The Hire 17.

The Border Region. The Foothills. The Colevar Mountains...

"Hell, i can't see anything" mutters one of the following soldiers.
"Quiet" says the robber baron Gergus with a look back at his men who are following behind him.
The robber baron doesn't want a reprimand from the young cavalry commander whose patrol they're part of tonight.
"Stop" says a quiet voice up ahead, and Gergus along with his second Hammind, who happens to be his brother inlaw. Along with their squad of a dozen, bring their horses to a stop.
"Dismount" comes the quiet order from up ahead in the darkness. And the robber baron and his squad dismount.
Gergus is about to quietly remark about something to his brother inlaw Hammind. When out of the night, a figure walks right beside the two of them. Causing them to both jump in fright.
It's one of the scouts in the cavalry patrol. The silent scout. A cavalry soldier who doesn't have a horse.
"By the gods i swear that fellow isn't human" mutters Hammind to his brother inlaw the robber baron.
Then the two of them grimace as a voice somewhere infront of them in the darkness, quietly says "I'm not".
"Well, that answers that for you" quietly murmurs Gergus to his second, who is married to his younger sister Jana.
In the darkness as he stands beside his brother inlaw as they both hold the reins of their mounts. Hammind the axe fighter sourly smiles.
The night beneath the branches of the trees they're in is darker than usual. For the simple reason that tonight, so far at least. Just one of the moons of Volunell is up over this part of the world. And it's the smallest of the moons, Ovean.
Though at this time of the year, the largest of the three moons. Ilnari, will be up in the night sky above the Southlands at some time. Usually after midnight.
The night is fairly cool too. Especially in contrast to the hot days that the southern reaches of the Colevar Mountains has endured so far in the early summer.
The robber baron Gergus knows that a cool night in the foothills on the eastern side of the mountain range usually heralds a storm the next day at this time of year.
He wonders if it will rain sometime tomorrow. He hopes so. As rainfall during the summer in the southern reaches of the Colevar Mountains always drops the temperature for a day or two.
Out of the darkness infront of them walks a figure. A figure, that once Gergus sees it, he can't take his eyes from.
"You two come along then" quietly says Lisell Maera to the robber baron and his second.
The brother inlaws hand the reins of their mounts to one of the soldiers in their squad.
Then they follow after the runner in the armies of Farque, who has joined the cavalry patrol.
"Are we across the border?" quietly asks Gergus, who this afternoon, recognised the country they were traveling through as being close to the border with the kingdom of Nastell.
He figures by now they've crossed over the border into the kingdom, and it's northern most duchy, Phelm,
Infront of him, Lisell Maera, or Lis as she's more commonly called by those who know her well, stays silent on the subject.
Infact, she keeps silent apart from telling the robber baron and his second, to keep up, and to keep quiet.
They pass by those in the cavalry patrol they've been traveling with. Catching glimpses of horses and soldiers in the darkness, standing beneath trees.
Both Gergus and Hammind find it almost impossible to clearly see the soldiers in the mercenary army from the lands Farque this night.
Their dark armour, along with their black tabbards and cloaks. Are a definite advantage at night, as they all but blend into the darkness.
They're going uphill, up an incline. The brother inlaws can definitely feel that. Between a couple of trees up ahead, they can just make out a couple of figures in the darkness, kneeling down. With their backs to them, looking to the south.
The adjunctant Kalleb, glances back, and when the robber baron and his second are close enough to see, he nods for them to crouch down as the runner Lis has done.
On the otherside of Kalleb, his commander, who happens to be a member of the personal council of lord Farque, Darid Parsen glances at Gergus and Hammind who Lisell Maera has brought forward.
"Dalbar Falls" quietly says Darid Parsen the cavalry commander to the robber baron and his second.
We're definitely across the border, Gergus thinks to himself as he sees in the distance, about three quarters of a mile away, the large village, well it's a town really, of Dalbar Falls.
And by the fires burning on one side of it, a fairly decent sized camp is next to the village. The largest village within five miles of the border, in this area of the southern reaches in the duchy of Phelm.
The robber baron, who is conscious of the attractive young woman crouching beside him. Looks to his right, where commander Parsen quietly says "Here".
