by Gideon Mills
Digan chuckled. “You really are one of the strangest goblins I know and it’s why I like you.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Octavia said.
“It is.”
They talked for a while, but Digan said he couldn’t tell them more. Not even the closet ally could be told of the inside person that told them of the king’s plans. But he was trying to remove goblins, dwarves, and elves. Maybe even trolls and mages. It was all crazy and made Wyatt uneasy.
Eventually, they picked all they would get from the dwarf and decided it was time to leave. Wyatt grew to like the dwarf, even though at first he was jerk to them.
15
The Mysterious Lady
Outside in the bright sun, Wyatt felt at home. It wasn’t as bad as he thought being in the dwarven tunnel, but this was where he belonged. Being here didn’t give him more power or do anything magical for him, but he just felt more alive. The stone all around him hadn’t felt natural
“You okay?” Cat asked.
“Never better,” he said. “Just like being back in my natural element.”
Octavia snorted. “This is your natural element. We have to get back to the city and the filthiest alley with vomit, shit, and some rotting meat.”
That did sound like the back alleys in the part of the city where he lived, but he didn’t go down them much. “If you say so.”
“That sounds like the places you like,” Cat said. “You didn’t bat an eye as you guided Wyatt and me through them.”
“I never said otherwise.” Octavia begun the walk back to the actual city.
It was going to be a long, tedious walk in the midday sun. In the dog days of summer, it was blisteringly hot, and for some reason, the beach here was one of the hottest places in the area. Wyatt never understood that. By the time they reached the docks, he was covered in sweat from his head to his toes. His body ached all over. Even his toenails hurt, and his hair. Never in his life had he felt this sore from just walking.
He needed some food, and maybe a nap. It had been a long day, and he knew it, and there was nothing he could do today. “I’m going to eat and then take a nap.”
“You don’t want to find the spies?” Cat asked.
To his knowledge, they were no closer to getting on the palace grounds than before. The inner part of the city was a distant and foreign place at this point. As much as he wanted to just stroll on in, they couldn’t. The king knew him and what he looked like, and even with his magic, he didn’t know if he could enter.
“Tomorrow,” he said. “We have to plan this all out.”
“I know,” Cat said. “But we can’t take too long.”
They still hadn’t even heard back from Gareth Stone, and that was key to what Cat was talking about. Wyatt hoped the centaur was fast about it but that he waited until tomorrow. He just wanted a real night's sleep. They got him up way too early to visit the dwarves. Not to mention, he hadn’t enjoyed walking over the beach. It was one thing in the flat and safe city.
Though now he was wondering about getting a horse, or some sort of carriage to use in the city. Not that many people used either, only the upper nobles or filthy rich merchants. Most of the common folk in the town used their two feet and legs. Like he had up to this point. That didn’t mean he couldn’t change and use a horse.
Pushing that out of his mind, he went in search of food. He didn’t care what it was. The first shop he saw, he would get some food.
Back at his place after food and a quick rest, Wyatt was sitting at his desk. Cat and Octavia were in the office with him. The door opened and in walked the mystery woman that had hired him.
“Mister Ryder,” she said. Then she saw the two sitting on the couch. “Could we talk alone?”
The woman’s long black hair flowed behind her, and her clothes clung to her body, and her plunging neckline showed her massive breasts. Wyatt took her all in and enjoyed her body.
Before he spoke, he looked over to Cat and Octavia to see what they thought. He was getting better about reading what they wanted from him. Not that he was an expert by any stretch of the imagination. It appeared they were okay with him talking go her alone.
“We can talk alone; my two friends won’t mind leaving.” They stood and went outside of the building without saying a word.
“Thank you,” the lady said. She still had that air about her that screamed noble, but she tried to hide it.
“You are very welcome. What can I do for you?”
“I know you haven’t been to the castle yet. Why not?”
Wyatt furrowed his eyebrows. He had no idea how she would know if he had been there or not. She must have her own access to the castle or spies of her own. She was a mystery he needed to work out.
“It’s not as easy as me just walking in, and finding what you say is there.” Wyatt knew that many of the clients that hired him thought he could just do that. Make the world bend to his will. If it was only that easy. He would be a much better PI.
“Why not?”
“Because the world isn’t like that. The king’s guard knows who I am and what I’m doing.”
That took her by surprise. That was a bit of a shock for Wyatt since she knew he hadn’t been to the royal estate. How could she know that he hadn’t been, but not know that the king sent out men to attack him?
“I was attacked by men claiming to be sent by King Martin.”
“That can’t be,” she said. “He might not be the best king in Urgan history, but he’s not as bad as the people are making him out to be.”
“I don’t know. I’m at a bit of a disadvantage, but I’m working on it. I’ll get in and find out what is going on.”
“Very well.” She had that I’m superior air again, and it made Wyatt both dislike her and be attracted to her.
“It would be easier if I knew who you were and if you could help me.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”
With that, she was gone, and Wyatt was left standing there in his office with more questions again. Not even answers.
