You Want A War? You've Got One! 5.

Falnic, Belinswae. Winter...

It's near twilight in the city of Falnic on a cold winter's day for this part of the region of Belinswae.
Near the docks in the coastal city, a hooded figure walks through a series of lanes, which is usually busy with hawkers and street sellers at this time of the day, even during winter time.
But not today as daytime gives way to dusk, the lanes are quiet with few street merchants, and few customers. The war in the north, in the Stone Hills against the dwarven clans has caused havoc for small stall holders and street sellers this winter.
With few customers about due to a fair few of the population gone north with the various armies of the justifiers, business is bad.
Though the business the figure in the hooded cloak is dealing with, is doing roaring trade, infact it's the best business opportunity in Falnic going this winter, there's no denying that.
The figure who stands a few inches over six foot, is far taller than most local residents, or people from Belinswae tend to be, as they're a fairly short people for humans.
Well the figure in the grey hooded cloak, isn't from Belinswae nor is he human, which explains a lot. And he's also not here in the city of Falnic to do business in the roaring trade of smuggling. He's also here in the largest city in the region of Belinswae to spy.
Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy spots a figure duck into a side lane in the fading light. That person has come from the nearby docks on the north side of the harbour. The elf from the principality of Alínlae in the Southlands turns into the same side lane.
And moves quietly and quickly forward unlike a human would, and not just because he's a light footed elf, but also because he's been trained to do so.
Dalinvardél, or Dalin as he's referred to by those who know him. Moves down the side lane towards what he knows is a tavern just around the corner. A thoroughly disreputable tavern that no law abiding resident of Falnic would visit.
The person the elven spy is following isn't law abiding in the least, that's why he's heading there. The elf who once served in one of the noble houses in his homeland, quickly catches up to the figure he's been following.
"Going somewhere Marv?" quietly says Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy as he moved silently up behind the person he's been following, grabs him by the arm, and pulls him into an alley that's behind the tavern that's just around the corner.
"You're about to leave on the night tide, this is no time to be getting yourself a drink" quietly adds the elven spy "You" gasps Marv, who is second mate on a sleek, twin masted schooner, that those in the know, will identify as a smuggler's ship if there ever was one.
"You near frightened me to death" murmurs the sailor who sighs in relief as he sees who grabbed him and pulled him into the alley way. He moves into a doorway, and quietly says "Not leaving on the night tide, too many patrol ships are out, capt'n doesn't want a risk it".
"There's only three ships out on patrol, and I've paid the master of the one to the north to wander out to seaward tonight" quietly says the elven spy from the Southlands, who continues with "So that blockade runner of yours will have no problem skirting the other two".
"Fuck" mutters Marv, who smells like he's had a drink or two already "Now you weren't going to take my hard earned coin" says Dalin "Hard earned?" says the sailor a little dubiously "Well the stealing of it was hard earned" dryly says the spy Tanith, who then adds "Without actually doing anything were you?".
The elf from south of the equator then quietly says "After all the trust I've shown in you and your captain and his ship". The second mate of the smuggler's vessel sourly smiles as the tall hooded figure standing infront of him said that last bit in a tone of heavy sarcasm.
"No not in the least" quietly says Marv as he looks up and down the alley behind the tavern hoping that no one sees the two of them talking.
"Well that's good to hear" says the elf from the principality of Alínlae, who after a brief pause, adds "Considering I'm going with you lot this time".
"Fuck" mutters Marv once again, the elven spy faintly smiles, then quietly says "Indeed" then Dalinvardél Tanith quickly grabs the much smaller sailor, and shoves him towards the lane, and quietly tells him "Get going" followed by "Back to your ship".
The two of them start going through the lanes, back to the nearby docks on the north side of the harbour. As they do, Marv looks figuratively around, and hastily says to the spy Tanith "Don't want to be caught wandering around at night, damn press gangs are about, they'll take anyone than can and put them in the army, or in a crew in their navy".
"Hardly" dryly says Dalin, who knows that Marv wants to run away from him, the elf from south of the equator continues with "Not in this part of the city, the watch is likely to get knifed if they try to press anyone from here".
The elven spy then says "You know they hit the southside of the harbour where the poor rubes from down south along the coast tend to drink when they're here in Falnic" he then adds "Or the streets near the east gates, where the country folk stay and drink when they're visiting".
Dalinvardél Tanith leans close to Marv and quietly tells him "Relax, and stop being so nervous" he quietly adds "Or you're the one who will end up being knifed".
The sailor briefly tenses as he feels the point of a dagger in his side, he relaxes as it's pulled away from him. Marv stops being so fidgety and nervous as he knows the tall, hooded and cloaked figure walking beside him, is more than willing to use the hidden dagger he's holding. The second mate of the smuggler's ship has seen him use it, and he doesn't want to be on the end of the dagger of the person who he only knows as 'the elf'.
They get to the docks as twilight takes hold, and they head to a pier where a twin masted, sleek looking schooner is tied up near a pair of fishing smacks. With a cold wind blowing off the Great Western Ocean, the two of them make their way along the pier to the dark looking schooner.
The pass a pair of armed sailors near a lit bucket brazier, warming their hands over the fire as they stand near the gang plank. They're let passed when the second mate of the schooner is recognized.
Marv heads up the gang plank first, followed by Dalinvardél Tanith, once onboard, the ship's captain spots them as a couple of the night lamps have been lit.
The captain of the smuggler's ship scowls when he sees his second mate back onboard, his scowls even more deeply when he spots who it is, who's with Marv the second mate.
"Capt'n" says the second mate of the schooner, who nods at the elven spy from south of the equator, and adds "The elf". Marv then hurries away before he's reprimanded by the captain of the vessel, who sourly smiles as he watches his second mate head below decks.
