brimstone witch 11 - grotesque murder Page 5

  The fairy lowered her arm. “I’m Cherry Dustjewel. I’m a gargoyle.”

  Stanley said, “You don’t look like one.”

  Cherry sighed. “I know. That’s the problem. I was made years ago for a fairy castle. It had a spectacular roof and I had the most important place on the roof. But the queen of the castle died leaving no children behind. The castle fell into ruins taking the roof with it. I’ve tried to get jobs in other towns, but no one wants me. I live in Bronze Hollow now and help with the trainees.” She looked down at the ground. “I heard what you said about Nitoth and Budomm. It’s so sad. They were my friends.” A tiny stone tear rolled down her cheek.

  Stanley padded over to Cherry. “Don’t cry. We’ll find out who hurt them. I promise.”

  Cherry gave him a weak smile. “Will you?”

  “We will,” Stanley confirmed. “What’s inside the cave?”

  “You have to see it. I can’t go in. I’m too scared.” She took a step away from the opening.

  I crouched next to the fairy. “Before we think about going in, can you tell me more about Nitoth and Budomm? What were they like? Did they have any enemies?”

  Cherry shook her head. “They didn’t have any enemies. Everyone liked them. Nitoth was older than Budomm. He completed his training first and left for Brimstone. That’s where you’re from, isn’t it? What’s it like there?”

  “It’s wonderful,” I answered. “You should visit it sometime. You could even stay.”

  Cherry smiled. “I’d like that.”

  “Tell us more about Budomm and Nitoth, please,” I said.

  “Budomm didn’t work as hard as Nitoth at his training. He didn’t like being told what to do. And he didn’t stay in Bronze Hollow when he was supposed to. He used to escape at night time and visit nearby towns. He loved exploring.” Her smile faded. “That’s how he found this cave and discovered what’s inside. He told me about it, but I didn’t believe him. Then he brought me here. I saw them.” She shivered. “I wish I hadn’t. I keep having nightmares about them.”

  My curiosity was piqued now and I knew I’d have to go inside the cave. I had another question for Cherry. “Do you know why Budomm went to Brimstone?”

  “I spoke to him yesterday morning. He was scared about something. It wasn’t like him to be scared of anything. He mumbled something about a monster with a big shadow. He said he had to tell Nitoth about it before it was too late.”

  “What kind of monster?” I asked.

  Cherry shrugged. “He didn’t say. I asked him where he’d seen the monster and he told me to forget he’d said anything. I think the monster might have something to do with this cave. When I last saw Budomm, he told me to stay away from here and what’s inside. But when I heard what you said to Yolanda, I knew I had to tell you. Have I done the right thing?”

  “You have. Can you tell me what’s inside? Stanley and I will go in, but it’s better to be prepared.”

  Cherry flew over to my ear and whispered, “Golems. Lots and lots of them.”

  “Golems? What do you mean?”

  “They’re made of clay and mud,” she answered still in a whisper. “I don’t know where they’ve come from. And I don’t know what they’re doing here. I don’t like them.”

  I asked, “Did Yolanda make them?”

  Cherry shook her little head. “When Budomm found them, he didn’t tell Yolanda about them, but he asked her who would make golems. She was surprised at his question and asked him how he knew about golems. I don’t know what his answer was, but Yolanda told him golems were made by wizards in far-off places. I don’t think she knows they’re here. Should we tell her?”

  “I’ll have a look inside first. Are you coming in with us?”

  Cherry zipped upwards. “No! I can’t. Don’t make me.”

  “I won’t.” I straightened up. “Is it dangerous in there? If it is, I’d like to have some magic ready at my fingertips.”

  Cherry thought for a moment. “It’s not dangerous, but it’s very scary. You don’t have to go all the way in. You can see enough from the entrance.” She twisted her hands together. “Can I go now? I don’t like it here.”

  I still wasn’t sure if this was a trap or not, but I couldn’t force the little fairy to stay. I said, “You can go. Thank you for bringing us here.”

  “Will you really find out who hurt Nitoth and Budomm?”

