The Silent Banshee (A Brimstone Witch Mystery Book 5) Read online

  The Silent Banshee

  A Brimstone Witch Mystery

  (Book 5)

  By

  April Fernsby

  www.aprilfernsby.com

  Copyright 2017 by April Fernsby

  Front Cover by www.coverkicks.com

  Proofreading done by Paula Proofreader

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, electronically or mechanically without permission from the author.

  This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  About the author

  Chapter 1

  The blast sent me flying across the kitchen and I landed painfully against the cupboard where Gran kept the plates. Stanley, my cat and familiar, followed me through the air and landed safely on my knee.

  Winded and shocked, I looked down at Stanley and said, “Are you alright?”

  Stanley looked as shocked as I felt. He said, “I think so. What just happened?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. One minute I was reaching for the kettle, and the next, I was being flung across the kitchen. It was like a really strong gust of wind knocked me off my feet.” I stroked his grey-furred head. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  Stanley’s whiskers twitched. “I’ve still got that sound in my ears that I told you about a minute ago. It’s like the echo of a scream. Are you sure you can’t hear it?”

  I shook my head again. I placed Stanley on the floor and got to my feet. My back felt sore from bashing into the cupboard and I suspected a bruise was already forming. I looked through the kitchen window expecting to see a storm raging. But it was a peaceful summer’s day out there with fluffy clouds floating idly across the sky. I glanced around the kitchen. Had something exploded? Something with gas in it? Should we be running for our lives before there was another explosion?

  “Stanley, can you smell any gas? Or see anything that could have caused us to fly through the air like that?”

  Stanley’s whiskers twitched once more. “I can’t smell gas or see anything suspicious.” He gave me a studied look. “Was it you? Did you do something unintentionally? You’ve been looking at those spell books for hours. Did you think about casting a spell and then made it happen without realising it?”

  I scratched my head. “I don’t think so. I can’t recall seeing a spell that would do that to us. Anyway, I stopped reading those spell books an hour ago. They were making my brain hurt. I’ll never remember all those spells. I was looking through the books which give information about my job as a justice witch. If I’m going to do my job right, I want to know what my legal powers are.” I looked around the kitchen again. “Nothing’s broken. That’s weird. It’s like the invisible force was directed just at us. Tell me again about that noise you heard.”

  “It was like a scream,” Stanley said. “A scream from far away. It started when you said you’d had enough of reading and were going to make a cup of tea. The scream got louder and stronger. I thought my ears were going to explode. Then I felt like I was being picked up and off I went, flying through the air.” His eyes narrowed. “It must have something to do with black magic. Or magic of some sort.”

  “You’re right. I think we should have a quick look through the cellar door at Brimstone and make sure everything is okay there. We haven’t been through for a couple of days anyway. I’d like to make sure everyone is okay.”

  Stanley said, “You’d better leave a note for Esther. If something has happened in Brimstone, we’ll have to stay and deal with it.”

  “Good point. Gran will be back from her shopping trip soon.” I grabbed a piece of paper and quickly scribbled a note to Gran about us popping into Brimstone. I didn’t mention the invisible force that had swept through the kitchen. I’d tell her about that later.

  We headed towards the door that led down to the cellar. I was a justice witch in the magical town of Brimstone. I’d dealt with the murders of supernatural creatures in the town including werewolves, vampires and centaurs. The town had recently been infected by a large amount of black magic which had caused the residents to be less kind to each other. That was putting it mildly. Their thoughts had turned to murder. The black magic had gone now, but I wasn’t sure how much of it was lingering in the residents’ hearts and minds. The magical town lay beyond a door in Gran’s cellar.

  Stanley trotted down the cellar steps and I went after him. I gingerly touched the middle of my back. Yep. There was going to be a bruise there. Perhaps I could use magic to heal myself? I’d speak to Gran about that before casting a spell on myself. I wasn’t confident about my magical abilities yet.

  I was lost in my thoughts and didn’t notice that Stanley had come to a standstill in the middle of the floor. I noticed him at the last second and just managed to avoid standing on his tail.

  Stanley was staring straight ahead. “Erm, Cassia, look at the door.”

  I did look at the door. Or rather, what was left of it. The door that led to Brimstone was in pieces all over the cellar floor. A huge force had blown it inwards causing it to splinter into hundreds of pieces.

  “It must have been the same force that went through the kitchen,” I said. I picked Stanley up. “I don’t want you getting splinters in your paws.”

  “Is it safe to go into Brimstone?” Stanley asked. “I feel scared all of a sudden. What if there’s a huge angry wolf out there who’s huffing and puffing on everyone’s doors and blowing them down? What if the wolf wants to eat us?”

  “Then I’ll ask him politely to go away. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll use my magic on him.” I gulped. “If that doesn’t work, we’ll go back to the kitchen and wait for Gran.”

  I took a few steps forward and felt fragments of wood snapping beneath my feet. Gran was going to be furious about this door. She’d given it a fresh coat of paint only last week.

