Twenty minutes later the sorceress stood up, dusting herself off, looking to the vampire. He did the same and finally the empress. 

"You two ready to get moving again?" She asked. 

 "Sure." He replied.

              They moved quickly in the dark, through another forest maze, randomly tripping over a small rock or raised bump in the forest floor. For the most part they were making excellent time. The empress was happy they were getting closer to home. She longed for her sanctuary and as much pixie brew as she could drink.

           It had been a long, soul-shattering ordeal but she got through it. There had been help. She needed rescued this time. The thought struck her as quite ironic. Then suddenly another thought smacked the inside of her brain.

  "If you're out here rescuing me, then who's watching the castle?" The empress asked her.

  "Sage is dealing with clients, and Ludwig is guarding the outside." She explained.

  "Oh wow." She said, as they walked on without stopping for the next few hours. The three of them walked swiftly through the forest until they saw the borders of Goblin's Hollow. That's when they looked at each other and bolted, running the next six miles.

        Out of breath and exhausted, the two women slowly walked to regulate their breathing again. Ralvania was filled with a sense of pure zen; seeing they were less than a quarter mile from her castle. Almost home.