The Fairy Diary Day 633 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

 I saw some strange scribblings on this page of my diary, in the space upon which I would have written yesterday. Perhaps Merlin was noting down his thoughts for a spell.

All have been working tirelessly. I  have had no time, nor inclination to note down our experiences all day yesterday. Nor even until late today.

I do not know if I can remember everything. 

We were then, and we still are in a fever to reach the island, the only land in view. And we must get there before the dragons return from our world. (We assume they are our missing dragons – Cluyjil and Rayjil).

But who knows what the former queen and her Caretaker have done to them. Will we have to fight them? And how will Conjil react to them if they do? She is currently recovering from her exertions in keeping us afloat. Gibley and Dunfallon traded off times seeing to her care.

Noralei talked Nora into transporting her on ahead to the island. As always he went willingly and I watched as he frolicked over the swells pushing against us. It took all the skills of Captain Goff to keep us moving forward after them.

Merlin is confident we will arrive at the island in time, and he is hard at work concealing our ship from the eyes on the island. He constantly moves from his cabin to his place on the prow, then back again. I try not to intrude nor throw off his concentration.

Thankfully Captain Goff keeps me on the move too. Rumble and I are the only ones fully engaged in sailing the ship, with Gibley or Dunfallon filling in as necessary.

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The Fairy Diary Day 631 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Captain Goff was unrelenting in his drive to save his ship. Before we could seriously examine our surroundings all hands were called to save her. 

Most manned the pumps to expel the water weighing her down. Gibley remained atop Conjil and together could do nothing other than pull on the ship to keep it on the surface. In sympathy Nora swam by their side. 

As we kept at the pumps, Merlin seemed curiously unconcerned for our plight. When I went to his cabin to check on him, he turned to me and said, “Carry on. I have total faith in your abilities.” Then he resumed his study of his seers stone. Curiously I noticed that he had my scroll and my diary open on the table beside the object of his study. 

As we gained momentum on the flood, Dunfallon asked to be relieved to check on his “army.” He was fearful some may have been lost overboard. The Captain released him from his station at the pump, and the pixie called a muster roll for his troops. 

After Gibley secured Conjil back aboard, Merlin returned my items to me with the request to check the latest message on the scroll. Emminie had written that the Frost Fairies were in retreat and the two dragons that had appeared in their support had flown away to the west. 

So, the wizard’s guess had proven right. 

And off in the distance was an island like I had seen in the seers stone. With a tower atop a mountain. 

The Fairy Diary Day 630 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

We arrived at what we believe to be the passage through this endless barrier of islands and shallow water. All indications – the voice from Dunfallon’s ring – my pendants- and the seers stone – agreed that this is the way we are to go. 

This time Gibley took Conjil up and scouted ahead. Upon his return the goblin pronounced the middle of the channel adequate for the passage of our vessel. He also reported a strange reflection on the face of the water – a series of rungs on a ladder that continued up the expanse of the sky. 

Merlin sprang up at this news and called for Conjil to be harnessed to the ship. And said simply, “We are going up!”

Gibley and Noralei saw to that task. And Dunfallon went to check on his “army.”

I do believe that Conjil divined what was expected of her, and submitted readily. 

Captain Goff pointed the ship into the channel with the help of Rumble and me. Gibley atop Conjil went over the side and they swam to the front. And like the time before with the wagons, the wizard waved his staff and the dragon and the ship slipped from the water and rose into the sky on the ethereal ladder which we could then see was a flow of water cascading down from above. 

A cry came from behind us, “Wait ! Take me too!”

It was Nora the water horse. And Merlin with Noralei’s help roped him along side. 

We passed through some rain, then a cloud, and then an absolute deluge before surfacing upon another vast ocean.

The Fairy Diary Day 629 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

This day brought us a lot of confusion. I feel like we were being torn in multiple directions. 

With the islands now in view I took a short hop over to one to look around. It is a sandy waste land, not a rock in sight. And the nearby islands look similar.  But the most disturbing discovery was that the waterways between them seem too shallow to support our ship. 

Upon returning Dunfallon shared with me the urging from the voice in his ring that we turn towards the south for the promise of a navigable passage through the islands. We took this message to Merlin and before the pixie had finished repeating it, a note came in on my scroll from the Sprites. It was the warning we had feared. Frost Fairies had been sighted on the move through Aznastria – with, it is believed, the Faerie Kingdom as its target. 

I wanted to return immediately. And I thought so would my fellow fairies, Noralei and Rumble. 