  “We will,” Stanley called up to her. “We won’t rest until we do.”

  Cherry gave us a wobbly smile before flying away.

  I leaned my broomstick against the cave opening and picked Stanley up. I said, “Are you ready to walk into a mysterious cave full of golems?”

  “Seeing as I don’t know what a golem is, I’m ready.” He gave me an encouraging smile. “You know me; I’m game for anything.”

  “Just let me gather my courage.” I took a few deep breaths. Then some more. I was finding it hard to find even a small amount of courage.

  “Come on, Cassia, you can do this. Just march straight in. Don’t think about it.”

  “Okay.” I lifted my head and marched into the cave. I stopped, looked at the terrifying sight in front of me and almost marched back out.

  Stanley and I stared in horrified silence at the rows and rows of clay creatures in front of us. The light from outside illuminated many of them at the front, but the golems stretched farther and farther back into the cave. They were of varying heights and shapes, some of them humanoid. Unblinking eyes faced forwards and their mouths were slightly open.

  Stanley trembled in my arms. His voice shook as he whispered, “What are they? Why are they here? Are they alive?”

  “I hope not. These must be the golems. Stanley, they remind me of the Terracotta Army in China. Do you remember that programme we saw about them? There were thousands of clay soldiers lined up. They looked as if they could come to life at any second.” I couldn’t take my eyes off the creatures in front of me.

  “I do remember that. I had nightmares for weeks after we watched it.” He gulped. “I’m going to have new nightmares now. What have these golems got to do with Budomm?”

  “I don’t know. We have to find out who made them. And why.”

  “Good idea. Let’s do that right now,” Stanley said.

  There was a noise in front of us. It sounded like something was shifting.

  Stanley hissed, “What was that?” He jumped out of my arms and his head turned left and right. Then he stared straight ahead.

  The first line of golems in front of us lifted their heads and aimed their eyes in our direction. They blinked. Then they began to move forwards.

  Chapter 10

  I didn’t have time to think of an appropriate spell as I was panicking too much, so I just cast magic at the clay creatures and yelled, “Stop!”

  The golems did stop. Then they wobbled and began to fall backwards onto each other.

  I watched in horror as they toppled like domino pieces. Each golem broke apart as it connected with the one behind it. The noise of cracking and smashing was deafening. It continued until we could no longer see the toppling golems. The sound of breaking clay eventually lessened and I let out the breath I was holding.

  Stanley looked up at me, his eyes wide with horror and shock. “Cassia, what have you done?”

  I couldn’t speak. The sounds of devastation were echoing around the cave. I picked Stanley up and swiftly left.

  Once outside, I put him down and leant against the opening. I put my hands over my face and groaned. “I didn’t mean to break them. I just wanted them to stop moving.” I lowered my hands. “I panicked. I didn’t even wait to see if they were a threat to us.”

  “Can you fix them? You could use your magic.”

  “I could. But we’d have to go deeper into the cave to fix the ones we can’t see, and I don’t feel brave enough to do that. There must be hundreds of golems in there, maybe thousands.”

  Stanley came closer to me and rested his head against my
legs. He said gently, “I think you did the right thing by stopping them. What are we going to do now? Should we tell someone?”

  “We should tell Yolanda. She might be able to find out who made them.” Another groan escaped me. “Stanley, what if it was Yolanda who made them? What if she didn’t want anyone to know she’d made them for some reason?” I pushed myself away from the cave opening. “We definitely have to tell her now. Come on. There’s no time like the present.”

  Stanley and I flew back to Bronze Hollow without talking. I was trying to think of how many ways I could say sorry to Yolanda. If she was the creator of the golems, that is. If it was someone else, I’d have to find them and give them my heartfelt apology.

  As we approached Bronze Hollow, we saw the figure of Yolanda on the street below. She was waving her arms in an effort to get our attention.

  Stanley said, “She knows what we’ve done. She must have heard the sounds of dying golems from here. She’s going to be so angry at us.”

  “Stanley, this isn’t your fault. I made the decision to use magic and the blame is totally on me.”

