Ulric let out the breath he'd been holding when they did. If they were talking it over, it meant that there was probably not going to be any killing on this occasion, which suited him just fine. He'd already had his fill of slaughter and there was, not so regrettably, more to come.
But that was best saved for the fuckers who had it coming, not random peoples caught up in a system of indoctrinated cruelty. Ulric still recalled those discussions wherein he'd been told of places in this little empire where people were defaulted to slavery and had to earn their rights to freedom and citizenship. What kind of twisting of a person would that inflict? To have naked ambition and cut throat competition be the only way towards a life of any worth? He couldn't imagine growing up immersed in ruthless exploitation like that.
These two might give him the kind of knowledge that only locals would have, that he could find the best way towards securing those ships for the Elves under his care and to make their way, finally, to Prosper. It'd been almost six months since he and Taipan had left Iriehos. Far longer than they had planned, but then, not much had gone according to that optimistic plan all that time gone.
Finally, the syrup sweet couple turned from their mutterings to address him, the Leor girl taking the lead in human tongue, "First, I would have your name, warrior. Who are you wearing such uncommon armor and bearing a mastercraft sword while roaming the Kistalfin Wood?"
A fair question.
"A fair question, paramours," Ulric replied, and deciding to bet it all on a pair of hopelessly besotted youngsters, "I am Ulric Einar, [Lord of the Ancient Glade], friend of the Deep Woods Elves. I've come into protection for a group of Orlethrem held by Prosper's agents for the purpose of twisting them into Aes'r Bane. I destroyed those who did this evil and I wish to find passage for those poor sods back to Orlethrem territory. Can you be of help in this?"
That earned him some widened eyes for certain. Now more whispering, with much gesticulation on the part of the love birds. He hitched his patience, no good would come of rushing them. Best case scenario this pair could help him figure out what exactly the hell was going on with that encampment and maybe even how best to go about booking passage for a couple of smaller schooners or, better, maybe a big carrack for the whole bunch. Splitting the group between ships was not optimal but he'd do it if that meant getting them seaborn. Worst case scenario, these two would be of no help and Ulric would maybe have to kill them both to keep them silent.
Gods that thought made him a little sick, but he knew he'd do it to save a hundred something other lives plus his wife's. Just wish real fucking hard they don't make that necessary, Ulric told himself. For once, it would appear that things were going his way though.
When the two arose from their hushed discussion it was with a consensus.
"Fate has dealt a strange hand this day.” The young Mage announced with certainty.
“I am once War Mage Adept Brodin Ivey, in company with my Chrissa. Varda enjoys her small ironies, I wield the mana of plant life, once for Prosper, and now for myself and my dearest. We are ourselves in need of passage from these lands, Lord Einar." began the Mage earnestly, taking a deep, relieved breath.
"The cause I had to flee Kistalfer with my love is that I was being mobilized away thanks to the sudden upheaval along the western Prespang fronts and along the Vatyn coast. Wild rumors were circulating regarding some force descending upon the small port towns and even Bartala herself like an angry dragon, and there was some disturbance that had the Magisters standing hard upon the necks of the Barony to raise men. As if they had not already sent most of the trained men to the border to prosecute their aggression against the Elves." The freckled carrot top mage narrated.
Ulric hurrumphed lightly at that information, though he was, in fact, not a little pleased with himself.
It checked out. Ulric had raised Cain, a bit of an extended loss of temper following the murder of the Old Wolf and a culmination of his animosities for grievances general, really. Sometimes you just get tired of putting up with the bullshit and have to go on the offensive. That had included burning like five small ports and sinking some half dozen ships at sea. No wonder the guys at the top of the ladder were starting to feel the heat. Like a chisel placed just so upon the stone and struck, the fault lines in the empire were propagating, a set of cascading failures degrading the system's integrity. Fandamntastic, Ulric told himself with some measure of gratification. It'd only be better if he could see to it that it was their own feet held to the fire next time.
“They’d better send better than the assholes guarding the Baron of Bartala, or I’m going to start feeling like I’m bullying these poor sods.” Ulric remarked sarcastically.
With a gesture towards him, the Leor girl asked a bit timidly "Surely you were not the cause of the Magister's ire?"
To which he shrugged saying drily "Might be. Unless somebody else was dropping Magisters into the Vatyn's deep and I doubt two people burned Bartala's docks inside a month."
They shared another look between them then and thawed noticeably.
"But this is incredible fortune!" The Tawny furred girl exclaimed, followed immediately by her lad who took her hand and shook it excitedly, "We have the Gods' own blessing on our union Chrissa! With the debacle in Orlethrem, the Lupid Tribes' secession, and the ravaging of the Vatyn, there will be none to stop us crossing the sea to the Eastern reaches. Just across the Heaven's Reach North Pass and we will be free of this cursed, rotting empire!"
