Wonderful 75.

The Principality Of Maladimbáh...

"Anything?" asks Kaldeàlil Haldéilv the elven magic user, already guessing what the answer will be "No, nothing my lady" replies the mercenary "Well if anything comes up, send a messenger straight away to Farlithané" says the attractive elven maid "Will do my lady" is the reply of the mercenary who was hired in the lands of the Walashàele family.
The illegitimate daughter of lord Haldéilv turns and makes her way to where the mercenary guard from southern Belinswae, Linden waits with two more mercenaries, these two also hired in the Walashàele family's lands, but more experienced, and better equipped than most of those who the elven magic user hired there.
Kaldeàlil Haldéilv gets up on her horse, and the four of them ride out of the village, heading south along one of the lesser traveled roads in the central region of lord Haldéilv's lands.
"How many is that now?" asks Linden the mercenary guard who rides beside the attractive elven maid, while the two other mercenaries ride behind them, he continues with "Two groups now?". "Yes two of them" says Kaldeàlil Haldéilv whose plan is coming along as she suspected it would. True, she would like to see one of those in the group traveling with prince Helbenthril Raendril killed. But she's got what she's wanted, the young elven noble from the principality of Laerel in the Southlands, is now in her father's lands.
After riding just a mile along the road, they head off it, and enter some woods. When they get to a fairly wide opening between the trunks of the trees, the elven magic user creates a rift.
"You two through first" says Linden to the two older mercenaries, the two from the lands of the Walashàele family ride through the rift, while the fairly young mercenary from the southern coast of Belinswae, along with the attractive elven maid hold back for a little while.
"They might not be exactly happy that those hired with them are getting killed off so easily" says Linden who continues with "Though those and others who are better experienced, don't exactly care that those who are less capable are dead".
"And there's two more groups of them" says Kaldeàlil Haldéilv, who then adds "They'll get wiped out too if they run across them" the mercenary from Belinswae, who along with Harrick who is also from the southern coast of Belinswae, is more privy to the plans of the attractive elven maid compared to the mercenaries hired here in Maladimbáh, nods his head in agreement with what the illegitimate daughter of the local lord just said.
Linden heads through the rift, followed by Kaldeàlil Haldéilv, who has told both Linden and Harrick most of her plans, after all she has to trust someone. But she hasn't told them everything she's planning to do, after all she can't be too trustworthy.
Once through the rift, the elven magic user drops the rift behind her. The four of them are within some woods, though forty miles to the southeast of where they just were. They ride to a track about fifty yards away, and turn left, and follow the wagon track south. As they do, the attractive elven maid senses, and she senses in the distance, about four miles away, another elven magic user in the air, definitely upon a griffon because of how fast they're moving as they head south.
Kaldeàlil Haldéilv slightly nods, as it's one of her cousins, which one she has no idea. She was never close to her father's extended family, and they weren't, and aren't close to her.
The elven magic user is surprised she hasn't sensed more of them, or her father lately, she's just glad she hasn't. Though she would like to see more of her father's guards out and about in his lands. For she plans to use them without her father's knowledge, which she knows will more than annoy him once he finds out.
At a crossroads where the track which turns west towards a hamlet further in the woods, and a road that continues south, to the mountains just north of lord Haldéilv's seat of power. They meet up with Harrick and two more of the mercenary guards, though these two are elves.
The mercenary guard and the two elves from the lands of the Walashàele family, ride up from the stone wall next to a field they've been waiting next to.
When they reach the four riders who have come down from further north in the lands of lord Haldéilv, Harrick says "Trouble" the older of the two mercenary guards from the southern coast of Belinswae continues with "You've been spotted, and your father has sent out guards and others to find, and bring you in".
Kaldeàlil Haldéilv nods her head as she suspected as much when she sensed one of her cousins a short time ago, the attractive elven maid knows she's safe in the fact she can't be sensed by other spellcasters due to the amulet she wears around her neck.
Though if one of them has a sprite or pixie attached to them, I'm not so fucking safe, Kaldeàlil Haldéilv dryly thinks to herself, the elven magic user then says "How did you find out that I've spotted and they're after me?" Harrick gestures to one of the elven mercenaries, who then explains what he overheard last night in a tavern in a nearby village.
The illegitimate daughter of lord Haldéilv listens in silence, then shrugs her shoulders once the elven mercenary explains what he found out "It was to be expected" says the elven magic user, who was hoping it would be, as it is part of her plan.
Though she was hoping it would of happened when she actually found out where exactly prince Helbenthril Raendril and those with him are.
After pointing to the road that leads south, and all seven of them get underway, Kaldeàlil Haldéilv casts a spell so that the two elven mercenaries and the two human one's, all from the Walashàele family's lands, can't hear what she and the two mercenaries from the southern coast of Belinswae are talking about.
