Mercenary Tales 38.

Border Region. 

"What is it?" asks Helbe the elven thief when he glances at Narladene the ground pixie who has a distracted look upon her face. 

The naturally magical creature who is standing upon the right shoulder of the young elven noble she's 'attached' to, holds up a hand as she looks away to the east. 

Then with a frown upon her face, Narladene the ground pixie says "Pretty sure I just felt a rift that way" as she nods towards the east. 

"Beldane?" asks the elven magic user who hails from the island principality of Laerel, who then adds "Farque back from the capital?". 

The tiny winged creature who is originally from the Sunreach Mountains shakes her head, then says "No" followed by "It was an elf". 

The elven masterthief blinks in surprise at hearing that, then he murmurs "Huh?" and after a moments pause, he asks the ground pixie "Where to?". 

"South" replies Narladene, who then sourly smiles and says "No" in reply to the elven master assassin asking her "You know exactly where to the south?". 

The naturally magical creature then says "I kinda know a rough distance" followed by "Only little Kai er, I mean Lord Farque would know more accurately". 

The grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel grunts at that, then as he rubs his chin with a gloved hand, he quietly says "Wonder who it was?". 

With a look off to the east through the trees, the highly talented elven magic user says "Maybe they got scared off by all that happened this morning?". 

The elf who is a member of Lord Farque's personal council and is his envoy, continues with "A traveller perhaps?". 

"Maybe" says Narladene the ground pixie, who then mutters in her native language which the elven princeling doesn't understand "Think I felt a rift by the same person a earlier too". 

Then the tiny winged creature points to the northwest, and says "That way" followed by "They're well across the border, and in Girdane". 

In response to prince Helbenthril Raendril of Laerel asking her "Where are they?". The elven master archer who is blurred and shielded, nods his hooded head. 

Then the spellcaster from the royal house of Raendril, floats up from the hillside they're on. And once he's above the tree, he shifts away with Narladene clinging onto his right shoulder as they head northwest to where the rest of the group here in the border region are located. 

"I might have a better way" quietly says Mira Reinholt the mage as they stand upon a hilltop, a good mile or so into the kingdom of Girdane from the border with the city-state of Vexil. 

The once powerful mage who has just handed his leather wrapped brass cylindrical eyepiece to Malisse aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman. Then casts a spell that he's been working on for the last little while. 

The air bends in front of the mage Reinholt and those with him on the hilltop. It bends so much that it curves slightly, then solidifies, like it's glass. 

"Hmmm" murmurs Tamric Drubine the field commander, who takes his own cylindrical eyepiece away from his face, and frowns. 

Then the mage who is in exile from his homeland of Vexil mutters "Wait a moment" followed by "Just got to sort this out". 

Then the spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands, until he was stripped of most of his powers when he went offworld through a void that he accidentally cast a number of years ago, grunts in satisfaction as the solid air lens turns slightly. 

"Hey that's pretty good" says Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy in surprise as he looks through the six and half foot tall, by about six foot wide air lens the mage Reinholt has created. 

"I can easily see at least three times the distance I normally do" says the elf who hails from the principality of Alínlae, whose natural farsight allows him to see a hell of lot further than a human can. 

Next to the spy Tanith, Lisell Maera the scout nods her head as they look away to the south into the city-state of Vexil, then she says "A hell of lot clearer too". 

Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by the others in the group, nods his head in agreement with the scout officer in the Armies of Farque, then he asks the Vexilian mage in exile "How did you learn that?". 

As he along with everyone else in the group, with the exception of Dorc da Orc and sir Percavelle Le Dic, knows that the mage Reinholt isn't exactly known for casting new spells. 

Even with his reduced powers over the years, the once powerful mage tends to cast the spells he already knows. 

Either that, or create mageglobes. And since most of the mageglobes Mira Reinholt creates are of the destructive kind. As most mages do. 

Casting a brand new spell is a bit of a rarity for the practitioner of magic who is in his forties. 

With a wry look upon his face, the mage in the black hooded cloak says in a tone of voice that matches his look "The royal thief showed me it". 

The spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster doesn't mention that the elven masterthief cast the air lens spell with ease. 

And it took Mira months of practice to learn it, and today here on a hilltop in the kingdom of Girdane, on a freezing winter's day. 

Is only the second time he's been successful with the spell. While the first time he did it in private, indoors too. So he wasn't entirely sure it worked properly that time. 

"Can see those aircorp ships clearly now" says the woman named Malisse, who is infact really Zubutai Timaginson, a hordes outrider from the southern tundra. 

"Looks like maybe one of them, or could be two are damaged" continues the overweight woman, who follows that with "Those two are definitely down on the ground". 

