The Fallen Angel - Prinxiety (ON HOLD)

Chapter Nine

Roman stayed frozen, tucked against the mage he barely knew. He could feel his heart racing and he knew he'd be breathing erratically if it weren't for the fear paralyzing his lungs. Seconds felt like hours. The bandits were getting closer. Even in the dark, they could make out four of them approaching. His eyes glanced at Virgil's face as he waited. He gave nothing away with his expression, but his eyes still held that fear and determination he'd noticed moments before.

They reached the clearing and looked around. One of them looked directly at them. Roman felt his heart lurch and he sucked in a quick breath. The bandits split up and began searching the clearing for trances of them.

The prince felt confused; they were looking right passed them as if they weren't just sitting on the ground at the edge of the clearing. One of the bandits stepped closer and closer, leaning down close enough for Roman to feel his breathing. He squeezed his eyes shut, not understanding why they weren't already dead but knowing better than to move. 

"I don't see anything," the bandit said, walking away from them.

"Perhaps the mage is heading toward the mountain, it should be easy to take them out in the tunnels," one of them suggested.

The others made agreeing noises as they walked away. Virgil and Roman kept absolutely still until their forms had completely vanished and their voices faded away. Only then did the mage exhale and release his hold on Roman. He conjured a tiny orb of magical light and then steadied himself on his hands and knees. The prince swallowed and started to get up. "How... How did they not just see us? What kind of magic was that?"

"It was- It's illusion magic," Virgil muttered. He was still on the ground, taking deep breaths. "To them we looked like an ordinary bush, but moving would've broken the spell and they would've heard us if we spoke. Sorry I couldn't explain in time..."

Roman shook his head as he looked off to where they went. "No, it's fine, I didn't have a plan. I don't even think I would've heard them if you hadn't." 

Under the dim light of the orb, the prince could see something a bit off about Virgil's appearance. He scowled. His skin looked a bit paler and his breathing seemed shaky. Perhaps he's really tired and using magic while exhausted has a less than pleasant effect on him, he thought curiously. We should really get to that town and find a place to rest. He seriously needs it.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked, trying not to sound too pressing as he offered him a hand.

Virgil pushed himself up and took it. He nodded even though he was out of breath. "Yeah, I'm fine, just tired, that's all, but I have an idea for how to get us into that town," he said. The prince nodded and gestured for him to relay it to him. "Well, we can't just walk in there with you looking like a prince, like I said, we'd get swarmed. I, on the other hand, would blend in a lot better. With my hood up, I just look like any other mysterious person walking around. I could probably cast an invisibility spell on you using my illusion magic. If you stayed quiet and close to me, no one would even know you were there. I could buy you a change of clothes and check into an inn."

"That... that sounds like a great idea, but are you sure you're okay to do another spell like that? You seem a bit... drained," he pointed out, trying to voice his concern without making the mage feel weak.

He glared at him and puffed out his chest. "I'm fine, I know my limits with my magic. You don't even know what illusion magic is, so I think I'm more qualified to judge."

Well that backfired, Roman thought with an annoyed sigh. He raised his hands in defeat and let the grumpy mage lead the way toward the mountain. I was just showing concern for his wellbeing, he didn't have to get all snippy with me. The way his skin looks pale... It reminds me a little of how sick Remus looked the last time I saw him... 

Attempting to shake the unpleasant thought away, he focused on Virgil's form in front of him. Something else wasn't adding up about him. 

It was true, the prince didn't know a thing about illusion magic. He didn't even know illusion magic existed. His knowledge of magic was limited, but he knew there were six magical cores that worked together to make the planet. The cores were water, fire, earth, air, light, and darkness. Most mages tapped into one of the cores, but there were some that could access two or three. Combining different cores allowed mages to unlock new magical techniques. His brother had been able to tap into the earth core and the dark core, giving him the unnatural ability to suck the life force from living organisms. Roman still remembered the stench of rotting rats as he entered Remus' chamber. 

Upon asking him, Virgil had said that he was a light magic user, of course. Roman wasn't stupid enough not to pick up on his defensiveness. He wondered if illusion magic required more than just light magic to perform; if it did, what other magical core was Virgil able to use?

What if he's a dark mage too? he found his thoughts asking. If he is, can I still trust him? Magic itself doesn't have morals, goodness, or wickedness in it. It's the mage who decides those things...

Roman had to take deep breaths to keep from working himself into a panic. If he thought about dark magic too much, his mind thrust him back into the past. He could hear his brother's laughter, high pitched and manic. When he closed his eyes, he could see the green glow of his eyes and the tentacle-like vines growing out of the ground at his movements.

His hand went to his right shoulder instinctively. A scar remained there from that night. It was one of the few he received from their fight and he knew that he left Remus with many more. He swallowed.

"Princey, are you coming?" a voice said, breaking him from his thoughts.

His eyes snapped open to see that he had stopped in his tracks. Virgil was a few feet ahead of him, turning to look at him in confusion and mild annoyance. With a deep breath, Roman put on a smile. "Yeah, sorry, got lost in thought for a moment."