Secession? Ulric needed to know more, this was the first news he'd had of the Wolfkin since leaving the crew of the tribesmans' boat behind.
"Ho there, what did you say about the Lupid Tribes? I saw off some kin of a dear friend, slain by Prosper's thugs, who had decided to pick up and leave Bartala, a wed clan Hora-Bitsnez. Are they in trouble?" Ulric asked emphatically.
"Whatever happened in Bartala it raised up waves like a seaquake. Clan Hora-Bitsnez declared themselves at war with Prosper and any who would stand with her and every single Lupid tribe rallied to their side. They are, according to rumor, holding a Moot to raise a Lupid King, something that has not existed for at least five hundred years of Prespang's history!" The girl, Chrissa said wonderingly.
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Shaking his head and patting his emancipated lover's shoulder calmingly the mage continued the story.
"A cascade of Beastkin tribes suddenly withdrew from the Empire's 'protection', three cities had their Baron declare the agents of Prosper, especially Magisters, under pain of death to set foot within the city walls. If what you have said regarding the Bane is true and others know it then it is no wonder." Ginger spoke with disbelief.
"The Orlethrem are going to cleanse Prespang now, they will not stop until they have burned the taint of those who would wield the Forbidden from the continent. Prosper finds its gold of little worth now that the Elves are preparing to come North. Whoever can cut themselves free of the Gilded Thrones will do so now, rather than face the vengeance of the Aes'r." Predicted the youthful Germen Adept grimly.
"They'd better," Remarked Ulric with heat in his voice, "I spent time amongst the Iriel'en and their Crown has it in his mind to see Prosper erased from history. So do I, for that matter. Which brings me to my next point, what brings one of Prosper's pet mages out here in the wilderness with a runaway slave?"
The lovers glued themselves together, as if he had said he was planning to separate them.
"For love! Of course!" Cried the Leor.
Of course, Ulric snarked to himself, trying not to roll his eyes at the two of them. That's why they were stomping around in the savage wilds like a couple of poachers.
"It is true, Lord Einar of this 'Ancient Glade'. Once I embraced the doctrines of the Gilded Thrones, as taught to me since I was a boy. But I met this woman and she showed me the lies that Beastkin were less than people, she taught me what honor and dignity truly are, and I could not marry what I had been told by my superiors and lectors against the reality that she was.” The tree-wielding mage declared.
“I threw my order’s accolades and badges away, defected, and took my love with me away from the nearby city where I was garrisoned, and she was slaved. It was a hard thing, to wake one morning and find that all your world was a lie. A fiction told to make free men and women into slaves and other free men and women into their captors, all the while, only the Merchant Lords and their chosen tools knew real freedom." The young man said sadly, the realization fresh on him.
Ulric could sympathize with that. It was a damned hard thing to do to admit you were wrong, harder still to admit that you had done wrongly to others, had become part of a cruelty. Before the youngster could dwell on it too deeply the Leor girl wrapped herself around his arm and said with conviction, "It was hard, but you did wake from that nightmare, and you did come for me, leaving all else to the side. That is what matters."
A small smile lit the young Adept's face at that reminder and he gave Ulric his attention once more.
"Orders came to all of the War Magi that we were to report to Prosper herself, at triple the duty pay, I might add. I could not leave my Chrissa and her owner would not sell her, he had plans to open a soldier's brothel somewhere near the front lines. Seeing no other way, I stole the seal breaking spell for the slave collars from Kistalfer's Chief Magister and deserted, fleeing with my dearest. There was, according to the closely guarded rumors amongst slaves, a free person's camp somewhere in the Kistalfer Wood. We are bound there and from there, somewhere beyond the reach of the Gilded Thrones." Explained Ginger.
Well, okay, Ulric supposed that made sense, in a kind of naively stupid kind of way. The both of them would have been brutally executed had they been caught.
Prosper was coming apart at the seams. It was better news than any he could have hoped for. Taipan had told him of the battle for the Havens, of the blooding that the Orlethrem had given the strike force that had tried to launch a blitzkrieg to wipe out Iriel's citizens. Great news, but he wasn't here to worry about the price of silk in China, he needed to know what was going on right in front of his nose.
"Look, as I've said already, I'm afield to find the way for my wards. Anything or anyone gets in my way gets moved aside and I won't be worrying if it breaks in the doing." Ulric informed the couple, getting their attention as they'd started falling into each other's eyes again.
"I and my partner spied smoke coming from this Woodland, as if from a sizable encampment. Would this be the free peoples camp you spoke of?" Ulric inquired.
