| |
I told Luca what we’d found out so far. It wasn’t much, but it was something.
Luca still had Kitty in his arms as he listened. She seemed quite at home there.
When I’d finished talking, Luca said, “I saw Selo on the outskirts of Brimstone a few nights ago, in the forest to the west. I’ve been doing extra patrol work there recently. It was just after midnight when I heard shouting and hooves pounding through the trees.”
Stanley said, “Were you in your animal form at the time?”
“I was,” Luca looked down at Kitty and said, “I’m a shapeshifter, and I turn into a rabbit. There are hundreds of rabbits in the forest so I blend in easily.”
Kitty gave him a serious look as if she were following his every word.
Stanley added, “Luca turns into a rabbit because that was Cassia’s favourite animal when she was little. Luca and Cassia used to be friends when they were little.”
“We still are,” Luca said. “Anyway, back to the other night. I kept still as the noise got louder and I saw Selo rushing through the forest, whooping with delight and not caring about the chaos he was causing. I saw many a night-time animal dodging out of his way. He wasn’t alone. Another centaur was with him. Treto Oravatus.”
“Oravatus? As in the rival family?” I asked. “I’ve been reading up on centaurs in Brimstone.”
“The very same. Treto is about the same age as Selo, and they often race against each other in the yearly competition. Treto almost beat Selo last year.”
“Are they friends?” I asked.
“No. They were shouting at each other and calling out names which I won’t repeat.” Luca shook his head. “They were running far too fast. It’s a miracle no one was hurt. When they’d gone, I spoke to some rabbits nearby who told me it was becoming a regular thing for Selo and Treto to race each other at night. The creatures in the forest were becoming terrified. I was going to speak to Selo and Treto about it, but then we got busy with the other murder case and I never got the chance.”
“Lifin, Selo’s brother, never said anything about Treto to me. I think I’ll go back there and talk to him. I want to look at that area where Selo died again anyway.” I stood up.
Luca said, “Shall I keep an eye on Kitty for you? I like having her in my arms. She’s lovely and warm.”
“I don’t know,” I replied. “I thought I might take her with me in case we find you-know-who at the Cezerus Ranch.”
“Are you going there on your broomstick?” Luca asked.
“Of course,” Stanley replied for me. “It’s the only way to travel.”
Luca lifted Kitty up. “But what about Kitty? Will she be okay flying on it too?”
Kitty wriggled in Luca’s arms. “I love flying. I fly with Mummy.”
Luca laughed. “You fly with your mummy?”
Kitty nodded her head enthusiastically.
“I don’t know if you’re telling me the truth, little one, but why don’t you have a trial go on Cassia’s broomstick first? You could have a fly around the town square.” Luca looked at me. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“I think it’s an excellent idea. I’ll pop upstairs and get my broomstick.”
A few minutes later, I was flying around the town square with two happy cats. Kitty had settled herself in front of Stanley before we’d set off. She hadn’t shown the slightest flicker of fear as we soared into the air. Stanley cheered as we flew and Kitty joined in with him. I smiled when I saw Luca running around the square beneath us with his arms out ready to catch Kitty if she fell.
I swooped down to Luca and said, “She loves it.”
Luca put a hand on his chest. “I don’t know how you do it. Just watching you fly makes me scared. I’d rather have my feet on the ground. Take care at the ranch. I’ll make enquiries about you-know-who here.” He gave us a goodbye wave and we ascended to the clouds.
Stanley and Kitty managed to cheer and holler with delight throughout most of the journey. It was lovely to have such happy travelling companions.
I was dismayed as we flew over the Cezerus Ranch a while later. There were creatures everywhere. Many centaurs cantered around the place and it was impossible to see their faces from high up.
Stanley craned his neck. “Which one is Lifin?”
“I don’t know.” I craned my neck too.
My attention was suddenly drawn to one centaur walking along the track where we’d been earlier. I aimed the broomstick towards him.
“There he is!” I declared.
“How did you manage to spot him?” Stanley asked. “Did you use magic?”
“No. I wouldn’t dare use magic up here. I might turn the broomstick into a walking stick and we’d all plummet downwards.”
Stanley tutted. “Cassia, you have to use your magic some time. You are a witch.”
“I know.”
There was a cry of surprise below us. Lifin had walked straight into a tree.
I zoomed down and landed at his side. We all jumped off the broomstick and looked at Lifin. His hands were covering his nose and blood was trickling through his fingers.
“Are you alright?” I asked. “Don’t answer that. Of course you’re not alright. What happened?”
