The Homecoming 71.

Tracking...

Helbe the elven thief frowns as he watches the Harkonin army. It's early morning, and the army is about to get underway again, and continue on it's way to the border.
The blurred and shielded elven magic user is amongst the trees, looking at some of the tents that are being taken down in the clearing.
The elven masterthief is watching the dark tent that's off to one side, by itself. That's just now being taken down after it's sole occupant finally comes out of it.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel watches the dark druid Palvarc, who is the advisor to baron Harkonin.
The dark druid that Narladene the ground pixie has warned him to keep his distance from. As apparently the local spellcaster will be able to sense him if he gets within fairly close proximity.
The elven princeling asked the naturally magical creature how that was possible considering all other spellcasters are unable to sense him due to his shield spell.
And she told him it was because of the staff that the dark druid possess. It's that, which would be able to sense him. Not the dark druid himself.
It goes without saying that Helbe the elven thief won't be able to sense the staff to try and identity it, to see what it specifically is. As that will give him away as well.
The grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel watches the dark druid for a few more moments as he heads to the tie line where his mount is.
Then prince Helbenthril Raendril looks towards a wagon that's heading back onto the trade road, on what's a crisp and cool morning, which feels like it will turn into a relatively warm day. It's definitely a spring like day, today here in eastern Druvic.
The elven master assassin looks at the prisoners who have been put in the back of the wagon. He couldn't think of a better group to be taken prisoner by their enemy.
Though he must admit, the recently healed sir Parvin Dé Gorveré, a contemporary and friend of sir Percavelle Lé Dic. Doesn't deserve to be lumped in with the other three nobleborn prisoners.
Those three, lord Kievar Milburn, his grandson Jared Milburn. Along with the Lé Dic army commander, sir Galmot. Are all complicit in the murder of their former earl. Maxiss Lé Dic.
The elven master archer watches the prisoners, with the exception of a defiant looking sir Parvin. Look dejected and down trodden at what's happened to them. And the army they led into the Harkonin fief, which has effectively been wiped out.
Way to go asshole, Helbe the elven thief thinks to himself as he watches lord Milburn sitting in the back of the wagon with his wrists bound, staring off in to the distance at the trees on the north side of the trade road.
You've left your granddaughter's fief wide open to the enemy, with little left in the way of an army to protect it, the young elven noble thinks to himself with a shake of his hooded head. The elven magic user knows that the Lé Dic fief will be hard pressed to defend itself now. And that the Harkonin army will basically have a free ride to castle Lé Dic which they'll definitely put under siege. If what he's overheard this morning is anything to go by.
The elven masterthief looks towards the dark druid Palvarc who is riding ahead with a handful of scouts. To join baron Harkonin and the other nobles who are already on the road, setting off west towards the front of the army.
The elven princeling who has been gathering information, by both mundane and magical ways. Making sure not to cast anywhere near where the dark druid Palvarc is.
Is just wondering what he should do now, when Narladene the ground pixie suddenly appears on his right shoulder, and triumphantly says "I've found them".
"Where?" asks the elven spellcaster "Further north, and near the border" replies the tiny winged creature who is 'Attached' to the young elven noble from the principality of Laerel.
"And take a guess what" adds the naturally magical creature, the elven masterthief grins as he's already guessed, since the person they're searching for is missing from the Harkonin army.
"They've got him" quietly says prince Helbenthril Raendril who speaks in elven when he converses with the tiny winged creature "Yep" says Narladene, who then adds "Well i figure it's him, as i sensed through the ground that there's one other person with them".
"It's him" murmurs the elven master assassin with a nod of his hooded head. As he's overheard that the rear elements of the Harkonin army were attacked yesterday during the one sided battle against the Lé Dic army.
Attacked by an unknown amount of soldiers in the Lé Dic army. Who Helbe the elven thief is pretty certain weren't Lé Dic soldiers at all. And it was the rest of the group who attacked the rear elements of the Harkonin army.
Considering a large green monster was seen amongst the attackers. And has been talked about often by those the elven masterthief has listened in on, and read the minds of so far this morning as he's observed the Harkonin army.
"Well, since they've got him" quietly says the grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel "I guess we better go and join them" adds the highly talented elven spellcaster, who then tells Narladene "Show me the way".
