Hey guys! Here is Chapter 3! Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer, I do not own Mortal Instruments or the characters from the series. The only thing I own is my own imagination.
Chapter 3: Forgotten of Downworld
The next day, everyone went to Magnus' place to discuss the attacks and figure out who or what attacked them. Alec asked his mom to take Rafael and Max for the day, saying that they were working on a dangerous job, they didn't want to bring the kids. None of that seemed to matter to Maryse though. As soon as the words "can the kids stay with you" left Alec's mouth, she was already planning activities to do with her grandsons. She still had grandma fever, it seemed. She and the boys had left earlier that morning, after prying Magnus off the boys instead of the other way around.
An hour later, the others had arrived, Simon bringing a couple of large, hot pizza boxes with them. They all ate lunch silently, tension high. Soon, they discarded the empty boxes, and all of them now sat around the living room. Today, it was like a stylish LA penthouse, with bright furniture, white walls, and even a bright red piano in the corner, ready for a performance or party. But none of them were in a musical mood.
"What do we know so far?" Jace asked from his seat on the pure white couch.
"Alec, Izzy and Clary were all attacked by these ninja girl-creatures that said was coming that was going to end the world," Simon said, trying to adjust to a comfortable position on a very uncomfortable-looking chair.
"Ok," Jace said, trying not to roll his eyes. "I meant, what do we know about the people who attacked us? Anything specific we haven't mentioned yet. Something that struck you as interesting that you haven't told us."
"Well, when I was attacked, it was in daylight," Alec said as Magnus practically tried to sit in his lap, even though the black couch was large and spacious and empty. "The sun was directly hitting my attacker, on the skin around her eyes. It didn't burn her at all. So, I think it's safe to say we can rule our vampires and demons."
"The cat eyes also rule out werewolves," Izzy continued from her uncomfortable looking chair next to Simon's, looking unaffected by it. "Last I checked, werewolves were not in the feline category."
"What about the faeries?" Simon asked the group, giving up on trying to get comfortable and sitting rather uncomfortably on his chair. "They're still causing a lot of trouble since the Cold Peace, right? You think they're finally ready to take revenge?"
"Not likely," Magnus replied, lounging back on the couch, as if this weren't a matter of great importance. Also, he was slightly pouty that Alec firmly pushed him off his lap. "The faerie are patient, sneaky beings. They have the cunning wisdom of angels and the mischief of demons, a very deadly combination when crossed. They wouldn't come out and directly challenge us to war, unless they were absolutely, one thousand percent positive they would crush us. They would find a way to destroy us before we even knew what was about to happen. And I don't think they're ready to do that just yet, from what I've heard."
"How do you know?" Izzy asked, intrigued. Magnus shrugged.
"I still have contacts in the Seelie realm," Magnus answered nonchalantly. "But that's beside the point. Point is, it's highly improbable that it wasn't the fey."
"So that leaves us with warlocks and mundanes," Simon said. "And I'm pretty sure we can rule out mundanes because last I checked, we…or, um, they, don't have claws and cat eyes. At least not that I know of."
"So a warlock attack?" Clary asked timidly. Alec and Magnus shook their heads. Magnus opened his mouth to speak, but Alec beat him.
"I don't think so," Alec said meditatively. "Out of all the warlocks I've seen and even a couple I've fought, I've never seen one use hand to hand combat. Unless all warlocks learn to fight and just use their magic instead?" Alec and the others turned to Magnus, who just shrugged, again.
"Some warlocks who didn't master their magic when they were younger often learned to fight as a means to survive," Magnus said, glancing at his nails. "But the warlocks I know don't use hand to hand combat. And I also got in touch with the Spiral Labyrinth. They didn't find any strange warlock activity the night you all were attacked."
"So we're at a dead end?" Simon asked. Everyone remained silent, but the mood said he was right.
"Now what?" Izzy asked, becoming frustrated. "We have no leads, no evidence, nothing. We're adrift at sea."
"That may not be so," Magnus softly spoke, perhaps unconsciously, suddenly very serious. He looked deep in thought, his eyes glazed as he retreated into his mind. Alec looked over to his boyfriend.
