Winter.
"Hell it's cold today" mutters Mira Reinholt the mage as he stomps his feet in his boots a few times.
Before he makes his way along the road again, stopping about twenty yards from where he just stopped previously.
He looks back, and finds Helbe the elven thief looking away to the north along the road.
"Anything?" calls out Mira Reinholt the mage as he too looks away to the north.
"Nah nothing" replies Helbe the elven thief, who then makes his way to where his fellow spellcaster is standing in the middle of the road.
"You know this will really only work once" says the once powerful mage, who holds out his right gloved hand, and creates a mageglobe.
"Once is good enough" says the elven masterthief, who then casts a spell upon the living piece of magic.
"They'll just have refugees go out infront, and mingle with them after this" says the mage Reinholt, who then bends down, and pushes his creation into the ground, and sinks beneath the road.
Shaking his head, the mage from the city-state of Vexil, his homeland that he's in exile from, quietly says "By the shape of fire, even i can't sense them" followed by "And i created them".
"That's the point" says the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, who briefly pauses before adding "I can't either, and that's my spell on them".
"I can" says Narladene the ground pixie who the mage Reinholt suddenly sees upon the right shoulder of his fellow spellcaster.
Peering down at the ground, the naturally magical creature adds "I can see them too".
"Well of course you can sense and see them" dryly says the highly talented elven magic user as he and the Vexilian mage continue along the road.
"Perks of being me, and not you lot" states the tiny winged creature from the Sunreach Mountains.
Who chuckles when the two spellcasters sourly look at her.
They stop about thirty yards from where they placed the last mageglobe.
After creating another and putting this one down near the side of the road, Mira Reinholt asks "When was the last time we did this?" followed by "I can't remember".
"Can't recall the last time" says Helbe the elven thief after his fellow practitioner of magic pushes the living piece of magic into the ground.
"But i clearly remember the first time" says the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel.
"That time Dorc was going to be executed" adds the highly talented elven magic user, who follows that with "When he was going to be publicly hanged".
The exiled Vexilian mage who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, chuckles then says "I remember".
"Hmmmm i don't" says Narladene the ground pixie with a frown upon her tiny face as she sits upon the right shoulder of the elven princeling she's attached to.
"It was before we met" says the elven master assassin who like his fellow spellcaster, is a member of the personal council to lord Farque.
"Oh" says the ground pixie as the two spellcasters continue on their way down the road.
The main road through this part of northern Kuradum. The main road that heads south to the walled town of Gensa.
As the mage Reinholt does his cloak up tighter, as there's a bitterly wind blowing across the road on this cold, winter's day.
The elven masterthief who is a member of the royal family that rules the island principality of Laerel, asks the ground pixie who is attached to him "Anyone close?".
Narladene drops down to the surface of the road, and feels in all directions through the ground.
She makes her way back up onto the right shoulder of the elven master archer and gestures away to the south and says "No one except for Beldane".
The naturally magical creature points away to the west, and adds "And some farmers about three quarters of a mile that way".
The tiny winged creature from the Sunreach Mountains nods at the mageglobe that Mira Reinholt has just created, and asks "Not just anyone can set them off, can they?".
After prince Helbenthril Raendril casts a spell upon the living piece of magic.
The spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation.
Until he was stripped of most of his powers when he went offworld through a rift/void spell he accidentally cast a number of years ago.
Shakes his hooded head, and says "No, they know who to target" followed by a murmured "I hope".
The highly skilled swordmaster bends down and pushes the latest mageglobe into the ground, where it sinks beneath the road.
As he knows the mageglobes will do what they've been created to do. Though they have a mind of their own, and sometimes they go about doing things they're supposed to do, in their own unique way.
The two spellcasters go about another hundred yards down the straight stretch of road, and come to a stop.
And after the mage Reinholt creates another living piece of magic, and Helbe the elven thief casts a spell upon it.
The Vexilian mage in exile pushes the mageglobe into the surface of the road, and it sinks beneath the ground.
Narladene the ground pixie after a moment as they look around, says "It's almost like they're asleep".
"Is that what it is?" asks the once powerful mage who is a member of a family that owns one of the most successful, and wealthy trading companies in all of the Southlands.
"Well, sleep is too strong of a word i guess" says the naturally magical creature, who continues with "It's more like they're resting as they wait".
Both the human mage and the elven magic user nod their hooded heads at hearing that.
Then they continue on their way, heading towards a bend in the road, a road that goes through some farmland here in the north of the city-state of Kuradum.
"For a main road in this part of the city-state, it ain't exactly busy" says the Vexilian practitioner of magic, who was once a member of the mage council of his homeland.
Infact he was just seventeen when he sat upon that council. The youngest in the history of the city-state of Vexil to do so.
Though he didn't stay on it for long. As he was kicked off it, and sent into exile when he betrayed his homeland during the Battle of Vexil. The largest battle in the Southlands, and for that matter, war in recent history.
"Word has got through to the locals that the rebels here in the north are on the march" says the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel.
"I guess a lot of them have quit their farms and taken off south" adds the highly talented elven magic user.
Who gestures away to either side of the road as they stop at the bend, and he asks the ground pixie sitting on his right shoulder "Anyone else around in the distance?".
As he can see farmhouses and barns in the distance to either side of the road.
"Apart from those away to the west, a bit north of here" says Narladene who continues with "There's no one" she then adds "They've gone, taken their stock with them too".
"Thought so" quietly says the elven masterthief as he watches his fellow spellcaster create another mageglobe.
