The Thick Of It 59.

Winter.

They're waiting in and around a village about fifty miles to the west of the capital city of Kuradum.
They've been waiting well over a day now, ever since they left the army as it was approaching the capital from the south.
They don't know how much longer they'll have to wait for. But they know it won't be too long, as they've been told they're to go sometime today. Most likely this morning.
It's closer to mid morning than it is to dawn now. And subcommander Phogarn makes his way back to the small inn they've been staying at over the last day, after checking up on those they brought along with them.
The assistant to the self proclaimed duke of Kuradum, makes his way into the inn.
And in the common room, he finds councilman Hirrye sitting at a table with the sorceress Losmena.
The subcommander briefly pauses as he watches them. As they're sitting close to one another on the same bench seat.
Phogarn, a pragmatic man to say the least. Isn't at all surprised the married Hirrye is trying to get close with the young sorceress. Close as in intimate.
As the self styled duke of the city-state, who has been married a number of years, and has two children.
Always had rumours circulating around him of being a bit of a womanizer.
It was always ignored in the past. After all for a number of years he was the most powerful and influential member of the ruling council of the city-state of Kuradum.
And things like casual relationships outside of the marriage didn't exactly illicit much in the way of disapproval. From either the citizens who actually cared about such things. And the other members of the city-state's ruling council.
But this is a little different, as the sorceress, at eighteen is over half the age of councilman Hirrye.
And as far as Phogarn knows, she hasn't been in any relationship of note in her lifetime.
And the fact that spellcasters in general, especially powerful ones. Tend to act first, and suffer the consequences later.
The subcommander who is the assistant to the rebel leader. Is more worried about what Losmena might do if she takes the advances from councilman Hirrye the wrong way.
Phogarn crosses the common room, and sits down on the bench on the otherside of the table from councilman Hirrye and the sorceress Losmena.
"How are they?" quietly asks councilman Hirrye as he looks at his assistant.
"Wanting to be off" replies subcommander Phogarn, who is feeling the same way.
The assistant to the rebel leader, continues with "Can't blame them i guess".
The self styled duke of Kuradum grunts when he hears that, and the sorceress Losmena nods.
Then the subcommander says "Wonder if Ukaj has been successful in anyway?".
The councilman, or to be exact, the ex councilman, shrugs then says "Who knows?" followed by "The general might of been successful".
The rebel leader briefly pauses before continuing on with "But i doubt he has, especially as it's still not midmorning".
The rebel army officer nods in agreement to that, then he quietly says "Like you said, who knows".
The subcommander in the rebel army follows that with "If Ukaj has been successful in anyway, then that's a bonus".
He continues on with "But I'm guessing he will be once we take them by surprise".
"That's the plan" says the man who intends to rule the city-state of Kuradum by himself.
Councilman Hirrye grins as he looks at his assistant across the table, then at the teenage sorceress sitting next to him, and he quietly tells them "Think it's about time to bring our plans to fruition".
The self proclaimed duke of Kuradum, continues with "And bring about our victory in this war".
They get up, and head out. With subcommander Phogarn waving to the others in the common room with them, to follow them as he tells them "We're going".
There's an air of confidence from all of them as they head outside. Once outside infront of the small inn.
Councilman Hirrye tells them "Gather them up" followed by "And go to the meeting point".
The self proclaimed duke of Kuradum, pauses for effect, before he adds "We're going to the capital".
The morning here in the west of the city-state is cold, but sunny. Not that they know it yet, but the weather is near identical to what it is fifty miles to the east in the capital.
The rebel councilman, the subcommander and the sorceress make their way through the village.
As they do, others join them. Soldiers and mercenaries both. Who were part of the councilman's southern army. Who left with him yesterday morning, through a rift that the sorceress Losmena cast.
And now they're about to leave. Through a rift again. To be exact, a number of rifts.
There's just over five hundred of them, and they start making their way to a field just outside the eastern outskirts of the village.
There's about four hundred rebel soldiers, and a company of over one hundred mercenaries.
They've gone over their plans a number of times since they were told of them yesterday morning after they left the southern army of the self proclaimed duke of Kuradum.
"Have the officers and mercenary leaders gather" quietly says councilman Hirrye to his assistant.
"A final word with them, about what we're about to do is needed i think" adds the man who wishes to rule the city-state of Kuradum by himself.
"Yes sir" says subcommander Phogarn, who moves off to give some orders, and to gather the officers and the mercenary leaders.
As he does, councilman Hirrye quietly says to the young, attractive spellcaster standing next to him "You've only been with the cause a little over a year Losmena".
The practitioner of magic who nods her head in response to that. Knows the self styled duke of Kuradum wishes to impart something important to her here.
As he usually calls her by the title of sorceress, or the sorceress Losmena, especially infront of others, including subcommander Phogarn. As well as his personal guards. Two of which, are standing off to one side.
"And I've asked a lot of you in that time" adds Hirrye, the rebel leader.
"But what we do today is the most important thing we've done so far in our efforts to rest control of our nation from that pack of incompetent assholes" says the self styled duke of Kuradum, referring to his ex colleagues on the ruling council of the city-state.
"Kuradum deserves leadership of significance again" continues councilman Hirrye, who follows that with "And with your help today, we will make it happen".
