Chapter 9 - Mutilated Mouse

"Where is she?" Harold asked immediately as he came into James' chamber. He had looked around but he couldn't see anyone.

"I sent her somewhere" James knew he was talking about Julia. There was no one else he could have been so keen about.

"We have to be wary of her or we will be sleeping under a burning roof" Harold was still looking around even after James had assured him of her absence.

"And that isn't good" James laughed. "What do we have?" he was sure Harold had come to share some information with him.

"We need to get to a man in Northlake. He has all the secrets to become the Alpha King of Darnley" Harold disclosed.

"A man that knows the secrets to become the Alpha King" James repeated and laughed. "How is that helpful to our situation?" he didn't see that as an important effort to get to the throne.

"It is very needed, James. This is knowledge and knowledge is power" Harold tried to convince him.

"I am expecting you to come up with something that we will do that will make my ascension to the throne become guaranteed" James argued.

"And this is it. Once we find this man. We will know everything we need to do" he elucidated.

"I don't think I have time for all this, just go and find him and give me feedback" James whined, he was not interested in the discussion anymore.

"You have to be there in person. That is what I was told. You should meet this man eye to eye" Harold insisted.

"So you are expecting me to ride out to Northlake to meet an unknown man because you assumed he had the knowledge I need to ascend the throne" James smiled wildly. That was funny to him.

"I did not assume that he knows what you need. He surely knows it" Harold ascertained. It seemed he was not going to persuade James anymore.

"Wait. I remember something. When do we move out?" he asked calmly.

"The decision is yours. We go anytime you say it is" Harold replied casually.

"Then we leave tomorrow" James wanted to use that as an opportunity to evade his father's journey to Fandor.

"I have no problem with that but make sure this girl knows nothing about this journey" Harold asserted.

"You mean Julia?" James asked.

"Your new maid. I don't care about her name" Harold discarded.

"I will try not to spill in her presence" James smiled.

"You will try?" Harold raised his eyebrows. He was definitely not pleased with his response.

"Yes" James asserted.

"You need to know this before it will be too late, James" Harold said sternly. "This girl is having a hold on you. You shouldn't allow that" he advised.

"I wish I could" James shook his head helplessly.

"James, you have to compose yourself together. What do you mean you wish? She is just a maid" Harold fumed.

"Coming from the man that went on his kneels the first time he saw her" James dissed him.

"And I get my head together when you called me back. And I'm calling you back right now. Choose one. The one more important to you between Julia and the throne" Harold was trying to ensure James didn't lose focus.

"My head will be back,I promise" he promised.

"You should not keep her around. She is dangerous" Harold warned again.

"Let us stop talking about her, there is nothing you are going to say that will change my feelings for her. And I might get angry" James smiled broadly.

He knew Harold was obviously going to say something that would piss him off.

"I'm just saying...." Harold wanted to make another comment.

"You don't have to say any other thing. Just let us believe we have concluded on our journey to Northlake" James interrupted him and smiled. He patted him on both shoulders.

"I have no problem with that" Harold removed James' hands from his shoulder slowly and walked outwards.

James smiled as he watched him going out. That was better than getting him angry.

"Ouch...what the....?" Harold screamed suddenly bending down to his feet. He stared back at James.

"What is that?" James asked eagerly.

"Your room has become inundated with mice. You need these exterminators" Harold turned back to him.

"Mice or what do you say it is? Are you sure?" James couldn't believe him. There was no way mice would be in his chamber.

"Like two of them almost land me on my back" Harold illustrated.

"You should go and compose yourself" James walked to him and patted him again, prompting him to go out.

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

Julia was working in James chambers. There was so much to do. She cleaned the table. She arranged his wardrobe.

James was on his bed relaxing, he kept looking at Julia as she was running around.

"You are not supposed to be doing all this" James said standing behind him.

"No. I am..." Julia was startled. She didn't know when James had spirited to her back.

"There are people who are deemed for this" James said again.

"They are maid servants and I am one of them" Julia tried to smile.

"No, you are not one of them. You are here to keep my company. That should be easily understood by you" he affirmed.

Julia nodded. She really didn't know what that was supposed to me. Keeping his company could be translated to a lot of meanings.

"I will be out for some minutes and you make sure you leave these chores for those who should do it" he said and headed for the door.

"You should find a place to sit and leave the chores for the people they belonged to" he stopped at the door and warned her again.

Julia sat down on a chair. She dropped the napkin she was using to clean. She breathed in deeply to show she had rescinded.

"That's good" Janes smiled at her before finally closing the door behind him.

Julia quickly stood up. She closed her eyes and inhaled some air. She opened her eyes to a group of mice that had surrounded her.

She smiled briefly and picked up one of them. She sat down back holding the mouse with both hands. She tightened her grip on it. The mouse made painful noises.

Julia's face turned sour. She was disappointed. She threw away the mouse and bent down to pick another one.

She squeezed it the same way she had squeezed the first one. She wasn't happy with this one too. She threw it away angrily.

She picked up more of them and eventually throwing them away angrily as she couldn't get what she wanted from them.

She moaned in frustration, giving up on the mice. She looked at them with unpleasant stare.

"Bunch of useless rats" she stomped her feet on the floor to disperse them. The mice scattered in different directions.

She heard little scratching sounds on the table behind her. She turned slightly and found another mouse. It was wounded and couldn't move fast. It was just shrieking on the table.

"What's wrong with you?" she grabbed it, holding it tightly with her hands.

"Northlake?" she asked the whining mouse.

She carefully placed it down gently watching it as it crawled back into hiding. She had gotten what she wanted.

She had to let Michael know about this. James would be going to Northlake to meet a man in person. They were planning to go the next day.

The man would assist him in becoming the Alpha King easily but they had to see eye to eye. That was what James and Harold had discussed when she was not around.

She thought of how she could get in touch with Michael. She didn't know where James had gone or how long he would spend out there.

She scampered to the door. She would go and be back before James would arrive. She opened the door.

Unfortunately, she found James standing at the door. She was worried. Maybe James was there the whole time and might have seen her little tricks with the mice.

"You are going somewhere?" James smiled at her.

"I expected you to have come before now" she replied awkwardly.

"So you are going out to look for me? Like I'm lost?" he joked and walked inside.

Julia gasped. She couldn't get to Michael anymore now that he was back.

James walked to his wardrobe. He opened it, whistling joyfully.

"I have to be somewhere right now. It will be good for you not to come looking for me, guardian angel" he brought out a coat and walked back to Julia.

"I don't know how long this will take. If you are bored. You can sleep or do anything that can cure it" he winked at her and left.

Julia was very happy but she made sure she hid it well not to make him become suspicious.

She heaved a sigh of relief and waited. She would let him be a little far away before setting out.

Once she told Michael about this. She would have done her own part. The rest would be for him to worry about.