The raven watched from a nearby tree as Gwen and her new little friend headed through the village. Once the two young witches were out of his range, he flew off into the dark forest. He needed to get back; she needed to know about this new development. He flew high above the trees, he had gotten caught in a branch when he was young, and this was his solution. Since then he would simply fly above the trees. He needed to get back to the sorceress; she would need to know about this recent development on the other end of the forest. He flew as fast as his wings would go, he could shift into another being but this was the best way to travel. He flew as fast as he could, not resting until the castle was in sight. He stopped a good ten yards from the castle's entrance, just long enough to catch his breath.

He looked up to the top window of the enormous castle, to see the reflection of candle light cascading across the walls of Veronica's bedroom. Good, thought the raven. That meant she was still awake. That was good for him, he needed to see her. He flew to the top of a large tree then flew through the open window of her  bedroom chamber. She jumped in surprise, and then spun around as if she had been bit. She looked to see her dark guide, the raven sitting in the window. Veronica greeted him before running to the kitchen to bring him a treat, fresh bread. She ran down and grabbed the bread and a water dish filling it on her way carefully back up the winding stair case.

She cautiously opened the door to her bedroom and set the bread and water down in the window sill for the dark bird. She  hadn't known him long, but felt closeness with him that was rare. She admired the bird, like her he was a night creature, he despised daylight. He was nocturnal, another soul that answered the lonely calling of night. She understood that about him. She waited with a lot of patience for him to finish his snack before she began to ask why he was here in the first place. She knew better than to show him anything but kindness. She smiled at him with an almost longing to fly into the night with him, but she knew that wasn't happening anytime soon. The raven also liked coming to see the dark sorceress; yet he couldn't let her know it. 

"I enjoy your company but what brings you here?" She asked bluntly, raising one eyebrow. She knew him better than this, he didn't just pop up without some reason for it.

"I have something of importance to tell you." He replied and then said nothing more. He knew it annoyed her to no end, and he loved to do it.

"Well what is it?" Veronica demanded as her cheeks began to flush with frustration.

"Do you remember telling me to keep an eye on the sorceress across the forest?"

"Yes, what has she done?" Veronica asked with eager delight, hoping to have some dirt on Gwen. She hated the little wench. She couldn't tell why but something about her drove Veronica to a breaking point she never knew existed.

"It's nothing she has done, there is a new sorceress in Galderia; I saw her with Gwen leaving the pub. I flew all this way to tell you about it."

Veronica couldn't believe what she was hearing. Anew witch and she are in with the little blonde twit? Was the entire universe out to get her or something? She thought long and hard. She had no idea what to do about this little pain in the neck.

"Thank you, I am sure it is a long flight and I am grateful for your help and wisdom." She then bowed to him, as a sign of mutual respect and understanding. The raven flew off back into the oblivion of the dark night sky. She watched him fly away before consulting her book of dark magic. There had to be a spell, incantation or vision quest in here somewhere, she thought alone. She went through her book of shadows three times before giving up on it for the night. She wasn't going to figure it out today, she knew that. She got settled for bed, hoping a little rest may give her an idea on what to do next.

Veronica tossed and turned through most of the night, eventually drifting off during the later hours of the night. She began dream chanting again. She noticed it happened before, but not often enough to worry over it.

"Out of the shadows the darkness shall stare

Outsiders beware."

The chant jolted her awake and she jotted the words down,  in case they were of importance later . She replaced the book in a safe place, before rolling back over as the dawning of day-break began to creep over the horizon. Veronica did not sleep well, rising before the afternoon. She didn't care for daylight; it felt it was as if she were serving a penance for her joyful nights. Veronica threw the blanket off of her; opening just one eye to see where the sun was in the bright blue sky. From what she could determine it wasn't even mid-day yet. She let out a low groan. She didn't want to get up for anything. She knew she needed to eventually.

