The Thick Of It 63.

Winter.

"They'll come out" quietly says Narladene the ground pixie as she stands upon the right shoulder of Helbe the elven thief.
The tiny winged creature who is from the Sunreach Mountains, pauses for a moment or two, before she adds "Right".
There's another pause from the naturally magical creature, who then says "Now".
Just then, across the street, in the grounds of the ruling council of the city-state of Kuradum, where a rift has formed.
Soldiers in the army of the rebel leader, councilman Hirrye. Start coming out of the rift.
The first of them move to the side of the rift, and look back in this direction, across the street.
And in the building, that the elven masterthief is on the roof of. A rebel spy, sitting at the window, directly beneath the blurred and shielded elven magic user.
Gives an all clear, and a proceed signal to those who have just come out of the rift.
There's nods from a couple of the rebels who have just turned up in the capital city of Kuradum.
Then they turn, and lead the others who are making their way out of the door sized rift, across the grounds to the main building of Kuradum's ruling council.
As they do, the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, and the ground pixie who is attached to him, both grin.
The first of the enemy soldiers barely takes ten steps, when suddenly he's cut in half at the waist as he runs into the first of the hidden spells cast by the highly talented elven magic user.
The second one fairs no better, and he too is dissected just above the hips.
The third one, seeing what's just happened, tries to come to a stop. But another of the rebel soldiers who has come out of the rift, runs into the back of him, sending him forward.
The third one staggers forward, yelping in fright, holding his arms out infront of him, trying to stop himself.
But momentum carries him forward, and his arms get sliced off just below the elbow.
He briefly screams in agony before he's cut in half at chest height as he falls forward.
"That's messy" murmurs Narladene the ground pixie as the fourth of the rebel soldiers, turns to the side, hoping to avoid what's infront of him, that's killed his fellow soldiers who have proceeded him.
No such luck, as he's sliced at the hip, all the way through his body, and the top half of his body drops to the ground, before the bottom half topples over sideways.
The next of the rebel soldiers come to a halt, and yells at those who have just come out of the rift, to slow down and stop.
Then as the enemy soldiers start waving their weapons out infront of them, to see where it's safe or not.
Helbe the elven thief, who has made that first hidden spell, just twenty feet from side to side.
And expects those rebel soldiers to get around it fairly soon. Infact he rather hopes they do, as they'll run into more of his hidden spells.
Steps to the front edge of the roof, and looks down.
And he sees an incredulous looking enemy spy, leaning out of the second storey window below, wondering what the hell's going on across in the grounds of the ruling council of the city-state.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, who is member of the royal family that rules that particular nation.
Faintly smiles to himself as the rebel spy leans even further out of the window, to see what's happening across the street, in the grounds of the ruling council of the city-state of Kuradum.
Then with a single thought of his mind, the elven spellcaster sends the enemy spy pitching forward, and out of the window.
Falling to the ground two storeys below, the ground which he hits head first, killing him instantly.
Then the elven master assassin, who is a member of the personal council to lord Farque looks across to the enemy who have come out of the rift.
When Narladene the ground pixie quietly says to him "Some of them have found a way around it".
"Good" murmurs Helbe the elven thief, who watches one such individual, who calls out to the others to follow him, as more and more of their number, make their way out of the rift.
That particular soldier in the army of the self proclaimed duke of Kuradum, takes another half a dozen steps or so.
When the ground suddenly disappears beneath him, and the others who are closely following behind him.
The grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel doesn't even bother to watch the ground reappear above the five enemy soldiers who disappeared beneath it.
Instead he's casting a spell upon one of the rebel soldiers who has just stepped out of the rift.
That rebel draws his sword, and shoves the blade into the back of the enemy soldier directly infront of him.
He yanks the bloody sword out, and slashes open the throat of another rebel soldier to the side.
Then with a shout of anger and rage, the bespelled enemy soldier, spins around, cuts down the rebel soldier who has just stepped out of the rift behind him.
He jumps over that body on the ground, and jumps back through the rift, swinging his sword, and angrily screaming in an incoherent manner.
