The Lost Ones 53.

Summer. The Island Chain In The Sultanate Of Dreese.

With the sun rising in the east they walk south along the dirt road from the camp.
The Viceroy of Dreese walks beside the elf in the gray hooded cloak who has just recently come back from this way.
While the others, the one called the lord or dead man. The other elf in the white hooded cloak. The halfling who is a former air sailor. The fighting cleric along with the young engineer. Walk behind the two of them who are out infront.
Meanwhile quite a lot of the soldiers, sailors, air sailors and personal guards who were in camp.
Are following at a distance as they all head south to a beach that's about a mile and a half from the site of the camp.
Out on the water, ships that were anchored off the shore where the camp is located. Are heading south as well.
While word has got over to the island to the east, on the otherside of the channel. And ships are heading across the channel to see what's happening.
The dirt road goes inland a bit through the tropical forest. And they walk in silence until the road goes back to the shore just a few hundred feet from the long curving beach that's there destination.
They briefly stop there on the road, and the prisoner, the Viceroy of Dreese turns as one of his captors speaks to him.
"So" says lord Farque as he looks at the local nobleman "Are you ready?" adds the undead warlord.
After a few moments of silence, the Viceroy of Dreese nods his head, and replies with "I am".
"No use delaying things then" says the heavily armoured deathlord who then tells the prisoner "Good luck".
The local nobleman nods, then he along with Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy turn, and continue on their way down the road that leads off to the nearby beach. They're followed by the others, who walk at a slow and steady pace.
As they make their way off the dirt road, and cross a bit of open ground to the northern end of the beach.
Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy quietly says to the prisoner "Still got it?".
"I have" replies the local nobleman, who can't help but wryly smile as the tall, elven mercenary walking beside him quietly and dryly says "Let's hope to hell this works".
They walk onto the beach, and turn right and start heading down it. They're instantly noticed by many of those at the other end of the beach as they start making their way down it.
"I see my brother is slumming it again" wryly says the Viceroy of Dreese as he sees the large royal pavilion just up from the flagship of Sultan of Dreese's fleet.
"He does enjoy his creature comforts doesn't he" quietly says the elven spy who hails from the principality of Alínlae, which is all the way on the otherside of the continent, in the Southlands.
The Viceroy of Dreese just grunts to that, then he slightly nods his head, when they see activity from the far end of the long curving beach. And people start heading this way.
Meanwhile the rest of the group behind them, have made their way onto the beach and are following at a distance.
At about a hundred yards from the large triple masted airship nestled on the sands, and the pavilion near it.
Dalinvardél Tanith or Dalin as he's more commonly called by those who know him well. Along with the prisoner, the Viceroy of Dreese, briefly stop.
Then Dalin who is an officer in the scouts and rangers division in the armies of Farque. Takes the prisoner by the left arm, and they continue onwards along the beach.
While the others, stop a little more than a hundred yards from the Sultan's flagship and his pavilion.
Both of which are a hive of activity, as the spy Tanith and the local nobleman stop again, just twenty paces further forward from where they stopped previously.
As the early morning sunshine strikes the beach, there's a small group of people walking in this direction from the flagship and the pavilion.
Most of them are personal guards to the Sultan of Dreese. Along with a trio of others, two of whom are spellcasters that are under the control of the the supreme ruler of Dreese. And the other is the Sultan's herald. Often referred to as the voice of the Sultan.
"I can't believe that walking cadaver is still alive" murmurs the Viceroy referring to his older brother's herald.
"He does a pretty fair imitation of a skeleton doesn't he?" quietly says Dalin as they watch the group walking north along the beach towards them.
The local nobleman who is a spellcaster nods his head to that. As he can see the bulging of eyes, and the excitement on the faces of those walking this way, as they realise it's him standing here next to the tall, elven mercenary who has a hold of his left arm.
Even the pair of spellcasters under the direct control of his older brother the Sultan. Have a bit more life in their eyes than usual as they recognise him standing on the beach beside one of the foreign mercenaries.