After a few moments, once she was a little more wide eyed, Veronica grabbed her book of shadows and began to re-read her last few entries. She was curious about the new witch in Galderia. Was she more powerful than the twit? Veronica wondered if this was going to be an inconvenience to her. She made a mental note to look for Ludwig tonight; he would know what to do about this nuisance. Veronica dressed herself at the speed of a snail with a stomach ache. She had nothing to do but study; it wasn't one of her lesson days. She didn't even have that to look forward to today.

Once she was fully dressed for the day she left her bedroom chamber to see if Agatha was in the kitchen. Most of the time her favored servant was cooking or preparing something.

It was usually stews and soups; she had a natural talent to make some of the most delectable stews. She was also one of the few people Veronica trusted. She made her way down the winding stair case, heading for the kitchen. Just like clockwork, Agatha was there making some kind of soup.

"Lady Veronica, how nice it is to see you. May I get you something?" Agatha spoke gruffly.

"I'd just like a little bread, thank you." Veronica responded to her with the kindness one would show their grandmother.

 She was not that kind to any of her other servants; most of the rest of the staff suffered an ill-fated disease called stupidity.

Agatha immediately handed her mistress of the house three slices of fresh bread, then nodded to her. Agatha understood Veronica  well. Agatha was much older and wiser, but she remembered what it was like to be young. She remembered being ready to start the grand adventure of life, yet not quite ready to take on all of the responsibility that came along with it. Seventeen was a difficult age, no matter what you do or how much money you've got. Agatha felt sorry for her, being in the castle day after day without a friend to talk to. She could see why Veronica snapped at some of the other servants from time to time. The poor girl needed a friend, Agatha thought.

Veronica gave Agatha a weak smile as she took the bread slices with her. She took the back way through the servant's exit to the courtyard. She liked to sit out here, occasionally leaving some crumbs for the sparrows and crows that would land in the courtyard's white marble bird bath. Veronica loved to eat her bread out here, to feel the cool morning breeze across her face. She enjoyed watching small animals scurrying into the forest. It was a simple pleasure. She loved to watch them; even though she preferred to watch the nocturnal creatures she thought the squirrels were just entertaining. She watched them chase each other through the path, then jumping across two large dogwood trees entering into the forest. She giggled slightly at their little acrobatics show. It was very amusing to her.

Once she had finished her bread and the squirrels had disappeared back into the forest, she got up. A spirit walk through the forest sounded like a good idea. She stood for a moment, channeling her energy into a meditative state. She needed to concentrate, getting deeply focused before heading into the forest, she let her soul and the divine chose her path for her. She began walking steadily through the deep forest. She walked in a trance, letting her intuition be her guide. Veronica began to experience tunnel vision as she passed her rock formation by the small creek. She went further into the thick woods; going a little faster as if being led by fate.

She sped past all the familiar landmarks of her forest; she then turned east. She felt a strong pull to go into that direction. Veronica kept going, in a trance. She ended up on the lighter side of the forest near a small town. She didn't understand why the gods would send her this way. She just went with it. Suddenly she heard someone else in the forest, thinking quickly she hid behind a large leafed plant near her.

 She listened; it was two people, female. They sounded close to her age. She peaked out through the thick leaves to see who it was in these woods. She couldn't see exactly who it was, so she waited until they were further away from her. She crept out from her hiding place and with the stealth of a cat followed them very carefully. She was a little over curious as to who else would be roaming in the forest. She wanted to make sure it wasn't a threat or spies from another land come to take over her beloved castle.

Veronica tried careful steps to get close enough to see who it was, or if she didn't know figure it out real quick. She slowly crept closer to them to get a better look. She was a few trees behind them when she recognized the sound of Gwen's voice. Veronica wanted to yell or kick something. How dare that little goody twit out here interrupting my spirit walk. I can't believe this; my spiritual path had to cross the nit-wit. What else, she thought. Doing her best not to end up making any sounds to alert them of her presence. She didn't want to give Gwen the upper-hand if it came down to a fight; also with Gwen having another witch on her side it would be two against one. Veronica followed them to see where they were going.

