the magician goes on

That night Miblung fell in love with a soldier she met and stayed to take his road when the others left that morning.  Jephos and Toulo also chose to stay and go with the soldiers, who were heading back over the mountains to the wide lands beyond. 

Mooshen and Tigmann, always having been enamored of bright things and golden, chose to follow along with a party of dwarven prospectors up into the mountains.

Selimoan pulled Merysom aside. "Master Merysom," said she.

 He saw it was no light matter; said, "Yes, dear?"

"You are more dear to me than almost anything."

"But you think you might want to go with Rellivy and Forlin and the men and women of the party from last night?"

 She bowed her head shyly, then glanced at the gnomes who were en masse wrestling in the dust over the gaudy brass mug they had won the night prior in a drinking bout.

"You are a young woman, neither fey nor gnome, and not so young to need fear striking out on your own. The men will be glad to have you no doubt, and I will not instruct you in particulars beyond what wisdom I hope, and know, I have already planted gingerly in your sweet head and heart. Go if your heart so inclines. Rellivy and Forlin will guard you.  I will put the fear of never-homecoming in them should they fail to do so.

"And I will give you this further." He handed her a small pouch. "I thought you would leave us, though not so soon. So I prepared this for you a few nights ago while we were camping. Within are a few of Beryloam's dreams in case you should miss him.  If you miss him sorely, you may be able to"

 I will watch something to home in on Beryloam?a dream- guide her to him by dreams, visions, inclinations a spell of love seeking selimoan was beryloam's friend? Or tallymo, sely: magician 

The better part of the party did not lose their sobriety entirely and elected to go on with the magician. 

The road wound up through the pass and thence down through foothills to a vast forest. "Where will we go when we get down?"

 "Wherever we wish," said the magician. "Let's luncheon on that rock and think about it."

"I like the looks of the hills down there."

"I like the snaky river."

"The wood keeps going...."

"There is a town, and another...."

"Where is Beryloam?" said Tallymo, tugging the magician to the side by the sleeve. "Not far," said the magician. "Assuming he lit the fuel in the basket at the level i left it, and assuming further he added no more, he will have drifted for perhaps five or six hours. The wind was fairly strong, in the northwest, so he will have drifted maybe....."

"Will we find him?"

"I know not, but I promise we will make some effort. We will head before traveling further, to the general area of his most likely landing, and we will ask what folk we meet."

She nodded.

"Where is your sister?!" cried the magician suddenly.

"What?" said Tallymo.

"Sily! Where is Sily!"

"She was playing with Didero and ..."

The magician clapped his hand to his head. He stared off. "Can I do nothing aright?" he said. "We have left your sister and that idiotic panther in the valley. They are probably still playing didly-woo-be-gone-shanks even now, and wondering when we will be back."

"When will we be back?!"

"We won't be! Not forseeably. The armies are marching even now. We dare not go back. Your sister is older than you, though she doesn't always act it. And the cat is no idiot for what I said. She will flee into the hills if she is not hurrying after us, and then to the forest path. If she is hurrying after us... We will wait here two days at most for that...."

They waited two days.

 Sily and her cat did not come.  The magician trusted she would flee up the mountain path and down to the forest.  Good to his word, the magician steered the party off the road once they were through the pass and down in the foothills, and made for the winding creek they had seen from their vantage above. When they came to a farmstead, he bade the others wait in the trees while he and Mishyleme visited the farmhouse.

"Hello," he said amicably to the farmer's wife and daughter that answered the door.

"My husband is in the fields," she said plainly.

"I hope the sun smiles on them - your fields that is," he said. my name is Merysom and this is Mishyleme, and we are wondering if you or anyone you know saw, some six days ago a large billowed up balloon pass in the sky over here?"

She frowned. "Balloon?"

He wrinkled his brow. "Yes, I see," he said. "Did you see a large blue round thing drift over in the sky? It would have looked like a ... great blue gourd about as big as your house."

She looked at him like he was daft and pulled her daughter close. We don't have any need of anything like that here," she said and started to close the door. "Thank you," he blurted. "Sorry to bother you, but quickly is there a town or village nearby?"

"There's Three Moons right yonder down the creek," she said, pointing northwestward, and then she shut the door.

"Thank you," he said to it and taking Mishyleme hurried back to the trees. At the village of Three Moons, the magician again bade the milling gnomes and bashful fairies await him in the trees, while he went to make inquiries, alone this time. He went to the first inn he saw and grinned thinking he would enjoy a few mugs away from the chatter and bustle of the others, and maybe there might be a lissome wench or two not averse to the not inconsiderable charms of an elderly gentleman of the world. The common room was dark but for the dazzling sun slanting in the windows, and sparsely populated. No lissome lasses in sight, just a few farmers and the matron at the bar. he ordered a mug and politely asked her if she had heard tell of a great blue gourd the size of a house drifting in the sky some six days hence?

Her eyes widened. "Sumi," she called. "This one's asking after the great blue air sack came down in Forlyman's field." A burly fat farmer came over huffing. He stank.

"'S thatn yourn billybonger then?"

"Er...yes it is, or was. Was a there a small boy ... accompanying it?

"This one says his billybonger in Willyman field!"

