The Warlock (BxB)

Chapter 62

When Casimir saw the castle of Zuvelia in front of them, he wasted no time running towards it. His companions were forced to run after him to keep up. The prince was desperate to stop Meredith before she did anything to Logain. The High Priestess would be inside the castle, according to Amaris. The clergyman said that's where the demon would be strongest. Casimir would make sure he reached the castle before anything happened. Since Meredith got here before them, she would already have a head start on the ritual.

After what Amaris admitted, the prince had his doubts that the clergyman could be trusted. If he tricked Logain, there was the possibility that he was tricking them now as well. Amaris changed a lot after he was taken away from Casimir the first time. The man he knew before never would have done something like this. He would have discussed their options first, and he wouldn't have allowed anyone to put themselves in harm's way. The clergyman's kindness and timid nature were what attracted the prince to him in the first place. Casimir loved him, and if there were any feelings still lingering, they were gone after the stunt Amaris pulled. He couldn't forgive him after what he did to Logain.

Before he was able to push the door of the castle open, Amaris grabbed his arm and pulled him to a halt. "Don't rush in. We don't know what's in there. If Meredith was successful in summoning the demon and getting it under her control, then you'll get us killed. We need to survey the situation before charging in."

"The longer we wait, the more danger Logain will be in. I can feel that the demon isn't in this realm. She hasn't been successful in summoning it yet, but she's trying. We need to stop her now. I won't let Logain be in danger for any longer." Casimir pulled his arm out of Amaris' grasp.

The prince was about to charge in once more until Tristan also spoke up, "I know you're desperate to save him, but if you act rashly, that could also get Logain killed. If I'm understanding the prophecy correctly, Meredith is the one who will kill Logain, not the demon. Besides, your fiancé is strong. Have some faith in him."

Casimir did believe in Logain. After getting to know him, he knew how strong he was, even if the warlock didn't believe in himself. The prince had faith in him, but that didn't stop him from worrying. He took a deep breath and tried to compose himself. If they could deal with Meredith without Logain around, then perhaps they could save him before the High Priestess tried to take his life.

"What's the plan?" Casimir asked. He still wanted to charge in there and deal with Meredith, but he realized that his companions had a point. Charging in could startle the High Priestess and get them all killed if she lost control. He didn't want to be the death of Logain or his companions either.

Now that Casimir calmed down enough for his group to talk with him, Varys suggested, "We should split up. Tristan and I know the castle, so one of you should come with each of us. If we surround her on both sides, then she won't be able to escape."

"Meredith won't back down easily, so get ready for a fight. I know there are four of us, but she is still powerful. Her divinity is almost as strong as the royal family's, but she also has dark magic on her side. I wouldn't be surprised if she summons lesser demons to fight us off. If we take care of her quickly, then we should be able to stop her before she can do any real damage," Amaris said.

With that decided, it was time for them to prepare. Varys and Amaris went together as they decided to go through the back end of the castle. That left Tristan and Casimir together for a frontal assault. The prince pulled his sword from its sheath, while Tristan grabbed a few potions from his pouch. Unlike the rest of his group, Tristan didn't have much combat experience. He thought about the past and when he was trained to use a sword, but those lessons didn't last for very long. It didn't help that his teacher lost his life, but Tristan tried not to think about it. Though he might not have been a good fighter, he at least had some potions he could use against the High Priestess. They would give the prince an advantage.

Before entering the castle, they waited for a few minutes to give Varys and Amaris time to reach their destination. If they charged in before everyone was ready, it would only risk this whole operation. As much as Casimir wanted to charge in, he knew his companions were right. He needed to take this slowly and carefully. After giving it some time, the men carefully opened the front doors of the castle and stepped inside.

The castle was dark, but there was a path of candles that would lead them to Meredith. The High Priestess set up the candles for her ritual, oblivious to the fact that she was being pursued. Slowly, the men followed the path. With how quiet the castle was after being abandoned for so long, they could hear chanting ahead of them as clear as day. Casimir didn't understand the language the High Priestess was using to say her chant. He wondered if Logain would have.

Eventually, they found the High Priestess. Meredith was on her knees in the throne room, surrounded by candles. The only other light came from the beams shining through the broken windows. Like the rest of Zuvelia, the castle fared no better, as debris and foliage decorated the castle. The throne room was hardly recognizable to Tristan. Only over a year had passed since Tristan's last time in this kingdom. He was surprised by how quickly it fell into ruin.

With Meredith unaware of their approach, Casimir placed his sword against the back of her neck. The High Priestess halted her chanting. With her chanting the ritual, the throne room grew eerily quiet. The only sound that could be heard was their slight breathing.

However, the silence was broken once she chuckled. "I shouldn't be surprised that Amaris would betray me. I should have known better than to think that he was the brainwashed lap dog everyone believed him to be. How disappointing."

"Shut up! I'm tired of you abusing Amaris, and I'm tired of you trying to take advantage of the royal family. You've been nothing but a thorn in our side, and now, because of you, Logain is trapped in another world. Your reign of tyranny ends here, Meredith. I won't allow you to hurt me, Amaris, my family, or Logain ever again!" Casimir wanted to end her life for good as he raised his sword to strike her down.

But before he had the chance to do so, they were all taken by surprise when a portal appeared slightly above them. Shortly after, Logain and the prince of Zuvelia fell towards the group.