The Homecoming 115.

A Tailwind Chase...

Even though the morning dawned cool, the day has turned out to be fairly warm for the start of spring.
And as he floats in the air, about two hundred feet off the ground. Helbe the elven thief, who is looking westward, glances back at the sun in the fairly clear, spring sky.
The young elven noble from the principality of Laerel, who is blurred and shielded, looks back to the west, and scans the sky in that direction for a few more moments, before he shifts down to the ground.
The elven masterthief is walking across a field that's been planted with grain here in the west of the Lé Dic fief. The elven princeling doesn't walk that far, before he's joined by Narladene the ground pixie, who after popping up from beneath the field, lands upon the right shoulder of the blurred and shielded elven spellcaster.
"Did you spot it?" asks Narladene the ground pixie, who as usual when the two of them are alone, speaks in the elven language.
"I did" replies Helbe the elven thief who continues with "It's a warship alright" followed by "A frigate in the kingdom's aircorp".
The elven princeling from Laerel, momentarily stops as he asks the tiny winged creature who is standing on his right shoulder "Where is he?".
"He's making his way to it" replies the naturally magical creature who is originally from the Sunreach Mountains, she continues with "Though he's taking a roundabout way to it" Narladene then adds "He must've spotted it by now, but he's not exactly going straight to it".
The elven magic user slightly nods his head, then quietly says "Wonder if he knows he's being followed?".
"I wouldn't put it past him" says the ground pixie, who after a brief pause, grimaces as she adds "Considering that staff he's got".
The elven master assassin slightly grimaces at that too. Then he says to the tiny winged creature who is 'attached' to him "Should we continue after him, or go straight to that frigate, which he's obviously going to even though he's going back and forth over the western part of the fief to get to it".
"Hmmm decisions, decisions" murmurs Narladene, who is glad whenever the young elven noble involves her in his decisions, and after a moment, she says "Might as well go straight to that ship" the ground pixie continues with "If nothing else, you can find out why they've been sent here".
"My thoughts exactly" murmurs the elven master archer, who then adds "Might as well do that".
The grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel takes a step, and is about to cast his shift spell. When all of a sudden, Narladene feels him tense up, and stiffen. She looks sharply at the young elven noble, and sees his eyes roll back, before closing as he starts to fall sideways.
The naturally magical creature leaps away as the elven spellcaster topples sideways, and falls to the ground.
The tiny winged creature takes a sharp intake of breath, even though she doesn't breathe as such. Then she sourly smiles as she realises what's just happened to the elven masterthief.
"Drats" mutters the ground pixie as she looks down at the unconscious elven princeling "What a time for that to happen" adds Narladene with a shake of her head as she lands upon the ground next to the young elven noble, who has been overcome, by the unique power that he has. The power of foresight.
The tiny winged creature knows that prince Helbenthril Raendril won't be unconscious for long. As his unique power, which isn't magical in anyway. Which is also hereditary, as his grandfather Prince Raendril of Laerel also has it.
Is usually unconscious from a few moments, to about a sixty heartbeats at the longest, depending what his foresight is showing him.
Which is usually who lord Farque wants found. Which is what happened the last time it overtook the young elven noble. When it showed him Tovis the war engineer, and where, more or less to find him.
Wonder what it is? Narladene thinks to herself, who doesn't have to wait long for the elven spellcaster to regain consciousness. As he starts waking up about a dozen heartbeats after he hits the ground.
Helbe the elven thief groans as he wakes up "Aaarggghhh" mutters the elven magic user who rolls onto his side, and takes a deep breath as he opens his eyes, and finds Narladene standing right infront of his face, grinning. Though it's a grin of relief, more than anything, as she knows there's nothing actually wrong with the elven princeling who she's 'attached' to.
"Who is it?" asks the tiny winged creature who naturally assumes it's someone that the young elven noble's foresight has just shown him.
"No one" says the elven master assassin as he sits up. Narladene's eyebrows go up in surprise when she hears that, then she asks the elven spellcaster from the island principality of Laerel "Then what is it?".
"My death" says prince Helbenthril Raendril, which causes the ground pixie's mouth to drop open in shock.