A few of the others nod, then Tamric Drubine says "I guess that center column that captain Dillason was leading has been wiped out". 

The young field commander in the Armies of Farque who is originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, continues with "What about the one led by captain Mackrin?" followed by "The one furthest east, the one the Geist cousins were with?". 

"Wait a moment" says the once powerful mage whose family owns one of the, if not the most successful trading and shipping companies in the city-state of Vexil, or for that matter, the entire Southlands. 

The mage Reinholt concentrates and turns his air lens to the left for a bit. After he does, it's the sharp eyed Dalinvardèl Tanith who says "There they are" he pauses as he points, then adds "Well at least some of them". 

In the distance away to the east, probably over a dozen miles away, they can see figures making their way through the trees along a couple of hills. 

"Pretty sure they're over the border, and are in Girdane now" says field commander Drubine, who is of noble birth. 

Beside him, Saanea the witch nods her head, then says "They are" she continues with "You can see the road that way" followed by "On the other side of those hills they're on, is the border crossing on that particular forest road". 

Tam nods in agreement to that, then Dalinvardèl Tanith or Dalin as he's more commonly called by those who know him well, quietly says "Heads up". 

The elven spy, who previously served in one of the more prominent noble houses of his homeland of Alínlae, has glanced behind them, and he quietly tells the others "Marqand and some of the others are heading up here". 

The mercenary captain, whose company they're part of, is making his way up the back side of the hill. 

A hill like many here on this side of the border, isn't as heavily wooded like it is over in the north of the city-state of Vexil. 

The trees on the north side of the hills, here in the border region of the kingdom of Girdane, tend to be more spread out, with a lot more clearings and open areas. 

Due to the prevailing winds that come down from the north, and hit the hill country that straddles the border of southern Girdane, and northern Vexil. 

Captain Marqand goes by Shur Kee the monk and sir Percavelle Le Dic, who are bit further down the hill, sitting on logs beneath a tree, trying to keep out of the wind that buffers the clearing on the hilltop the others are on. 

Once the mercenary captain gets to the clearing on top of the hill, he asks Tam who he has made one of his seconds, what he's found out concerning the others in the mercenary army they're part of. 

The rest of the mercenary army put together by the Geist cousins Gamil and Farsen, who have come under attack earlier in the morning by a Vexilian army, and warships from the aircorp of the city-state of Vexil. 

Tamric Drubine tells captain Marqand what they've found out so far. And he also has the experienced mercenary captain look through the air lens that the mage Reinholt has cast. 

"Shit" mutters captain Marqand, who rubs his chin as he thinks about something, then turning to one of his men who has made the trek up the hill with him "Send a couple of riders to the east, and see who's survived". 

The mercenary captain continues with "Hopefully the cousins are still alive" he then adds in a dry tone of voice "If not, we don't get the rest of our pay". 

"What a mess this has been" continues captain Marqand who has been the only successful commander that the Geist cousins have put in charge of part of their army. 

He then tells the young field commander, who he thinks is just an accomplished mercenary, who leads a group of others he hired on a number of months ago "See what else you find out". 

The mercenary captain follows that with "Then meet us back down the hill, and we'll work out what we'll do next". 

Captain Marqand heads back down the hill muttering about the Geist cousins and their plans he wasn't entirely sold on. Which now, he is proven to be correct. 

Just a few moments after captain Marqand and those with him are out of view, Helbe the elven thief suddenly appears next to the others, and says "It worked I see". As he gestures at the air lens that Mira Reinholt has cast. 

The young elven noble then adds "Well I've got some interesting things to tell you lot, that's for sure". 

The elven magic briefly pauses as he glances at his right shoulder, which to the others has nothing on it. 

Then prince Helbenthril Raendril looks away to the south and says "They're back from the city of Vexil". 

The elven masterthief nods his hooded head after listening to what Narladene the ground pixie has just whispered to him "They're heading our way now". 

And it's too long before the group in the clearing on the hilltop in the south of the kingdom of Girdane near the border with the city-state of Vexil, on this freezing cold winter's day. Are joined by Lord Farque, Dorc da Orc and Beldane the cleric who has teleported the three of them to the hilltop. 

After they came north from the city of Vexil by way of a rift cast by the powerful cleric in the church of Glaine. 

"We found out some interesting things down in the city" is the first thing Lord Farque says to the group. 

"That's what I just said to the others as well" says Helbe the elven thief. And when they discuss what they've found out in two different places in the city-state of Vexil. 

The whole caper that they're caught up in, as they try to find out something. Has turned out to be way more muddled than they ever thought it could be . . . . . .