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  Just then, Octavia made her way down the stairs; she was completely naked as well. It was such a shame that they had too much to do today, that he couldn’t just stay here and stare at the two of them in all their glory.

  “It’s too early.” Octavia had bags under her eyes, and she yawned.

  “That’s rich,” Wyatt said. “After you woke me up at the ass-crack of dawn yesterday.”

  “That’s different. I got to bed early. Unlike last night. Someone kept me from getting my beauty sleep.”

  Cat giggled. “I’d say it was worth it.”

  That it was. Wyatt would never forget that night and hoped to have many repeats of it. The more time he spent with the pair, the more he was growing to enjoy their company, both in the physical and nonphysical.

  “Not saying it wasn’t,” Octavia said. “What got you up so early?”

  Wyatt got Octavia up to date with what Christian had told him. Octavia had a look of disgust on her face, but also a giant smile when the gang was brought up.

  “The Wyvern Boys are famous. My brother is in them.”

  Wyatt had no idea she about her family, and that was something he needed to fix. If he was going to spend this much time with Octavia and Cat, he really should know more about them.

  “The Wyvern Boys are a large gang. He might not be part of this.”

  “I’m sure he will be,” Octavia said. “He isn’t the type to leave the city. It will be nice to see Oscar again.”

  Wyatt didn’t want her to get her hopes up, but that ship had sailed. The goblin was already smiling and excited about the prospect of seeing her brother.

  “Keep in mind that we might not be able to help.”

  Octavia had a dejected face. “I thought you and Cat were about the people.”

  Taking a deep breath in. “We are, but if we are at the castle, or worse in prison, we won’t be able to be there.”

  “Good point.” At least she saw the logic in what he was saying. “What are the plans for today then?”

  Wyatt hadn’t really thought about it, and now he had to. They couldn’t just sit around waiting for Gareth Stone or Francis. Nor could they just prepare to fight at dusk this evening.

  “We’ll make it up as we go.”

  19

  A Reputation

  After a quick washup and getting dressed, the trio was out on the streets. Wyatt still didn’t have a plan of attack for today. His mind was just stretched too thin to focus on a good idea.

  Going to the castle to scout was out of the question with Octavia and Cat with him. They would draw the attention of the King’s Guard, and maybe even get arrested, with how the city was going these days.

  The tension in the air was evident to Wyatt. The people that were out had a worry on their faces. All of them knew that something terrible was going to happen and soon. They might not know what, but the signs were all over the place.

  Not only were there more patrols out today, but in greater numbers per team. And the gangs of the city were out too and taking in the goings-on of the day. If one knew where to look, they would see any number of hoodlums or vigilantes lurking in the shadows.

  One of the many ways that Wyatt worked in the past was to walk the city. Take it in and see what was going on. That was today’s task. He walked to see what was going on. Take it all in and measure just who was up to what.

  Part of it was to make sure that Christian wasn’t pulling his dick and setting him up to make the situation worse. It wasn’t that Wyatt didn’t trust the man, he did. Over the years, they had helped each other out in a few jobs. Though nothing was like this and Wyatt didn't want stoke the fire of the city, and help lead to the elves getting hurt.

  As the day went on, Wyatt grew more sure that the elves were about to riot, and the king was going to make them pay. They had been threatening to rise up for days. Gareth and Victor had told them as much, and when they visited the sections of the city, they saw the signs.

  It was all about to reach a boiling point, and that wasn’t good.

  “What are we doing?” Cat said. “I don’t see a point to any of this. We should be with Victor and your friend.”

  “I agree,” Octavia added. “We could be doing good.”

  Wyatt told them what he was thinking and why he was doing what he was. They might not like it, but they should understand his logic.

  Wyatt wanted to talk to some of his people as well. Maybe now they wouldn’t be so scared that they refused to speak. The first stop would be his old friend, Herbert. The blacksmith was at his smith, and it was blazing with a fire. That was nothing new; a smithy couldn’t do his job without a burning hot furnace to heat the metal. Even on the chilliest days of the year, stepping into this place, one started to sweat from head to toe. Now in the summer, that heat was even worse.

  Herbert looked up from the anvil he was working on when he heard Wyatt walked in. “Not you again.”

  Cat giggled. “I see you have a reputation.”

  “You know some people do like to see me.”

  Both women had a glow in their eyes and knew they were in that group. Wyatt truly did enjoy them.

  Herbert put his work to the side and went over to them. He would have to start over on the piece, but that wasn’t always a bad thing. Not that Wyatt knew the first thing about forging or making things out of metal.

  “I see you made some new friends,” the smithy said. “I told you last time I know nothing.”

  “You know I’m capable of that. Look at you and me.” Wyatt did enjoy messing with Herbert, but as much as the blacksmith liked to act like he hated Wyatt, he didn’t.

  “Haha. Still doesn’t change a thing.”

  “Look, I just wanted to see if you knew anything about the rumors of an attack tonight.”

  Suddenly, the man was shifty and looking all around the forge. As if to make sure they were completely alone. If there was ever a sign that Herbert knew something, that was it.

