:) Thanks for the reviews! I'm making quicker progress on this than I usually do with stories. Enjoy!
Magnus Bane paced impatiently on the grass outside of the Lightwood manor, waiting for Mortmain.
When the man finally emerged from the hatch in the ground, the warlock quickly approached him.
"Did it work?" he demanded.
"Yes. Lillith has agreed to help." Mortmain answered. Magnus looked astounded. He had expected Lillith to kill Mortmain – but he was still very much alive, aside from the covered cuts on his arm.
"Wonderful." Magnus said sarcastically. "Now, if you would tell your little machines to let me through, I will be on my way." He pointed to the automatons standing guard at the gate. There were now two on either side.
"I do not think so. I can't have you telling the Shadowhunters where I am." Mortmain said, walking slowly back towards the manor. Magnus followed close behind, furious.
"You said that once I helped you to summon Lillith, you would let me leave!" he cried. Mortmain sighed.
"You can leave whenever you'd like – if you want her to die." He said. Magnus clenched his fist, trying not to kill Mortmain on the spot. If only he hadn't been threatening someone dear to the warlock...
"I will swear an oath of secrecy. And...I will return here whenever you call." He said grudgingly.
"Alright." Mortmain said nonchalantly, unlocking the door and stepping inside. He spun around to face Magnus suddenly, clutching a knife.
"Hold out your hand." He ordered. The warlock did so, tensing himself. Mortmain cut across his hand, then unwrapped his own bloody hand, pressing their cuts together.
Magnus spoke his oath quickly, and was glad that Mortmain accepted it. As soon as his hand was released, the flesh healed itself.
"Now leave." He ordered. Magnus stepped outside again, pleased with how quickly he had been able to earn his freedom. But there was one problem: He couldn't tell anyone where Mortmain was. But Magnus was clever – he would find a way.
Quietly, he opened a Portal. It took twice as long as normal as it had to be undetected by the Shadowhunters. With a destination in mind, he stepped through the door of swirling colours, hoping to land where he wanted.
. . .
Jem jumped as Magnus Bane appeared from thin air, tumbling onto the Infirmary floor. He quickly leapt up, straightening his trench coat. He frowned when he saw Jem.
"What on Earth happened to you?" he asked. Jem was about to answer, but Magnus waved a hand to stop him.
"Never mind. That's not important. Is Will here?" Jem shook his head. "Charlotte? Henry?" It seemed that the young Shadowhunter was almost completely alone in the Institute.
"I really chose the wrong time to come, I suppose." Magnus sighed.
"I am here. What is it that you wanted to say?" Jem asked.
"I -" the warlock was cut off. By silence. He sighed impatiently. "I know where Mortmain is." Jem gasped.
"He has Tessa!" he cried. "Where is he? Tell me, now! Will and the others have just gone out to investigate the warehouse; they will be back any minute now."
"I am afraid that I cannot tell you." Magnus said.
"That is ridiculous! Magnus, where is he?"
"I swore an oath to him that I would not tell anyone his location. But I can help you find him." He explained sorrowfully. Jem looked furious, but began to cough. Magnus noticed a spot of blood on his sleeve.
"Why would you do that?" he demanded between coughs.
"He is threatening someone I care about." Magnus said in a clipped tone, showing that he wouldn't elaborate.
"Alright." Jem sighed, sitting up. "What can you tell me about where he is?" Magnus paused, thinking.
"The last place you would expect him to be." He said. "You would think it impossible for him to even get there."
Jem thought for a moment. "Antarctica?" he guessed. Magnus suppressed a laugh, shaking his head. He was glad that his next words could leave his mouth without behind stopped by the oath's magic.
"Only Shadowhunters go there." Jem still seemed lost.
"Must I spell it out for you?" Magnus sighed impatiently. He hoped that Jem got the hint of the 'I'.
"I...Idris – Idris!" the warlock smiled, unable to nod. "Idris is very large, Magnus. But I am sure once the Clave know they will find him."
"They had better do it fast – I am sure Mortmain will want to do the ritual as soon as possible, and you must find him before he does it." Magnus said worriedly.
"Ritual?" Jem looked confused. Quickly, the warlock explained. "By the Angel! You are right. We must inform Charlotte immediately."