"It is!" The couple echoed, before the Ginger Adept begged without shame, "Please, friend of the Otherkin, enemy of the Merchant Lords, guide us there! I do not have much but I will gladly give what I can if it will get us free of the reach of Kistalfer's garrison. Even now they will be mustering. Not for myself particularly but to mobilize at Prosper's behest, I overheard the Praetorian’s orders to destroy this free people's camp before turning to join the reforming legions at the Gateway to the Zelas."
Ulric wanted to groan. Of course! Those idiots in that gathering had attracted enough attention to pull troops directly on top of his Elves. If they were commanded even half way competently they'd have scouts out and it was a hopeless cause to think that they'd miss a caravan of Aes'r while looking for any stragglers from the breakaway group.
Fuck.
Alright, that put him on the clock for real. First thing's first, he had to get back to Taipan and let the refugees know what was coming. There was a nonzero chance that they might have to lift weapons in their own defense. Not that they'd hold out for very long against trained troops. The victims of the Bane towns were recovering but many still couldn't walk unaided and most were still weak from their injuries. A month or so from now and Ulric would bet they'd give as good as they got, but they didn't have a damned month.
"Alright then," Ulric said, command in his voice, "You two are coming with me. I have to give these tidings to my mate and regroup. It would seem that our causes are joined from necessity. I no more need these soldiers from Kistalfer finding the ones under my aegis as do either of you need them tripping across the breakaway group we saw from the heights. We rejoin my comrades and then we see what must be done about the garrison's troops."
There must have been something in his tone or in the set of his face but neither of the lovebirds raised so much as a twitch of objection. Gesturing to follow, Ulric turned to guide the once slave and the once slaver back through the forest to the caravan of refugees. So it was that Ulric returned to find his rescued Aes'r lounging in semi comfort, they'd learned to find whatever rest they could during the trip. Taipan was rewrapping her ribs in bandaging, sitting by a small banked fire bare chested.
All of this Ulric took in stride as he presented himself to the former Eldest Princess of Iriel and undeniably most enchanting lass in either of two lifetimes he'd ever laid eyes on. He must have gained some measure of tolerance towards her because he didn't even blink. The lovebirds though were star struck. They might start drooling if they didn't close their mouths.
Ulric cleared his throat loudly, "Ugh Hm! Taipan, love, we have good news and we have bad news."
Stoically tightening the knot on her bandaged ribs, his Shadow-Wife asked him lightly, her melodic tone beautiful despite its sarcasm, "And when has that not been the case in our time together?"
Actually? A fair question, Ulric wasn't sure when the last time was that he'd not had his nuts roasting over a fire. Arguably the nearest time had been back in Irielhos, but, even then, there'd been the looming threat of conflict goading him into desperate action to learn to fight and control his magic. He was due a fucking vacation at some point.
"Your observation is noted but we haven't the time to philosophize about it, love. The camp ahead is not hostile, they are peoples that had decided to break away from the control of the Merchant Lords, choosing the wilds to the safe cage of Kistalfer. However, there is a detachment of soldiers recruited to go to the army that is reforming at Prosper that is headed their way to slaughter them and put down any hints of insurgency or threat to the Merchant Lord's power in this area. They will be here, when was it again?" Ulric turned to address that last towards the blushing Mage and his enthralled partner.
As if poked, they pair broke from Taipan's spell and turned to give him their attention, very carefully not glancing at his still nude from the waist up partner. Elves were fucking gorgeous on the regular. It took some getting used to, did their casual nakedness and raw appeal, he could sympathize. These two hadn't had months in the public baths at Irielhos to adjust.
"Forgiveness, my Lord, but this is the partner of which you spoke?" The Mage asked, slightly doubting.
"Aye." Ulric said simply, raising his eyebrow to imply the question "You got something to say about it?"
The mage coughed lightly to hide an exclaimed "Nice!" to which even his Catkin lover nodded agreement.
Ulric would permit himself some small smugness on that account. It was only fair, given the trouble he'd had out of the Elf before things had come to that point.
"Uhm, to answer your question, the garrison would take a matter of perhaps another day or so to finish the muster of its men and equipment and another, perhaps even two, to make its way to the forest. They will be cautious, reports have Greater beasts moving in unpredictable patterns since last autumn and some of them are drawn to large gatherings on the move. They mistake it for a herd migrating and like to pick off stragglers." Reported the young tree bending Mage.
Taipan chimed in then, confirming that opinion. It was one of the reasons that they had limited their party to just the two of them. She had, by that point, replaced her under shirt and spared the younglings the impressive, and distracting, sight of her bosoms bare to the wind.
Two days then. As many as four. It wasn't a lot of time but, perhaps, enough to find a way out of this mess. At least it wasn't another nursery of sonsabitching monster flowers.