(A/N): The Prophecy. This took quite a bit of work, many iterations, lots of reworking and consulting with my sister. I don't know if it's good, but it gets all of the points across that I wanted to, so I suppose that's the best I can hope for. Same with the predictions, but they're a little more low stakes. Still got Covid. Slept about 22 of the last 24 hours, only got up to post this chapter, eat, and go to the bathroom. Enjoy
Evie
January 16th, 1966
He opened his mouth, and I felt a chill run down my spine- as if something otherworldly was breathing down my neck, with indeterminate intentions- and that was before he even started delivering the prophecy, in a strangely deeper, raspier voice.
"There will come one who is unique in the sum of their parts- who is greater than their individual components. From the time they were born, they were known far and wide, but they do not yet know themself- they will have allies and enemies in equal measures, and they will become known as the Lion. Sired by one who lost themself, and one whose self was stolen from them, they will give themself wholeheartedly to others, and earn parts of others in return. Because of this, their Den will be home to many, even before their pride begins to grow.
They will do good and inspire good in others, and they will affect change upon the world, with the Wolf by their side. They will lose family, and they will gain family. They will hate, and they will forgive. They will suffer- and they will prosper. The Lion will hold a place in the hearts of all those within this room, and they will be honored to help shape them. They will be helped the most, by those who feel the least prepared to do so, and it is only through this help, that they may prosper. Iacta alea est."
And with that, the white mist drained from his eyes, returning them to their normal brown color, and he started to sag. In an instant, Nuria was at his side, tucking herself under his arm, in order to support him. It was at this point, that I noticed he was a couple of inches taller than her. I heard her murmuring to him, quietly, but couldn't quite make out what she was saying- unfortunately, I was probably the only one.
"Um..." Jerremyah's knee knocked mine gently, as if to signal that he was listening to me, and Lisbet turned her head. "Does anyone have any idea what that meant?" He huffed out a small sound, that might have been a laugh, if we weren't all so tense.
"Not the foggiest bloody clue, Sweetheart." Well, at least we were all on the same page.
"Prophecies never really make sense," Lisbet said, rather diplomatically. "And Khaldun's are no different." I thought the idea of prophecies being spoken, right in front of me, was a little odd, but considering that I thought just about everything that had happened since I had met them was a bit odd, I figured it was just me. Apparently not, though, because Nicholai seemed just as weirded out as I was.
"Is it... reliable?" I saw Nuria shoot him a glare. "Is he really a... a genuine seer?" He sounded skeptical, but not necessarily in a disrespectful way.
"As genuine as they come. I've never known any of his predictions to not come true- in one way or another." Jerremyah said, and he reached out to take Lisbet's hand, once more.
"And you've... had experience with them often?" I asked, and Jerremyah shrugged.
"I wouldn't say often, but a few times, definitely. One of Khal's prophecies played a big part in the early stages of our relationship- and while I'm not the biggest fan of knowing my future ahead of time, his predictions have proven useful in the past." By the way he said it, I thought that 'prophecies' and 'predictions' were two different things, but I wasn't sure how they differed.
"Your faith in my abilities is quite fortifying, Wasim." Khaldun said, still sounding a bit breathless, but definitely a lot less raspy. Nuria helped guide him over to lean on the back of the couch just behind me, as he tried to pull forward.
"I aim to please." Jerremyah teased, and Khaldun arched an eyebrow at him- looking far too knowing.
"Is that what you think you're doing?" Jerremyah's face slackened, and his eyes darted to Lisbet, whose eyebrows furrowed slightly.
"I'm... doing my best." He said, eventually, as if the answer had had to be dragged from him, and Khaldun flashed him a small smile- that unfortunately, didn't look very hope inspiring.
"You always do." Jerremyah's eyebrows furrowed, and Khaldun left him to sit with that, as he turned his attention to me, on the couch beneath him.
"A little bird told me that you, Dear Evie," Even knowing that he could supposedly see the future, his use of my name- particularly with the term of endearment that Lisbet and Jerremyah used most often- made me jolt a little, and he patted my shoulder- almost before I even realised it was happening. "Have quite the choice ahead of you. A choice that five people in this room have made before." Clearly, becoming a vampire. Wait... five?
"Five?" The corner of Khaldun's lips quirked up, and he rather pointedly glanced at Nicholai over my head. Ah, I suppose that made sense- if he hadn't been given a choice, of course he would be against someone else possibly being manipulated into it. "And you can call me Khal." I blinked. "You don't have to use my full name, every time." Had I-? Oh. Could he...?
Can you hear my thoughts?
His smile intensified. "No, I can't read your mind." Which was decidedly not reassuring. "I just have really good deductive reasoning." ...right, I'm sure...
"Do you have any deductive reasons that might help me with that?" He tilted his head to the side, clearly considering it, but next to him, I saw Nuria's disapproving look. "If it's not too taxing-" He waved me off.
