Wonderful 92.

The Principality Of Maladimbáh...

The elven noble who has come through the rift from the tower of lord Haldéilv, is said lord's nephew. Helbe the elven thief finds this out by reading his mind.
With the local nobleborn elf is a large squad, infact two of them. There's over thirty house guards, and like lord Haldéilv's nephew they're on foot. The elven magic user who cast the rift spell from the tower of the local lord, has the squad spread out as they make their way downhill. On both the track, and in the trees to either side of it.
The elven masterthief who as usual is blurred and shielded, so that he can't be seen by anyone, nor sensed by other spellcasters. Sourly smiles as he finds out more information.
How lord Haldéilv's nephew is looking for him and the others. And that Kaldeàlil Haldéilv has informed her father that he, Helbenthril Raendril and the rest of the group are here in lord Haldéilv's lands, and that they've been attacking his house guards as they've traveled south through his lands.
That bitch! Helbe the elven thief thinks to himself, now knowing some of what Kaldeàlil Haldéilv is up to. And also knowing that these house guards and the local elven noble will soon find the bodies of the mercenaries Kaldeàlil Haldéilv had attack the others as they made their way down into the valley.
The young elven noble from the principality of Laerel, turns and looks downhill, then shifts away. Though not too far away, as he intends to lure these house guards and lord Haldéilv's nephew away.
As the elven princeling waits for the right opportunity to distract those who have come through the rift, the rest of the group, who once again are all mounted, including Riley Hait the mercenary ranger and sir Percavelle Lé Dic whose horses were killed in the earlier attack.
Are now down in the valley proper, with Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy leading the way. Heading towards a small forest village, that Helbe the elven thief has informed them about, it's a little over two miles from where they were attacked earlier.
As the group from south of the equator ride between the trunks of trees, heading towards the nearby village. Further uphill, the elven masterthief who is the nominal leader of the group in the absence of lord Farque, finds the right opportunity to do what he wants to do.
The lead house guards come across the first of the bodies on the track, and as they call out to those following what they've found. Prince Helbenthril Raendril picks one of them, the one who looks more experienced than the others, and has taken charge after finding the first of the dead mercenaries.
The talented elven magic user plants a thought into the house guard's mind, infact he puts a few thoughts into his mind.
The experienced elven house guard, a ranger, who has just told the others with him to spread out and look for any other dead bodies. Suddenly gets up from where he's kneeling near the dead mercenary, who happens to be an elven maid.
The experienced house guard with sword already drawn, points his weapon to the east, then quickly says "There, that way" followed by "There's one of them there".
He takes off running, calling out "After them!" a couple of the others hesitate, then take off running after him, not actually seeing anyone, but trusting their more senior comrade the ranger.
While a third house guard, calls up to those coming down the track, and the trees to either side of it "Down here, hurry up!" followed by "They're getting away!".
As he stands upon a branch high up in a tree, Helbe the elven thief slightly smiles as nearly half of the large squad of house guards tear off to the east through the forest, following after those who have already gone ahead.
The grandson of Prince Raendril looks down and sees some of the others have found more of the dead mercenaries, who met their fate not that long ago this morning.
The elven master assassin knows that they'll soon find the tracks of the horses that the rest of the group are on. And that they'll be after them sooner rather than later, as he has spotted a couple of rangers amongst the guards still with lord Haldéilv's nephew.
After planting some thoughts into the minds of the two elven rangers, which no doubt will delay the rest of the house guards here. The young elven noble from south of the equator shifts away, heading after the others. As he does, Helbenthril Raendril hopes that Narladene the ground pixie can find out anything about Kaldeàlil Haldéilv, who he has tasked the naturally magical creature to find.
At the eastern end of the long valley which the local elven noble families, the Haldéilv's and Walashàele's share, though not equally as the Haldéilv family have more of it under their control than their neighbours.
Kaldeàlil Haldéilv stands on top of one of the cliffs at this end of the valley, with her is the mercenary guard Harrick from the region of Belinswae.
The human mercenary guard glances at the attractive elven maid "Don't worry, this should go more smoothly than the chat we had with my father" quietly says Kaldeàlil Haldéilv the elven magic user, Harrick the mercenary guard lifts an eyebrow, then murmurs "If you say so" the mercenary from Belinswae looks west in the direction of the riverside town they were in earlier, and he dryly says "You did blow up one of his toll houses" placing emphasis on the word "You".
"He won't know that" quietly says the illegitimate daughter of lord Haldéilv, whose plan is coming together better than she expected. Kaldeàlil Haldéilv is pretty certain the squad of mercenaries she sent through a rift to attack the Southlanders who travel with prince Helbenthril Raendril, will not survive, even though they're experienced. The best she can hope for is that they kill at least one of the traveling companions of the elven princeling she wants dead.
The elven magic user knows that it's the squad of mercenaries who rode in the disguise of Walashàele house guards into her father's lands are more important to her plans. Along with those who are already on the otherside of the river that runs through the valley, from the north, at the edge of the mountain range, which are in her father's lands.
While here at the eastern end of the valley are tall cliffs, they're a drop off from a plateau that stretches a good dozen miles or so into lord Walashàele lands.
Kaldeàlil Haldéilv who is sensing, nods her head to one side, and quietly says to Harrick "Over here" the mercenary from southern Belinswae follows her about twenty yards to the right.
