Wonderful 94.

The Principality Of Maladimbáh...

Narladene the ground pixie watches the mounted house guards riding west from the cliffs. Here in the eastern edge of the long valley, the forest isn't so prevalent, with large stretches of open ground.
Unlike it is to the west of the river that separates the lands of the two neighbouring noble houses here in the south of Maladimbáh.
To the west, the only really open land is around the villages and towns, and even then they don't encroach into the forest that much.
The tiny winged creature continues watching the house guards in the service of lord Walashàele as she's half in the ground, and half out of it near the road the house guards are riding quickly along.
The naturally magical creature looks up into the sky at the overhead griffon, which is flying slowly above the mounted house guards and a handful of elven nobles. She considers going up to the griffon to have a look at the rider on it, who she figures is the local lord, lord Walashàele.
But instead she looks back up at the switchbacks that come down off the plateau above, on it are a number on foot, a number of house guards, and a couple of nobleborn elves. With them is another elf, and two humans. It's those three the tiny winged creature is most interested in.
As the house guards in the service of lord Walashàele head to the riverside town about five miles away, Narladene drops down through the surface of the ground, and heads up the road to the switchback the one's on foot are on.
Maybe I'll do us all a favour and stab her in the eye with my sword, Narladene the ground pixie thinks to herself with a tight grin upon her face as she flies through the ground. The naturally magical creature who is heading towards Kaldeàlil Haldéilv, abruptly stops then mutters "Damn it".
She turns back around and heads back the way she's come from, as she has just sensed that all of those who were coming down the switchback, are no longer there as they've all just teleported away. The ground pixie sighs as she heads back westwards.
"What is that you want?" says the elven noble named Galacithàné, who is the younger cousin of lord Walashàele, and seems to be his second in command "My lord informed you if you came along, that you should keep out the way" says the nobleborn elf, who then adds "I suggest you do so".
Refraining from sourly smiling, Kaldeàlil Haldéilv the elven magic user instead says "I still have important information for your lord" the attractive elven maid, who is finding the younger cousin of lord Walashàele almost as insufferable as the local lord himself, continues with "Information that could very well be vital in him dealing with my father".
Galacithàné is quiet for a few moments as they stand upon the road they've teleported down to from the switchbacks they were making their way down a little earlier, then he slowly nods and says "Alright then, out with it" followed by "I'll decide if it's important enough that he knows".
The illegitimate daughter of lord Haldéilv feels like sighing, the morning, and her plans are going better than expected. But dealing with lord Walashàele and his forces has been more than annoying.
The attractive elven maid who doesn't want to say it straight out, after all it's not polite to do so, especially if you're not of the elven nobility, or specifically an elven spellcaster who happens to be the bastard daughter of a local lord's neighbour and rival.
So in a roundabout way, Kaldeàlil Haldéilv says "I understand lord Walashàele might have, shall we say, someone close to him who could tell if there's magic users are around when say, other spellcasters are unable to detect them".
The younger cousin of the local lord is silent for a few moments as he stares at the illegitimate daughter of the head of house Haldéilv, who just hopes Galacithàné isn't as thick headed as he is annoying, and that he understood what she was really saying.
The elven noble eventually nods, then says "Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't" the younger cousin of the head of house Walashàele continues on with "But if he did, what of it?".
Thank the forest gods he isn't thick, as he is a pain in the ass, Kaldeàlil Haldéilv thinks to herself, who then says "Well there's an elven magic user across the river in my father's lands, who is impossible to find, who too has someone similar with him" she then adds "Like your lord may or may not have".
Galacithàné falls silent again as he looks at the attractive elven maid, then the elven noble, turns and looks back the way they've come, up into the morning sky, Kaldeàlil Haldéilv senses him using mindspeech. After a few moments, the nobleborn elf turns and walks away to join the others who have been waiting a bit further down the road for them, as he does, Galacithàné says "He'll be here soon to talk to you".
A few moments later, Harrick the mercenary guard murmurs "What the hell was that all about?" as the elven noble and the attractive elven maid were speaking in the elven language, which he and his fellow mercenary guard from Belinswae, Linden only understand a few basic phrases and greetings in.
"Hopefully something that will give us an advantage" quietly replies the illegitimate daughter of lord Haldéilv as she and her two human mercenary guards get underway again, walking along the road, a bit further behind those elven house guards on foot, and the handful of elven nobles with them.
Further behind them on the road are those on horseback, who had until a few moments ago, lord Walashàele flying over them, now the local lord who is on his griffon, is winging his way here, and soon lands next to the road, that at the moment is going through some farmland, the only real farming area in the valley that's predominantly forested.
After hoping down off his griffon, lord Walashàele makes his way over to Kaldeàlil Haldéilv, who has walked off the road, followed by her two mercenary guards from the south of the region of Belinswae.
As his griffon preens itself, the elven lord stops, forcing the illegitimate daughter of his rival to approach him, while her two mercenary guards from the coastline in southern Belinswae, stop back from where the two elves stand near the roadside.
Looking towards a nearby farm yard, lord Walashàele says in the elven language "Well, what is it?" the irritable nobleborn elf continues with "You better not be wasting my time, if so you'll regret it".
You stuck up prick, Kaldeàlil Haldéilv thinks to herself, the attractive elven maid who is of the opinion that the head of house Walashàele embodies everything she despises in the elven nobility, especially here in Maladimbáh. He's the opposite of her former lover Xanderlith Karlavilt who was killed by the individual she wants dead.
