The Warlock (BxB)

Chapter 23

The next morning came quickly. Logain relaxed beside Casimir the whole night, but he never fell asleep. Since he slept recently, he didn't need to again so soon. However, it was nice to be next to the prince. The prince kept him warm during the cold night, but when morning came, the warlock could hardly look at him.

Logain was embarrassed after what transpired between them the night before. Casimir didn't seem any different, but Logain couldn't stop thinking about the kiss. He touched his lips out of impulse when thinking about the kiss, which the prince noticed. Casimir smiled slightly to himself and while he wanted to tease Logain, he decided to leave him alone this time. He could always tease him when things settled down. He also didn't want to embarrass him more in front of Maira.

Once everyone was ready, it was time for them to set out. Casimir took Logain's hand as they followed behind the witch. Logain glanced up at him. He blushed but didn't pull out of the prince's grasp. He liked this affection from the prince, even if it wasn't meant to last. After agreeing to a date with the prince once they made it back to Ambria, Logain wasn't sure how he would get out of this one. He could always go on the date and then never see the prince again.

But after coming this far, Logain didn't know what he wanted. Even if he tried to deny it, Logain knew he liked Casimir. It didn't take much to like him when the prince was always sweet to him, and the flirting didn't help either. Casimir was the first man to flirt with Logain. It was no wonder the warlock fell easily for him. It was only a crush for now, but Logain worried about what would happen if he started to like him more. Logain knew they couldn't have much of a future together. There were too many obstacles and Logain's immortality posed an issue.

If things went too far, then Logain would have to end things. It was fun to spend time with the prince for now, but that's all this relationship could be. Logain didn't want to go through the heartache.

As they followed Maira, she led them to a clearing with a house sitting alone in the middle of it. Unlike a lot of Cordea that was beginning to decay, this house was surrounded by flowers. It was as if this place wasn't touched by the corruption all around them. Logain could feel a strong sense of magic coming from the house. Whoever lived there was powerful.

"This is where she lives. She's the one who started all of this, and she's the one who's been teaching me about my magic. Um, what do you plan on doing once you meet her?" Maira asked.

Though the men promised to help her, the girl was still hesitant. Logain wasn't the problem, but Casimir was. She didn't trust mortals after what she went through. Logain didn't blame her for feeling this way, but if she gave the prince a chance, then she would see that he wasn't bad. He wasn't one of the humans who could be trusted.

Logain shrugged. He was more worried about getting out of Cordea, but he knew the prince wouldn't sit by easily while a kingdom was corrupted and people were suffering. With a sigh, Logain answered, "We just want to talk to her. Maybe we can find out why she started the corruption, and we'd like to convince her to reverse the curse. We won't be crossing the sea anytime soon if the witch isn't willing to help us. That also means you won't be leaving Cordea, and you'll continue to be hunted."

He added that last part in hopes of frightening her a little. If Maira understood the gravity of her situation, then she might try harder to convince the witch to lift the curse. The girl was desperate to leave this continent as much as they were. They wanted to return home, while she wanted her freedom. Neither of them would get what they wanted if they didn't face the witch now.

Maira nodded slowly, looking down at the ground. She wanted her freedom more than anything, and she knew she couldn't obtain that without their help. The other witch could only help her so much, but in the end, she would continue to be stuck in Cordea. She wanted true freedom away from this place.

"If the townsfolk find me, they will most likely have me executed for a crime I didn't commit. It didn't matter how many times I told them it wasn't my fault. They wouldn't listen, so I was forced to run away. I can't go back there, but I can't stay in Cordea either. I-I'll help you." She made up her mind. She didn't trust Casimir, but she was putting her faith in Logain. He was like her, so he must have understood the hardships she faced.

"Good. Once the corruption is gone, we'll help you cross the sea as promised," he said.

"Logain, before we proceed, I have a question. Um . . . I know you're a warlock, so why can't you teleport out of this place? Wouldn't that be easier than crossing the ocean? And your staff . . . warlocks don't normally need one to cast spells." Her curiosity got the better of her. She had been wondering for a while but was too nervous to ask him these questions.

"I'm a halfling. My mother was a witch who fell in love with a human. My father died a very long time ago, and shortly after, my mother fled and left me behind. She never taught me how to control my magic and because I'm a halfling, my magic can go haywire sometimes. The staff helps me regulate all of my excess magic and stops me from losing control. Unfortunately, teleportation spells aren't my strong suit. If I was traveling alone, I wouldn't care about using the spell and getting lost someplace. However, I don't want to put my companion in that position." Logain squeezed Casimir's hand. The prince had been silent as he let Logain bond with Maira. The warlock was doing well without the prince interfering.

It was starting to make sense to her now. "So that's why you were reluctant to use a healing spell on Casimir. You didn't want to accidentally hurt him."

Logain nodded, still ashamed of himself for being unable to cast such simple spells. He had a valid reason for not being able to cast teleportation or healing, but he still didn't like to admit it. He was a self-taught warlock. His mother was around for a little bit when he was a child, but she wasn't around for long. He could tell that his companions wanted to ask more about it, but they refrained from doing so. They didn't want to bring up any bad memories.

He wanted to change the subject away from him. "Anyway, shall we go meet the witch now? I think we wasted enough time standing here and chatting."

His companions agreed, even if they were curious to learn more about Logain. Since the warlock didn't like having the spotlight on him, he was quick to walk away from them to approach the house. They could wonder about his past all they wanted. Logain had enough of talking about himself. He wasn't used to people being interested in his story.

Upon reaching the house, the warlock didn't waste any time knocking on the front door. He didn't hear anything on the other side. It was silent, so maybe the owner wasn't home at that time. He was about to turn to Maira for answers, but then he heard the door slowly creak open. The inside of the house was dark. Logain couldn't make out anything on the inside. Even when the light from the outside shined in, he could barely see past the darkness.

Logain was about to ask what was going on, until he felt someone push him into the house. He quickly turned around to face whoever pushed him, but the door shut behind him quickly, leaving Logain trapped alone in the darkness.