His adjunctant Kalleb is handed something by the cavalry commander, and in turn, he passes it onto Gergus.
The robber baron finds that he's holding a brass, cylindrical eyepiece that's wrapped in leather.
He's used such a thing before, though never at night. As you can't exactly see in the dark with them.
"What use is" quietly says the youngest of the five robber barons of the unruled lands who have decided to wage war upon the duke of Phelm, duke Hargen.
He's interrupted by the adjunctant Kalleb, who quietly tells him "Look through it". It's not a request, it's an order.
Gergus refrains from scowling, as he can never get used to being ordered around.
Instead he lifts the cylindrical eyepiece up, and looks through the end of it with his left eye.
"Hells" mutters the robber baron after he jerks his head back in surprise.
He puts the device up to his left eye again, quietly asking "How does it do that?". "Magic" is the quiet reply of Kalleb, the adjunctant to commander Parsen.
Figures, Gergus dryly thinks to himself as he looks through the leather wrapped, cylindrical eyepiece, that's about six inches in length.
He can see the village of Dalbar Falls fairly close up. Though the image he sees through the magical eyepiece has a predominant tinge of green to it.
And whenever he looks at a source of light, like a cook fire, or a lit torch. The image briefly flares white before settling back down to the familiar green tinge.
Gergus, who knows the large village of Dalbar Falls well. After all, he's been here many times. As he and those in his claim within the unruled lands, during times of peace, often trade with the people in the villages and towns close to the border in northern Phelm.
He sees the familiar river and weir to the east of the village, that gives it, it's name.
While on the western side of the village. Which is normally open ground. Lies the unfamiliar. A war camp. As it's being used as a staging ground for the army of duke Hargen,
"How many there do you think?" quietly asks Gergus "A few hundred" is the quiet reply from Darid Parsen.
The cavalry commander, who just over a year and a half ago, was a foot soldier in the army of lady Linara Lé Dic in the kingdom of Druvic.
Then tells the robber baron and his second "And more in the village itself".
Hells! Gergus thinks to himself, as there's less than fifty of them all together. He hopes the young cavalry commander doesn't have it in mind to attack the enemy this night.
The robber baron is all for attacking them, just not now, and with so little soldiers with them. If they had three, preferably four times as many soldiers in their army with them, he'd be all for an attack upon the enemy using Dalbar Falls as a staging ground.
With us numbering less than fifty, you can forget about it, Gergus thinks to himself as he continues to look through the magical eyepiece.
Then the robber baron winces when commander Parsen quietly says "We'll attack them a little bit later tonight".
How did i know you were going to say that, Gergus thinks to himself in an extremely dry tone, the robber baron who is continuing to look through the magical eyepiece, voices his concerns.
"There's quite a few of them down there" quietly says Gergus, who after a moment's pause, adds "Compared to us".
"True" says the young cavalry commander, who in actuality is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra, by the name of Zubutai Timaginson. Who by no fault of his own, finds himself inhabiting the body of Darid Parsen.
"But we have a slight advantage" quietly adds commander Parsen, who is a member of the personal council of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
"Oh?" murmurs the robber baron, who as he kneels there in the near darkness of the night, continues with "What's that?".
Darid aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman doesn't answer him, nor does the adjunctant Kalleb. And Lisell Maera keeps silent too, as she's done since they joined the cavalry commander and his second.
Not getting any answer, the robber baron quietly says "Are we waiting for something then?".
"Yes" is the answer from the former soldier in the army of the Lé Dic fief in eastern Druvic.
"The scouts" adds Darid Parsen, who sent the scout who had been shadowing Gergus and his squad during the ride here. Down to join the other scout in his patrol down in, and around the village of Dalbar Falls.
"What scouts?" murmurs the robber baron, who as he continues to look through the magical eyepiece, quietly adds "I can't see any of the scouts".
"That's the point" quietly says Kalleb in a dry tone of voice, who continues in that same tone with "You're not supposed to see them".
The second in command of the mounted patrol then quietly says in elven "And there's the fact you actually can't see one of them when he's scouting".