  As we moved closer, I could see the town of Brimstone lying ahead of us. Everything seemed the same so far. The town was in one piece and so was the gazebo that stood in the middle of the grassed square. The picnic tables and benches were still in position around the gazebo. But something was different out there. I could sense it.

  Keeping Stanley in my arms, I walked quickly through the doorway and along the cobbled path outside. I looked towards the tree on my left. It was one of the trees that the Brimstone butterflies lived on. The town had been named after these beautiful creatures. The butterflies were in an agitated state and their wings were flapping wildly causing a brisk breeze.

  Stanley said, “What’s wrong with them? Do you think they caused the damage? Their wings are going crazy.”

  “I don’t think they’re strong enough to destroy the c
ellar door. Look at everyone in the town. They all look shocked. Some are crying.”

  We took in the residents of Brimstone who were standing still in various places around the town. Shock and horror were etched on their faces. Some were sobbing quietly and a few were sitting on benches and shaking their heads slowly.

  Stanley said, “Something terrible has happened. I can feel it.”

  “Me too. Let’s go and see Blythe. She’ll know what’s happened.”

  Blythe was a three-hundred-year-old witch who ruled Brimstone. She didn’t look her age and was stunningly beautiful with her perfect skin, long black hair and startling purple eyes. She was a trusted friend to Stanley and me.

  I turned towards Blythe’s house and jumped as I discovered the very witch herself was inches away from me. I hadn’t heard her walking towards me.

  Blythe put her hand on my arm and I noticed the concern in her eyes. She said, “I was about to call on you. I’ve seen the state of your cellar door. Are you okay? Did the blast of energy affect you? Did it get inside Esther’s house? Is she okay?”

  I nodded. “We’re all fine. Gran’s out. Blythe, what happened? Why is everyone crying?” I hesitated. “Has someone died?”

  Blythe took her hand back and put it over her chest. She bowed her head. “Someone has died. That blast of energy came from her dying scream. Did you hear her scream?”

  I shook my head. “I didn’t, but Stanley did. Who are you talking about? Who died?”

  Blythe sighed heavily. “Dana Murphy. She was a banshee. Our town banshee.”

  Chapter 2

  “A banshee?” I repeated. “Like an old crone who screams when someone is about to die?” I abruptly stopped talking and felt heat rushing to my cheeks. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to use such a derogatory term. I’m sure she wasn’t a crone of any sort.”

  Blythe gave me a small smile. “She was only twenty-nine. The same age as you, Cassia. Dana didn’t scream when someone was about to die. She offered the town a different kind of service. I’ll explain about that in a while. I knew her mum and grandma, and I’ve heard them scream before. I knew who was screaming just now, and so did the rest of the town. Only Dana could scream and cause that much energy to rush through the town. Thank goodness no one was hurt. There’s no structural damage either. Apart from Esther’s cellar door.”

  Stanley piped up, “Cassia was flung into a kitchen cupboard. She landed against it with a big thud. I think she’s hurt.”

  I added, “It’s just a bruise on my back. It’ll go eventually.”

  Blythe swiftly placed her hand against my back and heat flooded through me. It was like standing next to a welcoming fire and I couldn’t help sighing with happiness. The pain in my back vanished in two seconds.

  “Thank you,” I said to Blythe. “Where is Dana Murphy now? Has she died at home in her bed? Peacefully?” I added a note of optimism to my voice.

  “That scream wasn’t the scream of someone dying peacefully in their bed. There was terror in Dana’s voice.” Blythe raised her hand towards the butterfly tree and summoned them towards her. All of the butterflies fluttered to her, their wings still flapping too quickly. They surrounded us like a pale yellow and green cloud.

  Blythe said to them gently, “It’s okay. You are safe. We will deal with this. I need you to find Dana’s body as soon as possible. You don’t need to be scared. Go now. Thank you.”

  The butterflies wings slowed down and they flew away from us. They separated and headed in different directions. We watched them go.

  I said to Blythe, “Why would they be scared? What’s going on?”

  “Dana is a banshee.” Blythe stopped and her face fell into sadness. “That’s the wrong tense. She was a banshee. If she’d have known she was going to die, she would have arranged her funeral and sorted out her business affairs. She didn’t do either of those things which only means one thing. She died unexpectedly. Cassia, considering what’s been happening in this town recently, this could be another murder.”

  My heart felt heavy in my chest. “I was hoping all the murders had stopped.”

  “Me too,” Blythe admitted. “I hoped our town would get back to being as it once was before that evil magic was forced on us.” A bitter look came into her eyes. “You know my cousins are to blame for the black magic. If they’re responsible for Dana dying – ” She abruptly stopped. “Let’s just say that if that’s the case, I’ll be having another chat with them.”

  “You’ve already had a chat with them,” I pointed out. “You nearly died as a result of it.”