Lifin’s voice was muffled as he replied, “I don’t know. The tree came out of nowhere.” He winced with pain. “I think I’ve broken my nose.”
I remembered Stanley’s earlier words and said, “Would you like me to make it better using magic?”
Lifin gave me a wary look. “Do you know how to?”
“Yes,” I said with as much confidence as I could muster.
“Okay. I trust you.” Lifin lowered his hands.
I moved closer and placed my hands near his misshapen nose. I concentrated on the feeling of seeing his nose looking normal again, and the pain leaving him. I felt a tingle in my hands and knew my magic was working. I hoped to goodness his nose wouldn’t fall off.
The trickles of blood vanished from Lifin’s face and he gingerly touched his nose. He smiled. “It’s all better. Thank you.”
“You are welcome,” I said with more than a hint of relief. “I’m glad we found you. I wanted to talk about those night races of Selo’s. I’ve been told he used to race with Treto Oravatus. Did you know that?”
“I suspected they raced together, but I didn’t know for sure. You’re probably aware that Treto and Selo were enemies. I’ve put his name on the list I’m compiling for you. I’ll let you know where his family is presently residing. They move around a lot and I’m still trying to locate them.”
“Thank you. I’d like to speak to Treto as soon as possible.”
Lifin continued, “After you left earlier, I spoke to Father about the nocturnal races. He knew about them as he’d caught Selo coming home from one and saw how fast he was running. Father begged Selo to stop being so reckless, but Selo refused. He said he wasn’t hurting anyone and it was in his nature to run wild. Father told him the reputation of our family was at stake, but Selo laughed at him.”
“How did your father take that?” I asked.
“He was upset and annoyed. He’s just told me now that after his last confrontation with Selo, he considered taking steps to cancel the yearly race as it was causing nothing but problems for everyone. That’s my opinion too. The centaurs should be working together in harmony, not competing violently with each other.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Violently?”
Lifin said, “There has been a certain amount of violence involved during the race, especially between Selo and Treto. Selo loved winning the yearly race and then boasting about it in front of Treto. It was too much for Treto last year and he threw himself at Selo. There were a lot of injuries before their fighting was stopped by the competition officials.”
“Do you think Treto had anything to do with Selo’s death?” I asked.
“It’s possible. If Treto did kill Selo, I don’t know how he made his death look like heart failure.”
I continued with my questions. “Did Selo know your father was trying to cancel the yearly race?”
“I’m not sure. Why do you ask?”
I shrugged casually. “I’m trying to gather all the facts.” There was no way I was going to tell Lifin that his father was one of my suspects.
Lifin started to give me a funny look and I wondered if he’d worked out what was going through my mind. I quickly turned to where Kitty was standing next to Stanley and told Lifin how she’d got herself trapped in my broomstick.
Stanley asked Lifin, “Does she look familiar to you?”
Lifin shook his head. “She doesn’t. But I can ask around. Cassia, I have to go now. Father needs my support more than ever at this time. I’ll finish that list of names for you as fast as I can.”
“Thank you.” I was only half listening. I’d spotted something in the flattened bushes. I moved towards it and pulled it free. It was a piece of dark fabric. I held it up and said to Lifin, “Look at this. Was it here earlier? Do you recognise it?”
Lifin peered at it. “I don’t recognise it, but it must have been there earlier. No one’s been here since you last examined this area. I told our guests to keep away from this part of the ranch.”
“I’ll keep hold of this. Thanks for keeping your guests away. I should have asked you to do that earlier.” I put the fabric in my pocket. Kitty ran over to my side and I picked her up.
Lifin said goodbye and walked away. Ten seconds later, we heard a bump and then Lifin cried out, “I’m okay! It was my head this time.”
Stanley said quietly, “Cassia, did you do something to his eyesight when you healed his nose?”
“I hope not. Maybe he’s just clumsy. Why don’t we have a little walk around? This is a lovely area. We might find more clues. Or something else.” I gave Stanley a wide-eyed look which I hoped he’d understand.
Stanley’s eyes widened and he nodded. “That’s a good idea.” He went into the nearby bushes, his tail upright like a poker.
We spent the next thirty minutes surreptitiously looking for Kitty’s mum. We didn’t find her. Kitty must have realised what we were doing because she started to cry and she called out for her mummy. Her cries were heartbreaking.
Stanley and I shed a tear too before heading back to Brimstone. I felt completely useless and hoped we’d find Kitty’s mother soon.
