Wonderful 104.

The Principality Of Maladimbáh...

Helbe the elven thief nods his hooded head when Narladene the ground pixie informs him that he's being followed by Kaldeàlil Haldéilv the elven magic user.
The elven princeling looks away to his left, where between the trees to the south of him, he spots lord Farque. Who like himself, is heading westwards through the forest at a fast walk.
The young elven noble from the principality of Laerel, which is an island nation off the west coast of the Southlands. Glances at the ground pixie who is attached to him, who is standing upon his right shoulder.
The tiny winged creature informs his that there's another elven magic user, a bit further behind Kaldeàlil Haldéilv. Narladene understands it to be the younger cousin of lord Walashàele, the local lord whose lands are back to the east, across the river that's the border between his lands and the lands of house Haldéilv. Which the elven masterthief is making his way through at the moment.
Helbenthril Raendril senses back to the east, and the blurred and shielded elven magic user senses the elven noble in question. The elven master assassin who can't sense Kaldeàlil Haldéilv due to her wearing a magical amulet which blocks other spellcasters from locating her.
From what Narladene has informed him, the illegitimate daughter of lord Haldéilv must be around a couple hundred yards infront of this cousin of lord Walashàele.
Lord Farque who can sense both of the pursuing elven magic users, looks to his right through the trees, at Helbe the elven thief, the undead warlord waits for a few moments, until the the grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel looks in his direction again.
The heavily armoured deathlord gestures to the elven masterthief to advance ahead again, the young elven noble from south of the equator nods his head that's covered by the hood of his white cloak. Then the elven magic user shifts ahead to the west through the forest that covers much of the valley.
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque continues walking, as he does he senses back to the east, and up in the sky. After a little while, he senses lord Walashàele who is airborne upon his griffon, casting a spell to his younger cousin who is on the ground, in the lands of lord Haldéilv.
The younger elven noble in house Walashàele a few moments later casts a spell of his own. This one to Kaldeàlil Haldéilv who is a bit further infront of him in the forest.
Draugadrottin as he's also known by to the people of his lands faraway to the south, senses the illegitimate daughter of lord Haldéilv heading a bit further north on foot with her two human companions as she continues on her way westward through the forest.
The deathlord of Farque slightly nods his full helmed head as he knows that the ground pixie attached to lord Walashàele is keeping the local elven lord informed of the whereabouts of Helbe the elven thief.
And the head of house Walashàele in turn, is informing his younger cousin, who in turn is telling Kaldeàlil Haldéilv the position of the elven masterthief. Who shifted a little bit more to the north, as he did west a short time ago.
The undead warlord then starts jogging, which soon turns into a run as he hurries to catch up to the elven princeling from Laerel, and keep pace with him. As they set a trap for the elven magic user who has been more than a nescience for the past three years. Who thinks she has drawn Helbenthril Raendril into a trap of her own.
Further west in the valley, Mira Reinholt looks up through the trees ahead, and looks at the tower of lord Haldéilv which sits upon a tor that sticks out of a large clearing in the forest.
The once powerful mage glances at Dorc da Orc who is panting as mid morning turns to late morning, and it approaches midday. The large ork who a little while ago, informed the Vexilian mage in exile, that a fairly large force of mounted house guards, are on a road to the south of them, heading eastwards.
Has just told the mage Reinholt that both lord Farque and Helbe the elven thief, who are about four and half, to five miles back behind them to the east. Are heading westward through the forest too. The ork warleader is pretty certain that Kaldeàlil Haldéilv is bit further behind the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, and the young elven noble from the principality of Laerel. And she too is making her west across the valley.
They're leading her this way, Mira Reinholt the mage thinks to himself, who then glances up at the large ork walking beside him, and asks the weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks "Can you still smell the others up ahead Dorc?".
The big, burly ork, who is walking beneath the branches of the trees as much as possible so that stays in the shade, grunts for an answer after he sniffs a number of times in the direction they're going.
The warleader of the ork race, who like the mage Reinholt, is in exile from his homeland, elaborates "They in there" says Dorc da Orc who waves a large meaty hand towards the tor upon which sits the tower of lord Haldéilv.
"Well me fucken thinks they is" says the large ork, who has a little trouble locating the others "You think?" asks a surprised Vexilian mage in exile "Lots of fucken rock" growls Dorkindle, who has always found in difficult to locate people through thick rock and stone using his sense of smell.
The spellcaster from the city-state of Vexil in the Southlands, who happens to be a highly skilled swordsmaster too, nods his hooded head in understanding as he knows the large ork has difficulty smelling people underground, unless he gets closer to where they are.
"They must of got into the tor" quietly says the once powerful mage, the weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks grunts in agreement with the mage Reinholt.
"How'd they do that?" murmurs the swordmaster Reinholt, who escaped the tower and the tor it sits on by going down the wind tower within it, and out the main doors, that open up at the base of the tor, looking out to the town that's on the south facing side of the rocky tor.
There must be another way in and out of there, Mira Reinholt thinks to himself as he looks ahead through the trees and up, towards the seat of power of lord Haldéilv. He never heard his guards talk about another entrance into the tor.
Then again, they're from Belinswae and probably wouldn't know anyway. And the house guards in the service of lord Haldéilv, who guarded his quarters where he was held prisoner. Didn't bother to speak to him, unless it was to tell him to get back inside, because they thought he'd been spending too much time on the balcony of his suite of rooms.
