Over the next couple of hours the empress drank what left over coffee remained in the thermos and had one of the cookies, saving the last muffin for her dragon. Her thoughts began to wander off the closer they got to home. Wondering if she missed anything important but let it go, knowing she'd find out when she arrived. 

      Peering down over one side of the dragon she recognized a few of the caves and mountains on the ground below as they swept over the forest at rapid speed. 

    The empress couldn't wait to get back to the comforts of her office. To have fresh hot sorcerer's brew and talk to her apprentice again. However the journey had not been too harsh and she enjoyed learning about Magellan. He seemed a pretty nice guy for a vampire. 

   The closer they got the more compelled she was to peek down every few minutes until finally just over the next set of trees and hills lay her beloved castle. It had only been a few days away but it felt more like weeks. 

  When Soranto landed the empress was giddy with delight to be home again. She climbed down instantly gave the dragon a quick hug and the muffin before heading straight inside. As she opened the doors, letting out a sigh of relief and went to her office. Tossing her bags on the floor near her desk, the empress grabbed a few candles and lit them. 

Ringing for one of the servants, then digging out her spell book, she sat down. She found a blank page to dedicate to this recent vampire's quest.