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I landed swiftly, helped Stanley off the broomstick, and ran over to the person who was smiling at me: Gran. Kitty was still sleeping against my chest, so I gave Gran a one-armed hug.
Gran held onto me for a few seconds and then moved me in front of her and studied me. “As much as I like your hugs, why are you acting as if you haven’t seen me for months? Is everything okay?”
I felt my chin wobbling and my eyes filling with tears - yet again. “Oh, Gran, it’s been an awful few days. Terrible things are happening in Brimstone.”
Gran pushed a lock of hair away from my face and gave me a loving look. “I know. I’ve been speaking to Blythe.” She tutted. “A Breath-Taker here in Brimstone! I never thought I’d see the day.” She linked her arm through mine and steered me towards a picnic table. There was a wicker basket on top of it.
Gran said, “I’ve brought you a picnic. I thought you could do with one.” She smiled fondly at Stanley. “I’ve brought some food for you too. Sit yourselves down and I’ll get everything ready.”
I wasn’t sure I had much of an appetite, but as soon as Gran started unloading the basket and the aroma of her homemade quiche wafted up my nose, my appetite came back with a vengeance. My stomach rumbled to confirm the fact.
I settled myself at the table with Kitty still snoring against my chest. Stanley sat at my side and waited for his treats.
As Gran unpacked the basket, she said, “I’ve been over to Blythe’s this morning and was there when Pam came to collect Alan’s body. I’ve met Pam before, and she’s a tough character. She wasn’t so tough today; she was in tears over Alan. To be honest, I think it was more the loss of income from a good assassin that she was upset about, rather than Alan dying. Each to his own.” She placed covered plates on the table and then brought out a flask of tea from the basket.
“Did Pam say anything about Alan’s murder? Does she want to investigate it herself?”
“No, she’s happy to let you do that. She told me she’d only met you briefly, but she has confidence in your ability. We all do. You’re becoming a better justice witch by the day.” She stopped talking when she saw the tears rolling down my cheeks. “Hey, there, whatever is the matter?”
“Gran, I’ve done something terrible.” I told her about the angry spell I’d thrown at Treto.
Gran said, “Is that all? We’ve all cast spells in anger. I still do sometimes. I know Treto, and he’s a pain in the behind. Fancy running away from you like that! It sounds to me as if you did the right thing with that immobilising spell. Let’s hope it teaches him a lesson or two.”
“Will Blythe be mad at me?”
“Mad? She’ll have a good chuckle about it. There were no permanent physical injuries, so stop worrying about it.” She placed a sponge cake on the table. “I’ve put some extra cream in this.” She looked at the sleeping kitten and said, “You can tell me who your new friend is in a minute.”
I looked down at the peaceful Kitty. “I will do. You might be able to help me with her.”
Gran was looking at something behind me. Her face broke into a picture of delight. “Talking of friends, here’s one of yours now. And he’s one of my favourite people.”
I had an inkling that I knew who she was talking about. Sure enough, Luca walked over to our table.
Gran pulled him into a hug. He had to lean down to be held in her arms. When she released him, Gran said, “It’s good to see you again. How are you?” She pursed her lips as she looked him over. “You’ve been working too hard. Why?”
Luca gave me and Stanley a quick smile of hello before replying, “Oh, you know how it is around here. It’s quiet for months, and then suddenly, you’re inundated with work. It’s nothing to worry about.”
I looked Luca’s way. “Are you still dealing with those complaints?”
“I am. I’ve dealt with most of them, but it’s those garden gnomes who are pestering me. I told them you’ll speak to them when you get the chance, but they are not the most patient of residents.”
Gran tutted. “Those garden gnomes might be small, but their egos are huge! They think they’re better than anyone else around here and should be treated differently. I’ll deal with them. Who’s complaining the loudest?”
“Gran, don’t get yourself involved,” I said. “It’s my job to handle them. And I will as soon as I’ve dealt with Selo’s murder.”
Luca said to me, “I heard you went to see Treto. How did you get on with him?”
Gran pulled him towards the table and said, “If you’re going to be here for a while, you may as well share our picnic with us. Sit down.”
Luca didn’t have a say in the matter and sat opposite me. He smiled and shrugged in a helpless manner.
Gran made sure we all had a plate of food in front of us before I told Luca about Treto. My cheeks warmed up as I got to the part about the angry spell. Luca merely grinned and said Treto deserved it. Despite still feeling guilty, I managed to eat a good portion of quiche as Luca told me some of the things Treto had got up to in the past.
Kitty woke up, raised her head and blinked at me. “Where are we? Where’s Mummy?”
I turned Kitty around so she could see where we were. Luca gave her a friendly wave. Gran lowered the sandwich she was eating and stared at Kitty.
Kitty waved her little paw in the air. “Hello. I can fly. I’m going to fly soon. Mummy’s going to teach me. Where is Mummy?”
Gran put her sandwich down and pointed at Kitty. “Cassia, where did this creature come from?”
I didn’t like the serious expression on Gran’s face. An uneasy feeling settled in my stomach on top of the quiche I’d eaten. I told Gran how Kitty had come into our lives, and how we’d been looking for her mother.
Gran couldn’t take her eyes off Kitty as she said, “This shouldn’t have happened.”
“Gran, what’s wrong?”
Gran looked at Luca and said, “Have you worked out what Kitty is?”
Luca put his cup of tea down and his brow wrinkled in confusion. “I thought she was just a cat.”
Gran tapped her hand on the table. “A flying cat. Cassia brought her home without realising it.”
Luca’s hands went to the side of his face. There was shock in his voice as he said, “Of course. Why didn’t I realise that immediately? This is bad news. Very bad news.”
Stanley called out, “Can someone tell us exactly what’s going on here?”
Gran gave him a slow nod. “Kitty is an Aitvaras. She’s come into your lives on purpose, and for a reason.”
