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

only her attire obviously required a little more effort than the rest of ours. She wore close-fitting clothes, her bow strapped to her back and her quiver attached to her belt near her hip.

“What are you all waiting for?” she asked.

“Now just Michael,” Eden said.

The door to his room opened. He held the same grin as before as he looked first at Eden, then at the rest of us.

“Let’s go,” Eden announced as she took the lead.

Michael joined her at the front, where she wrapped her arm around his.

The rest of us shared a few smirks.

We gathered in the courtyard with many guards as Cason was brought out from the keep. It was difficult to recognize him with a blindfold across his eyes, his head bowed, and his feet dragging as if he was unconscious. The king must’ve had something added to Cason’s water this morning. The chains binding his feet and hands seemed almost unnecessary at this point.

It was more than a little discouraging to see that Cason might not even be aware that he was about to be executed, but this was the only safe way to do it.

He was carried up the ramp and onto the battlements, where a dais awaited. I didn’t know how such a large crowd had come to gather outside the castle, but the audience of hundreds chatted amongst themselves until Cason was in place—his still-attached head laid on the stone. That’s when they fell silent.

I stood near Michael and Reuben, the three of us the closest to the executioner. The krepps watched from the surrounding battlements, a number of guards strategically placed between them and the dais, just in case. None of the females had arrows loaded on their bows yet, which made me a little more comfortable.

I casted Identify in various directions around me. It was probably overcautious, but I had to make sure no one was here under illusion. I felt nothing from the spell.

I half expected Erisena to be here, but I didn’t know why that was. Nothing was more important to her than guarding the forest. There were the Stormeagles, however, watching amongst the large group down below us. I found my gaze drifting between their familiar faces, looking for Calvin, all the while knowing he wasn’t there.

Cason made no sound as he lay in place. He might’ve been asleep.

The king made his way through all of us, stopping on the other side of the stone on which Cason’s head lay waiting for separation. He took off Cason’s blindfold himself, and finally I could recognize the doomed man’s face and his patchy eyebrows.

“This man is Cason Clay,” the king announced, speaking slowly and clearly. “His crimes are the spreading of dteria, murder, and treason. However, through the efforts of our sorcerers and constables, Cason Clay has been caught and his plans foiled. He plotted to take the city of Koluk by force, during which many would’ve died. However, we intercepted and defeated his supporting army from Rohaer. The rest of the dark mages who used to follow Cason have fled Lycast. They will find sanctuary in Rohaer and march on us when winter is over. They plan to spread dteria across Lycast until there is no longer resistance, but I promise that I’m not going to let that happen. Rohaer will be defeated. Everyone in Lycast will be safe.”

The audience applauded.

The king waited for them to quiet down before he continued. “The death of Cason Clay marks the end of the civil resistance in Lycast. Rest assured that no one, dark mage or otherwise, has the power to threaten any of you as they once did. The corruption established in this kingdom by the late king, Oquin Calloum, has finally been eliminated. Now it is just a matter of protecting our virtues. Assist your neighbors by reporting any crime you witness, as we make Tryn and Koluk safe for all of its inhabitants as well. When spring comes next year, dteria will be eliminated. It will soon be the thieves who are scared of us.”

The crowd applauded again, some whistling enthusiastically.

The executioner was dressed in black, no mask. He picked up the gleaming ax leaning against the parapets and rested it on his shoulder.

If Pearson was coming to save Cason, it was now or never. I watched the skies.

Michael walked toward the executioner as the man readied his ax.

“What are you doing?” I asked. I grabbed Michael’s shirt to stop him, but he smacked me with the back of his hand.

The force of it was too much, knocking me into Reuben and sending us both into a couple others.

“It’s Michael!” I screamed as I hurried to get up. “Pearson is Michael!”

I didn’t know how it was possible, considering I had used my Identify spell just a little while ago. But there was no denying it now as “Michael” shoved the executioner away from Cason and scooped up his body as if it weighed nothing.

I ran toward them, but Pearson—the illusion of Michael fading away—jumped off the battlements just before I could get my hands on him.

I heard a few people scream my name in horror as I jumped down right after them. It was a long drop, but all it would take for Pearson to fly away was a single moment unimpeded. I couldn’t give him that moment.

The ground came at me so fast that I barely had time to get my sheet of dvinia beneath me. It slowed my momentum somewhat as I spread my body horizontally, though I did break through it and strike the ground face first.

While in considerable pain, I got up and sprinted toward Pearson as he ran through the crowd to stop the hail of arrows from our archers.

“Hold!” the king ordered them so they wouldn’t kill a bystander. Everyone was trying to sprint away from Pearson, many screaming and bumping into each other.

Soon Pearson came to a halt, Cason dangling in his arms. I knew I could grab the dteria that