The Warlock (BxB)

Chapter 20

Casimir gritted his teeth, but he didn't let out a yell as the snake bit him. In one quick motion, Casimir swung his sword and cut off the snake's head. The beast was dead for good this time and wouldn't surprise attack them. The prince dropped his sword and grabbed the arm where he had been attacked. The wound hurt, but Casimir could tell something else was wrong. He felt a burning sensation shoot through his veins.

"Casimir!" Logain grabbed the prince's uninjured arm and looked him in the eyes. He could tell that the prince was in pain.

He gave Logain a smile, but he couldn't mask the pain he was in. It only got worse when he felt that burning sensation moving throughout his body. He might not have ever felt this way before, but he knew what was going on.

"I hate to alarm you, but I think I've been poisoned." The smile never left Casimir's face. He wanted to relieve the worried expression on the warlock's face, but he couldn't lie about his condition either. He couldn't hide how he was feeling.

"I-I'm sorry, Casimir. It's my fault." If Logain was a better warlock, then the prince wouldn't be suffering. They wouldn't be in this mess to begin with if Logain was better at controlling his magic. Prince Casimir could be back at the castle where he was safe.

"Logain, stop it. You didn't do anything wrong. In fact, if it weren't for you, then we never would have saved Maira in time." To help ease Logain's worries, Casimir reached out, wrapped his good arm around Logain's waist, and then pulled him close. He hugged Logain, which startled the warlock at first.

But eventually, Logain hugged him back. He hugged him tightly, pressing his face against the prince's chest. Being in his arms did help calm Logain, but he wasn't completely over it. He still felt bad for getting Casimir in this mess, but he was glad the prince was okay. He was worried that something terrible had happened when he couldn't find him. Logain didn't think he would be able to forgive himself if Casimir was hurt because of him. He was cursing himself for allowing Casimir to even get hurt by the chimera.

It was as if the prince could read his mind. "Don't start thinking you're to blame for me getting hurt. It was my choice to protect you. Besides, this is nothing. Once my divine powers set in, the poison will go away. I told you before that my body heals itself. Only a fatal wound can't be healed."

The warlock witnessed Casimir's ability to heal with his own eyes. He had to trust that the same would happen this time as well. As he looked at the wound, Logain could see it begin to heal. The blood remained, but the fang marks disappeared. Seeing the prince's divinity heal him helped reassure Logain that everything would be okay. However, the color hadn't returned to the prince's face quite yet. The poison still needed time to fade away.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Logain asked. Casimir just needed to say the word, and Logain would do it.

Casimir smirked. "There is something that could help get the poison out of me faster, but I think I'll keep it to myself. We have a guest with us, after all."

Logain might not have known exactly what the prince was referring to, but he blushed as a couple of scandalous thoughts popped into his head. Surely, the prince couldn't mean that. Logain needed to get his mind out of the gutter as he tried to shake the thoughts away. As Casimir mentioned, someone else was currently with them. Logain shouldn't have had such thoughts when he needed to focus on the next step.

Quickly, Logain pulled out of Casimir's arms. The prince looked disappointed by Logain's sudden departure, but he didn't say anything about it. He could tell by the warlock's face that Logain was embarrassed about holding onto the prince for so long when they had a guest. Normally, Logain wouldn't have shown any affection with a stranger around. He let his guard down when he learned Casimir was alive and well. Logain was just happy to see the prince again.

Maira stood behind them, nervously looking down at the ground as she tried to not make eye contact with either man. She stayed silent as the prince and warlock reunited. Now that their attention was on her, she could feel her embarrassment setting in. For someone who was supposed to be a dangerous witch, she didn't seem like a threat. Logain knew she wouldn't be. While there were plenty of evil witches and warlocks, Maira was a young witch trying to get accustomed to her powers. Without someone to guide her, her powers would go haywire. She needed someone to teach her how to control her magic before it consumed her.

However, unlike Logain, Maira had more control. She was pureblood, unlike him. He could tell by the small display of her powers when they fought the chimera. It was no wonder her magic was starting to decay Cordea. She would become a powerful witch one day.

Shyly, she finally broke the silence between them. "Um, thank you for saving me. I-I imagined you were sent here to find me. I know a lot of people have been searching for me lately . . ."

Logain wouldn't deny it. "Yes. We were in the port city searching for passage, but none of the ships were leaving for our destination. They won't leave until you break the curse you set on this place."

Finally, she looked at Logain, her eyes wide. "N-no, there's been a misunderstanding. I'm not the one who cursed this land or the sea. It was someone else. I swear I'm not the one behind this."

She didn't seem like she was lying. Logain asked, "Then who did? We want to leave Cordea to return home, but we can't unless the curse is broken. If you know who did it, then tell me. Please."

Maira bit her lip, then glanced down once more. "I won't tell you. Not unless you promise to take me with you out of this place. I can't stay any longer. So many people want me dead for something I didn't do . . ."

Logain could sympathize with her plight. He hadn't faced injustice like her for a while, but he understood the feeling. He was in her shoes at one point.

He didn't hesitate this time to offer his assistance. "We'll help you, but it's not going to be easy. They're looking for you in Cordea, so it'll be hard to hide you from them. I can cast a minor illusion spell to mask your appearance, but only after you help us find the real culprit."

It was hard for Maira to contain her joy and relief when Logain agreed to help. "I'll take you to her right now."

She seemed excited until she glanced over at Logain's companion. Worry was written on her face, making Logain look in Casimir's direction, too. He did just in time as Casimir lost consciousness and fell towards him. Logain caught him, but he was hardly strong enough to keep them both standing. Maira was quick to join Logain to help him lower Casimir before they both fell over.

With the prince unconscious, the panic began to set in once more. They were out in the open, where any sort of monster could attack them. It wasn't safe, especially not with an unconscious prince on their hands.

"I know somewhere we can take him for shelter. It's not far from here," Maira suggested.

Logain nodded. This was their best option. Logain looked down at the prince and prayed his divine energy could help him fight this. He couldn't lose him now before they made it back to Ambria.