Night Wind
By: Wilona Riva
Disclaimer: Butch Hartman does; I don't.
Yellow, Blue, and Red
Maddie opened the door to find the phantom known as Moon waiting for her. The ghost curtsied, her black and white uniform exchanged for a white sleeveless v-neck gown that fell in soft folds to her knees. She wore white sandal pumps and a black satin choker.
Come, she told her, her fingers moving softly.
Maddie nodded and turned to Jack, who fingers were reaching for a mini ecto-gun that strapped to his wrist. "Leave it, Jack," she whispered. "If we are ever going to explore this island and find Danny, we have to let them know we trust them."
"Okay," he whined, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "But I want some really good fudge for this when we get home."
"Of course, dear," Maddie smiled, knowing how to placate her husband. "All the fudge you can eat." She turned back to the door.
"Please, show us to where we must go," she told the ghost girl, who scowled at her. "I know you don't like us, but try to see it from our point-of-view. We have never met a trustworthy ghost before."
I am not one of your damnable ryu, Moon snapped, her fingers punctuating each word she signed. This way. She turned and directed the Night Queen's human guests to a door that glowed on the far left of the corridor.
Maddie sighed and wished she had time to study this strange sign language these phantomic ghosts used. More importantly, why were they forbidden to speak to anyone outside their own race?
Too many questions and not much time, she thought as she and Jack silently followed the brightly lit form of the girl. Too dark in this place.
Vlad gasped as the ghost woman nipped his ear and managed to button the last of the silver clasps on his dinner jacket at the same time. "How...?"
"I have learned to do a lot of things in my line of work, my dear half-ryu," Whitewind purred. "Now, we can't have you appearing sloppily dressed before the Queen of the Night Stars, can we?" Her long fingers straightened his cravat. "Now, you look like the proper gentleman."
Vlad's eyes darted to his reflection in the mirror. He was currently in human form and simply dressed as he normally did, albeit a little bit more tanned from his recent sojourn in the sun cellar.
"Will I see you again, my dear?" he murmured.
"No," she said seriously. "No ryu ever stays more than a few hours in our kingdom. The Night Queen will decide what do with you and the hunters at dinner, I expect."
A light tapping on the door brought Vlad nose to nose with Phantom, who was dressed in an upgraded form of his phantomic uniform. "A bit formal for you, Daniel, but I am glad you will be joining your parents and I for dinner."
Whitewind laughed as she shoved him out the door. "The phantomic guard do not dine with the Night Queen and her guests. They will serve as guards and guides, no more, no less."
Phantom gave a silent nod. Come, he signed politely to the half-ryu. I will guide you to the Great Hall.
Vlad noted Daniel's hands touched a peculiar shaped rune, once they were in the corridor, that lit up several others lining the wall as they approached and faded when they passed.
"I must go Above," the boy whispered, as Vlad leaned past him to examine the glowing rune on the wall. "You must convince the Night Queen to continue my search for the last of my kind."
"I will try, Daniel," Vlad promised.
"I am Phantom," the boy answered back. His emerald eyes glowing softly. "I have no name."
The Queen of the Night Stars wore a robe dripping starlight, her face hidden from view as she observed her little phantoms escort her guests to their seats. Whitewind had already reported on the success of the eros potion on the half-ryu. She remembered her little phantom's own experience when Bell had slipped him one as a prank. The trees in the Garden of Nights still hadn't finished regrowing their limbs yet.
She smiled faintly. The Clockwork Chronos was determined that the Ryu Kingdom and the Night Wind people become one once more and that the Prophecy of the Seven be fulfilled. So be it, she decided, but it will be on my terms.
Clockwork chuckled as he turned away from the portal. "As you can see, my Watcher, everything is according to plan."
"But Danny..."
"He will be fine," the Clockwork Chronos told her. "So will they."
"But the Night Queen..."
"No more buts," he said, touching her ruby lips with one glowing blue finger. "I have expected Lunaris to pull something of this sort. What Plasmius experienced was the side effects of an eros potion. The union between Lunaris and Plasmius must come about if there is to be peace in the worlds. The fruit of their union will set this timestream back on its correct course."
"And Danny?"
"Phantom is Night Wind. He has chosen his path."