Magnus was sure that he had never been so terrified in his short life. As he ran through the forest, pointedly keeping away from any of the largely populated dirt paths near him, he could feel his heart beating so fast that it felt as though it might bust out of his chest. He was trying to keep his mind off of what had just happened, trying to focus on getting away, on finding safety, but that was easier said than done since his mind was racing just as quickly as his heart.
After about thirty minutes of running, he finally allowed himself to stop and rest for breath. As he leaned back against a tree, he suddenly forgot all the dangers of the forest that had been engrained in him since birth. He was too busy thinking about the horrible things he had just done, about how he might ever get out of the situation he had just made for himself.
Magnus hadn't meant for anything to happen; he had never wanted anyone to get hurt. His father, or rather, his stepfather, as he now knew, had recently become terribly violent. This most likely had much to do with the fact that Magnus's mother had hung herself in their barn, leaving it up to ten-year-old Magnus to find her hanging there. When he ran to his stepfather, he had expected to have his tears wiped away, not to have been hit.
Soon, he had realized that what his mother had done was his fault, that she had been so ashamed of what he was that she couldn't face life any longer. Soon, Magnus became ashamed of himself, too. The more his stepfather hit him, the more he began to understand why his mother had left him.
He had never fought back, he had never been able to so much as protect himself, much less make an attack himself. But when he realized that his stepfather was taking him down to the river, realized that his plan was to rid the world of Magnus forever, Magnus had been unable to keep himself from lashing out. His control over his magic was still minimal at best, and all he remembered feeling was a terror so great, a desire for nothing other than to get free. Then his stepfather was suddenly writing on the ground before him, screaming in pain, and all Magnus had been able to do was run.
Knowing that if he stayed with his stepfather that someone would find him and would either burn him for witchcraft or hang him for murder, Magnus didn't pause to try to help. Now, the full force of what he had just done hit him, and he had to take a moment to hit the ground on his hands and knees, retching with such force that it shook his entire body.
For a few moments, he thought of going back, of turning himself in and letting them do whatever they would to him, of allowing the villagers to rid the world of whatever sort of monster was inside of him. Then, he suddenly thought of what he had been told when he had ventured into town just weeks ago.
For the very first time, Magnus had met another warlock. They hadn't talked long, but the man had told him that if he ever found himself in any trouble, he could run to the Silent Brothers of the Nephilim for safety. Many of the words the man had said hadn't made much sense to Magnus at the time, but the one thing Magnus did remember was how to summon them in order to get to safety.
Magnus only paused a moment before he began to summon them, hoping that they would know what to do, praying that he would find someone, anyone, who would finally be able to help him. And maybe, if he was really lucky, someone to love him the way he had always dreamt of being loved.
The cell they were holding Magnus in was terribly dark, even though the Brothers had given him a small torch to light it with. They had told him that putting him in the cell was for his own safety, but he couldn't help but feeling as though it served him right for what he had just done. The longer he sat in the cell, the more time he had to think about the events of the past few months. The more he thought about everything that had happened, the worse he began to feel.
Eventually, he found himself curled up on the small cot in the very corner of the cell, hugging the sheets around him, tears quickly soaking the pillow beneath his head. He idly wondered if all warlocks felt this way at one point or another in their lives, felt as though they were monsters, as though the world was decidedly better off without them.
Just as he heard footsteps approaching his cell, he realized that he was shaking, and not because he was cold. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself, to still his body. He knew that the person nearing him had to be someone other than a Silent Brother, he wouldn't be able to hear a Brother. The thought of that should have terrified him. It quickly crossed his mind that it was most likely a Shadowhunter, and he knew he should have been scared that they were going to punish him, but he couldn't find much more emotion through the numbness that had enveloped him.
He didn't feel the need to look up when whoever it was began to unlock his cell. He didn't feel the need to look up when whoever it was shut the door and walked toward his cot. When a green face appeared before him, however, he shot up like a bullet. The man kneeling before him cot was softly smiling at him, as if he knew his appearance had come as a surprise to Magnus.
What had initially struck Magnus was the man's light green skin, but as he turned to face the man, he noticed that he had horns as well. The entire appearance of the man took Magnus off guard. He knew it marked him as a warlock, but having only seen one other warlock in all ten years of his life, Magnus wasn't sure what this meant for him. Before he could think on that any further, the man began to speak.
"I'm sorry if they've frightened you any more than you already were, the Brothers can quite terrifying. They summoned me to see if I could help you, if you want me to that is." When Magnus remained silent, the man chuckled slightly before continuing to speak. "You don't trust me, I know, very wise of you actually. My name is Ragnor. I'm about four hundred years old, if you can believe it, and I'm here to help you, if you'll allow me to do so."
For a moment, Magnus simply stared at him, unsure what to do. Ragnor looked to him to be barely in his twenties, but Magnus figured that if he was really as old as he said he was, then he knew what he was talking about. If anyone knew how to help him, it would most likely be the man before him.
Very slowly, Magnus began speaking for the first time since he'd entered the so-called Silent City, the words heavy on his tongue. "My name is Magnus, and I'm only ten years old. But I'm afraid I'm already the monster my parents always said I would become." Magnus could feel the tears coming once more, and that didn't surprise him very much. What did surprise him, however, was when Ragnor reached over to wipe the tears from his cheeks.
"I know you're scared, Magnus. You have every right to be scared." Ragnor's voice was surprisingly soft in a way that Magnus had never heard anyone speak to him before. "But you're not a monster. You're a warlock, and there's a big difference there; I don't care what your parents told you." Even looking at Ragnor in the very limited light they had, Magnus could tell that he meant what he was saying.
At first, Magnus considered saying no, but then he thought of how Ragnor was the first person to ever talk to him as though he was a person, much less a kid. "Look, Magnus," Ragnor began speaking before Magnus could respond once more. "I wouldn't trust me either, if I were you. But just give me a chance. You have the right to say you want to come back here at any time, and I won't argue, I'll just quietly bring you back, but I'm beginning that you let me help you."
It took a minute for Magnus to process everything that was happening around him. Despite his better judgement, he reached out to Ragnor then, hoping beyond belief that he had finally found a home that would accept him. "Alright, Ragnor," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I think I'll go with you."
Ragnor smiled at that, reaching out to help Magnus down off the cot, surprising Magnus by keeping hold of his hand until they exited the Silent City.