Hunted Sorcery (Jon Oklar Book 2) by B.T. Narro (best book series to read txt) 📗

hand and a look of urgency on his face. The driver had his gaze on Cason, not me, as Cason puttered toward the carriage with clear intentions of escaping.

I was right behind him, quickly gaining ground.

Then I screamed as an arrow took me down.

It was stuck in my leg, tearing through my muscles the more I tried to get up. I noticed the archer nearby, a woman fleeing with many of the dark mages.

I yanked it out and healed myself, the world blurring in my heated exhaustion. By the time my vision was clear again, Cason was just about to board the carriage.

Michael sprinted out from behind me and suddenly slammed into Cason, both men tumbling over each other away from the carriage. Reuben was right there behind Michael, jumping on Cason and helping Michael pin him down. Cason held a dagger with one hand, using his other to hurl both of my friends off him with a blast of dteria. But they didn’t go far.

Reuben was first to jump back on Cason, with Michael right behind him. My focus went to Pearson, who had emerged from the carriage without the king’s gold on his shoulder. He trudged toward the three wrestling men. Remi was next to arrive, with Kataleya not far behind, though Aliana was quite a distance away still, no doubt slowed by having to carry her bow and quiver.

It must’ve been a confusing scene to them, with many guards on the ground with severe injuries, a dozen dark mages escaping. There was only one man who wasn’t either on the ground or running away from the scene. Pearson had left the carriage behind. I thought I might get to the horses, but I was blasted by Pearson’s dteria before I was close enough to cut one of the animal’s legs.

Remi had to duck suddenly to avoid my spiraling body flung over her head. I tried to get my feet out in front of me as I soared, but I didn’t have enough time, my horizontal speed far greater than my vertical.

I skidded along the ground violently and finally rolled to a stop. My body stung at every spot my skin was exposed. I felt someone’s hands on me.

“Are you all right?” Kataleya asked as she helped me up.

“Pearson is stronger than Cason!” I announced loudly enough for Remi and Aliana to hear as well. “He has the king’s gold in his carriage!”

Where was Leon? There was no time to ask. My injuries were not bad enough to keep me from running or fighting, as I darted toward the carriage once again. Pearson was busy throwing Michael and Reuben away from Cason.

A dagger was embedded in the front of Cason’s shoulder. Pearson helped him up, then spun to find me about to enter his carriage as I kept my eyes on him. I tried to dive inside, but everything whirled around as I was struck with dteria again.

I had no idea where I was when I landed, for I had rolled quite a few times. I got up to find myself quite a distance away as I watched Remi try to burn Pearson, only for her fire spell to hit an invisible wall and spread along the thick dteria in front of him. Pearson flicked his wrist at her, and she somersaulted backward away from him like a bothersome insect.

Kataleya created her own wall, this one of dense water. Pearson made a grabbing motion, then flung his hand up, and her wall of water flew off. With Kataleya visibly shocked, she was frozen in place a moment before she was blasted with dteria. She spiraled past me.

Aliana seemed to be next in Pearson’s sights, but she already had an arrow ready.

“Not Pearson, the horses!” I tried to tell her, but it was too late.

She fired, only for the arrow to stop short of Pearson’s chest before it fell to the ground. She muttered a curse in fear as he swept his hand in her direction.

She flew away to land somewhere among the injured guards and the rest of my peers. The carriage had left already, the king’s gold in the cariole. One sole driver guided the animals, but there was no hope of me catching up to them.

But Aliana had dropped her bow to the ground before Pearson had thrown her away.

There were a couple of arrows scattered near it as well. She’d probably made this happen on purpose. Bless her.

I picked up her weapon and loaded an arrow.

The horses were headed north down the street. I aimed well ahead of the fast animals. I just had to hit one of them.

I shot.

The arrow stopped after just a few yards, intercepted by a block of Pearson’s dteria that he’d moved into the trajectory of the arrow.

Now I was the one cursing as he looked at me with his hands out. Bracing for impact, I was surprised when it was Aliana’s bow in my hands that was crushed and broken, and not me. He left me alone, bending his knees and jumping as he flew off into the sky faster than any bird could go.

He soared high and far, coming down in front of the carriage at least fifty yards away. The horses halted, giving him time to get in. I saw a few more of our guards on the street near him who would soon reach his carriage, but I knew they wouldn’t be able to do much. My focus went to Cason, as he had just finished pulling the dagger out of his shoulder and had begun to heal his wounds.

My peers and I rushed him as quickly as we could, but he was too far away for us to stop him. The dteria that he used to wrap around his waist was so dense and strong that I could feel it even from five yards away.

I knew I might be able to take him off his feet at this short distance with a powerful spell of