brimstone witch 10 - deal with the grim reaper Read online

  “From what I’ve heard, Jackreth hated working in the mines, but Oddec forced him to go down there. I believe Oddec even chained him up in certain areas and wouldn’t release him until he’d mined a certain number of stones. I understand Jackreth ran away in the middle of the night just to get away from his brother.” He gave me a wry smile. “It seems that running away in the middle of the night is a family trait.”

  I went on, “We’ve spoken to Mowibela this morning and she thinks Oddec could have had an accident or even been placed under a spell, both of which affected his memory.”

  Keftan gave a slow shake of his head. “She’s deluded. I’ve heard about her theories. None of them make any sense. I wish she’d face reality and accept Oddec is never coming back. I’d take that mine off her hands in no time. I don’t see what her problem is. Oddec is never coming back.”

  I gave him a sharp look. “Why are you so certain about that?”

  He sneered. “There’s no need to look at me like that. If you’re thinking I killed Oddec Hammerhands, then you’re wrong. If he were dead, wouldn’t his body have turned up by now? Also, if Oddec’s dead body is lying somewhere in the mines, the mine-knockers would know about it. Have you spoken to them?”

  I shared a confused look with Stanley and said to Keftan, “The mine-knockers? Who are they?”

  Keftan’s face twisted in disgust. “They’re a group of devious, nasty creatures who live in mines and play tricks on miners. I don’t have them in my mine because I used a professional company to get rid of them. It cost me a lot of money, but it was worth it. I know for a fact the mine-knockers still inhabit Mowibela’s mine. She doesn’t have the money to get rid of them. I’ve offered to do it for her as a gesture of goodwill, but she won’t accept anything from me.”

  “What exactly do the mine-knockers do?” I asked.

  “They play tricks on miners such as hiding their tools, food and other bits and pieces. They also like to knock three times on a piece of stone or metal to signify a forthcoming death. They were joking about the forthcoming deaths, but it used to scare my workers enough to make them stay away from work for days. I actually caught one of the mine-knockers and he admitted to that ridiculous tapping game they play. He said they love seeing the terrified look on the miners’ faces.” He gave me a considered look. “If you think Oddec has been murdered and his body hidden somewhere, you should talk to the mine-knockers about it. They know the Hammerhands Mine well. If you go searching for them, have your wits about you. Like I said, they’re a devious bunch who take pleasure in scaring creatures.”

  I gave him a nod. “How will I find these mine-knockers?”

  “They’ll find you. Go deep into the mines and you’ll soon come across them. Is there anything else?”

  “Not for now. Thank you.”

  Stanley and I left the office and walked down the short corridor. We went through the door at the end, and then I moved Mrs Bribs back into position against it. Once I’d done that, I removed the immobilising spell and Mrs Bribs came to life immediately.

  She declared, “I won’t allow you to see Mr Gubler!”

  I’ve flashed her a smile and said, “That’s okay. We’ve got everything we need. Goodbye.”

  Stanley and I got into the carriage and headed back to the elevator.

  Stanley looked over his shoulder, let out a low chuckle and said, “You should see how surprised she looks.”

  I said to him, “How do you feel about going deep into a mine and facing a bunch of devious creatures who want to scare us?”

  He lifted his furry chin and declared, “Bring it on.”

  Chapter 10

  Mowibela Hammerhands greeted us with an expectant look on her face when we returned to her mine.

  She blurted out, “You found him! I knew you would. Please, tell me you’ve found him.”

  I hated to disappoint her, and I gave her a gentle smile as I said, “We haven’t found him. Sorry. We’ve been making enquiries about your husband and we’re going to speak to the mine-knockers now. Do you know where we can find them?”

  Mowibela’s little face wrinkled in confusion. “I’m not sure the mine-knockers will be able to help you. What will they know? They never leave this mine, so I doubt they’ll know anything about the outside world and where Oddec could be.”

  My smile remained gentle. “I’d like to speak to them anyway. Where could I find them?”

