The Lost Ones 32.

Summer. The Maldin Hills. The Southlands.

They continue southwards throughout the rest of the day, then into the evening.
It's only later at night do they turn east again and enter the Maldin Hills.
They walk late into the night, only stopping when they're unable to see where they're going. With the exception of Dorc da Orc, who can see as easily at night as he can during the day.
They've stopped amongst the rolling hills that can be found here on the west side of the hill country. Unlike over on the east side of the range, where for the most part, the hills are steep, almost like an escarpment in some places. Thrusting up from the flatland over on that side of the Maldin Hills.
After a cold meal, and after Tamric Drubine the field commander asks Saanea the witch, what her familiar sees at the moment.
And she tells him that the airship with the mercenaries stopped earlier in the night. Also amongst the rolling foothills, though further south of where they are.
They settle down for the night after field commander Drubine suspects the mercenaries from the lowlands and the coast, will attack another village or town sometime early in the morning.
Probably just after dawn, as they did the village that the group lived in previously.
They go to sleep, with the exception of Dorc da Orc who stays up all night. Knowing that they could very well encounter the mercenaries who they're after, sometime tomorrow morning.
They wake up well before dawn the next morning. To find a grumbling Dorc da Orc. Who was unsuccessful in catching some nearby wild goats in the night.
Looking away to the south in the darkness. Saying he can just see the airship they're after. On a hillside about five or six miles away.
Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by the others in the group.
Hurries the others up, and they're soon underway again. As they head south through the gently rolling hills.
The nobleborn teenager originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, knows that there's a couple of villages nearby that the mercenaries from the flatlands and the coast could very well attack this morning.
He suspects it will be the one further up in the hill country, on this side of the range.
As it's very similar to the village that the group stayed in previously. It has an abundant and fruitful orchard and vineyard.
And like all the towns and villages higher up in the Maldin Hills. It's a terraced village, that's hard to defend. Especially from the air if an airship was to attack it.
As they walk along the trail in the darkness, with Dorc da Orc leading the way this early in the morning.
Field commander Drubine as he walks close to Saanea the witch. Occasionally asks the pretty looking hillwoman what her familiar is seeing at this time. As it is very close to the mercenaries from the lowlands and coast, and their airship.
Infact the familiar is actually onboard the airship at this time of the morning, well before dawn.
The falcon as it perches upon a spar up in the forward mast. Looks down at a sailor who is supposed to be on watch. But is dozing as he stands up against the mast.
There's another sailor on watch in the bow, but he's too busy looking out and away from the vessel, to notice that his fellow sailor is dozing against the mast behind him.
The witch's familiar hears then sees those onboard waking up. As the crew members who have the watch at the moment. Wait for the other members of the crew, along with the passengers to wake up.
The familiar changes form, and turns into a mouse and scrambles down a line to the deck.
It leaps off the line, and in midair changes to a small cat. Smaller than the shape it usually changes into when it's a cat.
In the darkness, the familiar heads below deck as the crew and the passengers start waking.
The small dark cat heads aft, to the captain's cabin. Where a number of people who are already up, are having a brief meeting.
The familiar changes to a mouse again, and slips under the door, and enters the captain's cabin that's lit by a couple of lanterns.
It scurries over to an empty chair, and makes it's way up the back of it and onto it, and hops up onto a cluttered cabinet here in the cabin.
And hiding amongst the knickknacks on top of the cabinet, the small, tawny coloured mouse watches and listens to those who are in the cabin.
"Well get underway soon sir" says the ship's captain as he opens one of the windows here in the aft cabin.
"I'll see to the preparations" continues the captain.
The merchant Sharnd who actually owns the ship, nods his head, then says "Very well captain".
The airship captain nods, and nods to the others in the cabin, then he makes his way out of it, closing the door behind him.
Once the captain is out of the cabin, Brossic the lowlander, who is also the leader of the crew of mercenaries, asks "Are they ready?" followed by "Do they all know what to do?".
