AN: Introduces my vampire character. More lore on Lena's particular type of shapeshifting and abilities. Starts with my friend's writing this time. She is Australian, so any spelling/grammar errors may just be the way things are done down under. I never got around to asking, since she writes well enough for me that a few spelling issues aren't a bother. Chris's estranged mother is an evil bitch. Its a well-known fact within all of our roleplays that contain the two characters, but no one reading this knows anything about our old roleplays so I'm just pointing that out before anyone reads this and wonders 'who is this mysterious evil person and why does everyone seem to know who she is?' ** Means a shift to my other character POV.

Prophecy – Chapter 2

+ Lena came around the second time very slowly. She opened her eyes but quickly closed them again, wishing she hadn't opened them in the first place. The drugs in her system were causing her body to overload as it tried to both neutralise them and heal a wound caused by silver at the same time. In her already weakened state this combination was giving her a severe case of vertigo, and she wasn't even standing up. At least the bed stopped swaying once she closed her eyes. She kept them closed as she listened to the people coming and going in the corridor and took stock of her situation. She must have been taken to a hospital.

That would explain the stinging scent of antiseptic. Her recollection of the attack was relatively good, up to the point where she must have used her knife on her attacker. She guessed she'd fought back, but how was a mystery. Her instincts tended to take over for her when she was in tight spots like that. Suddenly a thought occurred to her and her left hand groped at the front of her gown, searching for the delicate golden chains she always wore.

A great yawning pit opened up in her stomach as her questing fingers found nothing. They had been taken away…her only true treasure and someone had taken it away! Lena felt something on her cheek and swiped at it with her hand, feeling wetness on her fingers. Tears? She closed her eyes tighter and willed herself back to sleep. When she woke up she wouldn't be weak anymore. There would be no more tears.

And she would track down whoever had taken her treasure and slaughter them for their transgression if she had to.

Elspeth Harman watched as Kerowyn tiredly greeted her and entered the apartment. She smiled; there was no doubt in her mind exactly what was going through Kerowyn's head. She was such a sweet girl, it was really too bad that she was such a vampire magnet at times. She had that dark kind of beauty that the leeches claimed made blood that much sweeter. Of course Elspeth did her best to shield Kerowyn from that sort of thing. The shrill ringing of the phone interrupted Elspeth's musings. She glared at the offending machine, but that didn't stop it from ringing. Eventually she snatched it up and barked into it.
"What?!" but her demeanour immediately changed when she heard the soft voice on the other end.
"I'm sorry for calling you so late Madam Harman." Only two men in the entire world called her 'madam' Harman and only one of those had this number.

"Chris! Dear boy, you know you don't have to be this formal with me, I'm just an old woman."

"I really am sorry for waking you, but…" Elspeth raised an eyebrow. If this boy was hesitant this call was about something big. "I…could I see you? The sooner the better. It's about…we discussed it at the meeting last night."

Elspeth's smile faded as the implications of his call sank in. She'd heard about the latest attack from Thea earlier. "Another one?"

Chris hesitated a moment before answering. "Yes. I really would like to speak with you about this in person."

"It's alright boy, this is far more important than a little sleep." She could hear the relief in his voice.

"I'll be there in two minutes."

True to his word, two minutes later there was a knock at the door, startling Thea and even Kerowyn. Elspeth let in the dark young man, noting his evident exhaustion. He immediately started apologising straight away "I really am sorry about this ma'am. I had to wait for my shift to end before I could get away."

"Nonsense boy! I meant what I said on the phone. This is important!"

"Gran…? What's wrong? Who is this guy?!" Elspeth turned to see Thea standing in front of a clearly nervous Kerowyn and clicked her tongue. She'd momentarily forgotten those two.

"Christopher, this is my granddaughter Thea and her friend, Kerowyn. Girls, this is Christopher, he's a part of the coven." Chris managed a tired, but still somehow gallant smile and bow as he greeted the two other women.

"I'm truly sorry for disturbing you this late at night ladies."

Elspeth took over. "You two go back to bed. Kerowyn don't you have to work again tomorrow?" She waited until they'd gone before turning back to Chris again. "There was another shifter killed wasn't there?" Her eyes widened as he shook his head.

"This girl is a tough one. She's alive, but in a bad way at the hospital. I tried to help her with my magic, but she seems to be resistant, I couldn't help her. She killed the one that attacked her tonight, but…if…they think she's…one of the foretold, they'll come after her again I'm sure, but right now she's too weak to even open her own eyes. I…please help her!" Chris said this last as he bowed deeply to the older woman, literally begging her to help.

Elspeth watched the younger witch with narrowed eyes. "You say she killed her attacker?" At his nod she exclaimed "well why didn't you say so before boy! Anyone who kills those bloodsuckers is a friend of mine! Just let me get my bag and we can go now. The girls will be fine here…unless my counterpart gets nasty." Chris didn't react to Elspeth's assessment of his estranged mother.

"If she did want to force her way in, she'd do it while you were here, just to prove a point."

Elspeth called her healer's satchel to her as she thought that over. "True, she would do that. And what about that brother of yours? I heard he's not seeing that nice young girl anymore. Too bad really."

Chris unlocked his car door and held it open for Elspeth as she got in before getting in himself. "I couldn't agree more. Skye did him the world of good, but it was a mutual breakup. They both realised the relationship wasn't going anywhere. I believe she still keeps in touch with him, he told me once she said it was to keep him from being too much of prick again." Elspeth simply laughed at this and they spent the rest of the drive in silence.

At the hospital Chris filled Elspeth in on Lena's injuries and condition. "What I don't understand is that it appears that she used her own knife to dig the bullet out of her own shoulder. She must have known that it would cause her to loose more blood."

Chris held Lena's door open for Elspeth. "It's possible…" Elspeth mused over the possibilities this action signified. Most shifters who had wounds inflicted with silver weaponry merely wouldn't heal as they usually would. For some bloodlines however the silver could give them blood-poisoning in a very short amount of time. But those bloodlines were exceedingly rare these days. It was a mark of Chris' politeness that he didn't press her to finish her musings. Dear boy. She turned her attention to the small being lying in the bed in the darkened room. The neon lights lit up Lena's sickroom with an almost mocking cheerfulness.

"Did you do a reading for her boy?" Despite him being the flesh and blood of her most bitter rival Elspeth still thought of Chris as one of her own grandchildren.

"I…I tried to."

Interesting. The girl couldn't be read. Elspeth tried not to get too excited. It was only one indication that she might be one of them, however there were plenty of other possible reasons why Chris hadn't been able to read her. He stood quietly by and watched as Elspeth placed a hand over the girl's wound. After several moments she pulled her hand away with a sigh.

"You're right, boy. She is resisting. I'm not sure how much of it is consciously though…"
Elspeth placed her hand gently on the younger girl's forehead and concentrated again. This time the resistance was most certainly conscious as Lena fought Elspeth's intrusion into her own mind. It was actually quite impressive how much of a fight she could put up in her weakened state, but what Elspeth found once she was inside the girl's mind was enough of a shock that Lena was able to force her out, waking in the process.

Chris watched silently, unaware of Elspeth's battle to enter Lena's mind, so it was a shock when, several minutes later, Elspeth staggered back as Lena's left hand gripped her wrist in a white-knuckled death-grip. Her glare at the two of them could have peeled paint from walls! This girl was intense. He thought he'd encountered a wild shifter when he'd first met his brother's last girlfriend, but Skye was tame compared to this girl.

"Who are you? What do you think you're trying to do to me?!" Chris took a step forward to berate the rude shifter only to be stopped by Elspeth.

"We're trying to help you child." Lena made a rude-sounding snort and muttered something under her breath. Chris couldn't understand the language she used, but at least she'd let go of Elspeth's wrist now.
"'Help' me? You don't think I've heard that line before, witch?" Elspeth tried not to let Lena's attitude get to her, after all she'd only seen a small portion of the girl's mind, but what she had seen was more than enough of an explanation. Elspeth decided to try the direct, truthful, response.

"You killed a leech. That's enough of a reason for me to help you. Chris here does it because he's a bleeding heart."

Lena's distrustful, suspicious eyes roved from one witch to the other and back again before settling on Chris. His scent was familiar enough that she was certain he'd been in the room when she'd first woken up.

"Where is it?"

"I…where is what?" Elspeth sensed the opportunity for a good-will gesture and kept silent for the moment.

"Don't play stupid with me," Lena all but snarled at the gentle witch. "Where are my belongings?!" Elspeth gave the tiniest of nods, praying Chris understood that she wanted him to return Lena's things. There was something in those belongings which would give them a more positive light in Lena's eyes if it was returned she was sure. Chris used a summoning spell to call the box with Lena's belongings in it to him.

When he got close enough she all but snatched it out of his hands and dumped the contents over her legs, scrabbling through them, looking for…something caught her eye in the flashing neon lights from outside. Chris saw her snatch up a plastic zip-lock bag that contained the jewellery she'd been wearing. From her body language those necklaces were precious to her. He wondered why she had two identical ones…and why did he feel as if he'd just escaped from certain death?

Elspeth waited a few moments before speaking but before she could Lena spoke, but far quieter this time. The witches guessed she'd used up most of her energy already.

"Why was I attacked? I've been in this city for less than a week. Hardly enough time to make enemies, and I'm certain I've never seen him before so he hasn't followed me here from somewhere else."

Chris decided to let Elspeth handle this. He would just observe and intercept any nosey nurses who might come in. "He attacked you because you're a shapeshifter child." Lena snorted again.

