The Sword of Ages: The Mage Breaker Book 1 (10 page)

“Assassin!” Tanner cried out as he was faster than his foe, catching up to the man quickly and threw him down on the ground. The assassin tried to bring his sword to bear when Tanner saw his face and physique change. He was no longer Grodd but a thin man about in his early 40’s.  Whatever type of magic he used to change his appearance was gone now that Tanner had fully let his powers go. Tanner head butted the man as hard as he could and felt the bridge of the assassin’s nose give way. Blood was everywhere as Tanner wrestled with the man for the sword, but Tanner was much stronger than whoever this attacker was. Tanner focused and drew out even more of the assassin’s magic and could feel himself growing stronger by the minute as the assassin weakened considerably.

“Keep on him Tanner, but don’t kill him” Tanner heard the voice of Caroline say as he focused his skill only at the assassin. Tanner hauled the man to his feet and stopped sapping his magical ability, Tanner knew the man was dangerously low and didn’t know what would happen if he took it all away. Instead he just blocked it, blocking was easy for Tanner, it was something he had done unconsciously all his life.

Tanner looked around and could see Caroline surrounded by her ladies in waiting as some sort of honor guard. He thought they looked ridiculous armed metal brushes and a long back scrubber since none of them were wizards like Princess Caroline. Tanner twisted the man’s arm behind his back and could barely contain himself. The energy he had taken from the man made him feel like he could run all the way back to Kol if he had wanted. Tanner’s screaming had alerted other guards around the castle and eventually they found Tanner along with the women .

“Your Highness” said one of her personal guards Gerault, looking scared and confused. “Are you alright? Where is Grood?”

“I am fine, take this man to the dungeon, my servant will go with you since it seems he is the only one who knows his job” Caroline said waving her wand. “Meredith and Samantha, ensure my parents are aware of what happened here. The rest of you follow me back up to my quarters”.

Tanner looked as the princess put on an act of calmness but Tanner knew it was just that, an act. He hadn’t known her long but he could tell she was so scared she was shaking. He turned as Gerault took the assassin’s other arm and started roughly dragging the man down the stairs up until they got to the dungeon door.

“Open the hell up” Gerault screamed as he kicked at the door louder than Tanner thought necessary.

“What do you want” said an annoyed voice on the other side.

“The assassin has been caught and I’ll let you tell his majesty why you didn’t want him put in the dungeon” Gerault said as he kicked the door again.

“What do you mean by assassin?” the voice replied.

“Have you got cock in ya ears” Tanner said as whoever was on the other side started angering him to.

“Who the hell said that, when I open this door I’m going to beat some sense into you” the voice on the other side of the door said as tanner heard the sound of a lock being opened. The door swung inward as a man appeared. He was about Tanner’s height but he was thin, obviously not a soldier. The man had a sharp beak like nose and stringy red hair all over the top of his head. He was about in his thirties and had faint laugh lines across his face.

“This is the assassin and His Majesty is on his way” Gerault stated. “If you don’t want to wind up down here yourself I suggest you put this man in shackles before he arrives”.

The man glared at Gerault then at Tanner before he turned around and asked for the pair to follow. Tanner could hear men moaning and could hear the dungeon master chuckle. Tanner decided he did not like man as they stopped in front of a cell with two shackles hanging from the ceiling. As Tanner and Gerault got the man shackled the king burst in followed by a bunch of guards.

“Who found this man?!?” the King demanded rather than asked.

“I caught him Your Majesty” Tanner replied.

“You, go back upstairs and finish your duties” the King demanded as he looked at Tanner then pointed to Gerault. “You stay here with me, this man has a lot of questions to answer”.

Tanner bowed before leaving the dungeons; he had to get out of there. The power he had inside of him was unruly and needed release. He had never took so much or so quickly from a wizard before and could he his body was struggling to adapt to it. At least now he knew why his body was changing somewhat but this still felt extremely uncomfortable. Tanner imagined it was like someone managed to overstuff a sausage and now it was threatening to rip the casings. Tanner found the servant stairs and practically flew up them, his energy still not abating. Tanner found himself infront of Caroline’s door as her ladies in waiting sat fuming in the hallway.

“She wanted to see you as soon as you got back” Meredith said angrily as Tanner thought he could feel his body changing inside.

Tanner walked in to Caroline’s quarters and could see both Herod and Grodd were there but in regular clothes with the swords out. Grodd turned to face Tanner as he walked into the room and then relaxed considerably. Tanner stumbled a bit, the next thing he knew he was on the floor then he knew no more.