. . .
Tessa glared at the ladder, glancing at Gabriel.
"Down there?" she said uneasily. He only nodded. Taking a deep breath, she stepped onto the ladder. It was secure, and didn't wobble under her foot. More confidently, she placed her other foot on the wood, holding the top rung with her hands. Gradually, she began to climb down, reaching the bottom and stepping down. She stood in what looked like a wine cellar. Wine racks were stacked around the large room. Will I really be staying down here? She thought.
Gabriel thumped down in half the time it took her, landing gracefully beside Tessa. He began walking across the cellar, and she uneasily followed. He stood behind one of the wine racks and placed his hands on it, as if he were going to push it.
He cannot possibly move that! Tessa thought in disbelief. But he did. Gabriel pushed the full rack forwards with ease, the bottles clanking. She could now see that the wood was different, probably lighter, and the wine bottles were empty. Tessa quickly walked around the moved rack to see a hole in the ground. It was quite large, but smaller than the base of the wine rack.
"Go down." Gabriel ordered, gesturing to the ladder. Frowning, she climbed down, going faster this time. The ladder was longer. Gabriel didn't follow, but instead reached down and held the top rung of the ladder, pulling it up with him. Tessa realised that he was taking away her only escape route, and looked up at him with wide eyes.
"Why are you helping Mortmain?" she demanded as he hauled out the end of the ladder, tossing it aside with a clatter. Gabriel glared down at her, though she could see the pain in his eyes. He looked...sympathetic.
"Because my father is." He answered quickly, walking away. He began to push the wine rack back over the hole, locking Tessa inside. Unexpectedly, she wasn't in darkness. She turned slowly to see a whole bedroom before her.
The floor was wood and the walls were chunky stone, windowless of course. There was no carpet on the floor, but the four-poster bed was very large, dominating the room. Along the walls she saw a small bookcase with a few novels, an empty desk, and a washstand. A table complete with a single chair was pushed into the corner, by what looked like a small dumbwaiter. It was open but empty.
The light came from a glowing stone hanging from the ceiling on a small chain. Tessa recognised it as a witchlight, the everlasting magical light-stones that the Shadowhunters used. She did not know how Mortmain had gotten a hold of it, but she assumed it was from the Lightwoods.
With a sigh, Tessa sat down at the desk, putting her face in her hands. She didn't cry, but tried to be brave. She pulled her angel out from underneath her dress, running her thumb over it. Tick, tick, tick, tick.
She whispered to it, "If only you could bring me out of here."
. . .
Cecily Herondale crept down the Institute hallway, clutching her satchel tightly.
Mortmain had ordered her not to give back the yin fen, but she just couldn't let her brother's best friend die. He still had two weeks until he ran out, but the guilt was weighing Cecily down. Luckily, James Carstairs was in the Infirmary. Just in case he wasn't, she sneaked down to the Infirmary, edging along the wall.
She heard voices through the thin walls, and peered through the crack in the blinds over the window on the door. Inside she saw Jem, still laying on his bed. He was talking to someone that Cecily couldn't quite see.
"...ritual...immortality..." she picked out a few words from their conversation, but couldn't make sense of them. Assured that Jem wouldn't be up and walking for a long time, she hurried down the hallway, forgetting to move quietly.
"What was that?" she heard an unfamiliar voice say. Swallowing, Cecily began to sprint, heading for Jem's room. It was unlocked, and she stepped inside, closing the door gently behind her. Just to be safe, she turned the key to lock it. She heard no footsteps following, and confidently strode up to the box where Jem kept his drug.
The pouch was still there, but it had been opened. Working quickly, Cecily dug out a significantly larger pouch, dropping it in the box. That was all of it. She closed the box gently and crept across the room again, unlocking the door. She opened it just a crack, and found the eyes of a cat staring back at her.
Cecily almost had a heart attack, expecting Magnus Bane, the warlock. But it was just a normal cat – if normal meant violent. She quickly stepped out, shutting the door behind her. Church began to hiss at her malevolently. She tries to shush the cat, but it only grew louder. Biting her lip, she lifted up the fat animal and carried it with one hand to the open window across the hall.
