The Faithful Ones

Part 3- Chapter 33

Raine, Mel, and Freya put their cloaks on and headed to the market. Freya led her friends between the stalls until she saw the stall holder who knew the Raging Wolf.
"Hello, what are you looking for today?" he asked.
"Actually, we'd like to visit your friend, the one with the special arrow you told me about last week," replied Freya.
"Oh, he moved a only few days ago. I did pass on your message... It's strange, he never mentioned wanting to go away before," said the man. Raine sighed, and Freya grimaced.
"Do you know where he went?" asked Mel.
"He said he was going to Starryhall," answered the man. They thanked him, and went to find a jacket for Karen who had complained of it being colder in Icendell than on Farenen. Raine picked a pretty grey and blue jacket which was embroidered with small flowers around the cuffs, and then they returned to their camp outside the city.

The pegasi arrived in the afternoon, saying they'd been called by Mel's voice on the wind. Karen showed them a good place to graze, and after dinner the Faithful Ones brushed their manes for them. Tania and the dwarves were amazed by the sight of the pegasi, having only ever read about them, and they asked many questions about what it was like in the archipelago. At last, their curiosity was sated and they sat around the dying fire for a bit.
"We'll be leaving for Starryhall tomorrow, since the pegasi are here," Mel said, and smiles lit up the night because everyone knew that travelling meant singing.
"How will we know where to go?" asked Matthew.
"There's a signpost on the road just down there where it splits," Mel pointed a little way away. Raine hadn't noticed it before. It was hard to see in the night, but the fire still had enough life in it to cast an orange glow about.

"The sooner we're ready, the sooner we can sing!" said Sunny. They packed up their things, wolfed down their meal, and mounted the pegasi with a promise to return as soon as they could. Raine and Sunny rode Sábéa, Mel and Rose rode Gízerálé, Freya and Amedël rode Merylí, Salma and Matthew rode Teredá, Blaze and Taigat-Zhëtzen rode Meráda, and Bouniek and Zadut rode Lirisútó. With several powerful flaps of their wings, the pegasi were airborne. They flew westward, high above the mountains that covered most of Icendell, high enough to just make out the roofs of the town they were heading to.

The Faithful Ones sang the song part of their story had been guided by and their own, amongst other favourites. The wind tossed Raine's cloaked and made it flap, whisked her hair away from her face, and awakened the wild joy. She sang louder, challenging to wind to try to drown her out. It couldn't, not even if she sang alone, and there were eleven other voices singing at least if the pegasi weren't singing too. They sang until they were tired of singing, and then they sang what they wanted to say because it carried better than yelling over the wind.

Travelling through the air was easier than walking, and by the end of the day there wasn't much farther to go. Rose prepared a meal as Sunny and Raine took the things off the pegasi so they could rest. They sat an ate as the sun drew ever nearer to the horizon.
"Remember when I went to sleep early because I was afraid of the fire?" said Raine once they were finished.
"But then you put your trust in Mel and the Creator," replied Rose.
"Remember when we fell into the sea and had to get back to the shore?" added Blaze.
"And the lighthouse turned on so we could see which way to swim," answered Salma.
"Remember when I stated singing so we wouldn't be bored?" asked Sunny.
"Now we sing all the time," replied Bouniek. "Remember how you came to the Caverns and when you came back Gatûkai-Zhëtzen was glad to see you again?"
"He's coming with us to find a place to stay," said Zadut, standing up, fire alight in his eyes as the sunset set the sky on fire. Taigat-Zhëtzen recognised what he was going to do and began stamping his feet. Mel knew it too, the same fire in her eyes, and she began singing. Raine and the others joined in as the dwarves started an elaborate dance. They tried to copy it, smiling and laughing. The dwarves shouted and started dancing faster and faster until the Westheathites tripped and fell in heap. They lay in the dust for a while, catching their breath, watching the sky's fire fade into mauve and azure. The silent song of the stars twinkled like wind chimes above them as they found enough darkness to shine in.

"There's Starryhall!" Rose pointed down to the town. The pegasi glided down and trotted along the rode. The Faithful Ones dismounted and found a place for them to drink, before finding the local inn to begin looking for the Raging Wolf.
"Good day, I'm Alicia. Are you looking for a place to stay?" the innkeeper asked.
"No, we're looking for someone who came here recently..." replied Raine, then trailed off because she didn't know how to describe him without naming him.
"Do you know their name?" Raine shook her head, and Alicia described the people who'd come to her inn in the past two weeks.
"That's the one," Mel said suddenly, recognition flashing over her face.
"Him? He's a strange man, typical, sits-at-the-back-with-a-hood-on kind of person, you know? Doesn't seem the type to have people come searching for him," Alicia replied, and Mel's eyes showed understanding as she nodded to herself. "I can call him down, if you like." Freya said they did.

"Oh!" Alicia exclaimed when she got up to get the Raging Wolf and saw the four dwarves.
"What?" asked Taigat-Zhëtzen.
"Tekzû."
"Un pëzltan uzen espaik Zhëtzhôtënai?" Amedël frowned.
"I'm a half dwarf. I grew up on Branen, then came here," answered Alicia.
"Two hundred dwarves from the Dwarvern Caverns are with the rest of our group, camped around the city, retired King Gatûkai-Zhëtzen included. Do you want to come with us?" offered Zadut.
"Of course!" Alicia said, and turned to go upstairs. The Faithful Ones sat down and waited.