~

Tanner gained consciousness and could hear people talking in the room with him. He felt much better now, the power he had inside him was not punishing him anymore. Tanner could make out two voices, both women. One belonging to Meredith, the other belonging to Samantha.

“Look at him” Samantha said as Tanner could feel whatever blanket was covering him was pulled back. By the sudden coolness in the air Tanner could tell he was either naked or close to it. “There is no way he is just a servant, his clothes had weapons sewed all through him and peasant or not that is the body of a soldier. I thought it was strange the King would allow for Caroline to have a male servant, and that she would sometimes demand to be left alone with him.

“Do you think this was the reason for her alone time?” Tanner heard Meredith say as a hand reached out and grabbed his cock. “I couldn’t blame her if it was”.

“Put that down!” Samantha said in a shocked voice.

“Well you took the blanket off of him” Meredith replied. “Besides, it’s not going to bite you. Have you ever touched one before?”

“No I have not, and you haven’t either” Samantha protested.

“I have seen one though” Meredith said proudly. “There is a small hole in the servant’s bath that you can from the garden”.

“That is why you are always out there, how shameful” Samantha said shocked.

“Do you want to feel this or not” Meredith asked. “It’s starting to stiffen”.

“Is he awake?!?” Samantha asked alarmed.

“No he is not awake” Meredith replied. “Men can’t help this getting stiff or not, it is out of their control. Here hold it like this”.

Tanner didn’t know what to do at this point. He was uncomfortable yet excited and felt himself stiffen even farther until he was sure he couldn’t take it anymore. He felt a different set of hands on him now, this one a little colder and heard a stifled giggle.

“It’s so warm” Samantha said in a low voice. “Is it normal?”

“How am I supposed to know?” Meredith replied. “He is bigger than the stable boys though in every sense of the word. They sneak down in the baths and touch themselves until their seed spills out. They move their hands like this..”

Tanner could now fell two sets of hands stroking him slowly, it felt a lot better than when he had done it himself.

“It’s crazy how this thing is supposed to go up inside you” Samantha replied. “I think this would hurt”.

“The first time always hurts” Meredith replied. “I heard my maid Prissy’s mom tell her that. She said to make it go in easier she should use her mouth on it, like she was trying to swallow a length of sausage then let it up on it until it was almost out before doing it again”.

“I wonder what it tastes like?” Samantha said as Tanner heard Meredith giggle.

“I dare you to find out” Meredith said.

The sensation Tanner felt after that sentence made him want to jump out of his bed. It took all the control he had to pretend unconsciousness as a warm wet mouth slid along his cock made it throb uncontrollably.

“Look he’s twitching” Meredith said as Samantha stopped unfortunately. “Let me try”

As soon as Meredith went down on him he couldn’t hold back and shot his load into her mouth as he could hear the door handle turning. Meredith hurried and got off of him as blankets were quickly pulled over him.

“Has he stirred?” Tanner heard the voice of the Queen.

“Unn Umm” Tanner heard a muffled voice say.

“Swallow your water before you speak to me child, it is rude” Tanner heard the Queen say.

“You heard the Queen Meredith” Tanner heard the voice of the King say and tried his best not to laugh as he knew what water was in her mouth. Tanner heard a gulp and then Samantha’s voice.

“He has not yet awakened Your Majesty” Samantha said in a voice even Tanner could tell sounded guilty of something. “The princess told us to watch over him and tell her the second he wakes. Does anyone know how the assassin got in or so close to the princess?”

“We are hoping when he wakes up he can tell us, right now I have my most trusted guard locked in the dungeon. The assassin won’t talk, at least not yet” the King stated.

“Why don’t you girls go get some rest” the queen said. “You still look in shock from the assassin, just talking about it has made the both of you shake and perspire”.

“It is normal for your body not act right after such an ordeal” the King added on. “In fact why don’t you and the other two go visit your families in the city. The ball is tomorrow anyway and many people will be here. You can all see Caroline then, others will attend to her”.

Tanner heard the sound of feet shuffling and the door opening and closing followed by the Queen’s hushed whisper.

“Maybe the assassin gave him some type of poison” the Queen said. “Look how bad he perspires”.

“The boy is 16 sweetie” the King replied. “He simply fainted from the excitement, that’s all. And he is sweating because he has a lot of blankets over him and he is in a warm room. The healer said he doesn’t have any wounds that she could see, all he needs is time to come around on his own”.

“Maybe you are right dear” the Queen replied. “I just feel bad for him. No one other than Caroline witnessed the fight but already people are asking why the assassin didn’t fry Tanner on the spot. If Grodd was in on it, then I think he would have accounted for Tanner”.

