The Fairy Diary Day 647 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

I traded off with Dunfallon taking Cluyjil up to look out for ambushes ahead on the road. I remember thinking on my first stint what a motley collection we must seem – the dragon Rayjil pulling the wagon under Noralei’s direction – Merlin seated up front with her – little Clemjil, walking along with them – the floating presence of Dunfallon’s army flanking both sides of the wagon, (most heavily grouped around the box containing the bell) – Navril’s forces split in two, (he was in the lead with one half and the other brought up the rear).

Anyone considering challenging us would have to be mad.

In my estimation we had the road to ourselves through the mountains. Though I could see some movement ahead coming across the plains, and headed towards us. Most likely merchants on their way to Corbelin.

During those times when Dunfallon’s turn on Cluyjil came around, I sat atop the box containing the Crack of Doom. It gave me a better view than when riding forward with Noralei and the wizard. Though I did trade places with Merlin on those occasions when he wanted to consult his seers stone.

It was on one of those occasions that I heard humming coming from the inside of the renegade queen’s cage. Noralei had created cloth covers for the cages, to keep them away from the prying eyes of passersby.  I lifted one edge of the cover and the queen stopped her humming, stared at me and stuck out her tongue. I dropped the cover back in place.

The look on my face drew a chuckle from Noralei and she told me that I needed to ignore her – and to guard myself from any incantations.

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The Fairy Diary Day 646 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

A series of commotions throughout the night along the quay made our time anything but restful. And about the first watch I noticed that Cluyjil seemed restless too. So I suggested that Dunfallon take the dragon up to stretch his wings. 

It was the circumstance awaited for by those watching us. As soon as the pixie and dragon disappeared into the darkness, a dozen elves rushed the ship. 

Evidently they were not aware of the soldier less weapons at my beck and call. Within the space of five wingbeats the swords lined the rails to both sides of me, stopping the assailants in their tracks. They ran away faster than they had come at us. 

A clatter arose from the other side of the ship as our spears there repelled an attempt to board from another vessel on that side. In their panic to get away that darkened vessel was intercepted by the return of Dunfallon on Cluyjil. The dragon set its sails ablaze. All the elves within jumped overboard. 

The rest of the night was uneventful but we did have a visit from the harbor master in the morning. To boil his demands down – he wants us gone. 

Merlin assured him that so we shall this very day. 

Thus, by the afternoon once we had moved the Crack of Doom to the wagon with the help of the dragons and since Noralei had completed the second cage, everything was prepared to depart. 

We had daylight enough to climb out of the valley around Corbelin to the heights beyond. And we were just settling in to our camp, when another band of elves joined us. 

It was led by Navril, sent by his king and our friend Nililitil to see us safely to Laguayil. 

The Fairy Diary Day 645 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Captain Goff joined us for the morning meal in the inn. The only one not with us was Dunfallon, who could not bring himself to leave the ship unprotected by his absence. 

And probably for good reason. The captain had some disquieting news. Rumors were rampant around Corbelin stemming it is believed from factions sympathetic to our prisoners. He fears that an attempt will be made to seize them from us. He advised us to depart as soon as possible.

We sent Rumble off to see if he could buy back one of the wagons he had sold here. Noralei went off to see to the needs of our dragons. And I took a meal down to Dunfallon and recounted the news and our decisions to him.

When Merlin came aboard, he immediately went below to visit the prisoners. After he emerged he went to Noralei who was then feeding Clemjil, and asked her to fashion cages for the renegade queen and the Caretaker, like those she had made for the Will’o’the Wisp.

By the afternoon, Rumble returned and he had with him the very wagon we had used before to transport Dunfallon’s “army.” It should handle the bell and the prisoners with no problem. And the pixie intends to keep his soldier-less weapons out of their boxes, ready and moving under their own power.

I pointed out a couple suspicious characters to Rumble and Dunfallon, whom I had seen repeatedly pass back and forth by the ship. They gave a wide berth around Cluyjil who was snoring in the late afternoon in his place on the quay. He startled awake once, and I was amused to see the suspect pair scatter.

