Chapter 48 - Martha Matters

Rachel didn't know someone had entered into the house. She was busy doing some things. She always had something to do.

She was the perfect one for the saying. 'As busy as a bee'.

Julia cleared her throat to announced her presence. Rachel turned back calmly. She wasn't startled.

"Are palace maids going on vacation now?" she must have known of her presence before Julia cleared her throat.

"Are you not happy to see me?" Julia replied her question with another question.

"Maybe you should forgive me for not rushing to hug you or you can take it all out and give me the deserved punishment" she retorted. She was obviously angry and that was because Julia went to the auction.

"You do not let things go easily. You can never change" Julia found herself a seat.

"You are not here to grab a seat. This place is no longer your house since you have chosen to become a maid. You should wait to be offer a seat before sitting down" she reprimanded.

"Of course, I have no house" she chuckled. "I came to ask a question about some strange experience that I had in the palace" she started to narrate her ordeal.

"It is called a palace because it is full of strange happenings" Rachel supplemented.

"There is a sorcerer in the palace" Julia sighed.

"And the news is that your master already had him killed. He was even his brother's friend. I know there is more to that but I don't need details" Rachel believed in her conversancy with the palace which made her believed a lot of things that happened there were not relayed the exact way it happened.

"More to it. But there is another sorcerer right now and I'm not even sure if it is a man or a woman. All I know is that she was posing as a princess from an ally kingdom" Julia continued without worry. She knew she could confide in Rachel on anything.

"And why are you telling me this?" Rachel turned away from her and continued with her chores.

"She is targeting the King" Julia said mainly to stir her up.

"I still don't get why you are reporting to me" Rachel was trying not to involve herself.

"I thought you like the king" Julia said in amazement. She thought mentioning the King would be enough to get her attention but reverse was the case.

"Everyone likes the king just because anyone who says otherwise has committed treason" Rachel paused her chores to explain.

"Anyway my problem is she has a box in which there is a creature she calls Wookah. I found this box later and there was nothing in it" Julia walked to Rachel's front and stared into her eyes with a face full of questions.

"Do you want my advice?" Rachel asked softly.

"I came here for that" she replied hastily.

"A maid should stay off anything that involves the royals and a witch should stay away from anything involving a sorcerer" Rachel warned.

Julia found that disappointing. She did not expect her to say that at all.

"I think staying out of this is harder than being involved in it" Julia argued.

"I am not telling you to do anything, just offering a piece of advice" she replied softly.

"I don't need a piece of advice anymore. What I need is your help" she pressed further.

"How do you want me to help you against a sorcerer, not even just any sorcerer. One powerful enough to turn human beings into funny creatures" she said breathlessly. It seemed she was already in fear.

"Because you are also a powerful witch" Julia reminded her.

"I am not a witch" she scolded her sternly.

"Mother, you can not change what you are. You will always be a witch" she emphasized.

"Mother" Rachel murmured and giggled.

"Are you not also my mother?" Julia challenged her. "You are trying to disown me too over a row about being a maid and not" she was bitter.

"I am not disowning you. I think you should be worried about the prophecy than involving yourself in royal affairs" Rachel breathed heavily.

"You have a mother and she is alive, the one killed is not....." Rachel was interrupted by Julia shushing her.

"Sshhh!. I don't need to look for what is not lost. I don't care about the murdered one or the living one. I have only one mother and that is you. You should understand that unless you hate me more than I can imagine" she stared at her waiting for her response

"Then, if you know I am your mother then treat me like one" Rachel said angrily. "You can find a time to ask about strange boxes but you are too busy to find a time to check on me" she reprimanded her.

She was right. Julia wouldn't have come if she had not found something that she couldn't handle on her own.

"I have done a lot of wrongs to you in the past and a lot is still coming in the future. You have found a place in your heart to forgive me back then. So that should not be very hard this time" she said apologetically.

"And you start treating me like a daughter too. I have a dream and involving myself with palace affairs is the way to my destination. You have to help me" she requested.

"And I will" Rachel succumbed instantly.

"Help me destroy this sorcerer" she begged.

"Sorcerers are powerful, to them we are weak women with little little tricks but there is always a way round everything " she proclaimed and her words were assuring.

"A way around?" Julia asked.

"Yes. The easiest way to fight your enemy is to bring to them what they are running from. Their fear" she laughed confidently.

"Are you saying I should find what she fears?" Julia was not thoroughly cleared.

"No. Because you already have it. You said she is someone posing as someone else. That means she doesn't want her true self exposed and that is what you are going to do. Find out who she really is and expose her" she explained in details and concluded.

"The first thing I have to do is to find out who she is and then expose her" she repeated as she pondered over it in her mind.

It was going to be a little hard to find out who Martha really was as Michael had decided not to assist Julia in anything relating to her.

"And be very careful with her" Rachel warned.

Julia was not bothered about getting hurt. All she wanted was to protect Michael and the King. She was confident she wouldn't get hurt.

"There is another thing. The creature in the box, you said that was a human being. If I can get whoever it is. I could use the help" she said slowly.

"No!!" Rachel screamed. "You shouldn't get near the creature. It will be loyal to its master for the rest of its life. Stay away from it" Rachel said sternly.

Julia remembered how Martha and the creature had been having bad relations and Martha questioning its loyalty.

"The creature is currently more powerful and dangerous than its master as it now exists in two realms. It can not be killed. It can only be trapped" Rachel obviously knew a lot about the creature.

"What if I destroy the box?" Julia thought that would work against the creature.

"Your question should be 'how do I destroy the box?'" Rachel corrected. "And that I can't guarantee you. This is something very dangerous" Rachel shook her head remorsefully.

She obviously didn't want Julia involved in any of these.

"There is always a way round everything,isn't it?" Julia reminded her.

"It will be better if you first work about exposing the sorcerer. Then it won't be only you against her. You will get the help you need" she gave her a better idea.

Julia thought she was right. Exposing her would bring Michael back to his senses and his help would be useful.

"Yes, that is what I will do, Mother" Julia smiled. She walked close to Rachel and kissed her on the forehead.

"You are always my daughter" she moaned and they both laughed together.

Julia bade her farewell and left. Rachel had been very helpful. She decided she would visit her often as from now on.

She had a bigger mission in the palace but that could wait until she would have solved the issue that had entangled in her way.

She must help Michael before proceeding to her own case. She would need his help. Though she didn't know who to look unto for support be she had to make use of any help she could find.

The most pressing issue right now was the sorcerer that was posing as Martha. She must find every means to expose her as Rachel had advised. Michael eyes had to be opened to see the danger lying in front of him.