  Mowibela took us over to a wooden carriage which was half hidden in the shadows near the main tracks.

  She said, “This will take you straight into a large cave at the far side of the mine. It’s a disused cave and it’s where the mine-knockers go during the day. They run riot at night-time through all the caves, but my workers have usually gone home by then. Those mine-knockers are a nuisance, but they’re part of the mine and I have to put up with them. Cassia, have you got a way to protect yourself against them? They’re not usually malicious, but they do like to nip and prod.”

  “I’ll cast a spell on Stanley and me before we set off.” I looked into the dark tunnel ahead. “How far away is the disused cave?”

  “Not that far. About a ten-minute ride. There’s a turntable at the end of these tracks. Once you reach that, turn the carriage around so that you can make a quick getaway if you need to.” She hesitated before adding, “Good luck.”

  Stanley and I climbed into the carriage and it set off immediately towards the dark tunnel. I cast a spell on us and then used the torch facility on my phone to light up the way ahead. I soon wished I hadn’t when I saw pairs of eyes staring out at us from various places in the tunnel. As soon as I focused on the eyes, they would blink and disappear.

  Stanley shuffled closer to me. He shivered. “My fur is standing on end. I can feel creatures watching us.” He suddenly yelped. “Ouch! Someone just pulled my tail!”

  An invisible hand grabbed hold of my hair and yanked it.

  “Hey!” I called out into the darkness. “Keep your hands to yourselves.”

  There was the sound of chuckling and we could hear feet running on the train tracks ahead of us.

  I said to Stanley, “I’m going to use a stronger protective spell on us. I’m not in the mood for being tormented.”

  I cast a stronger spell and we weren’t bothered any further as we trundled along.

  We arrived at the turntable and the carriage came to a stop.

  We both stayed sitting in the carriage as I shone my phone around at the huge cave.

  Stanley said nervously, “How do we turn the carriage around? If we need to make a swift exit, I want to be ready.”

  The beam of light from my phone alighted on a lever on the turntable. I placed Mum’s broomstick on the bottom of the carriage, got out and went over to the lever. I moved it forward and was pleased to see the carriage turning around.

  I called over to Stanley, “All done. Are you coming out to join me or are you staying in the carriage?”

  Stanley considered the matter for a second and then bounded out of the carriage and padded over to me. He said, “I don’t like this at all. Can you make your torch brighter? I feel as if someone is hiding right behind us ready to pounce.”

  I gave him a smile and said, “I’ve been going through Gran’s spell books again. There’s a spell I’ve been wanting to use. This is the perfect situation. Let’s see if I can get the words right.”

  I raised one hand and said the words of the spell. Tiny sparks of light shot from my fingers and flew around the cave. They hovered in midair like stars and the cave was soon illuminated.

  Stanley gave me an admiring look. “I like that spell. How long will the lights last?”

  “As long as we need them.” I gazed around the huge cave and my heart missed a beat when I saw various groups of small creatures staring at us. They were pale-faced and wore ragged clothes. They looked like humans but on a smaller scale. From what I could make out, they all appeared to be male. The floating lights picked up the malicious glint
s in their eyes. Some of them were smiling and showing sharp teeth.

  I gathered as much courage as I could and called out to the nearest group, “Hello. I’m Cassia, and this is Stanley.”

  Stanley didn’t give his customary hello, and I looked down at him to find him shivering with fear. I swiftly picked him up and cuddled him.

  One of the creatures spoke, “We know who you are. We know why you’re here. Do you want to play a game? We love playing games.”

  “Are you mine-knockers?” I asked, even though I suspected they were.

  In reply, the creatures began to stamp their feet and knock on the nearest section of wall. The noise increased and sounded like thunder. The mine-knockers laughed and knocked even louder. Stanley cowered in my arms.

  I immediately cast an immobilising spell on them which silenced their knocks instantly.

  I walked over to the nearest group and removed the spell from their ears so they could hear me.

