To War 48.

Summer. The Province Of Moleau. The Kingdom Of Melaurn.

He's been separated from his company for three days now.
He's not too upset about that, except for the fact he's in the middle of enemy territory in the province of Moleau.
He's ditched his black uniform and cloak. And stolen some clothing from the washing line behind a farmhouse.
He's got coin, his own. And what was is the saddlebags of the horse he took from the first of the enemy he killed.
Just outside of the town in the southwest of the province of Moleau. Where he destroyed the only airdocks in that area of the province.
The young messenger in the scouts and rangers division of the first army of Farque.
Headed north and east, away from that town as he was chased that first day.
As he knows his company was waiting for him in the woods to the south of that particular town they had targeted.
And he didn't want them to be caught up in the chase as well.
Little did he know his company would be chased for nearly an entire day. Until they were finally able to break free from the enemy. When the command ship of the Farqian fleet turned up.
Where lord Farque himself, though it was more the undead wardog Anvil, along with Mira Reinholt the mage.
Who dealt to the enemy who had been chasing the rest of his company.
The messenger, or runner as they're often referred to as.
Has evaded many of the enemy as he's headed eastwards through the province of Moleau.
In a village the first night after he evaded those of the enemy who were chasing him.
He stole some tools and equipment from the workshop of the village carpenter.
Now he's posing as an apprentice carpenter. Which he's the right age for.
One whose master has died, and he's looking for a new position where another carpenter will take him on.
He rather hopes he doesn't have to prove his skills in carpentry in anyway.
As he doesn't have any. The best he can do is hammer some nails. And cut lengths of wood with a saw. And that's about it.
So far his, he'd readily admit, rather feeble attempt of subterfuge is working.
As those enemy who have stopped him. Have let him pass by once he's explained who he is.
The young teenager from the lands Farque is just glad that those enemy he's run into over the last couple of days.
Have been from either the king's army, who are usually based in the capital city Calinar.
Or from his allies from other provinces who have joined the crown's war against lord Gormica of Salmah Forest.
So far he hasn't been stopped by soldiers from any of the local lords whose lands he's gone through.
He's not heard of any of the local lords pressing the common folk into their armies. But he knows it does happen, especially in times of war.
He also suspects he hasn't seen any, is because they're the first ones to cross the border, and go down into the province of Corlinda.
He's been told by the officer in command of his company, the elven spy Dalinvardèl Tanith.
That the crown will have the local nobility here in Moleau, and the province of Mofosild. And to a lesser extent, the province of Romial.
Be the first wave of attack against the forces of lord Gormica of Salmah Forest.
Because they border either the province of Corlinda or Karricaw.
And in the case of Mofosild. It borders parts of both Corlinda and Karricaw's northern borders.
The messenger has stopped to get something to eat at midday, in a tavern in a sleepy town in the central region of the province of Moleau.
Talking with the tavern owner, he finds out a lot of the men folk of the village have gone off to war.
Either as soldiers for the local lord, or as camp followers. Doing the jobs that soldiers don't want to do.
"Can't help with getting yourself a job with the woodworker here" says the tavern owner, a man in his late fifties, with wispy hair that sticks up in all directions.
"He went off with the army" continues the tavern owner, he's speaking freely as it's just him and the teenager from the lands Farque in the tavern at the moment.
Even though it's the middle of the day, usually the second busiest time for any tavern. With only the end of the day, at around sunset, and just after, being busier.
"Sir Kogan didn't really want to take him along, as he's too important for our village you see" says the tavern owner who is just glad he's got a paying customer, especially one he can gossip with.
"But he got talked into taking him because that lot from the capital pressured my lord" says the tavern owner, who then adds in a mutter "Damn king's men".
He then looks quickly at the youngster sitting across the table from him, to see what his reaction at that is. Hoping he doesn't take offence.
The teenager just nods his head, and continues eating his meal.
The tavern owner breathes a sign of relief, then he gets up and says "I'll leave you to your meal". He then asks "Anything else you want?".
The youngster posing as an apprentice carpenter points at his empty mug.
The tavern owner nods, picks up the mug, and goes and refills it with ale, and brings it back.
Then leaves his only customer to finish his meal and drink. In what ordinarily would be the midday rush for his tavern.
But not now, with many of the villagers gone off with the local lord. Who has joined the crown's forces in the war against the Karricawian nobleman, lord Gormica of Salmah Forest.