Veronica couldn't help her fears; she followed the other two just to make sure there wasn't some secret coven out to get her. If that were the case, the little witch wasn't going to make it out of this forest unharmed, I guarantee that, Veronica vowed under her breath. She was sure that nothing was truly going on, but she didn't want to take that chance if she were wrong. She was still trailing them for a few miles when she realized they were heading into another area of the forest; her side of it. She was more than willing to duke it out with Gwen, if she showed up to her castle. 

Veronica was like a bomb ready to go off. She didn't understand exactly why she hated the little twit; it had to be something more than the girl's attitude of life's always perfect and nothing ever goes wrong.. The sight and sound of her makes me nauseated. That was another thing that she found bizarre, the girl being near makes me literally sick. 

She needed to bring this up to Triadia the next time she saw her. Veronica listened intently to their conversation; she wanted to make sure they weren't plotting against her before giving up. She was tired of getting nowhere on her spirit walk. He one time I go on a spirit walk she has to be in the forest, why couldn't the little sorceress in rags be out doing chores or meditating somewhere else? She peered closer to the two girls, hoping to get a glimpse of the new witch.

Veronica followed them, hoping that Gwen had enough sense to stay out of her territory, but a small part of Veronica hoped she would go where the stupid twit was warned not to. The only reason, for the simple satisfaction of putting that wench in her place. The thought made her flash a half- wicked grin to the surrounding  forest.

Suddenly and without warning, Trinity turned around to see a girl a few feet behind them. She tapped Gwen on the shoulder and whispered to alert her that the two of them were not alone. Gwen spun around as if her pants were a flame. She saw who was following them; she wasn't too happy about it. She instructed trinity to stay right there, she needed to talk to their follower a second. Trinity of course nodded to her and did as per instructed, watching the birds flying high in the enormous trees that covered this great forest. She was really enjoying it here, but every time she thought of going back to her dull life in the 'real world' she wanted to just cry. She finally felt as if she would matter here, that here presence in this reality wouldn't be such a burden to others. She didn't want to return home for anything. 

She felt that she was an annoyance to her mother, as far as high school was concerned, the entire student body would forget she existed within a week. Two if someone actually mentioned her, not that they would. She would need to talk to her teacher or perhaps Maggie? She tried to think about the right here and now instead of what would go on in another day. She wanted to stay here where there was at least one person who was nice to her without obligation to be. She shook it off, pushing those thoughts away to the basement of her mind. She watched and listened to see what was going on with Gwen and the other girl. Perhaps it was another friend of Gwen's? She seemed to have quite a few friends here.

She heard only bits and pieces of what Gwen was saying to her. She then saw the other girl's body language, shifting her stance, and eventually stomping her foot and walking off very angry. Trinity walked swiftly to where Gwen was standing watching the other girl storm off like a three year old. Trinity just looked at the back of the dark haired girl running off in a foul mood, then glancing at Gwen with confusion.

"What was all that about? Who was that just now? Is something the matter?" Trinity asked her a mile a minute, as if it were one sentence instead of three.

"Slow down, girl. First that was Veronica; she's a sorceress of the darkness. She lives on the other side of the forest in a huge extravagant castle, and she's about as friendly as a starving Tasmanian devil with a toothache."

Trinity couldn't help but start to laugh hysterically. She hadn't heard that one before. She couldn't help it; she would have to remember that one.

"I don't think anyone could be that bad."

"Trust me; I see the good in everyone, except for her. She hates me, and I can't even tell why."

"How do you know that she hates you?"

"I just know, I had tried to be nice to her and she just is not a good person."

"That's a shame; I would have liked to meet her, until you told me that."

"Yeah, I think she's a little on the insane side, but come on, let's head back, before she threatens to curse us."

"Can she really curse us, do hexes and all that?"

