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

the apartments for the rest of the day. As part of my punishment, I was not permitted to return to my room, where I might sneak in some sleep. However, my training required the use of a vibmtaer, which meant it was better done indoors where I could set the device on a table. For that, I had a nice large room in the great hall designated for me, and I was allowed to at least sit during breaks.

It was actually Charlie who ultimately convinced me to change my training routine. The metal mage had gotten into spell theory after our instructor, Leon, gave a lecture about it on the day of our last stipend, a week ago…no, eight days ago.

I stopped on the stairs in the great hall and closed my eyes to steal just a quick moment of standing rest before I started my day. Then I opened them and continued up to my training quarters. It was the same extravagant place where Barrett and Leon had first tested the range of my mana.

I used to enjoy entering the room because of the large windows facing the courtyard. Now, however, I despised this room because there were no curtains. I’d formed a strong dislike toward the sun that I was certain would disappear as soon as I was well-rested again. It assaulted my eyes worse than the time Charlie had dropped his towel accidentally in the bathhouse and bent over to pick it up as I was exiting my bath. I could still see his strangely smooth ass whenever that memory came to my thoughts unbidden.

Fortunately, my mind was still sharp enough to improve each day. Charlie had convinced me to practice the lower octaves. I’d started with the most important one to me, lF, or Lower F. Mastering this single note over the last week was the reason my Heal spell had become so strong.

Later, Charlie had suggested I work on octaves, but I had a different plan in mind. I’d told him that I wanted to memorize the feeling of every note available to me. That way I could cast any spell on the spectrum of mana that I could reach. My range was vast.

“If you’re going to learn every note, you might as well start with octaves,” he’d retorted. “When you’re ready, I believe a few tests will teach us more about mana than Leon has yet.”

Charlie never spoke fondly of our instructor. Perhaps because Leon never spoke fondly of Charlie.

I was glad I’d never promised Charlie I would focus on octaves. After last night, I was eager to empower my spells, not help him experiment.

These days especially, my training was a completely solitary endeavor. Sometimes I was glad for it; the less distractions the better. But often I would look out the window to see the three erto mages training in the courtyard, along with Aliana shooting her bow at the single target available to her. Reuben usually spent his days indoors, and today was no exception. I didn’t know how he practiced ordia, but I didn’t see much of Eden or Charlie either, so I figured all were working hard.

The few times I did catch Reuben on the courtyard were during sword lessons, which Leon seemed to give begrudgingly to only Reuben, Michael, and Remi. Occasionally, Reuben would visit the courtyard to speak with, or possibly flirt with, Kataleya. He’d always seem to arrive when she was taking a break, which made it quite clear he was able to see her practicing from wherever he trained.

While Remi’s fire spells scared me a little, I was often put at ease when I saw Kataleya creating enormous spheres of water even bigger than the hovering fireballs Remi seemed to toy with. Seeing how hard both of the girls worked, always challenging themselves to control more and more of the element they specialized in, usually inspired me to end my break and get back to my own training. Michael, on the other hand, didn’t seem to enjoy the process as much as the rest of us. I often found him leaning against the circular wall of the courtyard when Leon wasn’t around.

Recently I’d been looking forward to meals even more than usual. It was one of the few times during the day I could spend with the other boys, and these moments were usually filled with lots of laughter and loud voices. Even Reuben has loosened up somewhat.

The boys and girls still sat separate from each other, and that seemed to be fine with all of us.

I’d seen Jennava helping various people train in the courtyard, and I’d heard her instructive voice in the great hall at times. The king must’ve convinced her to stay and teach like Leon had said the king would do.

Jennava had come with us back to the castle after the battle in the forest, along with everyone else who had fought. But everyone else had received payment and left, while Jennava had stayed.

I had not seen Calvin and the other sellswords of the Stormeagles in some time. Last I heard, the Stormeagles—along with many other armored soldiers—were looking for signs of Cason Clay. They had been searching in Koluk, however. Soon that would change.

How much was King Nykal spending each day in hopes of keeping the capital safe? I worried he did not have the coin he needed to keep this up much longer.

The other sorcerers in this castle were the only people who were paid a weekly stipend, not for each task. It was for this reason he had relied on us, especially myself, when doling out duties that weren’t exactly dangerous, but weren’t quite safe, either. Something like fetching the krepp, Grufaeragar, from the stockades.

I found myself missing Grufaeragar, though I didn’t know why. He wasn’t pleasant company, but it still felt better having him in the castle than it did with him gone. He had left the day after the battle in the forest, but he did so