The Warlock (BxB)

Chapter 2

Once on the other side of the portal, Casimir had to blink a few times. His head felt like it was spinning after going through that vortex. The experience made him feel a bit sick to his stomach, but after a few deep breaths, he was beginning to feel normal again.

"First time going through a portal? It tends to make you feel nauseous, but you get used to it after a while. Sorry for not warning you sooner," the redhead said as he looked at Casimir.

When the prince regained his composure, he glanced around. He had no idea where they had ended up. The terrain was rocky and devoid of color, unlike Casimir's kingdom. There was no way that they were anywhere near Ambria, which was lush with greenery. The prince didn't have the slightest idea of where they ended up. From the looks of it, the redhead didn't seem to have any idea either.

The redhead looked confused as he said, "Huh, it seems the spell didn't work again. I'll never get the hang of teleportation . . ."

"Where are we?" Casimir asked, though he doubted that he would get a concrete response.

"Zuvelia . . . maybe. This place is a wasteland, so if I had to guess, we're somewhere in the fallen kingdom." The man shrugged.

Casimir pinched the bridge of his nose. While the prince snuck out of the castle to have some fun, he wasn't expecting this. He just wanted to hook up with a cute guy before he had to return home. Now he was somewhere he didn't know, with no idea which direction to go. If he was gone for too long, then his parents were going to kill him. He may have been an adult, but as the crown prince with divine powers, he had no freedom.

"Can't you teleport us somewhere else? Maybe you'll get lucky this time," the prince suggested. He wasn't sure he wanted to go through a portal again, but he needed to do something to get back home as soon as possible.

"Are you sure you want to risk that? I'm warning you, this is the one spell I haven't mastered. We can end up at the bottom of the ocean or in a volcano. That's how much I suck at this spell." The redhead looked the prince dead in the eyes, completely serious. As ashamed as he was admitting that he didn't know such a simple spell, it was better for him to be brutally honest instead of risking their lives.

Finally, Casimir turned his attention to his companion instead of looking at their surroundings. The redhead man was short, only coming up to Casimir's shoulders. He looked young, with light green eyes, and his bangs grew out to cover his right eye. Since the prince knew he was a magic user, Casimir looked deeply into the man's eye that wasn't covered up. He didn't see any symbols, which was how people could tell if someone was a warlock or not. The prince also didn't sense any dark energy coming from him, another sign to tell if someone was part demon. But if he were a warlock, then he wouldn't have screwed up a teleportation spell.

"So . . . are you a wizard in training or something? You have a staff, which wizards need to harness energy for their spells." A warlock wouldn't have needed such an instrument. They were more powerful than mere wizards and could easily cast spells with the flick of their wrists.

The question seemed to make the redhead nervous. He didn't sound very convincing as he said, "Um, yes! I'm just a simple wizard, still in training." The man seemed ready to move this conversation away from him. He quickly added, "By the way, my name is Logain. Who are you?"

He knew that he would have to introduce himself eventually. Casimir lowered his hood so that the redhead, Logain, could get a better look at his features. He had wavy blond hair and bright blue eyes, traits the majority of the royal family had. Only his father and younger sister had black hair.

The prince smiled at him and then said, "My name is Casimir. I am the crown prince of Ambria."

Upon hearing his name, Logain felt his heart drop. Seeing his features, it was clear that he belonged to the royal family. He was able to catch a peek at the outfit that Casimir wore underneath the cloak. His garments were red, gold, and white, and looked fancier than anything Logain owned. Even the black cloak was decorated with gold trimmings. During their encounter with those men, he didn't take notice of Casimir's features. He probably should have taken a guess when he felt this man's divine energy, but he was too distracted with escaping at the time. If he would have realized it sooner, then he never would have taken the prince with him.

Logain looked at him wide-eyed and said, "I'm going to be executed upon returning to Ambria, aren't I? I just accidentally kidnapped the crown prince."

He was jumping to the worst-case scenario too quickly. Casimir had to jump in to calm this man's racing nerves. He gently took grabbed his shoulders since Logain seemed like he was about to have a mental breakdown. "You're not going to be executed, I promise. Once I explain to my father what happened, then there will be nothing for you to worry about. Besides, I can tell him that you weren't even involved."

Casimir wasn't sure what he would tell his parents upon returning to Ambria, but he would figure out something. He knew they wouldn't be too happy with him and that was just the consequence he would have to face. He could already hear the sound of his parents scolding him.

With a sigh, he said, "Perhaps we shall get going? Let's head to the nearest town to figure out where we are. I'm sure someone can point us in the right direction."

Logain wasted no time once the prince said these words. He grabbed Casimir's hand and then pulled him along with him. This was going to be a long journey, but Logain was determined to get the prince back home as soon as possible.