And when the group from the Sultan's flagship and his large pavilion get to about fifteen yards from the two of them, Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy says "That's close enough".
They stop about a dozen yards away, when the herald holds up a hand. The cadaver like fellow who speaks for the Sultan, who has a wide grin on his gaunt looking face. Nods his head to Dalin, almost a bow. The only time he's ever shown any acknowledgment towards the elven spy whenever he's dealt with him.
"Greetings" says the  herald of the Sultan of Dreese, also the first time he's ever greeted the spy Tanith.
"Greetings" replies Dalinvardél Tanith who barely keeps the wry tone he feels out of his voice, as he looks at the herald, and the small group behind him.
The voice of the Sultan briefly looses his grin as he looks beyond Dalin and the Viceroy. To where lord Farque and the others are standing. He frowns at them, but satisfied that they're more than a hundred yards from the pavilion where the Sultan is. He looks at the tall elf in the gray hooded cloak, and the local nobleman who is his prisoner.
Dalin is silent as he holds the Viceroy's left arm in his right hand. As he waits for the herald to speak. Who he figures is bursting to speak, when he normally waits for the elven spy to start the conversation when they meet.
The elf from the Southlands, who previously served in one of the more prominent noble houses in his homeland of Alínlae, refrains from grinning as the herald can't contain himself.
"I see you lot have caught the traitor?" blurts out the voice of the Sultan.
Dalin waits a moment or two, then he nods and says "We have" followed by "And we have defeated his forces too" he then continues with "On the sea and in the air, as well as here on the island" the spy Tanith gestures to otherside of the channel as he adds "And on the other island too".
The herald, a local nobleman himself, grins in satisfaction at that, then as he looks at the Viceroy, he says "His majesty will be most pleased with this".
He glances at the two spellcasters standing behind him, one a wizard in maroon coloured robes, and the other a sorcerer. Both of whom nod in unison.
"Yes, he's very pleased with this" says the herald who can't help but gloat at the capture of the younger brother of the Sultan of Dreese.
"I can well imagine" loudly murmurs Dalin in a wry tone of voice, which causes the prisoner to slightly grin, and the herald to briefly scowl.
The voice of the herald doesn't let that annoy him, and instead gestures at the Viceroy, well former Viceroy as he's been stripped of his position by his older brother the Sultan of Dreese.
"You are to hand over the prisoner" states the skeletal looking local who is the Sultan's herald.
"Yes" says the spy Tanith who pauses for a moment, before continuing on with "Though when the terms of the agreement are met" the elf from the Southlands then silently adds, here we go then.
The herald slightly grimaces, and does so again when Dalinvardél Tanith says to him "You know, the handing over of the mage who is one of us, who the Sultan has control of" followed by "And one of his airships, as we agreed upon".
The voice of the Sultan steps back as the wizard steps forward, and has a quiet word with the herald. A private conversation that Dalin can clearly here. As the locals don't have elves living amongst them, and don't know that their hearing and sight are far superior to that of humans.
The herald steps forward again after he briefly scowls, he says to the foreign mercenary "Very well".
The spy Tanith slightly nods his hooded head, then he says to the herald "We are to hand him over to the Sultan" he continues with "Well that would be me, since most of the others aren't allowed within a hundred yards of him".
The voice of the Sultan scowls once more, and when he doesn't reply straight away to Dalin, the elf from the Southlands slightly turns his hooded head to glance at the others standing just over twenty yards behind him and the prisoner.
Lord Farque looks at the herald and says to him "Tell that fat fuck you serve that if he doesn't honour the agreement we decided on, he doesn't get his brother" the undead warlord then adds "I'll kill the Viceroy myself if that tubby cunt doesn't uphold his part of the agreement, and that we get what we want when we hand the prisoner over ourselves".
The herald of the Sultan of Dreese angrily scowls, more because of the way the majestic one, the supreme ruler of Dreese, was described by the foreign mercenary called the dead man.