  I said sternly, “I don’t have time for any nonsense. I’m here for information. We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” I moved the magic from the mouth of one creature to allow him to answer me.

  The mine-knocker said, “We will answer your questions, Cassia and Stanley. But only if you answer our riddles first. We like riddles.”

  I let out a sigh of annoyance. “I don’t have time for riddles.”

  Stanley nudged his head into my arm and said, “I love riddles, Cassia. I’m very good at them. Let me answer their riddles.”

  I looked at Stanley’s little face and was glad to see he wasn’t shaking anymore. Perhaps answering some riddles would take his mind off being scared.

  I said to him, “Okay, but make it quick, please.”

  I turned my attention back to the creature in front of me and said, “I’m going to remove my spell from you and the rest of your friends. But if I hear one single knock, I’m going to freeze you again. Is that clear? You can ask your riddles, but I’ll only allow you to ask one.”

  The creature gave me a crafty look. “Ten riddles. Then we’ll tell you a secret.”

  “No. One riddle,” I replied.

  “Seven?” he bargained.

  “Perhaps two,” I relented.

  “Five. It’s a good secret.” He grinned.

  “Three. That’s my final word.” I tried to look crafty too. “You know I’m a witch. I can use magic to get your secret.”

  The mine-knocker scowled. “Three riddles. You’ll never work them out. You’ll never find out our secret.”

  Stanley said, “Go ahead. I’m ready.”

  The creature rubbed his hands together and declared, “What can jump higher than a mountain?”

  “That’s easy,” Stanley said. “Anyone can jump higher than a mountain because mountains can’t jump. Next riddle, please.”

  The creature growled before saying, “Okay. You won’t get this one, cat. At night, they come out without being fetched. But by day, they are lost without being stolen. What are they?”

  Stanley let out a guffaw. I’d never heard that noise from him before. He said, “Stars. Of course. Although, strictly speaking, the stars haven’t been lost, they are still there.”

  The creature’s nostrils flared. “Bah! You won’t get this one. I know you won’t.” He cleared his throat and said, “You heard me before, and you hear me again. But then I die until you call me again. What am I?”

  Stanley’s whiskers twitched as he chuckled. “An echo. That was easy.”

  The creature stamped his feet in annoyance. He glared at Stanley. “You cheated.”

  Stanley gave him a defiant look and said, “I didn’t. I never cheat. You have to help us now. You have to tell us your secret.”

  The mine -knocker gave us a sullen look and said, “The secret is about that dwarf. That horrible dwarf, Oddec Hammerhands.” He spat on the ground in disgust.

  “Tell me what you know,” I said. “Is Oddec in this mine? Do you know where he is?”

  The mine-knockers burst into laughter and some of them became quite hysterical with mirth.

  I raised my hand and threatened, “Be quiet or else I’ll use my magic on you again.”

  The mine-knocker in front of me waved his arms around the cave and said, “They’re laughing because he’s here! He’s been here for years and years! Right in front of you. If you look, you will find him.” He turned to his companions, gave them an order which I couldn’t catch, and in the blink of an eye, they scurried away.

  “Hey!” Stanley called after them. “Come back! We had a deal.”

  The mine-knockers didn’t return and we could hear their sniggers carrying further and further away.

  I began to look around the cave. “What did he mean by those comments? Where is Oddec?”

  “I’ve no idea,” Stanley said. “Can you put me down, please? Then I can have a good look around the cave. I might smell something unusual.” He grimaced. “Like a decaying body.”

  I put Stanley down and we began to explore the cave.

  As we walked around it, Stanley pointed his paw at a rock formation and said, “What’s this strange thing? Why is it growing like that?”

  “From my geography days, I know it’s called a stalagmite.” I gazed upwards and added, “You can see a similar one on the ceiling which is hanging down. That’s a stalactite. It’s something to do with minerals in dripping water which makes them form like that. I used to get confused about which formation was called what until Gran told me that stalactites hang from the roof like a pair of tights on a washing line.”