Mira Reinholt puts two mageglobes here, one on either side of the hard packed dirt road.
The top layer of which is partially frozen at this time of the year, the middle of winter.
The spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster drains the power from one of the gems in an inner pocket of his cloak.
"Here, replenish this" says the once powerful mage, who hands the gem, a garnett, to his fellow practitioner of magic.
"Ooohhh that's a pretty one" says Narladene the ground pixie as she looks closely at the gem the elven masterthief is holding.
"It is?" asks the the grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel.
The tiny winged creature nods her head, then says "Nearly flawless".
"Well, well, well" says the elven master assassin who looks sideways at his fellow spellcaster.
"I'd take it kindly if you didn't nick it, you thief" dryly says the once powerful mage.
Which causes the elven magic user to chuckle as he infuses the gem with power again.
Prince Helbenthril Raendril hands the garnett back to the exiled Vexilian mage.
Who puts it back in one of the inner pockets of his black hooded cloak as the two of them.
Members of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, continue on their way along the road.
They can now see Beldane the cleric, on a small rise, when previously there was a stand of trees, blocking their view of him.
The powerful spellcaster from the kingdom of Nastell, is about four hundred yards further along the road from where they are.
Then after they stop, and the mage Reinholt places another of his creations beneath the surface of the road.
Narladene the ground pixie says "Wyvern" she points and adds "To the east and north".
"Rebel or a loyalist one?" asks councilor Reinholt, as they know both sides in the conflict here in the city-state of Kuradum, use wyvern riders as messengers and scouts.
"Hmmmm not sure" says the naturally magical creature from the Sunreach Mountains.
Helbe the elven thief, with his naturally enhanced eyesight can see the wyvern too. And he's isn't too sure which side of the war it is on yet.
"The rider is wearing a long cloak over his armour and uniform" says the elven magic user as the wyvern, about six miles away to the northeast, turns to the south.
"Can't identify his tabbard" continues the elven princeling who then adds "Have to wait until they can get closer so i can read the riders mind".
"Get Beldane to do it" says the practitioner of magic who is also a highly skilled swordmaster.
The elven master assassin does exactly that. Communicating with the cleric from the kingdom of Nastell by way of a mindspeech spell.
The member of the church of Glaine, is far more powerful than either the elven magic user and the human mage.
And after he casts a farsight spell so he can see the wyvern and it's rider nearly five miles away, and heading south almost parallel with the road.
He casts another spell to read the mind of the wyvern rider.
"Shit, one of their's" says Helbe the elven thief after Beldane by way of the mindspeech spell informs him of who the wyvern rider is.
"A scout, spying things out most like" says Mira Reinholt the mage.
The elven master archer nods to that, then says "That's exactly who it is" followed by "I better get him".
"Don't kill him" says the Vexilian mage in exile, followed by "He might be useful".
The masterthief, a member of elven royalty, grunts. Then he disappears as he blurs himself and shifts away.
Though the mage Reinholt can't see, or for that matter, sense his fellow practitioner of magic.
Nor for that matter, can Beldane the cleric, from where he stands on a rise further down the hard, packed dirt road.
Narladene the ground pixie can clearly see the blurred and shielded elven magic user.
"He's quickly approaching it" says the tiny winged creature as she hovers beside the mage Reinholt.
"Just about there" adds the naturally magical creature who hails from the Sunreach Mountains.
The once powerful mage in the black cloak, nods his hooded head. And the next moment he sees the wyvern jerk to one side, and squawk indignantly.
The rider is no longer on the back of the thirty foot long creature.
"I guess he's got the rider?" says Mira Reinholt, Narladene replies with "He has".
As the wyvern, which are fairly unreliable creatures to begin with. Starts winging away to the north after it's initial outburst of it's rider no longer on it's back.
"Those things aren't exactly loyal, are they?" dryly says the exiled Vexilian swordmaster.
"That's for sure" says the ground pixie, who has never really cared for wyverns.
As they're flighty, demonstrative creatures. Often temperamental, and unreliable. And that's the tame ones. Wild wyverns are even worse.
"He's coming back" says the tiny winged creature as she watches the elven masterthief, who has the unconscious wyvern rider over his right shoulder.
Shifting his way in the sky, back to where the mage Reinholt is standing in the middle of the road.
A short while later, and Helbe the elven thief is standing next to his fellow spellcaster.
And the unconscious enemy wyvern rider is at their feet, lying on the road. The next moment, Beldane the cleric appears beside them. After he teleports from the rise further down the road.
"I didn't read his mind that much" says Beldane the cleric, the powerful spellcaster from the kingdom of Nastell, then adds "Just enough to know that he's in councilman Hirrye's army".
"That he is" says the elven masterthief, who continues with "Best we take him back with us" followed by "He's got some useful information the others will want to hear about first hand".
Mira Reinholt nods his hooded head, then he says "We'll do this stretch of the road then head back". The other two spellcasters are in agreement with that.
And a little bit later, on this cold winter's day here in the north of the city-state of Kuradum.
The trio of spellcasters, the ground pixie along with their prisoner are gone after going through a gateway that Beldane the cleric casts.
There's nothing to show that they've been here. Apart from the more than forty mageglobes on a nearly three mile stretch of the road, hidden beneath the ground.
Mageglobes that are lying in wait to do what their creator has created them to do.
To attack the enemy army of councilman Hirrye, who are further north. Making their way south on this very road as they march towards the walled town of Gensa . . . . . .
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