Brink Mage Read online

  She looked at the three of them. “You sure about that?”

  “Guard Arbor, this has nothing to do with you. Go report to the Captain.”

  The way the man tried to dismiss her made her angry. Her fists clenched, and her eyebrows narrowed, not to mention her face brightened with the rage, and her lips curled. Wyatt had seen that look on plenty of people. She was about to attack.

  The Mage readied himself to join the fray. He hoped that Cat was ready as well. The goblin was stuck in a sticky situation and wouldn’t be able to aid them. Wyatt just hoped that she avoided getting hurt.

  Gillian pulled out a massive sword. One that Wyatt would have thought too big for the woman to use, but she held it with ease. “Eat shit,” she said.

  Wyatt spun then and took in the number of guards. It was way more than he would be able to hold in place right now—time for a different tactic. Cat was on the move too. Chaos erupted around Wyatt.

  The fight wasn’t like the one before at the elven district, but it felt similar in some ways. Gillian moved with a speed that most humans couldn’t dream of. Wyatt used his magic to increase his own pace and strength. Right now, he didn’t have weapons, nor did Cat. With their speed, that hopefully wouldn’t be a concern.

  The guardswoman reached the man that must have been talking and used the hilt of the blade to strike him. He hadn’t moved in time to stop her blow. He went down to the ground in a whimpering heap.

  “Nice one,” Cat said.

  The guardswoman didn’t say a word. Instead, she moved on to the next target. Cat didn’t seem to care that she had been ignored and ran to the back of the group. There had to be at least thirty men. Wyatt wasn’t sure if he should be honored or not. They had a lot of men here to take them in.

  That did raise one question. How did they know that he was coming here? They just learned of it from Matrim. It wasn’t likely that he told anyone. Someone had to have overheard them in the tavern, and they would have to inform the bard of the leak.

  Wyatt, with magically enhanced speed and strength, dashed to the other side of the horde of men from Cat or Gillian. He didn’t slow down and smashed into a guardsman at full speed. The impact hurt like hell, but Wyatt sent the man flying in the air.

  The mage smirked with how easily he had been able to dispatch of that man. It was one of many, and they were still outnumbered. Not to mention the fact that Octavia was stuck and not able to get away from any of the attackers. Wyatt wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if she was hurt. The goblin had grown on him in more ways than one.

  The other two were doing everything in their power to take out the guardsmen. Wyatt couldn’t focus on them at the moment. He had to make sure he didn’t get hurt or captured. He moved to the next man who saw what he had done and dropped his weapons.

  “Don’t hurt me,” he said.

  “Go.” Wyatt pointed to the castle, and the guard ran like the coward he was.

  A few more joined the man, but many remained. It would never be easy. None of this ever was for him. Ever since he took the job from the goblin that had hired him and Cat. It still irked the mage a little that Cat beat him. His pride was having trouble letting that go, and he needed to. More was on the line than ever.

  Sprinting to the closest guard that remained, Wyatt took out his legs. With him down on the ground, Wyatt kicked him and knocked the wind out of the man. Next was a woman that was bigger than him, and most likely in normal circumstances twice as strong. His magic gave him the edge here.

  He danced around her, keeping his eyes on the others as they began to move in on him. It wasn’t easy keeping track of this many people. Soon the people around him dropped. Gillian and Cat had defeated the others.

  Wyatt used that to attack the large guard. She was big but moved slower than a snail, which was good since otherwise, Wyatt didn’t stand a chance against her. He smashed into her and then out. That move didn’t seem to affect her.

  “Nice one mage,” she said. “You can’t handle me.”

  Wyatt’s mind had, for a brief second, went to the wrong place. He shook his head and let that disgusting thought float away faster than ever. He ran in several circles around her, making her follow him. His plan appeared to be working, she started to sway on her feet.

  That was when he struck at her and made her fall to the ground. Cat appeared and finished her off with a punch in the jaw.

