Hunted Sorcery (Jon Oklar Book 2), B.T. Narro [digital book reader txt] 📗

promise it will be fast and you will be all better after.”

“Do you have to?”

“It’s only going to get worse if I don’t, even with medicine.”

“Are you sure I will feel better after?”

“I’m completely sure you will feel completely better.”

He looked at Aliana.

“Jon is the best healer in the whole world,” she said. “Both of us are sorcerers of the king. We have come out of the castle to help adults and children like you. That is why we don’t charge any coin.”

“Wow. You work for the king?” He turned and coughed so hard it threw his light hair out of place.

“We do,” I confirmed when he was done. “You will be able to run to your mother and tell her this without coughing as soon as I’m done. Make sure you let her know that the king’s healer has cured you for free. All we ask in return is that she tell others.”

“The king wants people to know that he loves them,” Aliana explained. “Do you understand?”

“Completely,” he said, imitating me from earlier.

“Are you ready to be brave?” she asked.

He squeezed her hand. “I’m ready.”

I put my hands on his back and chest again, then I healed.

It was a fierce battle, my mana purging his lungs of the illness. The boy groaned and squirmed.

“Squeeze my hand harder if it helps,” Aliana said.

He whimpered as if he might start crying, but I didn’t need much longer. Although it was a severe illness, there wasn’t much of it throughout his small body.

“Done,” I said.

“You did so well!” Aliana cheered the boy.

He smiled proudly as he had a few breaths of relief. “I do feel better!”

“What are you going to tell your mother?” Aliana asked.

“I will say the king’s sorcerers healed me for free because the king loves his people.”

“Very good. Run off and tell her now.”

Aliana turned to me after we watched him rush out with a happy grin. She stepped toward me and wrapped her arms around my torso in a hug.

“What’s this for?” I asked, confused.

“I’m thanking you,” she said as she squeezed tighter.

I brought my hands up tentatively to return the embrace. Just when I was starting to find comfort in her gesture of gratitude, she stepped back.

“My mother and I tried to treat a boy who had a cough like that. It only got worse no matter what we gave him. Eventually, he stopped showing up, and I found out later that he had died.” Her eyes glistened. “I don’t know if Quincy would’ve been able to treat the boy’s sickness. Probably not, seeing as how he only had two bits for payment. You should be here healing every day, Jon.”

“That’s exactly what I thought the last time I was here, but then Leon and I were attacked on our way back. Now that we’re safe, though, I imagine I’m going to be spending a lot more time healing.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Aliana sat on the stool in the small room. There wasn’t much in here, just the stool, two chairs, and a tall table with a quill and ink beside a ledger. It was the back room where most everything was stored, with no door, only a closed curtain.

I knew the chances were just about insignificant, but I had to check to make sure no one was hiding back there waiting to ambush us. I drew back the curtain.

The back room was a little larger, many jars containing a variety of herbs sitting on shelves. There were also a few cabinets and some loose parchment lying around on top of them. It looked a little messy to me, but Aliana seemed to be completely distraught as she gasped at the sight of it.

“My mother is so lazy sometimes!” She went into the room and started organizing the jars.

I watched her for a little while as I waited for another patient. I didn’t know enough about what was inside the jars to understand why she put certain ones near others, but I liked observed her slowly matching similar things together. It had a calming effect.

“She’s always been this way,” Aliana told me, suddenly stopping to look out over her shoulder and make sure her mother wasn’t there. “Never organizing anything, even when it’s her job.”

“Is this about Leon?” I asked.

“I don’t know why I’m surprised! I came here to speak with her about my father, but I think she’s avoiding the topic. I’d pleaded to know more about him over the years. It would’ve helped everyone if she’d listened to me.”

It was very strange to hear anyone speak about their mother in this way. Aliana’s relationship with Gwen was vastly different than mine had been with my father. I figured I couldn’t hope to understand it. I could only trust that Aliana was right and support my friend.

“Is there something I can do?”

“No.” She stopped shifting the jars around and picked up one of the loose parchments for a look. Then she opened one of the cabinets and browsed through it as if looking for a good spot for the parchment. “You should focus only on healing.”

I went back and sat on the stool. A woman entered right away. I stood and greeted her.

“Is something wrong?” I asked. She looked healthy to me.

“Are you the healer?” she asked incredulously. She looked to be in her forties.

“Yes, the two of us are sorcerers of the king.” I gestured at Aliana, who bowed her head from the other room, a jar in each hand.

“Oh, I can’t afford a sorcerer. I just wanted to speak to a healer about something.”

“The king has sent us here to help free of charge,” Aliana said.

Now the woman seemed in even more disbelief.

“It’s true,” I said. “He wants the people to know how much he cares about them and that he’s doing everything he can to protect them.”

“Are there attacks coming?” asked the woman.

“There might be,” I told her honestly. It would help people prepare for the crisis tax.

“So that’s it. He’s taxing the