Hoping it would never come back, she pushed it out. She knew the cat wouldn't get hurt by the fall – she was on the ground floor. With a meow, Church scurried off into the night.
Releasing a breath, Cecily walked down the hall towards the Infirmary, not bothering to be quiet. She reached it quickly, noting that the Institute was quite small. Opening the door, she stepped in, catching the last snippets of Jem's conversation.
"-Tessa – Idris. Mortmain -" it was Magnus who spoke, but he stopped as soon as Cecily entered. She looked from Magnus to Jem.
"Jem!" she pretended to be startled. "Are you alright?" He smiled faintly.
"Aside from a few broken bones – yes. I ran into some of Mortmain's automatons." He explained.
"I heard." Cecily nodded. "Any word from Will and the others?" she asked, almost hopefully. Jem shook his head.
"They have yet to return."
Cecily turned to Magnus Bane, smiling. "I do not think we have met. My name is Cecily Herondale." The warlock introduced himself, although Cecily already knew very well who he was. He had been the one to help Mortmain with his pentagram. Cecily didn't know what demon he was summoning, but knew it was bad.
Footsteps suddenly became audible out in the hallway, and Cecily heard her brother's voice. Just as she was going to step out to meet them, Will, Charlotte, Henry, and Gideon walked into the Infirmary, looking almost disappointed.
"Did you find anything?" Jem asked hopefully.
"No." Charlotte answered. She held up the two pieces of Jem's walking stick, currently in its sword form.
"I will have it fixed by the end of the week." Henry smiled, taking the pieces from his wife.
Will finally noticed Magnus.
"Magnus?" he was startled. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to warn you all." The warlock said in a serene tone. "Mortmain is in -" he stopped, choking on his words.
"Idris." Jem finished. He then explained what Magnus had told him about Mortmain's plan for Tessa. Cecily tensed; astounded that Mortmain had let the warlock leave with this knowledge.
Magnus quickly explained the oaths that he had sworn, and why.
"Who was he threatening?" Will asked. Magnus waved away the question.
"Someone." He dismissed it. "Mortmain needs a warlock for the binding ritual, so I assume he will call on me when the time comes."
"And we will follow you right to him..." Will said, his eyes alight.
"But you must gather other Shadowhunters to aid you – he has an army already. And -" his eyes flashed to Gideon, who had been silent the whole time. "Benedict and Gabriel Lightwood are with him."
Gideon swore at Mortmain. "If he hurts my brother -"
"No, Mr Lightwood. Your father and brother are working with him."
. . .
Tessa did not know the time, but she was exhausted.
When she had last been outside, it was night, meaning that it would probably be very late now. Tessa closed the novel she was reading – it was something she had taken from the shelves randomly and had not enjoyed. Yawning, she made her way to the bed, sitting on the edge. She didn't remember when exactly she fell asleep, but remembered her dream clearly.
An angel descended from the skies, surrounded by an aura of golden light. Tessa was lying still on the grass by the side of a lake, Jem kneeling beside her. His eyes were filled with tears and he clutched her limp hand tightly. Tessa could not hear what he said to the angel, but a few minutes later the angel outstretched his hand, pointing towards Tessa's lifeless body. Golden light shot from his fingertips, seeming to seep into Tessa. She slowly began to breathe again, and opened her eyes. Jem smiled, whispering something to her, before collapsing beside her.
Tessa woke suddenly, at the sound of creaking wood. She rubbed her eyes and stood, realising that she still wore the same dress. It was wrinkled from sleeping in it, but Tessa didn't care. She touched her angel at her neck, relieved that it was still there.
What an odd dream, she thought idly. Suddenly, she heard a soft thump and immediately stood, noticing that she also still wore her boots. Her hair had come undone and hung down limply on her shoulders. Tessa walked slowly to the large niche where the exit was. The ladder had been brought down, and the wine rack moved. Gabriel leaned over the edge, surprised to see her waiting for him.
"Come, Miss Gray. It is time for the Ritual."
So what have we learned today? :) Magnus is working with Mortmain, but who is he threatening? Cecily is the spy, but why? (hehe that rhymes) And what on Earth is the Ritual? Something to do with immortality, did you say? I guess you'll have to wait and find out... (And what's up with that dream?)
Hope you enjoyed, please review! :)