"I was hoping i would of got found out a little later" says the attractive elven maid, who continues with "No matter, we'll just have to deal with it" Harrick nods his head, then he asks "Should we go ahead with the next part now?". "Might as well" says the illegitimate daughter of the local lord, who then adds "We know they're coming south through my father's lands, so we might as well get his guards out and make them earn their keep" she slightly smiles then she says "Who knows, my father might actually come out, and come after me instead of just the others in my extended family".
Both of the mercenaries guards from Belinswae nod, then the elven magic user drops the spell that has kept their conversation private, and she says to the four mercenaries who were hired in the lands of the local lord to the east of lord Haldéilv's "You four ride out and tell the others to start spreading the rumours of my whereabouts" Kaldeàlil Haldéilv then adds "That I've been seen coming south through my father's lands" she pauses before she says "You know what to do".
After the four mercenaries from the Walashàele family's lands gallop away along the road, the attractive elven maid looks south to the mountains in the distance, she senses in all directions, though concentrating predominantly to the south.
She senses another elven magic user, this one on the ground, at what seems to be one of the larger villages or towns near the mountains. The elven noble is vaguely familiar, and Kaldeàlil Haldéilv slightly nods as she recognises it as one of her cousins, who was staying at the palace like tower that is her father's seat of power, when she was staying their recently, where she was keeping prisoner, the mage Mira Reinholt, until he was freed by the undead being who attacked the tower upon the tor.
Thank the forest gods they're not anywhere around, the attractive elven maid sourly thinks to herself, as she knows those two, along with the ork she held captive on the Great Western Ocean, would make a serious dent in her plans if they were about in her father's lands, or anywhere in the principality of Maladimbáh.
"Quicken the pace" says Kaldeàlil Haldéilv who continues with "I just might be able to hasten things along to our advantage by doing something" as the trio start riding more quickly, the elven magic user explains something to the pair of mercenary guards from the south of the region of Belinswae.
Later, in the early afternoon, three completely different looking riders make their way into a town near the base of a mountain. Harrick and Linden glance at one another once again, and can't help but shake their heads once more, as they look nothing like themselves thanks to the illusion spell cast by Kaldeàlil Haldéilv upon them.
The attractive elven maid looks completely different too, she's still an elf maid, and still attractive, as all elven maids are. But she's slightly fuller in figure, and a little shorter, not to mention her hair colour, and skin tone are completely different.
"At the house that's used as a garrison here" quietly says the illegitimate daughter of lord Haldéilv after they leave their mounts at a public stable, as they walk through the town, they spot one of the four mercenaries who was with them earlier, coming out of a tavern, where he's been spreading rumours about the whereabouts of Kaldeàlil Haldéilv.
He has no idea it's them when the three of them walk by him, infact he just checks out the disguised Kaldeàlil, and fails miserably in trying to hide his attraction to her changed look.
The three of them continue onto where a large house is situated just off the square near the center of the town, and after telling the disguised Harrick and Linden to wait outside. The elven magic user makes her way up the front steps of the large house, then she has a few words with the pair of house guards in the service of her father, who are on duty at the front door.
Kaldeàlil Haldéilv waits as one of the guards goes inside, he returns a short while later, and tells the attractive elven maid to follow him. They make their way through the entrance hall, then turn right, and head down a hallway, which is cool compared to the warmth outside on the late summer's afternoon.
They stop at a doorway where a pair of house guards, one a maid, are standing, the maid opens the door, and enters the room beyond, nodding for the disguised Kaldeàlil to follow her in.
Behind the desk in the room sits an elven noble who is a distant cousin of lord Haldéilv's illegitimate daughter, the attractive elven maid recognises him, glad that he's a fairly powerful spellcaster, who has the ear of her father.
"Yes, i understand you have some information" says the elven noble behind the desk "I do" says Kaldeàlil Haldéilv, who once again is glad that she has her magical amulet that hides her spellcasting abilities, and the spell she has upon herself that's changed her appearance.
The attractive elven maid explains something to her distant cousin, after she does, he frowns then says "Are you sure?". "I am" replies illegitimate daughter of the local lord, who then lets her distant cousin to see if she's telling the truth or not, when she senses he's about to cast a spell to do so.
"Bloody hell, apparently she's back, and now this" mutters the elven noble behind the desk, who then stands up, and says "Thank you for the information, lord Haldéilv's guards will travel north to find this group of travelers attacking the locals and others".
The elven guard leads Kaldeàlil Haldéilv out of the room, then escorts her out of the house, once outside, the elven magic user rejoins the disguised mercenaries from the southern coast of Belinswae, and they head back through the town to the public stables.
As they do, Kaldeàlil Haldéilv faintly smiles in satisfaction, then quietly says to Linden and Harrick "Things are in motion now that can't be stopped" the attractive elven maid quietly continues with "That lot and especially him, are going to find things difficult now" . . . . . .