  “It’ll take more than my cousins’ feeble magic to end my life.” She forced a smile to her face. “There’s no need for you to be concerned with that. If Dana has been murdered, then you’ll have to investigate it. Are you okay with that?”

  “Of course.”

  Stanley said, “I’ll help her.”

  Blythe picked him up and cuddled him. “I know you will. You and Cassia make a great team.”

  Stanley purred in her arms and mumbled, “Thank you.”

  A movement in the air caught my eye and I saw a butterfly coming back towards us. It landed on Blythe’s shoulder and whispered in her ear. She nodded and said thank you to it. The creature fluttered away and went back to the tree where it lived. It was soon joined by the other butterflies. They folded their wings and were still.

  Blythe said quietly, “Dana’s body is in the middle of a wheat field. We’ll use our broomsticks to get there. I’ll go and get mine. Stanley, do you want to come with me? I could do with holding onto you for a bit longer. You’re very comforting.”

  Stanley shot me a look. “Is that okay with you, Cassia?”

  “Of course. I’ll collect my broom too. It’s in the cellar.” I gave them a small smile. “Hopefully still in one piece.”

  Blythe nodded and walked towards her house with Stanley nestled in her arms.

  I quickly went back along the cobbled path and stepped into the cellar. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw my broomstick was still intact and leaning against the back wall. Thank goodness for that. I considered leaving Gran another note but changed my mind. I didn’t have that much to tell her yet.

  I grabbed my broomstick and headed back towards the open doorway. I stopped. I couldn’t leave the door in bits all over the floor. It was time to use my magic. I placed my broomstick on the floor, closed my eyes and concentrated on seeing the cellar door back in one piece. I imagined it with the fresh coat of paint that Gran had put on it too. My hands tingled and I knew magic was flowing into them. Keeping my eyes closed, I aimed my hands towards where the door had been.

  After a few seconds, the tingle left my fingers. I opened one eye and looked at what I’d done. I smiled and opened the other eye. The door was back in one piece. I checked the floor and couldn’t see one speck of broken wood anywhere. There wasn’t even any sawdust on the floor. I fist pumped the air and let out a little ‘Yes!’ I was always relieved when my magic worked as it was supposed to.

  I picked my broomstick up and reached for the handle. Oops. There wasn’t a handle. I quickly used a bit more magic and the handle returned. I was glad no one was here to witness that magic hiccup.

  Once through the door, I jogged down the cobbled path to where Blythe and Stanley were now waiting. Blythe held her broomstick in one hand. It was a magnificent shade of deep purple.

  Stanley was looking embarrassed and moved from paw to paw. He cleared his throat and said, “Cassia, would it be okay if I went on Blythe’s broomstick? She said I could. But I don’t have to. I like going on your broomstick. I like flying with you. It’s just that I’ve never been on another broomstick, and I’d like to know what it feels like.” He cast a wistful look towards Blythe’s broomstick.

  I smiled at him. “I don’t mind at all.” I looked at Blythe. “He’s an adrenaline junkie when it comes to flying. He keeps threatening to stand on two legs when we’re airborne.”

  “I’ll keep an eye on him,�
�� Blythe said. She lowered her broomstick and Stanley hopped onto it. “It’ll be nice to have some company.” She perched herself on the broomstick behind him. “Ready when you are, Cassia.”

  I followed Blythe and Stanley as they rose and then moved forwards. I could see Stanley grinning happily from his position at the front.

  As we headed away from the town I noticed that it was now empty. I called over to Blythe, “Where did everyone go?”

  “I told them we were going to deal with Dana’s death and that they should go indoors for a while.”

  I caught the concern in her voice. “Are you worried about something?”

  “A bit. I’m hoping the scream that came from Dana was just for her own death.” Blythe clamped her mouth shut and looked straight ahead.

  Was she thinking there could be more deaths about to occur? I was tempted to ask her, but I didn’t want to know the answer.

  We flew on in silence for five minutes and headed over green fields. Those fields were replaced by ones containing crops of some sort. I thought back to my geography lessons and wished I’d paid more attention to what certain crops looked like. I had no idea what was growing in the fields beneath us.

  Blythe slowed down and hovered over a field. I came to her side.

  She pointed to the field. “This is wheat. It’ll be ready to harvest soon. Can you see that area there? It’s been damaged and flattened.”

  I peered downwards. The wheat was swaying gently in the breeze apart from a small section which had been squashed. There was a body lying there. My broomstick wobbled as I recognised it as a woman’s body.

  “Is that Dana?” I asked.

  Blythe nodded. “Let’s go closer.”

  We slowly descended until we were hovering feet above the body. Dana’s long, brown hair covered half her pale face. Her green dress had ridden up her legs to show her limbs lying at an impossible angle. Blood pooled behind her head. We stared in silence.

  Blythe spoke first. “The wheat surrounding her hasn’t been damaged at all. It looks like she’s been dropped from a great height. Poor thing. That must have been why her scream lasted for so long. What a horrible way to go.”