"Half."

"It doesn't matter to him. To them." That got Lena's attention. From the look in her eyes she still didn't trust either of them, but was willing to listen. "One of the oracles divined that the prophesied half-breed was half-shifter."

"So?"

"You don't think you might be her?"

"Like I'd care if I was." Elspeth raised her eyebrows at this, though she wasn't totally surprised, after seeing a portion of Lena's mind. She tried to think of something to get Lena to open up to them.
"Don't you want to help the other shifters? They're not so different to you, you know…" Elspeth trailed off as she felt a surge of magical energy explode from Lena. Her eyes filled with hate Lena was practically hissing her words at Elspeth.

"Help them? Why the hell would I help those useless bastards?" Elspeth and Chris both noticed the temperature of the room rising sharply. "After what they did to me, to us?" At that moment the cardboard box on the floor sparked, and began to burn. "They should all burn in hell for what they did! And I'd gladly send them all there with my own two hands!"

It was just as well that Lena's small reserve of energy ran out at that point, before anything else caught alight. Chris had already used his own magic to contain the fire Lena had apparently started as Elspeth ran forward to check on the unconscious girl. Elspeth satisfied herself that Lena was sleeping and decided it was better if she didn't try to enter the young girl's mind again. Instead she began to undo the bandages so she could apply her best healing creams to Lena's wounds while Chris gathered up the scattered items on Lena's lap.

The necklaces in the bag were still in Lena's hand, locked in a death-grip. He decided to leave them there.

For a while he watched Elspeth work, but finally he couldn't stand it anymore.

"Ma'am…what do you think she meant…by 'us'?" Elspeth just shook her head.

"I suspect I know…but I'd rather believe that shifters didn't practice such barbaric customs anymore."

* Kero and Thea hunkered down near the door of the guest room. Thea couldn't hear a word of what was going on with Granny and the other people, but Kero heard it all with her sensitive shifter ears. That injured girl had just started a fire and the kind-looking dark haired man Elspeth had called Chris had put it out. He was some kind of witch as well, from what Kero could hear. The girl was some kind of evil-attracting half-breed with weird powers.

"Thea, should we-" she started, but Thea shushed her.

"Listen, they're talking again. You have to tell me about what. I've never heard Granny so serious, unless it had something to do with the bitch witch. Er, thats Mistress Halliwell of Circle Midnight, in case you don't know." Thea pressed her ear against the door harder than ever, though it was futile.

Witches didn't have extra sensitive hearing, like shifters did. Kero sighed. She closed her eyes and lay down near the door again, listening to the conversation between Elspeth and Chris. The injured, angry girl had called other shifters useless bastards. That hurt. Kero may be relatively useless, but she wasn't evil. She couldn't imagine harming anyone or anything, unless it was a leech.

The door suddenly opened and Thea landed with a thud, smacking her head on the hardwood floor.

"Well! Two spies we have here!" Elspeth Harman's harsh, brisk voice made Kero cringe. Elspeth grabbed Thea by the ear and pulled her up with surprising strength for an 85 year old woman.

"Listening in on others' conversations is dangerous business, grandchild. You should not have made your friend do so. Hearing what you heard may have endangered your lives. I'm sure you know what they are and why its so important that the dark ones don't get control of them." Thea was trembling. She had never seen Granny so angry, and if what she said was true, she'd endangered her own and Kero's life. The last thing she wanted to do.

"Gran, I just wanted to hear something interesting. I didn't think it would do any harm!" She sputtered. Kero was trying very hard to turn invisible, but that wasn't a talent any shifter had managed. "Kerowyn! What about you? What do you think?"

Kero clenched her fists and just about cried. "I apologize Miss Harman. I...I was worried about the shifter attacks too. I'm a shifter. I wanted to hear. No one told me anything. If I'm being attacked, I want to know why. Is that so bad? Is it so bad to NOT want to be left in the dark all the time!?" Kero all but shouted this last one. Elspeth sighed.

"No, child, its not bad. Come here, both of you. I want you to meet someone." Elspeth led Kero and Thea into the other room, where the dark witch and the sleeping half-breed lay. "This is Christopher Halliwell. He is Melania's son. Don't worry, he isn't here to hurt or kill anyone." Elspeth had to quickly assure them. "Chris is an amazing healer, second only to myself. And perhaps his brother, if his brother cultivated any powers beyond black magic and got out of his mother's clutches."

Chris smiled at them warmly. Kero scowled at the young man. He wasn't much older than she, and he was deep into something, she could tell. "You must be Kerowyn. Elspeth tells the truth. You are quite lovely." Chris gently grasped Kero's hand and planted a soft kiss on it. Far too gentlemanly. Kero sneered. Was he playing her or was he REALLY that nice?

** Ty let the man he was currently feeding on drop to the ground. The scream he heard came from nearby. The ancient vampire wasn't a bleeding heart and didn't go out of his way to save people, and many people died in Vegas, or got raped, mugged, or any other variation of harm. This was different. The person being attacked was another Night person. He could smell the blood, and it smelled like shifter blood. Ty knew the prophesy, and why shifters were being killed.

He himself had been approached by another vampire, asking him to join their hunt for the Wild Powers. Ty had merely sneered at him and slammed the door in his face. Ty wondered if the Council was behind this. Being one of the most powerful vampires in the world, he was often asked to join the elusive Night World Council, and every time turned it down. Despite his apathy toward almost everyone and everything, he still couldn't allow another Night person to be killed for no reason. Especially not if it gave him a chance to kick a Council crony in the pants.

Or heart, if it came to that. Ty kicked his current meal to the side and made sure the still-living man was safely hidden behind the dumpster Ty had found him in. Homeless junkie scum, he tasted like heroin and sweat. Ty should have drained him dry and put him out of his misery. The vampire ran as fast as he could and slashed at the shifter's attacker with his silver dagger.

The person didn't turn, and the dagger penetrated flesh easily, Ty was disappointed to find out. His opponent wouldn't be much fun. His opponent whirled, barely affect by the silver dagger. Now Ty knew why the person hadn't bothered to turn around. It was another vampire, and vampires were not affected by silver as badly as shifters were. Silver left more of a mark and hurt more, but it wasn't the same poison like it was to a shifter.

The other vampire snarled angrily at Ty. "Why did you do that? You're a vampire, too. Aren't you on the Council? Don't you know the Wild Powers have to die if the Vampire World is to come?" Apparently this other vampire was a very stupid one. Ty licked his lips. He wanted to torture information out of it. The bit about Wild Powers and the Council piqued his interest. The shifter lay dying, though. He didn't know why, but he couldn't let her die.

"Sorry, brother. I didn't realize we were one and the same. I'm not that old yet." Ty lied through his pointed teeth. He held out a hand to the injured vampire. The stupid one reached out to take the hand up when Ty lunged and ripped the head clean off the stupid Council lackey. Ty sighed. That hadn't been fun or challenging. He turned to the girl.

The shifter that had been attacked lay on the ground, gasping for breath and appeared to be bleeding her life away. The shifter blood practically made his mouth water. It was the most delightful blood any vampire could wish for. Ty didn't feed on other Night People, though. That was against Council rules. He bent over the girl. She cringed and attempted to stand up.

"P-please! Don't kill me! I'm not who you're looking for, I promise! I swear it!" The shifter thought Ty was here to kill her too. He flicked his tongue idly over his extended fangs, which had elongated when he fed, then again at the smell of the blood so nearby. They retracted. No wonder she thought he was going to kill her. He was a vampire, just like her attacker. "I'm not going to kill you. I saved your life. You might be a little more grateful."

The girl shook her head. "You didn't save my life. He had silver bullets. He shot me. I'm going to die anyway," She coughed, a low rattling sound. "Please. My name is Illiana Quinn. Tell my mother I love her and-" she stopped as the vampire picked her up with ease.

"You're not going to die. I'm taking you to a healer. The best in Vegas. She's not fond of my kind, none are, but she can save you. You can tell your mother yourself." Ty carried Illiana to his nearby car.

She was weak, but not likely to die before he got her to the Harman place, unless she was more injured than he had first guessed. Driving through Vegas to the shop, he sped and broke several traffic laws. At last, the disguisted Art shop appeared. He went around back, as was custom with most Night people, carrying Illiana with him. She quivered in his arms and still managed to tempt him with her blood. From her scent, he guessed she was a canine shifter.

She smelled like a wolf or dog. Ty entered the Art shop as the door opened for him. He knew Elspeth Harman, and while she didn't like him, she didn't hate him either. And since he was doing a good deed, she wouldn't have prevented his entry. The real witch workshop was upstairs. Ty took a deep breath and entered Elspeth's living area.

+ Lena came around slowly. The first thing that always returned to her was her nose. It didn't take long for her to realise she wasn't in the hospital anymore. For starters the scent of antiseptic was gone…well, almost. It still clung to her and her hospital gown, but it was almost overpowered by the scents of…two, no three witches and another shifter. Funny, that shifter scent was familiar…

Underlying all these scents was the scent of flowers. Lena had no idea what kind, never having had the occasion or need to be able to identify different flowers but it was surprisingly pleasant.
Feeling returned next. Lena decided she wouldn't rip anyone's head off for moving her, no doubt magically, from the hospital without her knowledge. This bed was perhaps the most comfortable thing she'd ever slept in…not that there was much competition. The next most comfortable bed she'd ever had was in the Rapa den on soft sand, leaning on the flank of the den mother.

