To War 112.

Summer. The Capital City.

Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy is up early the next morning, infact well before dawn.
After speaking with one of the Farqian spies in the safehouse who is also up early.
The elf originally from the principality of Alínlae, who is now a company commander in the scouts and rangers division of the armies of Farque.
Sets off, heading south from the safehouse, which is located just a couple of streets to the east of the Palace of the King.
The spy Tanith who has the advantage of his race's naturally enhanced hearing and eyesight.
Keeps well away from anyone else out and about on the streets of the city of Calinar, before dawn.
Following the directions the Farqian spy gave him, Dalinvardèl Tanith or Dalin as he's more commonly called by those who know him well.
Doesn't take long to get to a leafy neighbourhood just to the southeast of the palace.
The town houses here are rather opulent to say the least, with many behind gates and high fences.
The elven spy who previously served in one of the more prominent noble houses of his homeland, Alínlae.
Is in the neighbourhood of Calinar that many of the nobleborn, especially the city lords, have their residences.
The spy Tanith goes through a lane between market stalls at one end of the leafy neighbourhood.
A couple of which, the proprietors are setting up to open at dawn.
Dalin turns right onto a street, and starts walking by some of the largest and most expensive townhouses in the city of Calinar.
The elven spy who hails from the principality of Alínlae, turns onto a narrow street.
That has trees lined down either side of it. Trees with branches sticking out over the narrow street, creating a natural canopy.
Dalinvardèl Tanith goes behind one tree, and hops over the low fence of one of the more modest houses in the neighbourhood.
The company commander in the scouts and rangers division of the armies of Farque.
Uses the cover of darkness to walk between the modest looking house, and the large one next to it.
There's no fence behind the smaller house, that has a lane running behind it, and the other houses on this side of the narrow street.
The spy Tanith walks down the lane, not even making a sound with each step he takes.
He gets to the end of the lane, and stands up against the fence to his right.
He glances around the end of the fence, and looks to the right along this street.
Across the street, about quarter of the way down from where he is.
The elven spy looks at one of the largest, if not the largest townhouse in this rather leafy and expensive neighbourhood in the city of Calinar.
Dalin watches the large townhouse on the opposite side of the street for a little while.
Until he jumps in fright when a familiar voice behind him quietly says in the elven language "Whose place is that?".
"Do you mind?" mutters Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy in the same language as he turns around to find the familiar cloaked and hooded figure of Mira Reinholt the mage standing behind him.
With a faint smile upon his face, the once powerful mage quietly says "I don't mind in the least".
Then the mage, who is in exile from his homeland, the city-state of Vexil, dryly murmurs "I lost you for a moment there".
Then with a nod of his hooded head at the large townhouse across the street that the spy Tanith has been observing, the mage Reinholt quietly says "Well?" followed by "Whose is it?".
Instead of answering the spellcaster, who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, Dalin quietly asks "What were you and Helbe chatting about when he came back?".
The elven spy heard the two practitioners of magic chatting in the next room during the middle of the night.
When Helbe the elven thief came back from the Palace of the King, whilst the spy Tanith was trying to get some sleep.
The Vexilian mage in exile sourly smiles at the elven spy evading his question.
Then the spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands.
Until he was stripped of most of his powers when he went offworld through a rift/void spell he accidentally cast.
Quietly says to the elven spy originally from the principality of Alínlae "His royal thiefness found out something rather interesting in the palace about the dowager queen last night".
"Oh?" quietly says Dalinvardèl Tanith who continues on with "Like what?".
The mage Reinholt tells him exactly what the highly talented elven magic user found in the Palace of the King last night.
The spy Tanith slightly frowns, then quietly asks "What do they do exactly?".
"Influence those around them" replies the exiled Vexilian mage who continues on with "That's how she gets people to rally to hear cause" followed by "It's why so many of those loyal to the crown are all for the war against lord Gormica".
"The old cow" mutters the elven spy who is a company commander in the scouts and rangers division of the armies of Farque.
Mira Reinholt, who is a member of the personal council to lord Farque nods his hooded head in agreement with Dalinvardèl Tanith.
Then the highly skilled swordmaster who hails from the city-state of Vexil, nods to the large townhouse on the opposite side of the street that Dalin has been observing.
"Well?" asks the once powerful mage, who continues on with "Who lives over there?".
"The city lord Tulbart" is the quiet reply from the elven spy who is from the principality of Alínlae.
"How did i know you were going to say that" dryly says the mage Reinholt with a shake of his hooded head.
"How did you know where i was going?" quietly asks the elven spy.
"Helbe told me" is the reply of the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster.
"Figures" mutters the company commander in the scouts and rangers division of the armies of Farque.
"Surprised he isn't here too" quietly adds the spy Tanith.
"He's gone to the palace to wait for the old queen to show up" is the quiet reply of councilor Reinholt who looks back along the lane to make sure no ones in it with them.
"That lord Tulbart will show up at the same time" continues the Vexilian mage in exile.
"I know" says Dalin, who briefly pauses before he adds "I'm counting on it".