Before we prepared for the evening meal, Noralei returned, bearing one newly fashioned cage. She gave it to the wizard for his approval. He did and she will make the other tomorrow.

I could not bring myself to stay in the inn overnight but decided to stay aboard the ship with Dunfallon.

The Fairy Diary Day 644 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

One incident marred our entry into the harbor of Corbelin. A couple of the returning fishing boats came alongside and questioned Captain Goff about our passengers. Evidently the renegade queen somehow had been trying to solicit the aid of these elvish fishermen in securing her release. At that point Merlin intervened and explained to them the crime for which she will be tried back in the Faerie Kingdom. 

The fishing crafts backed off but I had an uneasiness that they were not totally convinced. 

Such was my concern that I thought it best for Dunfallon to set up his “army” on deck once we were moored – to protect the ship, the prisoners and the Crack of Doom. In addition the pixie had Cluyjil take up a position on the quay beside the ship. 

It was also time to bid goodbye to Nora. He had more places to go and places to see. After quartering Rayjil, Noralei went for a ride around the harbor with him as her way of saying farewell. 

We are going to wait for the morning, before procuring a wagon to transport the bell, our prisoners and us. 

The Fairy Diary Day 642 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

We sailed our way out of the narrow straits and into the open sea.  No one minded at all leaving that string of islands behind. 

Rumble and I kept up our duties about the ship. Merlin joined one or the other of us as the need arose, and even took a watch himself. But he never climbed the rigging. He had his own way of making the sails bend to his will. 

Our dragon riders continued to take turns dropping in. When it came Gibley’s turn he asked us if we could do without his presence. He thought that he and Conjil would forgo accompanying us all the way to Corbelin since it seemed their being here was rather superfluous. As for Clemjil, the goblin decided not to take the young dragon with him. After all he had been released by his uncle to be a protector of the bell in the repository. Merlin concurred and we assembled to bid our friend a fond farewell. 

Gibley flew by Dunfallon and Noralei to say goodbye before he and Conjil left for the east and the canyonlands. 

The sun was just going down as I came up for my watch when Nora hailed me from over the ship’s side. He barely could get the words out as he excitedly reported that one of the prisoners was trying to escape. 

I leaned over the rail and saw that the Caretaker has hanging halfway out – caught in the porthole three sizes too small for him. For five wingbeats I considered leaving him there, but when Merlin checked on him, he yanked him back inside the cabin and sealed the porthole. 

I made sure the renegade queen was still under lock and spell before returning to my watch. 

The Fairy Diary Day 640 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

The bell has been loaded aboard our ship. It was stowed on deck, in the dragon’s former spot, which will work since all the dragons, except Clemjil, were flying. Gibley will lend a hand with Conjil, towing where needed, at least until Corbelin. From there he intends to return home to the canyonlands. With Dunfallon on Cluyjil and Noralei on Rayjil, they will escort us.

Our prisoners were locked up in separate cabins, the two smallest on the vessel. A couple troops from Dunfallon’s “army” will be left out of their boxes to guard them. 

Rumble and I will work the ship with Captain Goff. We are looking to Merlin to take up the slack with us. He has a couple of measures up his sleeves that should prove most helpful.

In the meantime the wizard has gone on ahead to the ice floes. He is making good on his promise to help Tublain and the blue fairies on their way. He had taken with him a great tun of nectar which he has infused with a special elixir to strengthen them for their journey.

As we set sail from the island, we saw the first flights of Frost Fairies taking off for their home. And we could tell that Merlin was at work also melting the ice crystals blocking us from the way down.

Hopefully the channel down to our world will be clear by the time we reach it. Which might be a problem since we now have the surge behind us to speed us along.

The Fairy Diary Day 619 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Dunfallon roused us early. He had been up to walk off his impatience, and ran into a band of traveling elves. They were headed down to Corbelin to attend the festival of moon flowers. And they invited him and his friends (us, that is) to be their guests. 

