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

down on my legs and did not strike my head hard enough to lose consciousness, or I would probably die.

With surprising calm, I stopped flailing as I straightened my body out vertically. I could lie horizontally in the air and try to catch myself with dvinia, but a failed attempt would mean my death.

I fell quickly through the smoke. Unable to see the ground, I braced as best as I could.

I struck hard, my left leg cracking as I rolled down and tucked my head. I was dazed, my whole body in pain. I had struck my head after all, but I was all right. I healed it first so that I could focus on healing the rest of my body.

I screamed out my agony as I mended the broken bones in my left knee and then a few in my ankle. Everything still hurt when I got up, but I didn’t feel slowed by the pain, only from the exhaustive healing.

The spell that hit me had been so strong, it was as if Cason himself…no, wait. A chill of horror ran through my body. It was Pearson. No one else could have gotten behind me with him already there.

He was the one who’d helped Cason escape when we fought in the street. He was the dark mage more powerful than Cason. He had hidden his true identity, tricking people who’d lived in Newhaven for years, like Eden and Calvin. I didn’t know how any of it was possible, but I did know that Pearson had to be stopped.

But could I even stop someone so powerful? What was going to prevent him from throwing me in the air and possibly killing me this time?

I swallowed my fear as I found my sword a few yards away. I’d dropped it at the last moment before landing. He had surely lifted the portcullis by now. It was the keep that needed to be defended. The binding contract took a firm hold on my instincts.

I had to protect the king at all costs.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

I fought my way toward the keep as I saw many troops running around. It seemed likely that there weren’t many enemies in the courtyard. Perhaps Eden was right after all. The smoke was our worst opponent.

I made it to the keep, relieved to find the door closed and barred from the inside still. But then I distinctly heard screams coming from within, a girl’s shrieks.

Callie.

One of the dark mages had made it into the keep, most likely through a window. I was certain the king had many guards inside, but if Pearson was the one who’d entered, I doubted any number of them could hold him off.

I needed to be able to lift myself if I had any chance of helping the royal family. I haphazardly forced my dvinia around my body, adding the note of G to the spell and yelling at my mana, grab me!

All I managed to do was throw myself off my feet. When I was done rolling away from the door, I got up and mindlessly slammed my shoulder into it. There was a pop with searing pain.

Now I had to heal my shoulder that had come out of its socket.

It was no use. The door was too thick.

I could do nothing but engage the enemies in the courtyard, but I didn’t want to stray too far from the door of the keep. My heart trilled as I heard Eden scream. I ran toward the sound, but I nearly collided with Cason coming the other way through the smoke. He was hideous, with large splotches of hair and eyebrows missing after Leon had singed them off.

My reflexes were quicker than his, as I swiped my sword across his body. A bleeding gash along his stomach followed my blade. He fell backward as he screamed, one hand going over his stomach while the other reached out at me. A ring of dteria wrapped around my neck, squeezing the air out.

I dropped my sword as I jammed my fingers in and pried hard. I couldn’t get it off me as it tried to lift me off the ground. I was worried Cason might break my neck with a jerk.

I stopped trying to fight his dteria and hit him with my own spell, but he took his hand off his stomach and created a shield of energy to block my attack. I almost couldn’t believe his focus while suffering from such a grievous injury. It was as if he was incapable of succumbing to shock.

He twisted his other hand, attempting to break my neck as I’d feared. I tensed every muscle, covering my neck in my own mana emerging out from my body.

I fell when it was over. Something wasn’t right, the dteria slipping away, but I still felt as if something was around my neck.

I could still move my hands and legs. He’d torn a muscle, at least, but I could heal that. I put my hands on my neck, painful bulges coming out on both sides. I healed myself as Cason picked up my sword and trudged toward me, still ignoring the bleeding wound on his stomach.

I backed away quickly to buy myself time, but he lifted me off the ground with dteria. I had just finished healing as he prepared a heavy two-handed swing that might take off my leg as I lifted up my knees to protect myself.

I was too exhausted from healing to even think about casting another spell. I flinched as he was about to strike, but then I fell without pain.

I hit the ground. Cason was stumbling toward me, shards of ice in his back. Willelma threw her hand at him, and another spear of ice shattered against his back. He was about to fall face forward over me, but his body was scooped up. After a quick flip in the air, he landed on his feet with a hand gripping his stomach. I was certain the pain