The Thick Of It 55.

Winter.

"Think they might try for their homes?" quietly asks Mira Reinholt the mage.
"Not really" is the quiet reply of lord Farque as they stand upon the top of the watchtower.
"I'm more worried about the council buildings than anything" quietly adds the undead warlord, who follows that with "And the barracks next to it".
The mage who is from the city-state of Vexil, and is a member of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
Nods his hooded head in agreement with the large, heavily armoured deathlord.
Then the two of them, undead being and human mage, who are invisible. Fall silent as one of the assistants to the councilmen walks by after coming back up to the top of the tower of the city guard, here in the south of the city of Kuradum.
They're at the north side of the walled rooftop, while everyone else is on the otherside of the roof, watching the progress of the attack by the enemy on the south wall of the capital of the city-state.
On this cold, but sunny and clear winter's morning in this area of Kuradum.
The mage Reinholt, who figures lord Farque sent Helbe the elven thief to watch over the council buildings.
For the simple reason the elven magic user will be the best, and quickest to react to an attack there.
Stands a bit to one side, to get a better view of what's happening along the south wall of the city of Kuradum.
"How did you think it's going?" quietly asks Mira Reinholt as he gestures to what's happening away to the south.
"As it good as it can be i guess" quietly says the undead warlord who though is watchting the battle.
He's also watchting and listening to the others here, on top of the tallest structure in the south of the city.
"Looks like Tam's got things under control" quietly adds the lord of the death realm.
The deathlord of Farque, who the people of his lands, also know him by the name of Draugadrottin, quietly continues with "And Tovis seems to making things difficult for them".
The once powerful mage, who is in exile from his homeland Vexil, nods his head in agreement with that.
As a column of black smoke rises up from the otherside of the south wall of the city.
The spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster can't see it. But he knows an enemy siege tower is on fire.
Most likely hit by burning barrels of pitch mixed with naphtha, shot from one of the trebuchets being manned by the Farqian engineers under the command of Tovis the engineer.
The mage in the black hooded cloak nods once again when the lord and ruler of the lands Farque quietly says to him "Just as long as they keep moving their men to the east, the better it is for us".
The Vexilian mage in exile who knows the defenders of the city are badly outnumbered.
Also knows they've got a certain chance of victory the more and more of the rebel army head to the east side of the city the better.
The undead being who has the elven name of Des'tier, which translates as, The Destroyer.
Doesn't need to see what the enemy are doing. As he can sense them. Their lives, deaths, and most importantly their movement.
And he senses how some are heading eastwards along the otherside of the river, making for the bridge that's about a mile from the city.
Infact the large, heavily armoured deathlord has sensed a number of them have already crossed the bridge.
And are making their way, or in some instances, made their way to the east wall of the capital city of Kuradum.
The east wall is by far the most solidly built of the city's walls.
With just one set of gates it's easier to defend, especially compared to the south wall with it's three sets of gates.
And until recently, three bridges that crossed the river that runs along the south wall of the capital of the city-state of Kuradum.
The practitioner of magic, who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands.
Who was on track to be a battlemage, the first one not just in the Southlands, but the entire world of Volunell, in well over a generation.
Until he was stripped of most of his powers when he went offworld a number of years ago. Through a rift/void spell that he accidentally cast.
Looks all around, to the east across the city, the north, then to the west, before looking back to the south.
Where the rebel army of councilman Hirrye, the self proclaimed duke of Kuradum. Is attacking the south side of the capital city.
"Wonder if they'll show up and attack another side of the city" murmurs the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster.
"Maybe" quietly says Draugadrottin, who follows that with "Maybe not".
The large, heavily armoured deathlord waves a gauntleted hand in the direction of the councilmen here on the roof of the watchtower of the city guard, in the south or poor quarter of the city.
"I think they're more interested in getting this lot" quietly says the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
"And those at the council building" quietly adds the undead warlord, who continues with "That Hirrye will try for sure, when exactly, who knows".
The spellcaster, who at just seventeen years of age, was the youngest member in the history of the mage council of Vexil, nods his hooded head.
"Who knows indeed" murmurs Mira Reinholt the mage, who like lord Farque is constantly sensing.
Hoping to catch out councilman Hirrye, or more precisely, the rebel councilman's pet spellcaster, the sorceress Losmena.
On the dome that dominates the middle of the main council building of Kuradum, located in the center of the city.
Helbe the elven thief looks down to his left, beyond the gardens and grounds in that direction.
Which leads to the main barracks of the Kuradian army that's based here in the capital city.
The blurred and shielded elven magic user sees very little activity, here on the grounds of the council buildings.
And over at the city barracks of the Kuradian army loyal to the ruling council.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, who is keeping an eye on those of the ruling council who have made their way back here after being on the south wall at dawn.
Is just about to make another circuit of the main council building, when Narladene the ground pixie suddenly appears and lands upon the right shoulder of the nobleborn elf she's attached to.
"How's it going?" asks Helbe the elven thief, who knows the naturally magical creature took off to observe the battle along the south side of the city, for a little bit.
"Holding our own" replies Narladene the ground pixie as the elven masterthief walks over the dome in the middle of the massive building.
"Quite a few of them have been pushed to the east" adds the naturally magical creature, who hails from the Sunreach Mountains.
The elven master assassin in the white hooded cloak, nods his head then says "Tovis must be hitting them pretty hard".
The young elven noble who is a member of the royal family that rules the island principality of Laerel, continues with "Accurate enough that a some of them have to go east now that those bridges have been destroyed".
The tiny winged creature on the right shoulder of the elven master archer then says "There's something else too".
The grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel glances sideways at the ground pixie and says "Oh?" followed by "Like what?".
