Chapter Ten

They walked quickly through the creepy forest until reaching Soranto, who'd been awake and waiting on their return. He simply gave a little nod when they reached him.

"Ready to keep going?"

"Yes."

"Climb on, both of you."

Once they did as he'd said, they were in the air within seconds of sitting down. Within minutes the sight of Tangent Hills safely behind them. He flew onward not at maximum speed, but fast enough. Flying as though he were in a daze, flew over different cities and towns, several ponds and rivers far below them. The further they traveled the more Vamier would peer down at the landscape in awe of how beautiful it was from up here, as well as how far they'd gotten so quickly. He thanked the goddess that she had a much faster way to travel. The dragon had gotten them far past a day's walk in hours. At this rate, they may get there before his friends and neighbors fall victim to this wretched curse. He hated even thinking about it. Flying on top of a huge dragon through the clouds was a nice distraction. It brought a calm state he'd not felt in a while.

A few hours in flight passed when he peered down to see a huge fortress in the middle of nowhere.

"Do you know what that place is?"

"The large structure?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"It's the mundane assylum."

He just gave her a bewildered look. "What's it used for?"

"A place for non magickal people who have no sense of any reality, they've gone insane."

"That sounds horrid."

"I'm sure it is," She replied.

Another forty- seven minutes in flight, the gremlin looked down again, then back up to the Empress.

"Now where are we?"

"Passing over Spirit Cove" Spoke up the dragon.

"Thank you."

"Did you need to stop for something?"

"Oh no I'm fine."

"Good to hear."

"We will need to land when it gets dark." Spoke the Empress.

"Yes, mother.' The dragon teased.

The gremlin put his thin fingers over his mouth, to muffle the laughter.

"You've flown a lot. I care, that means I worry, too."

"You worry more than needed."

"I do not," She retorted, sounding more like a human child.

Slowly the dragon just shook his head, dropping the issue entirely. Another few hours in flight, the moons began to appear in the darkening night sky. Moments later the dragon called back to her;

"I know it's dark, I'll land soon but I'd like to get a few more miles behind us." He said, going another half hour before landing them outside of a small city.

"Check that map and see where we are."

Climbing down and helping the gremlin, she unfolded the hand drawn map and checked to see.

Looking it over a moment, then looking at them.

"According to the map, we're in front of the city of Kahale."

The three of them plopped down in the dark grey-green grasses. Once they had gotten settled, she handed a muffin to the gremlin and several to Soranto. After another three muffins, he curled into a ball and went right to sleep. All three of them were weary from their travels, the dragon wasn't the only one to fall asleep quickly. Both the gremlin and Empress had soon become lost within the reality of the dream.