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

“I of course do not!” I insisted. I looked around to see that a few people were staring nervously. “Everything’s fine,” I told them.

“Get away from my shop and don’t come back!” Pamela ordered. “We want nothing to do with you.”

An older gentleman walked up to me. “Come on, lad. It’s best not to get the guards involved.”

“Pamela, and you sir, listen. I am a sorcerer of the king. I was just at Quincy’s where I was healing people with sorcery.”

“You work for the king?” Greda asked.

“Yes,” I said. “I withheld it from you for your protection, but now my enemies know the truth about me so there’s no reason to keep anything from the two of you.”

The gentleman tapped on the window. “I think he’s telling the truth. He doesn’t seem too deranged, like one of them dark mages.”

“Even if it is the truth,” Pamela said, “that’s even more reason for you to leave.”

“Mother, he can heal you! I’m letting him in.”

“The king’s enemies will use us against him again! Stop!”

“You’re not thinking clearly,” Greda said. “You need his help.” I heard Greda unlock the door. “I will lock it again as soon as he enters if that will make you feel better.”

“Yes,” Pamela wheezed.

I walked in slowly as Pamela backed into the opposite corner of the small shop. Greda closed and locked the door behind me.

“Pamela, listen to me,” I said. “I’ve learned how to heal with sorcery. I don’t know what’s wrong with you right now, but I’m sure I will be able to figure it out and get rid of it if you just let me.”

She stared at me for a while.

“I trust him, Mother,” Greda said. “I think you should, too. He might be our only chance of you getting better.”

Eventually, Pamela started toward me. “I’ve never recovered fully from the poisoning.”

I could hear the pain in her voice. This period of her life had been miserable. I’m sure Quincy had done what he could, but something else was at play here. I could feel it strongly as I got close.

“Tell me about the incident,” I said.

“I was in a crowd at the market. I felt something prick me on my arm.” She rubbed her hand over her left arm. “There’s no mark anymore, but it was black for a while. I didn’t see who did it. Immediately I didn’t feel well. I woke up at Quincy’s not long after.”

“What does it feel like now?” I had to figure out where to pinpoint my healing, or perhaps I needed to somehow cover her whole body with my mana to better search for it. From what I could tell so far, there seemed to be something inside of her that did not belong. I didn’t know if it was still poison after all this time or if it was something else.

“I feel sick and weak. I have a pain in my chest that comes and goes. But the worst part is that I feel like something has control over my body. It’s difficult to explain. I feel like it could make me pass out without warning.”

“Have you?”

“Not since the first time.”

“Let me investigate this pain in your chest.” I lifted my hands up in front of her. There did seem to be something deep within her chest. I almost had the sense that it was hiding from me. I had to get closer to reach it.

“This is a little awkward,” I said, “but can I put my hands on you?”

“I might be suspicious if it was my daughter. Yes, of course you can. It is not awkward at all.”

I touched her shoulders and shut my eyes. I pushed out my mana from my hands. I wasn’t sure how far it could reach within her body. This strange entity seemed to be near her heart or perhaps even within it, and it was difficult to get my mana there from her shoulders.

No, I couldn’t reach it. I moved my hands to her collarbone. I was certain now that something wasn’t right. It was akin to feeling sick, but this message was relayed to me from Pamela by my mana.

I could almost reach it. I moved my hands a little lower. I knew Pamela said this was not awkward, but it still felt that way to me.

“Uh, Jon,” Greda said.

“It’s fine,” Pamela said. “If it’s necessary.”

“I can almost reach it.”

“It?” Greda asked. “What is it?”

“I don’t know.”

I pushed my mana down to her chest. Get to it, I demanded. I was not yet casting the Heal spell. I didn’t want to exert myself until it was time.

“I need to figure out what I’m dealing with to know how to get rid of it,” I said.

“God,” Pamela murmured worriedly.

“It’s going to be fine,” Greda said.

I suddenly felt it as I jumped back and opened my eyes. Like grabbing a rodent and not realizing what I had grabbed until after, I was appalled at what I’d felt. This thing within her was alive, lashing out at me.

“What’s wrong?” Greda asked me.

Pamela looked pale as a sweat broke out across her forehead.

“Are you going to faint?” I had to ask to know if I should catch her.

“Perhaps.”

There was a tense moment as Greda and I held Pamela’s arms, but soon she seemed more herself again.

“It attacked me,” Pamela explained.

“No, it attacked me,” I corrected. “Greda, can you get your mother a chair?”

“Yes, of course.”

She went into the back room and came back with a chair. Pamela sat down tiredly.

“I don’t want to alarm you,” I explained, “but I think this is a curse.”

“A curse?” Greda asked as Pamela looked as if she might faint again.

“I can get rid of it,” I assured her. “And you will feel better.” I wasn’t completely confident. I had never dealt with something like this before. But that was not what she should hear right now.

I wasn’t even sure it was a curse, but it made the most sense. She had been pricked before she’d