The Faithful Ones

Part 3- Chapter 27

A sandbank joined Branen to Farenen, although it was deeper than the one on the eastern side of Farenen. The Faithful Ones made a raft to carry their packs, and they swam over, pushing the raft gently and hanging on for a short time when they got tired. Taigat-Zhëtzen, Zadut, Amedël, and Bouniek were curious about the dwarves who lived there and to see how they lived since there were no caves on Branen. A current pulled further into the Archipelago towards the high cliffs of Scall'issad, but the Faithful Ones padded on and finally reached the rocky island.

The dwarves, trolls, and goblins were not very friendly, even grumpier than Taigat-Zhëtzen. A goblin named Fariet followed them everywhere with a mischievous grin, sitting on Karen's back even though she asked him nicely not to. He wouldn't leave them alone, and he even stole Raine's panpipes when they sat down to rest and eat. Raine had been figuring out how to play the forest lullaby and they were snatched out of her hands and taken away. The Faithful Ones managed the night, and decided to go to Scall'issad when morning came. Raine's panpipes were found in amongst the packs and Fariet was nowhere to be seen. They were almost as Scall'issad when a blanket wriggled and Fariet's head squirmed out.
"Fariet, you crazy goblin! What are you doing here?" asked Raine.
"Tëm viellû zou ketzai zazetu uzen!" he chirped, shaking off the blanket and jumping onto Rose's head. She screamed and shouted at him, and he jumped to Raine, holding tightly to her shoulders. Raine sighed and swam on.

Their raft bumped against the cliff face of the island.
"I can't climb that. Climb up and look for a grey dragon with talons as long as your forearms. Tell him 'Karen perá erlitá femogusú' and he'll bring me up," instructed the centaur. The Faithful Ones began to climb, encountering several dragons on the way and nearly being burnt once, but making it up within a reasonable time. The plateau was covered in grass and a herd of pegasi. Matthew spotted the dragon Karen had described, and ran up to it to repeat the phrase Karen had told them to. It peered down at Matthew with an eye almost as big as his face before flying away towards Karen. They watched as the centaur conversed with the great grey beast, then he picked her up in his talons and brought to the plateau.
"Terésá yarít, Thessadé-Fótaü!" she shouted over the thunder of wings as the dragon flew over the edge of the cliff and vanished beneath it.

"Gízerálé!" called Karen. A cream-white pegasus twitched its ear and, looking up and seeing the centaur, came running towards the group.
"Karen! Isó tóü yarít béríg farúmá," it said.
"Nezer, teríc béríg míc," Karen shook her head.
"Metem terám mós terésá," Gízerálé flicked an ear towards the Faithful Ones, stamping a hoof.
"Gízerálé gives her thanks to you for bringing me," Karen smiled, and the group returned the smile.
"Ütel yarít késé kécon késé?" asked the centaur, aware that none of the Faithful Ones understood Dragonish.
"Sül," answered Gízerálé, ducking her head. "Welcome to Scall'issad." The Faithful Ones introduced themselves to the pegasus.

"Shall we show them Thessadé Fíláys?" inquired Gízerálé.
"What?" asked Sunny.
"It's a waterfall," answered Karen, them turning back to Gízerálé said, "You take them, I can't fly, silly." The pegasus reared and whinnied. Five other pegasi flew towards the Faithful Ones.
"Kesa yarít lusu terá oron yerí cerek?" asked Gízerálé and the other pegasi nodded. Rose and Sunny rode honey-gold Sábéa, Salma and Freya rode silver-grey Merylí, Blaze and Matthew rode beautiful brown-coated Meráda, Amedël and Bouniek rode thunder-black Teredá, Taigat-Zhëtzen, Zadut, and Fariet rode lightning-storm-patched Lirisútó, and Raine and Mel rode Gízerálé. Once everyone was comfortable the pegasi began to run and they took flight. There was a lake near the middle of the island with a stream that fell off into the sea as the waterfall Thessadé Fíláys. The pegasi neighed over the thunder of the water, diving and wheeling and flying right through the torrent. There was a network of tunnels hidden behind the falls, and they landed on cool stone, folding their wings. Gízerálé, Sábéa, Merylí, Meráda, Teredá, and Lirisútó carried the Faithful Ones through the tunnels, their hooves clacking on the smooth stone. They passed many tunnels leading to the cliff outside, and when Raine looked down them she saw dragons flying in the bright blue sky. Several tunnels led to sleeping dragons. After quite a while, they turned into a tunnel that quickly came to a dead-end.

"Thessadé-Fótaü!" called Gízerálé, and the blackness in front of them shifted, letting light from outside flood into the tunnel. The blackness turned to scaly-grey, and the grey dragon's head found a way to curve around and face the group.
"Ütó," the dragon said softly. The Faithful Ones had expected an echoing, rumbling voice, so they were surprised at its gentleness.
"Celméb oron mós cerek," he told them and once Gízerálé had translated the Faithful Ones slid carefully from the backs of the pegasi and walked over to the dragon to climb up. He was so huge that there was room for everyone to sit along his backbone. Once everyone was settled and safely hanging on to something – a horn, a scale, each other, whatever they could find. Thessadé-Fótaü crawled from the tunnel to the cliff, and as soon as his wings were outstretched they were in the air. The bright sun was reflected on the ocean beneath them, and the sky was endlessly blue above them. Raine looked back at the tunnel and saw the pegasi flying from the ledge to land on the plateau. Thessadé-Fótaü wheeled and soared upwards in wide arcs. He carried the Faithful Ones about three times the height of Scall'issad from the plateau before diving down towards the sea below. Fariet screamed, thinking that the dragon was going to send them plunging under the surface. He roared and flew parallel to the sea, and the Faithful Ones watched the glistening water slide beneath them. Then they were flying back to the plateau where Karen was waiting with their packs that must have been brought up by the pegasi.