"What do you mean?" Alec asked his boyfriend. Magnus just looked back at them, his expression unreadable. Then, he stood up, turning to the hallway. Before disappearing down the hall, he turned back to the group in his living room.
"Wait here," Magnus said to all of them, and walked towards his bedroom. All of them sat in the living room, none of them moving. Each were wondering who or what was going on. Moments later, Magnus returned with a worn, dusty, large book that looked like it weight more than Rafael. With a grunt, he placed it on the coffee table, making it creak and groan under the weight.
"What is that?" Jace asked as he tried to wave away the dust cloud that formed from the impact. Magnus waved the dust aside and opened the book, eyes scanning through the pages at rapid speed.
"It's an ancient Downworld text," Magnus explained as he leafed through. "It contains secrets and wisdom of some of the first Downworlders to walk the Earth. This sort of knowledge is rare to come by. Only five books like this are known to still exist."
"Where did you get this?" Clary asked in wonder. Magnus just gave her a mischievous smile, before turning back to the book. His eyes moved fast, a blur of amber as he searched the pages.
"It was here somewhere…"
"What are you looking for?" Jace asked, trying to keep up with Magnus, with little success. Suddenly, Magnus froze completely, his hand slamming down on a page with surprising force.
"Aha! Found you!" Magnus cried in triumph, making everyone jump back in surprise. He pointed to the image on a page. "Everyone, look at this and tell me what you see."
Every stood and huddled around the picture. It was old and faded, an image of some sort of wall engraving. It depicted all sorts of people. There were figures with fangs that stood in the shadows: vampires. Figures with scruffy tails, claws and fangs that appeared to be howling at an orb above them: werewolves. Graceful figures that were dressed in leaves and held long spears of wood and vines: faerie. And human figures of different shapes and sizes, each with distinct unhuman features, such as horns or bat wings, swirling substances surrounding all of their hands: warlocks.
"It's an image of Downworlders," Jace said bluntly, sounding like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Magnus nodded his head, but the tension in his shoulders showed that he was trying not to blast Jace's head around.
"But how does this help us?" Clary asked, her tone less hard than Jace's. "It shows what we already know."
"Ah, biscuit," Magnus said patiently. "Look closer. Use that artistic eye you have. Some secrets lie in plain sight."
Everyone looked closer at the picture, examining it more thoroughly. Slowly, as they scanned each figure more closely, they noticed something. In each group of Downworlders, there was at least one female with distinctly different features. Feline features. One vampire had a number of razor teeth that were shorter than her main fangs, and also had long, elongated claws, nearly completely covered by her folded arms. One werewolf girls had feline looking eyes, with slit pupils that were only noticed if you looked close. One faerie had a long, silky tail wrapped around the base of her spear, blending it with the weapon seamlessly. And one warlock had all of the above.
"There's at least one woman in each group that have corresponding, abnormal features," Jace said after a few minutes, voicing what everyone was thinking. "It's subtle but it's there. They all look like feline characteristics. What does it mean?" All eyes were on Magnus now.
"During ancient times, before Shadowhunters," Magnus began, "it was said that there was a fifth race of Downworlders. We know it as the forgotten race. Werecats."
"Werecats?" was the response. Some sounded shocked, like Simon and Clary, others sounded skeptical and unamused, Jace. Magnus just nodded his head in conformation.
"What's a werecat?" Simon asked, thoroughly intrigued. "The feline version of werewolves?"
"Not necessarily," Magnus stated. "Werecats were ancient. However, it was said they didn't make themselves distinguishable to others, not always. They usually blended in to all sorts of societies and races, with all Downworlders and mundane. They possessed unbelievable magic, as powerful as warlock or fae magic, but different in an unexplainable way. They could transform at will, much like werewolves could, but they weren't affected by the full moon in any way. They were fast, enhanced speed and strength, just like vampires. However, they could go out in daylight like any other mortal, and didn't drink blood. At least I don't think they did."
"How come we've never heard of them before?" Izzy asked. "No one ever mentioned werecats in training or any of the books in the library."
