The Thick Of It 48.

Winter.

Nahor the assistant to councilman Kolmar wakes up. He blinks as he can't see, and realises something is covering his eyes.
He goes to say something, but there's something stuffed in his mouth.
He groans and tries to sit up, but all he can do is roll onto his side, as his wrists are tied together behind his back.
The assistant to one of the more influential members of the ruling council goes still when he hears voices.
"Ah that one's finally awake" says the first voice, who continues with "What the hell did you do Mira?" followed by "I never thought he'd wake up".
"I've never been good at those kind of spells" dryly says the second voice, who like the first, is vaguely recognisable to the assistant of councilor Kolmar.
Then the first voice says "Bring him with the others".
And Nahor finds himself being grabbed, and lifted up off the ground, a stone floor by the feel of it.
He tries to struggle, but he's shaken by whoever has a hold of him. That he quickly obeys when he's shoved and pushed, and he starts walking.
Not able to see, or hear too well, as the cloth covering his eyes, is wrapped around his ears too.
Nahor can still tell that he goes through a door, and is outside somewhere.
And even with his hearing partly compromised. He can tell he's on a city street somewhere.
As to him, because it's so still and quiet, not to mention quite cold, it feels like it's early in the morning, maybe even before dawn.
He also finds out it might of been snowing, as he almost slips over a couple of times.
And only remains upright due to whoever it is that's holding him steady, on either side of him.
He's brought to a stop, and a voice, different to the two that spoke earlier, says "Steps" followed "Up you go".
Nahor takes a step up and forward, and finds himself heading up a set of steps.
The assistant to councilman Kolmar figures out fairly quickly he's climbing a set of steps on the city walls.
He's climbed up and down them countless times over the years, he easily recognises he's on a set of them.
He's still being held as he climbs them, as his captors don't want to him accidentally fall.
Nahor is soon on the top of the wall, he's turned to the left, and the voice that told him to climb the steps, tells him "Walk".
The assistant to councilman Kolmar does so, and after about twenty paces, he's stopped.
He's turned to his right, and as he's stands there, still being held by the arms.
He hears movement around him, and by the sounds of muffled groans, and muffled words.
Nahor suspects there's others close by in the same predicament as he is.
The assistant to one of the more influential members of the ruling council of the city-state of Kuradum.
Is trying to block out why he's ended up where he's ended up, wherever this is. But he's fairly certain why.
Then Nahor, who the last thing he remembers before waking up a little earlier.
Was standing at the window of his bedroom in his house, after coming home from the council buildings in the early afternoon.
Hears another voice, say obviously an order "Take them off". It's a voice the assistant to councilman Kolmar recognises.
It's the voice of the leader of the mercenary army hired by the ruling council of the city-state of Kuradum. It's the voice of lord Farque.
Whatever is tightly covering his head, is taken off. And Nahor blinks, and after a few moments he sees where he is.
He's on top of the south wall of the capital city. And as he thought, it's sometime just before dawn.
And the gloomy light before dawn, as he looks away to the south. He can just make out the rebel army that started arriving late yesterday afternoon, and into the evening.
Nahor looks to his left, and he blinks in surprise. As he sees standing a couple of paces in that direction. The wealthy shipping magnet, Golinmar.
Who like Nahor, has a cloth stuffed into his mouth. And another strip of cloth, wrapped around the face and head, keeping the gag stuffed into the mouth.
Golinmar looks utterly defeated, and is moaning in desperation not even seeing Nahor when he glances his way.
The wealthy shipping magnet, is being held by a pair of black clad, Farqian soldiers who are standing behind him.
Nahor figures there's a pair of them standing behind him, holding his arms too.
The assistant to councilman Kolmar looks beyond Golinmar, and sees a number of others in the same predicament as them.
And though he can't see a lot of them in the gloomy light just before dawn on this cold start to another winter's day.
Nahor does recognise a few of them. And his already dry mouth, that has a cloth stuffed in it, goes even dryer.
Then if the assistant to councilman Kolmar thought he was surprised when he saw the shipping magnet Golinmar standing next to him.
When Nahor looks to his right, he's absolutely shocked at who he sees standing to his right, with a gag in his mouth, wrists tied together behind his back, and being held by a pair of black clad mercenary soldiers from the lands Farque.
Standing to his right, is councilman Hirrye's spy master here in the city of Kuradum.
The most important individual here in the capital city for the rebel leader, who intends to rule Kuradum as it's duke.
The spy master, who looks utterly defeated. Slightly nods when he sees Nahor looking his way.
Then nod away to the south, in the direction of the rebel army that arrived during the night.
There's a faint, but sad smile upon the face of the spy master to the rebel leader, councilman Hirrye.
Nahor tries to gulp, but is unable to due to the gag in his mouth. The assistant to councilman Kolmar has a sinking feeling in his stomach.
As he looks around in the gloomy light before dawn, wondering who else is up here on the top of the south wall of the capital city.
He also wonders what's going to happen to him. Nahor's got a bad feeling that whatever it is, it's not going to be good for him, and the others who are in the same situation as him.