  “We have to get out of here,” Cat said.

  “I don’t know how to free Octavia.”

  Gillian was next to him now. She had a pleasant scent to her, one that mixed the fight with her own. Wyatt liked it very much. “I can free her.”

  The guardswoman pulled out a small bag from her armor. Where it had been stored, Wyatt didn’t know. The armor was clearly more than what he could see.

  “This will dissolve it,” Gillian said. “We all carry it on us.”

  “What is it?” Cat asked.

  “If I’m honest, I don’t really know. Some sort of tar that a chemist made for the king.”

  Wyatt didn’t care what it was, so long as they were able to free Octavia. The trio made it to the goblin. She had been watching them. “About time you come to see if the goblin is okay.”

  “You know we care,” Wyatt said.

  Octavia didn’t seem to believe him. “Sure, you do.”

  “We could just leave you,” Cat said.

  “Haha.”

  Gillian opened her pouch and poured some of the contents on the goo that held Octavia. In a matter of seconds, it turned to a more liquid substance, and Octavia was able to step out of the trap.

  “Thank goodness.” She turned to Gillian. “Thank you.”

  “No problem. You three need to get out of here and now. Codswallop,” Gillian said.

  Wyatt was sure she was coming to the realization that she was going to be in a lot of trouble. He didn’t like that she might not be able to go back to the guard. Not that she had been on the best of terms from what her brother had said.

  “We were actually looking for you,” Wyatt said. “Your brother sent us.”

  “That stupid little bard. Always getting me into trouble. If it wasn’t for him, I would be living a much better life. Look, I don’t know what he said I could do, but I can't.”

  “Please,” Cat said. “We are trying to stop the madness that is going on.”

  “You saw it. You refused to fight.” Wyatt tried to plead without actually begging. “Come to my place; you know that you will need to lay low for a while.”

  She appeared to be thinking it all over. With what happened, she was sure to be in a tight spot and would need allies. Not that being friends with three people that were clearly high on the king's most wanted list was a good thing.

  “Very well,” she said. “What did you want?”

  “To get invitations to the ball,” Wyatt said.

  She rolled her eyes. “You are sort of known and will be arrested on sight.”

  “Not a problem,” Wyatt said. “So long as we have real invitations, I can get most of us in.”

  “Very well.”

  27

  A Way In

  Before they departed this part of the city, Gillian acquired the tickets they would need to attend the ball the next night. Apparently, all guardsmen were given four tickets if they weren’t working. None of them actually had names on them. That meant they would be able to use them.

  By the time they got back to Wyatt’s office, it was late. The moon was out, and the tattoo was shining on Cat’s face. Gillian had taken it in and smirked when he noticed it. And might have licked her lips a little. Wyatt knew she was a good fit for them.

  “You live in this place?” the guardswoman asked.

  “That I do,” he said. “It isn’t much, but I call it home.”

  Wyatt was sure she was about to call his home a hovel, or something even worse. It wouldn’t be the first time that a person made some lousy comments about his office or the part of the city that h
e lived in.

  “It’s quaint,” Gillian said. “Might even be homey inside.”

  Cat giggled. “It’s not.”

  “Hey,” Wyatt said. “It’s homey.”

  “I don’t think you know what that word means,” Octavia added.

  Wyatt checked to make sure the place was empty. No king’s guardsmen were anywhere to be seen. None of his magical guards had been broken. That relieved some of Wyatt’s anxiety, but if a mage had come here, they wouldn’t know it until it was too late.

  With that in mind, Wyatt was the first to enter. Nothing happened. That was a good omen. The attack when they tried to talk to Gillian had him on edge, and extra paranoid. To Wyatt, extra cautious right now would help him stay alive. The world was in chaos, and no one knew what to expect around any corner. He didn’t want to get caught off guard. He had too much to live for.

  It was a strange thought for him to have. Wyatt didn’t know what would happen after they solved this all, but for now he was having a great time with Cat and Octavia. Gillian being here might put a damper on that matter, but he hoped it didn’t.