Lastly she realised she was hearing voices. It was the two witches from the hospital discussing her little tantrum…practically word for word. Lena shrugged off their reactions. She didn't exactly deal with others particularly well on a good day and today…yesterday…whenever. Having someone try to kill you seriously ruined your day, no matter how good it had been to start with. Of course, it kind of sucked that that had been one of her best days in months, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

Lena tuned back into the conversation when she heard the old hag open the door and berate the weak witch and the shifter. Apparently they'd been eavesdropping where they should've. Lena gave them a couple of points for that; maybe they weren't entirely sheep in this city…the male witch sounded like a player though. Best keep an eye on that one. Lena decided she needed more rest, after all the more she slept now, the faster she'd heal. Some instinct told her these people thought she was something special…as she drifted off again something tugged at her memory…something the old hag had said in the hospital. Bah. It's unlikely to have been important.

Elspeth sighed inwardly. Clearly she should have taken the girls into confidence sooner…well, Kerowyn at least. Thea was too much of a blabber mouth to really be trusted with anything of too greater importance, dear child though she was. And Chris, where did he learn his manners from anyway? Certainly not his mother or brother that's for sure.

He had enough manners to make up for at least his brother's lack, though he did come off as a player at best and a creepy stalker at worst. She looked over at the apparently sleeping half-breed, goodness she shouldn't think of the poor thing in those terms! She didn't even know what her name was! Elspeth remembered what she had seen in the girl's mind at the hospital and decided to keep that to herself. It was an extremely private memory and it wasn't her place to tell it to others.

Besides, Lena would probably try to kill her for it. Still…Elspeth decided to try to enter her mind again, but far more delicately this time and with Chris' help she may actually be able to pull it off. It took very little to organise. Elspeth figured Chris also wanted to see what made this girl tick. The hardest part was making Thea promise to stay out of it, Kerowyn had promised to keep Thea in check though so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. All that was left was for Chris and Elspeth to make themselves comfortable.

"…Is this all?" Elspeth understood Chris' confusion. They were certainly inside Lena's mind, but…they couldn't see anything. It was simply too dark. In response to Thea's pestering Elspeth kept up a running commentary…not that there was much to say at this point.

"Why would her mind be dark Gran? Is she evil?"

Elspeth thought carefully before responding. "I don't believe she is…at least not intentionally."

"The dark is probably a defence mechanism." Chris added. "Ma'am, I'm going to try to conjure a light."

"Make it a small one boy."

He took her at her word, making two small, pin-prick lights, revealing to Elspeth that they were standing in a corridor of some description. Elspeth and Chris 'walked' slowly through this maze in Lena's mind. Actually it was more like some sort of horrific medieval dungeon with close stone walls and slippery, muddy floors. Enormous hairy spiders scuttled away from them into dark crevices as they approached and enormous fat snakes slithered through the stagnant-smelling mud on the ground, almost tripping them on more than one occasion.

Worst of all it was as claustrophobic as hell, despite the size of the passages, the darkness created a truly oppressive atmosphere. Chris tripped on an especially large snake, as he tried to remove another cobweb from his hair, and went sprawling in the stinking mud.

"Gah! What the hell?! How could someone so young have a mind like this? Even if this is only the outer reaches of her mind…I've never come across anything like this before! Not even mother…" he trailed off abruptly.

"Are you injured boy?" Elspeth watched as he picked himself up.

"Just my pride I think…hey, what was that noise?" Elspeth cocked her head to the side, listening. She hadn't heard anything, but her hearing simply wasn't what it used to be.

"Has the girl detected us then?" Elspeth noticed Chris wasn't paying attention, and was about to tell him off but realised he was staring behind her, utterly terrified. Elspeth didn't get the chance to ask him what he was looking at because at that moment she saw an unusually large shadow emerge from around the bend in front of her and lost all ability to speak. In the soft light from Chris' spells it was only faintly illuminated, but it was clear from the outline of this creature that it was the same beast Elspeth had seen in Lena's memory.

And it was utterly terrifying. The soft lights glistened on its lean flanks and glinted on its razor-sharp teeth. Distantly Elspeth could hear Thea calling them, asking what was wrong but neither of them dared to make a sound. Suddenly another one of the creatures joined the first. Elspeth glanced at Chris' face and guessed there were more of them behind her. She was just thinking, a strategic retreat would probably be best here… when they attacked. They didn't have a chance, they moved far faster than she thought possible for animals of that size, even if they were only constructs of Lena's mind, and in seconds all that she could see was the slashing claws and teeth…

Thea jumped back as Gran and Chris came back to themselves with screams and wide, fear-filled eyes. Both were covered with terrible claw-wounds. Elspeth quietly told the two what had happened in Lena's mind as Chris healed their wounds, still unable to speak after his scare.

"Gran, are you sure she's not evil, because those things sounded pretty evil to me! And they attacked you! If that's not evil then what is?!" Kerowyn was nodding, edging away from the unconscious form of the other shifter.

"There was no evil intent there Thea." Elspeth wondered how she could explain this to the others without breaching Lena's privacy.

"Indeed." Chris appeared to have found his voice, "All of what we saw was merely the…outer edges of her mind, if you will. For most people that's an area of…confusion, random thoughts. It's the inner mind that truly reveals a person's…intentions or affiliations. That…place, those…creatures, were all merely defensive constructs of Lena's mind, to prevent intrusion of others into her inner mind." Elspeth nodded, encouraging him to continue. He was doing quite well after all.

"But to see a defence mechanism so…elaborate and complete in one so young is…rare and somewhat disturbing. It's very telling of what she's been through in early life to have her mind already so well defended and organised, but that in and of itself is not evil."

"Quite right," Elspeth said after a few moments of silence. "For all we know her inner mind could be all sunshine and rainbows…though I doubt that I'm sure that it's not as dark and dreary a place as the labyrinth Chris and I encountered. I wonder where Lena could have encountered such a place in her life…"

"But…madam Harman, did you say you accessed her inner mind at the hospital?"

Darn. Elspeth had been hoping he'd forgotten about that. "Yes, though only for an instant. It's likely that the drugs that were in her system interfered with her mental processes somewhat and that was the reason I could get in." She paused. "Hmmm…it appears we have a visitor. Kerowyn, this man is a vampire, however he is not inherently evil, and he will not harm you."

Introductions to Ty waited while Chris and Elspeth worked on the injured shifter girl. It didn't take them long to patch her up, though she was still rather weak from the blood loss there was no danger of her loosing her life. Elspeth fussed over her for a while, telling her to get some sleep before calling her parents in the morning to let them know she was still alive, still okay. It was decided to put her in the same room as Lena, since they both appeared to be predatory shifters, but Illiana baulked at the door, quivering.

"What's wrong with you child? She's a shifter, like you."

"No." Illiana shook her head at Elspeth's comment, her voice quivered. "Not like me, she's…she's…a…predator."

Elspeth exchanged a look with Chris. What was it about Lena that made even a werewolf terrified of her? Was she really that…wild compared to the other predatory shifters? At that moment Ty came in the room.

"And who is this tasty little morsel Lady Harman?" Elspeth merely watched as he leaned over Lena. He wouldn't dare try to feed on her, especially not here; however…

Lena's sub-consciousness urged her into wakefulness. Her eyes sprang open to see a vampire leaning over her bed. Vampire! She managed to flip herself up and over the vampire so she landed behind him, every move a study in feline grace, as her left arm changed into a massive black paw with dagger-like claws positioned over the vamp's neck. It had all happened in an instant, so fast that not even Ty had been able to react, other than to freeze. If she wanted she was in a position to cut his head off.

"Make one wrong move and I separate your head from your neck, vampire." Lena's voice was low, and there was no doubt that she'd follow through with her threat if she felt it was necessary. Illiana squeaked and hid behind the door as Elspeth stepped forward.

"That's enough, girl. Ty wouldn't harm you, especially not here." Lena's deadly gaze swept across to the old witch.

"You again! Old Hag, where am I?" Thea twitched at Lena's name-calling but didn't do anything. Lena was too damn scary.

"You're in my home girl, where you can heal in safety and be protected from other attackers. Now, please let Ty go, he's really not worth killing." Lena appeared to debate this for a minute before muttering something in Spanish and kicking the vampire away from her, letting her arm go back to normal.

Elspeth let out the breath she didn't realise she'd been holding. "Thea, get some spare clothes for the girl, Kerowyn, go put the kettle on. I think we could all use a nice cup of tea."

A short time later everyone reassembled in the living room. Thea had managed to find a camisole and pair of shorts that fitted Lena. The camisole revealing practically every inch of her tattoo, Lena stalked back out into the living room, sending a death-glare in Ty's direction before seating herself on the window sill and glaring outside instead. Elspeth glanced at Lena, and then decided she was listening, even if she wasn't looking and sighed.

"Well…I guess it's time and past for some explanations. Especially for our shifter brethren." In the window Lena stiffened and managed to stifle a growl. Even she knew better than to piss off a witch in that witch's own home. Elspeth pretended she hadn't seen Lena's reaction as she continued. "Perhaps this should have been done a long time ago. Then at least the word could be spread throughout the shifter community so that they could be better informed and thus better able to protect themselves."

* "Four to stand between the light and shadow,
Four of blue fire, power in their blood.
Born in the year of the blind Maiden's vision;
Four less one and darkness triumphs.

