To War 118.

Summer. The Capital City.

Glancing down at the influence stone he's holding, Helbe the elven thief slightly grins again before he murmurs "Go and warn the others" followed by "Tell Beldane to be ready".
"I will" is the quiet reply from Narladene the ground pixie, who disappears from the right shoulder of the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel.
The highly talented elven magic user then looks over at the dowager queen.
Who is sitting there with a hand in one of her pockets. Holding onto the influence stone that's twin to the one the blurred and shielded elven magic user has in his right hand.
The grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel slightly grins again as he leans against one of the columns here in the massive chamber where the king of Melaurn holds court.
"Think he'll make an example out of her first?" quietly asks Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy as they look across the square infront of the grounds of the Palace of the King.
"Knowing him, definitely" dryly says Mira Reinholt the mage as the look at the main building of the palace.
The once powerful mage briefly pauses, before he quietly says "Though i wouldn't put it by him to kill her in public infront of everyone".
"Sounds like something you'd do" murmurs the elven spy from the principality of Alínlae.
Which causes the spellcaster from the city-state of Vexil to frown. As the spy Tanith speaks the truth there.
The mage, who is in exile from his homeland, the city-state of Vexil, is just about to say something in response to the elven spy who is a company commander in the scouts and rangers division of the armies of Farque.
When the two of them hear an invisible Narladene the ground pixie quietly say to them "Get ready".
The naturally magical creature who is hovering between the mage Reinholt and the spy Tanith, adds "He's going to start putting things into motion".
The ground pixie then heads up, and wings her way through the building Mira Reinholt and Dalinvardèl Tanith are standing infront of, on this side of the square.
Narladene comes up through the roof of the building, and heads to a nearby three storey building just a couple of streets to the east of the Palace of the King.
Here in the port city of Calinar, the capital of the kingdom of Melaurn.
"Looks like the normal patrols they do around the palace grounds" quietly says general Sumic, as he and one of his captors, continue to look out the windows of the third storey room they're in.
"Everything important is happening on the inside, not outside" says Beldane the cleric as they look at the palace grounds.
That's just a couple of streets away from the three storey building, that spies from the land Farque use as a safehouse.
The fighting cleric who hails from the kingdom of Nastell, is just about to say something to the enemy general.
When he suddenly hears Narladene the ground pixie whisper into his right ear "Get ready".
The member of the church of Glaine, a god that's predominantly worshiped in the north of the kingdom of Nastell.
Nods his head, as the invisible ground pixie tells him "He'll tell you when".
As Beldane, quietly says to the enemy general "Get ready" followed by "You could go at any moment".
Narladene wings her way out of the open windows, and quickly heads back to the nearby palace.
In the massive chamber in the main building of the Palace of the King, where court is held.
Lord Tulbart, the city lord says "Furthermore, what was the point of going to war in the first place?" he briefly pauses, before adding "It was to stop the ambitions of that rebel Gormica, who spread the war between Karricaw and Corlinda northwards into other provinces".
The king's court was fine with the border war between the neighbouring provinces of Karricaw and Corlinda.
But once that war went north across the border into the palace of Moleau.
Which wasn't even lord Gormica's doing.
The court, specifically the crown, was dead set against what was happening down in the south of the kingdom this summer.
Even the king himself agreed to going to war against lord Gormica, though reluctantly.
As he thought there was other means to stopping that war from expanding beyond the borders of Corlinda and Karricaw.
Lord Tulbart, not just an important city lord, but also one of the most important and influential nobles in all of Melaurn.
Feels like pacing, but refrains from doing so, as he knows the king dislikes it.
So he just takes a step to one side, and back, to stretch his legs as he's had a long day.
The city lord glances to the chair at the end, next to his. Where sits the dowager queen, who he hears murmur "Keep going Tulbart".
The influential city lord nods, then just as he's about to continue as he has the floor at the moment.
One of the other nobles in the slightly curved line of chairs speaks up.
One can speak up when someone, like Tulbart in this instance, has the floor.
But there has to be a significant pause in proceedings to do so.
And with lord Tulbart stretching his legs, and looking at the old queen, and what she had to quietly say to him.
That was plenty enough time, for someone else to speak up.
"That might very well be" says one of the noblemen further down the line of chairs in the other direction.
Lord Tulbart sourly smiles, as it's sir Macell who has spoken up. Who along with the underlord sir Dalacain.
Are the ones this morning who brought up the submission, to end the war in the south of the kingdom.
Where the crown's forces are battling lord Gormica of Salmah Forest and his forces.
"But i have it from very good authority that things aren't going particularly well with the war down south" says sir Macell, after the underlord, sir Dalacain who is sitting next to him, leans over and whispers something to him.