"What said was there'n a boy what took the bottom off'n it and floated down the Weely Creek. Simyloman saw him put in here in town down at Waterman's. He went'n to Bilybrander's trading post and traded some what not."

Beryloam it seems is beyond our help, but faring well enough perhaps on his own... the magician smiled, staring off, then shook his head. Well, any of you, I repeat, may go your own way at any time. But for who follows me ... it is my idea to head to the larger town downstream, find a good warm tavern and get some news and such. Most of you will likely want to stay hid in the woods for the duration, but its up to you. There was some confused muttering, but all went along with the magician, who alone of them had any confidence in the world of men.

"there are woods aplenty," he said to them turning, "but it is in my head we should get a better idea of what"s afoot in the world of men before we plot anything further. The larger town he spoke of they approached as the sun was going down. the faeries and a couple of gnomes begged leave to wait in the wood. the magician told them "if we"re not back tonight, we will be in the morning--noon at latest." then while the rest followed the magician to the road and into the town. they went to the first inn they came to. the sprawling giant read the sign, on which was pictured a giant sitting on a field with its legs spread, head cast back smiling in the noon sun. Their entry as before was met briefly with curious looks, but folk were too busy getting drunk over their own cares. there were fewer soldiers, and no goblins

The two faeries who remained in the wood were named Lorel and Mayrel; and with them remained, slightly apart the two gnomes Baylo and Porlick. As twilight deepened to dusk, and the fireflies came out flickering, Porlick sauntered over to the ladies and said "are you frightened out here?"

Mayrel shook her tresses, but Lorel said, "Yes, are you?"

Porlick nodded, then said, "Not of the woods mind you, nor the men and their towns, but ..."

"The wide ... world?" Mayrel ventured.

He nodded. Baylo joined them, saying "I don"t mind saying, if he intends stopping to get drunk at every tavern i"d just as well stick to the woods and ... maybe make our own way."

"We agree...I think," said Lorel, looking shyly at her companion, who nodded.

"We can wander deep in the trees," Baylo went on, "me and Porlick can hunt game, and maybe some other chaps will want to come - Merylom said any could go chose to - and you lasses could tend to berries and mushrooms and start a garden."

"will we get lonely ... eventually?" The question was met with silence.

"there may be fairies and ... gnomes on this side of the mountains," said Porlick shyly. "surely there might be." "there might be a whole kingdom of them for all we know..." added Baylo. "but, yes, i know what you are thinking ... all the gnome women are in the tavern with their men, and the fairy men too. unlike humans it seems our kind like to get drunk at bars when they"re already engaged, and keep away when they"re yet alone...."

the fairies giggled. "i will venture the woods with you," said Lorel, glancing at her companion, who nodded. "if we find no folk of our ilk, we can find another route back over the mountains where surely we will. "i think shebak and musike and peron might choose to come with us--Then they heard a voice in song approaching on the road, without the trees. more than one voice, but one, a man"s, led. the singing was bold and impassioned and heartening, though not the most lovely they had heard. Then the voice rose up and the faeries and gnomes looked at each other.  It was beautiful.

'what manner of man sings so?' said Loril. 

'Let's go see,' said baylo looking to Porlick, who nodded.

'We'll come too…' said Mayrel smiling questioningly at Lorel who nodded.

They hurried quietly through the brush and peered out at the road to see a troop of men and women just passing. The lead voice turned and looked right to them, and breaking from the song, sang 'Even the faery folk came to hear, as if the wind could be so dear….' He stopped, and the others behind him did too and all turned.

'A rare man,' said porlick, stepping forth. 'We are not usually seen if we do not wish to be.' The man bowed, taking off his hat. He was neither young nor old. 'I have been in the wood and known many a gnome,' he said.

"But where did you learn to sing so?'" said Loril stepping out, pulling Mayrel by the hand.

'Not from faery maidens,' said he, 'though we should be so lucky!"

  He stopped and looked sharply up.  "Another band approaches," he said.  "Boisterous.  We should away."

"Oh!" said Porlick.  "That be our friends, from the tavern returning."

Guffawing and rough song came up the side trail.

  It were the elves that dwell beyond the mountains. I am shapmer, and these are my merry folk.' they bowed as one, smiling. 'comest from the war?' said Mayel. 'we flyest before it,' he said. 'where are you going?' said Lorel. 'to the river thence to the sea and to another land to spread the music we have learned beyond the war that cometh….  

Who are such elves can sing so? said.

'you lasses, wait here,' and he and asdfasdf hurried away off to spy it out. Through the trees they saw in the moonlight a party of humans passing on the road. They were different than those they'd seen in the taverns. They we the lead voice suddenly turned and looked right to where they were h

 'hello,' he said, stopinng stride and song. 'we have little folk. Does our rude song please? Asfda stepped out and said,

we've--i've never heard its like, sir.

 'better than many, less than some I have herad.' hasdfasd joined him. 'what do the little folk do by the road?' we travel whence? The gnomes did not answer. If back you will find chaos and war, said the man, if forward on.

we left the war

as did we.  wise we say.  

and where go you now?  may we--that is, may we ask?

you may, good gnome.  he bowed, taking off his hat.  we go where we do not know.  away from war.  we will foun