  From his position at the front of the broomstick, Stanley looked back at me and said, “We’re a team. If you’re in trouble, then I am too.”

  We landed in front of Yolanda and I steadied myself to make an apology.

  Yolanda spoke quickly, “Cassia, I need to tell you something. It could be relevant to your investigation.”

  “I need to tell you something too,” I said. “I’ve damaged the golems in the cave. Well, not just damaged them. I’ve broken them. I don’t know if they can be fixed.”

  “Golems?” Yolanda frowned. “What are you talking about? Budomm asked me about golems recently. I told him we don’t have them around here.”

  “We found some,” I explained. I didn’t mention Cherry Dustjewel’s name as I didn’t want to get her into trouble. I told Yolanda where we’d found them, and then I admitted what I’d done to them.

  Yolanda said, “I don’t know why someone would have that many golems near here. It sounds to me like you did the right thing by casting magic on them. I wonder who made them? And why?”

  Stanley said, “That’s what we’re thinking too. Can you find out who made them?”

  “I can try. Whoever made them has injected them with a life force. They wouldn’t have been able to move otherwise. This is extremely worrying. I’ll go to that cave and investigate further.” She shook her head in a sorrowful manner. “There are some strange things occurring around here. First, poor Nitoth and Budomm are killed, and now there’s an army of golems hidden in a nearby cave.”

  “An army?” I questioned.

  Yolanda nodded. “Golems have been used to fight wars before. That’s normally the reason why they’re made. I’ll have a look at the clay that’s been used to make them. I should be able to identify where it came from.” She looked lost in thought as she gazed at the ground.

  “You said you had something to tell me,” I reminded her.

  She looked back up. “Yes! I do. Conversations around here are never private, not with all the ears hanging over the sides of roofs. After you left earlier, one of the older gargoyles came to see me. He heard you asking about Quinn Ocean. He knows something about him.”

  “Does he? What did he tell you?”

  “The old gargoyle used to live in another town not far from here. Quinn Ocean stopped by there one day and told the residents about a troll who saved a family of vampires from a burning castle.”

  Stanley waved his paw excitedly in the air. “We know that story! We know what happened. That troll was really brave. He got all the vampires out. He didn’t stop even when his clothes set on fire.”

  Yolanda nodded. “That’s the same troll. My gargoyle friend told me something has happened to that troll since that incident. Something that worries me.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “I think it’s better if you speak to the troll yourself. He’s called Ekon. I’ll give you his address. It might be relevant to your investigation or it could just be a coincidence.”

  I said, “I don’t believe in coincidences, not when murder could be involved.”

  Yolanda gave me Ekon’s address. She said, “I’ll let you know how I get on with the golems. Cassia, you take care out there. You too, Stanley. There’s a peculiar feeling in the air, and I don’t like it.”

  “We always take care,” Stanley informed her. “And if someone tries to attack us, Cassia will use her magic on them. We’ll be fine.” He grinned up at me.

  “I appreciate your support, Stanley.” I smiled down at him.

  We got on the broomstick and left Bronze Hollow behind. We headed towards Ekon’s home. I was eager to find out what his connection was with Quinn Ocean.

  Chapter 11

  Ekon lived in a small wooden cabin not far away. It was isolated from a group of similar cabins and was in a dilapidated condition.

  As we walked along the weed-covered path, Stanley said, “Ekon must be a small troll if he lives in such a tiny house. It’s tiny for a troll, I mean.”

  The curtains were closed and the door was thick with dust. I knocked on it and we waited patiently.

  There was a shuffling noise inside, but no one answered the door.

  I knocked again and called out, “Ekon, I’m Cassia Winter. I’m a justice witch from Brimstone. I want to talk to you. It’s urgent.”

  Another shuffling noise came from within and I could have sworn a heard a sob. I moved over to the filthy windows and raised my hands at them.

  Stanley said, “Are you going to use magic? What are you going to do? Are you going to give yourself X-ray vision so you can see inside? Can you give me X-ray vision too? I’d love that.”