One from the land of kings long forgotten,
One from the hearth which still holds the spark,
One from the Day World where two eyes are watching,
One from the daylight to be one with the dark.
"

Elspeth Harman's voice cracked slightly as she spoke the words of the prophesy. The old witch's eyes flickered to the shifter half-breed by the window sill. Day World where two eyes were watching...or land of kings long forgotten...either could be her. She was half of shifter and something else, Elspeth also had no idea where she came from and what land. It could easily have been from a land of ancient, forgotten kings. Kero watched the old witch with one eye and kept another on the new wolf shifter and the girl by the window.

She really hoped they didn't think of her as dinner. Same with the vampire man. Though Elspeth apparently knew him and considered him relatively harmless, Kero couldn't help but be frightened. He was not the same vampire who had killed her family, but he was still a leech and she despised and feared them. Still, being terrified nearly witless, Kero wanted to know. She wanted to know it all. Why she was targeted. Who was doing the targeting. She didn't want to be in the dark any longer. Kero listened to Elspeth Harman intently, and a lot was slowly becoming clearer.

"We don't know who the people are. Or where they are. But for some reason, the vampires seem to be targeting people who fit the prophesy. Alania, our Seer of Circle Daybreak, has divined that a shifter is the one from the daylight to be one with the dark. It makes sense. Shifters, for the most part, are human during the day, and animal at night. Most shifters I know do most of their shifting at night. I know you do, Kero dear." Elspeth tilted her head toward Kero.

Kero nodded, yes, she was most comfortable with her power at night. Where she was less likely to be caught and seen. "The hearth which still holds the spark...we believe that person is a witch. Though Alania's vision was not clear on that part. We are completely at a loss as to what one from the land of kings long forgotten means. The Seer's vision was cloudy and incapable of telling us anything about this person. The same goes for the two eyes part of the prophecy. We are almost one hundred percent sure this means a half-breed of sometype. Like our guest over there,"

Elspeth nodded in Lena's direction, ignoring Lena's death glare for the moment. "This is why shifters are being targeted by people who wish the Wild Powers to die. Who and why anyone would wish the Wild Powers to die, I do not know. If even one dies, according to the prophecy, the world will end." Elspeth almost sounded her age when she spoke that last sentence. She trailed off, awaiting reactions.

Ty hesitated before stepping forward. He could tell he wasn't wanted here, but he intended to hear the old witch out too. He'd known about the Wild Powers, of course, and the prophecy, but he had never heard it in its entirety. This was new and interesting information. Still...he had his own information to share with these Night People. Though the way Lena was glaring at him, he wasn't sure he should share his information. He could still feel her claws at his throat.

She had moved fast. Faster than any shifter he'd encountered. Ty was ancient and powerful, and not many could challenge his strength and speed. This girl seemed to be one, and she was so young.

"Well, Master Ty? What have you to say? I saw you step forward as if you had something to say, but you haven't spoken a word yet." Elspeth was far too observant.

Ty sighed. "Miss Harman, forgive me, I was debating whether or not I should tell you this. It will likely only upset you and your friends even more." Ty sighed, and carried on, after Elspeth had shot a very sharp look at him. "The girl I brought you, Illiana, the werewolf. She was being attacked by a vampire."

Ty heard Kero and the man called Chris gasp and shoot accusing looks at him. "I didn't attack her! If I had, why would I have brought her here? I would have drained her dry! Shifter blood tastes like chocolate tastes to most humans. Delicious, rich, and satisfying. But I left her alone, even while she was soaking my shirt with her blood."

Elspeth clapped her hands for attention. "Master Ty did not harm this girl. I have told you twice now, Kero dear. He will not harm a soul in this house, no matter how hungry he gets. We have been acquaintances for a long time, and he hasn't touched a drop of my blood. Carry on, Master Ty."

"The vampire attacking Illiana thought I was with him and let slip a bit of information. A bit you might find quite useful. He said the vampires on the Night World council were attempting to bring out something they called the vampire world. He said the Wild Powers have to die for this to happen. The idiot may have meant the entire council. However, he said Vampire World. I can't think of any of the other races on the Council who would WANT to bring about a world ruled by us bloodsuckers. After all, nearly everyone hates us." Ty grinned, showing his sharp fanged canines. No sense in hiding what he was. Or even attempting to since everyone already knew. "Unless your Midnight counterpart has some plan to become a vampire queen, I can't see why even she would want this. No offense, young man." He waved idly at Chris, though he honestly didn't care if Chris was offended.

That Melania Halliwell was bitch and Ty would love to get his fangs in her neck. She'd caused much trouble for good and neutral Night People of all types, except vampires. For the most part, she kept to tyrannizing her own species and occasionally shifters. Melania had some odd infatuation with shifters. Didn't keep Ty from hating her bitchy guts though.

"None taken, vampire. My mother has strange motivations, but you're right, I can't see her siding with vampires on this. She gets too much fun from torturing and killing other witches and shifters to want them to become extinct. Sure, she wants immortality, the kind that becoming a vampire would give her. Mom doesn't want to be a bloodsucking leech, though." Chris grinned at Ty. "No offense, of course."

Ty laughed. He liked this young man. Chris was kind, but also had a sharp wit about him that Ty could respect. "None taken at all, witch boy. Miss Harman, what do you make of this information? I hope it has been of some use to you."

Elspeth nodded. "Yes, Master Ty, you have been very helpful indeed. Thank you for telling us. Though I'm sure if you had held out long enough, I could have gotten it out of you anyway. You may be older than me in years, but I'll always be older than you in reality. You've been 30 for over one thousand years. I age every year. And with age comes knowledge. I will have to look into this at the next meeting between the covens. Melania is never friendly to me or anyone, but I will have to talk to her about this."

Chris jerked at this proclamation. He shook his head vigorously. "No, Madam Harman! You can't! Ty was right about her not siding with vampires, and I truly CANNOT see her siding with them, but she is an evil person. She wants the Wild Powers herself. My brother told me that last time he was at my apartment. He, too, is rather unkind, but he's still my brother. You can't talk to mother. Please Madam Harman."

Elspeth sighed. She was starting to feel older with every second that passed. She had told them the prophecy and why they were being hunted. Ty had given her much to think about when it came to the Council. Chris had given her a lot to think about as well, with Melania. Elspeth looked around at the odd group of people in the room. A vampire, two shifters, a young trainee witch, a healer-witch, and a half-breed shifter. Just yesterday, her apartment had been empty of all but herself and her ditzy witch-in-training grand daughter. The end was coming. She could almost feel it. For good or for evil, the Wild Powers were awakening. The prophecy was slowly coming true, all around her.

+ Lena listened to the entire story. It was an interesting bedtime tale, but not much more than that. She was far more concerned about her injured shoulder. While it was far better than it had any right to be, no doubt these witches had used a healing on her; it was still throbbing after her acrobatics with the vampire earlier. Still, Lena was certain that none of the others could tell she was hurting. After all, one didn't spend the better part of their life hiding all pain and emotion for nothing, and these people weren't exactly very observant…well not for everything.

She mulled over the prophecy verse the old hag had recited. This was all quite new to her. Lena did not make a habit of socialising with anyone, especially Night People, and she certainly didn't exchange gossip with them so while she'd been aware there'd been something up in the Night World she hadn't been aware of what it was. She recited the verse over in her head again, slowly, one ear listening to the conversation the others were having. Actually it was more of a pointless debate at this point.

Four to stand between the light and shadow,
Four of blue fire, power in their blood.
Born in the year of the blind Maiden's vision;
Four less one and darkness triumphs.

One from the land of kings long forgotten,
One from the hearth which still holds the spark,
One from the Day World where two eyes are watching,
One from the daylight to be one with the dark.

Inwardly Lena grimaced. Two of those lines were uncomfortably close to describing her and it had been evident that the old hag had thought so too, from the glances she'd been getting. One from the Day World where two eyes are watching could refer to her horrendously mismatched eye colour, but…she'd never really been a part of the 'day world', not until the last couple of years anyway. Before that she'd been a creature of the night, just like the Rapas she'd spent her formative years with. More likely that this line referred to the human who was supposed to be a part of it.

One from the land of kings long forgotten…Lena fidgeted, thoroughly uncomfortable. This line fitted her far more thoroughly than any other, given her mother's people and the area she was from. It was a…strangely apt description of that area. Lena pulled her necklaces out from under her borrowed top and studied them. Kings long forgotten… She clenched her fist around the stones and glared out the window, seeing the old hag's gaze on her in the reflection. That damned old woman was far too perceptive and observant. Though she did watch Lena a lot anyway. Lena looked at the carvings on the stones, seeing the fierce Jaguar-like beast again. She'd heard recently that all Night People had something similar, a symbol to prove what they were, and which also showed their species, but…those were of flowers, not beasts like hers was.

Then again, they thought that the half-breed was of the 'two eyes' section of the prophecy, rather than the forgotten kings. Lena relaxed. Either they were wrong or she wasn't one of them…speaking of…

"Why does this have anything to do with me?" Though her voice had been low as she asked the question it cut through the debate that was going on behind her with ease, causing them all to stare at her in astonishment. Lena watched as the ditzy witch opened and closed her mouth like a beached fish before the male witch…Chris, she thought his name was, spoke.

"Don't you remember?"

Now she turned and pinned him with her stare. "Remember what?"

Despite his best efforts Chris couldn't extract himself from that deadly gaze, nor could he speak. Elspeth realised what was going on and answered for him.

"When we were at the hospital, you set fire to a cardboard box. I doubt the action was conscious though."