The once powerful mage waits for the elven spy to continue, but Dalin has gone back to observing the townhouse of lord Tulbart, one of the city lords here in the capital Calinar.
After a bit more silence, the mage Reinholt asks the spy Tanith "So what exactly are you doing here?".
"Exacting a bit of revenge for what was done to our safehouses yesterday" replies Dalinvardèl Tanith, who nods his hooded head to the largest townhouse on the street, as he adds "His men are garrisoned here as well".
The exiled Vexilian swordmaster lifts an eyebrow, then he quietly says "Dalin you're good, but you're not that good" followed by "You can't take out, what fifty or sixty guards by yourself".
"Oh really?" says the elven spy who grins as he turns to the mage Reinholt, slipping open his cloak as he does so.
"Fuck me" murmurs the member of lord Farque's personal council, who then adds "By the shape of fire, maybe you can".
As the elven spy originally from the principality of Alínlae has a pair of mage canisters strapped to him beneath his gray hooded cloak.
"You want me to do it instead of using those?" asks the Vexilian mage in exile.
"Ah no that's okay Mira" says the spy Tanith who continues with "You kinda over do things at times".
The member of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque sourly smiles at that.
Then the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster nods his hooded head in reply to Dalin quietly telling him "Keep an eye on things" followed by "And you might want to consider getting us out of here quickly if we're chased".
The company commander in the scouts and rangers division of the armies of Farque, looks down the street again, then quickly takes a step back.
"What is it?" murmurs the once powerful mage who was the youngest ever member of the mage council of Vexil.
Until he was kicked off it, and sent into exile for betraying his homeland during a war.
"Goblins" is the quiet reply from the elven spy who previously served in one of the more prominent noble houses of the principality of Alínlae.
Just then a pair of goblins on their way to work, walk by the end of the lane.
And being goblins, they have just as good eyesight and hearing as elves.
And they spot the two hooded figures in the darkness before dawn, standing next to the fence at the mouth of the lane.
"Morning" quietly says Dalinvardèl Tanith in the goblin language.
Both goblins jaws drop open in surprise, then one says "Morning boss" in their language as they briefly pause, before continuing on their way down the street.
"Didn't know you spoke goblin" quietly says the mage Reinholt as once again the two of them converse in the elven language.
"I don't" says the spy Tanith who continues with "I just know a few greetings and farewell" followed by "Learnt them from some of that lot in Dorc's battalion".
The highly skilled swordmaster nods his hooded head, then the elven spy originally from the principality of Alínlae asks him "Any idea what they do?". As he taps where the mage canisters are beneath his cloak.
"No" says Mira Reinholt who continues with "They have markings on one end?".
"Nothing, they've been worn away" replies Dalinvardèl Tanith.
"Typical" dryly murmurs the Vexilian mage in exile, who then adds "And i wouldn't be able to tell you what's in them even if i did have all my powers".
The councilor briefly pauses before continuing with "They're notorious for being unable to identify" followed by a shrug as he says in sarcastic tone "Mages".
Dalin nods, then after looking up and down the street again, he walks from the lane, and turns right, walking on this side of the street, before crossing it.
The elven spy can hear people are awake in some of the townhouses on the street, getting ready for the day as dawn approaches.
The company commander in the scouts and rangers division of the armies of Farque, hears people awake in lord Tulbart's townhouse too.
Making it easier for him, for what's he's about to do.
The city lord's townhouse is like a manse in the countryside. Behind it's walls are a couple of outbuildings and stables along with the actual townhouse.
And the lower building, to the left or near side of the three storey townhouse itself.
That's Dalin's target, as he's certain that's the barracks of lord Tulbart's garrison.
The fact that the stables are alongside it, gives the spy Tanith reason to believe he's correct.
There's a narrow lane, almost an alley between lord Tulbart's townhouse, and the next house on the near side.
The elven spy hurries into it, stops and listens carefully as he takes out both mage canisters from beneath his cloak.
And in the darkness before dawn, Dalinvardèl Tanith twists one end of one of the near two foot long steel tubes, followed by the second.
He throws the first over the fence, which he hears lands on the roof of the barracks of lord Tulbart's garrison.
Quickly followed by the second mage canister, which hits the roof of the barracks, bounces off it, and lands infront of the barracks, between it and the three storey townhouse itself.
Dalin has already turned and run out of the narrow lane, and across the street.
The spy Tanith as he runs into the lane up the street, where Mira Reinholt is waiting, flinches as one loud explosion rocks the neighbourhood just before dawn, followed by another explosion, even louder, that can be heard across much of the city, especially the south and east of the capital city of the kingdom of Melaurn.
The elven spy originally from the principality of Alínlae and the exiled Vexilian mage hurry away down the lane, not even bothering to see what the explosions were, and what they actually did.
They'll find out soon enough, as word spreads throughout the city as to what happened to lord Tulbart's townhouse in the darkness just before dawn on what feels like it's going to be a mild summer's morning here in the capital city Calinar . . . . . .