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

This wasn’t going to work. I had to cease my spell to attempt to pull the arrow out, but it wouldn’t budge. I tried to go back to healing.

It was too late. His eyes were shut. His body was limp.

He was gone.

I cursed as I got up and turned around, but Leon was alone in the street.

“Where’d he go?” I asked frantically.

“Into the damn sky again! But this time he lifted himself.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Because he was fully healed, Jon, and I saw him cast the spell. Besides, he didn’t take off as quickly as last time.”

“So you saw the other man as well?”

“I couldn’t see shit with the sun behind him.”

“Do you have any idea who it could be?”

“Not a clue.”

Leon’s voice didn’t have the same sharp tone as before. Was he lying to me?

“Leon, if you have even a guess you have to tell me.”

“What do you think not a clue means? I don’t goddamn know!”

Now he sounded more certain, but I still wasn’t sure. Leon cursed as he threw the sword at the ground.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

More of the city guards had arrived by then. After we explained what happened, some left to aid the others in searching for the mage Leon had burned. Others took care of the body of the one Cason had killed.

The dead man had papers on him, an identity. Perhaps Byron Lawson might find out something. It wasn’t a surprise to find papers on him. Everyone in Lycast was required to carry papers with an official marking, and Byron’s guards had been asking to see the papers of anyone who appeared suspicious. To not carry them was pretty much an admission of guilt.

I picked up the staff of the dead man but dropped it immediately and stepped away.

“Enchanted with dteria?” Leon asked.

“Yeah.”

“I’ll take it back to be destroyed.”

My mana was altered from just the moment I’d touched it. “You sure?” I asked.

“Remember how long I used an essence to teach all of you to resist? I’ll be fine.” Leon picked it up, shuddered for a moment, then started heading back.

We were quiet the whole way he carried it back to the castle.

It was a shock when we arrived to see that the king was in the courtyard. He seemed to be speaking to Kataleya, but everyone else had gathered to listen—all other sorcerers, and even Jennava and Barrett circling around. As Leon and I got closer, and I saw the dark look on Michael’s face, I realized something was very wrong.

“Did you speak to him about Jon’s mana?” the king was asking Kataleya as we joined the gathering around the two of them.

“Speak to whom?” I asked, figuring I could butt in as this pertained to me.

“Her father,” the king said.

Leon tossed the dteria-enchanted staff away from us. “What’s going on?” he asked the king.

“Kataleya must be asked a few questions. Silence, everyone, except for Kataleya. Answer the question. Did you speak to him about Jon’s mana?”

Kataleya appeared confused. “I believe I spoke about everyone’s ranges a little. Jon’s was so wide a range I’m sure I mentioned it. I don’t understand why this would be wrong, sire. My father is involved with you in many affairs. I thought you trusted him and the rest of my family.”

The king, tall with broad shoulders, towered over Kataleya, who wasn’t exactly small, but none of the girls was particularly tall.

“Did you also tell your father that you would be going to Koluk with Jon and Reuben to help Leon’s friend?” the king questioned.

“Sire, you can’t possibly think—” Leon began.

“Leon!” The king shot a look over his shoulder. “I don’t want to ask these questions, but it must be done. Kataleya, answer my questions right away. Don’t hesitate.”

Her eyes, wide in alarm, were gray with a hint of green. The wind blew a thick lock of her blonde hair in front of her face. “No, I didn’t speak to anyone about that until after everything was done!” she said, her tone showing her insult. “No one in my family, not even my father, knew about us leaving the castle. I did tell him what happened later, but he had already found out from you, sire! I don’t see what the point is of these questions. You can’t possibly suspect my family of acting against you. The Yorns have been nothing but loyal to you and your family, even before you were king.”

“Search her room,” the king told his councilman. “Feel for anything enchanted.”

Barrett showed indifference as he nodded and hurried off to the apartments.

“I swear I haven’t done anything wrong, and I’m sure my father hasn’t, either!” Kataleya protested. “You know him very well, sire. He cares about our cause. If he didn’t, he never would’ve allowed me to risk my life for you. I promised I would not allow harm to come to you. I signed a binding contract. How could I do anything like you suggest? I don’t understand what you’ve heard to make you think it was my family.”

“No harm has come my way,” Nykal intoned. “But my enemies used information about us in an attempt to corrupt Jon and kill Grufaeragar. Anyone who took an oath to protect me could’ve aided these attempts without breaking the oath.”

“I promise I didn’t,” Kataleya said.

Barrett returned to the courtyard. He’d been too fast to do a thorough search of her entire quarters, which meant he must’ve found something. Barrett approached the king and whispered into his ear.

The king listened for just a moment before he leaned away from Barrett. “Show me.”

Barrett reluctantly took a dark ring out of his pocket to give to the king. Nykal held it in front of his eyes and looked closely. Then he took two callrings out of his pocket for comparison. Eden had enchanted them after Charlie had molded them from a special type of metal. Nykal looked at the three rings on his palm. The one found in Kataleya’s room was