16
A late night Stroll
Wyatt stood there alone in his office, wondering what in the world had just happened. The woman really reminded him of someone that he vaguely knew. It might have been the way she held herself. It was very noble, and being a mage, he had been around more nobles that he cared to admit.
Several minutes later, Octavia and Cat finally returned. “What was that all about?” Octavia asked.
“She wanted an update on the job, and knew I hadn’t been to the castle.” That last part really troubled him and made him think he was being watched by more people than he realized. This job was turning into one of the hardest he had ever done in his life.
“Interesting,” Cat said after he told them all that went on. “It would seem she has a source at the castle, but not the best one.”
“I guess so,” Wyatt said. Cat had to be right; the woman was noble and knew a person that lived or worked at the royal palace, and they didn’t have all the info but knew he hadn’t been there. That still begged the question of how could she and her source be so sure. It was true, but he hoped to get in without anyone noticing.
“We need to find out who this lady is,” Octavia said. “I don’t trust her. There is just something about her. Like she is playing a game with you, and something else. I just can’t put my finger on it.”
Cat giggled. “I think you know what it is.”
Wyatt had no clue what Cat or Octavia were talking about. They barely saw the mystery woman and never spoke to her.
“I do not,” Octavia said. She blushed and turned around from the elf. Wyatt had no idea what in the world was occurring, and for now he didn’t want to worry about it. They had a lot of problems going on.
“Anyway,” Wyatt said. “We need to get on the royal grounds and sooner rather than later.”
“That we do,” Cat said. “So far, working with you really hasn’t gotten me an
y further than I was.”
That hurt, but it was true. Cat did seem to like him, but she was at times, intensely focused too. He was a dead weight, and she was just pointing out the obvious. That wasn’t easy for Wyatt to handle. He wasn’t used to being the one not pulling his own weight. Not that he worked in a team all too often, but when he did Wyatt was used to taking the point and getting shit done.
“I know,” he said. “I’ll figure this out. We can’t wait around for Gareth or Francis. Let alone some sort of miracle to occur.”
“Francis will do what he can.” Octavia appeared to be certain of that. Wyatt knew the mage and Earl well, but this was a strange time. One when none of them really knew what was going on. The city and country were in turmoil, and many hadn’t realized it yet. One of the most troubling things about it was that people were avoiding each other, and hiding, but didn’t know why.
That was just wrong and needed to be fixed. “I’m going to go look at the palace. It’s been a while since I was near the grounds.”
“I’ve never actually seen it up close,” Cat said. “I’ll go too.”
Wyatt wasn’t sure if that was safe. The moon had risen in the sky, and her tattoo would be very visible, not to mention her ears. With the way the king had been to elves, Wyatt worried about her safety. He didn’t dare say a word about that to her. Cat was strong-willed and didn’t care what danger she might be in.
“Me too,” Octavia said.
There was no point in arguing with either of them. Even though it was stupidly dangerous with the King and his new rules.
“So be it.” Wyatt stood and didn’t wait for them since he knew they would be right on his tail. Imlay was a large city, and he knew many routes to get to the innermost part of it. It all spiraled out from the royal palace. The heart of Inlay was there, and the farther one went from it the worse it got. Minus the docks, which had good and bad parts with it. Since it had to have the appearance of being nice for the nobles who were too stupid to realize that the city was filled with slime and filth.
Being an expert of the city, Wyatt took a path to the noble section that would be hard to back-trace to his own office. If they did get caught snooping around, he didn’t want anyone to be able to tell the wrong person where they started. Though it would take long for any of the King’s Guard to realize he was a mage.
Wyatt might not be known to the regular people in Imlay as a mage, but in the right circles it was common knowledge. Though several people just thought him an average PI in the noble parts of the city. That was something that the mage tried very hard to maintain.
“Why in god’s green dung did you take this route,” Octavia said. “Some of those smells and people.”
Wyatt hadn’t noticed anything that strong, and very few people. It had been a very calm walk to the upper section of the city. It was upper in more ways than one. Wyatt wasn’t sure if it was natural or magical in creation, but the city was on a hill next to the water, and the center was the peak of the hill. A large flat section for the royal palace. It had a view for miles and miles.
Wyatt wasn’t a military man, but even he could see the advantage of being on the top of a hill. It had to make it easy to defend, not that the city was ever assaulted. War often occurred in the world, but for some reason the capital city of Urgan, Imlay, never seemed to get attacked.
Not even from the sea, where it had to be the most exposed. At some point that had to change, nothing in the world lasted forever. Wyatt hoped it wasn’t in his lifetime.
This late at night, the noble section of Imlay was surprisingly active. Unlike the rest of the area, it was almost normal, as if they didn’t fear what was going on. In many ways they didn’t have to worry about the king and all his new rules, since they were human and rich.
Wyatt walked through the area with a clenched fist and his mana flowing through him. There was no chance he was going to let the King’s Guard have a chance to hurt Cat or Octavia.