"Don't worry about her, she's a tad overprotective." Which isn't something I thought I would hear someone say about Nuria- paranoid, yes, but not 'overprotective'. She frowned at him, like he was a naughty child that she couldn't bring herself to be mad at. "The predictions are always much less taxing than the prophecies- probably because I get to stick around for it." Was he... was he not here for the prophecy? "And the predictions are- usually- a little less cryptic. Usually." Oh good. Maybe we'd actually have a chance to understand it, then.
"Still, you shouldn't push yourself too hard-" Khaldun- Khal- cut Nuria off, rolling his eyes at her, in a manner that was decidedly fond.
"Says the Queen of pushing herself too hard." Jerremyah finally rejoined the conversation, and huffed out a laugh at this.
"And others." Now, it was Nuria's turn to roll her eyes.
"If I didn't push you so hard, you would have been killed long before now- along with Lisbet, Greygorry, and countless others." She said, then turned her attention back to Khal. "And you- you're the one that told me I have to push myself as hard as I do." His face softened slightly.
"Don't try to pretend that you weren't intense, straight from the womb. I will say, that I didn't think you would take me quite so seriously when I said that. You can relax a little, sometimes- and I don't doubt that your destiny will thank me for telling you that." Nuria got a look in her eye- I think it was the mentioning of her 'destiny' that caused it- that looked almost eager.
"And you don't feel like-" He cut her off, with a fondly exasperated expression.
"Dearest Friend, you already know everything I can tell you. Your destiny draws ever closer, but is, unfortunately, still a ways away. I await its arrival just as eagerly as you do." As he turned back to me, leaving Nuria to ponder this, I saw that his eyes had a milky sheen to them, as if he were a fraction of the way to how they had looked when he was giving the prophecy. "There isn't much I can tell you." He said, almost apologetically, and I shrugged.
"Anything you can tell me would be greatly appreciated." He took a deep breath, and there was a second where we were all silent, before he started to talk.
"No matter your choice, the impact will stretch a lot further than any of you could ever expect. You..." He paused, and the white cast in his eyes got a little bit stronger- maybe he was digging further, to get more information- and then, he perked up. "You'll find everything you want and more, in the arms of a demigod." I- what?
"I thought you said predictions were less cryptic than prophecies." He winced, and shrugged with one shoulder.
"I said they're usually less cryptic- at least we know who this one's about." I suppose that was one blessing. "And who knows- the demigod thing could be literal." Nuria rolled her eyes, and glared at him without any real heat.
"You know. That's the point- the prophecies are out of your hands, but the predictions aren't. You know exactly what they mean-" He cut her off, holding up a finger.
"Most of what they mean- I know most of what they mean." So he was being cryptic on purpose? Why?
"Then why be cryptic about it? If you know what it means, then why-" He cut me off, now, with an almost amused smile.
"Because if they knew their fate, people would either run headlong towards it, or flee from it- which would entirely change how things turn out. I typically don't like affecting the outcome of things, but sometimes I'm fated to do so." He glanced pointedly at Jerremyah, and then to Lisbet- who both looked appreciative. Clearly, this was referencing the prophecy Jerremyah had mentioned earlier, that had played a big part in the early days of their relationship. Briefly, I wondered what that could have possibly entailed. "Would anyone else like me to take a little look-see into their future?" The room was silent for a second, as everyone thought this over.
"I'm sure there's not as much to say about my future, given my shorter lifespan. Lay it one me, Nostradamus." Minsi said, and Khal took a good, long look at her, before he opened his mouth.
"Your new pack will prosper under your loving care," Immediately, Minsi got an almost longing look in her eyes. "And you will be a wise mentor to one who will teach many others... as well as..." He took a second, tilting his head as if he were trying to parse something out, and then he said, "...the Wolf in the Lion's Den."
There they were again- the Wolf, and the Lion. The Wolf in the Lion's Den. At least this usage made it clear that Minsi wasn't the wolf in question- not that I had thought she was, but at least now we knew for sure.
"Well that sounds... promising." She said, a little absent-mindedly. Clearly, her mind was elsewhere- probably in the future.
"It sounds really nice, Minsi." I said, reaching out to lightly pat her on the arm, and she briefly flashed me a small, distracted smile. It didn't sound like my cup of tea, but Minsi was, as Jerremyah had said last night, 'the caring sort'.
My prediction... 'you'll find everything you want and more, in the arms of a demigod'. What did that mean? Khal had joked about that part being literal- and in this new world I had stumbled into, I couldn't entirely rule out the existence of demigods.
"So... does anyone know any demigods?" Lisbet's lips quirked into a smile, and Jerremyah just straight up grinned. Then, he reached out, and 'punched' me in the shoulder- and by 'punched', I mean that he ever so gently pressed his knuckles into my shoulder, like he was afraid that he would break me, if he hit me any harder. Which was rather sweet of him, if a little misguided.
"Oh, Evie..." He said, wearing a tender, yet still amused smile. "So eager, Sweetheart." I flushed, and shrugged, somewhat tersely.
