The Warlock (BxB)

Chapter 5

It was a relief to finally be on the path to Cordea. Logain looked forward to setting sail and returning home. They still had a long road ahead of them, though. Upon reaching the port city, they would have to wait for the next ship sailing to Rasea. Casimir was a prince, so he should have money or something valuable on him that they could use to pay for passage. Once they made it to Rasea, all they needed to do was find a guide who could lead them through the harsh desert. Logain wouldn't dare to venture through the sands without a guide. The desert was vast and without someone to lead them, they would get lost and perish. Logain wanted to get back to his home safely.

The prince didn't seem to care whether he made it back or not. Logain glanced back at him a few times to make sure he was still following. He was, but he appeared to be getting further away each time the warlock checked on him. Logain rolled his eyes. It must have been nice being a prince and not having much to worry about. He didn't have to face the same hardships the common folk suffered. Logain wasn't a commoner, but he might as well have been beneath them with how he was treated. The moment people realized he had magic, he was treated worse than dirt. It didn't help that he always needed to keep his staff on him. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he traveled without it.

He glanced back at Casimir once more, then let out a sigh. The prince was lost in thought as he looked at the ground and slowly moved his feet forward. Logain was contemplating leaving him behind. At this pace, it might as well take them months to get back to Ambria. It would already take them a few weeks since they needed to cross the ocean and desert. It would have been nice if Casimir had taken this journey a little more seriously. They could have made more progress by now.

Logain came to a halt and pinched the bridge of his nose. He hated feeling guilty for getting the prince trapped here with him. Next time, he would be more careful with who he accidentally kidnaps. If it were one of the other royals, it wouldn't have been as big of a deal. However, Casimir was the crown prince of Ambria, as well as the divine child that the church loved. An hour had already passed since they arrived on this continent. The prince's disappearance might already have been discovered. The royal family would surely be silently looking for him. They would try to find the prince before the church got wind of his absence. Once they learned the prince was missing, all hell would break loose.

The warlock didn't want to think about what would transpire once the church learned of Casimir's absence. They would tear Ambria down in search of him and when they couldn't find him there, they would start searching in other nations. They wouldn't let the prince escape them. Casimir's mother was originally considered to be the divine maiden. Logain may not have been involved, but he heard the stories. Since the church was obsessed with the person who held the most divinity, they practically caged that person. When the queen was younger, the church wanted to sacrifice her for her powers. They believed that a sacrifice of the divine maiden would save this world from its suffering. It wouldn't, but it was what those crazy bastards believed.

Casimir's father, King Lucas, didn't let his wife become a sacrifice. He saved her, and now their children carried a little bit of the queen's power. She was still a powerful woman, but her powers were no longer what they used to be. Most of her divinity was passed down to her oldest son, which happened to be the man whom Logain kidnapped. He needed to return him before the church got involved. If Logain was caught with him, then he would surely be executed. It was best for them to go their separate ways before reaching Ambria.

Since Casimir didn't seem as though he was in any rush, Logain asked, "What's wrong? Don't you want to return home?"

He shrugged. "Can't I stay out here with a cutie like you?"

Logain glared at him. "No. Don't act like a child because I want to take you home. We should get a move on, so let's get going. Even if you don't want to, I want to go home. I want to curl up under the blankets with a warm cup of tea and a good book to read."

"That sounds lovely. It would be even more lovely if we could do that together," Casimir suggested with a sly smile.

"Do you flirt with anything with a pulse?"

"Only with cute men, and you're adorable," he said.

His comment made Logain blush. He wasn't used to being flirted with, especially not by men. Nervously, Logain added, "W-well, this is not important right now. I need to focus on getting you home before the church finds out that you're missing. They will have me executed if they catch us together."

Casimir was aware that the church hated magic users. Unless a person possessed divine magic, then the church shunned them. Warlocks, wizards, witches. The church considered their magic to be black magic, and warlocks were thought to be the worst of them all. After all, warlocks were half demons. If things were still like they were in the past, then warlocks were killed simply for existing. Logain had to hide this side of him even if it was difficult to contain his magic. When Lucas ascended the throne, he changed things. Warlocks were still hated and shunned, but they weren't killed for existing. A lot of things changed for the better when the current king took over. Logain would accept being rejected any day over people trying to murder him.

"They won't. They wouldn't be able to prove that you kidnapped me and took me to a faraway land," Casimir teasingly said. He smiled, then added in a slightly more serious tone, "I won't let that happen to you, anyway. It's my word against theirs. Even if they claim that you took me against my will, I can deny it. The church is powerful, but they aren't stronger than the royal family."

Casimir may have had a point, but the church could still go behind the royal family's back. They were corrupt people. Warlocks knew that better than anyone else.

As they continued to walk, a village eventually came into view. They were told they would run into a couple of villages before reaching Cordea. This was good progress, but as they neared the village, something seemed off. There were barely any people walking the streets and the few that did looked up to no good. Logain took note of the weapons at their sides.

Logain came to a halt once more. "Bandits. We should go around the village to avoid them."

"But what about the villagers? If there's some way that we can help, then we should. We shouldn't leave these people to their fate." Casimir couldn't just walk away that easily. When he saw someone in trouble, he felt the need to help. It was the same feeling as when he first met Logain. There was an urgency to help when he saw someone in distress.

"That's ridiculous. Why risk your life for people that you don't know? They can fend for themselves. I'm not getting paid to help these people, so I don't see the need to step in." Logain crossed his arms, unwilling to lift a finger to help the villagers. He could easily deal with the bandits, but there was nothing for him to gain from this.

However, Casimir wasn't going to listen to him. He grabbed Logain's hand and said, "I'll pay you for this later. A kiss and a couple of gold pieces should suffice for rescuing these people."

He didn't give Logain the chance to refuse as he forced Logain to run with him towards the village. The sudden force took Logain by surprise.

The warlock yelled, "Wait!"

But it was already too late. He had no choice as Prince Casimir dragged him to the village.