"If rumours are true, I'm to believe that one of the tiny winged one's is close to you" quietly says the illegitimate daughter of lord Haldéilv, who know she's on perilous ground here. For talking about said subject is taboo in elven society. Especially as only the nobility are the one's to be associated with what she's taking about.
Kaldeàlil Haldéilv herself once was too, because though she isn't of noble birth, she is an elven magic user, having inherited spellcraft from her father, the lord of house Haldéilv.
"Be careful what you're speaking about" says the head of house Walashàele in a cool tone of voice as looks at the attractive elven maid who is the illegitimate daughter of his rival "It might just be the last thing you ever talk about if you keep going on about it" adds the elven lord.
"Suppose if you were then?" says Kaldeàlil Haldéilv who senses that lord Walashàele is about to cast, no doubt something destructive and deadly, which she is under no illusion that she can stop.
"Cause if you do, there's a spellcaster over in my father's lands who is has something similar with him, a spellcaster who is impossible to locate, who has the advantage of having one of those with him" says the attractive elven maid, who briefly pauses before she adds "Who could very well be here, listening to what we're saying".
"I see" says the elven lord in a flat tone of voice as he looks around, the head of house Walashàele, then looks back at the illegitimate daughter of his rival, and asks her "Care to inform me who this person is?". "An elven noble from south of the equator, from the Southlands" replies Kaldeàlil Haldéilv.
The elven lord nods his head, he's heard of the Southlands, which is south of the unruled lands south of the region of Belinswae. Though he's never been there himself, and doubts few people from Maladimbáh and the surrounding regions have been down there with the exception of a small number of coastal traders and merchants from Belinswae.
"He may or may not be helping out my father" says the attractive elven maid who hopes the local lord swallows that lie, as he's more intent on blasting her into nothingness, as he is on finding out if she's telling him the truth or not, as she doesn't sense him casting to tell if she's lying or not.
Lord Walashàele who has always known that Kaldeàlil Haldéilv is a magic user, for the simple fact she's the offspring of an elven noble. And it doesn't matter if you're of noble birth, or a child of rape like she is.
If one of your parents is a nobleborn elf, you will be a spellcaster.
Also knowing that some of what he is now planning for his rival may now be compromised, the head of house Walashàele says "I'll keep an eye out for this person then" he pauses before continuing with "And what they may have attached to them".
Kaldeàlil Haldéilv who now knows that lord Walashàele has basically confirmed that he has a sprite or pixie with him, says to the nobleborn elf "I'll keep out of your way, but if you could take the time to inform me if you find this person, I'll do all i can to help you defeat my father".
The local elven lord just nods his head, then turns and walks away, heading to his griffon, which is watching things from nearby. As he does, Kaldeàlil Haldéilv looks over at the two mercenary guards from Belinswae, and slightly nods her head. After sharing a look, Harrick and Linden know that the attractive elven maid has got what she wanted, though they don't know the specifics of what it is, as she hasn't told them everything she is planning to do.
The attractive elven maid and her two mercenary guards from southern Belinswae hurry to catch up to the others further along the road infront of them. While the head of house Walashàele gets up onto the saddle of his griffon, which quickly launches, and is rising up into the morning sky.
"Hmmmmm what were they talking about?" Narladene the ground pixie murmurs to herself as she stands upon the branch of a tree near the farm house. The naturally magical creature arrived a few moments ago, and only heard what Kaldeàlil Haldéilv said just before lord Walashàele turned and walked away to his griffon.
The tiny winged creature looks to where the illegitimate daughter of lord Haldéilv and the two humans with her, teleport away after those house guards on foot, a squad of about twenty five, have just been teleported away by the trio of elven nobles with them.
The ground pixie then looks up at the griffon, on which is lord Walashàele, who is circling back to his forces on horseback who are riding quickly westwards on the road, making their way to the river, and the town on the eastern banks of it. Narladene shrugs her shoulders, and lifts off from the branch, and takes off, heading after Kaldeàlil Haldéilv.
"Did you hear all of that?" quietly asks lord Walashàele once has his griffon level out at about two thousand feet above the valley. The head of house Walashàele continues with "See if you can locate any unknown spellcasters in the area" as he looks to the west, and spots a griffon in the distance in the morning sky, who he senses that his rival, the head of house Haldéilv is on.
"There's two i don't know" says Palamarc the ground pixie who stands upon the right shoulder of the nobleborn elf he's been attached to for the last two hundred and fifty years or so.
The ground pixie who like lord Walashàele, knows just about every elven magic user in southern Maladimbáh no matter what noble house they belong to, then says "One's a human" the local lord lifts an eyebrow in surprise at that, and is equally surprised when the tiny winged creature tells him "Not very powerful at all, but feels like a mage, like that one visiting over there" as he waves in the direction of the tower of lord Haldéilv.
Lord Walashàele nods in understanding as he knows a justifier from Belinswae is visiting his rival, and by all accounts isn't exactly happy as his wyverns are missing, and most of his party is dead after the attack on the tower of lord Haldéilv a little over two weeks ago.
The local lord who would like to give a reward to whoever it was that attacked the palace like tower of lord Haldéilv, is intrigued to find out who this other human spellcaster is.
Looks at Palamarc who tells him "There's an elven noble i don't know" the ground pixie continues with "Casting a spell similar to that amulet Haldéilv's daughter wears".
"So she was telling the truth" murmurs lord Walashàele who then says "Well whoever that is, they've got a sprite or pixie attached to them" he continues with "Keep a watch out for them, and tell me when you find them". "I will" says the Palamarc the ground pixie . . . . . .