1 The chamber benith the snow

Drip...Drop...Drip...Drop...the sound of water slowly dripping broke through the darkness. It reached the girl standing at the top of an aging stone staircase. The girl opened her blue eyes, she was surprised to find herself outside muchless standing there. she shivered and wrapped her arms around herself she could feel goosebumps raising on her pale skin from the cold.

It was the beginning of spring, and snow still lay in clumps with fresh green grass poking out here and there. ' How on earth did I get out here?' she wondered to herself. The Girl peered down the stairs. they were slick with run off from the melting snow. some of the stairs had a carpet of yellow, red and green Moss on them. as if the moss was trying to wake up after its long winter slumber. she looked up towards the horizon. ' I need to Figure out where I am' she shivered and stamped her bare feet. they were beginning to grow numb.

The first thing she noticed was the silhouette of her home, Crown Hill castle. The large imposing building stood upon a cliff facing the ocean. normally it was a beautiful sight but the darkness of night and her uncertain situation made it seem wrong ... somehow she was afraid of the building. the normally welcome sight of towers which gave the castle it's name. Just seemed like hungry fingers reaching for the Moon's pale light. she shook her head ' it's just the middle of the night that's why it seems wrong' she chidded herself. tales of a dark ruler seemed to spring to her mind.

' just old maids tales Lana get a grip!' she looked back towards the staircase and the darkness at the bottom. Lana was to far away to get back to the castle before she lost all feeling in her limbs. Lana sighed softly and carefully began to climb down the stairs.

'Maybe I can make a fire once inside...I will be out of the wind at the very least' Lana thought to herself. The stone steps crumbled beneath her bare feet. Lana had to grab the freezing cold walls to steady herself. Soon she was on the landing before a great stone entrance. it was made up of three large grey stones covered in strange markings. she looked at these marks trying to decipher them. an odd sense of forbidding came over her as Lana looked at the markings.

She was about to take a step backwards away from the entrance way.

A strong wind blew down the stairs, it ripped through her thin nightgown. It's icy fingers played along her pale skin forcing her inside the dark chamber.away from the intruding gust.

Here the light of the moon did not reach. Lana was completely blind in the darkness. she groped around for a wall, the chamber seemed large as she tried to find the walls. eventually her slender fingers found a smooth surface.

Thankful she began to follow the wall deeper inside hoping to find something with which to make a fire and gain light. However she doubted whatever she found would be very useful the wall was cold and slick with moisture beneath her hand. No doubt anything that she could have used for a fire would be too wet to spark.

The floor began to slant downwards. Lana paused but she could feel the air beginning to warm here. a most welcome sensation. she continued to walk further. The slant was slight at first however it soon became more severe she slipped on a slick stone she fell and sleid down the slanted floor.

Lana screamed in freight as she slid down the slick stone floor. she raised her arms to her head in an attempt to protect her face. when she came to a stop covered in scrapes and bumps from the rough floor.

She groaned and moved her arms. She tried to look about her. Here a thin ray of moonlight entered through a hole in the ceiling above casting a pale light in this new chamber. she saw a robed finger standing by a pool of water.

Lana rose to her feet and brushed off her nightgown. " h...hello?" she called to this person hoping they could tell her what this chamber was and why they themselves where there.

She received no answer, growing impatient and unaccustomed to being ignored she walked towards the figure. " excuse me?" she asked once she was behind the figure she reached out to touch the person's robes. the figure whirled a boney hand clamped down on Lana's wrist. it's icy grip stole any warmth left within her. it lowered it's skull to her eye level. Lana screamed and tried to pull away from it.

"pure...soul....I....must ....have...a...pure...soul" the creature rasped.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

An odd man sat atop of the Castle roof. He had many odd metal instruments with him. The most notable was a golden tube with glass on either end. It was held on a tripod stand, The tube had many strange symbols etched into its highly polished surface. These symbols glowed a faint bluish color in the night. The man was scribbling something into a notebook and grumbling to himself. He took a sip of tea from a fine bone china teacup. He leaned over and squinted through the instrument's lense. " Blasted thing! it must be wrong the constellations are out of order!" he stroked his grey goatee and rose a bushy brow. " if the stars are correct disaster will surely befall us all." he grumbled grimly. He sat back in his chair and closed his blue eyes. He rose a hand and took off his half moon spectacles and rubbed the bridge of his long nose. He was still for a long moment, then a noise in the distance roused the tired looking old man.

He put his spectacles back on and squinted towards the source of the noise still unable to see he grumbled and repositioned his telescope. He searched the tree line until he spotted the source. There Lana stood screaming and clawing at the air in nothing more than her night clothes.

Cursing the man hurried to his feet, he hollered for guards and a maid as he rushed down the tower steps. as he reached the bottom he was joined by three guards and a maid.

" The princess is outside in her night cloths, hurrying and preparing a fire and warm furs in her room. you three will come with me to retrieve Princess Lana" he ordered

" as you command lord Gregory'' the guards said in unison. they followed the Lord out to the forest. Lana by now had moved further into the forest. A guard held a lantern high on a staff as to better illuminate their way. They followed her footprints in the snow and mud. After a few minutes of searching they found her laying in the snow. she was already turning blue. Gregory took off his fur lined coat and wrapped it around her as he lifted the slight girl into his arms. Lana didn't wake even as Gregory carried her back to Crown Castle.