sent it?
I walked closer to the butterflies, raised my hand in greeting and said, “Hi, it’s good to see you again. Do any of you know who attacked my gran?” I didn’t know what the protocol was for talking to the Brimstone butterflies, but it was worth a try.
The butterflies flapped their wings slowly in return, and I had no idea whether that meant they knew something or not.
“Thanks anyway,” I told them, and I walked towards Blythe’s house. If anyone knew something about Gran’s attack, it would be Blythe.
The door opened before I had the chance to knock on it.
Brin stood there, her brow creased in concern. She said, “We’ve heard about your gran. How is she? Is she badly hurt? Has she seen a doctor? Is there something I can do to help?”
I quickly explained that Dr Gilbert had seen to her and added, “She’s fast asleep on the sofa and her cat, Oliver, is keeping an eye on her, for what that’s worth. I’ll go back and check on her soon. Is Blythe in? I need to talk to her.”
Brin stood to one side. “Of course, come in. She’s in the living room. She’s in the middle of a meeting, but I’m sure she won’t mind you interrupting her.”
I walked into the living room and came to a stop when I saw who Blythe was having a meeting with. Fairies of all shapes, sizes and colours filled the room. Some were sitting on the floor, some were perched on furniture, and some were fluttering around the room in an agitated manner.
Blythe noticed me standing by the door and said, “Oh Cassia! We’ve just heard about Esther. One of the butterflies told us. How is she?”
I repeated my Dr Gilbert conversation to which Blythe replied, “Good, good. Oliver will keep a good eye on her. If she wakes up, he’ll let us know.”
I blinked. Oliver would let them know? How? Was he going to use a mobile phone or something?
Blythe said, “Don’t just stand there, Cassia, come in and take a seat.”
I didn’t dare move forward; there were fairies everywhere. I said, “I don’t want to stand on anyone and squash them.”
Blythe looked at the fairies on the carpet in front of me and flapped her hand at them. They quickly made a clear passage for me. I walked along the fairy-free area and took a seat on the sofa, checking for fairies before I lowered my behind.
I began, “Blythe, before Gran fell asleep, she told me about Jonathan Tidewell’s suicide.”
There was a collective gasp from the fairies, and some of them moved away from me. What was their problem?
Blythe took a seat opposite me and said, “We don’t think it was suicide.” She nodded in the general direction of the fairies and went on, “We think there’s something more sinister afoot. Jonathan was not the kind of werewolf to take his own life. He’d recently got engaged and had every reason to live. Esther was going to make further investigations into his death.” Her face brightened up. “Are you here to take on the case on your gran’s behalf? That would be incredibly helpful, Cassia.”
Without hesitating, I lied, “Yes, that’s what Gran wants me to do. She wants me to talk to the leader of the pack and to make a full investigation.” It entered my mind that with Blythe being a witch, she might be aware of the lies I was telling her. I put a convincing smile on my face.
Blythe clasped her hands together in delight and let out a big sigh. “That is such a relief. We were thinking of contacting one of the witches from the outer lands to deal with the case. Now we don’t have to. What do you need to know from me before you meet the werewolves?”
I forced the smile to stay on my face and tried to give the impression that I wasn’t freaked out by the thought of meeting a pack of werewolves. I said, “Where will I find them? Gran mentioned the forest; whereabouts is that?”
Blythe replied, “Some of the fairies here will show you the way. They won’t go all the way into the forest, not with the werewolves being the ferocious creatures that they are.” She gave a laugh and added, “I’m sure you’ll be alright though, Cassia, you’re a witch. And the werewolves don’t hurt witches. No one in Brimstone hurts
witches.”
“But someone did hurt Gran,” I pointed out. “Can I use magic to defend myself? Is there a wand I could have? Perhaps I could borrow yours.”
The fairies let out a shocked gasp as if I’d just suggested running naked down the middle of the street.
Blythe gave me a gentle smile. “Cassia, you don’t borrow another witch’s wand - ever. Find the leader of the pack, Strom, and get some details about Jonathan and his movements before he died. If you don’t upset them, the werewolves will treat you in a fair manner.”