  “It’s safe to enter,” he said.

  Cat and Octavia strode into the office and went straight to the couch and sat. Gillian followed them in and took the office in. Her eyes stopped as she scanned as if judging the whole place before she made any comments. Wyatt wasn’t sure if this was good or bad. He usually didn’t care what anyone thought of his home, and yet he was waiting for what she said.

  “Going to have to agree with Cat and Octavia, not homey.”

  “I think you three had too high of standards.” Wyatt liked his home very much and wouldn’t change it. “It’s very homey and inviting.”

  Gillian giggled. It was a soft and gentle one that matched her in an adorable way. Being a guardswoman, she had a rough exterior to her, but underneath that, she was soft and caring.

  Wyatt could tell that she had a strong moral code that she would follow no matter the cost to her career and her image. She only wanted to help those that needed it and punish those that deserved it. Wyatt respected her immensely for that.

  “You can dream,” Cat said. “I think my place in the city is better.”

  “That begs the question,” Gillian said. “Why not stay there.”

  Wyatt shook his head. “I’m a mage, and this place is magically protected. The spells take time.”

  “I see.”

  Though the spells only did so much, and so far hadn’t stopped any unwanted guest from finding him.

  “We need to prepare for tomorrow night,” Wyatt said.

  Later that night, Wyatt cast the spell to change their looks. He wished he could do something for Octavia, but it just wasn’t possible. He couldn’t make a person taller or change their skin color.

  It had been hard enough to make Cat’s ears change shape to appear human. When the elf looked in the mirror, she was in shock of the way she looked. “This can’t be,” Cat murmured.

  “You look odd,” Octavia added. “I like the ears and the silver hair.”

  That was something else Wyatt changed about her. Not only did she have rounded ears, but blond hair, and blue eyes. It was all he changed on her, and it made all the difference in the world. It was like a different person was there.

  “Very effective,” Gillian said. “Can you do that for me? I would like to aid you. This all stinks to me, and I want to get to the bottom of it.”

  Wyatt was glad to hear her want to help. Searching the castle was going to hard with just the two of them. “I can. How well do you know the castle?”

  “Not very,” Gillian admitted.

  That was a shame, but still an extra set of eyes and hands would be greatly appreciated. With Gillian, Wyatt would have to alter more of her, since she was known to many of the guardsmen. That meant new hair, eyes, nose, and lips. Hopefully, seeing her out of armor would help aid in the disguise.

  Wyatt’s own appearance was the hardest for him. It should have been the easiest, since doing a spell to himself was what he normally did. But he hated this one, and it felt strange. Having to do this all again tomorrow was going to suck for him. As it was, his hair was now pitch black and long. He had different eyes, and pretty much everything else about his face. He looked in the mirror and hated what he saw. But not even his own parents would know it was their child.

  Octavia, to Wyatt’s surprise, knew a person that could help them find the right outfits, and he rushed out to get the job done. They had to be formal and help them blend in with the nobles. It wasn’t going to be easy to find that on such short notice, but Octavia was certain she could get it done.

  The goblin promised to be back in the morning with what they needed. The others talked about what they needed to do. Finding the proof that the king was being used was going to be hard.

  “How long will the spell work?” Gillian asked.

  “About an hour,” Wyatt said. “According to Gareth Stone.”

  “Okay. I hope it works, I thought they had a way to cancel it.”

  “It’s not the best.” Wyatt hoped Gareth hadn’t misled them. If this didn’t work, they would be caught before they even started. That would be such a sad start to the mission.

  There was little more to do tonight. Tomorrow was the day, and it was going to be a big one. Wyatt went to his apartment and slept.

  28

  Fashion Show

  “Wake up.”

  Wyatt opened his eyes to Octavia bouncing on his bed. She had a very pleased expression on her face. She must have gotten what she set out to find and wanted him to see it.