The local nobleman steps back, when the wizard behind him clears his throat. The two of them, have a brief and quiet conversation, which Dalin easily listens to.
With his left hand behind his back, the spy Tanith makes a few hand signals to the others as he hears what the wizard and the herald just discussed. And in reply he hears lord Farque murmur to him in the elven language "Go ahead".
"Very well then" says the voice of the Sultan who can't keep the sour tone out of his voice after he steps forward again.
"Bring the traitor along" adds the herald as he gestures at the Viceroy who is the younger brother of the supreme ruler of the Sultanate of Dreese.
Dalin nods his hooded head, and with his right hand firmly gripping the left arm of the Viceroy of Dreese, the two of them walk slowly forward.
At a command from the herald, the personal guards to the Sultan who are with him, surround him and the two spellcasters, and the elven mercenary and the prisoner.
As they all start to walk south along the curving beach towards the large triple masted vessel that's the Sultan's flagship, and the large royal pavilion that's beside it.
The herald, who is walking to the spy Tanith's left, asks the elf who towers over him and the other locals "How is that the traitor is unable to touch his magic?".
The voice of the Sultan gestures at the robed wizard walking beside him, as he says to the foreign mercenary "He's unable to sense him".
"There's a spell cast upon him that prevents him for accessing his magic" says the elf form the Southlands, who shrugs as he continues with "I've no idea how it works, but i could call back to the one in my group who cast it, and tell him to give us a demonstration upon him" as he nods at the wizard walking on the otherside of the herald.
Both Dalin and the Viceroy slightly smile as a look of horror crosses the face of the wizard who is under the direct control of the supreme ruler of the Sultanate.
"That won't be necessary" sourly says the skeletal looking fellow who is a member of the Sultan's court. Infact he's one of the most important members, as he's the Sultan's herald.
"I thought not" the spy Tanith murmurs to himself in the elven language.
Who then looks to those infront of the royal pavilion who are watching the group walk along the beach towards them.
The elf form the principality of Alínlae in the Southlands, sees most of those he's seen before whenever he's spoken with the Sultan.
Most of the members of the Sultan's court who are traveling with him during this campaign.
While the others are up on the deck of the flagship watching the small group walking down the beach towards the triple masted airship, and the large tent that's the royal pavilion.
Also outside, infront of the large pavilion, is most of the cadre of spellcasters under the direct control of the supreme ruler of Dreese.
And apart from the two walking on the otherside of the herald. The rest of the practitioners of magic controlled by the Sultan, are up on the deck of the flagship. Watching what's going on, as the sun continues to rise, here in the very north of the island chain, that's off the coast of the mainland of Dreese.
Amongst those spellcasters standing infront of the large royal pavilion. Dalinvardél Tanith sees Mira Reinholt the mage, who he spoke to earlier at the crack of dawn.
As he looks at the member of the group from the Southlands, who is the under the control of the supreme ruler of Dreese.
The spy Tanith hopes the once powerful mage from the city-state of Vexil in the Southlands, remembers what he's supposed to do.
Then as some of the Sultan's personal guards stand to either side of the front of the pavilion.
The Sultan himself makes his way from the large tent, with a deep grin in the creases of his pudgy face.
The rotund nobleman who rules the Sultanate makes his way up onto a raised platform that's been placed infront of his pavilion.
As he sits amongst the cushions on the platform, some of his concubines make their way out of the pavilion carrying parasols. Which they hold open when they get up onto the raised platform. To protect the Sultan from the rising sun this morning.
As he reclines back amongst the cushions, grinning from ear to ear, as he watches his younger brother the Viceroy, who has been captured, walking this way with one of the foreign mercenaries, and the small group who went to fetch them from the other end of the long curving beach.
Dalinvardél Tanith stops a dozen yards from the raised platform the Sultan is on, forcing the others with him to stop as well.