"Bet he kills a few of them on the otherside of that rift" quietly says Narladene from her position on the right shoulder of the blurred and shielded elven magic user.
"Let's hope so" quietly says the elven princeling of Laerel, who along with the ground pixie attached to him.
Watch another of his hidden spells, attack the enemy soldiers who have come through the rift, that's located on the grounds of the ruling council of Kuradum.
On what's a cold, but sunny and clear winter's morning, here in the capital of the city-state.
As one of the enemy soldiers goes shooting up into the winter's morning sky, screaming in fright as he does. Even more when he suddenly stops about two hundred feet up. And screams again as he falls back down to the ground.
Before he hits the ground and dies. He sees a fellow soldier in the army of the rebel leader, councilman Hirrye.
Going up into the morning sky, just as he did a few moments ago, screaming in fright as well.
Mira Reinholt the mage, turns and looks at lord Farque, and quietly asks him "What is it?".
"Helbe" is the dry sounding reply from lord Farque with a nod of his full helmed head to the right and behind them.
The once powerful mage from the city-state of Vexil turns and looks away in that direction, and wryly smiles at what he sees.
A few hundred yards away, back near the grounds of the ruling council of Kuradum.
There's an enemy soldier flying up into the air, and as he falls back down and disappears behind some buildings.
The mage Reinholt spots another of the rebel soldiers go flying up into the morning sky in basically the same spot.
"Inventive" dryly says the Vexilian spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster.
Then the mage in the black hooded cloak, turns and looks forward, when the undead warlord quietly says "There".
The large heavily armoured deathlord follows that with "There must be a lane, or an alley there" he continues with "That's where it is".
Referring to the third of the three rifts the enemy have used to enter the city, on this cold winter's morning in the capital of Kuradum.
The two of them are silent for a few moments, then the lord and ruler of the lands Farque quietly says "Mercs".
The practitioner of magic, who is a member of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, nods his hooded head in agreement with the tall undead being standing next to him.
They're on a rooftop, in the one of the neighbourhoods in the north of the city of Kuradum, not all that far north of the city center.
The streets here like elsewhere through much of the city, are fairly empty.
As people take shelter, as the southern rebel army of the self styled duke of Kuradum. The ex councilman Hirrye, attacks the capital of the city-state.
But Draugadrottin as the people of his lands also know him by, along with Mira Reinholt.
Watch as about a twenty mercenaries hurry down the street to their right.
Then turn onto the street, that the building they're on top of, is located.
The spellcaster, who was once the most powerful mage of his generation, to be found anywhere in the Southlands.
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.
Glances sideways at the large, heavily armoured deathlord standing next to him. The undead warlord shakes his head no.
And they watch the hired mercenaries in councilman Hirrye's army, continue down the street.
"To that counting house?" quietly asks the swordmaster Reinholt with a nod of his hooded head away to their left, to one of the buildings at the end of the road.
"Definitely" quietly says the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, who has the elven name of Des'tier, which in the common language means, The Destroyer.
The deathlord of Farque nods his full helmed head in the direction of the next street over, the one directly to their north.
And he quietly says to the mage who is a member of his personal council "More of them".
The practitioner of magic, who is in exile from his homeland. For a treasonous act during the Battle of Vexil when he was teenager.
Spots more of the hired mercenaries in councilman Hirrye's army hurrying along that street. Where another of the city's counting houses is located.
Infact all of them, are situated in this area of this particular neighbourhood, just to the north of the city center.
For good reason, as the ruling council's treasury building is located here too.
"Think they'll send mercs to the treasury building?" quietly asks the highly skilled swordmaster.
"Do you?" responds the lord of the death realm who glances down at the once powerful mage standing next to him.
"Probably not" is the quiet reply of the Vexilian mage in exile, who then silently adds, that Hirrye doesn't trust them that much.
"He's probably letting them take the counting houses to keep them happy" quietly says Draugadrottin.
The undead warlord briefly pauses as they watch the hired mercenaries on this street, barge into the counting house at the end of the street.
