Krarrnic was lurking in the shadowed forest surrounding Lone Pine, Corvus had dropped him off here early this morning after he’d scouted Boghole over the last several days. Boghole was a wash, there was no way they could use anyone from there because they’d broken up into warring bands who fought over what limited food and resources they could scavenge. While it was true they hated Valard with a passion there was no way they could be trusted, he supposed later they might be used as disposable shock troops under heavy manipulation. But after some of the things he’d seen them do to each other he’d be much happier just wiping them out. The world would be a marginally better and cleaner place.

He’d been watching Lone Pine as the sun crawled it’s way toward it’s zenith and it was a well organised worksite, everything was clean, well maintained, and where it should be. The Fae here moved with definite purpose as they carried bundles, buckets, and bags around.

Time to get started, seating himself cross legged he called tot he spirits and the Mantle of the Shaman dropped upon his shoulders, instantly his senses expanded as he borrowed the senses of his companion spirits.

He turned, intending to send one of the lesser spirits that followed him around to scout and find someone of authority but his head snapped back as something he’d half glimpsed grabbed his attention.

Magic in this place was wrong. Twisted, and flowing in strange patterns, pooling and building in huge eddies before suddenly draining away in multiple vortices and leaving no trace behind, only for the whole process to repeat itself again. Watching the vortices he noticed they all drained to one point, a small unassuming red painted barn. Unassuming in normal sight that is, in his augmented vision that small building burned with an excess of magic.

Which was wrong, magic just didn’t behave that way. It always flowed through everything and could not be held by any force he knew of other than within a person or spirit but nothing he knew of would cause the build up he was seeing, no spell nor spirit working.

It was loose magic bound by nothing.

Frowning in thought he sent one of his long bound spirits to check it, he would normally have used one of the lesser spirits that followed him around in case it was dangerous but they’d just gorge themselves on the magic then disappear back into the spiritworld until it had dissipated and he’d learn nothing. Hopefully his bound spirit would have more discipline.

He breathed a sigh of relief when his spirit returned and reported there was a single Fae man sitting in the middle of the barn, the loose magic whirled in a vortex around him.

But for the fact he was scouting for the rebellion he’d probably leave well enough alone, oddities had a habit of being dangerous and it really wasn’t any of his business. Oddities also unfortunately had a habit of drawing attention and the last thing they needed was any worksite drawing more than it’s share, even one that was not involved in the rebellion.

Touching the Mantle he borrowed the spirit power of invisibility to mortals and standing crept toward the barn. As he got closer to the glowing barn the smaller weaker spirits rushed away from him to gorge themselves on the free magic and he could feel even his long bonded spirits being pulled toward it.

A blaze of golden Order realm magic infused the colourless unaligned magic that swirled around the barn and Fae came from everywhere toward him, running across the fields and boiling out of any building on the worksite.

Krarrnic cursed and turned to flee.

A golden barrier sprung up around him blocking his path as the Fae closed in.

With a resigned sigh he stopped and waited, as soon as they were close he put the full power of the Mantle into his voice and thundered, “Hold a moment! I only wish to talk!”

Without a word every single Fae moved in, in perfect unison and all of them showed a faint golden glow of Order magic in their eyes. This felt very wrong, these did not feel like people.

A single voice came from many throats, “Talk then.”

Keeping the power infused into him from the Mantle even though it was likely pointless he said, “I am Krarrnic of the Oruc Fae, I represent a group who hold no love for the Fae Chanar and we wish to overthrow them, starting with Valard.”

As one the Fae threw their heads back and screamed in wordless rage, then they said as one again, “The Beast, the Monster, the Master of Pain, must be punished, must die! Why do you seek his end?”

“I seek not him alone but his entire race’s removal from their long rule.”

All but one of the Fae turned on their heels and walked away as the barrier dropped that one said, “We are Yandus. We do not care for any but Valard but we would see him dead. How do you intend to manage this?”

“We are still finding the support we need, contacting those who feel the Fae Chanar are in need of removal. Once we know how much support we have we can plan how to go about it because until then we have no idea what and who we have to work with.”

“You will have our support until Valard lays dead, after that your concerns are not ours.” The worker walked away.

Krarrnic nodded at his retreating back and walked back into the trees.

*******

Schektar slung her arms across her younger brother’s shoulders, they’d both moved to Golden Fields worksite because she’d needed people she could trust when purging the loyalists and now they helped her lead the raiders based out of here.

“Boys, you’ve done well. Valard’s guards must be shitting themselves, they’ve been doubled then doubled again and we’re still taking whatever we want. They can’t move anything unless we let them. But we have to be careful, Corvus told us the next convoy coming through we absolutely cannot take. It’s loaded with some metal Valard will notice is missing, he’s apparently been so involved in his experiments he hasn’t noticed the chaos yet but if we take that metal he will. We need to keep him unaware as long as possible.”

Gybzon said, “What sort of metal? The one we took yesterday had a shipment of some weird metal that was incredibly magically conductive.”

Stopping suddenly she said, “What do you mean?”

Her other brother Leipall said, “Yeah there was this odd bright green metal, we put it in the cache. We also got the teamsters in the back yard, we were going to send them off to the main camp tomorrow.”

