Chapter Seven
"I must warn you about Ragnor. We warlocks always have a . . . special feature that makes us the fabulous creatures that we are," Magnus explained outside the Lightwood Household.
Alec pointed at his eyes in silent question. Magnus grinned and nodded. Magnus had these amazing feline shaped eyes that Alec couldn't deny were hypnotising. "Is Ragnor's feature galling or something?" asked Alec.
"Hey, don't be judgemental. I haven't even told you what it is yet," said Magnus.
"Okay then, tell me."
"He's green."
Alec raised his eyebrows. "You felt the need to warn me that your friend is green?" he asked with disbelief. "I deal with Downworlders on a regular basis you know."
Magnus shrugged as they crossed the road to the alleyway where the war portals were often opened. "Ragnor is a sensitive little green bean," he explained. "He's easily offended."
"So he's sensitive . . . but you call him green bean?" asked Alec.
"BFF privileges," Magnus waved the question off with. He grinned at Alec's exasperated expression and winked at him. Once hidden in the alleyway, Magnus rubbed his hands together so baby blue sparks coated his fingers like static electricity.
"What are you doing?" Alec frowned.
"I'm going to open a portal," Magnus answered. He pulled his hands apart so the static-like sparks created a web between his palms.
Alec gaped. "I don't travel by warlock portals unless necessary," he said.
"You wouldn't call this necessary?" Magnus asked incredulously.
"Not urgently, no," Alec replied.
"How do you plan to get out of Idris then?"
Alec shook his head and muttered, "I hadn't thought that far yet."
Magnus studied the shadowhunter in the shadows of the alleyway. Just like the previous night, the one thing that shone in the darkness was Alec's eyes. Alec himself probably viewed this as a curse instead of a blessing but there wasn't much to be done about it. It was kinda unfortunate for the Lightwood boy, since his family usually had dull green eyes. Not bright, flashy, crisp blue eyes that demanded the attention of everyone in the room. Sadly, the most beautiful things weren't all that practical. Like Magnus' leopard print leggings. Very fashionable but not good for outdoor use when trying to blend in.
Still, Alec's determination to stick to his morals was admirable. It wasn't often that you happen upon a Shadowhunter who didn't exploit the powers of captured warlocks. It seemed Alec only did it when he was forced to; when he was called into battle and had no choice because he was in front of other Shadowhunters.
"Darling, I understand you reluctance-truly, I do-but there's no other way of getting from point A to point B. Besides, I'm not a captured warlock so it's not like you're exploiting me," Magnus said, waving a ring fingered hand around himself in a flippant gesture.
Alec was still reluctant but nodded anyway. "Alright," he muttered.
Magnus grinned and set to work building a portal. It took a quarter of an hour, which was impressive for portal standards. Alec paced the alley nervously the entire time. Each minute that passed brought them faster to the curfew being over. When the curfew was over, people would come out. When people came out, they were in danger of being caught. Magnus was annoyingly calm about the possibility of his capture and imprisonment and even took the time to blow on his fingernails once the portal was made.
"Are you finished?" Alec asked nervously, kicking an empty carton of noodles against the wall to ebb his anxiety.
"Yep. This should lead right outside Ragnor's"-Magnus didn't even get an opportunity to finish the sentence before Alec had darted through. The warlock stared at the spot where the Shadowhunter previously stood. " . . . House." With a sigh, Magnus walked through the portal in pursuit of Alec.
Ragnor was currently residing in Spain, in a small cabin in Salou. Magnus counted his lucky stars that it wasn't Peru because that would have led to further complications. He found Alec standing in the wild grassland that surrounded the cabin, staring at the structure like it was an alien. The Shadowhunter looked like something out of a painting: the sky a pale baby blue; the field's luminous yellows and greens; the cabin built of tanned brown wood; and Alec, standing in the middle of it, contrasting against all the bright colours with his black hair and attire. Somehow, it worked for him. Especially since the black brought out his milky complexion wonderfully.
"Problem?" Magnus asked.
"Is it abandoned?" asked Alec in reference to the cabin.
"What? No. It's Ragnor's cabin," said Magnus. He clicked his fingers and the portal whirled shut, blinking out of existence.
"It looks empty."
"Or just in need of a little love."
Alec frowned at Magnus. Not wanting to start a conversation about what could be done to make Ragnor's home look more inviting, the Shadowhunter began to wade through the grass, which was waist high. "Where are we anyway?" he asked Magnus.
"In Salou!" Magnus declared proudly, throwing his hands dramatically in the air and causing birds to flee at the sudden noise. "Land of intense heat, siestas and dirty tap water!"
