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

attitude was just an act, or if he really was not afraid of the warlock.

“Byron and I don’t want you picking any more fights, even if they are with criminals,” Nykal said. “I’ve brought Byron here to choose a safer assignment at night for you because I’m sure you are very tired by now.”

“Sire, will you please consider changing my punishment for these last two days? I need my rest to train and fight.”

“Jon, there are no imminent threats. Cason would need an army to invoke his will on the capital. You stopped those men from reaching him a week ago. The surviving enemies have been questioned. There was a secondary plan to their meeting in Koluk, which we are still weeding out from our prisoners, but whatever it was can no longer happen. Cason and the other dark mages have been stymied. Everyone here in the castle is safe, and if Cason or any of the dark mages try to harm my people, then it will lead to their immediate capture. You will finish out your punishment.”

Was I overreacting in my fear, or was the king underreacting?

I knew the king well enough by now to realize that I couldn’t argue with him. So I brought up something else that was important to me instead.

“Before I coerced Shaw into committing a crime, I watched him and his cohort harass a girl at Red’s Tavern. The owner, Red, watched it happen and did nothing to stop it. I even spoke with the girl later. It has been going on for quite some time. Aliana used to work there, and the same thing happened to her. The owner never lifted a finger to stop it.”

“I will let Byron decide what to do about this. I’ll leave you both now. Good day.”

He doesn’t seem too bothered by this news.

Byron and I lowered our heads as the king left down the stairs.

“We can discuss the tavern in a moment,” Byron said with a warm smile. “I’m sure you’re aware how well I knew your father. I have a few things I’ve needed to tell you about him.”

Things he needed to tell me, not wanted to. More secrets, perhaps? I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear any right now. I already had enough on my mind.

I must’ve made a face because Byron suddenly looked surprised. He gave a laugh. “Oh, it’s nothing bad, Jon. He was the best head guard I could’ve asked for. It’s often Gage’s hypothetical opinion I will consider when trying to make a tough decision these days. Did you know he wanted stricter rules regarding dteria while I was hesitant to enforce them?”

“I did hear that from Leon Purage. Have you met him?”

“I knew him a while ago, and we met again recently. Did he tell you about his interactions with your father and his resulting imprisonment?”

Leon had gone against my father’s advice. Rather than enticing the dark mages who’d robbed him into committing another crime, Leon had taken lethal revenge.

“Yes, he told me,” I said. “But my father never spoke about dark mages, or Leon.”

“I’m not sure why that would be the case,” Byron said.

I had a feeling. If I’d known the truth about the corrupting dteria spreading through Lycast, I would’ve wanted my father and I to do something about it, but my father had never wanted me to get involved.

“I never saw Gage again after he left Tryn,” Byron said sadly. “I never got to apologize.”

“I don’t think an apology was necessary,” I said. “He spoke fondly of you.”

Byron smiled, but soon lost it as pain crossed his face. “I’m so sorry about his passing. I grieved when the news reached me.”

I felt myself close up. I didn’t speak.

Byron said, “We can honor him by trying to finish what he wanted to stop.”

I didn’t know if Byron’s implication was really true, though. “Why would he leave Tryn if he cared so much about stopping the spread of dteria?”

“Because he cared even more about you and your mother.”

Oh. That made sense to me. It was just like the guard who quit last night.

“Your mother was a lovely woman, kind and gentle, just like your father,” Byron continued. “Gage did care to stop dteria, but he had to make sure his family was out of harm’s way.”

“And it led to both of their deaths because there was no good healer in Bhode.”

I shouldn’t have said that. It wasn’t Byron’s place to fix it. I looked down, noticing my hands that felt eager to be used. I had the power to heal now. My mother had died during childbirth, while my father was taken a year ago from an illness. I could’ve at least saved my father if I had started training earlier.

How could I be so selfish to not think of something sooner? There were other women like my mother who would die this week because of complications during childbirth. I should be saving them. I could be saving anyone who was losing a battle against an illness. At least I had to assume I could. My broken ankle was the most severe injury I had treated. I had yet to dabble with sickness.

But instead I trained to fight against Cason. And instead of sleeping a full night, my punishment continued. This was all wrong, just like the death of my parents.

“Jon, I’m very sorry,” Byron said, the guilt in his voice a stab to my heart. “I would’ve done more to convince him to stay had I known what would happen to him and to your mother.”

I remembered my father’s voice. Do you blame me for a lack of prescience?

This was no one’s fault, I reminded myself. Especially not Byron’s. I should’ve said something earlier to keep him from blaming himself, but I was just so tired and uncomfortable. It was difficult to consider the feelings of anyone but myself right now.

“It’s not your fault at all. I’ve been angry for quite some time, but I don’t know who