"What can i do for you?" quietly asks captain Folger the smuggler after he nods for Dalinvardél Tanith to follow him up onto the aft deck, and he waves away to the pair of sailors who are on watch up there.
"Leave on the night tide as i paid you to" quietly says the spy Tanith "Of course, i was planning to" says the smuggler "Not according to your second mate you're not" says the elf from the principality of Alínlae in the Southlands.
With a scowl upon his weathered face, captain Folger mutters "Marv drinks too much at times, and doesn't know what he's saying". With a slight nod of his hooded head, Dalinvardél Tanith who has had a quick look around, says "For a ship that's about to leave later tonight, you're pretty light crewed" he continues with "Is that because you've given them shore leave?".
As a gust of wind rattles the rigging, the captain of the twin masted schooner opens and shuts his mouth as in the light of a nearby ship's lantern, he sees 'The elf' stare at him.
"Get the rest of your crew back onboard, and be prepared to leave" says the elven spy from south of the equator who then adds "And don't give me some bullshit excuse about it being difficult to leave tonight because of the blockade".
Dalin goes onto explain with "There's only three out this evening because they're sending more ships up the coast" the spy Tanith continues with "And the patrol vessel stationed north of the harbour is going to drift out to sea, allowing us easy passage north".
The smuggler who is taking this all in says "Us?" the elf who was once in the service of one of the noble houses in his homeland of Alínlae, nods his hooded head, and with a slight smile upon his face says "I'm going with you this time".
Captain Folger scowls again as he definitely doesn't want that, even if he was going to go north as was planned. The smuggler is about to protest, when the much taller elf, who stands half a foot taller than himself, quickly steps close to him and quietly says "Get the rest of your crew and get ready to sail".
The captain of the twin masted vessel tenses as he feels the point of a dagger press into his stomach, only the rough leather of his sea cloak protecting his belly from naked steel.
"If you're not ready by the time i return" quietly says the elven spy in a tone of voice the smuggler would definitely describe as menacing "I'll burn your ship down to the waterline" adds Dalinvardél Tanith.
"Are you threatening me?" hisses captain Folger, who then adds "On my own ship?". "No I'm telling you what will happen, it's not a threat" quietly says the spy Tanith, who presses the point of his hidden dagger in a bit, before pulling it away after he adds "Now do it".
He turns and walks away, and as he makes his way towards the ladder off the aft deck, the elf from south of the equator without looking back, quietly says "Be ready when i return, or else".
The smuggler gulps, then scowls as he watches 'The elf' make his way down off the aft deck, onto the main deck, then off the ship via a gang plank. Captain Folger mutters "Fuck" then after a pause, he yells the order "Shore leave is cancelled!" followed by "Mates and bosuns, go out and get those who have already gone ashore, i want them back here as quickly as possible!".
The captain of the twin masted schooner is no dummy, he knows of three ships, that can be described as smuggling vessels, that have been burnt down since the start of winter. Two here in the port of Falnic, and one down in the river town just to the south of the city. Captain Folger knew the captain of one of those destroyed ships, a captain who died in the fire that took his vessel.
"Fuck" mutters the smuggler, who after a shake of his head, calls out to a passing sailor "Make sure the cargo is secured below, we'll be sailing at all speed tonight when we leave the harbour and head up the coast".
Dalinvardél Tanith is heading through the streets of Falnic, he has a couple more things to do this evening before he leaves the city for a while. The first thing he's going to do, is kill someone.
Dalin, still in the northern part of the dock area of the harbour, heads a bit further into the city as night takes full effect. The spy Tanith is making his way to a tavern, that's had a change of ownership since the start of winter.
It's not long before he's there, at the backdoor of the tavern, that leads to the kitchen. The kitchen helper who is one of his paid informants, goes into the tavern propper to get the tavern keeper after the elven spy quietly tells him to, adding "Close the door behind him".
A few moments later and the kitchen helper returns with the tavern keeper, who steps outside and says "Garven here says you want a word" behind the proprietor, the kitchen helper closes the backdoor of the tavern.
Dalinvardél Tanith whips his dagger across the throat of the tavern keeper, and pushes him to the side so that blood doesn't spray on him. The tavern keeper falls to the ground clutching his throat as he dies, while the elven spy is already walking away.
Behind him the tavern keeper, who until the start of winter, was an assistant book keeper in the household of one of the justifier's of Falnic until he forcefully took over the tavern, dies as blood continues to pump out of the cut across his throat.
A little while later and still in the north of the city, Dalin is in the basement of a disreputable looking boarding house, he pushes aside a set of shelves, and pushes a section of the stone wall, the entire wall then slides to one side.
"You ready?" asks Dalinvardél Tanith "Aye we are" says a dwarf, one of four who are in the hidden room beneath the boarding house. He's with his wife, and two other dwarves, all four of them are city dwarves, who have lived in Falnic all their lives.
"The smuggler's vessel will be ready to leave when we get there" quietly says the elven spy as the four dwarves gather their packs, and shoulder them.
Then Dalin looks at the older dwarf who spoke to him after he opened the wall to the hidden room, and tells him "The one who took your tavern is dead".
The dwarf, a former tavern owner whose business was frequented by the dwarves of the Stone Hills when they used to visit the city of Falnic when they traded their goods, says "Aye, good" followed by "Thanks for that elf".
Nodding his hooded head, Dalinvardél Tanith says "No worries" then he looks at the four dwarves who he'll be smuggling out of the city of Falnic with a cargo of goods, most of which is stolen, adds "Let's go" . . . . . .