The Warlock (BxB)

Chapter 15

Cordea was a bright city compared to the things they had seen so far. The streets were bustling with people and the marketplace they passed through was crowded. Past all of the citizens of Cordea, they could see the port in the distance. They could see the ships lined up and the sparkling blue ocean awaited them. Finally, they made it and would be able to return home.

Logain was happy that they would be able to leave this place behind them. Besides dealing with the bandits, it wasn't that bad. Even dealing with the children wasn't an issue to Logain, though it did put them a little behind schedule. Logain just didn't want to take too long and then he faced trouble upon reaching Ambria. Everyone was surely looking for Casimir by now.

They walked to the port where their destination awaited them. It took some time traversing the streets and getting past the throng of people. Casimir stayed close to the warlock so as not to lose him. Logain was short, only coming up to the prince's shoulders, so Casimir worried about being separated from the warlock. He had to stop himself from taking the other man's hand to keep them from being separated.

It was a relief when they finally got through to the port. It was less crowded there, with only the workers going about their business. For a port city, Casimir thought the port would be busier than this. There were hardly any civilians nearby, which was odd. Casimir didn't know how often regular citizens crossed the seas, but there should have been a ship or something taking passengers across. The ships went to more than just Rasea. Even transportation ships didn't seem to be in service.

Logain stopped the nearest worker to them. "Hey, when's the next ship to Rasea?"

The worker stopped, taking in the appearance of the prince and warlock. The man shrugged before saying, "There are no ships going to Rasea and there won't be for a while. If you haven't heard about it, then go speak with my captain. He's over there."

He pointed towards another man, who appeared busy as he went back and forth between his workers. Whatever was going on seemed serious if there were no ships for some time. This posed a problem for Logain and Casimir. Somehow, they needed a ship to get across the seas. Denying them passage didn't work in their favor.

With a sigh, Logain approached the captain. Whatever was going on wasn't his problem. All he cared about was getting out of Cordea and returning home. When he stopped in front of the man, he said, "Excuse me. When will there be a ship sailing to Rasea?"

The captain glanced over at the two men. He looked at them up and down, his eyes landing on the warlock's staff. His eyes narrowed. "As of right now, it could be months before we set sail again, whether that's to Rasea or somewhere else. Regardless of when we sail again, I wouldn't let one of your kind aboard my ship. If you so desperately want to get across the sea, then use your magic or whatever you people do. You're not my problem."

Logain was about to retort, but Casimir was quick to cut in, "We can pay for passage. However much gold you require, I can provide it. I'm a prince from Ambria looking to return home. Please, look past what my friend is for a moment. We are only travelers looking for safe passage across the ocean. We pose no threat to you or anyone from Cordea."

The man turned to the prince. From the prince's clothing beneath the cloak, he spotted a symbol from the royal family of Ambria. The lion crest was enough to convince the captain that Casimir wasn't lying. He sighed. "It is not a matter of money that is the issue. Even if you can pay, there is no possible way to get across the ocean right now."

He pointed out towards the sea. It was hard to tell earlier when they first arrived in Cordea, but now the men could make out something strange about the waters. It was still far away, but they were able to see a dark mist out at sea. The mist appeared as a barrier around the port city.

"We can't cross whatever that is. We know where the problem comes from, but the person behind the corruption has disappeared. A witch cast a spell on Cordea and the surrounding areas. Not only has the corruption affected our seas, but it has been affecting plant life and wildlife as well. If you traveled to Cordea recently, then you might have seen the decay on your way here," the captain explained.

When they first arrived, they ended up in a wasteland. That must have been the result of the corruption, but Logain didn't feel any dark magic when they were there. If there were no hints of dark magic, then that area must have been dead for a long time. Even if they found a way to stop the corruption, it would be too late to save all life that was lost.

"What if we found the one responsible for this and made them revert their curse?" Casimir suggested.

The captain gave a small chuckle. "You're optimistic. I like that. I won't put any faith in a bunch of strangers, but if you're somehow able to solve this issue, then voyage is free of charge."

Logain glared at the prince but kept his mouth shut. He wasn't surprised that Casimir was offering help once again. The prince didn't know when to leave things be. They didn't know anything about the witch that cast the spell, or why she did it in the first place. Logain knew there were evil witches and warlocks out there, but most of them weren't. She might have had a good reason for casting that curse on this land. Besides that, they didn't know this land well enough. How were they supposed to find this girl in this vast landscape?

"You'll be looking for a young girl in her teens. Her name is Maira, she's blonde with green eyes, and she appears innocent. She's not, though. If you find her, she will try to play a trick on you to escape. The only other information I can give you is that she has a family here in Cordea. They live in the house near the front gates of the city, the one with the red door. They should be able to tell you more about her." He pointed towards where Casimir and Logain had come from.

Even if the family was able to provide information, that didn't help their search. Logain wasn't in the mood to go on a wild goose chase, but he would follow the prince if he decided to go through with this. He wouldn't abandon him now after they had come this far. After they thanked the captain for this little bit of information, the men were on their way with Casimir leading this time.

"Must you help every single person we come across?" Logain asked, his voice laced with annoyance.

Casimir shrugged, then laughed. "I'm sorry, it's just a bad habit of mine. Besides, this is the only lead we have. We won't be crossing the sea otherwise, so we might as well help if we're able to."

"I imagine you're going to ask me for help." It wasn't a question. Logain knew that was the next thing that would come out of the prince's mouth.

The prince looked back at him with a smirk. "You know me so well already. Come on, let's go find us a witch."

Logain rolled his eyes but followed after the prince anyway.