  Stanley let out a little chuckle. “A pair of tights. That’s funny.” He continued to look upwards. His gaze alighted on something and he stiffened. “Cassia, do those stalactites ever look like a pair of trousers?”

  “A pair of trousers?” I looked up to where Stanley had his attention. “What have you seen?”

  He raised his paw. “Up there. Can you see it? It looks like a pair of trousers hanging from the roof.” He gulped. “There are boots at the end of the trousers. Cassia, it looks like the bottom half of a creature.”

  I took in the horrifying sight and said, “I think we might have found Oddec Hammerhands.”

  Chapter 11

  I used another new spell and levitated us towards the trousers and boots.

  When we got closer, we could see that only the bottom part of the creature was visible. I carefully reached out to touch the trousers. One touch confirmed they were made of stone.

  I said to Stanley, “This creature has been petrified.”

  Stanley said, “I’d be petrified too if half of me was dangling from the ceiling like this.”

  “I don’t mean that sort of petrified. It’s like a chemical reaction where mineral-infused water drips over something and causes them to turn into stone, a bit like those stalagmites and stalactites. Gran took me to Knaresborough when I was little and we went to visit a cave where a woman called Mother Shipton lived. Do you know who she was?”

  Stanley shook his head. “Is she one of Esther’s friends?”

  “No, but some people thought she was a witch when she was alive hundreds of years ago. I’ll tell you about her another time; she was quite fascinating. There’s a Petrifying Well near to where she lived. Mineral-infused water trickles down the front of it and over items which have been strung below. I saw all sorts of things when I went there including teddy bears. I think the bears can turn into stone within months. I saw some stone bears in a shop.” I turned back to the dangling legs. “They looked like these legs.”

  We both stared at the legs and Stanley asked the obvious question, “Where’s the rest of the creature?”

  We heard giggling beneath us. I looked that way to see the mine-knockers had come back. Using my magic again, I lowered us to the ground and then we faced the sniggering creatures.

  One of the mine-knockers raised his hand towards the trousers and said, “You found him! You found Oddec. He’s been there for years and years and yea
rs.”

  I said to him, “Where’s the top part of him?”

  A calculating look came into his eyes. “We will take you there. You have to answer five riddles this time.”

  My patience left me. I said loudly, “No more riddles! We could be dealing with a murder here. I demand you take me to the top part of Oddec immediately.”

  I instantly felt ashamed of my outburst as the mine-knockers took a step back.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to shout. But this is an urgent matter. Please, take me to the top part of Oddec. Thank you.”

  The mine-knockers remained silent and some of them gave me disgusted looks. They began to move out of the cave and one of them beckoned us to follow them. Stanley and I did so.

  We were taken up a twisting set of narrow stairs and into a smaller cave. I sent my magic lights out to illuminate the darkness.

  One of the mine-knockers pointed to the end of the cave and said, “He’s over there.”

  I had to duck my head to walk along the cave. Stanley scampered in front of me. He came to a stop in front of a mound of rock. At first, I thought it was another stalagmite. But as I got closer, I saw the facial features of the petrified creature. Despite his face being twisted in fright, I could see the family resemblance to Jackreth.

  I looked over my shoulder at the mine-knockers and asked, “Is this Oddec Hammerhands? Are you absolutely sure?”

  The mine-knockers nodded as one.

  “How did this happen? How did he get stuck like this?”

  One of the mine-knockers said quietly, “Magic. Nasty magic.”

  “Magic? Who used magic here?”

  As one creature again, the mine-knockers shrugged. Then they swiftly turned around and ran away.

  I used more magic to light up the stone creature. Stanley and I sat next to him and had a good look. Oddec’s head was thrown back and he appeared to be screaming. His arms were flung out at his side and his hands were clenched tightly.

  Stanley shook his head. “I don’t understand how half of him is up here, and half of him is dangling down.”