Chris slumped into a nearby armchair as Lena's gaze flicked away, releasing him from her stare.
"Oh, that." He looked up, wondering at Lena's offhand tone, and caught her staring at her own palm-up hand in concentration. After a few seconds an odd red light began to emanate from Lena's pupils, making him shiver. Damn this kid was scary! Then, a small ball of fire appeared in the space over her palm.

Lena noted with no small satisfaction that the vampire looked nervous.

"Your precious prophecy has already ruled out my fire. Aren't your…'Wild Powers' supposed to have blue fire?" The little ball of flame hovering above Lena's palm was orange, making it an ordinary fire, even if it was magically produced. After a moment more Lena closed her hand around it, putting it out. Chris noticed the red light in her eyes vanished at the same moment.

No one seemed to know what to say to this development, but eventually Lena herself broke the silence again.

"Besides, what if one of your Wild Powers is already dead?"

* Ty was staring intently at the girl who'd called fire. Her fire was not blue. Hm. The vampire remembered a part of the prophecy that said the Wild Powers couldn't use their blue fire until they awakened completely, but he figured this girl wouldn't believe him if he tried to tell her. The girl had cut in, stopping their debate quickly, and again starting another one.

"Besides, what if one of your Wild Powers is already dead?"

That sentence had brought on silence on both sides. The witches, and Ty's. Elspeth, the old witch, smiled grimly at that remark.

"Then, child, we are all doomed anyway and this discussion, and the prophecy, is irrelevant. However, Alania would know if one of the Wild Powers was dead. She may be blind to the physical world, but not the spiritual. She would see the death of our world. Or the beginning of a new one, however it worked out."

Ty interrupted Elspeth.

"But what if she didn't? What if, say, Melania, or one of the others on the Council, had somehow blinded her spiritual vision? What then?" The vampire crossed his arms over his chest and sat down on the armchair Chris was slumped into.

The male witch jumped up, glaring at him as if he had somehow shocked him. Ty sighed, but slid down into the chair. He had been tired of standing anyway.

"It doesn't matter. We don't know. Couldn't know. Unless someone infiltrated the Council. The only person here able to do so without much suspicion would likely be the Halliwell child."

Chris glared at the vampire. "I am not a child. I am a grown man, leech. And how can I infiltrate the Council? My mother and I are estranged. We don't even talk."

Ty smiled. "Talk to your dear brother. Ask him if he's heard anything. He's on your momma's good side, isn't he?"

Kero stepped forward hesitantly, almost afraid to make herself known in the room full of predators and a vampire to boot. "How do we tell who the Wild Powers are? Really? I mean, can they use their blue fire now, or does something have to make it happen?"

Thea glanced at Kero, shocked by her sudden boldness. "Yeah, Granny, I might be one and not know it, right? Just cuz I can't conjure fire doesn't mean anything! I might be an asleep power or something!"

Kero covered her face with her palm. Leave it to Thea to say something stupid in the middle of a heated discussion. Elspeth glared hard at Thea and Kero.

"You wouldn't know. You might well be one." Kero snorted at Thea's shocked gasp.

Elspeth continued. "The Wild Powers have no control over their blue fire. Not until its awakened, anyway. From what Alania has divined of the Wild Powers, only an extreme situation or extreme emotion can activate the blue fire. There are also those among Circle Daybreak that insist the blue fire can't be used properly until the end of the world is upon us. So there is no way to tell whether one is or is not a Wild Power. I'm sorry, child. Even though your fire isn't blue, it doesn't mean it can't be. Or won't be."

+ Lena resisted the urge to snort. What a load of crock. At the end of the day these people still knew nothing. Who was to say that the world would 'end' anyway? All the stupid prophecy said was that 'darkness triumphs'. That didn't necessarily mean the world would end, or that all species other than vampires would cease to exist, it could just mean a natural catastrophe. Meteor impact, nuclear holocaust, all-powerful dictator, any number of scenarios could fit the terms 'darkness triumphs' besides the world coming to a halt. Besides, people had been predicting Doomsday since the beginning of time, who was to say this wasn't another false alarm?

One from the land of kings long forgotten…

Lena frowned. That one line of that stupid verse was haunting her and it was really starting to annoy her. The others were arguing again…well some of them. The hag and the leech were staring at her and it was really starting to tick her off.

"This is a load of crock." Well, if nothing else she had a knack for stopping conversations and getting people's attention. "All you're doing is arguing over the fact that you don't know jack-shit. Then you agree you don't know anything and start arguing again."

The leech looked like he was about to say something but Lena cut over him again. "Besides, what does it matter if I can call fire? That doesn't mean anything either. I'm sure there's hundreds of magic users who can do that much, the only difference between them and me is the fact I'm only a half-breed."

Lena snarled the hated term, how it galled her that people only saw her as such. She was more than her parentage, as dubious as that may have been. At this point the other two shifters were backing away from her. Useless weaklings. Even the wolf was scared of her. At the very least she should have had enough pride to attempt to hide her fear.

"If people like you lot are the only ones knowledgeable in your precious prophecy then it's my opinion that the world is in trouble." Not that I really care either way. Death is merely a new beginning.
Lena surveyed the room. "Tch." Useless worry-warts the lot of them. Lena left her place at the window and stalked back into the room she'd woken in. It would be nice if they got the hint and broke up their little pow-wow. Not like bitching about the situation was going to change anything. Besides, she wanted no part of this and even if they whispered she'd be able to hear them.

Hopefully they wouldn't be stupid enough to talk about her beyond the whispered "bitch" that she'd heard just after she'd closed the door. It had sounded like the weak witch female, who had been quickly shushed by the other shifters.

Lena rolled her head on her shoulders as she crossed the room, trying to ease the tension she felt. That damn bloodsucker's presence made it impossible to get even a semblance of relaxation, no matter what the hag said. Her eye fell on the desk in the corner. There was a plastic bag there, along with all the knives she'd had the night she was attacked. Just how long ago was that anyway? Not that it mattered either way, she knew the Night World wouldn't allow her to go back to the casino job for a while yet, to prevent unnecessary questions about her rapid recovery, but this business of doing nothing but sleeping wasn't something Lena was good at. Her eyes fell on her bowie knife.

It was still covered in blood, hers and the leech's. Idiots, it should have been cleaned straight away! She'd have to find the right equipment to do that soon. She took it out of the plastic and tested the edge, it needed sharpening too. Looking in the bag she found her clothes, which actually had been washed. The left glove was ruined; the seams had come apart when she'd shifted her hand. She tossed the pair in the bin. It was easier just to find a new pair. Her jacket was in better nick, except for the hole in the shoulder, but that was easily patched up, and wouldn't be the first patch she'd put on this jacket. Her shirt must have been ruined, because it wasn't in the bag.

only an extreme situation or extreme emotion can activate the blue fire. Great. Now the hag's words were haunting her. Lena smiled grimly. Extreme situations she'd had aplenty and emotions other than hate and anger weren't her forte either. The Night World was better off hoping she wasn't one of their Wild Powers, because it was doubtful that any power she had would ever awaken if that was the case. Her eye fell on a pad of paper in the corner of the desk, giving her an idea. She opened the drawer, finding a biro and took the two items over to the bed, sitting cross-legged with her back against the wall and searched her memory.

Elspeth knocked on the door, not really expecting an answer, and Lena didn't disappoint. Most of the others had gone home, except Kerowyn, whom Thea had extracted a promise to stay from. She turned the knob, opening the door to reveal the fierce little half-breed to be sitting on the bed with the notepad that had been on the desk and a pen. She was doing something, but Elspeth couldn't quite see what from across the room with the lights off. She flicked the switch and was intrigued to see that Lena flinched and covered her eyes with a growl. Thea, standing behind Elspeth gulped. Elspeth was making Thea help her as punishment for eavesdropping earlier.

"Lena, I need to change your bandages." Again, that fierce glare. Truly, if looks could kill Lena would be a master assassin, but she said nothing, putting the paper aside and standing up. Thea squeaked again as Lena simply took off her top and stood half naked before them. Clearly no self-esteem issues. Elspeth thought as she began to remove the bandages on Lena's shoulder. Most of the work was done in silence until after all the bandages were removed.

Elspeth tried to hide her surprise. All that was left of the wound was an angry, tender-looking patch of fragile new skin. Even with the help from her creams Lena shouldn't've healed this quickly. Just who or what was this girl anyway, powerful, that was certain. She carefully ran the tips of her fingers over the new flesh, noting the trail of goose-bumps that followed. And the quiet growl from Lena.

"I'm going to need the blue pot Thea."

Thea shook herself out of staring at Lena's tattoo, "Yes, Gran." She handed the pot over and watched as her Gran gently smoothed the cream over both sides of the wound. She couldn't hold it in anymore and gently touched Lena's left arm, tracing the tattoo, not noticing that Lena was glaring at her and Elspeth watched them with baited breath.

Lena wasn't entirely sure what to do. She'd never had someone do that before. For lack of any other options she jerked her arm away. Thea looked down into her face. "What is it?"

Elspeth continued her work as she watched the two girls, hardly daring to believe that Lena wasn't tearing Thea to shreds.

"It's a tattoo. What does it look like?" Her voice was as cold as ever but there was something else in it. Elspeth wondered what it was that had changed.

"No, that's not what I meant, what does it mean?" Elspeth watched Lena's face carefully and caught the slight change in expression. It was fast, so fast she almost missed it but it was there. Elspeth began to put a clean bandage on Lena's shoulder as revelation hit. Thea had knocked her off-kilter, not with threats or taunts, but with kind words and gestures. Truly, Lena had no idea how to deal with something like that. It made her seem…so much more approachable, for now anyway. But it was sad too, because it made it clear that Lena had never had kind words directed to her in her life.