Alec wasn't used to the intense heat of Spain and was already beginning to sweat. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, trying to ignore the voice at the back of his head that told him that he may have to strip off a couple of layers if they were to stay in Salou long. The colour of his gear didn't help either since black attracted the sun the way light attracted moths. "So you've been here before?" he asked.
"Nope," Magnus responded. "I have been sending Ragnor letters, however, hence why I know where he is currently."
"So does Ragnor move often then?" asked Alec.
Magnus shrugged. "When you're immortal, you have to move around otherwise people get suspicious," he explained.
Alec folded his arms across his chest. He'd never liked the idea of immortality. Having to watch the years go by; losing loved ones; watching the world crumble then rebuild then turn to ashes just to rise again . . . it all sounded heart wrenching to him. Magnus seemed to be dealing with it pretty well though, all things considered.
Magnus shrugged off his jacket and tied it around his waist as they reached the steps leading to Ragnor's porch. Alec forced himself to look straight ahead as they mounted the porch and to not notice how the warlock's shirt did good things for his biceps. Thoughts like that were wrong. Especially if he had any hope of having successful Duty Leave in the future which was looking far less likely as each day passed. The idea terrified Alec.
Alec laid a cautious hand on the handle of the seraph blade that was strapped to his hip as Magnus raised his fist to knock on the door. Noticing this, Magnus paused with his hand in mid-air and said, "You know that's not necessary. Ragnor's about as dangerous as a ladybird."
"A ladybird can still be poisonous if consumed by certain animals," Alec replied immediately.
"God, you Shadowhunters are a bundle of laughs," Magnus muttered to himself before knocking on the door. There was no response. Magnus knocked again but it provoked the same reaction. "Maybe he's at Porta Ventura . . ."
Alec shook his head. "There's heavy breathing on the other side of the door," he informed Magnus.
"There is?" asked Magnus, leaning forward as if it was going to help him hear better. "Ragnor!" he yelled, making Alec jump. "No point hiding! We can smell you from out here!"
"And that's going to make him answer the door?" Alec said flatly.
"It's just something we do. He knows I'm joking," Magnus grinned.
"No Shadowhunter is allowed in here!" A voice shouted back from behind the cabin door. "It's against my Conditions of Service!"
Magnus rolled his eyes. "What Conditions of Service, you bowl of spinach?!" he yelled back. "Warlocks don't have Conditions of Service!"
"Well I do!" Ragnor replied petulantly.
Magnus looked at Alec apologetically. "I do apologise for Ragnor's rudeness," he said. "He's actually very nice when you get to know him. Takes a couple of centuries to warm up to him but suffice to say, he is a good guy to have hanging around. Especially if you need to blame an accident on someone." He winced. "Bad days in Venice come to mind . . ."
"Should I enter by force?" asked Alec.
"I dunno . . . You won't hurt him, will you?" Magnus frowned.
Alec ushered Magnus out of the way and backed up a little. "I don't hurt anyone unless they try to hurt me first," he said. He stepped back with one leg and bounced forward, using the momentum to kick the cabin door open. The door swung open, as if it had simply been closed but not tightly. Magnus suddenly remembered why he liked Alec. He was different from other Shadowhunters. Hopefully, Ragnor would see this too.
Ragnor's interior was a mess. Cauldrons and candles and spell books lay scattered across the floor. The walls and floors were stained with what looked like different coloured dust that seemed to have been splattered there like paint. It smelled profusely of burned hair, the scent so thick that Magnus momentarily felt suffocated by it.
Ragnor himself was pressed against a table that was situated by the far wall. As soon as they entered, he threw a spell at them, which Magnus easily deflected. This caused a yellow splatter of dust to join the various others on the wall. "We just want to talk!" Magnus insisted.
"I don't have anything to say to the likes of him!" Ragnor spat. "I don't trust Shadowhunters!"
"If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead by now," Alec said bluntly.
Magnus smirked. He didn't doubt that for a second. "We just want to talk about the services you've been providing to the Downworlders," he explained.
"Why? So the enemy over there can go back and tell his friends?" Ragnor scoffed. "No chance. I knew you'd turn out to be a Shadowhunter Sympathizer, Magnus! All it took was for the first black haired, blue eyed guy to appear and you're immediately at their feet!"
Alec looked alarmed by the very possibility of Magnus being anywhere near his feet and, as amusing as this was to Magnus himself, he couldn't help being offended by what his friend was trying to say. "I'm not a Sympathizer, Ragnor. I've told you time and time again that I don't have a particular side I favour"-
"Which makes no sense whatsoever because you're a Downworlder, not a Nephilim," Ragnor intercepted.