After slightly scowling at the elven spy from the Southlands, the herald to the Sultan hurries forward, and gets up onto the raised platform, to kneel beside the supreme ruler of Dreese.
While the two spellcasters, the wizard in the maroon coloured robes, and the sorcerer join the other spellcasters under the direct control of the Sultan standing infront of the large tent.
Only the personal guards to the Sultan who accompanied the herald remain with the foreign mercenary and the prisoner. Though they don't surround them, but stand in a line behind the two of them.
There's silence as those on the flagship and those infront of the large tent that's the royal pavilion. Look at the tall elf in the gray hooded cloak. And the local nobleman who is his prisoner.
The local nobleman whose coup against the Sultan failed. Who then fought a war against the supreme ruler of Dreese. Who just happens to be his brother.
"So" says the Sultan of Dreese, who surprisingly speaks up, as he usually lets his herald do the speaking for him.
"We met again little brother" adds the obese figure reclining amongst the cushions on the raised platform.
"Though not how you were hoping i bet" continues the Sultan.
The Viceroy doesn't speak, though he just nods in reply to what his older brother just said. His older brother who has gained even more weight since he last saw him.
"Well" says the Sultan, who briefly pauses before adding "Are you not going to speak?".
The younger of the two brothers who are part of the royal family that's ruled Dreese for a number of generations, is silent for a few more moments, then he says "What's to say?".
The Viceroy of Dreese continues with "I've been captured" followed by "And by all accounts the last of my forces have been defeated" he then shrugs his shoulders to show the predicament he's in.
"Yes" says the gloating Sultan, who continues with "Such a pity" followed after a brief pause with "You traitor".
The supreme ruler of Dreese leans towards to his herald, and quietly confers something with him, which Dalinvardél Tanith clearly hears.
The older of the two brothers who have been at war with one another, briefly scowls, then he grunts and the grin returns to the folds and jowls of his pudgy face.
Looking at the tall elf in the gray hooded cloak who holds the Viceroy, the Sultan says to him "I understand you want the terms of the agreement met before you hand over the traitor".
"Correct" says the spy Tanith who continues with "You hand over the mage, and give us one of your airships" he briefly pauses before adding "The Quick Gull is the one we want".
The Sultan along with the herald, and along with a few others from his court scowl at that, as the Quick Gull, which isn't particularly big, just happens to be the fastest airship in the fleet.
Not letting that annoy him for too long, the supreme ruler of Dreese grins again, then says "What's to stop me from just taking the traitor?" followed by "You know, all i have to do is kill you".
"If you do that" says the elven spy who is an officer in the scouts and rangers division in the armies of Farque.
"Then he dies too" adds Dalin with a nod of his hooded head at the Viceroy standing beside him.
"Which i know you don't want" says the spy Tanith, who continues with "As you want to kill him yourself".
The Sultan after scowling is silent for a few moments, then he says "How do i know you speak the truth?".
The supreme ruler of Dreese, who is an accomplished and powerful spellcaster himself, then sourly adds "I can't very well tell, considering what you've got on you".
Dalin briefly grins at the mention of the spell gem he's got in one of his pockets, then he says "You'll just have to trust me".
The elven spy from the Southlands, then holds out is left hand, where the glint of the steel from a tiny needle like spike can be seen sticking out of the top of his sleeve of his cloak.
And he says to the supreme ruler of Dreese "There's an exact one in my right sleeve, and it's touching the prisoner as i hold his arm".
Dailn continues with "If i die, the instant acting poison on it will touch him, and kill him immediately".
The elf who once served in one of the more prominent noble houses of his homeland of Dreese then adds "And that's the truth".
The Sultan and his herald quickly share a look, then the supreme ruler of Dreese, who would like more than anything, to renege on the terms of the agreement with the foreign mercenaries, nods his head.
"Very well then" says the Sultan of Dreese, who though he doesn't want to say it, he adds "The terms of the deal shall be met" . . . . . .