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

together, and Michael has probably spoken only to you about it. We don’t have a lot of time, and there’s something else I want to talk to you about. Please just answer with the truth. It’s important to me.”

“No games?” I asked.

“I might make crude jokes, but I don’t play games.”

I wish I knew how true that was. More than that, I wish I knew what Michael would want me to say. I was getting the idea, however, that Eden might be interested in a relationship with him. I knew Michael was interested as well, but what if I was wrong about Eden and I ruined Michael’s chances?

“He has mentioned you,” I said, “but we haven’t talked about it at length. If I had to take a guess, I would say he’s interested in you for more than…one night.”

“Pity,” she answered to my horror. “I don’t want to break his heart.”

“I’m sure he would be more than happy to spend the night with you if that’s the only thing you’re interested in,” I said quickly.

“Oh, I’m sure he would. What do you think Luther’s arrest means for Kataleya?”

“He, um…well.” I was caught off guard by her quick subject change.

“It doesn’t seem like she’ll be the prime suspect anymore, but someone did leave a callring in her room. If it wasn’t her, then who was it?”

“I don’t know any better than you.”

“I know.” She spoke with urgency. “Help me figure it out.”

“I’m inclined to believe it’s one of the girls, and you know them better than I do.”

“Because you don’t think there’s any chance Michael or Reuben are responsible?”

“I can’t really see how it could be them.”

She gave me a hard look, then she frowned. “But you do see how it could be me.”

I sighed. I didn’t know why she was so interested in speaking about this with me. Obviously, we weren’t going to figure out anything.

“I don’t know who it is,” I said in hopes of pacifying the situation. “It might not even be any of us.”

She took a dried snakeskin from her desk and set it down on my sword, not seeming to care that this enchantment would be done on her bed.

“Enchantments are discussed in levels of one through four,” Eden explained without looking at me. “A snakeskin durability enchant increases the durability of your weapon by a measure of one.”

“How much will it help?” I asked.

“It will be noticeable over time. Your sword will not chip or dull as easily. That’s about it.”

“What would a level four enchantment do?” I wondered.

“Of durability? I don’t know, but I hope to find out one day.” She wouldn’t look up from her bed.

The Eden before this had surprised me with many of her comments, but this Eden made me far more uncomfortable as I wondered if she was playing me or if I had really upset her.

“I’ll bring it to you when I finish,” she said.

“Oh. All right.” I started toward her doorway.

“Jon.”

I turned.

“I would never hurt anyone here. I promise. I really wish you would believe me. I was hoping we might be friends.”

Honestly, I wasn’t sure I believed her. I had a problem forcing myself to lie with not just words but expressions, as Kataleya had noticed. I couldn’t give Eden the expression she wanted, one of trust.

“I’m sure soon we’ll know. I was hoping we could be friends, too.” My tone conveyed more than I cared to admit. I couldn’t open myself too much to her until I knew who had tried to corrupt me with dteria and who had attempted to have Grufaeragar killed.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

I went back to the courtyard, as I didn’t want to wait around in Eden’s room. Jennava soon returned with two men and one woman. I figured they were sorcerers because they weren’t armed. It was a long walk if I was to greet them at the open drawbridge across the courtyard. I didn’t move, distracted by memories.

I recalled coming to the castle for the first time, full of excitement, and yet suspicion as well. The king had a plot involving us. I had been so eager to learn, however, that I didn’t care much about it or meeting the other sorcerers, until I saw Aliana. Her beauty had overpowered all my thoughts, but my feelings for her had never blossomed into anything, not when she had acted toward me so coldly in the way that she had initially.

Kataleya had always been kind, a joy to be around. My relationship with Aliana had improved a lot since she had learned to trust me, but I didn’t see her in the same way now as I did before I got to know her. I didn’t know if that might change, but this was nothing to be sad about. I was looking forward to developing friendships with all of my peers. My short conversation with Eden showed me how little I really knew about some of them, even after all this time.

I was in no rush to open my heart to anyone. I didn’t know the first thing about courting.

I cared about the girls here in a very different way than I’d cared about Joanne. Part of me wanted to learn how to court a woman, especially as I remembered the feeling of Kataleya looking into my eyes from so close. There was something between us. I could almost feel it as if it were tangible.

Courting seemed like a useful skill to know, but sometimes I wondered if it was even a skill at all or something more devious. Did women even want to be courted? I thought two people usually ended up together because they liked each other. The whole idea of courting didn’t make much sense to me. Was the man tricking the woman into liking him? Why else would courting be needed? I didn’t get it.

I sighed as I watched the two male sorcerers start bickering with each other on the other side of the courtyard. The other female