I gulped. “But what if they take offence to my gentle questioning? Are you sure there isn’t something I can use to defend myself?”
Blythe’s purple eyes gave me a deep, searching look. She said, “You already know how to use magic, don’t you? You’ve used witchcraft today with those appraisals of yours.”
Sweat broke out on my forehead. “How do you know about that?”
“You performed magic in the human world. I always know when that happens. Don’t look so shocked. I’m glad you did use your magical powers. I wish it hadn’t been in the human world because you could have been caught, and then goodness knows what might’ve happened to you.” Her searching look intensified. “How did it feel when you performed the magic? How did you set about using it?”
I thought back to the incident. “I felt as if I was focusing my mind on what I wanted to happen. I got a tingle down my hand, and then the magic just happened. It was sort of awesome.” I gave her a small grin.
Blythe nodded. “Your intention was good, and your focus was clear. That’s exactly how you need to be when you perform magic. I wish I had more time to go through your magical abilities, but I’ve got something important to deal with. I don’t mind telling you, Cassia, there’s something strange going on in the lands outside Brimstone. There have been rumours of trouble brewing there for a long time, and I need to meet with the leaders there. Something terrible is heading towards Brimstone, and I have to stop it before any further trouble occurs.”
I looked left and right at the fairies and could see their worried expressions mirrored Blythe’s.
I said, “More trouble? What do you mean? What’s happened?”
Blythe said, “Well, the obvious thing is that Esther has been attacked. Then, she was taken back into your world by someone who lives in Brimstone. That is an unlawful act. Also, there’s the matter of Jonathan Tidewell. He didn’t commit suicide; he was murdered. We don’t have murders often in Brimstone. The last one was a long time ago.”
“He was murdered? How do you know?” I asked.
Blythe placed a hand on her stomach. “I can feel it here. And that’s where you come in, Cassia. You’re going to make a full investigation and find out who murdered Jonathan.”
A fairy flew over to her and whispered something in her ear.
Blythe got to her feet, and said to me, “We have to leave now. Something is happening in the outer lands. Cassia, I wish I could offer you more help, but I’m afraid I’ll have to leave this murder investigation up to you. Will you be able to deal with it?”
Mustering all the determination and courage I could, I stood up, gave Blythe a confident smile and said, “Of course I can deal with the murder of a werewolf.”
Chapter 12
A purple fairy the size of my hand flew over to my ear, and said, “We’ll show you the way to the forest. Follow me.”
Blythe said, “Cassia, are you sure you can handle this? We can always ask someone else to deal with it.”
I gave her a manic smile. “I can deal with this, no problem. I’ve watched Teen Wolf. I know what to expect from werewolves. And I’ve watched all the Twilight films.” I gave her a nod as if to confirm I was a werewolf expert.
Blythe’s brow furrowed. “Teen Wolf? Twilight? I’ve heard of those, but they’re not based on facts. Cassia, I’m having second thoughts about this.”
I lifted my chin and walked confidently towards the door. Without giving Blythe another glance, I said, “I’m only going to talk to the werewolves. I’m sure I won’t be in danger. Cheerio!”
I managed to keep hold of my courage as I was followed out of Blythe’s home by a group of purple fairies. We stepped out of the front door and turned right. One fairy flew near my left ear, and another by my right. I looked over my shoulder and saw the other four fairies were flying behind me in pairs. My heart skipped a beat as I realised they looked like a funeral procession with me as the coffin. I shook my head. I could do without thoughts like that.
We walked down a path at the side of the house and towards a wooden gate. I pushed the gate open and stepped onto a stone path which was lined with pebbles.
The lead fairy said, “This way.”
I did as I was told and walked along the stone path for about five minutes. There were trees either side of the path and the sun shone through the leaves. Birds tweeted, and small butterflies fluttered in and out of the trees. It was all very pleasant, and I felt my spirits lifting. Maybe talking to werewolves wouldn’t be that bad after all.
The stone path ended, and the fairies hovered silently in the air.
The lead fairy said, “This is where we leave you.”
I looked in front of me and noticed four separate dirt paths going in different directions. None of them looked welcoming.