  “Morning,” he said, not ready to get up. His body hurt from the poor night of sleep and the dreams he had. Both good and bad ones consumed him throughout the night.

  Octavia stooped bouncing and sat on the bed. “Oh. It’s morning. I haven’t slept.”

  That didn’t surprise him one bit, and yet she seemed as perky as ever. Which was one of the many qualities that he liked about the goblin. It was a shame, though, that she hadn’t let him sleep for another hour or two. He still ached from the day before and the fights. No matter how many times he was in a fight, he never got used to it.

  He would be sore for a while. The battle and fights were taking a toll on him, and it seemed he wasn’t going to get a chance to recover for a while. The mission was important, and his body would have to deal with the pain.

  Grunting, Wyatt forced himself up off the bed. His body ached and was stiff as a board. Like his bed no longer worked for him. It might be time for an upgrade in that area. Some new padding in the bed or some feathers would help make it better. He didn’t know, but right now, it wasn’t working one bit.

  “You look like hell,” Octavia said.

  “Thanks.” Wyatt staggered over and dressed in his typical outfit of light linen pants and a shirt. Off in the corner was the mage robe that he loathed.

  Octavia saw what he was looking at. “Why don’t you wear that? Francis likes his.”

  “That man likes to remind everyone of what he is. Me, I like to let people forget that I’m a mage. Makes my job easier if they don’t know what I can do.”

  The goblin nodded. “Makes sense.”

  “You get everything?”

  “I did. Just wait until you see.”

  She dropped off the bed and bounded out of the room and down the stairs to his office. Cat and Gillian were nowhere to be seen. They must be downstairs. The way that Octavia was acting, they might be trying on the dresses.

  The current fashion among the nobles were gowns that were low-cut and exposed a lot of cleavage. Wyatt would indeed like what he saw. Just the thought of seeing them dressed in the current fashion made his cock a little hard.

  Not to seem too eager to see them, Wyatt took the stairs slowly. Once he reached the bottom and saw both Cat and Gillian in the gowns it was worth it. Both of them wore some of the most exquisite dresses he had ever seen.

  Cat’s was silver, just like her
hair was. Not that it would remain that way. It clung to her elf frame perfectly. Her ass looked fabulous in the dress, and the neckline was so low that Wyatt could see her navel. He wanted to fuck her right then and there. It was nearly too much with how much skin she showed. It barely covered her tits.

  He did his best not to drool and knew that it was going to be a long night with her in that. He had trouble peeling his eyes off the elf. She was damn hot, and from the look on her face, she knew it.

  Next to her stood Gillian in a bright blue dress that was just as magnificent. In her armor, it was tough to make out her body. Here it was on full display, and she was stunning. Her breasts were threatening to explode from the dress. How they stayed in, Wyatt didn’t know and he hoped they didn’t have to make a run for it. They would inevitably be exposed to them. Though maybe that would be a good thing and let him get a nice look at them. Her toned abs were out for all to see as well. Her butt was nearly as lovely as Cat’s.

  “You like?” Cat asked.

  Wyatt nodded. Not sure he was in the best shape to speak. He didn’t want to embarrass himself with mumbling out words.

  “You left him speechless,” Octavia said. “I told you I’d find the best of the best.”

  “You sure have,” Gillian said. “The only ones that will rival ours is the royal family and the super elite nobles.”

  Wyatt shook his head. Tonight was going to take all the willpower in the world to live through. The nobles sure liked to make it hard on the men. That was something he would never understand. Though he sort of comprehended. The outfits turned the whole night it a giant game of foreplay.

  “You weren’t kidding,” Gillian said. “Wyatt does like to let his eyes linger.”

  He took a breath in. “Well, I see something I like, I don’t see the point in looking away.”

  For the mage, there was no point in shame. Look at what a person liked, and don’t look at stuff one doesn’t. To him, there was no other way, and he wouldn’t change that no matter what.