Wonderful 97.

The Principality Of Maladimbáh...

Kaldeàlil Haldéilv the elven magic user looks up and watches as lord Walashàele circles back around overhead on his griffon, before passing over the hilltop she and the others are on as he makes his way down to the riverside town below.
Down in the town near the badly damaged toll building that Kaldeàlil secretly attacked, waits Jalindílth Walashàele, the daughter of the local elven lord.
Kaldeàlil Haldéilv then looks west, and spots her father in the sky just a few miles away on the otherside of the river. The head of house Haldéilv is circling above what must be a clearing in the forest, as his griffon looks like it's about to land.
The attractive elven maid slightly nods her head as the griffon disappears down between the trees, she now wonders which one of the local lords is going to act next.
The head of house Haldéilv and the head of house Walashàele have eyed one another as they've flown near their borders. But as yet they haven't crossed over into their rival's lands. Kaldeàlil Haldéilv expects when one of them does, conflict will officially break out between the two most powerful noble houses in the south of the principality of Maladimbáh.
She looks back along the road that comes up over the hill, and sees the mounted house guards and others approaching, Kaldeàlil Haldéilv the elven magic user then looks at the mercenary guards Harrick and Linden, and quietly says to them "Come along, we don't want to be left behind".
The attractive elven maid and the two human mercenaries from the region of Belinswae then hurry down the road to the town below, following those already heading down there on foot, who include lord Walashàele's younger cousin Galacithàné.
As they walk quickly, the older of the two mercenary guards from Belinswae, Harrick quietly says "Neither one is making a move". "They are" is the quiet reply from illegitimate daughter of the local lord whose lands are to the west of the river, she continues with "They've got guards who have already crossed over into each other's lands, they're just not in plain sight like these one's here".
After a brief pause, Kaldeàlil Haldéilv adds "It's just that the two of them are weighing things up, they're both powerful spellcasters, and when one finally decides to directly act, we'll definitely know about it".
"You're father wasn't exactly powerful the night my legs were broken by that thing who freed the mage" dryly says Linden referring to the night just over two weeks ago, in the tower of lord Haldéilv when the prisoner, the mage Mira Reinholt was freed by the large figure in the dark blue, black heavy plate armour.
The younger of the two mercenary guards continues with "From what we heard, he was pretty useless against whatever that thing was".
Kaldeàlil Haldéilv who sourly smiles at the mention of that night, dryly says "Everyone is pretty much useless against that". "What is that?" asks Harrick, who then adds "I mean what is he?" with the sour look still upon her face, the elven magic user says "You don't want to know" and as the two mercenaries continue to look at her, Kaldeàlil Haldéilv says "Trust me, you really don't want to know".
As they head down into the town on the east bank of the river, the illegitimate daughter of lord Haldéilv hopes to the forest gods that the individual in question doesn't turn up this day, because he could definitely wreck her plans to capture and kill the elven princeling Helbenthril Raendril.
Kaldeàlil Haldéilv also hopes that her hired mercenaries she sent into her father's lands disguised as house guards in the service of lord Walashàele, are going about their business without any interference from her father's house guards.
For what they're doing is vital in her plans to capture and kill the young elven noble from the principality of Laerel.
As the attractive elven maid and her two mercenary guards follow behind the elven noble Galacithàné, and the others on foot who are making their way to where the head of the Walashàele noble house has landed his griffon down by the river.
Narladene the ground pixie pops her head up through the ground just behind the badly damaged toll house, that usually takes the toll of passage of those crossing a particular bridge that spans the river.
The tiny winged creature slightly frowns as the nearby griffon turned it's head and looked to where she is. Narladene is certain that for a brief moment, then was a look in the large eye of the griffon of recognition as it looked at her.
Before it shook it's head and looked away with a squawk, and instead watched it's rider the lord of house Walashàele, who is talking to his daughter Jalindílth.
As the ground pixie listens to the two elven nobles, who she is relieved are speaking in the normal elven language which she understands, unlike the language of the elven nobility, which she doesn't.
She looks at the approaching group coming towards the near destroyed toll house, trailing the group is the elven magic user Kaldeàlil Haldéilv and her two mercenary guards.
Narladene then sourly smiles as lord Walashàele and his daughter switch to the noble elven language when they're joined by the local lord's younger cousin Galacithàné.
The tiny winged creature who is contemplating taking out an eye of Kaldeàlil Haldéilv with her sword, is about to fly completely up and out of the ground when she suddenly feels the slightest of movements through the ground, not that faraway, passing beneath the bank on the otherside of the river.
What the hell was that? Narladene the ground pixie thinks to herself after blinking her eyes in surprise. She would've completely missed that if she wasn't sensing through the ground that way, for in that direction, to the west, about six miles away, she feels lord Farque walking through the forest. And that the undead warlord has joined up with the group who has been led by Helbe the elven thief in his absence.
Narladene frowns as she continues to sense through the ground to the west, she feels for the slightest of movements beneath the ground, but she can't feel anything out of the ordinary.