"I'm not surprised. Most of the Shadowworld thinks they are myth," Magnus replied. "It is said that in the days before Shadowhunters, the werecats were the strongest of the Downworld races, and protected all, mundane or Downworlder, from demons. However, once Razeil gave Johnathan Shadowhunter the Mortal Instruments, Shadowhunters were known for killing demons from then on. And, in history, it is said that the Shadowhunters were threatened by the werecats and the power they possessed, and slayed them all, until not a single member of their race was left on the Earth."
"Really?" Izzy asked, slightly bewildered. "Our ancestors murdered an entire race just because of competition?" Magnus gave the girl a look.
"Does that really surprise you? With your parents' history?" Magnus asked her, his tone hard but not cruel. Izzy shut her mouth. "Anyways, there were rumors that said instead of their race being killed off, they went into hiding as their numbers dwindled. Throughout history, many ancient Downworlders claim that werecats still exist. I never believed the rumors, had never even considered them true, at least, not until now."
"Wait, wait, wait," Simon said, waving his hands around. "Time out. You mean to tell us that we are being threatened by a quote 'extinct race' with unbelievable power, into a war that will basically turn the world into Edom if we lose?"
"Pretty much," Magnus said as he closed the book with a thud. "Sounds fun, right?" No one was in the mood for jokes.
"How do we even know it's them?" Izzy asked skeptically. "I mean, maybe there are members of all Downworld races working together on this, to give the illusion of werecats? And, besides, how can you eradicate an entire race of Downworlders? The faerie would probably try something like this. They can't lie, but what they said wasn't lying if they didn't say what they were."
"Sounds to me like you're over complicating this," Clary said gently, trying to think. "But do I think we need more proof. Is there anything you can tell us? Like, have you known someone who believed they met a werecat or something?" Magnus paused for a moment, pondering the questions. Then, he snapped his fingers.
"In fact, yes I do," Magnus said. "A deceased warlock friend of mine, his name was Hector, believed he had been saved by a werecat once. He told me the story so many times I nearly turned my ears inside out to avoid hearing it. Well, he had been attacked by demons shortly after his mother died. He was still young, and couldn't use his powers well.
"He always said that when he was on the verge of being torn apart, a figure jumped in and slayed all the demons. He said it was a girl, and she fought like a warrior. She had no weapons, and it looked like she tore the demons apart with her bare hands. When the demons disintegrated, she went over to him. I'll never forget how he described her.
"She had blue cat eyes that glowed in the shadows. Her skin was orange-brown with black stripes, and she even had whiskers on her cheeks. Poking past her lips were a number of razor sharp teeth, slimmer than werewolf teeth, but slimmer. He said she carried no weapons, but her nails were long and sharp looking, like a number of blades.
"Then, she kneeled down and healed him. With magic. But he said it was not like magic he had ever seen. He couldn't describe it, but it didn't feel like warlock healing spells, or a fey spell. And as soon as the figure appeared, she vanished. Hector kept searching for her until he was killed in the early 1920s."
"Did he ever find them?" Clary asked. "Or, well, any clues to find them?" Magnus shook his head.
"He disappeared just before the Roaring Twenties began," Magnus said somewhat sadly. "He had been following a lead to find the girl who saved his life. After tireless years of searching, the Spiral Labyrinth came up empty, so it was ruled he was killed. It was the only explanation. But he and many other people I knew shared stories about being saved by mysterious women who appeared, saved them from demons, and disappeared. All of the saviors that were described were all similar in appearance, like Hector's."
"You expect us to go on stories that your dead friends told?" Jace asked, skeptical. "Did you ever just think they were trying to get attention? Or that they were mentally unstable?"
"Perhaps," Magnus contemplated. "But Hector never gave me any reason to not believe him. He was always truthful. With the stories and our recent events, I am open to the possibility of werecats being the culprit."
"I agree with Magnus" Clary said. "What attacked us weren't like anything we've ever seen. I know it's stupid to believe that this myth could be real, but we're Shadowhunters. We live in a world of mythical creatures already." Everyone was silent at Clary's assumption.
"Magnus," Alec said, the first time he spoke since Magnus got the book. "Is there any way to try and find these guys? See if they are werecats?"