Merlin, however, took the note from Emminie as a confirmation that we were closing in on our adversary. And he wanted to press on at all hazards, arguing that when we engage them the advance of the Frost Fairies will fall apart. 

Another wrinkle emerged when we asked Captain Goff to change course to the south. He stated that he would do so but requested that we not ask him to go to the western land as he was not yet prepared to immigrate with those elves that have gone on before. 

The wizard then rather cryptically said that we have yet another direction to consider. 

The Fairy Diary Day 628 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

We all told Dunfallon what to look for and do when he flew on Conjil today. I described the tower-like rock we want to find. Captain Goff instructed him to look for the best passage through the islands. And Gibley and Noralei had some advice on how to get back to the ship.  

They were gone longer than I had been yesterday, and we were beginning to worry, when they appeared, flying out of the setting sun towards us. 

Once the pixie had seen to the care of the dragon, he met with Merlin and me. He and Conjil had covered a wide swath of ocean – directed by the voice from the ring. There were a couple of islands that will require a closer look as his first pass over them was inconclusive. And neither one was near the best passage through. Afterwards he met with Rumble to chart this uncharted area. Then, we can plan the best course with Captain Goff. 

I shared some nectar with Dunfallon afterwards and he coached me on what to watch out for when I go out tomorrow. 

The Fairy Diary Day 627 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Gibley has declared himself over his seasickness. He has also learned “the ropes,” as it were. Captain Goff is pleased with his progress and is doubly pleased that he can pull his own weight about the ship. 

Since the goblin could fill in for me on the watch with Dunfallon, I was free to take Conjil up to reconnoiter the islands ahead. However, the pixie came to me and asked permission to go in my place. The voice from his ring was insistent about going up for a look around. 

I put him off by telling him he could go up tomorrow. Last night, I had a sighting from the seers stone that I felt I had to look for. There was a high tower-like rock atop a mountain that looked to be a perfect spot for the Crack of Doom. 

So, with the Captain’s blessing and another cautionary word from Merlin, I took the dragon up. 

It was a perfect day for flying. From the deck of the ship it had been beautiful, but from above it was glorious. Conjil soared with exhilaration, yet remained responsive to my touch. 

We maintained a high altitude. I thought it best, given Merlin’s instruction. The islands we came over first were numerous. And may prove a problem to navigate through. And none of them possessed anything like the mountain from the seers stone. I turned back in frustration. 

The Fairy Diary Day 626 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

I thought that Conjil was going to be the next victim of seasickness. She looked a little unsteady to me and had no appetite- even for some fresh fire plants. But Noralei thought she only needed to spread her wings. And after she got permission from the Captain, she took her up. (Gibley was still getting over his malady, so he gladly gave place to Noralei). 

Upon their return Conjil looked fine and folded herself back into her space on the deck. Noralei then met with Merlin and me to tell us that from above they could make out a string of islands about three days away, and an even larger landfall about triple that distance away. 

This was welcome news. And was an indication of a better use of the dragon’s abilities rather than towing the ship. It should prove helpful in locating our former queen as with the seers stone we only have a general direction. 

I want to go up on her tomorrow to see if I can recognize anything I have seen via the seers stone. Merlin has reservations about getting too close and will allow it only if I exercise extreme caution. 

The Fairy Diary Day 625 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

It has been a good first day. Even though we did not make it out of harbor with the fishing fleet as Captain Goff had hoped. We held off for the return of Conjil carrying Gibley and Dunfallon. Thankfully we did not have to wait too long. 

However, it did take some time to settle the dragon into her position on the main deck amidships. (I think she would prefer to perch on the taffrail, but that would put us down by the stern).

We received our first message on my scroll from Emminie. The Sprites have expanded their exploration- so now besides connections with the pixies they have added contacts to the goblins in the great shaft and the trolls of the surrounding area. He is confident that if there is any activity from the Frost Fairies he will hear of it in short order. 

Noralei has inspected the harness apparatus and has pronounced it sound. We will hold off on using it until we can convince Captain Goff that it will be beneficial. 

Merlin monitors the seers stone and I back him up when I can. I am paired with Noralei for our watches, and Rumble with Dunfallon on theirs. We take turns introducing Gibley to the work of a sailor. And that work has introduced the goblin to the rigors of seasickness. 

The one surprise so far is the voice from Dunfallon’s ring complaining about being seasick too. Is it part of the Will’o’the Wisp that has been placed in the ring?