After he finishes his meal, and thanks the tavern owner. The messenger in the scouts and rangers division of first army of Farque rides out of town.
Heading south this time, as he's deep enough in enemy territory that it's fairly safe enough to travel back towards the border with the province of Corlinda.
The teenage runner stops for the night on a wooded hill, that overlooks some fields, and a cluster of farmhouses.
The night is warm enough that he makes a cold camp. And for a while he watches the lights of the farmhouses just under half a mile away.
Until they go out as the local farmers go to sleep. He lies upon the bedroll, that belonged to his horse's previous owner, and is soon asleep too.
He doesn't know what it is. As he knows he's not magically gifted in anyway.
But he wakes in the middle of the night when he gets a feeling that something's happening. He gets up, and quietly walks to the edge of the trees upon the hills.
He slightly frowns, and as he looks towards the cluster of farmhouses. He's sure he spots movement near them, and he's sure he hears horses in the distance.
The next thing he knows, he sees one of the farmhouses go up in flames, while the barn near it, starts burning too.
He drops down to a knee when he hears a scream come from one of the farmhouses.
Then shouting, another of the farmhouses is on fire. Then he sees, and a moment later, hears an explosion.
And the stables near that second farmhouse to catch on fire, explodes in a ball of dark red, energy is the only word to describe it.
The Farqian teenager knows that a spell was just used there, as he watches what is an attack down upon the cluster of farmhouses and the surrounding buildings.
From the fires of the burning houses and outbuildings, along with two of the moons of Volunell in the night sky.
He spots a number of the attackers. He pauses as he sees them. As from even here, from where he is up the hill. He's pretty certain they're in black. Cloaks that are black, and tabbards that are also black.
The teenage messenger frowns as he watches them. And though he knows his lord can be brutal during wartime.
The Farqian youngster knows that they wouldn't be attacking farmers here in the province of Moleau.
He nods his head, as he sees a number of the attackers are on horseback, holding the reins of other horses.
The runner knows that if they were really his fellow soldiers in the first army of Farque.
It would be companies from the scouts and rangers division of the first army of Farque who would do such an attack, like what's going on down in the nearby farmhouses.
Not cavalry, especially not anyone from a heavy horse troop. As he can just make out a number of mounted men wearing halfplate armour.
And he's pretty certain one is in a suit of full plate armour, and that his mount has even got barding.
The teenager from the lands Farque slowly nods his head as he realises what, or more specifically, who he's watching attack the farmhouses less than half a mile from the hill he's up.
The messenger in the scouts and rangers division of the first army of Farque watches them for a little while longer.
And they eventually ride off to the south. He hurries back to his modest camp, quickly packs his stuff, and takes the reins of his mount.
He walks the horse down through the trees, once he's clear of them, he gets up into the saddle and rides south across the fields.
Giving the cluster of burning farmhouses and outbuildings a wide berth.
If there's even any survivors from the attack, there's nothing he can do for them. As he too heads southwards, going in the same direction those who attacked the farmhouses went.
The next morning finds the teenage Farqian approaching a town in southern Moleau.
He sees a couple of camps outside of it. One of which, the much larger one, consists of king's men, and allies to the crown.
While the other one, far smaller. Looks like it's a mercenary camp from what the messenger sees as he rides by it.
The messenger in the scouts and rangers division of the first army of Farque enters the town.
Hoping it isn't attacked today by his lord's forces. Either army or air fleet. As this town is definitely a prime target for them.
And he's actually surprised it hasn't been attacked already. What with a camp full of the king's soldiers just outside of it.
As he goes through town, the youngster from the lands Farque. Listens to the conversations of those on the streets.
And hears more than a few times, about the raucous mercenaries who arrived early this morning, not too long after sunrise.
The teenage runner hears that there's quite a number of them in a nearby tavern.
He heads that way, to see what he can find out. As he suspects who they might actually be.
The teenager from the lands Farque sees a number of their mounts tied to the hitching posts outside of the tavern in question.
He briefly stops there, when he notices something. For though one of the riders has tried to hide it.
The youngster who has been separated from his company in the scouts and rangers division of the first army of Farque.
Sees a rolled up black cloak sticking up out of a saddlebag that hasn't been completely closed.
