The Fairy Diary Day 525 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Our reunion was filled with tears – tears of happiness on my part.  All my friends swarmed me with hugs and kisses – and tears too – tears of relief. They had been on the far side of the well in their search for me when Dunfallon noticed the bursts of light flashing from here. 

They chanced the up current and finding it no longer a factor, flew straight across the gulf to get to me. Tinadell who held himself back out of their sight, reluctantly presented himself at my prompting.  And I introduced him with what explanations I could. 

The tenseness among my friends was slow in dissipating – that is until he passed muster with the dragons. Rayjil stepped forward and nuzzled the fairy as though familiar. After that he was accepted. 

Tinadell then invited us to partake a meal with him as thanks for rescuing him from his evil self. 

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The Fairy Diary Day 516 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Before our descent, while we were still on the lip of the crater, Noralei decided and directed that we get as deep and as fast as we could. So, rather than keep to the solid ground to descend via the pathways we launched out towards the center of the well. There she hoped we could fly down to the Dark One’s lair and drastically reduce the time it would take to reach him. 

But that proved to be impossible. There in the center the turbulence was such that try as we might we were being blown up and out of the well. Additionally the force of the wind was breaking apart our formation, causing us to lose track of one another. And since we believed we must stay in contact with one another to maintain our power to overwhelm our adversary, we retreated to the nearest solid ground, and again pushed on in our descent. 

Keeping together had the added advantage of lighting our way better through the cloying darkness. And as for the gloom that unsettled our minds, my pendants I do believe warded off the evil thoughts. But best of all were the songs that Navril sang – especially a pixie ditty that he learned somewhere. Dunfallon picked up in that one with gusto. 

Thus we shall press on. Gibley is confident that we are progressing handsomely. 

The Fairy Diary Day 515 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

I did rest before our departure. It was peaceful and calm. In some measure due I am sure to the kindness of Merlin. A shadow passed over me just prior to waking, or may even had caused me to waken. 

I was confronted by a tunnel with the sound of air rushing through it – endlessly droning. And a gripping cold squeezed my heart. 

I was so glad to wake up and shake it off. 

Then I remembered Noralei’s concern that we guard our minds on the other side. And I donned my breastplate and took up once again my three pendants. 

I shall not remove them while in the Land of Darkness. 

The dragons were alert and ready, chomping at their bits in their excitement to be off. 

I was the last to take my place. They all watched me as I mounted Cluyjil behind Gibley. In unison we signaled our readiness to Merlin and the High Fairy. Then, Gibley and Cluyjil led us up into the sky through the covering clouds. 

There before us was a shining moon with a rainbow circled round it. Gibley pointed his dragon towards it and blew the whistle. 

Rayjil and her riders to my left faded from view – then Conjil and hers on my right. And last of all us. The rainbow reached out to us and darkened the deeper we went. The rush of wind, its source to the front of us, sucked us in. 

At the end we flew through our own reflection into the Land of Darkness.  When we landed it was by the edge of a crater – a crater so vast, we could not see the other side. 

We looked to Noralei and from its edge we followed her down into the well. 

Day One Thousand Two Hundred Twenty One #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

We passed some tense hours awaiting the return of the Captain and Mawuli. (Which I sought to relieve by intercession). We were aware that their task might require a full day’s travel to accomplish. But as we were sure that they were aware of the advance of the army of the North too, our hope was that they would exercise the ultimate in caution.

Both, thankfully, did return safely – and with a fresh supply of water – from a situation that was even more harrowing than we had imagined.

Like we had surmised, they were aware of the northern army. And reached the well without being detected. But they were nearly trapped there when the army of the East rolled through.

Day One Thousand Two Hundred Twenty #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

Mr. Kagi has taken over a couple of my watches at the lookout point with Tomas. Between them they discussed a couple of ideas, the results of which he brought to Elijah and me.

The well to which Sy once led us, is still viable and not too far distant. So, we thought it prudent to send the Captain and Mawuli ahead to replenish our supply of water.

No sooner had they departed when Tomas brought news of movement off on the horizon.

Mr. Kagi is certain they are the advance units of the army of the North. He finds that circumstance puzzling for the plan he was privy to, granted the advance position to the army of the East.

Day One Thousand One Hundred Twenty Six #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

All quiet today on the plain. No sign of conflict by sight or sound. By the end of the day it had been so quiet we had relaxed our vigil, especially when we sighted what we took to be the halfway point of our journey – the well to which Sy had led us – the one whose water was too low to access.

To our relief its water table had risen and we easily refilled our water skins.

Elijah volunteered for the first watch but I had no sooner turned in when he raised the alarm.

Alarm turned to joy when we recognized our intruder was our friend Reuben whom we first knew as a guard in the prison near Jerusalem.

Day One Thousand One Hundred Twenty Two #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

As we stopped last night on the first leg of our trek, my thoughts circled our final destination. And I wondered if our friends had made it safely by their different routes to the hiding place.

Setting out this morning they again held my thoughts. Elijah must have been musing on the same theme, for he spontaneously began to intercede for our friends, by name. I joined in as we walked along.

Thereby, the time passed quickly, and it seemed, the miles put behind us mounted even faster.

We slowed as we came across signs of activity close to the well we had uncovered on our outbound journey.

We realized they were only tanker truck tracks upon gaining the well.

Day One Thousand Seventy Seven #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

Come morning we had second thoughts about our decision to stay put. The rear guard of the world government forces were in our view, but they had halted to stave off multiple attacks by small units of the army of the East.

The danger, we realized, was that these small units in their efforts to flank the retreating army may come across our position.

Elijah ordered us to return to the area of the restored well. From there we could retrace Sy and Mawuli’s route to our next jumping off point.

We passed the other well on the way and found it no longer protected. We ignored it and continued on.

And that is how we encountered Mei’s comrade, Lung.

Day One Thousand Seventy Five #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

Mawuli wanted to know if the army’s retreat meant that we were to go back also.

Everyone else shared their impression that our mission had not concluded. Decidedly we will press on.

Today we saw that the retreating army was that of the world government. And Elijah spoke the word, “Babylon has fallen.”

That’s when Elam shared his revelation – the motorcade we had spotted yesterday must have been carrying Stan.

We also decided to stay put for the day. With so much going on before us it seemed the much safer course.

Mawuli and Sy did go out, however. They felt their way further to the east to look for gaps, then planned a swing back to the restored well.

Day One Thousand Seventy Three #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

We wandered the rest of the day without striking Sy’s well. I could tell his frustration was mounting at his inability to locate it.

Finally Elijah signaled for a halt in an area we all judged fit for a camp.

Sy, however, continued to roam about, muttering he was sure it was near at hand. The next morning the Captain stumbled upon it. Actually he tripped and fell on his face.

The well had been filled in, packed with rocks. We gathered around it on our knees to remove them. Only to discover the water there had been befouled too. Unfit to drink.

Elijah took up his staff and stirred the water with its tip, drawing out all the impurities.