She said, “Take me to them, now.”

A short while later and far from the worksite she was standing outside a fenced enclosure where groups of Fae stood or sat around small fires in the chill late autumn air.

Pointing at one of the captured Fae she said, “You. Who’s in charge? Get them for me.”

The Fae shrugged and walking over spoke to a Fae woman for a moment, she approached and said, “I’m the Caravan Marshal. What do you want, rebel?”

“You had a shipment of metal, what was it?”

“How the hell should I know? I get paid to transport things not know what they are, my bosses prefer that we don’t know what we’re carrying.”

Schektar sighed and said, “Ok then, were you ahead of schedule?”

“Dunno why I’m telling you but yeah we were, shouldn’t have got anywhere near here until tomorrow. I was already counting my bonus when you shitheads attacked. You know the Seneschal will come after you don’t you? I sure wouldn’t want to face him.”

Her blood ran cold at the Fae’s words, they’d made a terrible mistake.

*******

“What is the meaning of this Corvus?” Valard demanded peevishly after summoning Corvus to his rooms far below the Tower. “Why is the sismaet I require for my experiments not here? Why do my guards scuttle about like fearful rats in reinforced companies? You had better have a convincing reason for this… Seneschal.”

Carefully schooling his face to keep any expression off it he said, “There has been a distinct increase lately in thefts and banditry along the roads of the land and I have been searching to find which of your brethren were seeking to attack you. For your Fae would never dare attack your caravans without backing. Some of Deiron and Alcod’s troops have been seen outside the land near the borders, it is unlikely to be them though. Both are only minor powers and even together could not hope to threaten you, besides I believe they were far more interested in each other than in drawing your ire. So my search continues for which of your brethren seek to assault you.”

Now sounding annoyed Valard said, “You think it is one of my brethren who attack in this way? No. I am certain it isn’t, I am certain this is an internal matter. None of my brethren have been in my land or I would know. Most caravan attacks have taken place near Two Oaks, Happy Pig and Golden Fields but there have been a higher than normal number of ‘accidents’ among the Fae at Glorianna, Demenses, Umberbog and Faliin as well. You will go to these and report back to me on what you find. Once we know who else is implicated, I’ll have Toixnae and Harran come in to purge them. I can allow no rebellious attitudes among my Fae.”

Bowing he said, “As you will it, Master.”

He smoothly turned and unhurriedly walked from the room, once in the stairwell with the door closed behind him he started running up the stairs three at a time, cursing as he went.

This was a disaster, how could he save even some of the conspirators? Toixnae wasn’t the problem, she was a blunt object or as much of a blunt object as a Fae Chanar could be. She’d kill every Fae she could lay her hand son and laugh while she did but she wasn’t particularly intelligent, Harran though was extremely cunning and very skilled in finding people and finding out what they knew. He would have to be killed, but Fae Chanar did not die easily.

Reaching the sigil he quickly teleported out.

He appeared in a crackling snap at the farm and stalked toward the cottage, face dark and thunderous. Stomping through the door he dropped into a seat at the table and put his head in his hands.

Raelea, who had been mixing a small batch of healing salves and Pif, who’d been ‘helping’ her, looked at him with almost identical expressions of slack jawed and idiotic shock.

He said, mumbling, “We are beyond hope, death comes for us and we cannot escape. The rebellion is dead unless one of the Fae Chanar dies.”

Pif ran around the table and pushed his way onto Corvus’ lap, throwing his arms around the despondent Fae.

Frowning Raelea said, “Ok… who and why?”

Raising his head and unconsciously wrapping his arms around Pif he said, “Harran the Hunter comes, you cannot hide, you cannot lie, he will find whatever he hunts and he hunts the rebellion. The rebellion is doomed.”

Shrugging Raelea said, “Well we kill him then.”

“You don’t get it he is Fae Chanar, not one of the most powerful true but an army of Fae will fall before him without him being in any danger. None we can count on have the strength to face him, it is hopeless.”

“With that attitude it is. So facing him directly is suicide, how about this then? We run. All of us. We allow him to ‘hunt’ us toward the writhing wall he will assume we will be trapped between him and an unassailable barrier, then we somehow get him in the pit. The dead should be able to kill him shouldn’t they?”

Rubbing his chin with a thoughtful look on his face, Corvus said, “That… could work. The wall was built to keep Fae Chanar out because for all their power most have trouble dealing with the dead. It will take some luck and some skill but yes, yes, I think it can be done! I’ll go get it started, right away.”

Standing up abruptly he dumped Pif off his lap, the Goblin frowned and waggled a finger art him.

“Oh I’m so sorry, my mind was elsewhere. Forgive me?”

Pif smiled, gave him another hug and ran out of the room.

With a smile Corvus waved and left as well.

Raelea just shook her head and went back to her brewing. Corvus was such a mercurial being, she’d give herself whiplash if her mood changed from the depths of despair to joy that quickly but he was always like that.

Hmm, once these healing salves were done she’d check on her stores of fleet root, she’d best make some stamina potions. She suspected they’d need them.