The empress led Vamier out of her castle and to the waiting dragon a few feet away. 

"Are you ready to get going?" Soranto asked the empress.

"I think we are, yes." She replied.

"Good, get on the both of you." The dragon told her and the little gremlin.

As soon as the two had done so, he took off to the skies at a faster than average pace. The empress sat back and waited as the gremlin looked down while Soranto flew over one forest and then another until they were out of Goblin's hollow territory.  Then they passed by Meridian's Isle the neighboring major city closest to her home. The dragon kept right on going diving in and out of the clouds high above the majestic landscape. After another two hours in the skies, the dragon yelled back to his traveling companions.

"You two okay back there?" 

"We are just fine as long as you are." She replied for the both of them.

"I'm doing fine, just checking." He told her.

"Thank you mister Soranto, I know it's a long journey." Vamier commented.

"No problem little fellow." The dragon told him.

Vamier leaned against the empress and dozed off for the next forty minutes as they flew over more forests, mountains and villages scattered across the lands.

"Ralvania I'm going to land soon, I must rest." He called to her.

"That sounds good to me." She responded.

That's when th gremlin slowly stirred, slowly moving his head and fluttering his eyes until he had woken up. He sat straight up.

"Is everything okay? How long did I sleep?" He asked with panic in his eyes.

"Everything is fine, you slept less than an hour and were going to stop and rest soon." The empress informed him.

"I see." He replied.

        Fifteen minutes later the dragon slowed down and landed in a strange forest that appeared to be deserted.

"Where are we?" The gremlin asked as he slid down from the dragons' back. The empress immediately had felt suspicious.It looked like an average everyday forest with hills and valleys intertwined in the far distance. Noticing right away the quiet wasn't right.Not a bird in the sky, not a sound of nature.So silent it was creepy. 

"Tanjent Hills, it's almost deserted." The dragon piped up.

"What do you mean almost?" Vamier asked, worried.

"There are no more than twenty creatures living here, they have weak defenses so they stay out of sight." Soranto told him.

The empress nodded as the dragon curled up for his nap right where he landed and the grelin stayed close to the empress.