“I like Grodd too sweetie but until he wakes up Grodd has to stay in the dungeon” the King said in a voice Tanner thought sounded placating. “Herod said Grodd volunteered to take his shift guarding Caroline so he could go visit his wife. Gerault said Grodd sent him on a mission of the upmost importance to get a crossbow from the stables that had been left on a horse, Gerault didn’t find any crossbow. When they were both out of the way, one of the serving girls claimed to had seen Grodd coming up the servants stairs and that he patted her on the backside and asked if she could meet him somewhere”.

Tanner let the news sink in that Grodd was in the dungeon and let out a long stretch like normal people do when they first wake up. Tanner had hoped the King or Queen didn’t think he had been spying on their conversation and hopped out of bed before thinking.

“Oh my!” Tanner heard the Queen say as he remembered he was naked and scrambled for a blanket.

“Y-Your Majesty” Tanner said stumbling. “W-where am I? Why am I naked? Why are you here?”

“Calm down Tanner” the King said giving Tanner a slight glare. “You fainted after dealing with the assassin and now you are in my healer’s patient room. What happened with the assassin?”

“He could change his appearance!” Tanner said louder than he wanted to. “He pretended to be Grodd but him mannerisms were off. He called me Tanner when Grodd always called me boy like it was as nasty as biting into an apple and finding a worm. That along with the fact I found him sneaking about like Mr. Johnson trying to see his mistress when he came up the back stairs. I used a bit of my power and found out Grodd was a wizard and that’s when I knew I wasn’t talking to Grodd at all. He tried to attack the princess but she blew him into the hall. That’s when I jumped on him and the princess helped keep him at bay until Gerault came”.

“Tazor” the Queen said and gave him a nudge.

“I am going to get Grodd out right now dear” the King replied. “Follow me sweetie, I must insist upon it if young men insist on showing you their naked bodies”.

Tanner blushed furiously as the King and Queen left. He looked around the room and found his clothes. Tanner put them on and his mind was still reeling, did that really just happen with Meredith and Samantha? He felt a little guilty thinking about Mary and decided this was a secret that would follow him unto his grave. Tanner started to walk out of the door and looked down at himself. His clothes fit well and that was the problem. They were too tall and kind of baggy on him at first, now his shirt fit just right and the pants were the correct length. Was he getting taller? He definitely had more muscle and decided unless it was life and death he would never drain more than his body could handle, he didn’t want to end up 50 feet tall. Tanner hurried out of the room and noticed he was hungry and stopped by the kitchen for something to eat.

“It’s the hero!” Maude said as she ran over and gave him a big hug. “Those damn Tavorians couldn’t protect our princess but you sure did. Come sit down and I’ll make you a proper plate!”

Tanner sat down as John came over smiling. “I heard you beat that wizard down before he could throw any spells at you and beat him unconscious then threw him in the dungeon!”

“I can give you a real hero’s reward” Martha said as she came over and gave Tanner a kiss on the cheek. “But I hear this Mary you are always going on about wrote you back”.

“He doesn’t need any of that Martha, he needs a meal!” Maude said as Tanner blushed.

“Aren’t you supposed to be dating the cobbler?” John asked.

“I am dating the cobbler but that doesn’t mean I can’t properly thank a hero” Martha said with a laugh. “If he had muscles like Tanner’s I would be there right now. Besides, he is taking too long to make me his wife. I should give him a piece of my mind”.

“Well you do that child, he makes good enough money that you wouldn’t have to work anymore anyway unless you really wanted to” Maude said as she sat a plate down in front of Tanner.

“So how did it happen?” John asked. “They say one of the guards was in on it”.

“He could change his face!’ Tanner replied. “He tried to look like one of the guards but I could tell something was off and I stabbed him with my iron arrow”.

“You should have killed him for what he did to Sylvia” Martha added in.

“The princess told me not to but I stuck him like a sow going to slaughter” Tanner replied. “Even made that tosser squeal just like I said I was”.

“When you first said it though Tanner, I didn’t realize how big you were since you always wore those baggy uniforms” Maude replied. “But now I can see you were right when you said you can take care of yourself, I know this Mary of yours will be happy to hear you saved the princess”.

“It wasn’t anything special, if any of you seen had some tosser in front of you spinning you a yarn and you knew he meant to hurt you…”

“You are right, I would have cut off his head” John said interrupting. “He killed a lot of good people and when he is executed I will be there to spit in his face”.

“I’ll be there with you” Martha said. “Well we might as well start getting ready for this damn ball, seeing that bastard caught has made me feel better”.

