Hunted Sorcery (Jon Oklar Book 2) by B.T. Narro (chapter books to read to 5 year olds .txt) 📕

who fall for his promises of riches and reputation. Meanwhile, my father has done nothing dishonorable that anyone can speak of. He has only helped the king, first with Nykal’s rebellion and now as we fight Cason.”

“Excuse me, Kataleya!” Aliana said from the hall where I could not see her.

Kataleya turned. Her face fell. “Oh, I’m very sorry, Ms. Forrester!”

This is bad. I couldn’t see Aliana or her mother from my vantage point, and clearly Kataleya hadn’t noticed them, either.

“That was wrong of me to say,” Kataleya spoke quickly. “I was only angry at Jon. You see, I have been accused—no, my family has been accused of treason, the worst crime imaginable and—”

“Dear, it’s all right,” Gwen interrupted.

“Mother?” Aliana asked.

Like many of my peers, I had gone into the hallway to listen.

“This young woman is right. I did fall for promises of riches and reputation. I was young and impressionable. It’s not the best excuse, but it is all I have.”

Barrett announced, “There is no time for this, unfortunately, madams. All of you must be leaving, except Jon.”

“If you truly think there’s chance of an attack,” I said, “shouldn’t others stay with me?”

“We are bringing in archers, sellswords, and even a few other sorcerers. The castle will be defended by many besides you.” He clapped his hands together twice. “You all must be leaving!” he repeated. “Hurry.”

I supposed I didn’t need to hurry like the others, so I followed Kataleya back to her room. She was getting a woolen coat over her head. When it passed her face, she noticed me in the doorway with an expression of what looked to be hope that I had come for the right reason. Her blonde eyebrows lifted.

Her eyes, green verging on gray, had a spark to them that seemed to light up when she looked at me. She’d made it quite obvious by now that she liked the way I looked, and I was starting to enjoy that I could see it in her gaze. Even now that I had upset her, she looked at me like she thought it had to have been an accident. She trusted me.

“I’m sorry to upset you,” I said. “I was trying to prove to Barrett that it was unlikely this was all planned. The hypotheticals I brought up were not what I believe.”

“Oh.”

“They were just for the sake of argument. I know your family is innocent. I trust you wholeheartedly.”

“Thank you. It was my misunderstanding, then.”

“So we’re fine?”

She walked quickly toward me, making me realize I was standing in her way at the doorway. But she reached out and took my hands as I started to move.

“Of course.” She squeezed. “I trust you as well.”

I was shocked at what I felt as I looked closely into her eyes, feeling the soft skin of her hands in my grasp.

She held a moment, waiting for me to reply. Eventually, my head gave a stiff nod.

She grew a smirk. “Did I just steal your breath from this simple touch?” Then she stiffly imitated my head nod as she opened her eyes wide. “Your face, Jon,” she said with a gleeful smile.

“Let’s go!” Barrett announced.

She rushed off down the hall, though she did stop to shoot a grin over her shoulder.

I was still without words as I watched her go.

What the hell just happened? I had never felt a flutter in my chest like that from such a simple gesture. I didn’t quite understand it.

I supposed I had admired Kataleya from the first time I met her, from when it was clear that she came from wealth but did not share the same personality defect as Reuben. This admiration had only grown since I’d gotten to know her.

But perhaps this wasn’t just admiration after all, I was beginning to realize. The more I thought about her, the more I thought she was beautiful in every way the word could be used. I’d just been too preoccupied worrying, about—I don’t know—maybe being killed by a secret army of dark mages.

And of course Aliana’s initial misconception of me had made me scared to show interest in any girl here. How could I after she had claimed that I was only interested in bedding them?

The brief moment I’d allowed myself was all I could afford to give. I’d been in a daze as I’d walked back to my room…until I noticed Charlie sitting defiantly in the chair near my desk.

“Charlie, you have to go with the others! Everyone else has left the apartments!”

He shook his head. “I’m staying here.”

I heard footsteps running down the hall. Michael appeared in the doorway partially out of breath.

“Charlie, come on!” He gestured for him. “We need you.”

He shook his head.

“They need you!” I repeated. And I don’t want to see what the king will do if he finds out Charlie remained here against orders.

“Don’t you want to keep us safe?” Michael said.

Charlie shut his eyes and shook his head again.

Suddenly Eden was walking in. “Charlie, get out of this castle right now or I’m going to slap you so hard you won’t know forward from backward!”

His eyes opened wide as he bolted out of the chair. Soon he and Michael were running down the hall and turning down the stairs.

Eden stayed with me as we watched them run across the courtyard from my window.

“Sometimes you need to fight fear with fear,” she said, as if it was wise.

“There was another way.”

“A slower way.”

We walked out to the courtyard and watched Michael and Charlie catch up to the others, the portcullis up, the drawbridge down. There was a group of guards outside the drawbridge.

It didn’t take long for all of them to rush off, out of sight.

I couldn’t remember the last time I was alone with Eden, if ever. It was a little awkward, especially considering we would be here for probably more than an hour as we waited for the others to return with Luther in chains.

“Jennava’s retrieving the sorcerers now,” Eden commented. “I think word