Ghost of a Forgotten Past

Chapter 13- An Inheritance Unleashed

He screamed and pawed the ground, except there was no one there to hear him. Phantom knew he must get help for her even if it was too late he must bring Nathaniel he is to be with her it's what the wind told him that night. So he ran to the camp as fast as he could, making as much noise as he could. All the men were settled around campfires chatting about the days training. Phantom came thundering into the camp, screaming and searching for Nathaniel, as soon as he located the prince he pawed the ground and reared. "Whoa boy it's ok, it's ok" said James coming to the stallions head and stroking him, but Phantom shook him off and danced over to Nathaniel bitting his shirt and pulling him towards the saddle, "something must be wrong, for him to be acting like this he never lets anyone but Lanora ride him" exclaimed Bane who was now beside Nathaniel "you better go, he came for you so go" he continued not letting anyone else speak, Nathaniel didn't answer he just pulled himself up into the saddle finding it was rather comfortable, "follow" he ordered to the men around. Phantom felt the slight change in weight and took this as a sign to go so he reared and pivoted on his haunches, which took Nathaniel by utter surprise, and he nearly fell off backwards, but regaining his centre of balance, he now consciously asked him to go. The lithe stallion sprang forward with immense power which Nathaniel could feel even through the saddle, Phantom lengthened his stride and levelled his body, Nathaniel felt like he was flying he couldn't even feel his hoof beats hitting the ground, he was riding the most magnificent stallion of all time. The others quickly followed, all hurrying as fast as they could after the speeding horse.

The branches whipped across his face, stinging his cheeks and bringing tears to his eyes as the stallion went by like a blur a darting black wraith through the trees. Nathaniel had Phantoms silky long black mane tightly clenched in his hands; he didn't need to steer the power filled stallion for Phantom was taking him to where they needed to go and he knew the shortest way to get there. They reached the training clearing in no time at all, and what Nathaniel saw tore his heart to pieces, there was Lanora lying on the ground as pale as can be in a pool of her own blood. Cold fluffy flakes floated soundlessly down landing on the still figure. Phantom screamed and shook his head violently towards the motionless elfling and waited for Nathaniel to get off, when he did he pranced over to where her body was and touched her with his trembling nose, blowing on her face heavily. Slowly walking over Nathaniel dropped to his knees a look of grief and anguish on his face, he saw the trickle of blood coming from her mouth, and he saw her half closed glazed over eyes. Nathaniel touched her hand it was ice cold, next he listened for her heart and no beat could he heard at all or felt. He scooped her up in his arms so her torso was resting on his legs and he held her, head bent over her and tears of heart break surfaced in his flawless blue eyes. Her front was covered in semi dry blood, "why did I leave you here" he told himself. The others came they saw that young Lanora was gone, they saw her pale pasty colour and the thickened blood on the ground and over her clothes, Marseth came over and he screamed at Nathaniel "what happened to her?!", "her heart gave out, her heart simply stopped beating and because of that her lungs burst which is where the blood has come from" announced Nathaniel. All could hear his voice breaking as he said this, and they all bowed their heads in silence and respect, Phantom poised himself on his haunches and threw out a call to the world that his master had passed. The sound vibrated the air and the sun grew cold and the sky grey, the wind started to howl through the trees, it was as if the forest was angry at her passing, but Nathaniel kept hold of her and a tear leaked from the corner his eye. The snow fell heavier.

Lanora could see the world around her slowly closing in she felt cold, and her blood ran cold. She woke in a room stone floor, stone walls, low stone ceiling everything was stone and there was no way out, no door or window not even any joins between each slab of cold hard grey rock. Lanora started to panic; she paced the room running her hands repeatedly over the rock searching for anything that might indicate escape, looking for a way out, not even her magic would work she said the words but nothing happened just empty meaning to what she said, now she was really becoming hysteric. Just as she curled up in a ball in the corner a loud grating, scraping sound filled the room Lanora had to cover her ears, and a panel opened from the wall, bright blinding red and orange light flooded in and a voice called her "Lanora, come out, come on Lanora, Lanora, Lanora" the distant wavering voice called her name over and over, she was strangely drawn to the chant, she found herself standing up and walking one bare foot after the other down the warm passage way towards the great blinding light. Reaching the end of the tunnel heat radiated on her face from all directions, the room was massive a great cathedral of crystals and intricately detailed pillars. A mass stirred at the back of the room a heap of burning ruffled feathers, wings and a tail. From beneath one great wing emerged its fine head; it turned its head towards where she was standing and stared at her through sunset coloured eyes. She froze in the middle of the vast floor pinned in place by the creatures gaze unable to move. The creature still not yet identifiable stood up on its legs and stretched its great talons; yawned wide and shook its whole body and it seemed the whole place moved with the creature, it spoke in a soft gentle voice "I've been waiting for you for a long time" Lanora now knew what the creature was it was a Phoenix.