"They are" says Spranen the mercenary, who continues with "And they do".
Next to him, his fellow mercenary Halnard, who like Spranen is also from the large coastal port town of Gilsom, nods in agreement.
Brossic then looks at the spellcaster amongst them, and asks "Think you'll have trouble of any kind?".
"None" says Grunna the sorcerer, who is from further south along the coast.
The spellcaster who wears leather armour and a sword, continues with "There were no spellcasters there when we stopped off there a few weeks ago" he then adds "And the locals i spoke to there, said they hadn't had a spellcaster living amongst them in generations".
The sorcerer from the coast of the Southlands momentarily pauses before he continues with "Well get no magical trouble from there, I'm certain of it".
Brossic nods, as he was expecting as much. No trouble from spellcraft when they attack the village this morning, that they've targeted.
Still, he'll caution the sorcerer Grunna to keep a lookout for any spellcasters all the same. As you can never be too careful in matters like this.
"The ship's crew know what to do" says Sharnd the merchant, who continues with "The captain and his men will stand off, and only come in once we've finished, or if there's any trouble" he then adds "Which I'm not expecting any".
Brossic nods in agreement, then the leader of the mercenary crew says "Remember, be careful of their hunters" followed by "Their bowmen can be accurate, so expect a few casualties like last time".
The others all nod, as they lost three of the hired mercenaries when they attacked the first village further north in the Maldin Hills.
And six others were injured, all healed now thanks to the work of the sorcerer Grunna, and a field surgeon who is amongst the other mercenaries.
The leader of the mercenary crew, who hails from down in the lowlands, looks at the other four in the lamp lit cabin, then asks them "Anything else?".
They shake their heads no, then Spranen from Gilsom says "Let's do this". As they can hear the others onboard, heading up onto the deck, as the airship is about to lift off.
"Right then" says Brossic, who then continues with "Let's get going then".
And the leader of the crew of mercenaries heads out of the captain's cabin followed by the other four.
Last of whom is Halnard from Gilsom, who after blowing the lanterns out, closes the cabin door behind him, before he follows the others up on deck.
In the cabin after the door closes, the tawny coloured mouse pops it's head up, and looks around with it's tiny nose twitching.
It then darts through the clutter of knickknacks on the top of the cabinet it's on, and jumps off the top of the cabinet.
Then in midair, above the cabin floor it changes form into a falcon, and flies out of the open window here in the cabin.
It sweeps up into the air, circling high up above the airship in the darkness before dawn.
The familiar which can't be sensed by spellcasters unless they know to specifically sense for it.
Flies in lazy circles a few hundred feet above the twin masted vessel. Which eventually lifts off the ground, and starts heading higher up into the west side of the Maldin Hills.
Holding her right hand up for a halt, Saanea the witch who has stopped, and has closed her eyes, says "They're on the move".
The pretty looking hillwoman, who also happens to be a spellcaster, continues with "Going up into the range".
As she looks through the eyes of her familiar, the witch adds "They're heading to the village you thought they'd go to".
"Damn it" mutters Tamric Drubine the field commander in the elven language, who then calls out in common "Keep going!".
The nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin grabs the pretty looking hillwoman by the arm, and hustles her along.
With her eyes closed, Saanea walks quickly beside the young field commander, trusting him to lead the way.
"How long until they get there?" asks the son and former heir of a previous knight of castle Drubine, which is located in the forested north of the kingdom of Sarcrin.
"Just after dawn" is the reply from the witch, who then adds "Which isn't all that far away".
Next to her, Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by those who know him well, faintly winces.
As up ahead, he can now see the first blush of the light of pre dawn up on the high hills of the range.
As they scramble up a trail that goes higher up into the hill country.
The nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin who is now a senior officer in the armies of Farque, figures they're not going to get there before the mercenaries on their airship attack the village. Even if Saanea teleports them a few times.
