Chapter 58 - Behind Bars

"How did you manage to get caught. I thought you told me you were leaving" James was at the gate of Martha's cell.

He was surprised to see her in such conditions. He never expected something like this to befall her with the level of her power.

"Queen Teresa" she moaned. "We have underestimated her all this while" she said remorsefully. "Is your father dead already?" she asked immediately.

"No. He still lives" James shook his head.

"What is so hard in killing him right now?" she fumed.

"Why are you tense? You should have killed him yourself, if he is that easy to kill" James fired back. He believed he had tried, his father was just lucky.

"He is already bedridden. He can't shout, he can't fight back" she chastized him. "You just have to do it secretly.

" And that is what makes it harder. Secretly" he replied her instantly.

"So I still have to spend more nights in this dungeon just because of your incompetence" Martha kept venturing out her anger at James.

"You get caught because of your incompetence. And I'm sorry I can't let you go. That will attract suspicion" he apologized.

"I don't need you to escape from this rat hole. But you need my presence to be successful. I'm just staying because I have to finish what I started" she said boastfully.

"If you can get out of this place. Why don't you? Or are you just running your mouth?" James didn't believe her. He thought she was just flattering herself

"Do not fall among those who belittle me so that you won't blame yourself " she threatened him. "Look behind you!" she exclaimed.

"Why do I have to look behind?" he laughed at her.

"Just do what I say" she said furiously.

James turned his back to her. Suddenly, he saw her walking towards him from the hallway.

"What? How did you get there?" he quickly turned to check her in the cell? She wasn't in there anymore.

"I told you,I don't need you to get out of here. You need me to testify against Michael for you to pass his death sentence. Do you understand now?" she said to him.

James nodded. He was overwhelmed with fear.

"So kill your father right away before I lose my cool and go away" she instructed. She removed the lock of her cell and went in.

"Lock me in" she gave the lock back to James.

"I am searching all over the palace right now to find the evidence" he took the lock from her and locked the gate.

"Just go straight to underneath his bed. You will find it right there" she informed him.

"Underneath his bed" James repeated.

"And be fast in killing your father. I'm already tired of staying in here" she maintained staring into his eyes.

James nodded and walked away from the cell. He heard Martha laughing hysterically from inside her cell.

"He is very powerful" he murmured. He was still thrilled by the way she had come out of the cell. He had to hurry up and kill his father before Quentin would be angry as she threatened.

He heard some heavy footsteps as he made his way through the lower quarters. It must be the guards that were searching on his command.

They should still be in the royal courts.

He looked for them by the direction of the sounds of their footsteps.

"What are you doing here?!" he yelled as he came across them.

"We couldn't find anything yet" the physician came forward from the midst of the guards. "We are still searching for it" he upheld.

"Then what are you doing here? That was my question" he repeated angrily.

"We are searching , My Lord" one of the guards broke the silence after all of them couldn't say a word.

"Have you searched all the royal courts?" he was still furious and the guards were definitely unsure why he was so impatient.

"Yes, my Lord" the guard said again.

"And all the chambers?" he was sure they didn't. They would still be up there if they were.

"Everywhere except your chamber, your father's and your brother's chamber" the physician pointed out.

"Why are you so daft to obey simple instructions. Search everywhere. Go back there now and search everywhere, every hole, underneath the bed and underneath the bed" he emphasized strongly.

"Go back now, get out of here now" he dismissed them angrily. "You are just too incompetent" he barked.


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Julia wanted to open the door with her other hand. She had the box in her other hand. She pushed the door but it was stuck.

Rachel didn't use to close her door. She hoped nothing bad had happened. She knocked on the door.

"Who is that?" Rachel open the door slightly and looked out from inside. "Julia" she moaned.

"Mother" she called her back.

"What are you doing here?" she asked strangely.

"I bring this to you" she showed her the box. Julia sighed. She knew Rachel wouldn't agree to help her easily.

Though she came prepared to convince her but she was not sure of what she would do. She nodded her head to tell her to step aside and give her a way in.

"Of course, come in" Rachel opened the door wide.

Julia walked in and placed the box on a table. She popped it open and pointed inside it.

"This is where it used to come out from" she said to Rachel.

"I thought I told you to avoid anything that has to do with this box and the creature inside" she reminded her.

"I did not forget either. But if we do not want this kingdom to fall in the hand of a tyrant. We have to deal with this box because the Alpha King is dying" she hoped to convince her.

"Fall in the hand of the tyrant?" she asked and chuckled. "And do you know the tyrant?" she asked again.

"Of course. James is the tyrant" she affirmed.

"That is the eldest heir, right?" she shook her head. "What makes you think that your master is not the tyrant spoken about by the prophecy?" she stared hard in Julia eyes until she started feeling guilty.

"The prophecy said something about a tyrant?" she was getting this for the first time.

"Yes, this Alpha King and he will be followed by a tyrant. This tyrant won't last long before the female Alpha King will take over. That is the prophecy" she enumerated.

Julia was caught in awe. She wasn't expecting anything of this. She had never heard of the prophecy before. Now she would need to convince her that Michael was not the tyrant.

"The tyrant will kill the king to attain the throne,won't he?" she inquired.

"Yes. He will kill him successfully" Rachel asserted.

"Then James is the tyrant, if your prophecy is accurate. He is the one that has been trying to kill the king all these time. It is not Michael" she professed.

"The one that will kill the King successfully not the one that tries to kill him" Rachel ascertained. "Michael or anyone can be the one" she stated clearly.

"Michael will never kill his father. He never will" she shook her head.

"Prophecy always come to pass. Whether we deal with this box or not" she smirked.

"Then let's deal with it and see if the prophecy will come to pass or not" she challenges Rachel.

"When will you become a believer, Julia?" Rachel seemed disappointed. "You think you can alter destiny, isn't it?" she asked.

"If we do the right thing. We can avert evil" she claimed.

"Then let's see who is right and who is wrong" Rachel seemed to have sensed blasphemy. She obviously wanted to prove Julia wrong.

"I want to kill the creature to save the king. Can you do this?" Julia was doubtful.

"I can kill thousands of it" Rachel boasted. She placed her hand on the edges of the box. "What do you say the name of the creature was?" she asked with a tough voice.

"Wookah" Julia voiced. She was surprised to see Rachel acting very confident and courageous. She wondered she had this in her and she was busy praising the sorcerer.

Julia folded her arms and watched as Rachel mumbled towards the box with her eyes closed.

"Wookah!!" she barked suddenly. She started mumbling inaudible once again. "Wookah!!" she screamed again. She started breathing shallowly but she still went on with her mumbling.

"Wookah!!!" she bellowed the third time. She was exhausted. She quickly sat down on a chair close to her.

"Mother, are you okay?" Julia panicked. She walked up to her and checked her. She was very weak.

"I'm okay" she moaned softly.

"You're not" Julia argued. "You shouldn't have drained yourself. You should stop now" she warned.

"It is already here" Rachel said wearily.

Julia was drawn to the box when some strange hisses came up. The creature rose up from inside the box.

"Who the hell are you, why did you wake me up?" Wookah questioned both of them.