"The crown's forces are being routinely defeated by the enemy" says sir Macell, who is one of the more senior members of the Melaurian nobility.
"And even the King's Own are barely holding up against Gormica's forces" adds sir Macell.
More than murmurs go through the nobleborn seated at this end of the massive chamber.
While there's chatter amongst the public, who are attending court today, here in the main building of the Palace of the King.
The dowager queen as she sits on the chair at the left end of the line of nobles.
Looks sharply towards the open side doors at this end of the massive chamber.
Where she sees her distant relative, the sorcerer Garbén who is standing there, looking into the chamber where court is being held.
The old queen frowns as she sees Garbén standing there, with his hands to his sides, and a worried look upon his face.
Hands that are empty, which the dowager queen thought they'd be.
But she was kind of hoping they weren't.
As she has her right hand in her pocket, holding the influence stone she still has possession of.
The clear glass, small fruit sized magical item just felt warm in her hand. The sign that it's twin stone has just been used.
The king's mother duly took note that it got warm as sir Macell spoke up, and when there was the murmuring and chattering from many of the nobles and the public, after they heard what the senior nobleman had to say.
The old queen, who just returned to the palace a short time ago. After returning to the capital Calinar after traveling down the coast of the province.
Where she drummed up more support, in way of troops and coins, for the war effort.
Looks along the line of nobles who are at court today, wondering if one of them has her other stone of influence.
Then as lord Tulbart says "Your majesty may i continue, and sir Macell can have the floor after I've finished".
The dowager queen looks over at her son, and his wife the queen, who is sitting beside him.
The king's mother narrows her eyelids as she looks closely at the royal couple.
And though the king's hands are empty as he sits upon the throne.
The dowager queen isn't so certain about the hands of her son's wife.
The old queen, who has never liked her daughter inlaw. Simply because she's from an insignificant noble family from the south of the kingdom.
Who her son married, against her and the previous king's wishes.
And though the last king of Melaurn would go onto forgive his son for doing that. And would actually end up getting along with his son's wife before he passed away.
The same can't be said for the dowager queen, who has never forgiven her son for doing that.
And forgiven the current queen for actually marrying Harmard the Third. Who has been the king for the last decade or so, even since his father passed away.
The old queen sees that the new queen has her hands in her lap. Together, as if she's holding something in them.
The king's mother wouldn't put it past the queen to go into her suite, search around, and find the other stone of influence, then take it.
With her hand still in her pocket holding one of the two small, glass balls that the dowager queen purchased for an exorbitant amount of gold a number of years ago.
The old queen thinks of one thing, and thinks it into the influence ball she has a hand on.
The thing with an influence ball, is that it's a magical item that you don't have to be a spellcaster to use.
Anybody can use it, just as long as you know how. And the dowager queen knows exactly how to use it.
So the next moment as she sits there at one end of the line of chairs, that the nobility here at court today, are sitting on.
The old queen blinks in surprise as absolutely nothing happens after she thinks a thought into the influence stone, that's in her pocket, which she's holding.
Helbe the elven thief grins as he watches the dowager queen, who is sitting there with a stunned look upon her face.
She gathers herself after she's unable to get the influence stone she has to work.
Then the king's mother looks around again, to see who might have the other stone of influence, that was hidden on a drawer in the bedroom of her suite, up in the royal living quarters.
And once again, the dowager queen's eyes fall upon the current queen, who sits up on the chair next to the throne the king is on.
The young elven noble then looks at the city lord Tulbart, who is saying "I rather doubt that Macell". As he looks at the other city lord who interrupted him.
Lord Tulbart who is the dowager queen's staunchest supporter, continues with "You are mistaken surely, for if it was true, we would of heard something of it from the south".
The influential city lord who has the floor at the moment, then says "No, we the crown has the rebel Gormica on the run" followed by "And will have him back to Salmah Forest in no time, that's if we don't capture or kill him in battle".
"Time to get him" murmurs the blurred and shielded elven magic user, who then shifts away.
The elven master assassin isn't gone from court for long. Just long enough to shift outside.
Where he heads up into the air, looks east, and casts a spell, so that he can speak into the mind of Beldane the cleric, who is in the three storey safehouse a couple of streets to the east of the palace grounds.
The young elven noble quickly returns to the massive chamber here in the main building of the palace, where court is in session.
As he does, the prisoner, general Sumic, along with Beldane the cleric, disappear from the three storey room they're in. Then reappear in the palace grounds after the fighting cleric teleports the two of them away from the safehouse.
The enemy general, shares a look with the powerful cleric as they walk to the front of the main building of the Palace of the King, then head up the steps and make their way into it.
Where inside, Helbe the elven thief waits for them to show up, as he continues to watch what's going on, here at the court of the king of Melaurn . . . . . .