Tanner finished his food as other servants came by to congratulate him. They were all so proud of one of their own doing a job the Tavorian elite couldn’t handle. Tanner could have stayed there all day soaking in the praise as Grodd’s exhausted but relieved looking body hauled itself into the kitchen, making everyone at once go silent.

“I owe you one boy, I mean I owe you one Tanner” Grodd said as he stared at Tanner.

“Sweet Fanny Adams don’t you ever call me that again as long as you live” Tanner stated angrily.

“Well you earned it, without you I would have had no way to prove my innocence” Grodd began. “You’ll never hear me call you boy again”.

“I meant don’t you ever start calling Tanner unless you are not too attached to your teeth anymore” Tanner said with a slight smile. “That tosser runnin around impersonating you called me Tanner, that’s how I knew it wasn’t you. You always called be boy like it was a swear word and that bloke was being real sweet like”.

“My own brother couldn’t tell the difference and you mean to tell me the fact he called you by your name is what tipped you off?” Grodd began as he let out a sigh. “Am I that horrible that an impersonator showing some decency is what gave him away?”

“Now if you wanna get square with me, you start treatin me people with some respect” Tanner began. “As far as me and you go, I’m good with how we are. I know you secretly like me although you are too stubborn to show it. Must be the Tavorian in you”.

“I’ll let that slight pass boy and I’ll take what you said in consideration” Grodd said and let out a smile. “I hear you haven’t seen the princess yet and she was yapping on about some sweets or something. She sent away whoever was attending to her and demanded to know when you were coming back since you were up. I think she feels safer with you around, I came to see you to her quarters”.

“The boy needs a rest” Maude stated somewhat angry.

“It’s okay Maude” Tanner said and fixed her with a smile. “The princess is giving me time to myself during the ball. That lad I’m always going on about Golden is going to be there and she knows it. That’s why she gave me the time, I’ll not jeopardize that. He might be family someday if me and his sister still get on when I go back to Kol. You’ll meet this bloke and instantly see why I pick at him and call him the blessed one. He couldn’t fail at something if he tried”.

“Hmpf” Maude said as she handed over a plate of fruit tarts.

Tanner smiled and left the kitchen and had Grodd following him. “I also knew something was weird when you took the servants stairs” Tanner said as he climbed the stairs.

“Well, I am just glad you did notice” Grodd said as Tanner could tell he had more to add. “How many of them exercises have you been doing, you are starting to put a lot of weight on that frame of yours”.

“I do them nonstop while I am in me room” Tanner lied. “I think it is working a little bit but it leaves me sore as a pretty prostitute in a room full of rich nobles”.

“Well I do all those same exercises and it never worked like that” Grodd said as they stopped in front of the door leading to Caroline’s quarters. He could already hear the King and Queen inside.

“This ball is the perfect way to catch more of them” The King said excitedly. “This new magic changes things, they don’t know we have found their man out yet. If Tanner is near the entrance when the nobles come in, we can discover them right away and end this”.

“Wouldn’t the nobles be angry that they are being used as bait father” Princess Caroline asked.

“Doubtful” the Queen answered. “This ball has always been nothing more than love fest. There is a reason only first year wizards are allowed, to give all the nobles first chance at throwing their daughters and sons at the magic users”.

“I thought you said you and dad met at the Harvest Ball?” Princess Caroline asked.

“We did, and it was just like the ones we now throw here in Ket” the Queen replied. “The second year wizard students aren’t invited because they should have been already spoken for the first time around”.

Tanner walked in and could not stifle a laugh as the Queen finished talking. Tanner put his hand over his mouth but it was no use.

“What is so funny Tanner?” the King said as he fixed him with a glare. “Perhaps we can use a bit of humor today”.

“I’m sorry your Majesties but if what you said was true I can’t wait this thing play out” Tanner said still laughing. “The blessed one in a room full of noble folk throwing their daughters at him? If he has survived just going to that jinxing school without falling apart this oughta be the icing on the cake. Me Mary would never forgive me if I didn’t tell her all about this, every single horrible detail”.

“The blessed one?” the Queen asked.

“It is the name I call my very best friend” Tanner replied. “His father even named him Golden as if he were destined for greatness. He is the best at anything he sets his mind to, except for dealing with the ladies. His Ma will be happy though if he finds any poor girl to call his own. In my village many are married at 18 summers, Golden is 17 already with 18 staring him in the face in less than two weeks”.

“Well I look forward to meeting this young man you keep going on about” The King stated.

“I would be happy to introduce him your Majesty” Tanner replied. “He is a walking fairytale. Most of stories in these parts deals with a blacksmith’s son or something suddenly finding out he was a wizard and saving the entire country before marrying some princess. This guy is that guy”.