The ground pixie points in the direction to go to, and she grabs a hold of the right shoulder of the blurred and shielded elven magic user just before he shifts away to the northwest.
The elven master assassin heads back to the border, going more north than directly west. By the way Narladene is telling him which way to go, he figures the rest of the group are heading to the border somewhere to the north of the town of Falshire.
The elven princeling who quickly leaves behind the Harkonin army who are traveling along the trade road to get to the border with the Lé Dic fief. Shifts and teleports his way to the north and west.
He's some seven miles northwest of baron Harkonin's army, just a handful of miles from the border with the Lé Dic fief, when Narladene the ground pixie tells him "Just a few hundred yards up ahead".
Helbenthril Raendril nods his hooded head as he can sense the magical swords of Tamric Drubine and sir Percavelle Lé Dic, as well as the former earl's shield just up ahead through the woods.
The elven magic user who is floating in the air above the treetops, teleports ahead to where the rest of the group are making their way towards the border through the woodlands in the west of the Harkonin fief.
Helbe the elven thief floats down to the ground, and before Dorc da Orc alerts his presence to others. As the large ork's sense of smell can detect him even though he's blurred. The elven magic user reads the mind of the unfamiliar figure, who is walking beside Lisell Maera.
The elven princeling arches an eyebrow after reading the mind of Tovis the war engineer.
Seems he's a bit smitten with Lis, the young elven noble thinks to himself, who knows that won't end well for the young engineer. And not because anything he might do. It's because of Lisell Maera herself. More to the point, her past.
The elven spellcaster from the island principality of Laerel after reading the mind of baron Harkonin's war engineer, slightly nods his hooded head in response to Narladene whispering to him "He seems fine i suppose" she then dryly adds "For a human".
Prince Helbenthril Raendril rolls his eyes, then he sourly smiles, as off to the right through the trees, comes a loud grunt, followed by the growling voice of Dorc da Orc saying "Me smells you cunt" followed in an extremely sour sounding tone, with "And that fucken buzzy bee of yours".
While Narladene scowls at the large ork, Helbe the elven thief drops his blur spell, and says "Miss me?".
"Not really" dryly says Riley Hait the mercenary ranger after spinning around and finding the young elven noble standing there grinning just twenty feet behind him.
The others stop, and greet the elven princeling who they haven't seen in over a month. The elven masterthief sees the war engineer Tovis standing off, though not far from Lis. With a confused look upon his face as he looks at the elven spellcaster.
After Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy who was out infront, comes back when he hears the others all talking to prince Helbenthril Raendril, and he too greets the elven master assassin.
The ranger Hait asks the young elven noble from the principality of Laerel "Where's" the mercenary ranger pauses as he glances at the confused looking war engineer, then switching to the elven language, he continues with "Where's the lord and the mage?".
"Ah" says Helbe the elven thief, who after a few moments pause, says in the elven language "I'm not exactly sure".
"Eh?" says a frowning Tamric Drubine, who then adds in elven "I thought the three of you were all coming out this way after checking out the capital".
"We did" says the elven master archer, who continues with "But Farque and Mira kind of got delayed". The elven magic user then explains to those who speak elven, Riley Hait, Tamric Drubine, Lisell Maera and of course Dalinvardél Tanith. What exactly happened, and how lord Farque and Mira Reinholt the mage are missing.
"Fuck" mutters the mercenary ranger from the elven principality of Envadarlen, who then asks "So they could be anywhere after going through that druid's circle?".
"Pretty much" is the answer from the young elven noble who happens to be the youngest grandchild of one of the most powerful spellcasters in the entire world.
"Though they'll be to the west of here for sure, as I'm pretty sure that's the side of the circle they went through" says the elven princeling from the island of Laerel, who continues with "More than likely still in the kingdom, as druid circles are found more here in Druvic than anywhere else".
"How far west though?" asks the mercenary ranger who is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, who through various circumstances, mainly dying. Just so happens to inhabit the body of one Riley Hait from the elven principality of Envadarlen.
"That's the question isn't it" says the highly talented elven magic user, who continues with "I've no idea". As the other elven speakers all glance at one another, prince Helbenthril Raendril confidently tells them "Not to worry, I'm sure they'll show up soon".
