The Fairy Diary Day 684 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

We took turns on watch throughout the night. And today, I found myself constantly scanning the sky about us – looking for more black birds, or for the hornet swarms that oft times were associated with them in the past. I must say that with the blackness filling the sky more and more to our front, it would be very difficult to distinguish them.

Thankfully the black plants have not spread beyond the pixie territory. The last ones we saw took up an entire meadow at the end of the forest. Dunfallon had coaxed Cluyjil to torch them all to ash. He now cannot wait to deliver our prisoners to their waiting cells under the mountain, and return to his beloved land of the pixies with the dragon and eradicate the rest.

As we came out of the rolling hills, a light shone out of the darkness ahead. Rumble directed Cluyjil and the wagon towards that beacon. And I ordered our fairy escort to form up and follow behind us.

There at the base of the mountain, Herblas was waiting for us beside a signal fire. He had no explanation for what was going on, and was hoping we might know something. We filled him in on our suspicions, then pushed forward in the dark, following behind his dwarves, illuminating the way with firebrands.

All was quiet within the cages. A peek inside was met with glum and long faces. Then I realized that the queen no longer stuck her tongue out at me. And probably could not. 

Advertisement

The Fairy Diary Day 683 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

The incident yesterday with the black bird has us all on edge. That and sightings of the black plants here in pixie territory today bring up bad memories. Dunfallon jumps down from the wagon and eradicates each such plant he sees.

I took out my scroll and wrote out a message that I hoped would reach Merlin. We all fear that like the struggle Tinadell had with his evil self before Noralei and the others defeated that manifestation, someone else is now the pawn of that evil. Perhaps the renegade queen herself.

And though the sun has risen here, the night has not departed from Gilgorgon’s mountain which can just be made out in the west as we entered the area of the rolling hills.

Time wore on with no answer, and just when I was about to use the talisman that the wizard had given me to summon him, a message came back from him. Tinadell indeed had relayed the message to Merlin, and the Fairy King was deeply concerned that what had happened to him before, was happening again – to someone else. 

Merlin was more hopeful – even had half expected something like this. He said it was all the more important that we get to Gilgorgon’s mountain as soon as possible. And he promised to meet us there.

As encouragement, the wizard added that the strength of the adversary would be severely limited by the fact that he – Merlin – had the renegade queen’s voice with him, locked in a box. Hence, why she could not speak to us.

The Fairy Diary Day 275 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Our assumption that a city or castle or tower belonging to the enemy was hidden from our view has proven false. There was no extra barrier guarded by those black plants masking the seat of the enemy’s power. 

Instead we are standing on the rim of the crater Dunfallon saw yesterday looking down into its vastness. Noralei’s compass indicates we have arrived. And my pendants have ceased their agitation. But I sense that it is only the calm before the storm. 

We have decided to wait before pressing onwards. And to await an answer to my recent report to the High Fairy. 

How close are they?

Should we wait for their arrival?

The Fairy Diary Day 270 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

For the first time Noralei’s compass shows that the red ash clump that we identify with the enemy’s location is closer than the walking menace behind us. 

Yet we do not see anything like a city or a tower or any habitation before us. Which given what we know is not at all that surprising. Rumble and I surmise that there must be bands of black plants surrounding it and masking it from our view. 

We stopped atop the highest point in the vicinity to surveil the way ahead. If we were to follow straight on to the destination per the compass we had nothing but mountain range after mountain range ahead of us. 

The four of us were pondering this when up from the other side a giant figure rushed into our midst. Immediately our weapons came to hand – but luckily we did not have to use them. 

For the giant figure was our missing troll, Grimace, Geog’s brother.

The Fairy Diary Day 267 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

We have not sighted any of the ambulatory plants. So we decided to take advantage of that and move on. Rumble had the thought that with the collapse of the barrier they may be adversely effected. 

I for one certainly hope that is the case. 

We came to a point along the stream where we decided to depart from it. Which also meant saying goodbye to Nora. (He was very disappointed and that more than anything saddened us too). We promised one another undying affection.  And I felt that we would be encountering one another before long. 

Noralei consulted her compass and was puzzled by the movement of the red ashes. Instead of pointing in just one direction, now there were two. 

It was easy to surmise that the eastern group was due to the black plants, especially the walking ones, in that direction. That left the other as highly likely to be were our enemy is headquartered. 