The elves had not waited, but headed down the road. If we wanted to attend, we could meet them at their rendezvous, which our pixie recognized as the inn in which we had stopped on our last trip to Corbelin. 

Dunfallon wanted to go in any event, if we chose not to. Before I could put it to everyone else, however, a reply came in from Merlin to my note of yesterday. 

The wizard informed us that he was awaiting our arrival at a different inn down near the harbor. And he requested that we collect moon flower blooms on our way in. 

We thought his request rather strange, but we did so. And piled what we could find along the way into the second wagon. (Dunfallon would not hear of placing anything near his “army”).

Conjil was somewhat adverse to the aroma coming from the blooms, so Gibley made certain to keep them at a distance from her. Noralei loved their scent so she gladly kept busy stowing them about the second wagon. 

When we passed the inn surrounded by celebratory elves our pixie begged leave to join them and promised to rejoin us later. 

I gave it not a second thought until we arrived at the harbor. The wizard was a little miffed that we were not all together. He wants to run through his explanations only once. So, we will have to wait for him. 

In the meantime we settled Conjil and the wagons into a special place that Merlin had secured for us. 

The Fairy Diary Day 618 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

I wrote to Merlin that we would be underway as soon as preparations were completed. And informed him that we had taken precautions to protect Conjil from being summoned from us. 

I closed with a rundown of our accomplishment here and all that it will mean for the future relations between the Dromadil pixies and the Sprites. 

Today we bid farewell to Nora. He left with some of the Sprites who wanted to continue their exploration. In a short time they have become fast friends. Noralei did tell him before parting, that we will be headed for the coast around Corbelin and that it would be wonderful to see him there. 

Conjil was overjoyed to see us. So much so that she did not mind being harnessed to the wagons again. With everyone in place we were about to set out, when the Dromadil king stopped us – but only to thank us and to bid us farewell too. 

Gibley started her out but then she headed straight for the rainbow on her own volition and mounted that color-filled road. 

It felt good to be in the air and not knocking around underground. 

We came down off the rainbow in the hills above Corbelin. But there was no wizard in sight – nor anywhere around. 

We decided to pass the night here and I tried to contact Merlin through my scroll. 

The Fairy Diary Day 608 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

There was no convincing Willie to change his mind despite any reason we could come up with. Even Gibley had a cogent argument that I imagined would have won any Wisp to its wisdom. But Willie wiggled his whiskers at him and said, “No.”

Just after his first refusal yesterday I jotted down a cry for help to Merlin. He finally got back today and agreed with my suggestion that we now ask the Sprites for their help. 

Then, he closed out with the news that two fairies had indeed set sail from Corbelin – and they had with them a rather large crate which he suspects to contain the Crack of Doom. And before I could formulate the idea – he added that no dragons were with them. 

So, I knew that the Caretaker was more than likely elsewhere with Cluyjil and Rayjil. But they can certainly be called at any time as long as the High Fairy and the Faerie Queen have the bell. And with a pang of realization so could Conjil. 

We bid farewell to Willie and set out to return to Dromadil. I shall try to convince their king to seek assistance from the Sprites. 

The Fairy Diary Day 603 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

A reply from Merlin to me was waiting on the scroll when I opened it this morning. He and Navril had made it to Laguayil. Nililitil confirmed that the High Fairy had not stopped by recently, but he did add that there were rumors out of Corbelin that his excellency and two other fairies had taken a ship from there out into the west. And that is where the wizard and Navril intend to go next. 

There was one other thing that Merlin added which I relayed to the others. He told me to stay in contact and be prepared to come to him. If he needed our aid he would send a rainbow. 

Conjil was a little reluctant to be hitched up this morning so Gibley took her up to spread her wings for awhile. Once she was back and harnessed, we were on our way again. The goblin told us that from their view above he estimates we will sight Dromadil tomorrow.