Lena scowled at the witch. "It doesn't mean anything." Thea looked disappointed but didn't press the issue, instead looking at the paper Lena had been working on. Actually her tattoo did have meaning. It was a tribal thing, not from her own tribe but another that she had been affiliated with in the past, between the bandits and coming to the US. Most people thought of feathers when they saw it but in actuality it was supposed to be flames and claws.

Her heritage, just like the stones around her neck…a thought occurred to her. Perhaps those could be spelled so they stayed with her when she shifted? She was under the roof of one of the most powerful witches in the world…perhaps later. Lena wasn't very good at asking for favours, even if she was offering to pay.

"Hey, what's this?" Lena glanced over at Thea as she pulled her top back on. She was holding up the pictures Lena had been working on. "You're pretty good at drawing. It looks like a vampire."

"That's because it is." Elspeth held out her hand, taking the pages from Thea. "That's the vampire that attacked me."

* Ty paced around outside Harman's shop. As a vampire, he was a night person (no pun intended). He didn't have much else to do except go home and read a few new books he'd managed to find at a local Borders bookshop. This half-breed intrigued him. As soon as he'd left a healed Illiana with Elspeth, he'd wanted to have a one-on-one with the half-breed. Her magic and her shifter blood brought up many questions. Not about the Wild Powers.

He no longer cared about that. The vampire was listening half-heartedly to the conversation taking place in the room that smelled of old shifter blood. Blahblah...tatoo, pictures, drawings, stupid female witch blather. Ty growled in irritation. They had the perfect opportunity to question her, and they were pretty much wasting it. Stupid witches couldn't even tell when someone was lying to them. Well, the old Harman probably could, but Thea certainly couldn't.

She likely couldn't tell whether someone was lying if they told her the sky was pink and the grass was white. Young witches pissed Ty off. They had none of the power and wisdom that the older ones got. There was a small tree that lead up to the window in the room the witches and the half-breed were in.

Scowling at himself and how he was acting like a snooping child, he still climbed the tree with ease. To Ty's delight, the curtains were partially open and he could see inside. The shifter girl likely sensed his presence, but he hoped she thought he was still below. Elspeth was talking to her about the picture she'd drawn. Ty's sensitive ears could hear every word.

"This vampire looks familiar? You say he was the one that attacked you? Perhaps we can use this to find out who he was, and what organization he represents."

Ty strained his eyes to get a closer look, but the old witch was holding the picture the opposite direction. Ty growled again. This was irritating. He leaped from the tree, landing on the ground easily. Going around the back, to the door, he entered. Elspeth still apparently decided his presence was okay, because the spell that kept unwanted Night People out was still letting him enter. Ty followed the steps up to the room where the witches were.

He passed the shy bird-girl on his way in, apparently he wasn't the only one eavesdropping. She cringed away from him and gasped.

"W-why are you still here?" Kero whispered. She was still afraid of him, but she couldn't let him just bust in on her only friend and the woman she thought of as her own granny. "If you hurt them I'll-" Ty pressed a finger to her lips.

"Hush. I'm not going to hurt anyone. Miss Harman told you that." He kept his voice to a low whisper that only Kero could hear. "I only wish to talk to the girl. Not Illiana. The dark one. So please hush and go back to your room. Go to sleep. You work, I assume." His flippant tone suggested to Kero that the conversation was ended and he would not say more. She licked her dry lips and retreated.

Not bothering to knock, Ty opened the door. "I overheard your conversation. Yes, I was eavesdropping. Trying to get a look through the window, but even I don't have X-ray vision. I just want to see the picture of the vampire you drew. I might know him."

Ty attempted to drown out Thea's frightened little squeaks. Elspeth nodded. "Yes, I was actually thinking about you, Master Ty. You know a lot of the other vampires. Forgive me, child, but he may be able to identify our shifter-killers." Elspeth turned the drawing so Ty could see, but didn't hand it to him.

Ty almost gasped. Yes, he knew that vampire alright. "That is Mikael. Or was Mikael. He is, or was, one of the Redfern's top lieutenants. The Redfern's are the vampire council's leaders." He didn't know why he added that last part.

Most people knew who the Redferns were. "He was a nasty piece of work. But not nasty enough for our little halfing here, I see. If you don't mind, I would like to talk to her, one on one, some time, Miss Harman. I don't think she'll agree, since it appears she hates my kind as much as most." Ty turned to the half-breed. "My apologies, miss, for talking about you as if you weren't here, but you don't seem all that sociable. Also, I don't even know your name. I assume you have one. Most people do."

+ 'Not very sociable'? No kidding she wasn't sociable and she damn well intended to keep it that way! Somehow, Lena wasn't surprised that the leech had been eavesdropping. She was mildly surprised that they seemed to think that the vampire she'd destroyed was powerful, but…she supposed he'd let his guard down because he'd managed to shoot her.

Of course that was only because she'd been stupid and had let her guard down first. Lena's thoughts didn't show on her small face. So the bloodsucker wanted to chat did he? Well she wasn't about to let him get her in a room alone, especially while she was still weakened from her wounds. The vampire cleared his throat, apparently expecting something from her.

"Lena."

Everyone looked at her as her sharp ears picked up a faint gasp. The featherbrain was probably eavesdropping again. No matter, Lena could speak quietly enough that not even another shifter would be able to hear her.

"Uh, huh?" Stupid vampire. He'd asked for her name hadn't he?

"Don't make me repeat myself again, leech. My name is Lena." A thought occurred to her as she flicked her glare to Thea. "Get out." The witch spluttered for a moment before being silenced by Elspeth and shooed out.

Thea slammed the door behind her as Lena felt a faint surge of relief. That girl had really knocked her off kilter and Lena needed time to think through that encounter.

She looked at the vampire and elder witch, who was also heading for the door.

"Old hag." Elspeth paused. "Sit down." There is no way in hell I'm going to lock myself in a room with a bloodsucker, alone, especially not while I'm still weak.

Lena waited until Elspeth was sitting in the desk chair before she looked back at Ty. "So. Talk."

* Ty was surprised by her answer. Lena. Just Lena. No last name at all. That in itself was strange. Ty had been born in a time when titles were more common than having a last name was, so that was why he didn't have one. Ty debated asking her why she only gave him one name, but decided it was probably a stupid question. He was a bit unnerved by Elspeth's presence, but apparently Lena wasn't going to talk if she were in the room alone with Ty. Did she fear him? Or just hate vampires? He wasn't quite sure, and wasn't sure he would bother to ask.

"Lena. This vampire you killed...he was powerful in his circle. I could probably have bested him, but I haven't met many shifters who were capable of so thoroughly taking out a powerful ancient like Mikael. I am assuming you killed him by removing his head, as he was powerful enough to have healed from nearly any other injury. So, Lena. You're a half-breed. Even if I hadn't overheard them talking, I could smell it in your blood. But half of what? Shifter and what else?"

This had been really nagging Ty. The fire-calling was indicative of a witch, but from what he'd seen, she didn't exhibit any other witch traits. The form her hand had shifted into also nagged at him. "The black paw. The one you were going to use to try to behead me. What were shifting into?"

Perhaps answering Ty was going to be too much of a mouthful for the antisocial Lena, but he really hoped she'd quell his curiosity.

+ Lena's hands clenched into fists. Damn, she should've known he'd bring up her parentage. He could've at least waited a couple of questions! Lena glared at him and briefly considered lying, but then, if he could smell she was only a part-blood he'd probably notice a lie. So would the old hag for that matter.

Eventually she answered him, grinding her answer out from her clenched jaw. "My sire was a witch." He opened his mouth but Lena pre-empted him, wanting only to get off the subject. "That's all I know." Her low voice was almost inaudible and she was almost growling. Lena didn't even realise she was loosing control until the old hag stepped in.

"Please calm down child, I don't want this house set on fire." She managed to hold her ground as Lena's enraged gaze settled on her, but Lena knew she had a point. She closed her eyes and counted to ten, very, very slowly. By the time her eyes reopened the room temperature had dropped and she'd hid her rage, but her temper was still on a hair-trigger.

Silence. Lena stared at the vampire, waiting for his next question, but it was Elspeth who prompted her.
"Lena, what manner of beast were you going to changing into earlier, when you threatened Ty?"
Lena lowered her gaze, again thinking of lying, but then, they probably wouldn't know what it was anyway.

"Titi." She was rewarded with blank looks. If she was going to ask the old bat for a favour she supposed she'd better elaborate. "Another name for them is 'Rapa'."

Elspeth hesitated before asking another question, cutting Ty off. Lena liked that she seemed to have annoyed the vampire.

"This…beast, is that what I saw when I accessed your mind?"

For a moment Lena seriously considered setting fire to the apartment and everyone in it. Eventually she muttered, "yes."

* Accessed her mind? Miss Harman must have done that when Ty wasn't around. Rapa, and part witch. That explained a lot. He didn't know what a Rapa was, however it seemed quite powerful and dangerous. The vampire wiped a bit of sweat off his brow. The sweat was tinged red with blood, as most vampire sweat was. The extreme heat that had filled the room earlier and caused him discomfort must have come from Lena's anger. I angered her with my question about her parentage. I wonder why?

"Miss Harman, you accessed Lena's mind and encountered these Rapa beasts. I don't know much about witches, but I thought such an elaborate mind-protection spell was beyond someone so young as her."

Almost glad Elspeth was in the room, Ty directed his next question to her. "How and what were these things? Do you have any idea?"

