His voice trembles as he speaks, “I, um, may have a book or two….dozen, of yours. I must say you have-um, quite a way with words, my lady.” He wants to run and hide, bury himself deep into the ground, when a burning question trembles on his tongue. “If I may be so bold, my lady, what does one of your books have to do with why I am here?”
She looks up from her scanning of the pages, eyes narrowing as her lips purse whilst contemplating how to answer Hakeem’s query. “Well, this particular story was created with the help of a dear friend before her passing. Are you familiar with a one Mrs. Brenda Lee?”
He is.
She was the friend who willed Jackson the apartment, along with her wand and grimoire. Furthermore, she was an oracle, a category of astromancy that favored predicting the future versus how his mother used the stars to map out the past.
“During her final years, Brenda came to me with a request. Fate had changed, drastically, just over two decades ago. She wanted to tell Jackson how this change of fate would affect him ever so greatly. However, there are rules to these sorts of things. So, we created a road map, a way to keep track of how things progressed when she could no longer look out for him. This book is the original, unedited, unreleased and, I can assure you, unembellished manuscript of how this tale was meant to go. It contained warnings of when darkness would seep in and claim my grandson’s heart. When a beast of unparalleled power would break free and wreak havoc across the land. And,” She points a thin finger towards Hakeem, who silently watches her explanation, “when a star, plucked from the heavens, would lose its shine in the name of love and freedom.” Hakeem notices the book in her lap was easily four times the size and length of any other of her books in his possession.
“It was meant to prepare us for a time when the three of you would come face to face with your greatest fears. When Jackson would have to face losing control and more people he cared for. When Edmund would have to face his own weakness and risk losing himself for the sake of power. And when you, dear boy, would have to make a choice. Lose the magic that has formed you into the man you are, or face a life chained by it.” Her gaze darkens, pushing Hakeem back further into his seat. His blood goes cold, hands trembling as they dig into the upholstery of the luxurious armchair keeping him from falling to the ground. He is frozen under her ruby eyes, no thought swimming through his mind, no sound dare break out of hislips.
Lady Eloise’s expression softens, a warm smile encroaches from her lips, hands lay crossed on the thick tome on her lap as she straightens her back. “I’ve said too much, though it matters not. It seems fate was rewritten once more, by you. The dark tunnel that lied ahead seems to have vanished by a simple emotion you stirred in both those fine young men.”
Hakeem’s voice is a whisper, as a single breath lets a word escape him, “How?”
Bemused, Lady Eloise hands the leather bound tome back to Jean-Paul, who banishes it from the room. “When you were confronted by that foolish cultist, one similar to those who killed your mother.”
Hakeem leans forward, eagerness and curiosity replacing his anxieties.
“A dormant bond flared to life between the three of you, a single, overwhelmingly powerful emotion resonating with the fear that flooded your heart and mind.”
She stands from her seat and elegantly strides over to Hakeem’s side. He rushes to stand, dismissed by a held up hand. She places a gentle hand on his shoulder, cold compared to Jackson’s warmth. She is a true vampire after all. She looks down at him with a grandmotherly smile he never expected to see from someone of her position and power. “The desire to protect. You called out to them, and they responded in kind. It was a callous mistake from a foolish man, and the genuine cry of your heart reaching out to Eddie and my grandson changed fate itself. That one moment, however inconsequential it may have seemed at the time, spared the three of you from many hardships in your future.”
“I don’t understand,” Hakeem asks while gazing up at Lady Eloise, “how can someone like me do all that, with a simple cry for help?”
She chuckles into her hand and returns to her seat, helped down into it by Jean-Paul. “You forget, dear boy, you are no ordinary arcanist. You are born of a djinn, a god of magic chained into servitude, and brought into this world by true love’s wish.”
A djinn must lose their physical form to produce a half-djinn child. One loved by magic yet unbound by chains of servitude.
“Do you know your mother’s dying words, Hakeem? The words that your father gave his entire existence to grant?”
Of course he does. They are etched into his soul, replayed every time a nightmare comes to haunt him. Like watching someone else’s memory. Even now, he closes his eyes, and it unfolds in his mind.
“As their heartbeats began to slow,
as copper filled the air and pooled below.
Broken, torn, and in their sorrow drowned.
A final wish born of true love’s kiss,
to offer a new life a chance better than this.
‘May you grow strong and free to live,
to one day be gifted with all the love we can never give.’”
Tears begin to roll down Hakeem’s cheek. He didn’t realize he had started crying till Jean-Paul offered him a handkerchief. He dabs his eyes and sniffs, “So, what? Are you saying that just because I was born of a wish, I have the power to influence fate?” Hakeem stiffens when he notices the sharp tone with which he addresses Lady Eloise.
“Hm, not exactly. You allowed Jackson to see the beauty in his magic, in himself. Saving him from the darkness that dared consume him once more. You gave Eddie the chance to feel strong, relied upon, to protect rather than be coddled and protected. To you it may seem as though your presence in their lives has been insignificant, but trust me my boy, fate proves otherwise.”
He drinks up the now cooled tea, trying to combat the dryness in his throat. “So why tell me all this? Shouldn’t this have been kept a secret from those involved in this tale?”
Lady Eloise snacks on a biscuit from a tray laid before her. “Because, Hakeem, when you were confronted in the coffee shop that day, the story unraveled drastically faster than planned. We are far beyond where we should be at this point. Jackson commanded his power, reclaiming control lost so many decades ago. He came face to face with his trauma soon after, letting himself be cared for by you and Edmund. And speaking of dearEdmund, he was both yours and Jackson grounding presence, someone to rely on, when fear gripped both your hearts. One longed to regain control over his life and magic. The other longed to be needed, to protect. Your presence in their lives granted them both the opportunity, though again, we are ahead of schedule by about a few years.”
Okay, now Hakeem is more confused, “I thought you said we were three months ahead of schedule?”
Lady Eloise’s eyes widened in shock, a hand daintily placed over her lips, “Did I? Oh my my my. It seems I have babbled on far too long. That, Hakeem, is one thing that has yet to pass. A spoiler I surely mustn’t reveal. Now,” the doors open behind them, “I have kept you here long enough. I’m sure you have plenty to think about, but I’m afraid I can offer no further insight on the matter. It was ever so lovely to meet you. I apologize for the impromptu lecture, though it just came out of me when you dared say you were no one special.”