I wrote the High Fairy to fill him in on our discoveries and to ask for the latest from him. 

We are all pleased with our progress at last.

The Fairy Diary Day 266 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Immediately after Nora ferried Dunfallon and Noralei over, the pixie set to work. He found the second stream larger than the first. By the time the waterhorse returned with Rumble and me, Dunfallon had completed his first foray. 

He was excited. He had destroyed every black plant in the vicinity and believed that the opening in the barrier along the stream has increased enough to allow us fairies to pass through too. 

Soon the four of us were hard at work on the other side. Noralei harvested the red seeds from the plants while the rest of us followed behind and made sure they would not grow and mature into the walking variety. 

I kept a vigil towards the east on the lookout for those we had seen from above near the fishing village. 

Such was our focus in that direction that we did not notice that Nora had joined us. We turned at the sound of his hallooing and splashing about in the stream. 

It was a welcome indication that the barrier was failing. But by the same token I fear it might spur on the arrival of the walking menace.

The Fairy Diary Day 265 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Nora fetched us off the quay this morning. He admitted to us that he did not return right away after dropping Dunfallon and Noralei at the first stream, but went on to the second just to look at it. When leaving there he was distracted by a school of fish that led him on a chase all over the bay. 

Our crossing was uneventful except for sightings of more schools of fish, and even larger aquatic creatures. Nora to his credit remained focused and soon had us on the shore beside Noralei. 

Dunfallon was already gone up the stream. He had found a way in yesterday, and this was his third trip beyond the barrier. 

He had located and destroyed several batches of the black plants. However, there had been no change in the barrier. 

We noticed a darkening of the air inside the barrier, and soon after Dunfallon came running out of the stream entrance. 

The pixie had been eradicating more patches of the black plants when larger black plants came walking up to challenge him. He said they were at least five times bigger than he was. 

I decided that we needed to move on to the second stream and concentrate our efforts there in hopes of avoiding this more virulent foe. 

But we would have to wait for our waterhorse to return. 

The Fairy Diary Day 264 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

This morning Nora took Dunfallon and Noralei with him to check out the two streams across the bay. Rumble and I remained behind to await Nora’s return for us. 

In the meantime we went back to the barrier because Rumble wanted to see if we could fly above it, reasoning that just because it had not worked near the black crystalline tower, did not mean necessarily that it would be the same here. 

Our experiment was disappointing. There came a point at a certain height where we actually could fly forward, but the barrier continued below us.  Then we realized that the barrier had the shape of a dome over this land of the dark elves. 

We saw into the area below and at points there were throngs of the ugly black plants – much larger and more mature than any we have seen before – and to our shock – mobile. And currently on the move toward the west where we knew our companions to be.

The Fairy Diary Day 263 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

A day of breakthroughs. Though it certainly did not start that way. Of the four of us, we three fairies were feeling depressed, even despondent. I admit we were homesick for Nonin-gal-dith. Something about this fishing village made us long for home. 

But Dunfallon rallied us. He opened with a joke and followed that with one of his stories – about a prank he played on a bully. (Though he did not say so, I suspect it is a tale from his own experience).

After that we agreed to join him as he continued to explore the perimeter of the enchanted barrier. 

At the point when we were about to finish the last section, I received a message from the High Fairy. He was excited to learn we had landed and had some advice from the Dromadil pixies about skirting the barrier. It seems a way in was always found near a stream or some similar water course. 

The High Fairy ended with a word of warning – once through, our pixie would need to seek out any nearby black plants – and destroy them to bring down the barrier. 

With this news, it was more important than ever that we hear from Nora. 

We hurried back to the harbor, and there found Nora waiting for us – with news about not one but two streams that empty into the bay. 

The Fairy Diary Day 225 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

A lengthy message from the High Fairy was waiting on the scroll for me this morning. Fitting I am sure after my equally long missive to him of yesterday. There is still no word on Merlin. His castle now is completely unencumbered from the hornets’ nest and his excellency is sifting through clues in his library. 

His main concern at present is for us and our new allies. He is of the opinion that Laguayil may be the next target for an attack. He surmises that whenever and wherever the spies of the enemy are eradicated (i.e. the ugly black plants) they are alerted and consequently launch those black birds that are either the harbinger or the beings that transform into the hornet hordes. 

I met with the Laguayil council and laid before them this possible threat. 

We passed the rest of the day discussing what we can do to stave off disaster.