A moment later, the sparkling lights that is the telltale sign of a rift forming, appear near where they were previously standing. Harrick's eyebrows go up in surprise, for when the solid black of a completed rift is formed, it's far larger than any that he's seen Kaldeàlil cast. It's not just wide, but rises a fair bit off the ground too, it must be near eighteen foot tall.
"You could drive wagons through that" quietly says Harrick, beside him the attractive elven maid nods her head in agreement, then a moment later a griffon comes flying out of the rift, it rises up into the sky, then circles back around to the cliff top.
"Is that him?" quietly asks Harrick as he looks up at the circling griffon "That's him" is the quiet reply of Haldéilv Kaldeàlil as others start coming through the rift.
They're on horseback and on foot, they're house guards and nobleborn elves, some start making their way to a nearby switchback that leads down off the plateau, while the rest form up. Many of them watching the griffon rider, as well at the attractive elven maid and the mercenary guard from Belinswae standing nearby.
Amongst those coming through a rift, is a human, also a mercenary guard from Belinswae, who when he spots Kaldeàlil Haldéilv and Harrick, he makes his way over to them.
"He has the flair for the dramatic doesn't he" quietly says Linden the mercenary guard once he joins the illegitimate daughter of lord Haldéilv and his fellow mercenary guard from Belinswae as they watch the griffon come down to land.
"With good reason, he's quite powerful" quietly says Kaldeàlil Haldéilv as the griffon lands and settles down, the rider dismounts, and as still more house guards come through the rift, he along with a couple of others make their way over to where the attractive elven maid and her two hired mercenaries stand.
"My lord this is" says Linden who is interrupted by the griffon rider who says "I know who she is" as he gives Linden a dismissive look, that indicates he wants the mercenary guard to shut up.
Then switching to the elven language, he says "So you're Haldéilv's bastard daughter" he continues with "This human better of been telling the truth, and not just what you wanted him to say, so I'd show up".
"Look for yourself lord Walashàele" says Kaldeàlil Haldéilv, who has never meet her father's rival before, but she knows plenty about him. Chief of which, is that he's without a doubt the most arrogant nobleborn elf in all of Maladimbáh. She may dislike her father, but after just meeting his neighbour, she can see why her father and the previous lords of house Haldéilv have seen the Walashàele's as bitter rivals.
The attractive elven maid who knows the offspring of the head of house Walashàele are a little more even tempered, points in the direction of the riverside town, and says "He attacked your town down there, as i said he would" the illegitimate daughter of lord Haldéilv continues with "He actually had one of my cousins do it".
They all walk to the edge of the cliff, and though Harrick and Linden can see the river and the town beside it in the distance, they can't see it in detail or clearly like the elves can.
"There the second bridge, the" says Kaldeàlil Haldéilv, who is interrupted by the local lord who angrily says "I see it bastard" as he looks at the toll building that's been near completely destroyed in the town on his side of the river.
The attractive elven maid who wants nothing more than to stick a dagger into the throat of lord Walashàele, remains silent as he issues a number of orders to the two elves with him, one a guard captain, while the other is a younger cousin of his.
After issuing the orders, and the guard captain hurries away, lord Walashàele who has dropped his rift spell after the last of the house guards have come through. Turns to the illegitimate daughter of his rival lord Haldéilv and says "Tell me bastard, do you hate your father so much that you would betray him?".
"Well i thought that would be obvious" says the attractive elven maid in an extremely dry tone of voice, the elven lord briefly laughs, then says "Still, if he hadn't of raped your mother, you wouldn't even be alive" he pauses for a moment as he looks her in the eye, then he adds "Don't you forget that".
The head of house Walashàele turns and with his cousin walks away, lord Walashàele is saying to his cousin "Jalindílth is down there, I've sensed her, she's fine" after mentioning his daughter, the local lord stops, looks back at the illegitimate daughter of his rival and tells her "I don't care what you do, but if you come along with us, keep out of the way of my guards and me" he continues with "If you get in my way I'll kill you too".
The arrogant cunt, Kaldeàlil Haldéilv thinks to herself as she watches the elven lord walk away with his cousin, to where some of other nobles, and a number of his house guards are waiting near his griffon.
"How did that go?" asks Harrick in murmur as he and Linden didn't understand the conversation in the elven language, as they know only a few basic phrases, and words of greetings in the elven language.
"As well as i could hope" quietly says the attractive elven maid, who would still dearly love to stick a dagger in the throat of the arrogant head of house Walashàele.
"Didn't sound like it" quietly says Linden, Harrick nods in agreement, Kaldeàlil Haldéilv faintly smiles, then she quietly tells the two mercenaries she hired in the south of Belinswae to guard the mage Mira Reinholt who she held prisoner "Things can look and sound deceiving" the two mercenaries share a look of understanding.
Then the elven magic user quietly says "Come along, let's see what they've got planned for my dear father" and the three of them wander over to where lord Walashàele and the others with him are talking.
Kaldeàlil Haldéilv if she's honest with herself, would rather not be in the company of the arrogant head of house Walashàele. But for her plan to be successful, she needs to be with him. For she has heard a strong rumour, not just recently, but over the years when she was living in her father's lands and elsewhere in the principality of Maladimbáh before leaving.
That lord Walashàele has a sprite or pixie attached to him. And if so, that will be vital in her plans to kill prince Helbenthril Raendril, who she has figured out, has a sprite or pixie of his own that's attached to him . . . . . .