Which illicits a slight smile from both Lisell Maera and Darid Parsen. While both Gergus, and his brother inlaw Hammind frown as they don't understand what the adjunctant just said.
The robber baron who finds the adjunctant a more disagreeable individual compared to the young cavalry commander. For the simple reason Kalleb is far more sarcastic, and biting in his comments when he deals with Gergus, and anyone else in the armies of the five robber barons who have decided to band together, and wage war upon duke Hargen of Phelm.
Hands the leather wrapped, brass, cylindrical eyepiece back to the adjunctant, who nudges him to hand it back.
Kalleb passes the magical eyepiece back to his commander, who resumes looking through it, as he was doing before Lis brought forward the robber baron Gergus, and his second in command, Hammind.
After a while, Darid aka Zubutai Timaginson quietly says in elven "Varric is coming back up".
"One of ours" quietly says Kalleb a little while later to the robber baron and his second when they see movement just up ahead of them through the shrubs and low trees that dot this side of the hill, that leads down to the village of Dalbar Falls.
In elven, the scout Varric quietly reports to his commander what he has found out about the enemy who have set up camp in and around the village of Dalbar Falls.
Darid Parsen listens in silence, then nods his head, when Varric ends with "Zaneff has decided to stay down there. He said he'd be more comfortable in the river anyway. And that he'll be ready when you give the signal".
"Good" murmurs the cavalry commander in elven, who then tells the scout "Inform the rest of the patrol what we're about to do. Tell them in detail the plan". Darid aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman has already told his patrol a rough plan of what they'll do later tonight. But he wants them to know it detail now.
"Kalleb and i will speak with them in a bit too" quietly adds commander Parsen, who then tells the scout "Then go and keep eye on that other lot, don't want them blundering about in the night giving us away".
"Yes commander" quietly says the scout Varric, who then moves away.
"Inform those two of the plan" quietly says the young cavalry commander in elven to his adjunctant Kalleb.
His second in command slightly grunts, then turns his head and looks at Gergus and Hammind, and in the common language, he quietly says to them "Right, listen up, this is what we're going to do".
Both the robber baron and his second, even though they want to ask questions, they're silent as they listen to Kalleb quietly explain what the plan is.
It's only after adjunctant finishes explaining things, does the robber baron Gergus quietly asks "How are we going to break that dam?" he follows that up with "We don't have any spellcasters with us". Kalleb grins in the darkness, and quietly says "You'll see".
"You think it'll flood through the village?" quietly asks the robber baron.
This time it's commander Parsen who answers with "We'll find out, won't we" the young cavalry commander then adds "Now be quiet". Which is not a suggestion, and definitely an order.
They wait there for some time, as the night grows cooler. They sit on the ground after having a cold meal of trail rations and bread that was baked in camp early this morning.
Then after a while, first Kalleb, then Darid Parsen, move back and quietly speak with their patrol.
While the robber baron, and his brother inlaw, remain at the top of the incline. Along with the runner Lisell Maera, who has the leather wrapped, brass, cylindrical eyepiece, which she's using to watch the village of Dalbar Falls.
Even though it's dark, the attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury, out of the corner of her left eye, can see Gergus watching her.
After awhile, she sees the robber baron about to ask her something as she looks through the magical eyepiece.
He's interrupted by the return of the adjunctant Kalleb, then a moment later by the cavalry commander Darid Parsen.
"If you could inform your men on what's happening, and what they're to do" quietly says Darid aka Zubutai the son of Timagin to the robber baron and his second.
"We'll do that" quietly says Gergus, who after a final look in the direction of Lisell Maera.
Heads back with his brother inlaw Hammind to tell their men what the plan for tonight is. A what their part in that plan is.
The runner in the mercenary army from the lands Farque hands the magical eyepiece back to commander Parsen, who quietly tells her in elven "Lis i want you and two others to keep an eye on them when things start" the cavalry commander continues "Make sure they do what they've been told when things kick off".
Although she rather wouldn't, Lisell Maera quietly says in the elven language "I will".
Then the three of them wait, with Darid Parsen looking through the magical eyepiece, paying particular attention to the river and the weir to the east of the village of Dalbar Falls . . . . . .