The elven masterthief ignores the whispered "You hope" from Narladene the ground pixie who is perched upon his right shoulder, invisible to everyone else.
And he says common to Dorc da Orc "They'll catch up soon" interrupting the large ork who just said "Where the fuck is". The ork warleader grunts, then plops down on the ground to sip from one of the ale barrels he swiped from the back of a wagon in the Harkonin army, when he attacked their rear elements yesterday.
"So you're Tovis then" says Helbe the elven thief, who holds out his hand to the war engineer standing near Lisell Maera. "I am" says Tovis the war engineer who shakes the gloved right hand of the elven magic user.
"I'm Helbe" says the young elven noble by way of introduction. The grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel puts a hand on his heart, and feigns hurt as he says "Why Lis, you do me wrong" in response to Lisell Maera saying to Tovis "If you've got a coin pouch on you, he's probably just stolen it" she dryly follows that with "He's a bit of a thief".
"And our leader too" says the attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury, who then dryly adds "If you can imagine it".
"Only temporarily" says Helbe the elven thief, who gives a slight bow in the direction of the ranger Hait, and says "Riley has led you well enough in lord, er my absence" the young elven noble then adds "I'm sure he'll continue to do a fine job in leading the rest of you".
"No that's okay, you're in charge, now that you're back" says Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman who is glad that he's no longer in charge of the rest of the group.
"Thanks" sourly says the elven princeling as he looks at the mercenary ranger who was raised and trained by the elven warders of Envadarlen "Well, we might as well continue on our way" says the elven magic user who gestures in the direction the group were heading when he appeared amongst them.
As they start walking again, Helbe the elven thief after glancing in the direction of sir Percavelle Lé Dic, quietly says in elven to the ranger Hait who is walking beside him "There's things we need to talk about later". "Oh?" says Riley aka Zubutai Timaginson with an eyebrow raised.
The elven princeling nods his hooded head, then quietly tells the mercenary ranger "To do with where we're going, the fief Lé Dic, and what's happened there in recent history".
And before the human ranger who was brought up by elves can ask him anything more about it. The elven masterthief quietly says "But first thing first" the young elven noble from the principality of Laerel nods to where Tovis the war engineer is walking with Lisell Maera, and he quietly tells Riley Hait "There's things the engineer needs to know".
"About what?" asks the ranger Hait "About himself" replies prince Helbenthril Raendril.
The elven magic user makes his way over to where baron Harkonin's war engineer is walking with the attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury.
"A word with you Tovis" says Helbe the elven thief "Ah of course" says the young engineer who doesn't know what to make of the new arrival. Just that Lis has said he's a thief, and she's also implied that he's a spellcaster of some kind. Who happens to be in command of the group.
"I know you kind of don't know what's going on" says the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel, who has read the mind of Tovis, and knows the feelings of the war engineer, and what he thinks of the situation he's in at the moment.
"And that you're grateful for being saved yesterday from those out of control cockatrice" says the elven master assassin, who continues with "But for all that, you'd like to be back with your army".
"How did" says Tovis, who then glances at Lis beside him, who tells him "Told you he'd know things". "Advantages of being a magic user" says a grinning elven masterthief, who wipes the grin off his face, before he continues with "But i ask you one thing".
The young elven noble pauses, for dramatic effect of course, then he says "Do you want to go back to an army, led by a man who sent you to Falshire to die with the others who were essentially bait to draw the Lé Dic army into the Harkonin fief?" prince Helbenthri Raendril briefly pauses then he adds "A man, your baron, who sent you to that border town because it was suggested to him by his advisor the dark druid Palvarc?".
Tovis stops and stares at the elf in the hooded cloak, who stops too and looks back at him. The war engineer has always wondered why he was suddenly asked to go to Falshire with the force led by lord Sarvaine.
And from what he learnt when he got back to the Harkonin army. How those sent to the border town were basically sacrificed to draw the enemy army into the Harkonin fief.
The war engineer continues to stare at the elf named Helbe who tells him "Do you want to go back to your baron's army, when deep down you know his most trusted advisor wants you dead?" . . . . . .