The Homecoming 63.

Through The Woodlands...

Ducking down behind a fallen tree so that he isn't seen. Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy frowns as he peeks around the end of the log, and watches the army passing by below.
The spy Tanith who is up a slight incline, is watching the Harkonin army heading west along the trade road. Specifically he's watching the rear elements of the army.
Where the war machines, and siege towers are being hauled by teams of horses. The elven spy is watching the squads of soldiers and support workers here at the back of the army. Looking for someone in particular, who he's still yet to locate.
Come on, where are you? Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy thinks to himself as he watches the army go by, the elf from the principality of Alínlae silently adds, i know you're there somewhere.
Dalinvardél or Dalin, as he's often referred to by those in the group. Is infact correct. The person he's looking for. Tovis, the war engineer to baron Harkonin, is indeed amongst the army going by on the trade road.
And amongst the rear elements of the army too. Those the elven spy is keeping a close eye on.
Unbeknownst to the spy Tanith, the war engineer Tovis is lying asleep in the back of one of the supply wagons going by. The young engineer who is dead tired after his ordeal over the last couple of days. Has got up into the back of one of the wagons, crawled beneath one of the canvas covers, and fallen asleep.
The very wagon that Tovis the engineer is in the back of, fast asleep. Goes by the position where Dalinvardél Tanith is hidden, watching the army of baron Harkonin pass by.
Could he be in uniform? Dalin silently asks to himself, the elf who once served in one of the more prominent noble houses in his homeland of Alínlae, wonders if the engineer he's trying to find, is in a tabbard, or uniform, as the soldiers are wearing.
As so far, all the workers he sees, those considered as camp followers. Smiths, wagoners, cooks, apprentices of all stripes, as well as the workers who are maintaining the war machines, presumably under the leadership of an engineer. Are all in normal everyday wear. Most if not all of them could pass for mercenaries.
No, i don't think he will be, the spy Tanith thinks to himself, who nevertheless, keeps a close eye on the soldiers at the rear of the army. Who appear to be auxiliaries, or more precisely conscripts. Recent one's too if the state of their armour, weapons and uniforms are anything to go by.
The spy from the elven principality of Alínlae gets up, and runs in a crouch towards some rocks just up ahead. He keeps to the shadows and shade provided by the trees. And trusting in the gray coloured hooded cloak he wears. Not to mention the poor eyesight of all the humans below. From being spotted by any of them on the road.
The spy Tanith is just glad there's no non humans in the army of baron Harkonin. As he's pretty certain if there was an elf, dwarf or goblin serving in the army of the Harkonin fief. He would of been spotted by now.
Dalinvardél Tanith crouches down behind the pile of moss covered rocks that has a small, gnarled looking tree growing out of the middle of them.
He continues to watch the passing army that's down below on the trade road that winds it's way through woodlands as it goes west.
The elven spy looks further to his right, in the direction of the front of the passing army. There he sees those who are mounted in the van of the army, are slowing down and coming to a halt.
What's happening here then? Dalin thinks to himself as the army of baron Harkonin starts coming to a stop.
Running through the trees, heading back east, is Lisell Maera. The teenage orphan from the city-state of Brattonbury on the coast of the Southlands. Has been watching the fore riders and scouts of the Harkonin army.
The attractive young woman, who is further back from the trade road, so that is way out of sight at the moment. Is running back to join the rest of the group, who have been shadowing the Harkonin army. With the exception of Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy, who is right alongside the passing army. Keeping pace with the rear elements of it, as he tries to find the war engineer named Tovis that they're searching for. 
The teen from the city-state of Brattonbury leaps over a brook. Her long legs giving her good pace as she goes to the left through the woodlands. She like all the rest of the group, are on the north side of the trade road. As the tree cover on this side, is thicker and denser. With far less open areas and meadows.
Lis keeps running, and up ahead she spots the gleam of armour, and soon sees Tamric Drubine.
"They're stopping" says Lisell Maera as she runs towards the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Druvic "The Lé Dic army is on the road just up ahead" adds the attractive young woman as she runs by Tam.
"Oh shit" says Tamric Drubine, who turns and runs after Lis. It's not too long before they get back to the others. And Lisell Maera informs them what's happening.
"Hell" mutters Riley Hait the mercenary ranger once Lis has told them what she has seen "Can you see the Lé Dic army?" asks the ranger Hait "From a small hill just up ahead" replies the orphan teen from the city-state of Brattonbury, who then adds "The baron has sent some of his scouts up it. That's why i came back" she continues with "The Harkonin army has stopped, their fore riders have seen them".
"Verily, me thinks a battle is imminent" declares sir Percavelle Lé Dic "Huh?" mutters Dorc da Orc, who then adds "What you fucken mean cunt?". "He means the two armies are going to have a battle soon" Tamric Drubine explains to the large ork, who grunts at that.
"This isn't exactly the type of country for two good sized armies to go to battle in" says the mercenary ranger who was raised and trained in the elven principality of Envadarlen "There's a bit of open ground just beyond that hill" says Lisell Maera who continues with "Harkonin's army are stopping just before it".
The ranger Hait nods, then says to the rest of the group "Let's head to where Dalin is watching the rear of their army" he continues with "This might be our best chance of grabbing that engineer" Riley Hait then silently adds, that's if we can even find him.
The mercenary ranger, who is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, who just happens to inhabit the body of the ranger Hait. Nods his head towards Shur Kee the monk to lead the way to where Dalinvardél Tanith is.
The short statured monk, who is an acolyte in the philosophical order of Bru Li, starts walking in the direction of the road. The rest of the group follows him.
Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman walks towards the back, next to sir Percavelle Lé Dic, with only Tamric Drubine further behind them, leading his horse. As he does, the mercenary ranger quietly asks the heavily armoured knight "You're not going to do anything outlandish when the baron's army attack your niece's one, are you?" the ranger Hait adds "Like charge them all by yourself, while we try to get this engineer?".
"Why of course not dear fellow" is the reply of sir Percavelle Lé Dic, who keeps his voice fairly quiet compared to how he usually speaks in a booming voice.
The former earl of Lé Dic continues with "I shall endeavour to find this purveyor of tinkering and destruction with the rest of you lot".
The mercenary ranger from the elven principality of Envadarlen, though he looks sideways at the knight in the order of Saint Mar-che, nods in satisfaction at the answer from the former paladin.
As for Percavelle Lé Dic, he's thinking about how he'll single handedly attack baron Harkonin's army, after they find the war engineer they're searching for. He won't comprise what they're here to do. But he will attack the enemy army to his family's fief once they're able to get this engineer named Tovis out of harms way.
After all it's the Lé Dic thing to do, attack and kill the Harkonin rabble, sir Percavelle Lé Dic thinks to himself as they head back through the woodlands towards the nearby trade road.
After coming down the incline, Dalinvardél Tanith is in a crouch, on one knee, behind a tree, just forty feet from the trade road. The elven spy from the principality of Alínlae slightly shakes his hooded head as he looks at the trebuchet that's just trundled by. With a corpse of a soldier from the Lé Dic army hanging from a rope tied to the top of the pendulum.
The war machines, catapults, trebuchets, scorpions, and siege towers and engines are still being hauled forward on the trade road. While for the most part the soldiers have got off the road. Predominantly on the otherside of the road from the spy Tanith.
Dalin frowns as he watches a pair of riders heading quickly back along the road, going back east in the direction the Harkonin army has come from.
He watches them until they're gone from view. Then he goes back to watching the army, and listening to the soldiers chatting on the otherside, the south side of the road.
It doesn't take him to long to hear why the army has stopped. A substantial sized army from the Lé Dic fief has been spotted further to the west, heading in this direction.
The spy Tanith who is watching the workers and auxiliaries with the war machines, still trying to locate the war engineer named Tovis. Frowns again as he listens to an officer who has come back through the ranks, talking to a few squad sergeants.
Huh? I wonder why that is? Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy thinks to himself as he hears the officer, a common born one, explain to the squad sergeants, that this is where baron Harkonin was going to stop anyway. Just before the open ground and meadows up ahead. Almost as if he was expecting the enemy army from the Lé Dic fief to come along, and that they'd be waiting for them.
Something's going on here, Dalin thinks to himself as he continues to watch and listen to the soldiers on the otherside of the road, while war machines and wagons still make their way westwards along the trade road. The very wagon that Tovis the war engineer is asleep in the back of, goes around a bend in the road just further to the right of where the elven spy is hidden behind a tree. A wagon Dalinvardél Tanith looked at briefly, but the wagon driver and the person on the seat next to him, that person being the workyard apprentice Larm, aren't who he's looking for.
The spy Tanith hears something in the trees back behind him, he quickly looks back in that direction, and in the distance through the murky light in the woods. He spots Shur Kee the monk, who is looking around a tree towards where he is.
The elf from the principality of Alínlae who suspects the rest of the group are with the acolyte in the order of Bru Li, and that they probably want to talk to him about something.
Dalin is just thinking about how best he can move away from where he is without being seen by those on the road and on the otherside of it. When he hears murmurs, and chatter from the soldiers that start to get louder.
The elven spy frowns and looks away to the left, back to the east along the road, as he sees many of the soldiers and others in baron Harkonin's army are looking back that way.
"Fuck" mutters Dalinvardél Tanith in the elven language, who then looks straight at the ground at his feet when he spots what's further back on the road to the east, heading this way fairly quickly.
The spy Tanith briefly pauses as he thinks about something, as he realises that those on the road, and off it on the otherside, are watching what's coming this way.
He looks back up, and looks back down the road, and slightly nods at what he sees, knowing that it's fine to do so.
Dalin watches a pair of cockatrice running along the road, heading this way. Their riders guide them, with both their knees, and a long, narrow wooden rod, they place along the naturally magical creatures necks. Because they have their blinders on at the moment. A leather band and cap, that's over the animal's heads, and across their eyes.
The spy Tanith winces as he watches the ten and half  foot tall, bird like creatures. Knowing that once the blinders are taken off them. They'll paralyze anyone who looks at them. Not paralysis as such, but make people immobile from fear. They're deadly efficient animals in a combat situation, giving the army who has them, an advantage in battle.
They must of had them further back behind the camp, following the army, Dalin thinks to himself, as he sees the mounted soldiers who he saw a little earlier riding quickly back down the road, following behind the cockatrice as they come this way.
The elven spy who definitely knows the Lé Dic army is going to have a tough time of it if they engage the Harkonin army in battle. Has a feeling all is not as it seems here.
What with the officer on the otherside of the road, mentioning that baron Harkonin was going to stop here anyway. And that the baron had cockatrice in waiting, following behind his army.
Was this all planned? Dalinvardél Tanith thinks to himself, then he silently adds, is this a trap of some kind?
The elven spy who is starting to believe so, waits a little while. And when the cockatrice start weaving their way through the wagons, war machines, siege towers and engines on the road as they head to the front of the army.
He gets up, and moves backwards, slipping quietly away back through the trees to rejoin the others, undetected by those on the trade road, and on the otherside of it, who are preoccupied watching the passing cockatrice . . . . . .