  “Please,” Cat said. “Tell us what you know.”

  Herbert took a deep breath in and then groaned. “Look, I just know what you probably already do. The king is having his guard take them out. That a mage is looking to create some sort of army.”

  That was new. “An army?”

  “Look, I just heard the rumors, and it said the mage was using magic to make an army with the elves and the goblins. To force them to fight for him, and then he will start a war.”

  “On who?” Octavia asked. She didn’t look happy at the news of the goblins being used and controlled by magic. Wyatt didn’t have a clue how that was even possible.

  “I don’t know, but it sounds like the king is only doing this to keep his own head, and this mage and whoever he works for in the man in charge.”

  That made more sense to Wyatt. Yet, it still didn’t tell him who was behind it. Who could scare a king that much, and force a mage to do this, and who did they want to take out. This was all too much to figure out. Wyatt hated this and wanted more answers.

  “I see. Thanks, Herbert.”

  They left the forge with some more info, and Wyatt knew that they would have to go help. Then they would need to find a way to get to the proof of the king and who was ultimately behind this all.

  20

  Prepping for Battle

  The rest of the day had been a complete blur for Wyatt. After talking to a few people, he knew they had to make sure that the elves weren’t forced into some sort of army. How the mage was doing that, Wyatt still didn’t now. The last thing he wanted was for the elves, goblins, and trolls to be mindless soldiers for a cause they didn’t care about.

  When they arrived in the heart of the elven district, they were greeted by both Victor and Christian. The elf didn’t appear as happy to see Wyatt as Christian was. “You made it,” the leader of the Wyvern Boys said.

  “We can’t let a mage turn anyone into an army against their will,” Wyatt said.

  “If you say so,” Victor said. What Wyatt had done
to anger the elf so much, he didn’t know. That didn’t matter right now, but it did hurt Wyatt. They might not have been the best of friends, but they had gotten along.

  “What can we do?” Cat asked. “I want to make sure my kin are protected.”

  “Like you care,” Victor said.

  Christian glared at Victor. “I get you don’t think you need any help, but most of your people aren’t trained in fighting, nor do they even have weapons.”

  “We have training and weapons.”

  The leader of the Wyvern Boys glared at him. “Brom hands and makeshift knives don’t count. Nor does that pittance of training you were doing.”

  Victor held up his head high and scuffed at the notion. It was his pride that was getting in the way. Wyatt had seen this before with many people. They didn’t think they needed help, they thought they could do everything themselves.

  This had to be handled and fast if they were going to succeed in defending the elves. Wyatt took a deep breath in and took in the area. There were lots of elves running around, and none of them appeared to be ready to fight.

  “Have you sent the people away that can’t fight?”

  “We won’t abandon our homes,” Victor said.

  Wyatt groaned. “All you are doing is leading them to their graves.”

  The elf’s face reddened, and he clenched his fist. “You don’t know what you're talking about.”

  “I think I might. Let me ask you this. How do you plan on defeating Mage Amon?”

  Victor’s eyebrows narrowed, and his lips curled. “There is no mage. That is a rumor.”

  “I spent the day looking around. It’s no rumor, and he’s here to make you his servant. The servant of the king, and who knows who else above the king.”

  “There is no one,” Victor said. “No mage. The king is just power hungry.”

  The more Wyatt learned, the more he was confident that the king wasn’t the man behind this all. While he might not have seen the mage yet, that felt right to Wyatt.

  “There is a mage,” Octavia said. “The signs are all over the place. You think most of my kin would just leave for no reason? We were being used and had to flee. Don’t be stupid.”

  “You are ruining our tradition.” Victor had his foot deep in place and didn’t want to budge. If there was one thing that drove Wyatt crazy, it was a person letting pride get in the way and allowing those he cared about to get hurt because of it.

  “You know nothing of tradition,” Cat interjected.

  “You have—” Victor said.

  “I have every right. Unlike you, I know what it is like to live as both a forest elf and a city elf. I know what it is like to be genuinely hunted by humans. What it is like to fear a giant troll is going to eat me. What it is like to have humans chase me day and night. What it is like to be hated by humans, city elves, trolls, and more. You think you know what it is like to be an elf. You have no idea. You don’t know what the elves of old did.

  “I’ll tell you what we did. We asked for help. Knew when it was time to give up and when it was time to allow those with the knowledge we lacked to aid us. Right now is that time. Open your eyes. The city is in chaos, and the king is being used. A mage is on your doorstep and going to turn you into a mindless husk to fight some war that you know nothing about. That none of us know a thing about. And here you stand unwilling to accept the aid of maybe the one man that could help. Reluctant to let the people you care about find safety.

  “You disgust me and have shown just how little you know about being an elf. Wyatt here is more elf than you.”

  In the short time that Wyatt had known Cat, she had never done a thing like that. Victor stood there in stunned silence. All of them in the group were staring at Cat in shock over what she had said. Her speech was passionate and showed her in a new light. It made Wyatt wonder about her trip to the city and what it was like to live in the forest. Now he wondered just how wonderful that life really was. Many made it sound like a perfect little slice of heaven where they never worried about a thing.