"Like these council buildings are being watched" is the reply of the naturally magical creature.
"I know" says the elven master assassin who is a member of the personal council to lord Farque.
"Members of the scouts and rangers division" continues the highly talented elven magic user, who follows that with "Spies from Dalin's company".
"Not them" says Narladene the ground pixie, who continues on with "I know about them" she then adds "I mean someone else".
The grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel comes to a stop at the top of the dome, and looks at the tiny winged creature on his right shoulder.
"Who?" asks the highly talented elven magic user, he follows that with "Friend or foe?".
The naturally magical creature shrugs, then says "I've no idea" she continues with "It could be nothing, then again it might be something".
Prince Helbenthril Raendril grunts, then after quickly looking around in all directions, asks the ground pixie "Where?".
"There" says Narladene who points to the east of the council buildings, to the nearest neighbourhood in that direction.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel looks in that direction.
The tiny winged creature on his right shoulder holds on tightly as she senses what he's about to do.
The next moment, the elven masterthief shifts away, from the top of the dome in the middle of the main council building, to the neighbourhood just to the east of it, and the main city barracks of the Kuradian army.
"Which one?" quietly asks Helbe the elven thief as he stands upon the roof of a building in the neighbourhood just to the east of the grounds where the council buildings are located.
"There, that one" says Narladene the ground pixie, who points then adds "The two storey place".
The naturally magical creature from the Sunreach Mountains continues with "In that second storey room, with the window facing towards the council buildings and the army barracks".
The highly talented elven magic user nods his hooded head, then he looks closely at the two storey building Narladene has pointed out.
Looking at it with all of his senses, both magical and mundane.
After a few moments, the elven princeling from the island nation of Laerel quietly asks the ground pixie on his right shoulder "Anything there?".
For though he can't sense anything magical in and around the two storey building, doesn't mean there might not be something there.
"Nothing" is the reply of the tiny winged creature as they look at the building across a quiet street from them.
The elf who is a member of the personal council to lord Farque nods his hooded head, then he shifts to the roof of the two storey building.
The blurred and shielded elven magic user kneels down on the roof, as he's directly above the room that he's interested in.
The elven master assassin looks to the west, and he sees that he, along with whoever it is that's in the room below, are directly inline with the back of the main council building.
"Now isn't that interesting" murmurs prince Helbenthril Raendril, who then stands up, takes a few steps forward, and steps off the roof.
He floats downwards, and turns as he does so. The elven masterthief comes to a stop, and looks at the man sitting on a chair, looking out the window, at the buildings of the ruling council, and the army barracks next to it.
The highly talented elven magic user, who has the ability to cast multiple spells at once, when most practitioners of magic struggle to cast two spells at the same time.
Lifts an arched eyebrow in surprise when he reads the mind of the man sitting on the chair at the window.
"Well, well, well" murmurs Helbe the elven thief once he's back up on the roof.
"What?" quietly asks Narladene the ground pixie from the right shoulder of the young elven noble she's attached to.
"One of their spies" quietly says the elven masterthief who is a member of the royal family that rules the island principality of Laerel.
"We miss one?" quietly asks the naturally magical creature, referring to all of the enemy spies and sympathizers that were apprehended last night.
"No" is the quiet reply of the elven master archer, who continues on with "This lot are separate than the others".
The elven princeling then adds "They came in yesterday just before the city gates were closed" followed by "They had no contact with the lot we'd been observing".
"They?" asks Narladene the ground pixie.
"There's a group of them" is the quiet reply of the elven member of lord Farque's personal council.
The tiny winged creature nods her head, then she quietly asks "You going to kill him?".
The highly talented elven spellcaster seriously contemplates that question from the ground pixie, then he quietly says "No".
Then the elven master assassin faintly smiles, and quietly says "I'm going to do something else".
The naturally magical creature rolls her eyes, as she hopes the young elven noble doesn't do something too overly dramatic and complicated, as he sometimes does.
"One of Dalin's spies is down the street there, I'm going to speak with him about something" quietly says Helbe the elven thief, who then adds "I want you to go to lord Farque and tell him this".
Narladene's eyebrows shoot up when she hears what these new enemy spies are up to, and what the elven princeling wants her to tell the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
After the highly talented elven magic user explains things, the ground pixie takes off and heads south.
While the elven masterthief shifts away down the street, to speak with a nearby spy from the scouts and rangers division in the armies of Farque.
Mira Reinholt the mage has just pointed out that it looks like another enemy siege tower is on fire on the otherside of the south wall of the city.
When lord Farque holds up a gauntleted hand, and quietly says to him "Silence".
The spellcaster from the city-state of Vexil, who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, falls silent.
As he presumes the deathlord of Farque is listening to something or someone.
After a little while, the undead warlord nods his full helmed head, then quietly says something in a language the mage Reinholt doesn't understand, but recognises as the pixie language Narladene speaks.
"What is it?" quietly asks the once powerful mage after the lord and ruler of the lands Farque finishes speaking with Narladene the ground pixie, and looks at him.
"Enemy spies" quietly says the lord of the death realm as they stand at the rear of the tower roof, invisible to the others up here.
"A group of them entered the city just before i ordered the gates closed yesterday" adds lord Farque to the Vexilian mage in exile.
"We going to kill them?" quietly asks the spellcaster in the black hooded cloak.
"No, something else" quietly says Draugadrottin, who then explains to the once powerful mage what Helbe the elven thief has devised.
"Hell" mutters Mira Reinholt the mage after hearing the plan his fellow spellcaster prince Helbenthril Raendril has come up with.
A plan that the large, heavily armoured deathlord has agreed to, on this cold, but sunny and clear winter's morning, here in the city of Kuradum . . . . . .