As she concentrates she glances over to where the local elven lord is talking to his daughter and his cousin in language of the elven nobility. The head of house Walashàele is gesturing away to the west as he tells the other two spellcasters something.
The naturally magical creature closes her eyes as she continues to sense movement through the ground, to be exact, beneath the ground to the west of the river. She slightly shakes her head as she still feels nothing out of the ordinary under the ground that way.
"Almost felt like" Narladene murmurs to herself after she opens her eyes and looks around, wondering what the slightest of movements was that she sensed entering the riverbank on lord Haldéilv's side of the border.
The ground pixie who is watching between the three elven nobles who are discussing something, and Kaldeàlil Haldéilv who is standing off to one side with her hired mercenary guards behind some of the others who have come from the local lord's seat of power.
Shakes her head as she makes up her mind about something. Wanting to find out what that slightest of movements was in the other riverbank, Narladene drops beneath the surface of the ground and heads west.
As she ducks down into the ground, the nearby griffon spots her and squawks as she disappears beneath the surface of the ground.
Lord Walashàele stops in mid sentence and holds up a hand to his daughter Jalindílth and his cousin Galacithàné so that they don't say anything.
The local lord looks at his griffon Farclaw who has just squawked as he looks at a patch of dirt behind the toll house to their left that's all but destroyed. His daughter Jalindílth is about to say something, but the head of house Walashàele holds up his hand again for her to remain silent.
Lord Walashàele slightly frowns then looks at his griffon who has settled down again and is preening a fore leg. The squawk the large winged creature just let out is the one he does when he spots Palamarc.
The head of house Walashàele who knows that animals can see the ground pixie, also knows that he sent Palamarc to go spy on his rival, lord Haldéilv, and to check up on something else a short time ago.
And the local lord watched the ground pixie fly away across the river, then dive down into the ground on the otherside of the river.
"Farclaw, is anything there boy?" asks lord Walashàele in the elven noble language, the griffon turns his head and looks at the local lord, who gestures towards the patch of dirt that the large winged creature was just looking at before.
Farclaw lets out a short squawk that the elven lord identifies as no, then the head of house Walashàele says "But there was something there, wasn't there boy?". The griffon settles it's head down on it's front paws and lets out a slightly longer squawk, which is more of a chirp from it's beak. A chirp that the powerful elven magic user recognises as yes.
Lord Walashàele slightly frowns, then looks around, and murmurs "I wonder?" he shakes his head in reply to his daughter Jalindílth asking him "Father what is it?".
The head of house Walashàele who senses his rival less than five miles away to the west, who like himself isn't bothering to hide his whereabouts. Looks around and spots Kaldeàlil Haldéilv and her human mercenaries standing further back behind some of his officers and house guards.
The local lord looks at his rival's illegitimate daughter, and gestures to her to join him. Kaldeàlil Haldéilv followed by her two mercenary guards make their way over to where the head of house Walashàele is standing with his daughter and his cousin, next to the toll house, which they don't know she destroyed.
The two humans from Belinswae stand back and out of the way as the attractive elven maid joins the trio of elven nobles. Galacithàné looks at Kaldeàlil Haldéilv with barely concealed contempt. While Jalindílth has a more neutral look upon her face as she watches the illegitimate daughter of lord Haldéilv.
Lord Walashàele after staring at the attractive elven maid in silence for a few moments, casts a spell so no one can hear what he and the other three with him have to say, though if he's certain about something he's just figured out, someone or something will be able to hear what they're saying.
"So, you're absolutely certain that this elven noble from beyond the equator has a sprite or pixie with him?" says the elven lord to his rival's illegitimate daughter "I'm certain of it" says Kaldeàlil Haldéilv, who after a brief pause adds "Infact I'd stake my life on it that he does" she briefly pauses again, then asks "Why?".
With a slight hand gestures towards the nearby griffon, lord Walashàele replies with "Because my griffon just saw it a short while ago".
Kaldeàlil lifts an enquiring eyebrow, while Galacithàné and Jalindílth look at the head of their household in surprise. After a sideways glance at the illegitimate daughter of lord Haldéilv, Jalindílth Walashàele says in the elven noble language to her father "Are you sure father?". "Yes, infact I'm more that sure" replies the elven lord in the same language, who then tells his daughter and his cousin "From now on, only discuss anything important in our language" he continues with "Pixies can't understand it". The other two elven nobles nod in understanding, as they know the head of their household knows all about pixies and sprites, because he has a ground pixie that's attached to him.
Switching back to the normal elven language, lord Walashàele says to Kaldeàlil Haldéilv "I'm also certain that it's a ground pixie" he glances at his griffon Farclaw before continuing on with "Though i think it's gone away now" the elven lord silently adds, probably going after Palamarc to see what he's up to.
The head of house Walashàele stares at the attractive elven maid who is the illegitimate daughter of his rival and neighbour, then says to her "Right this mysterious elven noble from south of the equator who can't be sensed, i want to know who he is, and everything you know about him".
Refraining from smiling as she's just got what she's really wanted, Kaldeàlil Haldéilv slightly nods her head to lord Walashàele, and says to him "Why of course my lord" . . . . . .