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

men and witnessed them commit a crime against him.”

We headed out. I expected Reuben to stop in front of Burda, maybe drop a sappy line or show her how proud of himself he was, but he walked right past her as she stared at him in shock.

I waited until we were outside to tell him, “That was marvelous. I couldn’t even tell if you were actually angry or not.”

“Jon, I’m going to let you in on a secret that I expect you to keep.”

“Go ahead.”

“I’m always that angry,” he admitted. “So letting it out feels really good.”

“That explains a lot.”

“Wait!” Burda shouted.

We stopped and turned as she ran toward us.

“I’m sure she wants to thank you.” I squeezed Reuben’s shoulder. “I’ll leave you two alone and see you back at the castle later.”

“Are you joking, Jon? You are not making me walk back without you while I’m dressed like this.”

“You want me to wait here as you speak with her?”

“Hell no. Wait down the street.”

“Fine.”

I created some distance as I looked back at Burda stopping in front of Reuben. They spoke for some time before Burda gave him a kiss on his cheek. She walked back toward the tavern after, with a few looks back, but Reuben didn’t see. He was too busy grinning at me triumphantly.

“Did you see that?” he asked. “A kiss on the cheek means she likes me. The longer the kiss, the more she’s interested. It lasted a while.”

He sure didn’t seem angry anymore.

“Yeah, take this time to gloat. Smart. Or maybe it would be smarter to look back.”

“What?” He spun around.

Burda had waited near the entrance of the tavern. She gave a wave. He waved back.

We started back to the castle. I set a quick pace. There was a lot to do, but Reuben lagged behind. He turned around again, but she had gone into the tavern.

“Glad we came?” I asked.

I didn’t think he heard me. He held a little smile as he looked ahead.

“Reuben?”

“What?”

“You did well.”

“Oh, thank you, Jon. You did, too.”

“I thought cracking the wall with the table was a bit much.”

“It’s still less than what he deserves.”

“True.”

CHAPTER NINE

I found Leon after Reuben and I made it back to the castle, and soon we were headed out to meet Aliana’s mother. Leon asked me what I had been up to, so I told him.

He didn’t seem too impressed by the story, but he was never very much impressed by anything.

Eventually, we arrived at our destination. Gwen Forrester worked with a healer in a small place on a quiet street, but she wasn’t the one who greeted us. There was only an older gentleman with gray hair and a deeply wrinkled face. He didn’t look busy as he sat on a stool and faced the door.

I glanced around. This was definitely the right place. The backroom was cluttered with glassware filled with various substances. Most of it seemed to be herbal, though there were a few liquid concoctions as well.

“Are one of you in need of healing?” asked the man as he stood.

Leon approached. “My name is Leon Purage, and this is Jon Oklar. You’re in luck, healer. On behalf of the king, Jon is going to stay here for the next two hours and heal anyone who requires it, no matter what ails them. All payment will still go to you.”

“Well um, that is, um…” He scratched his head nervously.

“Leon,” I scolded as I stepped around him and offered the old man my hand. “Let’s try this again. I’m Jon.”

“Quincy.” His skin was leathery.

“I’m a sorcerer of the king and I would like to practice my Heal spell here, if you wouldn’t mind?”

“Oh, yes, yes. That is wonderful. Of course.”

“Like Leon said, you can still charge your normal rate and collect the coin yourself.”

“That is kind of you. A woman works with me. She’s out purchasing supplies right now but should be back any moment. Usually, I see the patients and she prepares the medicines.”

“All right,” Leon said. “It’s settled then.”

“Right,” I answered.

Leon turned to leave, but a woman carrying a bag with two hands started to enter. She didn’t look a day over thirty, pretty, not a wrinkle on her face. She had dark hair and familiar eyes.

“Let me help you,” Leon said as he took the bag from her. “Just tell me where you want it.”

“Thank you, sir. There’s fine.” She pointed at the one clear spot on a table in the backroom.

“Call me Leon,” he said as he set down the bag and offered his hand.

“Gwen.”

I looked at her closer. She had to be older than she looked. Nonetheless, she must’ve had Aliana when she was quite young.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Gwen,” Leon said.

I’d never heard his tone this friendly before. It almost sickened me.

“I’m not sure if your daughter mentioned me—”

“Oh, you said your name is Leon?”

“Yes, Leon Purage.”

Gwen clicked her tongue. “You are not what I expected.”

“Yeah, I can be a bit harsh on the students, but it’s only because I care that they improve.”

“Aliana has improved, so you must be doing a fine job.”

“Thank you, Gwen.”

I thought it odd how they held each other’s gazes so firmly. I cleared my throat.

“This is Jon,” Leon spat out quickly.

“Nice to meet you,” I said.

“It is nice to meet you, Jon.” She glanced at me with kind eyes, but her gaze returned to Leon as soon as the handshake with me was done. “What brings the two of you here?”

“We’re going to stay a little while to heal anyone who comes in,” Leon said.

“We are?” I asked. “You were just leaving, Leon.”

“So soon?” Gwen protested. “I would love to hear more about Aliana’s training. She doesn’t tell me much.”

“I can stay a little while.”

What was happening right now? More importantly, what would Aliana want me to do about it?

I looked at Leon differently. I wanted to see him through Gwen’s eyes. He looked like he was in his early thirties, but he had to be much