"Well it will be if i go straight to that frigate that's heading this way" says the elven masterthief, who takes his water bottle from his belt, and takes a drink from it.
"What?" says the tiny winged creature in a demanding tone "I'll get killed if i go straight to that airship, and get there before that dark druid does" says the highly talented elven magic user, who recasts his blur and shield spells, since he automatically dropped them when he fell unconscious.
The young elven noble whose father is the Warder of Quinthain, and whose mother is the daughter of Prince Raendril, and who is next in line to rule the principality of Laerel. Gets up off the ground, and nods his hooded head when Narladene asks him "Are you sure?".
"Absolutely" says the elven master assassin, who then adds "It's never been wrong" he briefly pauses, before continuing in a dry tone with "Besides it showed me a few hundred scenarios at how I'll die, if go straight there. I kind of got the point fairly quickly, but it wanted to show me every single one".
The naturally magical creature winces, then says "Hmmm, i guess we continue after him then". "I guess so" says Helbe the elven thief, who at this time, can't sense the dark druid Palvarc, who is out of his range.
So he asks the ground pixie, who can magically sense far greater distances than he can "Where is he?".
"That way" says Narladene who points more to the northwest, for the approaching Druvician aircorp frigate, which is about ten miles away, more to the southwest, than directly west "About five miles away now" adds the tiny winged creature, who 'attached' herself to prince Helbenthril Raendril, nearly a decade ago.
The elven masterthief nods his hooded head, then he shift up into the sky, a few hundred feet up off the ground.
As he floats there, with Narladene upon his right shoulder, the blurred and shielded elven spellcaster looks away to the northwest. Then he looks back to the east, to a hilltop about a mile away. And spots Shur Kee the monk where he left him.
"Go back and tell Shur Kee I'm continuing after the dark druid" says prince Helbenthril Raendril who then adds "Then catch back up to me".
The ground pixie nods her tiny head, then takes off towards where the short, statured monk is waiting.
Then because it can go further than shifting, the elven magic user casts a teleport spell. And heads to the northwest, as he continues to chase after the advisor to baron Harkonin, the dark druid Palvarc.
Shur Kee the monk, who slightly frowned a few moments ago, as he thought he spotted Helbe the elven thief in the distance to the west, sitting in a field before disappearing.
Closes his eyes again, as he sits near a tree upon a hilltop. Enjoying the sunshine on what's turned out to be a clear and sunny morning here in the Lé Dic fief.
The acolyte in the philosophical order of Bru Li, knows that the pleasant day is at odds with what's happening further back to the east in the fief. Where a battle is taking place at castle Lé Dic.
But these times are to be cherished. So the short, statured monk from the kingdom of Wah Lee, on the far eastern coast of the continent.
Starts to meditate again, clearing his mind as he was taught to do when he was child, when he first entered the monastery of his order. After being placed there by the local constable in his town, after one too many street fights as a child.
The monk, faintly smiles just before his mind goes blank as he enters a meditative state. The same state he enters at times in battle.
Though we does that, he becomes the living conduit of the power of the founder of his philosophical order. The Jade Warrior, Bru Li.
The acolyte, who is a physical adept. Doesn't stay in that meditative state for long. As he's soon interrupted by a familiar female voice that says to him "Shur Kee".
The short, statured monk, who has his odd, conical shaped hat, beside him on the ground with his staff. Opens his eyes, and briefly sees a grinning Narladene the ground pixie hovering infront of him, with her tiny, gossamer like wings beating, faster than the eye can see.
The naturally, magical creature disappears, but the acolyte in the order of Bru Li, hears her say "Helbe is continuing after that dark druid".
The tiny winged creature follow that with "He's wondering all over the place as he heads most likely to that warship".
After nodding his head, Shur Kee the monk asks "And the airship?" he then adds "Is it still heading this way friend Narladene?".
"It is" replies the ground pixie, who then adds "It's coming directly this way from the west and south" she continues on with "You might be able spot it in the distance soon. It's about ten miles away at the moment".
The physical adept nods again as the tiny winged creature tells him "Helbe will come and get you when he decides to confront that dark druid".
