The Warlock (BxB)

Chapter 3

Logain kept some distance between him and Casimir as he walked ahead. The man seemed to be hurrying to get Casimir home, while the prince didn't see the need to rush. Yes, he wanted to get home as soon as possible before, but since that was determined to be impossible, he wanted to enjoy these moments away from the castle while he could. He wouldn't get another opportunity to be away from his kingdom for a while. There were too many responsibilities and expectations set upon him. Freedom was something that he could only ever dream of.

Eventually, Logain came to a stop. He glanced around him, but a barren wasteland still surrounded them. There were no signs of life. There was no foliage or even any animals. Everything around them was just . . . dead. If this truly was Zuvelia, then their kingdom wasn't that far away. As long as they kept walking and hopefully came across someone, then at most, it should only take a day to reach Ambria. But without even knowing what direction to go in, home seemed so far away.

Logain glanced behind him at Casimir, then let out a sigh. If it weren't for the prince, then Logain wouldn't have worried so much about returning home. He was used to traveling on his own and for long distances. Even if it took him a long time to make it back home, time didn't matter to Logain. He had plenty of it on his side. Having the crown prince with him complicated things. Once Casimir was gone for a day or two, the royal family would have people searching for him. Not only the royal family but the church would as well. The prince was considered to be a holy vessel, something that the church wouldn't let disappear. If those holier-than-thou fanatics learned that Logain was the one who 'kidnapped' the prince, then they would have his head. Someone like him wasn't supposed to even interact with this divine prince.

He couldn't help shooting the prince a glare. It wasn't Casimir's fault that this happened. Logain was used to people trying to pick fights with him because of what he was, but this was the first time that someone tried helping him. Logain could have left Casimir at the scene, but he didn't want to leave him behind after he tried to help him. But at the time, he didn't know who he was dealing with. He cursed himself for not picking up on the divine energy right away. Being near the prince now, he could feel it radiating off him.

"What's with the face?" Casimir awkwardly asked once he noticed Logain glaring at him.

"Why did you leave the castle in the first place? And aren't you supposed to have your soldiers with you at all times once leaving the palace? If you did, then we wouldn't be in this mess right now," Logain said.

"Well, I left without anyone knowing. Because of my status, I don't have much free time. So when I get the opportunity, I sneak out of the palace. As for why I left this time . . . I was searching for a cute boy to hook up with," the prince responded, completely honest with what he was up to. Then he shot Logain a smirk and added, "Perhaps you're that cute boy that I've been looking for."

This last comment took Logain by surprise. Casimir's words made his face heat up, and he quickly glanced away. Logain let out a short laugh, crossed his arms, and said, "Your honeyed words don't work on me, Prince Charming. I've been around for a very long time, and I won't fall for these sorts of games. If you're just looking for a quick fling, I'm the wrong guy for you."

Logain turned on his heels, then began to walk away once again. However, Casimir was finding this conversation to be quite humorous. He fell into step beside Logain and asked, "Out of curiosity, have you ever been in a relationship before? I imagine with that attitude of yours, you've never been kissed before."

"The audacity to make that remark to someone you've only met today. While perhaps I've never been in a relationship before, that doesn't mean I have absolutely no experience." Logain couldn't meet Casimir in the eyes. He hoped this would be enough to make the prince drop this conversation. If the prince believed he had experience, then perhaps he would leave him alone about this.

But of course, he wouldn't get what he wanted.

"So you've never been with anyone. In any way," the prince put it bluntly.

His companion glanced back at him, scowling. "So what? I'm a two-hundred-year-old warlock who has never even been kissed before. Tease me all you want. I don't care."

"Wait . . . warlock? And two hundred?" Casimir stopped in his tracks. He was confused since this man didn't have dark energy coming off of him, which was typical for warlocks.

The prince didn't mind being around warlocks since his younger sister was married to one. But based on the church and their teachings, they painted warlocks out to be these vicious demons. Most people were also afraid of their presence since they believed that warlocks were responsible for all curses, as well as the plague that swept through their continent. Any crisis was blamed on their species. Casimir didn't know how true this all was, though. He took the church's lessons with a grain of salt since he believed them to be corrupt as well.

He was more surprised by the age that Logain just dropped on him. He knew warlocks were immortal, but Logain only looked to be in his early twenties.

Logain rolled his eyes. He didn't mean to reveal that he was a warlock, but he would play this off as if he didn't have a slip of the tongue. "You're a little slow. You saw me use magic to get my staff back. Wizards can't use magic without their staff in hand, but warlocks can. The staff I carry with me is only for show."

Well, his weapon was for more than that, but Logain didn't feel like going into detail. Besides, he only just met the prince. There were some things that Logain wanted to keep to himself. He couldn't reveal too much to someone who was a stranger.

After getting over the initial shock of this new information, Casimir picked up his pace beside Logain once again. He was over learning that Logain was a warlock since that didn't bother him. Instead, he decided it would be fun to go back to teasing Logain.

With a smirk, he said, "I'm just glad to be traveling with a two-hundred-year-old cutie. Since we'll be stuck with each other during this journey, I might as well enjoy every opportunity I can."

This time, Logain was the one taken by surprise when Casimir put an arm around his shoulder and pulled him close. Casimir was giving him a playful smile, which made the warlock quickly glance away. He could feel his face start to burn up again.

"We're not here to have fun. Once I return you to the castle, we'll go our separate ways. If you annoy me enough, then perhaps I'll simply leave you behind to find Ambria all on your own," Logain said.

If it weren't for the fact that Logain accidentally dragged him along, then the warlock may have left the prince behind already. He was only sticking with him because he felt like this was his responsibility. He brought him here, so he might as well help him get back to his kingdom.

"Deal. You help me get back, and I won't tell anyone that you kidnapped me." There was that smirk on Casimir's face again. He added, "I will try to be on my best behavior, but no promises."

Logain had a feeling that this was going to be a long, stressful journey.