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Chapter 2, clients and a new problem
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Flashback from the past: Magnus had broken up with Alexander the night before. He could not stand that he had gone behind his back to find out his past. Magnus would have told him everything eventually. He was starting to get used to having Alec around, and he loved the young shadowhunter a lot. For the first time since his birth, being mortal seemed like a good choice. They must have been meant for each other, but when the trust in their relationship was broken, Magnus was severely disappointed. Now he had only been sad and alone. Losing Alec made him a wreck, so dealing with clients of magic was not his easiest task:
"...Mr. Bane? Are you going to help my sister or not? We need to run to another city soon, the queen is onto us." The faerie boy in front of Magnus finally reached through his thoughts. "Um, yes, I am sincerely sorry. I was thinking of.." He trailed off for a second. "Where to get the phoenix feather this time of year.., for the spell to help your sister's. She was bitten by a Time Daity, right?" The boy was a bit curious, but he obviously forgot it when Magnus mentioned the young man's sister. "Yes, Mr. Bane. Do you need our running names?" he asked and Magnus said that would be the best way to find them again when he had all he needed. "I go by Thomas Smith and my sister by Camille." That was the last he said before he leaved, and Magnus all but remembered to say goodbye. The boy was in a hurry and got out by himself. Camille. One part of the breakup speech he had said to Alec; I believe Camille more than I believe you.
He started thinking more of Alexander for a couple of hours. Eventually, his thoughts were brutally interrupted by the doorbell. Which was good, Magnus thought. Because if they weren't, he would soon have started to feel warm tears stream down his face. It was a young girl asking to speak with him in privacy, on behalf of Lailah. Where have I heard that name before, he thought, but asked her to come in.
"You are Magnus Bane, The Great Warlock of Brooklyn, are you not?" she asked with profound eyes. He found it a bit odd that she asked with such depth and curiosity, but confirmed it. "Then my mother is in need of your help. You are familiar with her, Paimon and an Aurora, yes?" Magnus jumped a little when she mentioned Paimon, who was a king of Hell. The most obedient to Lucifer actually, leading two hundred legions of demons. He was extremely powerful. But her mom and an Aurora? "You will have to enlighten me about your mother and this Aurora creature." The girl drew the depth out of her eyes and sighed slightly before telling him about them. "My mother is the Angel Lailah, or Night in Hebrew. Her existence is to fulfil a task: Keeping order in night events. That werewolves change and vampires are allowed to walk outside is by her hand. An Aurora is a demon of the dawn. The only creature that can hurt Night, my mommy. Oh, I am so sorry; I meant to say my mother, Angel Night. I do wish you can help her. Losing her would be unbearable." Magnus had so far thought the girl was very grown up to look so small, but her little breakdown had him feel like comforting her. But how would I comfort an angel's child?
Instead of trying to figure out how to comfort the girl, he decided to let her speak her mind. "I understand, losing someone is a tough faze to go through, and you should not have to go through that yet. Now, would you explain a little further about this Aurora that may hurt Lailah and what part Paimon plays in all of this?" The girl looked thankful and bravely at him, took a deep breath, and summoned herself for a second before she continued.
"An Aurora, demon of the Dawn, is capable of teleportation, illusions, summoning fire balls, flight and creating electrical auras with glimmers of star light. All of which can hurt mother, but not too severely. Except from these new Aurora's. A man who calls himself Paimon created a new, much more powerful species. One of which hurt mother a few weeks back. She has still been trying to do her work, but some of the youngest vampires have been able to walk in sunlight, and werewolf younglings have not changed as much as normally this amount of time. But most did not know, since they had their beliefs very imprinted in their minds, and did not take any chances. One of the vampires though, got even more help from Ithuriel's blood through this time. Presumably, he can now permanently walk in the sunlight. This so called 'Daylighter' is luckily not the worst killer, and an interesting boy, so he will live for now. What my mother is afraid of is how many of these powerful Aurora's will be sent for her. Paimon may have lots of legions of them. Our concern has never been murder before, but now it is. If there were no doubt they were few, we would have sought help elsewhere by ourselves, but we have no idea. Therefore, we try to be discrete. This is why we need your help."
Magnus had to think about her words for a second. A king of Hell was sending special demons after the Angel who controlled the night. Except he was not, he was aman using the name of this king. And a little girl expected Magnus to find a way to save her mommy and how to kill these new demons. Demons created out of a species he had not even heard of. He would have to ask a shadowhunter. Maybe he could call his dear Alexan- no... No, Alexander was not his dear anymore, and no, he could not ask him. He may get a favour out of Clarissa though. She might want to tell someone, but he would have to convince her that this matter should be kept a secret. The task was to simply get information about how you took the life of one of these, and maybe she'd have to get him a few ingredients or weapons.
The girl in front of you is waiting, he reminded himself. "I will do my best to find out how to take their lives and provide you with any weapon you might need. I just have some questions." The girl nodded: "I agree you need to know a few things. When you have everything you need, you will find me by following the feeling of this feather pendant. And do not lose it! There is no specific deadline, but if you have shown nothing in the next 50 hours, I will visit you again. If you are successful, you will get great advantages in the night that few have had during the last millenniums." She blew a mild wind at the pendant and the feather's metal straws moved slightly, she put it on the table.
Magnus had no idea how, but this girl had known the answers to his exact questions before he even asked them. He must have looked quite puzzled because she smiled slyly: "Bane, are you a fool? I am the child of an Angel. Some powers have been transferred to me .You should have figured that much." So this sad girl could be sassy too, now could she? Well, he was at least not going to play that card on this intelligent young lady at this point. He just barely chuckled to that comment. "Would you fancy some tea, or would you rather leave to find back your mother take care of her? If I could, I would have offered you something to help her. Sadly, I have never helped an angel before, and do not know what would heal her." She did not answer. Instead, she got up, shook his hand lightly with a tiny, ice cold hand. Then she found her way out before he even managed to get summon himself and get out of the chair.