The distance to Magnus' house wasn't far, but when trying to carry a full grown mundane man with severe chest wounds, the distance seemed like it was doubled. Not to mention that an unconscious person will seem twice their actual weight when you try to carry and transport them to safety.
Willow was not weak, but she knew without Alec's help the man would still be lying in the alleyway, and even as they tried to hurry to save him, she noted that her brother was putting most of the man's weight on himself.
One step at a time. She thought. The cool autumn wind brushed against her face, she risked a glance at the man. His clothing was well suited for the weather, but would have to be burned and thrown away due to the ripping created by arrows and the amount of blood coating his body. She didn't know who we was, where he came from, she never even met a mundane. It was only through glamour's when she came anywhere close to them. They passed by without any acknowledgement of her presence, either seeing something completely ordinary or nothing at all. And on her part she didn't pay any attention to them either, she had her world and they had theirs. But this man...
She couldn't explain the feeling that she had when she heard his plea for help. As a part of the Fey she could sense things like emotions or if the person meant to do harm or good. Those things she was used to, but this feeling was nothing like that. She felt like it was more of a duty she needed to do, something that she was called upon to attend to. She never felt as strong of a feeling as this. Even her behavior changed when she ran to him. It was a very risky and stupid thing to do, running off to an unknown area because you heard a cry for help. As a shadow hunter she was trained to assess the situation and deem it safe instead of just jumping into the fray.
That is something Jace would do. He must be rubbing off on me too much. She thought.
They finally reached Mangus' house and proceeded to half drag-half carry the man up the few concrete steps until they got to the door.
"Magnus! We need help! Open the door!" Alec yelled as he pounded his free fist on the door.
There was no answer.
"Open the door! Magnus!" Alec yelled. Still no answer.
"Here, place him on the ground" Willow suggested as they both carefully maneuvered the man. "Don't you have a key?"
"No, I don't. I really should bug Magnus to give me one." He glanced down at the man, still bleeding but not as heavily. "We should have taken him to the mundane hospital. Or at least some place another mundane could have gotten immediate help for him." Alec was frustrated and started beating harder on the door. It was during his attempt to shoulder the door open, when Magnus finally answered, obviously just waking up from another downworlder party.
"Why must you beat so hard on my door! Can't you see that I am trying to sleep?" Magnus was obviously annoyed.
"We need your help. I don't care about your beauty sleep!" Willow pointed to the body on the steps.
"A mundane?" Magnus gave a pointed look at Alec as we dragged him in.
"Don't look at me, ask her." Alec stated.
Willow huffed as she helped push the man's body onto the dining room table. "Just help him, I'll try to explain later!"
"Fine, fine I'll help him, but I'll need an explanation and a favor after."
"Agreed" Willow stated strongly. Magnus nodded in assurance before shooing Willow and Alec into the other room so he could do what he needed to. He shook himself awake and brushed his hair out of his face a little more. He then turned his attention to the man whose blood was staining his table. Three arrows protruding from his torso. One logged deep in the shoulder, a lot of blood lost. His clothes were obviously different then what any regular mundane would wear, but there was something about him that wasn't mundane at all.
Something feels different about you. Magnus thought to the man clinging to the last threads of life. You are not a normal mundane, if you are a mundane at all.
...
"Should we just wait here?" Willow asked Alec who was stealing an apple from the fruit bowl.
"Yes, wait for what Magnus has to say about the man." Alec took a bite, then proceeded to throw it away realizing that it was bruised inside.
"We should call the others though. They will wonder where we are, and they might want some answers as to our little adventure." Willow grabbed her phone, but was stopped by Alec's firm hand.
"I'll call, but I want you to tell me what happened with you in the alley. That wasn't normal shadow hunter conduct, and it certainly wasn't normal conduct for you. "
"I can't explain it Alec, " Willow paused trying to find the words. "it's like when I heard him calling for help before he went unconscious, it wasn't me in control... no that's not it. It was more like when I heard it, I knew I needed to go to it. It wasn't out of duty to being a shadow hunter, it was more than that. It was like I was meant to go to him, like we were meant to find him. You know I get strong feelings and intuition due to my fey side, but this was different than anything I have felt before, this was stronger."
Alec nodding in reply, not sure of what to say because he didn't fully understand. But he did know that often when Willow did something out of place or spontaneous, it was always for the good or for some event that was necessary for the order of things.
Willow watched him as he called Jace and Clary, then Izzy. Jace and Clary were on their way, but Izzy still refused to venture outside of her room.
"She is so stubborn sometimes." Alec rubbed his forehead to prevent to oncoming headache.
"You have to understand Alec, " Willow said placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "She still mourns for Max. Today would have been a day of celebration for his birthday. I have never lost any immediate family myself, but I have experienced the loss of friends as a shadow hunter, today is a hard day for her."
"I'll call Simon. He can calm her down and be there for her. " Alec called the number only to receive a curt answer of him already at the institute to talk to her.
After an hour, and Jace and Clary already arriving at Magnus' and hearing Willow's explanation, did the warlock come out from the dining room.
"He is ok, I was able to heal his wounds and take out the arrows. But magic doesn't always work instantaneously, so he still needs a lot of sleep. As of now he is still unconscious."
Willow breathed a sigh of relief.
"Now," Magnus continued. "You owe me an explanation Willow"
...
"I can't tell you much about what caused this," Magnus said after listening to Willow's account. "the arrows are terribly made, very dirty and nothing that I have seen before. But the man, from what I can conclude, is not a full mundane either. I couldn't find any markings suggesting any type of warlock or werewolf. He certainly isn't a vampire. I have only seen anything like this one other time, but this feels different then that too. "
"So what could it be?" Jace and Alec asked.
"Perhaps a diluted blood line, maybe some kind of fey, I cannot tell. He certainly has nothing to show that he is of any kind of race, but there is nothing to suggest he is a regular mundane either. And whatever tried to kill him certainly wanted him dead."
"Well thank Raziel that didn't happen then." Clary said.
"Do you think whatever did this could still be in the city?" Jace asked
"It might. But I don't know what or who caused this to even give you an idea of what to look for." Magnus continued. "For now, all you shadow hunters can do is conduct your regular business. I'll see to the man until he wakes up. Willow, I think it would be best to stay with me until he does. He will have questions, and I'm sure you will to."
...
"Boromir is very lucky to have survived, he owes the shadow hunters a debt." Galadriel looked at the Angel beside her.
"I told you they would help him, and the girl has succeeded so far in the path that has been laid out for her." Raziel continued to look into the mirror of Galadriel. "Will he remember the events of his life, of the fellowship and of his death?"
"No, I have blocked such things from his thoughts. He would not take kindly to these memories just yet. He needs time to heal. Boromir will get his memories back in due time, not all at once, but eventually the puzzle will have all its pieces." Galadriel stepped away from the mirror, walking away with the light steps and grace which only she could possess.
A/N: Yes it has been awhile but I am back writing. How did I do? I can't promise regular updates but ill do my best. Just a note here, I have to catch up on my reading and thus have not fully read the 2 newest installments to the mortal instruments series. So my story line still continues as though City of Glass was the last installment in the series. Hope everyone is ok with that! Please read and review!
As always,
Ifbookswerefood-idbefat