The rebel leader briefly pauses, before he tells the teenage sorceress "What I'm asking of you is a lot".
He briefly clasps the right hand of the spellcaster in the blue cloak, and tells her "I will make it up to you, no matter what".
For a moment there, Losmena thinks the ex councilman is going to lift her hand to his lips, and kiss it.
But he thinks better of it, as his personal guards are near. And instead he gently squeezes her hand before letting it go.
"I'll do what's necessary sir" says Losmena the sorceress, who has her own motivation for seeing the end of the ruling council of Kuradum.
"You can count on me" adds the attractive young sorceress, who was born and raised in the first few years of her life, in the city of Kuradum.
Before being taken to the northwest of the city-state to be raised by her extended family there, especially her grandmother on her mother's side. The side of the family that she gets her magic from.
The ex councilman nods, then he quietly tells the spellcaster "Once we've taken control of the capital, and after that the rest of the city-state".
He briefly pauses before continuing on with "I'll do everything within my power to get you whatever you want".
The teenage sorceress, lifts a questioning eyebrow at hearing that. As the self styled duke of Kuradum hasn't promised anything to anyone if he's to take power.
His only stated goal is to dispose of the current ruling council, and to take over the rule of the city-state.
A city-state he hopes one day to be a larger nation, a kingdom. As he has his eyes on expanding the borders of Kuradum into the unruled lands that surround it.
"I'm honoured sir" quietly says the sorceress Losmena, who hears councilman Hirrye murmur "Anything for you".
Then the rebel leader turns as some of the officers start arriving. As the men, both rebel soldiers, and hired mercenaries form into ranks here in the field just outside of the village.
Once subcommander Phogarn is at his side again, the self proclaimed duke of Kuradum says "Good, you're all here".
As he sees that all the rebel officers, and the mercenary leaders have gathered before him.
"What we're about to do today men is monumental in the history of the city-state of Kuradum" says councilman Hirrye, who has been preparing for this speech for a number of days, once the plans he and subcommander Phogarn, along with the sorceress Losmena devised, were put into motion.
"We will be the catalyst that will change the course of our nation forever" continues the rebel leader, who then adds "You all know what to do, and i expect you to do it, to the best of your and your men's abilities".
The ex councilman looks at each and everyone of the rebel officers, and the trio of mercenary leaders.
Then councilman Hirrye tells them "You know your specific targets and goals".
He briefly pauses before continuing with "Some of them by themselves might not seem all that much, but as a whole, they'll be devastating to our enemies".
The rebel officers and the mercenary leaders nod at that, as they figured as much.
"We suspect some of what we'll do will be easier than expected" says the ex councilman, who follows that with "As we expect most of the city's residents to be indoors, and taking shelter with the attack upon the city".
The self proclaimed duke of the city-state of Kuradum then looks at a few of his officers, and says to them "What you are about to do will be the most difficult thing we do".
He continues on with "You'll be thrust into the midst of the battle" followed by "Maybe general Ukaj has already breached the south wall of the city when we arrive, and your job will be easier".
The rebel leader then says "But i wouldn't count on it, so what you're to do, will be to get our army into the city at all costs".
Those officers nod in understanding, as they volunteered themselves and their men for this particular task.
Looking at the others, councilman Hirrye says "What the rest of us is to do, will be difficult and dangerous in it's own right".
Followed by "Just because we're not going straight into the battle, doesn't mean it's without it's own threats and dangers".
The ex councilman briefly pauses, then asks them "You understand?".
They reply with a chorus of "Yes sir".
"Very good" says the self styled duke of the city-state of Kuradum.
Then councilman Hirrye says to them "I wish you all the best in what we today" followed by "I will always remember the sacrifices we're about to give as we undertake this".
The rebel leader then says "For those who believe in them, may the gods protect us".
The ex member of the ruling council of Kuradum then shouts "For Kuradum!".
It's repeated a number of times by the officers, and the mercenary leaders, as well as the waiting ranks of rebel soldiers and mercenaries.
Once the shouting has died down, councilman Hirrye looks at his assistant and nods.
As subcommander Phogarn tells the officers and mercenary leaders "Have the ranks form up into their lines" followed by "We're about to go through".
The ex councilman quietly says to the teenage spellcaster "Ready?".
"I am" is the reply from the sorceress Losmena.
Then as they wait for the ranks to form into orderly lines, subcommander Phogarn says to the rebel leader and the powerful sorceress "Ukaj is in for a hell of a surprise when we show up".
As the rebel general has no idea of their plans. All they told him yesterday morning, was that were leaving the army, and that they will return.
When, and how. They didn't discuss that with general Ukaj or anyone else that remained behind.
"And so will they" adds the subcommander referring to the enemy defending the city of Kuradum.
"And so will they" repeats councilman Hirrye with a grin upon his face.
Then seeing that the ranks have formed into their lines, the rebel leader says to the attractive teenage sorceress "You can begin whenever you like".
The sorceress Losmena nods, then she closes her eyes as she prepares to cast. This will prove to be her most difficult casting yet.
For she casts three spells at once, a difficult task in itself. Made even more difficult, as the three spells are rift spells.
And one after another they start to form infront of the lines of rebel soldiers and mercenaries.
Three rift spells that go to the capital city of Kuradum, on this cold, but sunny and clear winter's morning in this part of the city-state . . . . . .