And that one of the horses, is the one with barding he saw during the night. Obviously one that belongs to a nobleman.
A nobleman the messenger from the lands Farque suspects doesn't come from here in the province of Moleau.
But from over the border in the province of Corlinda.
And though there's a few of these so called mercenaries hanging around the front of the tavern.
The runner doesn't stop long enough for them to really notice him. He rides on, with none of them realising that he was watching them.
The teenager in the scouts and rangers division of the first army of Farque who is posing as an apprentice carpenter.
Thought about stopping here in town. But has decided to continue onwards to the south.
As he needs to find someone in his lord's army, to tell them what he's found out.
The messenger takes the road south, he's soon off it, and is using tracks and side roads before long.
As there's scouting patrols in the king's army heading in both directions, between the town and the border with the province of Corlinda to the south.
On a hillside trail through some woods, he looks down at the nearby road, and watches a patrol of the king's men riding northwards back to the town he left this morning.
The runner in the scouts and rangers division of the first army of Farque just shakes his head at the actions of the enemy.
As that patrol consisted of at least twenty five soldiers, or mounted. And not a single forerider out infront of the others, as they're all riding as a group, bunched up on the road.
He thinks of how their ineptitude will make them easy pickings for ambush by a much smaller force.
The messenger shakes his head again, as he knows a light cavalry patrol of the same size in his own army.
Would have at least two foreriders out infront of it. And those two would be from the scouts and rangers division of the armies of Farque.
He watches the enemy patrol ride from view as they head north. Then he continues on his way along the hillside trail through the woods.
As he continues southwards, trying to keep the nearby road in sight as best as he can.
He wonders if he'll see any of the so called mercenaries he saw back in town this morning.
As he rides throughout the day, he doesn't see them. And suspects they're only active, and are moving about only when it's nighttime.
With good reason too. As they're in territory controlled by the king's forces.
And what they're doing if they're caught, would bring the king's men down upon them like a hammer.
It's late in the afternoon, when he finds a trail that leads up into some hills after he's crossed through some farm country here in the south of the province of Moleau.
He looks up at one of the hills, then looks around him, and realises from up on top of the hill, you can have an unrestricted view of the surrounding countryside for miles in all directions.
The young teenager from the lands Farque briefly pauses as he looks up towards the hilltop in question, looking closely at it as best as he can.
The messenger in the scouts and rangers division of the first army of Farque nods his head, then rides on, heading to the hills.
Later, near dusk, and he's on the hilltop he was looking closely at a little earlier.
He's on a game trail through some trees, the horse he's riding is moving at a walk, with it's ears turning this way and that.
The young runner brings the mount to a stop when it's ears quickly swivel to one side, and it snorts.
The Farqian teenager breathes slowly and listens carefully. And he waits as the light fades around him as the sun sets in the west.
He's just about to move on, when he finally hears a voice quietly say something away to his right.
The messenger in the scouts and rangers division of the first army of Farque replies quietly in the same language with "Draugadrottin".
He dismounts, and a moment later a figure walks out from the trees.
The Farqian teenager slightly grins as he recognises the veteran scout from his own company, Manix, who dryly says to him in a quiet voice "So you decided to join us have you youngster".
"I got lost for a bit" replies the runner in the same language, the elven language.
They head back through the trees, and he soon sees other members of his company.
Eventually spotting the company commander, who is looking down at the nearby road as nightfalls here in the south of the province of Moleau near the border with the province of Corlinda.
"Get lost did you youngster?" quietly asks Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy.
"Yes sir" replies the messenger who is finally reunited with his company.
"Only for a bit though" adds the Farqian teenager who is the youngest in their company from the scouts and rangers division of the first army of Farque.
"Sir, this morning i found something interesting" says the runner who knows the information he's gathered is important.
"Oh?" says the elven spy who is a member of the group who travels with lord Farque.
"And what is it?" asks Dalinvardèl Tanith who is more commonly called Dalin by those who know him well.
"I've found that lot posing as us, the ones attacking the locals here in southern Moleau" replies the messenger, who then adds "That lord Milson of Mottman Deep and his men".
"You have?" says the elven officer in a tone of surprise.
The young teenager from the lands Farque nods his head yes in reply.
"Well imagine that" murmurs Dalin, who then says to the runner "Well done Lamis".
"Thank you sir" says Lamis the messenger . . . . . .