Which the exiled Vexilian mage isn't afraid to admit, was the most luxurious and plush prison he's ever been in. Far better than the small ships cabin he was held prisoner in previously. Or the small ships, boat that was used as a prison for Dorc da Orc.
The spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands, figures that if lord Farque and Helbe the elven thief are leading Kaldeàlil Haldéilv this way. And that the others are now inside the tor, upon which is her father's seat of power, not to mention the home of the noble house of Haldéilv.
Then the undead warlord is setting a trap for the illegitimate daughter of the local lord. With the tor, and the tower being the location of the trap.
Makes sense, no wonder he wanted me and Dorc with the others, the Vexilian mage in exile thinks to himself, the swordmaster Reinholt then tells the ork warleader "Come on Dorc, we've got to hurry and join the others".
The large ork who is panting, groans in displeasure as the mage Reinholt starts jogging, Dorkindle scowls in disgust, then he too breaks out into a jog as tries to keep up with the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordsmaster.
The once powerful mage slows down, allowing the ork weaponsmith to catch up. When the warleader of the ork race is beside him again, the spellcaster who was the youngest member ever of the mage council of Vexil, slows down again, to a fast walk, much to the relief of the large ork, who is panting and sweating profusely.
"There's another way in there aside from the front door" says Mira Reinholt gesturing up through the trees ahead of them, where the tor and tower of lord Haldéilv that's on it, is starting to dominate the view.
"I'm pretty sure that's how the others have got in" says the swordmaster Reinholt who continues with "With so many of the guards heading east to the border, it will be easier getting in there" the large ork grunts in agreement with that assessment.
With Dorc da Orc informing him of the whereabouts of lord Farque and Helbe the elven thief, who is being followed by Kaldeàlil Haldéilv. The mage Reinholt heads to where the trees start to thin out. Not too long afterwards they get a good, clear view of the tor and the tower on it, and the exiled Vexilian mage tells the son of the former matriarch of the wolf tribe of orks "Keep a look out for a way in or up it" Dorkindle grunts that he will.
The highly skilled swordmaster who has never seen the tor from this perspective, well not during the day time, as he escaped it at nighttime. And he originally arrived here at night. Is a little bit surprised at the size of the tor from the ground. It's far larger than he thought it was, with it bulging out to the north. While here on the east facing side, the rock wall is sheer and smooth. Similar to as is on the south facing side, which he used to look straight down at from the balcony of the suite where he was held as a prisoner.
Mira Reinholt looks at Dorc da Orc who says to him "Fucken over there killer" the ork warleader waves to the north of them, to the base of the tor. The Vexilian mage in exile slightly frowns as he spots something in the distance, it looks to be two small buildings. The highly skilled swordmaster wonders what they're doing there, when the town is at the southeast corner of the tor.
"Come on" quietly says the mage Reinholt, who nods his hooded head for the large ork to follow him. The two of them head northwards along the edge of the forest, keeping just back from the clearing that the tor is in the middle of. The once powerful mage asks the ork warleader if there's any elves in the buildings they're working their way towards. The ork weaponsmith tells him that there's three elves there, though alive, they're not moving.
Someone's taken them out, probably Dalin, the exiled Vexilian mage thinks to himself, who sees a stream running from the forest, go by the two small houses, on it's way to the base of the tor. The highly skilled swordsmaster is just going to ask the large ork something, when Dorkindle suddenly tells him "There's a fucken hole there".
"Where?" asks Mira Reinholt as he looks to the base of  the tor, which is dark, and slightly in shadow as it nears midday "Fucken there" says the warleader of the ork race who continues with "Where that yucky fucken water goes".
Must be the supply for the tower, the once powerful mage thinks to himself, who after looking around, asks the large ork "Anyone close by?" Dorc da Orc replies with "Nah" he waves towards the two small buildings and adds "Just the cunts in there".
The swordsmaster Reinholt nods, then quietly says "Let's go" he then walks towards the tor, heading to the two small houses, he's followed by the ork weaponsmith. It doesn't take long for them to reach the two small buildings.
And when the Vexilian mage in exile glances inside of one of them, he finds a trio of Haldéilv house guards, tied up and unconscious on the floor. Dorc da Orc who walks out of the second building, from which he's taken a couple of bottles of wine, gestures with one of them to the base of the tor less than fifty yards away and says to Mira Reinholt "See killer".
"I see it" says the the spellcaster from south of the equator who has spotted the crescent shaped opening in the rock wall, which the stream enters, he then tells the weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks who has just murmured "Oooohhhh horsey". "Let's get in there" and starts making his way to the base of the tor, and the opening in it.
The mage Reinholt as they walk to the opening of what's a tunnel that the stream runs into, slightly frowns as he thinks he hears something away to the east. "What was that?" asks the highly skilled swordsmaster, who has turned around as has Dorc da Orc.
"Fucken boom booms" answers the ork warleader, who nods up to the sky to the east, and adds "Up there".
"Seems they've started attacking one another" murmurs Mira Reinholt who figures the two local elven lords are probably casting at one another as they fly in the late morning sky, the once powerful mage turns back around, and continues on his way to the opening in the rock wall, where he sees a stone path next to the stream as it enters the tor.
With Dorkindle scowling at the stream and muttering at it in the ork language, the two of them enter the opening in the base of the tor, on which sits the tower of lord Haldéilv.
As they walk into the tunnel, the mage Reinholt faintly smiles at the irony of him returning to the place where he was held as a prisoner just over two weeks ago . . . . . .