Looking along the wall on this cold winter's morning. Mira Reinholt the mage spots in the gloomy light of pre dawn.
Members of the ruling council of the city-state of Kuradum. Who have just come up a nearby set of steps with their assistants.
And though it must be a bit difficult for them to see in the pre dawn light, many of them spot the prisoners, and those that do, are shocked to see who some of them are.
The once powerful mage spots councilman Kolmar, who is utterly flabbergasted when he sees his assistant Nahor.
Standing there, wrists bound behind his back, as he's held by a pair of black clad Farqian soldiers.
Amongst the line of prisoners, who were captured in the city during the night, as the enemy army started arriving just to the south of the capital city.
The mage Reinholt is just going to mention to Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit about councilman Kolmar seeing his assistant.
When lord Farque who is standing next to them, quietly says in the elven language in a slightly dry tone of voice "The royal thief is coming back".
A few moments later and Helbe the elven thief suddenly appears beside the three of them, saying in elven "He's gone".
"Huh?" says Mira Reinholt the mage, while Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit says " What?".
Then the undead warlord says to the highly talented elven magic user "Explain".
"He left them yesterday morning" says the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel.
"Took his assistant with him, along with that young sorceress, and a bunch of his personal guards" continues the elven masterthief.
"Smart fucker" mutters the large, heavily armoured deathlord.
Both Mira Reinholt and Jarjin Littlefoot nod in agreement with the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
Then the undead being points and says "Who's that cunt then?".
"A general Ukaj" says Helbe the elven thief with a nod of his hooded at the unconscious figure he's got on his right shoulder.
The grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel then nods in the direction of the enemy army and adds "He's in command of that lot".
As the elven master assassin shrugs the unconscious enemy general off his shoulder, he says "He has no idea where councilman Hirrye and the others went".
The undead warlord nods his full helmed head, while the mage Reinholt asks his fellow spellcaster "No one giving orders then now that you captured him?".
"Nah" says the elven masterthief who is a member of the royal family that rules the island principality of Laerel.
"They were given their orders yesterday" continues the elven magic user, who follows that with "They'll be attacking soon, at first light".
"As we thought" says the undead warlord who the people of his lands, also know him by the name of Draugadrottin.
Pointing at the enemy general lying on the top of the wall, the lord of the death realm asks "You get everything useful from him?".
"I did" replies the elven master assassin who thoroughly read the mind of the enemy general just after capturing him a little while ago.
"Good" says the large, heavily armoured deathlord, who then turns and calls out in the ork language "Dorc!" followed by "You can start with this one here".
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque after a brief pause, adds "Send him the fuck back".
Nahor the assistant to councilman Kolmar watches as the large ork walks by him and the other prisoners.
He watches as the big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world.
Walks over to where lord Farque and some of the other mercenaries are standing, here on the top of the south wall of Kuradum.
Nahor sees the large ork pick up a body from the wall, then head back this way.
When they go by, the assistant to councilman Kolmar gets a good look at who it is that the ork mercenary is carrying tucked under his right arm.
Nahor blinks in surprise when he sees it's general Ukaj. One of councilman Hirrye's military leaders.
On either side of Nahor, both the shipping magnet Golinmar and the spy master, to either side of him.
Are surprised to see an unconscious general Ukaj being carried by the large ork.
Nahor looks quickly around, and it's then that he notices something. There's not a single Kuradian soldier on this stretch of the wall. Infact there's no one who isn't from the Farqian mercenary army. With the exception of the prisoners, and the members of the ruling council and their assistants, who are standing off to one side.
Then Nahor sees the large ork stop at one of the two small catapults here, above the middle gate on the south wall.
He frowns as he wonders what the ork mercenary is up to, as it briefly speaks to the black clad Farqian soldiers who are manning the catapult. Who have the heavy weapon back in the firing position.
It's only when the ork named Dorc places the unconscious general Ukaj into the cup of the catapult. That Nahor realises what the large ork is up to with the rebel general.
The assistant to councilman Kolmar stands there in utter shock when the thunk of the catapult being fired, echoes across this part of the city.
And he watches general Ukaj go flying through the air, off the south wall of the city of Kuradum.
Unfortunately for the general in the rebel army. He wakes up as he goes flying through the gloom of just before dawn.
And his arms and legs are flailing about as he goes flying through the air, until he hits the ground, about eighty yards from the south wall of the capital city of Kuradum.
Landing with a thud, some distance from the front ranks of the rebel army, who are forming up, as they prepare to launch an attack at dawn. On what's another cold winter's morning in this part of the city-state of Kuradum.
Nahor who clearly hears the large ork chuckling. Eyes go wide when it turns and looks in this direction.
It's then that Nahor, along with the others who were taken prisoner during the night.
Start screaming behind the gags in their mouths, and try to break free from the Farqian mercenary soldiers, who firmly have a hold of them.
Then the chuckling ork named Dorc, starts walking over to where they're all lined up. Here on top of the south wall of the capital city of Kuradum . . . . . .