Witch's Daughter And The Devil's Son

"...So Prince Arlan, from what I understand, you have never tried wielding your power?" Yorian asked, as the two enjoyed the fragrant local liquor in front of them.

"There was no need to use it. It is enough to deal with human problems the human way, you know?" the prince casually replied, while holding that small cup of wine in his hand, which he emptied down his throat with relish.

The elf raised a brow. "So you never use it?"

"Sometimes, I guess, when there is a necessity for me to cross a long distance--"

Yorian grumbled as he too downed his drink. "Then don\'t say you don\'t use it..."

"Against other humans, that\'s what I am referring to." Arlan smirked as he looked straight into Yorian\'s eyes. "Going to meet a friend and being spotted by an ancient elf does not count."

Yorian let out a playful grin, understanding that Arlan must have spotted him in his most recent visit to Megaris. "Sharp sight, I must say."

"Not quite, just enough for that spell of deceit around your cottage to not stop it," Arlan countered. "But, I must say, I liked your pets. Do they have pups?"

"Both of them are males, and even if I give you newborns, it\'s hard to raise them into spiritual creatures with intelligence," the elf boasted.

"Is that so? I should visit them once. Who knows they might want to change masters, hmm?"

"Animals are more loyal than any other creatures, Prince Arlan, but yes, you can try your luck."

As they exchanged light banters, Drayce came back to the gazebo and the two men looked at him with easygoing expressions. Arlan poured liquor into Drayce\'s cup, and the young king did not hesitate to drink it in one gulp.

"How is she? Scared?" Arlan asked as he refilled his own cup.

"Of course, but for now, she is asleep," Drayce replied.

"Well, that\'s to be expected. She did hear pretty heavy stuff tonight." Arlan leisurely observed the serene surroundings, idly thinking how the moonlight reflected on the pond sets a spectacular mood. "What other things do we have to talk about?"

"Black Witch."

"Isn\'t she in Thevailes at the moment? What about her?"

"It\'s not that Black Witch but another one, a young one at that," Drayce explained.

"Young one? Where did you come across her?" Arlan felt it was kind of funny how Megaris seemed to be teeming with supernatural beings, while he had not even seen a single one in Griven lately. "Is she a spy sent by that Black Witch who abducted your wife...?"

"Zaria Lynx, her name is Zaria Lynx," Yorian intervened. "Using her name will make it easy to know who you are talking about."

"Well, I don\'t wish to but it seems like I need to," Arlan said. "So, what about this other Black Witch? Where did you catch her?"

"In Port Hope. I came across her by chance and I followed her, but I could not catch her."

"Oh? A mere witch managed to escape from the clutches of a mighty Dragon?" Arlan said in amusement, a devilish smirk hanging on his lips. "What an interesting Black Witch. Seems like I need to find her and reward her."

"You sure have to so we can know what she is up to and what she is doing among humans. From what I had gathered, she arrived here in Selve yesterday."

"She\'s in Griven?" Arlan asked in surprise. "How come I didn\'t sense her presence? I came to the city last night, so at the very least, I should have felt traces of her magic."

"Her strength is not ordinary. I sensed strong dark energy from her when I met her, and if she has no powerful skill, she would not be able to completely hide herself from my tracking. The fact she managed to disappear under my surveillance meant she is no ordinary Black Witch," Drayce explained.

Meanwhile, the elf squinted his eyes at the prince. "Fascinating. I wonder what spell she used. Prince Arlan should have been able to sense her powers when she arrived in Selve, unless she had been using high-ranked stealth spells nonstop...I\'m getting curious..."

Drayce poured liquor in his empty cup. "Perhaps she left as soon as she arrived. If she arrived during daytime, she could be anywhere in Griven by now. It is also possible she boarded another ship and had left for another island or neighboring kingdom."

"Well, we couldn\'t have left via sea. For the past two days, no ship or boat could leave the docks due to the stormy weather. The weather cleared up just last night, but so far, the restrictions for departing sea vessels were yet to be lifted for security reasons of your arrival."

"That means she must have been here in Selve when you came. It is possible she left before you arrived here, highly unlikely given such a small time gap, or..."

"Or?" Alan prodded.

"Or your powers are getting useless," Drayce commented with a frown.

Before Arlan could say anything, the elf stepped in. "Or, there might be a third option."

"What is it?" the two young men asked.

"What if she\'s like Queen Seren in a sense? What if there is the presence of another power other than her own  dark attribute magic inside her? It is a mere guess on my part, but if another power contradicts her dark energy, then it is possible one could not feel her essence," the elf answered.

"Are you saying she is another divine being\'s scheme?" Drayce asked.

"No, of course not, I am merely exploring possibilities. It doesn\'t need to be the handiwork of a god. It can be anything, but I think it is some kind of powerful spell which keeps the existence of her powers hidden."

"So what do I need to do to recognize that she\'s not human?" Arlan asked as he scoffed. "Are you saying this Red Dragon can sense her but not me?"

However, the elf had an explanation prepared for this question.

"Because King Drayce\'s mother is a witch, it makes him half a warlock, thus his ability to sense a fellow witch is more accurate than others."

"And how would you explain yourself? Are you saying you have witch blood too?"

"My mother was a powerful priestess from the Moon Elf Clan. I happen to have inherited her strong spiritual abilities."

"Well, you do look like a priestess..." Arlan chuckled.

"If you are praising my peerless appearance, then I graciously accept your flattery, Your Royal Highness," Yorian countered.

"Are you two done mocking each other?" Drayce interrupted them. "Returning to the issue, that Black Witch is carrying nightshade with her, and the possibility of her collecting other poisonous herbs is quite high. We need to know what she was planning to use them for. If she uses them for some evil scheme, then we need to stop her."

"I will find her, don\'t worry," Arlan assured. "Even if I can\'t sense her powers, I can surely find any person--well, unless she used an invisibility spell the entire time. But as long as she interacts with anyone in this city, be it a sailor or a passerby on the streets, I\'ll be able to find her. Those who deal with dangerous and forbidden things are not spared in my kingdom."

A beautiful smile like that of an angel\'s spread across the prince\'s handsome face.

"Seems like the soil of this kingdom will taste the blood of a Black Witch soon."

"Always ready for violence," the elf commented. "Just remember, not all Black Witches are evil. There were lots of them who fought along with us to protect our kind  against humans. Many had lost their lives while fighting their own kind. It just happened that a great majority of them became obsessed with power like Zaria, giving them such an evil reputation."

"I don\'t have anything against Black Witches in particular. Even humans, I don\'t generalize them as evil either, elf. Don\'t forget, the people I will rule in the future are human beings," Arlan pointed out. "As long as she doesnt do anything wrong, I won\'t kill her, but if she does something in my kingdom, then I will prove my previous words right. She will get the most cruel death and I will publicize it such that no one from her kind would dare step in the lands of Griven."

As he spoke those words, Arlan\'s expression was solemn, opposite of his typical playful one, and his eyes showed the dark side hidden inside him.

The elf sighed as he stood up. "I believe you two friends must have a lot to talk about so I\'ll excuse myself."

The pair  didn\'t stop him and silently watched him disappear back into the manor..

Drayce picked up his cup of drink and emptied it. "What are you up to these days? Anything interesting?"

"Nothing much, I was just enjoying hunting a beautiful deer."

"Deer?" Drayce passed him a questioning gaze.

The prince gave him a profound smile as he toasted him to drink. "Hmm! Deers are beautiful animals, aren\'t they?"

"If you say so," Drayce said. This time, it was him who served the next round of drinks for the two of them.