He gives the witch a slight shake, and says to her "Open your eyes" followed by "Don't waste your time watching them".
The spellcaster from here in the Maldin Hills, opens her eyes. Then she nods her head and says "Soon" in response to field commander Drubine asking her "How long until you can teleport us".
Tam nods his head, as they follow the others up the trail. And even though he doesn't have to anymore, the young field commander in the armies of Farque still has a hold of the witch's arm as they head higher up into the range.
The witch Saanea isn't looking through the eyes of her familiar at the moment. But it is still observing the airship, and those onboard it. As dawn breaks upon the west side of the Maldin Hills.
The falcon, is looking down at the twin masted vessel, which isn't flying particular fast up the side of the range.
The captain and it's crew are flying it at a constant steady pace. Not all that high off the ground. Though high enough to clear anything, as it climbs in altitude up the face of the west side of the range.
Heading straight up towards a village, whose inhabitants are waking up to what will be another hot summer's day here in the hill country.
Onboard the airship, most of the mercenaries, are down low next to the rails on either side of the vessel.
While the crew are up and about, sailing the twin masted vessel up towards what is a fairly large village, that has an orchard and vineyard on the terrace below it.
On the bow deck of the airship, crouching down as they approach the village in the gloomy light of dawn.
Brossic the lowlander says to the spellcaster next to him "Keep an eye out for any spellcasters in the area".
The leader of the mercenary crew continues with "I know there's none in the village itself, but i don't want any surprises if there is one in the general area".
"I'll keep a watch out" is the quiet reply of Grunna the sorcerer who is from the coast of the Southlands.
The two of them look back, as they're joined by both Spranen and Halnard. Who inform them that all the mercenaries are ready to attack.
Then Brossic looks aft, to where Sharnd the merchant is with the captain by the wheel.
In the early morning light, he sees the lowlander merchant nod. The signal, that all is ready.
The leader of the crew of mercenaries feels it too, as the airship starts to slow down, quite considerably too.
"Get ready" quietly says Brossic to the waiting mercenaries crouched down alongside the starboard and port rails.
Then he looks at Grunna, and quietly asks him "You ready?".
"I am" replies the practitioner of magic, who has sensed for a spellcaster in the village, and in the immediate area, and found none.
Brossic nods his head, then quietly orders "Archers ready".
Those with bows and crossbows, get ready to shoot their weapons. While others are holding ropes, that are tied to the rails along the starboard and port side.
"Ready when you are" quietly says Brossic to his fellow mercenary Grunna, who nods his head as he prepares to cast.
The sorcerer from down the coast, waits for the twin masted airship to come to an almost complete stop, as the captain is carefully watching the lookouts up in the crow's nest.
Then the vessel that belongs to Sharnd the merchant comes to a stop, above the edge of the orchard and vineyard, which is on the terrace just beneath the village.
When it does, Grunna the sorcerer stands up, and casts his spell. A moment later a fireball streaks from the bow of the airship in the dawn light, towards a building on the edge of village, just up from the vineyard and orchard.
"Go!" orders Brossic the lowlander, and all the bowmen and crossbowmen, stand up, and take aim at anyone who is up and about this morning in the village, and shoot at them.
While the other mercenaries toss the ropes tied to the rails, over the side. And start climbing down them to the ground.
Circling a few hundred feet above the ground, the familiar that belongs to Saanea the witch, which is in the form of a falcon at the moment.
Watches as the airship drifts up towards the large village, as the mercenaries onboard start to shimmy down the ropes they've thrown overboard.
And in the early morning light of dawn, on what feels like it's going to be another hot day here in the Maldin Hills.
The magical familiar, unknown to those below, watches the attack upon the large hillmen village by the group of mercenaries from the lowlands and coast.
The lead group of whom, who number five. Intend to carve out a nation of their own, here along the western side of the hill country . . . . . .