Bound To Cazmus

CHAPTER NINE

𝓒.𝓣𝓪𝓶𝓪𝓻𝓪

There was an eerie sense of emptiness in the desolate area. Cazmus they had no choice but to leave Xynnar and head to the next town. Mariana was nowhere to be found, and there was no sign of a little girl resembling her anywhere. The situation was taking a toll on everyone, except for Amis, who seemed to be enjoying the journey.

Meanwhile, Cazmus sat alone in a dimly lit bar, positioned at a table in the farthest corner. His imposing figure was draped in a large fur coat, its weight resting heavily on his broad shoulders. With one hand placed on his lap, he carefully held a wooden cup filled with a potent liquor that could easily inebriate demons. Despite the effects of the drink, Cazmus remained composed, exuding an enigmatic presence as if he was in complete control of the situation.

 Cazmus had begun to find this journey hopeless, they hadn't find a single thing that could lead him to Mariana.

Tommy, one of the 3 bald men that had been entertaining Cazmus with the endless hate for him, they had so much to say about the royal family. Cazmus didn't care, in his eyes they were nothing but drunken fools. Tommy leaned heavily against the bar, his voice low yet charged with palpable frustration. His companion, Yolan, who stood beside him, turned his head with disdain and spat onto the wooden floor, a deliberate act of contempt. 

“That son of his—Cazmus—he is a fool of the highest order. The man has brought ruin upon an entire town of innocents, all because he was deemed unworthy of the crown. Or perhaps it was the loss of that woman he cherished? Either way, I find solace in the fact that Prince Shazer is to assume the throne instead. We would surely be damned if that loose cannon held power. But, hell, I’d be enraged if a fine piece of meat were to perish.” 

Yolan’s laughter rang hollow, echoing the darkness of the subject at hand. 

Cazmus remained indifferent to the crown, even after her death—the death Shazer had orchestrated, cruelly claiming her life for the alleged sin of witchcraft. In the aftermath, Cazmus unleashed a tempest of wrath upon the realm of Dramér, forcing all to bear witness to his anguish, for none had dared to intervene when Shazer extinguished the only light in his life.

“Rumor has it… King Voltaren was a wild man, they say he fathered many sons scattered throughout the Dramér realm—”

“Oh, spare me! Yolan, that is naught but a myth! The only harlot King Voltaren consorted with was that wretched queen, Victoria. I cannot fathom why he would forsake his marriage for that decrepit hag.” 

Kesh, the bartender, quipped as he wiped down the counter with a tattered cloth, his tone laced with mockery. 

The two men hummed in agreement, their laughter a mere distraction from the grim reality outside. 

Yolan interjected, a hint of gravity in his voice. “Aye, that inferno that erupted this morning—Prince Shazer dispatched the Archbishop and the Priest, their men cordoned off the area, asserting that a witch had been sighted in the Inn. They'll arrive by Tomorrow morning.”

These words seized Cazmus’s attention, compelling him to sit upright, the insatiable need to eavesdrop taking hold of him, his ear attuned to the conversation. 

“A witch?” Tommy mused, disbelief coloring his tone.

“Yes, a witch. But we haven’t glimpsed one of those in centuries; they are all long gone! The Archbishop and the Priest are merely paranoid fools. It is nothing more than a rumor. Only that imbecile Shazer would give credence to such nonsense.”

“Enough with the relentless disparagement of the prince’s name,” Tommy declared, his voice laden with a mixture of indignation and urgency.

“What grievance do yer’ hold against him, old lad? Has he not provided yer’ with shelter and sustenance?”