Elspeth sighed. "They are her version of defense from intrusion into her inner-mind. I don't know how she managed such an elaborate construct so young. It took me many years and study to protect my mind so thoroughly."

Deepens the mystery, thought Ty. "Well, Lena, how are you able to construct those things protecting your mind? Perhaps you know more about witchcraft than you're letting on?"

+ Lena glowered dangerously at the vampire, and was pleased to see him take a step back, though she was careful not to show her pleasure.

"Are you calling me a liar?"

Elspeth stepped in before Lena could accidentally start another fire, "Of course not child, but the fact remains that no one so young that I have encountered has ever had such an elaborate protection before. Not even the Halliwell boys…" Elspeth trailed off, unsure of how to continue and eventually Lena just shrugged.

"I don't know." A thought occurred to Lena. "You think I made up the Rapa? They are real beasts."

The vampire frowned before pressing on with "and your witchcraft?"

Lena's eye twitched, "What about it?"

Elspeth stepped in once more, "What can you do child?"

Lena's temper began fraying again. "Stop calling me that. I was never a 'child', not in any sense of the word." Lena paused, wondering if it was wise for her to reveal her secrets to these people. No matter, if worst comes to worst I can just disappear back to where I came from. Back to where I belong. Still, it was hard for her to reveal so much, when she'd spent her entire life hiding what she was from everyone, humans and Night Worlders alike.

"I can call fire, light or put fires out, heat things up or remove heat. Nothing more." She didn't add that it was all self-taught, it never occurred to her that that would be out of the ordinary.
Abruptly Lena decided that she wanted to ask some questions too. For some reason this bloodsucker was taking a great deal of interest in her, and it didn't seem as though it had anything to do with all that prophecy bullshit from earlier so then why…

For the first time she looked the vampire directly in the eye, forcing him into direct eye contact with her. "Why are you so interested in me, in my history?"

* Kero pressed her ear to the door. She should have followed the leech's suggestion of just going to bed, but with all that had happened tonight, she couldn't. If this Lena girl could turn into a mythical beast, maybe there was hope for Kero yet. Thea got to be in there, so Kero should have been as well. She wanted to know more, too. Not just about the prophecy shit, but about why Granny Harman let a leech in her house, and what this half-breed Lena girl was. On Kero's part, it was just blatant curiosity.

Kero was almost glad that the leech was asking questions. The presence of two predator shifters and a bloodsucker in the same house was giving Kero the shivers. If Thea hadn't extracted a promise to make her stay, she would have flew right out the window the second the opportunity arose. I have to work tomorrow. Why am I staying up listening to this? It probably won't affect me at all anyway. At least, as long as the vamp doesn't kill me.

Ty pondered his answer for a bit. He was interested in her, and her history, because in all his years of unlife, he hadn't encountered anything at all like her. She made killing vampires look easy. She made conjuring fire look easy. The vampire stifled a groan as he smelled something familiar. The scent of the bird girl. Stupid little thing. She was supposed to have listened to him and gone back to bed. Oh well. It was no longer of his concern. If she wanted to involve herself in this, then fine, let her.

"Lena, I'm interested in you because...well, to put it simply, you intrigue me." Ty grinned. That was likely to not be a sufficient answer for her, but he really couldn't phrase it any other way. "I mean, I'm over a thousand years old. I've seen shifter and witch half-bloods, and even drank from a few. Delightful taste, let me tell you. However, none of them were anything like you. You seem to be one of a kind. Also, I am a bit worried about what should happen if the Vampire Council or Circle Midnight gets its hands on you. Have you ever thought of siding with any other Night People? I doubt it. You don't at all seem the type to be part of any organization."

The vampire grinned again. He knew his questions were irritating her. He hadn't been wanting to piss her off or irritate her in any way, but she was very closed about a lot of things. Why she was being so open right now...he had no idea. "Tell me, why are you even answering me at all if you hate people so much? Especially vampires?"

+ Lena's eyes narrowed at the first part of Ty's answer. He found her…'intriguing'? Not the answer she was expecting, to say the least, and not one she was particularly sure she liked to hear. After all 'intriguing' could just be a synonym for 'potentially very tasty'. He had mentioned a particular liking for the taste of half-breed blood. His comment of her being 'one of a kind' though…Lena did her best to hide the pang of grief she felt at that. I suppose I am one of a kind…now, aren't I brother? She'd turned to hide that from the vampire, but wasn't sure she'd managed it. The old bat who was watching her with far too much interest for comfort, so it was certain that she'd seen it. Lena started putting her various knives back on as she listened to the rest of the vampire's explanation. Of course, Ty's not coming across others like her didn't necessarily mean much; it could just be that he needed to get out more.

"…thought of siding with any other Night People? I doubt it. You don't at all seem the type to be part of any organisation." She turned back in time to catch the grin on his face. Damn. He knew he was annoying her and he actually liked that fact. She shrugged on her jacket as she thought about her answer.

"I had my fill of…'organisations' years ago." Both Elspeth's and Ty's eyebrows rose at this. "As for answering your idiotic questions, I have my own reasons." And I've had enough of answering you, moron. She added silently.

Lena stalked silently over to the door and yanked it open, causing Thea and Kero to tumble into the room at her feet. I'm surrounded by idiots. She leaned in, closer to the two, making them both shake as the scent of fear rose around them. If they were so damned scared they shouldn't risk coming near her.
"I'd've thought you two would have realised you suck at eavesdropping by now." The avian practically whimpered, but the witch-trainee just quivered. As Lena went back to the table to pick up the bag with her belongings in to she saw the resigned look on Elspeth's face. Clearly she wasn't the only one who was unsurprised at their antics.

Finally the vampire appeared to realise what she was doing and managed a "hey, wait a minute!" as Lena walked out of the door. Kero stumbled back, away from Lena as she approached. Unable to resist she put on a burst of speed, getting behind Kero before she realised, and rested one hand gently on the taller girl's back.

"You shouldn't try to run away from predators like that." Lena figured she was probably coming across as a sadist, but it was a lesson this girl needed to learn, and it allowed Lena to blow off a little of her irritation. She lowered her voice so that only Kero, and perhaps the vampire, could hear her. "No matter how well behaved they are, if you run they can't help but chase you, it's just the way we are."

Time to leave before the stupidity in this place rubs off on me. Lena turned and walked away, hearing Kero let out the breath she'd been holding. Lena got part way down the stairs before a clatter sounded behind her.

"Wait, please wait a moment!" Lena paused but didn't turn around. She never dreamed the little bird would come after her like this.

"Please tell me how you did it!" Now Lena did turn. Kero flinched but didn't back away.
"Tell you how I did what?" There was something here…an undercurrent of desperation tinged with hope that somehow had managed to outweigh Kero's fear of Lena.

"How…how did you learn how to turn into a mythical beast?" Lena's green eye narrowed in confusion.
"Mythical beast? All the cats I turn into a real."

Some of the hope in Kero's eyes dimmed, but she persisted, "you called them 'Rapa', aren't they myths? No one here has ever seen or heard of them before so…" Lena realised Kero had trailed off because of the scowl on her face.

"Why do you all insist that the Rapa is not real? Is it because you have never heard of them before? Or is it simply because human 'science' has not discovered them and proved their existence? I told the leech and the old hag before, the Rapa are not just a construction of my mind; they are living, breathing beasts. Just because human 'science' has not discovered something does not mean it doesn't exist. After all, we too are living, breathing beasts." Lena's gaze flickered to the vampire who was standing behind Kero at the top of the stairs, and she added, "most of us anyway."

This time they let her go.

It was nearing 2.30 on the following afternoon that Lena found herself on the footpath across the road from Harman's Art Supplies. At the very worst she'd have to deal with the ditz witch, but best of all the vampire either wouldn't be around, or he'd be a corpse. She took a breath and crossed the street. Standing here staring at the old hag's business wasn't getting her anywhere. She tightened her grip on her bag as she entered the Art Store, not wanting to be presumptuous by going up the back stairs. Luckily the old hag's scent was strong down here, and fresh, which meant she was somewhere in the building. Unfortunately so was the ditzy one and Thea was the one who spotted Lena first, a glance around showed Lena that Elspeth wasn't actually in the shop itself. There were several humans shopping so Thea had to plaster a smile on her face and pretend she wasn't afraid. As she got closer Lena glanced at her and returned her attention to the paint display.

"I'm here to talk to the old one." Lena kept her voice low so the humans couldn't hear her, but Thea frowned and almost looked like she was going to refuse to take Lena to see Elspeth, but eventually just nodded and gestured for Lena to follow her out to the back stairs.

"Gran's upstairs." Lena nodded and began to go up but Thea's voice made her pause. "If you do anything to Gran I swear I'll…"

Lena didn't even glance back. "Even if I did do anything to the old hag, what could you do about it?" When she didn't receive a reply Lena continued up the stairs and knocked softly on the apartment door. There were no new scents to indicate the old bat had any visitors, which was good. Lena didn't want anyone around for this.

"Come in." Lena opened the door, stepping inside to Elspeth's surprised face. "Well, this is a surprise. I didn't expect to see you here again, especially not this soon."

"I have my reasons." Elspeth recalled Lena using that exact phrase only the night before to Ty's inquiry about why she was answering his questions. Intuition told her that Lena's reasons had something to do with her.

"And I suppose those reasons have something to do with me then?"

