The Fairy Diary Day 682 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

We passed into the pixie territory under lowering skies before midday. A storm appeared to be brewing ahead in the direction of our destination. We could not see Gilgorgon’s mountain as of yet, but the gathering blackness seemed to be settling over its general location.

My companions did not like the look of it. Nor did I.

About that same time the voice from Dunfallon’s ring was intoning an alarm urging us to be on the alert. And the pendants on my chest throbbed in unison.

I passed the word to our escort to be vigilant. And Dunfallon ordered his soldier less weapons to close ranks around the cages. Rumble reined in Cluyjil to a steady walk.

I felt a rush of air behind me and turned about in time to see a black bird swoop down from the sky and attempt to close its talons on one of the cages. It missed. I notched an arrow to my bow and let it fly after the retreating bird. It caught one of its wings and the bird spun to the ground, bursting into flame upon impact.

We halted and sent the escort back to retrieve the remains. They returned, bearing only the arrow, and reported that dust was all that remained of the bird.

Rumble interrogated the Caretaker afterwards, but he could give no answer to his questions, and protested that neither he nor the renegade queen had ever seen the like before.

The thing of it is, we had.

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The Fairy Diary Day 559 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

The rest of us had our instructions also. While Tinadell and Merlin remained in the chamber to monitor the strand as it paid out, we were each assigned to a dragon with our own tasks. 

Dunfallon left on Conjil with the assignment to meet Gibley when he emerges at the other end of the tunnel. Tinadell said it comes out at a lower level than the cavern from which we staged our searches. 

Noralei, on Rayjil, was appointed to retrieve the other strand anchored to the rock on the other side. I was to accompany them on Cluyjil and while she minded the loose end I was to make sure that it was not in danger of severing back along its exposed length. 

It was a quick transit without the constant harassment of the wind. Our two dragons grew somewhat frisky as they did not need to battle its turbulence at the mouth of the rift. I let Cluyjil have his head as he showed off for Rayjil by orbiting her and Noralei. But then reined him in the closer we approached the secured end of the other strand. 

After reaching our destination, Noralei pronounced the strand intact and sent me off to follow it back up to its source. This Cluyjil and I did. 

However, at the mouth of its small tunnel, I found a lot of slack in the line. Concerned I tugged on it and was glad when it at last pulled taut. 

I mounted Cluyjil to return to Noralei but stopped when my pendants signaled danger. I drew my bow and notched an arrow and shot into the dark opening. A worm slid out and died at my feet. 

The Fairy Diary Day 77 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

When we left the hillocks a black bird was waiting for us where we planned to enter the woodlands. I spotted it first and at my alarm, Dunfallon charged ahead on his goat. 

I thought fleetingly of sending an arrow at the bird, but almost before the thought was born, the raven cawwed once, and winged off. 

In response Rumble spread his wings and took up the pursuit. Fearful of a trap, I called him back. 

We conferred and decided that in future we would only act and move in concert whenever that ominous bird appeared. 

Once in the woods, Dunfallon took the lead and told us we should be in Nailbiter’s village sometime tomorrow. 

Day Five Hundred Seventy #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

The Captain has made another course correction. I was with him when he sent the order down. He was excited to show me the chart with his calculations on it.

There was a line representing our track, a bulge into the open sea, far from any indication of land. Now pointed like an arrow at an archipelago.

When I pointed to a column of figures scribbled beside the pencil track, the Captain summed it up with three words, “Two days away.”

And just like that pencil track amidst the empty space on the map, so has been the ocean surrounding us, devoid of any vessels.

And the Captain has decided to triple the lookouts. Only Elijah and I are excused.