"It's a demigod, whose arms I'll, 'find everything I want and more', in- of course I'm eager." Lisbet huffed out a quiet laugh, and leaned in to rub my arm.
"Unfortunately not, Sweetheart." Oh, they really needed to stop calling me that.
"Yes we do." Nuria interjected, and Lisbet's eyebrows furrowed.
"We do?" She asked, and now, Nuria focused on her, meeting her eyes, whereas before, she had been fussing with Khal.
"Yes. We know one, personally, but know of a few more." Seeing that the rest of us were confused, she continued. "Actaeon." The others clearly did know someone by this name- Lisbet made a noise of recognition, and Jerremyah's eyebrows shot up.
"You think CJ's the one who- is in Evie's prediction?" Who was CJ? Nuria shrugged.
"Or one of his siblings- she's got options." I- what? Options for what, exactly? I had thought, by the way Khal had phrased it, that it was romantic in nature- but if they were saying 'siblings', instead of just 'brothers', I figured it couldn't be. Or... well... they were okay with Nuria being attracted to women- and Nuria did like women- so I suppose it made sense that they didn't care to specify one of the other. Maybe... maybe both was an option.
"Um... who's CJ?" Jerremyah's lips quirked up slightly.
"He's a friend of ours." 'Ours'? Not just Lisbet's? Like Nicholai was? "He's the reason Lisbet and I met." Oh, now it made more sense. "He's a really nice guy- the human embodiment of sunshine, honestly." He stopped, as if to consider this. "A bit like you, actually." He- what?
"What?" He shrugged.
"I think you'll like him- most people do, once they give him a chance." That- that wasn't what I was asking about.
"You think I'm like sunshine?" He looked at me like I had gone a little bit barmy.
"Of course I do." Nicholai seemed surprised that Jerremyah would admit this so easily. "I'm sure most people in this room would agree with me." I saw Lisbet nod, out of the corner of my eye, and Grey stepped a little closer, moving further into the room.
"Oh, absolutely. Petit Soleil Sirène." Little... Siren. Little Sunshine Siren? I assumed, judging by the subject matter, that this word I didn't know must have something to do with sunshine. Or... maybe happiness? I don't know. "Speaking of which, do you have anything for me?" I thought he was asking me at first, before I realised he was looking at Khal over my head.
"There doesn't look like... much I can tell you, but..." Khal hesitated, and Grey shrugged.
"You can tell me more than I know, which is enough for me." See? Grey had the right idea. There was a second of silence, where Khal must have been doing whatever he had to do, in order to get a glimpse into the future.
"You'll experience a major lifestyle change, because of the puzzle piece you didn't know you were missing." As that sat for a second, it became clear that that was all he was going to say- wow, that really was short.
"...does that lifestyle change involve his death?" Nicholai asked, somewhat tentatively, but maybe not quite as tentatively as he could have- and Khal turned his milky white gaze on him.
"He's not the one who needs to worry about that." Uh oh. "You already know how you die." Um, what? Nicholai knew how he was going to die? Judging by the look on his face, he must have, because he didn't look shocked- at least not by the sentiment. The fact that Khal knew also, however, did seem to surprise him. "But you have a big choice to make, soon." Nicholai's eyebrows furrowed, before Khal continued.
"Depending on what you choose, you will tie yourself to one of two outcomes- die alone, a little later, or... die a little sooner, protecting someone you love."
(A/N): Khaldun: 'Hot demigods in your area.'
Evie: '...accept.'
also
Evie: 'Does anyone know what that meant?'
Jerremyah: 'No.'
Lisbet: 'No.'
Khaldun: 'Never.'
also
Jerremyah: *calls Evie 'Sweetheart'*
Evie: *gets flustered by it*
Lisbet: *calls Evie 'Sweetheart', as well*
Evie: 'They really have to stop calling me that.'
Lisbet and Jerremyah: *high fiving*
Translations:
Petit Soleil Sirène = Little Sun Siren. (French)
Wasim = Handsome/beautiful/good looking. (Arabic. Also a name, both first and last, with some variations being Waseem/Wassim)
Iacta alea est = The die is cast. (Latin. The more common variant is 'Alea iacta est', but 'Iacta alea est' is the original, attributed to Julius Caesar, as Caesar led his army across the Rubicon river- with this step, he began his long civil war with Pompey and the Optimates. The phrase, either in the original Latin or in translation, is used in many languages to indicate that events have passed a point of no return. Caesar was said to have borrowed the phrase from Menander, the famous Greek writer of comedy.)
Michel de Nostredame, usually Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed seer, who is best known for his book Les Prophéties, a collection of 942 poetic quatrains allegedly predicting future events. I had Minsi refer to Khal as 'Nostradamus', because he's one of, if not THE most, famous seers/prophets/predictors of all time.
Once again, Khal is pronounced Cal, not Khaal. Like Calvin Klein, not Khal Drogo. Khaldun = Cal-doon.
Also, yes- CJ's last name is Actaeon. Just like Abraham Actaeon, the guy that murdered a whole church of people just to send a message to CJ, because they're on bad terms.