I said to the fairy, “Which way do I go now? And why can’t you come with me?”
She replied, “It’s not safe for us to go further into the forest.” She hesitated and then added, “I’m sure you’ll be alright. You are a witch after all. Follow the path on the furthest left. It will take you to where the werewolves live.” There was another hesitation before she said, “Good luck.”
The fairies flew away in the blink of an eye, and I found myself all alone on the path.
I mumbled to myself, “Come on, Cassia, you can do this. You’re only going for a little chat. So, you’re going to talk to werewolves! Big deal. You can handle this.”
I turned to the furthest path on the left and stepped on to it. I forced myself forward. My heartbeat was going much, much faster than my reluctant legs. As I walked further along, the trees became denser and the birdsong stopped. There wasn’t one single happy butterfly fluttering about anywhere.
Gulping down my fear, I continued walking. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard the snap of a twig to my right. I glanced nervously that way, but couldn’t see anything other than dense foliage. Was someone watching me?
My steps were even slower as I moved forward. A sudden rustling of leaves made me jump again. I heard a snort of something, or someone, to my left and my head turned that way. I had the uneasy feeling that someone was watching every step that I was taking.
At this point, I did what any sensible person who’s watched horror movies would do - I turned around and retreated down the path.
I’d only gone a few steps when I came to a stop and said to myself, “Come on Cassia! Don’t be a wimp. Don’t forget about Gran. Someone hurt her. No one messes with Gran. You can do this. You are a witch.” I raised my fist in the air and waved it at the trees around me. “Don’t mess with me.”
I lifted my chin, turned around on the spot and marched back along the path at a more determined pace. Thankfully, my determination stayed with me all the way along the ever-darkening path.
I soon came to a clearing. In the middle of the clearing were about a dozen wooden cabins with smoke coming out of their chimneys. A collection of wooden cabins sounds quite comforting, but it was the grim-faced men who stood in a line in front of the biggest cabin that ruined the friendly scene for me.
The men were all thickset with huge muscles rippling beneath their shirts and jeans. They were watching me with eyes full of suspicion. Were these the werewolves I was looking for? Or just a group of angry-looking men trying to live a quiet life?
One of the men lifted his head and inhaled noisily. His eyes glittered, and he licked his lips. He smiled, showing protruding canine teet
h.
So, they were werewolves then. Had they eaten recently? Was I going to be their lunch? There were about ten or twelve men glowering at me, and I was certain I wasn’t big enough to go around all of them. That thought didn’t give me the slightest bit of reassurance.
The biggest man stepped forward and gave me the once over. It was clear he was older than the rest by the flecks of grey in his hair, his craggy-looking face and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. He had various claw-shaped scars down both cheeks which led me to surmise he’d been in many fights.
I attempted a smile and said in a pathetically feeble voice, “Hello. Sorry to disturb you. I’m – ”
The man spoke, “Cassia Winter. We know who you are. I’m Strom, the leader of this pack.” He came closer and held out his hand. It was the size of a shovel. As I placed my impossibly small hand in his he continued, “We’ve heard about your gran. How is Esther?”
“She’s fine, thank you. She’s a bit bruised and has a sprained ankle, but she’s going to recover.” I wasn’t sure why I was going into so much detail as it could have been this werewolf who attacked Gran. I quickly retrieved my hand.
Strom said, “I’ve known Esther a long time, and I hope she recovers quickly. We know why you’re here, and we thank you for coming. You’re here to talk about Jonathan Tidewell.”
A man suddenly broke forward and yelled, “Don’t talk to her! She’s of no use to us. She’s weak willed and lacks courage. I can smell it on her. Tell her to go! This is werewolf business; we can deal with this ourselves. We don’t need outsiders here, especially not someone like her.”
Strom bared his teeth at the man who had just spoken and growled, “Flint! That’s enough. I’m dealing with this. Get back to your work.” He looked at the other men who were still giving me dark looks, and ordered, “The rest of you can get back to work too. I’m dealing with this.”
Murder Of A Werewolf (A Brimstone Witch Mystery Book 1) Page 6