Chapter 2

Rising slower than usual that morning, it had taken a little longer to return to the waking world. Letting her sensitive eyes adjust to the mid-morning daylight, then she stood, as she heard a thud hit the hardwood flooring. Looking down she saw it had been the dreambook. As she picked it up, memories of the nightmare and the vision hit her, remembering every detail without ever having to open it. Getting dressed, then she rang for the servant. Ten minutes passed when Gina entered the room with a tray of pixie brew and a large gray mug. She thanked and then dismissed the servant girl, then poured the first cup. Getting lost in thought, she began to try to rationalize the nightmare she'd experienced.

Could it have just been an intense nightmare? Perhaps just her worries in the Fairy Kingdom? She thought. After a few healthy gulps pf the intoxicating brew, she'd convinced herself it was just a bad nightmare. That had to be all it had been. By the third cup of pixie brew, she was ready to take on the day, when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in, please."

The door swung open and Gina, one of her long time servants entered the room.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but someone's here."

"Do you know who it is?"

"I think it's Trivett, the hybrid goblin."

"Send him up here, I haven't seen him in months."

"Yes miss, right away.' She replied, nodding and swiftly exiting the room.

Only a few minutes passed when her old friend Trivett appeared in the doorway. He nodded to her.

"It's good to see you again. Come in."

"Hello, Empress." He said, walking into the room.

"Would you care for a cup?"

"Sure." He replied.

"Is everything alright? Are the Shannoahs leaving you alone?" She inquired, handing a mug over to him.

"It's not them.. I'm not sure how accurate the information is."

"What's the matter?'

"I have a cousin in the Fairy Kingdom, he told me a bit of gossip.'

"Okay, I'm listening."

"There are a few that have seen dark beings in the forest out there."

"Has anyone been attacked?'

"Not that I've been told, but there have been a few strange accidents in the forest.'

"Did he tell you anything else?"

"He said it started not long after the dark fairy left."

"Thank you for bringing it to my attention. You did the right thing."

"I told no one else.'

"Good, gossip spreads like disease around here." She replied, sipping the contents of the mug.

"You're right about that one.'

"It looks like I'll need to make a trip to the Fairy Realm.'

He nodded before finishing the warm liquid and telling her farewell, then showing himself out of the castle.

Once he'd left, she finished her own mug of the brew. Then packing a bag of useful items of magickal intent. She needed to go investigate the possibility of evil lurking in the Fairy Kingdom. Then she called for the dragon and quickly explained what might be going on.

He nodded to her. "Climb on."

She quickly crawled up the dragon's massive back. As soon as she'd sat down, he took to the skies. He flew faster than the usual pace as the lavender and white clouds seemed to zoom past them with intense speed. The empress was worried not just for the Queen, but all that inhabited the Fairy Realm. She wanted it to just be idle gossip, but sensed it wasn't. She had a gut feeling there would be a cauldron of trouble brewing.... Again. She tried to assume all was well and fine, but knew it probably wasn't, then noticing the dragon was much closer to the ground than sky, she was a little confused.

"Is everything okay?" She called out to him.

"We'll be there in under ten minutes."

Watching the skies, in minutes off in the horizon, the Fairy castle came into view. Soranto flew on, just beyond the castle, landing near the forest. Dismounting with ease, then she turned to Soranto.

"Thank you for all of your loyal assistance."

"Anytime that you need me.'

"I've never taken you for granted and I want you to know that.'

"I've known it a long time now." He said.

She gave him a soft squeeze before looking him in the eye. "I'm going to go check it out, I should return shortly."

After nodding to him, went into the forest. It was well known as she'd spent a small chunk of her life here as well as Goblin's Hollow. The Willow was about a mile north of where she stood, Soon, the dizzy feeling returned, but she kept going. Something was wrong here. The closer she got to the Wicked tree, the worse it got. The air around her was like a thickening dark fog. Proof wasn't needed, it wasn't just a strange feeling, but a truth. Sensing the evil within the forest, the closer she got, the stronger the darkness. Going a little faster, unable to fully grasp what she was seeing. It was the unthinkable. Looking to the cursed tree, she saw a few dark black shadowy creatures rise through the tree. She waited until it was out of her view. She walked up to the Willow tree of damnation. Peering down the hole in the tree. It was a nightmare come to life. Deep down it was more than just a hole. It was... the Devil's Hole.