"I haven't the slightest clue, but I'm not getting close enough to her to find out." Gwen gave her a look of seriousness, it almost gave her chills.

"Alright, let's head back. I'm glad we came out here, this place is gorgeous."

Trinity thought it best not to ask about the other girl going off like a pissed off leprechaun in the woods.  Then she suddenly remembered she wasn't going to be here long enough to find out. She loved the time she was spending here in this mysterious wonderland. She wanted to cry at the thought of going home to science projects, final exams and high school drama. She didn't want to think about it. She also didn't understand why she felt happier and more at home in this magical place. She scanned the forest, taking in all of its beauty.

She had sworn she had just seen something resembling a butterfly but it was too big, larger than a field mouse yet smaller than a squirrel. Then she saw the cottage in the distance, Maggie's. Gwen let out a giggle.

"What's so funny?" Trinity asked with bewilderment in her voice.

"I'll show you just a moment, were almost to the oak tree."

Trinity hadn't a clue as to what Gwen was talking about.

"Lily come out, it's okay this is my friend, her soul is true." Gwen called to the empty forest; Trinity began to question her new friend's frame of mind. That was until she saw something she couldn't believe. It was there, fluttering right in front of her very eyes but still it was impossible.

There in front of her fluttering around a gigantic oak tree a little flying person with bright eyes and sparkling silver wings- a fairy.

"Is that a fairy?"

Suddenly the winged little thing flew up to her face, a look of anger on the creature she'd never seen.

"I am not a fairy! I am a tree sprite, mortal!" Lily shouted with all of her might. She fluttered away zipping past Gwen and high in her tree, folding her arms across her chest.

"Lily, come back down here please, you can't blame her." Gwen told the tree sprite.

"Why is that?" Lily retorted.

"She's never seen anything so angelic as you and she's from the mortal realm."

Gwen just waited she knew Lily would never give up a chance to meet a human from the mortal realm, no matter how offended she would pretend to be.

Lily's eyes lit up, she suddenly flew back down to meet the mortal that had shown up with Gwen.

"I am Lily, I am sorry to shout at you, but every mortal I have met has accused me of being a fairy. Do that to a pixie or brownie and you'll never find your keys, they're tricksters the whole lot of them, I am not."

"I am Trinity, I apologize I didn't know."

"It's alright, this time."

"Tell me of the mortal world please." Lily begged the new human in the forest.

"What do you want to know about it?"

"What is it like? Does it resemble this realm?" The tree sprite asked, hoping to find out anything she could about humans.

"I would say there are more towns and large buildings, tons of people running around. Wow this isn't that easy to put your entire world into a few words." Trinity admitted to the little creature, she had bright eyes, like a human child's; she was glittery and seemed to just shine in the daylight. "The houses are bigger, a lot of things are more advanced, but nothing in my world compares to this place."

"Thank you mortal Trinity." Lily replied. She kept questioning Trinity, Gwen sat to listen too.

"What do you do there?"

"I go to high school."

"What is that?"

"It is a large building where we learn things." Trinity answered politely, unsure as to how many questions the tree sprite was going to ask her during this visit.

"What things?"

"Math, science, history, English things like that."

"No courses on magic?"

"Not in the schools, not everyone believes in magic like Gwen and I do."

"That is a shame."

"What are you taught here?" Trinity asked.

"How to fly, gather food help injured beings also the history and lore of magical creatures, things like that."

"I'm really glad to have the pleasure to hang out with you." Trinity spoke but lily wasn't sure what hang out had meant.

"She means she was glad to sit and talk with you." Gwen piped up, after a long silence.

"Oh, I'm glad I got to talk with you as well human." Lily flew off, back to her chores.

"That was so cool!" Trinity squealed.

"I like Lily we met a couple months ago in the forest."

"Now where are we going?" Trinity asked.

"To the cottage up there, we need to talk to Maggie about the dark witch we saw in the woods."