The walls that surrounded the royal grounds came into view. They were even taller than any of the ones that the noble estates had. Even if Wyatt cast a spell that improved his speed and leaping ability he wouldn’t be able to make his way over them.
Cat whistled next to him when she took them in. “Made them elf resistant.”
Octavia giggled. “Elf resistant, that’s a good one.”
The walls were that and more. Elf, mage, and any other type of race couldn’t just jump over them. Maybe a giant troll could use brute force on the thick stone they were made of, but by the time a troll big enough to do that type of damage got close, the King’s Guard would see them coming and be able to stop them. Giant trolls might be stronger than any other species, but they were stupid, and the King's Guard would be able to stop one. Unless it was an army of them attacking, the wall would stand.
“Any other way past it?” Octavia asked.
“No,” Wyatt answered. This wasn’t the first time he’d thought about trying to get in. He spent many hours of his life thinking of ways into and out of places that he wasn’t supposed to be in. This was just one of those places. It had been a while since he had those thoughts.
“You sound sure of that,” Cat said.
“I am. We can’t jump over. Climb it. No trees near it. No buildings close enough to let us get over. Not to mention the spikes and other defenses at the top.”
“They did well here.” Cat was looking it over with her elven eyes. Taking it all in. They made a slow and methodical walk around. That was likely to draw attention from any number of people. Wyatt knew better than to do that, even in the best of times. But he just couldn’t help it. Wyatt needed to take it in again. See if they’d made any changes that he hadn’t heard about.
The chance of them finding some way in was slim, but that didn’t mean he shouldn’t look. Sometimes fate can help a person out, and Wyatt was just hoping that luck was on their side. The more they walked around the wall, the less likely that appeared to be. About the only thing so far that had gone their way was that they hadn’t drawn the attention of a guard or some thug.
The trio went around a sharp corner in the wall that was home to one of the many guard towers and found themselves face-to-face with a King’s Guard. They nearly bumped right into him.
Cat reached out with her elven speed and stopped Wyatt from smashing into the guard, but she wasn’t as silent as she could be. The guards spun and saw them, and instantly saw that Cat was an elf and Octavia a goblin.
“You are out after curfew,” he said.
Wyatt tried to think fast. “They are my servants,” he said. “Guarding me in my stroll.”
It would seem logical that a noble should be able to do that, but Wyatt wasn’t sure if that would fly or not. Neither Cat nor Octavia blinked an eye as he said that. They went into a particular way of acting. One that said they were his and did his bidding. That had to be hard for them, since neither of them had ever shown Wyatt that was the way they were. Even with Octavia working for Francis. That was a different working environment, and it was why he had been able to keep the servants that worked for him. One of the few nobles that had been able to.
The guard tilted his head and looked at them. Not believing what Wyatt said. It might have been the less-than-noble attire that Wyatt had on. Or the not very servant-like outfits that Cat and Octavia wore as well.
The guard narrowed his eyebrows and noticed the tattoo on Cat’s face. “She’s no servant.”
Fuck, Wyatt thought. The tattoo was hot on her and gave her an even more exotic look, but now it caused them some trouble. The guard opened his mouth again, and this time Wyatt wasn’t going to let him speak. He used the mana that flowed in him to cast a spell that stopped the man from speaking. His lips moved, but nothing came out.
“Nice,” Octavia said.
Cat used the guard's shock and kicked him in the balls. He dropped to the ground.
“Time to go,” Wyatt said. “We can’t get in any more trouble.”
&nb
sp; “Agreed,” Cat said.
They fled from the scene of their crime, and Wyatt feared that this might make it even harder to get on the palace grounds. Now more than even they would need the help that they had been seeking out.
17
Holy Fuck
Wyatt took them on another long route back to his office. This was extremely important for them. Using the foulest-smelling areas and the most used as well. Just in case, they used any number of methods to foil anyone that could track them. Wyatt knew of some spells that might be able to get them. Not to mention a few animals that could, and if anyone had access to that, it would be the King’s Guard.
The moon was at its midpoint in the sky for the night by the time they arrived back at his office. Wyatt was tired, but his heart raced from the excitement of the encounter. He knew that it would be another hour or more before he would be able to sleep. It had already been a very long day. Having woken up before the crack of dawn to visit the dwarves.
That felt like another day. Not even the same week for him, but it was just that same morning they made the trek along the beach to see the dwarves and learn they had a giant city under their own. One that none of the humans had even known about.
As they walked into the place, Wyatt’s body drooped with exhaustion. Yet, his mind raced with all the action of the day.
“That was fun,” Octavia said. “I can’t believe you used your magic. I never get to see magic done.”
Cat furrowed her eyebrows. “I thought you worked for a mage.”
“I do, but he doesn’t use magic around the servants all that much. In my time with Francis, I think I saw him use it once.”
That surprised Wyatt. Since the mage he knew liked to show just how much he knew. With his energy drained, Wyatt sank onto his couch, and for the first time he realized just how uncomfortable it was. It might be time to upgrade and get something he would actually be able to sleep on without giving him aches and pains.
