The Warlock (BxB)

Chapter 25

Casimir dodged an incoming icicle that went shooting past his head. After Maira pushed Logain into the house and trapped him, she became aggressive and attacked Casimir unexpectedly. For a moment, he thought that maybe she had been possessed by a demon and this was why she suddenly turned on them. However, Casimir couldn't sense any demonic energy coming from the girl.

The church always warned him and all of their students about witches and warlocks. The church made them out to be evil beings, and while Maira was attacking him now, Casimir still didn't believe that she was evil. She was misguided and hurt after all of the things she'd been through. He saw the prison she suffered in; he knew how much pain she must have been in because of humans. Even after her escape from that place, the humans wanted to bring her back to punish her. From what he knew from Logain, this was normal for warlocks and witches. They were feared and hunted down by humans. While Ambria had laws that protected magic users, not all of the realms did. Many of their kind still suffered.

"Maira, can't we talk this out? I'm not your enemy," Casimir tried to talk to her once again. Ever since Logain disappeared, the prince tried to reason with the young witch. He didn't want to fight her. He didn't consider her to be an enemy. If she would just listen to him, then he was sure they could come to an understanding.

But Maira wasn't willing to listen to anything the prince had to say as she shot another magic beam at him. "No! I'm sick of listening to you humans and going along with everything you say! It's all lies, and you're no different from the rest! I don't care if you're friends with Logain. You'll just betray him in the end!"

"I swear, I wouldn't ever do that to him. I like him!" Casimir yelled back as the girl attacked him once more. He was getting tired of dodging, but he needed to keep this up until Logain freed himself. He was sure Logain would figure it out soon enough. He had faith in him.

"Liar! You're pretending to like him, just like all humans do. You pretend to like us and then use us for our magic. You'll hurt him if you take him back with you, and I can't let you do that. Logain will stay with me where it's safe away from your kind," she said, determined to do whatever she could to keep Casimir away from Logain.

The prince took shelter behind a boulder. He was starting to run out of stamina as he continued to dodge her attacks. He needed a moment to catch his breath. She wouldn't believe him no matter what he said about Logain. He needed to change tactics, but he wasn't sure what else to do. He had one idea, yet he didn't know if he wanted too many people to know. If word got out around Cordea about him being the divine child, then he would be in trouble. The church of his kingdom would find out about it and hunt him down to bring him back home. People would get hurt if the church was involved. Worse, Ambria and Cordea might fight over him. The person born with divinity was sacred to the whole world. If the world found out that he was missing, they would search for him to use him for their own gain.

Casimir took a deep breath. If he was going to get Maira to stop attacking him, then he would need to use his secret against her. It might not bring her over to his side, but at least it would distract her for a moment. He hoped Logain would work a little faster to free himself. Two was better than one.

"Maira, before you do anything you regret, I want you to know that I understand what you're going through," he started to say, but she cut him off.

"No, you don't! Stop with the bullshit already. I don't want to hear another word out of your filthy human mouth!" she yelled.

"Shut up and just listen to me already!" Casimir shouted back. The girl stopped shooting magic missiles at him for a moment, taken aback by the prince's outburst. He felt bad, but he needed to explain. "I'm the divine savior of Ambria. Even in Cordea, you should have heard that the oldest prince from Ambria has divinity, and that's me. I understand what you're going through because I've been repressed for my whole life as well. Everyone wants me for my divinity and holds high expectations because I am the crown prince. I might not have gone through the same torture as you and I will never understand the pain you experienced, but know that I am not your enemy. I don't believe in the harsh treatment of warlocks and witches, and that's why I want you to come to Ambria with us. My kingdom protects people with magic. You will be safe there."

"And as for Logain, I genuinely care about him. My feelings for him are real, even if he can be a pain in the ass. I really like him, and if you give me a chance, you'll see that I don't plan on hurting or using him. I don't plan on doing that to you either. I want both of you to be safe. If you stop your curse, then we can cross the sea and reach Rasea. From there, it'll only take us a few weeks to reach Ambria. You'll love it there, and I will gladly help you find somewhere to settle down. Not too far from my kingdom, there's a safe haven for all magic users. We can take you there before we reach my home," Casimir promised. He hoped his words would reach her.

For a moment, Maira hesitated. She didn't know if she believed what the prince told her, or if this was another lie from a mortal. The girl wanted to believe that there was somewhere safe for her, but she had been hurt so many times by mortals. She didn't want to get her hopes up.

Eventually, she said, "Prove it. Prove that you have divinity."

Casimir breathed a sigh of relief. He was getting somewhere. Before leaving the safety of the boulder, the prince called out, "I'm going to show myself now. Just don't attack me the moment you see me."

Slowly and carefully, Casimir walked around the boulder. Maira kept her distance from him, keeping her arm raised and ready to shoot her magic at him if she needed to. He gave the witch an awkward smile, before holding out a hand. Within seconds, a glowing light appeared from the palm of his hand. The light sparkled and he created golden butterflies, which he silently commanded to fly towards the girl. She took a step back, but when the butterflies made of light came closer to her, she could feel a soothing emotion wash over her. The light calmed her nerves, and she gave a small smile. She lowered her hands to her side.

"Do you believe me now? I mean you no harm. While you're with me, I'll do whatever I can to keep you and Logain safe." He meant it. He might not have been the greatest fighter, but Casimir would defend the people he wanted to protect. If she was willing to give him a chance, then he would keep his promise to her. She could return to Ambria with them where she would be safe.

Maira was about to respond, but before she could get a word out, the girl was shot in the shoulder with an arrow. The witch fell to the ground, clutching her wounded arm. Casimir got out of the way just in time as another arrow came hurling towards him. He pulled out his sword, ready to protect himself and Maira when he saw their assailants.

The prince cursed when he recognized the group as the bandits from before. Somehow, they found them.