"If any of you have something that belonged to them, like a piece of their wrappings, I can try a tracking spell," Magnus said, reaching his hand out. No one made a move, and Magnus dropped his hand with a sigh. "Well, that rules that out. But I don't think we'll need that."
"Why is that?" Simon asked. "Do you know a werecat?" Magnus looked at him like he was crazy.
"I'm pretty sure if the werecats went into hiding, they would want to stay hidden," Magnus said sharply. "If they were clever enough to stay hidden for over two thousand years, then I'm pretty sure they know how to keep themselves from being found by warlock magic, even of my caliber. Also, I just told you I'm only now beginning to question the legitimacy of their existence. So no, I haven't met a werecat." Simon shrunk back a bit, looking ashamed. It was then that Magnus forgot Simon was just getting his memories back. Magnus sighed deeply, placing his head in his hands.
"My apologies, Simon," Magnus said, then lifted his head back up. "These questions are giving me a worse headache than a hangover after an all-night faerie party. No, I haven't met a werecat. But, I believe we have all the information we need to try and find them."
"Really?" Clary asked, her voice tinged with excitement. "How?"
"In stories, all werecats were female," Magnus continued explaining. "And throughout history, Downworlders of old believed that all sorts of great mundane people were successful for their inventions or discovers by the work of werecats. Werecats were not only powerful in combat and magic, but also centuries ahead of their time when it came to knowledge, science, art, weaponry; you name it, they did it before it was even thought of. The Illuminati, great female historians, women's rights, the Amazons, all of them were said to be traced to werecat involvement."
"So what? We question every female based operation in New York until we find clues about them? Gee, that sounds like a great plan." Jace said sarcastically. That earned him a small whack form Clary.
"No, we don't have to," Magnus said, staring at the book. Everyone looked up at him, expecting him to explain.
"Listen, can any of you think of some sort of popular organization that sound like it may have some sort of tie to werecats?" Everyone was silent, deep in thought. For an eternity, everyone just sat there, all of them thinking hard about what they could be. Finally, Clary's posture tensed, as if she realized something.
"Amazon," Clary said quietly. She looked up, light shining in her eyes. Simon joined her in the look.
"That's right!" Simon nearly cried. "In ancient times, the Amazons were an all-female race of crazy Greeks who fought and killed people. And now, in this day and age, there is company called Amazon! I mean, it's a shopping company but I mean come on! There has to be a comparison there!"
"One problem, Simon," Clary said, now looking unsure. "Remember that documentary we watched on Amazon for school a few years back? It said that the company was created by a guy. How can werecats, who were all female, be related to that?"
"Well, what if he didn't create the concept, but was responsible for its success?" Simon suggested, his eyes lighting up with possible theories he learned from World of Warcraft and manga. "Think about it! You don't want the fame, yet you want to help people. Give the idea to someone else, and let them produce it. They have the credit, but from the idea that you had! No one would know it is actually you!"
"That's a big 'if' Simon," Alec said quietly. "Are you sure?" Simon shrugged.
"There's no harm in trying, is there?" Simon asked, looking around. "Worth a shot, right?"
"I agree with Simon," Izzy said, placing a hand on her boyfriend's. "It's worth a shot at this point."
"Then it's settled," Magnus said, clapping his hands, shaking glitter onto the couch. "We'll find the closest Amazon work place and investigate there. Besides, I've been wanting to see how mundane delivery works for a while anyway. It's changed so much since the fifties."
"And what do we do if they attack us?" Clary asked. "Fight back?"
"We may not have a choice," Alec said calmly. "As far as we know, they provoked us. If they attack us, I see no reason why we shouldn't fight back. But not kill them."
"And if this is a total bust?" Jace asked. All eyes went to Alec, who sighed heavily.
"Then we come back here and start over," Alec answered. "But like Simon said, it's worth a shot. When Magnus finds the closest place we'll let you all know and plan further from there. Until then, head back and work like normal. I don't really want mom or anyone else in on this until we have something concrete. And keep your guard up. We won't know if or when we'll be attacked."
