The Warlock (BxB)

Chapter 26

Casimir was in front of Maira, ready to protect her at all costs when the bandits approached them. The bandit who shot the arrows had his bow drawn and ready to attack again, but the female bandit, the leader, held her hand up to halt him. When she looked at Casimir, her smile was mischievous. She saw Casimir's magic display. While Casimir's divinity could heal him, the bandit leader wanted to do as little damage to him as possible.

"My contract was only to hunt down the witch, but it seems we struck gold. That magic trick of yours was quite impressive. I knew there was something special about you when we met before, but I never expected this. You're worth more than the witch," the bandit leader said, the smile never leaving her face as she looked at the prince.

The prince could handle Maira, but he didn't think he could take on a whole group of bandits. He wasn't worried about getting hurt, but he was worried about Maira. They already hurt her and would do more if he let them. Casimir glanced around for any sign of Logain. However, the warlock still didn't show himself. Whatever trap he found himself in, Logain was starting to worry Logain wouldn't ever make it out. Casimir believed in him, but he worried Logain didn't believe in himself. After all, the warlock saw his magic as a problem. If he doubted himself now, then maybe he wouldn't be able to make it out on his own.

Despite her wound, Maira stood to her feet. She clutched her bleeding shoulder, the arrow still sticking out of her flesh. She said only loud enough for him to hear, "If we can distract them for long enough, I can trap them in the illusion Logain is trapped in. It'll be our only chance of getting out of here."

Casimir didn't think he could agree with this plan. While they were their enemies, he didn't want them to be trapped somewhere without any means of escape. If they were going to face justice, then it needed to be done right. Casimir had a feeling that wouldn't happen in the port city, though. If what the bandit leader said was true, then they were hired to find Maira and bring her back. Whoever hired them wouldn't let them get turned into the authorities that easily.

He needed to stall. "Maybe we can work something out. I have no intention of coming along that easily, and you can hurt me without angering the church and others who are after me. I'm more valuable to you safe and sound."

"I can't be bargained with. Nothing you offer me is more valuable than having you in person. I know a couple of kingdoms who would be happy to have you on their side, whether you're willing to join them or not. Whoever has the divine savior is the most powerful kingdom in this world, after all," the woman said.

"Then I offer you my life in exchange for Maira's. After hurting her, she needs medical treatment, and she also needs safe passage out of Cordea. If you lend me your aid in helping her, then I'll willingly go with you. I also want to see an end to this corruption before I go anywhere." He had no intention of going with them, but he hoped this would get the bandit leader to listen to him. It helped them if he didn't put up a fight.

But she only laughed at his offer. "If we turn the witch in, we get paid. Why would I agree to let her go when I'll be making gold off of both of you? Besides, if you really wanted to stop the spread of corruption, then you could have done that a long time ago. As the divine savior, your magic can rid Cordea of its affliction. Your divinity can end all of this, so why haven't you done so already?"

Casimir clenched his fists. He knew what she said was true. His divine powers could stop the corruption, but he did nothing about it. However, using his powers came with a price. If he stopped the corruption, then all of Cordea would know that the divine savior was in their lands. They would hunt him down just to use him for his magic. He wanted as little people to know his secret as possible, so he hoped to convince Maira to end the corruption before he stepped in. He would have been successful in getting her on his side if the bandits never interrupted them.

Maira gripped Casimir's arm when she saw the conflicted expression on his face. "Don't listen to her, Casimir. Saving Cordea isn't your responsibility, and I understand now why you didn't do anything. It's my fault that Cordea is in this state, so it's my job to fix it. She's trying to make you feel bad about something that isn't your problem. Divine savior or not, you don't have to fix everyone's problems."

That wasn't what the church taught him. Besides his mother, Casimir was the only person who could stop the spread of corruption and illness. The church taught him that it was his job to save people. Ambria was the most powerful kingdom because divinity ran in the royal family's blood. It was due to his mother that a plague stopped years before he was born, and now corruption was spreading once more. If he didn't do something about it, then Cordea was just the start. Other nations would suffer, and it would be his fault if he ignored the problem.

While Casimir fought an inner battle with himself, the bandits were closing in on them. The prince held his sword, but he didn't think he could fight them off. He certainly couldn't stop them when he was battling with himself. A distraction was all the bandits needed to have the upper hand.

Before the bandits were able to grab the two, a fire flared up in front of them, separating Maira and Casimir from the bandits. The young witch gripped Casimir's arm tighter, stunned by the sudden burst of flames that she didn't create. Then an invisible force pushed the bandits back, knocking them off their feet. The force pushed them towards the house, which had its door wide open. A couple of their assailants were pushed into the darkness of the house, where they would be lost for a long time. Once all of the bandits were in the house, the door slammed shut, and a ring of fire surrounded the enchanted house. The fire in front of the witch and prince disappeared.

"Casimir, snap out of it!"

Casimir glanced around him when he heard Logain's voice. The prince didn't see the warlock until a black portal appeared in front of them. Shortly after, the man was walking out of it and into Casimir's arms. Logain hugged the prince tightly, and Casimir embraced him just as tightly. The prince was beginning to grow worried when Logain didn't show himself, but his worries were washed away now that he was holding the warlock.

Logain was the first to let go. He was blushing after hugging the prince, but that wasn't what was important at that moment. Quickly, he explained, "We need to get going. While I was trapped in an illusion meant to keep me there forever, it'll only be temporary for the bandits. I used my own enchantment to keep them locked up, but it won't last. I . . . I knew you wouldn't want any harm to come to them."

He glanced at Maira, glaring at the girl. "We'll deal with you later. For now, let's get out of here before they break free."

Logain took Casimir's hand. He gripped it tightly and pulled the prince along with him. He didn't glance back to see if the witch was following them. He didn't care if she did or not. The only one he was worried about was Casimir.

They fled the enchanted clearing, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and the house from which the bandits would eventually emerge.