  “I’m going to use a cleaning spell on the windows so I can look through,” I told him. “Although, an X-ray spell does sound like fun, and it could be useful for us in the future.”

  “I’ll remind you of that later,” Stanley said with a smile.

  I aimed my cleaning spell at the windows and bubbles appeared on the glass. The bubbles expanded until they covered the whole glass, then they popped taking the dirt with them. The glass shone and I unashamedly pressed my face next on it and peered through.

  Stanley said, “What can you see? Is Ekon inside?”

  “Someone is. There’s a hunched figure sitting in a chair. I can see them crying.” I looked over at Stanley. “I can’t leave someone crying like that. Even if it’s not Ekon, we’ll go inside and see if we can help.”

  I walked back over to the door, knocked again and shouted, “We’re coming in!”

  The door was locked, but not for long thanks to my magic. It swung open and we took a step forward.

  I gave Stanley a tight smile and said, “I have no shame about invading anyone’s personal space.”

  He pointed out, “You’re only doing your job. We’re dealing with two possible murders.”

  “That’s true. Come on.”

  We walked into the darkened room and over to the hunched figure. When we got close enough, we could see the creature was a male troll. His face was in his hands and his shoulders shook as he cried quietly. He looked too big for the chair he was in. In fact, he looked too big for the whole room.

  I said gently, “Ekon?”

  The troll lifted his craggy face and blinked at us. His eyes widened in fear and he yelped. “Don’t hurt me!”

  “We’re not going to hurt you,” I said as soothingly as possible. I crouched at his side. “I’m Cassia, and this is Stanley. We want to talk to you about something important. We didn’t mean to disturb you, but it’s urgent.”

  Stanley leaned against Ekon’s thick leg and said, “Would you like a cuddle?”

  Ekon wiped his tears away with his large hand. “No, thank you. Are you sure you’re not here to hurt me?” His nervous glance went to the open door. “Who opened the door? Did someone come in with you? Are they hiding in the shadows waiting to pounce on me?
” He began to tremble. “I hear noises all the time outside my door. They’re out to get me. I know they are. I’m scared. I can’t sleep because I know they’ll come and get me soon.”

  “Who?” I asked. “Who’s after you?”

  Ekon replied, “I don’t know, but I know they’re out there somewhere. I know it. They’ll be watching us right now. They’ll come into my house! They’ll get me!”

  I aimed a swift spell at the door and closed it. Another spell caused the locks to fall into place.

  I said to Ekon, “There’s no need to be afraid. We can help you. I’m a witch and I can cast a protective spell on you and your house.”

  “Can you? Would you?”

  “Yes and yes.”

  Stanley jumped onto Ekon’s shaking knees and declared, “I don’t care what you said, I think you need a cuddle.” He settled himself down and raised his little face at Ekon’s surprised one. Stanley continued, “Go ahead, you can pat me.”

  Ekon gingerly ran one finger down Stanley’s fur.

  Stanley let out a purr and the smallest of smiles alighted on Ekon’s lips. My cat had his own kind of magic.

  I said to Ekon, “We came here to talk to you about Quinn Ocean. Do you know him?”

  Ekon ran his hand carefully down Stanley’s back and said, “Yes. I’ve heard his name, but I’ve never met him.” He smiled down at Stanley. “You’re a lovely cat. I’ve never stroked a cat before. Your fur is very soft.”

  “I use a special shampoo,” Stanley told him. “What do you know about Quinn Ocean?”

  “I know he’s a storyteller. I’ve never heard him talking, though. I don’t like scary stories. I don’t like anything that’s scary.”

  “Me neither, “Stanley said. “Quinn is in Brimstone at the moment. We heard him talking earlier. He had a story about you and some vampires.”

  Ekon nodded. “Some of the other trolls keep telling me about that story. The storyteller must have got me mixed up with someone else. I would never run into a burning castle. It’s too dangerous. And I wouldn’t go anywhere near vampires. They terrify me.” He gulped and looked towards the closed door. “Vampires come here sometimes. They leave things on my doorstep.”