Hunted Sorcery (Jon Oklar Book 2) B.T. Narro (book reader for pc .TXT) 📖

“Didn’t he fight with us in the forest?”

“We’ve fought beside many men who we don’t know very well.”

“He can’t possibly think I might be with Cason?”

“No, not that,” Calvin said. “I don’t think you’re aware of…how do I put this? Certain things.”

“What things? You have to give me a hint.”

“Our relation to the king’s army, or lack thereof.”

“Oh.”

He was probably right. The more I thought about the confusing situation that our king was in, the more I realized that I didn’t know much.

“I hope you can clarify these things for me.”

Calvin nodded. “There is no army to join right now. Sure, the king has people like yourself who he pays for their loyalty, but you and the other sorcerers are pretty much the whole army right now, not including the city and castle guards. I’m not sure if Nykal Lennox has been keeping this from you and the other sorcerers on purpose, or he just doesn’t see the reason to tell you, but he could’ve had a large army. It was his decision to dissolve the army after Oquin Calloum’s forces were killed and the late king was hung. I was part of that army. All of the Stormeagles were. Dteria was spreading through Lycast quickly. Rather than stop it, the previous king was inciting hatred and aggression against many groups of people who opposed the dark mages. Something had to be done. We were all glad when Nykal emerged as a leader in the rebellion.”

“I have heard about this, but I didn’t know that he dissolved the army afterward.”

“He pretty much had to. He spent everything he had and borrowed even more to pay for an army large enough to defeat Oquin’s army. When the dust settled, he didn’t have the coin to maintain the army. Rather than heavily taxing the people of Lycast to support the army, he dissolved it. Soon he announced his intention to start a new, small army of loyal soldiers which would eventually grow, but things got out of hand quickly as dteria continued to spread. He couldn’t afford the number of troops he needed to face all the dark mages left over from the rebellion, including Cason. The best he could do was promise us he would pay for our service when it was necessary but that we should find our own means of employment by taking on tasks for the good people of Lycast. That’s exactly what we were doing before the rebellion, and it’s exactly what we ended up doing after.”

I had always known the king didn’t have the kinds of funds he desired, but this made him sound downright poor.

“He can’t possibly have such little coin.”

“No he doesn’t,” Calvin agreed. “He must have a lot, some of which was usurped from the last king who most likely hid his coin and jewels in the castle. I have to assume it’s been found. But no matter how much Nykal had leftover and how much he’s obtained since his coronation, he still doesn’t have enough to maintain an army that would be large enough to defend Lycast from Rohaer’s troops. So the king has taken another route of defense. He’s focused on sorcerers of a very specific nature….”

“Cheap ones,” I added, picking up on his hint. “Desperate ones,” I added. “Almost all of us had no future ahead of us. It would’ve taken many years, if it happened at all, for us to learn enough sorcery to find work by using our spells. This is something I’ve figured out in my time here, even if much else of what you said was news to me.”

“Then you do know at least some of what’s going on. But are you aware that the king cannot wait for Rohaer to attack? Lycast would surely fall if he did, no matter how strong you and the other sorcerers become.”

“So what are you saying he’s planning?”

“I have no idea, but I don’t want to be a part of it without finding out first. Joining his small army means pledging loyalty.”

“Wouldn’t you want to fight for Lycast no matter what the risk?”

He laughed. “No, Jon, I wouldn’t. Not everyone is you. I value my freedom.”

I didn’t have a response to that.

“I don’t mean any offense,” Calvin added. “You are admirable, but it is not the life I would choose. The king has attempted to recruit the Stormeagles, and he’s invited the Freemen to join his army as well. But every group of sellswords prefers the current arrangement until we know the odds of getting our heads chopped off. We control our risk this way. Frankly, we make more money as well.”

I was surprised to find out that even Calvin, who I thought cared about stopping the dark mages as much as I did, seemed to care more about money and safety than ensuring men like Cason were stopped.

Was I really the only one who would fight no matter the risk? I mean, what was the alternative? Giving up when the odds were not in our favor? I didn’t understand how anyone could live with themselves when giving up meant allowing dteria to thrive.

“What kind of services do the Stormeagles perform besides accepting jobs from the king?”

“In the capital? Mostly escorting trade caravans to other towns and offering protection for noble families. Sometimes our agents find work for us elsewhere, catching thieves, mostly, but rapists and murderers as well. Those tend to pay the best.”

“Isn’t all of that the king’s responsibility?”

“The king has been primarily focused on Newhaven since his coronation. He defers much of the responsibility of the land around the city to his nobles, who often defer to others. Sometimes it’s these nobles, or the men they defer to, who hire sellswords like us. In small villages, however, it’s up to the people themselves to put their coin together when they want a group of mercenaries to help them.”

I was shocked again. It was hard to imagine Calvin taking from people who had to