The Warlock (BxB)

Chapter 19

The two kept running in the path that the light showed them. Logain prayed that Maira would be able to hold out until they reached her. He couldn't tell what she was running away from. All he could tell from the red light was that something was wrong. He could sense Maira's panic, but that was it.

Logain was tempted to use teleportation magic to reach her faster, but that was a risk he wasn't sure he was willing to take, especially not with Casimir with him. He didn't want to put the prince in any more danger. They would already be heading into danger as Maira tried to escape her assailant.

But no matter how fast they ran, they didn't seem to make any progress. Maira was going in the opposite direction, and she was moving just as quickly. If she died in this encounter, then her curse should go away. Her magic wouldn't be affecting Cordea anymore, but Logain didn't want to take that chance. Witches and warlocks needed to see justice. They shouldn't be killed off because of what they were. There was no guarantee that mortals were chasing her, anyway. There could have been any number of monsters chasing her, but Logain had a bad feeling after meeting those nobles who 'took care of her'. Many would want her dead after plaguing this land.

"Logain, wait." Casimir was slowing down. He reached out to grab Logain's arm and pulled him to a halt before he got too far ahead.

"There's no time. If we wait, then Maira might die. We need to save her before it's too late." He tried to pull his arm out of Casimir's grasp, but the prince held firm.

"I understand that, but we'll never reach her at this rate. Use your teleportation magic," Casimir suggested.

"But I . . ." he started to say until Casimir cut him off.

"Don't doubt yourself. I'm with you and I will lend you my strength to cast this spell. My magic should be able to regulate yours enough to stop it from going haywire. We can do this together." The prince smiled at him.

Logain took a deep breath. He wanted to believe in himself, but it was hard. After dealing with erratic magic for over two hundred years, it wasn't easy to trust his abilities. He knew his magic was powerful, but it was too powerful for its own good. How could he put his trust in something that steered him wrong for most of his life?

But he would try to put his faith in the prince. Casimir reached down to hold his hand. His touch was enough for Logain to feel his magic calming down inside of him. With the prince by his side, he felt like he had some control. If he focused, then maybe he could do this. He firmly grasped Casimir's hand as he tried to tune everything else out. He could perform this spell. He had to. Another life was counting on him getting this spell correct on the first try.

He whispered a short enchantment, and a portal appeared before them. If he did everything correctly, then this should lead them straight to Maira. As much as he wanted to save the girl, he was reluctant. He was scared of walking through the portal, only to be disappointed. There was the possibility that they wouldn't be in Cordea anymore.

Casimir didn't let go of his hand. While Logain was scared, Casimir was ready to charge forward. He gave Logain an encouraging smile and said, "You got this. Maira will be on the other side. Just believe in yourself, Logain."

The warlock nodded. If Casimir trusted him, then Logain would try to as well. He squeezed the prince's hand once more and followed him into the portal.

Upon entering the other side, Logain and Casimir were separated. Logain thought they would stay together if they held onto each other, but that wasn't the case. Panic started to set in as Logain realized he was alone. As he looked around, he could tell he was still near Cordea. The landscape was ruined and decaying, and he could see the port city far in the distance. He was on a cliff overlooking the landscape below. He could see what looked like the village where they left the kids as well. Wherever he ended up, he seemed to be far from civilization.

However, being alone wasn't what frightened him the most. The warlock was used to spending his days alone, so this was nothing new to him. What scared him was losing Casimir. When they started this journey, the warlock couldn't wait to be rid of the prince. He was a nuisance, but now without his presence, Logain felt lost and worried. He wanted him by his side as terrible thoughts began to surface. He could have teleported himself to somewhere safe, but the same might not go for the prince. Casimir could be nearby, yet there was also the chance he was hurt somewhere. He could have fallen off the cliff when they landed here. Quickly, Logain started looking over the edge of the cliff in search of a body. His heart was racing as he searched for the prince. He didn't see any dead bodies, but the worry didn't go away. He needed to find him.

As he searched for the prince, Logain heard a roar behind him, followed by a girl's scream. Quickly, Logain turned in the direction of the noise. The path of light was leading in the direction of the scream, and Logain finally spotted his target.

A girl with blonde hair was desperately trying to escape a large creature. She narrowly avoided the creature's claws as if swiped at her. Logain had never seen this creature in person before, but he recognized it from the books he read. The beast was a chimera, a creature with a lion and goat's head, and its tail was a poisonous snake. How she was able to escape the beast for this long, Logain wasn't sure. She wasn't attempting to use her magic to slow it down. It was getting closer to the girl. She wasn't fast enough to get away from it.

He needed to act fast. With his staff in hand, Logain ran towards the creature and girl. Chimera's had fire magic, so Logain knew the spell that could slow it down. He might not be able to kill it, but at least he could wound it. He just hoped that his magic wouldn't act up. Without Casimir by his side, there was no way for him to regulate his magic. Logain could feel the intense energy as his powers tried to escape him.

He cast a minor ice spell to get the chimera's attention. The shard of ice flew past the girl's head and hit the monster's shoulder. It was enough for the monster to turn and focus on Logain. The warlock could feel more of his magic itching to escape him. When a little bit of energy was released, more of it always threatened to overwhelm him. This was why he needed to use his powers, or else he would combust.

"Over here, you ugly fucker!" Logain shouted at the creature as he shot another icicle at it. The ice shattered upon impact, but this was enough to anger the chimera.

With the girl completely forgotten about, the chimera charged toward Logain. This time when the warlock prepared another spell, he created a shield of ice in front of him. It wouldn't be enough to stop the monster, but it would slow it down until Logain prepared the spell that should finish it off. He needed time as he focused on his strongest ice spell.

Logain tried to quickly chant the incantation, but the chimera was moving faster than he anticipated. With a few hard bashes, the chimera was able to break down the ice shield. Logain wasn't able to finish the spell in time. The creature raised its claws once more to strike its victim.

But before it made an impact, another shard of ice shot at the creature, this one from the other direction. This spell pierced through the creature, knocking it on its side. The girl, Maira, was shaking as she held a hand out toward the chimera. She didn't run away even though she was scared. She could have abandoned Logain, but she didn't.

"Maira, help me finish it off!" Logain shouted. If they worked together, then the chimera would be no more.

She might have been afraid, but she was quick to nod and join Logain. With one of them focusing on the lion's head and the other the goat's head, Logain was able to finish casting his spell. Large sharps of ice shot out from the ground, piercing the creature's head and body. As the spikes pierced through the chimera, it went limp. It was no longer breathing.

Logain took a deep breath before glancing over at Maira. She hugged herself as she looked at the dead creature. She couldn't tear her eyes off of the corpse in front of them.

The warlock thought the battle was over, until the snake tail twitched. The snake was quick to strike out at Logain, but the warlock never felt the sharp bite of its fangs. Instead, someone else got in the way before it struck Logain.

Casimir blocked Logain from the attack as the snake sunk its teeth into the prince's arm.