"As for the treasury" quietly says the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, who follows on from that with "I bet he's got his best troops for that".
Councilor Reinholt nods his hooded head in agreement with that as they wait.
The highly skilled swordmaster knows they're waiting for who could be coming out of the rift that isn't all that far from the building they're standing on top of.
And the exiled Vexilian mage knows why exactly the two of them have come to where this particularly rift is.
It's because of the city-state's council treasury building, the building that the payments to the Farqian mercenary army comes from.
"Must be rebel soldiers coming through now" quietly says the lord and ruler of the lands Farque who can sense everyone coming out of the rift that's in a nearby lane between two rows of buildings.
"They're coming this way now" adds the undead warlord, who gestures southwards, and not westwards the direction all the mercenaries who have come through the rift have gone so far.
"There" quietly says Mira Reinholt who is a member of one of the most successful, not to mention, most wealthy trading families. Not just in his homeland of Vexil, but the entire Southlands.
The once powerful spellcaster nods away to their right, to the closest street that goes in a straight line, north to south.
There you can see soldiers in the army of the rebel leader, councilman Hirrye. Are quickly making their way southwards.
The mage Reinholt knows that they'll turn in this direction fairly soon. Because the treasury building is on the street right behind them. Infact it's the largest building in the neighbourhood.
The one directly opposite the building the Vexilian mage in exile, and the lord and ruler of the lands Farque are on top of.
Then Des'tier glances down at the mage Reinholt, and quietly tells him "Get ready".
"You want me to destroy it?" quietly asks the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, referring to the nearby rift.
"No" followed by "We're not certain he will actually come through". Though they both suspect that councilman Hirrye, will indeed come through this particular rift.
And not the other two rifts, that they enemy are using to enter the city of Kuradum, on this cold but sunny winter's morning here in the capital.
For the simple reason, if he takes the ruling council's treasury. He won't just control the city. He'll basically control the entire city-state. 
The deathlord of Farque suddenly says "She's coming through". The Vexilian mage in exile nods in understanding.
And the next moment, Mira Reinholt senses the sorceress named Losmena, come through the nearby rift. The next moment he senses the rift disappear as the enemy sorceress drops that particular spell.
"Coming this way alright" quietly says the once powerful mage, who is safe in the knowledge he can't be sensed due to the amulet he's wearing.
Which gives him something similar to the shield spell that Helbe the elven thief can cast.
Where other practitioners of magic are unable to sense you. Both your magical power, which you ordinarily have to hold within yourself to do, which is a difficult skill.
And you casting a spell. Which is basically one of the first skills a spellcaster learns.
Infact it's an ability that comes naturally to pretty much all spellcasters with a bit of talent.
"They're not on that street" quietly says Draugadrottin gesturing to the nearby street that goes north to south.
"The last of them who came through?" asks Vexilian swordmaster in exile.
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque nods his full helmed head, then he quickly says "They're using the lanes and alleyways to come this way".
The undead warlord briefly pauses as he looks behind them at the treasury building opposite the one they're on top of.
Then he quietly tells the mage who is a member of his personal council "They're going to come at it from the east side, or the back".
The both of them completely turn and look at the treasury building, now looking away to his left, Mira Reinholt quietly says "Here comes that lot".
As the first of the rebel soldiers who have come through the rift, hurry onto the street that the treasury building is on.
The once powerful mage in the black hooded cloak, nods his head when Draugadrottin quietly tells him "That sorceress just hid herself from you".
He follows that with "She's still with the others going through the alleys and lanes".
The mage Reinholt who can no longer sense the enemy spellcaster, watches as more of the rebel soldiers appear on the street below, and hurry towards the large building that contains the ruling council of Kuradum's treasury.
"There" quietly says lord Farque, Mira Reinholt looks to where the lord of the death realm points to, as Des'tier adds "They should come out there".
It's the mouth of an alleyway, and the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster gets ready to create a mageglobe.
As he along with the undead warlord wait for the enemy sorceress named Losmena, and whoever it is that's with her, to show up . . . . . .