Then Shur Kee listens in silence to the invisible ground pixie, as she details what the young elven noble plans to do, when he takes on baron Harkonin's advisor, the dark druid Palvarc.
And what the acolyte in the order of Bru Li might be expected to do. Especially with that the dark druid, who at the moment is taking a roundabout route to get to the approaching airship from the king's fleet, the Druvician aircorp.
Which will pass near, or directly over the line of hills, with one of those hills, Shur Kee is sitting on.
"I will wait for friend Helbe to return then" says the short, statured monk once the naturally magical creature explains what prince Helbenthril Raendril will do.
And when he doesn't hear anything from Narladene again, he assumes, correctly too. That the ground pixie has left him, and is making her way to wherever the elven magic user is.
Shur Kee closes his eyes again, and once more goes into a meditative state. As he sits there in the warm spring sun, waiting for the airship from the capital Leeabra to show up, and for Helbe the elven thief to return.
Still to far away to sense baron Harkonin's advisor, the dark druid Palvarc. The elven princeling Helbenthril Raendril teleports again, this time to the edge of a stand of woods, near a track that leads to a nearby village.
The blurred and shielded elven magic user decides to wait for Narladene to catch up to him, as she'll be able to locate and follow the dark druid far more easily than he could.
As he waits, the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel floats up into the air so that he can get a better look at the village about half a mile away to the north.
The village must in the lands of the Range Lord, who until earlier this morning, was sir Parvin Dé Gorveré. Which includes the hills, one of which Shur Kee is on. That continue north, and turn west, further north of the village that the elven masterthief is looking at.
Why is he crisscrossing this part of the fief? Helbe the elven thief thinks to himself as he floats in the air, wondering why the dark druid Palvarc, is going here and there across the western part of the Lé Dic fief. When he's obviously heading towards the approaching airship. Though he's not going directly to it.
The elven master assassin who initially thought the dark druid is taking his time, and meandering across this part of the fief. To lose any magical pursuit. Wonders if baron Harkonin's advisor is going on a roundabout way to that Druvician aircorp frigate for another reason instead.
The grandson of Prince Raendril frowns as he knows the worship of the old ways, isn't too prevalent in the Lé Dic fief. It's here, but it's no where near as common as it is in the Harkonin fief to the east.
Probably due to the Lé Dic family being staunch supporters of the main churches and temples in the kingdom of Druvic. They being one of the first noble families in the kingdom to convert to the worship of the gods from the old druidic ways. Even though they live in the region of the kingdom where the old ways are still actively worshiped.
"He can't have any support here" murmurs the highly talented elven spellcaster, as he knows those here in the Lé Dic fief, who do follow the druidic ways, don't follow the dark druids.
So he's up to something else then, Helbe the elven thief thinks to himself, who then looks away from the nearby village, and looks directly southwest, and frowns.
The elven princeling casts 'Eyes Of The Eagle'. An elven farseeing spell. Which increases his already enhanced eyesight, to be able to see far into the distance. Well over twenty five miles with clarity, and close up.
He looks beyond the approaching airship, where he can see the crew trying to get more speed from the frigate as the winds are light, and they're flying into it.
He looks far beyond it, to just over the border to the Gallus fief. And he sees the wooded hills, in the south of that fief.
The young elven noble looks to a specific hill dotted with trees, that he's already been to since arriving in this part of the kingdom.
The elven masterthief spots what he's looking for. A druid's circle, the same one that lord Farque and Mira Reinholt the mage disappeared through.
"Shit" mutters prince Helbenthril Raendril, who a few moments later looks at his right shoulder, where Narladene the ground pixie has just appeared.
And before she can say anything, he asks her "Are there any druid circles in the area?" he continues with "Partial ones, complete ones, or even sites where they once stood?".
The naturally magical creature lifts her eyebrows, then senses all around in every direction.
As she does, Helbe the elven thief asks her "And if so, has he been stopping at them this morning?".
A few moments later, after she locates a handful of druidic circles, though none nearly complete like the one just across the border in the Gallus fief.
She mutters "Shit" which causes the young elven noble to wince as he realises what the dark druid Palvarc has been up to since leaving the battle at castle Lé Dic . . . . . .