"You are…perceptive." Lena came further into the room. Elspeth was sitting on the couch with a cup of tea, reading a newspaper. Lena put her bag down on the floor and opened it, taking out the clothes she'd been loaned the night before. Elspeth's eyebrows rose in surprise. By the look of things Lena had washed them before coming back.

"I doubt you came back just to return those did you?" Elspeth sat back and took a better look at Lena. She'd put a patch over the bullet hole in her jacket and had found a new pair of gloves and a t-shirt that said 'Dragons Killed the Dinosaurs'. It was an odd piece of humour for someone like Lena but then it was probably just the first shirt Lena had found that fitted.

Lena hesitated, unsure of how she was supposed to continue. Conversation was not her strong point, far less asking for favours. Just get straight to the point, like ripping off a bandage, the faster it goes the less painful this will be.

"Is it possible to put a spell on an object, so that object will stay with me when I…" Lena searched for the right word, "change?"

Elspeth thought for a moment. "Yes, but it depends on the object and…the ingredients aren't particularly cheap. It also requires some of your blood, to tie the object to you." Something was different today. Elspeth remembered the look of grief that had been in Lena's eyes when Ty had called her one of a kind and wondered at the source of that grief, and if this was connected to that.

Abruptly Lena nodded and reached up, unclasping her necklace and taking it off. Elspeth remembered seeing it the night before when redressing the wound in Lena's shoulder. It was a double-stranded affair with a single clasp. One of the strands was shorter than the other so that the two green stones would hang one above the other perfectly. Lena held it up.

"What about this?" The light caught on the stones for a moment and Elspeth realised that there was something carved on them.

"The spell should work on something like that. What is it?"

Lena chose to deliberately misunderstand the question. "The chains, setting and clasp are an alloy, I'm not sure of the name. The stones are…I believe they are from a meteorite."

"Well then child, there's no time like the present." Elspeth gestured for her to follow and led her back into one of the back rooms, her witch's workshop, and started to assemble what would be needed. "This spell is quite short but it is expensive."

"How much?" Lena didn't even twitch when Elspeth quoted her $1500. Elspeth couldn't know it but she'd brought twice that amount with her.

Elspeth gave her a small cup, "I need some of your blood child, in this. Now, where did I put that dagger…" Elspeth went to turn to look for something for Lena to use to cut but froze as the girl's nails simply grew big and sharp and within seconds Lena had the tiny cup full and was handing it back. Elspeth finished her preparations and spilled most of the blood into the mix, which by this time had the necklace in it too. She made a sign over the larger bowl and muttered the spell under her breath. She picked the necklace back up and placed it around Lena's neck, noting the younger girl stiffen as she did so.

"It should change with you now." The old witch jumped as Lena abruptly vanished, but no, she didn't actually vanish, she shrank…in the pile of clothes on the floor sat a little coal-black cat with one green eye and one yellow eye and a fancy-looking double-stranded golden collar with two green stones. As abruptly as she'd changed Lena changed back, and redressed. Unsure of how to thank the old woman Lena simply reached in her bag and pulled out two $1000 bundles, handed them to the witch then turned and walked out.

Elspeth watched her go, then looked down at the money in her hand. Something told her that there was more than there should be, but that that was also Lena's way of thanking her. The girl didn't even look as if she'd ever thanked anyone in her life. Elspeth sighed, then glanced over at the cup, which still had a small amount of Lena's blood in it. Enough, she hoped, for Alania to divine something about the fierce and wild girl.

* Elspeth glanced at the small amount of blood in the cup before her. Lena's blood. A mysterious shifter/witch hybrid. The Crone of Circle Daybreak going to see the Seer wasn't a usual occurrence. Alania usually contacted her first. Elspeth glanced at her companion in the vehicle. Her vampire acquaintance, Ty, had agreed to come along when she'd asked him if he wanted to.

He wasn't usually sociable, but he seemed to be very interested in Lena, if only because she was the only oddity he'd experienced in over a thousand years. Elspeth choked out a little giggle. She was very glad she was a witch. She would die, and likely soon, since witches were only slightly longer lived than humans were. The Harman crone welcomed it. As she had once read in a silly kid book that Thea loved for some reason, death was but the next great adventure. And it was. She almost pitied the bloodsucking leech beside her. Ty noticed her staring at him. This was really quite odd. Elspeth had asked him to come with her to meet the Seer for some reason. He had been pleased when he found out it had to do with that shifter girl that interested him.

The limo crunched into the gravel driveway of a small, secluded house, surrounded by weeds and unpruned shrubs. Ty had contracted the limo. Being quite old, he was also quite wealthy, and the darkened windows helped keep out the bright city lights, even at night the bright lights of the cars and casinos hurt his sensitive eyes.

The vampire got out as the car pulled to a stop. His driver, David, also a vampire, got out and opened the door for Elspeth. The witch beat him away with a mahogany cane she usually carried with her. Ty was probably the only one who knew that the old woman's cane held a nasty silver-lined sword that she knew how to wield, and wield well. This shoddy little place was home to the greatest Seer in the witch world?

Ty almost sneered, but managed to keep his disdain to a minimum. Elspeth wouldn't like him insulting her friends. "Come, vampire, lets meet Alania. I warn you, she can be unnerving at times."

Walking up the gravel pathway, Elspeth and Ty reached the dusty doorway. The old witch knocked several times, in a pattern. Ty guessed this was a sort of pattern. He memorized it for later, in case he needed something from Alania himself some day.

Elspeth glanced over at Ty. "Don't try memorizing the knock pattern. It changes every day." Ty cursed silently. That old woman was far too perceptive.

The door opened almost of its own accord. Elspeth and Ty stepped over the threshold. A woman with large, dark eyes and chocolate skin sat on a chair in the middle of the nearly barren room. Her dark eyes were vacant, as if they weren't seeing the soap opera currently playing on the television. A soft, melodic voice drifted toward them.

"I'm not, you know. Seeing whats on the television. But its nice to hear it. I can see things far better in my head." Ty blinked. What the? "Yes, I can read your thoughts, bloodsucker. Your kind is not usually welcome here, but the Crone herself has brought you. The two of you, be welcome, be seated."

The blind Seer, Alania, spread her hands and gestured. A small glimmer of light illuminated two chairs to either side of the Seer. "I don't need light, nor does the vampire, but I wouldn't want my dear Elspeth to fall and trip over something." Alania smiled at the old woman warmly. Looking at her almost as if she knew exactly where in the room she was. She probably did. This woman was creepy. Even for a vampire like Ty.

"I know why you both have come. Give me the blood. I will do my best. It isn't often witches and shifters interbreed. This woman could well be the half-breed that my prophecy speaks of." Ty raised an eyebrow. Alania was the blind Maiden in the prophecy? So she was. Hm. And she had MADE the prophecy.

Elspeth handed over the small bit of blood that remained. "There is not a lot here. I would like to meet this girl in person. It would be interesting, don't you think, vampire?"

Ty jerked. She was talking to him? "Oh, yes, it would be. An oddity like her, I'd like to know more." Alania smiled at Ty. She reached out a hand to him. Ty hesitantly took it. The blind girl ran her small, delicate fingers over his palm.

"You yourself are an oddity. You've always embraced your vampire nature, never denying it in the slightest, yet you refuse to join the Council. Most vampires would jump if offered. You've declined." Alania stroked the vampire's cold hand. "Twice. I know I'm right. Whether you like it or not, you don't want to see the world destroyed. Thats why the Crone tolerates you when she will no other bloodsucker. I still don't like vampires. Good or bad, your eating habits just aren't my cup of tea." Ty jerked his hand away.

Lying sack of...no, not really. She was telling the truth. He didn't WANT the world to end. He liked his unlife the way it was now. Even though he was a bit lonely. Alania just patted his hand gently. "You'll find someone. I know. You won't be lonely forever. And in your case, forever can be quite a long time."

The vampire growled at her. "I'm not lonely. Just leave me alone. I don't know why I came here. This is stupid. You're just making shit up."

Elspeth put her hand on Ty's arm. "Dear Master Ty, please sit. She didn't mean to upset you."

Ignoring the anger radiating from the vampire, Elspeth held out the blood to Alania. The blind seer took the small cup. The blood inside was dried, but blood is blood, and one of the most powerful reagents on earth for divination. Alania stuck a small finger in the cup and scraped off a bit of the dried blood with a long nail. On the small coffee table before her, there was a small silver bowl that Ty hadn't noticed earlier. It was filled with an odd silvery liquid.

Alania dipped her finger in the bowl. A reddish stain appeared in the silver liquid. The seer place her hand on the silver/red liquid. The liquid coated her palm, soaking into it. Gasping, she jerked, almost spilling the bowl. Her black eyes went white. Ty watched with interest. Was she having a seizure or a vision? He didn't know or care. She had pissed him off. After a few short minutes, she pulled her hand free of the bowl, but not without some trouble.

Her hand and most of her bare arm were coated with the silver/red liquid. "It is...horrible. She...the poor child. You want me to tell you this girl's history? I cannot. Will not. She has been hurt deeply. She doesn't trust easily. Get out. I have never seen such horror. I must be alone to deal with it. It is as if I was there myself. The pain..." The seer shook her head. "Get out. Leech, crone, begone."

Ty left without being told twice. He didn't care for this girl or her supposed seeing abilities. Elspeth on the other hand was not so easily swayed.

"Alania, get ahold of yourself. You've seen bloody visions of the end of the world? Could it really be that much worse?" Alania shook. Unwilling to answer the old witch. Elspeth sighed. She was likely to get nothing more out of the seer. Alania hadn't been much help at all.