  Her presence here should have been a shattered reality to Wyatt, and yet it hadn't. Much like Victor, Wyatt had clung to that dream for the elves and the others. It was naïve to think the world had a safe haven like that.

  “You shame me,” Victor said. “But I have shamed all of you more.”

  “Fucking right,” Octavia said. “We want the same as you.”

  The leader of the city elves hung his head. Not willing to look them in the eyes. “I will do whatever you ask of me.”

  “Thank you,” Wyatt said. “We have to get the kids and the elderly out of the city.”

  It wouldn’t be easy to do, but it was the right thing. They would just get in the way, and none of them really had any idea how big or intense this fight was going to be. Wyatt worried a great deal about this. The mage could just come in and use a spell to make it impossible to beat him. That was a scary thought.

  “I need to get a message to Earl Richards,” Wyatt said.

  “Consider it done,” Octavia said. “What is it?”

  “I need help casting protective charms to stop the other mage. It’s not something I’m all that good at.”

  “Roger that ole wise mage.” Octavia spun around but stopped. “Wyvern boy, is Oscar here?”

  “He is, in the eastern district, building up a line of defense.”

  “Great. I’ll be seeing him after the message is sent.”

  “Okay,” Wyatt said.

  For the next hour, they went about the task of removing the people that weren’t capable or willing to fight. Wyatt wasn’t about to force anyone that didn’t want to risk their lives in a fight to do it. He knew better than that; a person whose heart wasn’t in the battle would just get those around them hurt or killed.

  While they did that, they built up the area where they wanted to fight. That would force the invading forces down the roads they wanted them to take. It was going to be the only way they would be able to win this fight.

  There was little doubt in Wyatt’s mind they would be outnumbered and out-sworded in every way.

  At the end of the hours, Octavia returned with another goblin. She had a massive smile on her face, and even more bubbly than usual.

  “Your message was sent,” she said. “Francis should be here soon.”

  “Thank you.” Wyatt took in the goblin who must be her brother. He did look like her, with the same purple hair. Many of the goblins had black hair or even green.

  “This is my brother,” she said. “I wanted him to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you, Oscar.” Wyatt extended his hand.

  The goblin took it. “Hello.” He turned to his sister. “You’re right, he is different. I like him. I can see why Christian wanted him. I had fought against it, but I see I was wrong.”

  Wyatt wasn’t sure how just one handshake changed his opinion of Wyatt, but he wasn’t going to question it. That some of the Wyvern Boys would not be willing to have Wyatt help was something that he hadn’t thought about.

  Another thirty minutes later, shortly before the enemy force was to arrive, Francis arrived. He didn’t appear to be happy about being summoned here, but he came nonetheless. “Mage Ryder,” he said. “You put me in a bad spot.”

  “I get that, but we can’t let this Amon, whoever he is, do this.”

  Francis sighed. “No argument there, but he is powerful and dangerous. High up in the Brotherhood.”

  That didn’t surprise Wyatt. “You’ll need to tell me about him, but now can you show me and help me protect these people?”

  Earl Richard III nodded. “I can.”

  Over the next several minutes that seemed to drag on, the mage showed Wyatt the protection charms and spells that would help the fighters avoid being controlled by a mage or hurt by other means of magic. Wyatt had never cast anything like these before, but now that he had, he wouldn’t forget them. They would be useful in the coming days.

  21

 
; A battle for the Elves

  The sun was setting on the city, and the force was on them. Wyatt stood next to Cat and Octavia as they listened to the sound of marching feet. It was eerie in many ways. Wyatt had been in more than his fair share of small little fights. Much like the encounter not that long ago with the thugs that the King sent after him.

  A real battle like this—never before. This was going to be his first, and he had, in many ways, become the general of the force here. Even higher up than Christian, who was really the man behind it. Together they had worked to get the people ready. For the most part, all the fighters were men and women of the Wyvern Boys. Scattered with some elves that had lived in the area and to his great surprise, many of the other contacts that Wyatt talked to. He hadn’t reached out to them for aid, but they arrived.

  Among them was Herbert, and he arrived with a cart full of some of the finest weapons he had made recently. It was a sight that nearly made the mage tear up. With the help of some of the shadiest characters in Imlay, they just might stand a fighting chance.

  “That sounds like a lot,” Octavia said. Her brother was next to her and held a rare sword. One that was goblin-made and shone in the moonlight. Many years ago, goblins were the only ones that made weapons that rivaled the ones made by dwarves, but they lost the craft over the years, and only a few of the weapons they had made were still around.

  Those weapons would harm all the other races, but not hurt a goblin at all. How they had made such a weapon, Wyatt didn’t know. It sounded like magic to him, but he had never met a goblin that had an ounce of magic in them.

  Maybe that was the reason they couldn’t do it anymore. The race lost all their magic and gave up making the fabled weapons.

  “Sounds worse than it actually is,” Oscar said.

  Wyatt hoped the goblin was right, but he didn’t think that was possible. The King’s Guard was huge and would have a lot of men here. Not to mention the Mage Amon among the group.