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“There’s been another murder.”
I focused my sleepy eyes on the purple-eyed witch in front of me and mumbled, “Pardon? What time is it?”
Blythe, the 300-year-old witch in question, came into the apartment and continued, “It’s morning. A bit early, I’ll give you that. But murderers aren’t thoughtful when it comes to committing their evil acts.” She stopped talking and looked me up and down. “Cassia, have you just got out of bed? What’s wrong with your hair? Does it normally stick up like that?”
I ran my tongue around my parched mouth before saying, “Yes, my hair always looks like this first thing in the morning. And, yes, I have just got up. I had a late night. Would you like a cup of tea? I’m having one.”
“Yes, please. Thank you. I’m sorry for waking you up.”
“I had to get up anyway. Someone was banging loudly on the door.”
I tried not to sound indignant, but no one likes to be woken up by constant thudding at the door. I had tried my best to ignore it, but the knocking hadn’t stopped. I was all ready to give the person who was knocking on the door a piece of my mind, but when I saw Blythe standing there, my anger vanished. She’s one of my favourite people in Brimstone - even if she does call on sleeping residents at ridiculous hours.
Blythe reached out and patted my hair. “It won’t go down. How do you get it under control?”
“I have many products in the bathroom,” I advised her. I looked at her perfect hair which hung in glorious waves over her shoulders. Despite being 300 years old, Blythe had youthful skin and rosy cheeks. Her most striking feature was her purple eyes. They matched the long, flowing dress she was now wearing.
I said to Blythe, “How do you manage to look so perfect all the time?”
She laughed. “Magic, of course. What’s the point of being a witch if I can’t use magic on myself?” She patted my hair again. “I can do something with this if you like?”
“No, thanks. If I start relying on magic, I’ll become lazy very quickly.” I yawned as I shuffled towards the kettle and filled it up.
Stanley, my cat and familiar, padded into the room. He gave Blythe one of his cute cat smiles and said, “Oh, it’s you. Good morning. Cassia wasn’t going to answer the door. She said whoever was rude enough to be knocking so early could clear off and throw themselves in a river.”
My cheeks warmed up and I focused on the kettle as it started to boil. I muttered, “I don’t think I used those exact words.”
Stanley continued helpfully, “You did. And when the knocking continued, you threatened to use magic on whoever it was and to turn them into a toad with extra large warts.”
“I don’t recall that,” I said as I reached for some cups.
Stanley hadn’t finished embarrassing me yet. “Blythe, we had a very late night. Cassia opened a bottle of wine and said she’d have one glass. But then she had another and another. She emptied the bottle.”
“It wasn’t a large bottle,” I defended myself.”
“Then she got the munchies and had a whole garlic baguette to herself.” He waved a paw in front of her nose. “She’s a bit fragrant this morning.”
I stiffened. I’d forgotten about the garlic bread. With a mixture of wine, garlic and morning breath, I realised I must be one very stinky person.
I rushed towards the bathroom and called out, “Won’t be a minute!”
As soon as I entered the bathroom, I gave my teeth a thorough brush. I washed away streaks of make-up under my eyes and then attempted to flatten my hair. Perhaps I should take Blythe up on her offer of using magic.
I was still new to this magic business and still getting to grips with being a witch. I’d only found out recently, thanks to my gran. In fact, this was Gran’s apartment. She insisted I stay here for a while with Stanley so we could become familiar with the residents of the magical town of Brimstone.
Within one day of arriving at this apartment, we’d found ourselves in the middle of a murder investigation. As my job was that of a justice witch, I’d got stuck into the investigation and uncovered the murderer. That had been yesterday, hence the chilling out last night.
And now there’d been another murder? So soon?
Feeling more awake, I returned to the main room to find Blythe sitting on the four-seater sofa with Stanley on her knee. He was purring gently.
Blythe indicated her head in the direction of the table in front of the sofa. “I’ve made the tea. Sit yourself down.”
“Another murder?” I said as I took a seat and picked my cup up. “Blythe, what’s going on in this town?”
She sighed heavily. “I wish I knew. I think it’s all linked to the black magic which has come into our town. It’s making residents act in aggressive ways. I still haven’t pinpointed where it’s coming from. I suspect it might have something to do with my cousins. They’re witches too, and live in the outer lands.”
“Why would they be involved?” I asked.
“They’ve always been jealous about how residents in Brimstone get along so well. They think it’s not normal. They think I should impose tougher rules and punishments here like they do in their towns. But I’ve never needed to.” She looked down at Stanley as she stroked his head. “I knew something was wrong when they came to visit me three months ago. They’d been particularly scathing and nasty. They were having a bad time with their own towns and thought it unjust that I wasn’t.”
I said, “That’s their problem, not yours. The cheek!” I sipped my tea.
Blythe looked my way. “I agree. But some people like to feel like victims. They’d rather blame everyone else for their problems than take responsibility. When my cousins were leaving my house, I heard them mumbling something about testing my patience. I didn’t pay much attention to them as they’re always muttering about something or other. But since we started having trouble in Brimstone, I’ve made some enquiries and it’s starting to look like my cousins are at the root of the black magic supply. I’ll need evidence before I confront them.”
“Can I help you with that?”
“I don’t want you to get involved. My cousins are malicious witches and wouldn’t think twice about hurting you. You haven’t had enough training yet to defend yourself against witches like them.” She gave me a sad smile. “All we can do is keep an eye on our town and try to keep order here. I will get rid of the black magic in our town; you can count on that. I’m not sure how long it will take, though.”
I took in the worried look in Blythe’s eyes. I thought she was more worried than she was letting on, but I knew not to push her. At least I could help with the murder case.
I put my cup down and said firmly, “Tell me about this latest murder. I’ll soon have it sorted out.”
Blythe’s smile grew. “I’m sure you will. I’m so happy to have you here, Cassia. You’re helping me more than you know. Tell me; what do you know about centaurs?”
