Chapter 61 - Sorcerer's Sprinkler

"You left when I told you to wait" James fumed.

He had come to meet Quentin at home. He was still angry how he left the prison despite telling him to wait to testify against Michael.

"Wait? To do what, James. To testify to the murder of a living man. Does that make sense to you at all?" Quentin replied angrily too. It seemed he was more bothered by everything that happened just like James.

"I have a plan and because you couldn't cooperate. We lost another chance" he continued complaining.

"The chance was already lost when you couldn't finish off your father. The blame is on you not me" Quentin fired back at him.

"You failed, Quentin. You couldn't live up to all what you claimed to be. Just to kill a king, you kept missing. That is the only thing I see" James believed he was just making the whole issue seemed harder with his approaches.

"Just to kill a king, is that all what you think this is?" Quentin chuckled. "No, it is more than that. We need a scapegoat and from what I surely know about the Kingdom of Darnley. You will never be the king if you are the only suspect in your father's death and that is what I am avoiding" he gave him details.

"Why don't you just let me worry about that? Just kill father and leave the rest to me" James breathed heavily. He wasn't worried about what Quentin was talking about.

"I can't. You promised me and you can only fulfil it when you become the king. I will make sure you become the king. It will be better if you let me handle everything" he disagreed with him.

"I will be your king eventually which makes me think I should be calling the shots. And what I want now is the king's death. Let me worry about all other things involved" he encouraged him.

"Then what do you think we should do, the eventual king?" Quentin asked calmly. It seemed he had given in to him.

"The best and easiest way to kill him is poisoning but it is possible he won't eat the poison. There are people who taste his food before he eats it. If you can make something that take long before having effect. We may have a chance" James thought deeply aloud. He couldn't think of any other thing than that.

"If it's about people tasting his food. There is something we can do against that. I can make a sprinkler. All you need to do is get it hanged above his table. It will drop only in his food" Quentin laughed loudly.

"Are you sure of what you are saying?" James couldn't stop doubting him.

"It will work perfectly. I'm very sure about this" he boasted slamming his own chest.

"But the palace ceiling are farther above, how do we know exactly his plate?" James thought that would make the plan inaccurate.

"I thought the king's table is always filled with numerous dishes. There is no way the sprinkler won't get into one of the dishes" Quentin explained.

"Some of those dishes are always left untouched. What if he doesn't touch the poisoned food?" he opposed.

"Then you have to find a way to do this" Quentin sighed. It seemed he was fed up.

"Do not worry. I will take the sprinkler. All I need to do is find something right above his head. I will see that done" he gasped. He wouldn't want to miss any other chance anymore.

"You will have to come back for it. I will have it prepared against your next visit" Quentin shook his head probably to ask if that was okay with James.

"Make sure you do everything perfectly well. There is no room for any more mistakes" James grumbled. He had to warn him severely to prevent another failure.

"Do not be worried. This is something I am good at doing. You will be surprised by it's potency" he laughed again.

Until he would have used it and confirmed its efficacy. James couldn't believe whatever Quentin boast about.

"I am not worried. We should understand we have little time" he warned him again.

He had decided what to use in administering the poison to his father. It would be a banquet. He would decorate the hall with chandeliers and lots of ornament.

He would hang the poison in one of them right above his father. The only thing else he would need to worry about would be Quentin's sprinkler.

***************

Quentin made a fire outside. He arrange some ingredients close to the place. He checked it one after the other. There is still an item missing.

He went back inside to look for it. He came back out with some dead plants in his hands. He joined it with the ingredients he had put together already.

He wanted to conjure the sprinkler poison for James the next time he would come.

James was an adult but he was still acting as a child. He wanted to jeopardize everything with impatience.

Quentin would never allow him to do that.

If the Alpha King was murdered without the killer found and his motive understood. The next king in line would be the main suspect. His coronation would be delayed.

And if James didn't become the king, Quentin
wouldn't find a way into the kingdom. He had to make his own plan that would ensure that James become the Alpha King as soon as possible after Henry had died.

He sat down weakly. He felt drowsy from within. If Wookah was still available. He wouldn't have to go through this conjuring that would definitely drain him.

He still had a lot to do about Wookah's death. He needed to know who killed it and its death must be revenged. But that couldn't be now. It would be another day.

He put a dry pot in the fire he made, with the fire burning on all sides of the pot. He squeezed all the ingredients in the pot. He used a stick to hold it against the pot as they all withered after being affected by the fire.

He realized something. If he wanted this poison to deliver his aim. It must be prepared for James.

The Alpha King would never want James death. He would use that to lure him to his death. But he would need a way to get this poison to be used on James.

He had to find out the method James was going to use in administering the poison. Then he would know how to use it on him instead.

This was going to be risky, if the Alpha King didn't care about James as he thought.

To prevent James from losing his life. He had to prepare an antidote ready.

"James must not die. He is my only link" he put a finger on his lower lip as he muttered to himself.

He started thinking of how to get the antidote to the poison. Once all these were ready, what would remain would be to get the poison to James.

"Yes!Yes!!Yes!!!" he chuckled. He had just discovered a sure way to do this. Michael and his maid Julia would be his best bet. He would just let them think he was mistakenly leaking information and they would follow the lead unknown to them that they would be doing his wish.

"That's good" he moaned as he checked the ingredients he put on fire. They have burnt and became dark ashes. He used the stick in turning them around.

"I have to mix in the antidote to make James last enough till his father will decide to negotiate" he nodded.

He walked inside laughing wildly. He was happy he had just made a healthy and wise plan. He collected some other ingredients.

"Yes,I will need this to counteract" he whispered as he took some substance from a cup. "And this to slow it down" he picked another thing on the shelf inside.

He went back out to the pot and emptied out the ingredients he had previously burnt. He put in the new ingredients and stirred with the stick until it also turned into dark ashes.

He mixed the two ashes together in the pot.

"Now to the main part" he placed both his hands far above the pot with his palms facing the pot.

He breathed in deeply, closed his eyes and exhaled afterwards.

"Volo James vita pendet in statera inter vitam et mortem. Volo James vita pendet in statera inter vitam et mortem" he chanted.

There was a strong wind coming from all directions and it seemed they were struggling against each other above his head.

He continued with his chanting despite the wind threatening to blow him away. After some while. The fire went out.

He gasped and opened his eyes. He was tired but manage to laugh like a maniac. He picked up the pot and headed inside.

"I'm sorry James, you are going to feel the throes of death. It is going to be painful and your father will be the one to decide how long you will spend to battle with it" he said to himself and laughed

"I'm sorry!!!" he yelled and walked inside.