Ignoring this comment, Magnus pressed further, "I am just doing this because I don't think that it is right for Downworlders to be marking themselves and pretending to be Shadowhunters We shouldn't even be able to mark ourselves!"
"Is that the service you're providing?" asked Alec. "You're marking Downworlders somehow?"
"I told you, I'm saying nothing," Ragnor answered.
Magnus rolled his eyes. "Don't make me put a truth spell on you because you know I will if I have to and if I do have to then not only will I get the information I want but I'll also ask all sorts of embarrassing questions so that Alexander here gets a good idea of how truly idiotic you can be when you're drunk."
Ragnor scoffed. "Says you." He held eye contact with Magnus for a minute and when he realized that he wasn't kidding around, he sighed and said, "You better sit."
Magnus grinned and swiped the door shut with his forefinger. He sat down at a different table that was situated in the middle of the room. Alec didn't do the same and instead chose to stand, ready to jump into action if the need arose. "So, tell us," said Magnus.
Ragnor sighed and joined them at the table. "Honestly, I don't believe in marking Downworlders either but I couldn't say no. They'd have thought I was a Sympathizer," he explained. "The only reason they didn't go to you, Magnus, is because you dropped off the radar."
"Yeah, I've been playing Totally Spy in Idris," Magnus answered. He waved Alec closer with his fingers, knowing that the Shadowhunter would gladly stand against the wall like a body guard rather than participate in the conversation. However, Magnus felt more comfortable with the Lightwood boy closer at hand. When he could feel Alec's presence behind his seat-the boy's warmth exuding like a viral infection-he felt better. "So how exactly have you been doing it?"
"It's not my spell," said Ragnor. "Any Downworlder who wants to go to Idris has to bring me what's required or else it won't work."
"And what's required?" asked Magnus.
"Does it matter?" Ragnor replied.
Magnus shrugged. "We need to find out whose idea this originally was," he explained. "The ingredients could be a sign of where to investigate next."
Ragnor snapped his fingers and one of the books that lay on the floor soared across the room and into his hand. He flipped his hand over the pages once and the book jerked open to the right page. "This book was given to me by the first person who asked to be marked: a vampire girl named Hettie."
"So it was the vampire's idea to do this and the other Downworlders tagged on?" asked Magnus.
Ragnor shook his head and showed Magnus the pages. "It isn't the vampire's style, see?"
"So . . . what?" Magnus frowned.
"Whoever's truly behind this obviously convinced the vampires to do it first," Alec suddenly said. "Just in case anyone ever did investigate it, it would look like the vampires' plan and not theirs. It was pretty amateur of them to not write their book like the vampires if they were trying to hide themselves." He glanced at Ragnor. "Whose style is it?"
"The pages are made of Djalken: a mixture of kelp and seaweed bonded with coral extract," explained Ragnor. "The words are also written in Qualen-an ink substitute made by grinding sand and mixing it into clay-which makes me think of"-
"Mer-folk," Magnus finished.
"Why would the mer-folk wish to mark Downworlders?" asked Alec. "I thought they were the least involved in the war."
"Maybe that rumour was a ploy . . . to disguise their true intentions so that the Nephilim wouldn't suspect them," Magnus mused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm . . ." He looked to Ragnor. "May we take the book to have a look at it?"
"Nah-uh," Ragnor said, pulling the book up against his chest defensively. "I have other appointments. I need this book. Want your own copy? Go talk to the vampires. Or the mer-folk. Or whoever really made it."
Magnus rolled his cat-like eyes but didn't push his friend any further. They were lucky enough to get the information they just did, there was no point pushing it. "Fine," he said, standing up with a flourish. He completely forgot about Alec being behind him and had to force himself to ignore the comedic way the Shadowhunter had to jump backwards to avoid being hit with his chair as to keep his dramatic effect. "Just promise you won't tell anyone about us if they ever come asking."
Ragnor snapped the book shut and stood up as well. His pea green skin seemed to glow in the sunlight that spilled in through the window. "I will keep my silence because it's you, Magnus. But if anything huge becomes of this know that if it comes down to either me or you, I won't be faithful," he warned.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Magnus replied with a tight smile. He spun around dramatically and waved his hand, causing the door to fly open. "Come Alexander, I think we've overstayed our welcome." He left the cabin with Alec close behind, leaving Ragnor in the dark gloom of his unruly home as the door slammed shut again.
"That was a bit melodramatic," Alec commented as he followed Magnus back out into the field.
"Making an exit is just as important as making an entrance," Magnus answered.
"I thought you said Ragnor was your friend. He basically just said that he'd sell you out if it came down to it," Alec said, finally catching up with Magnus and falling in step beside him.
"Ragnor is a good friend but his survival instinct is too strong," Magnus sighed. "When confronted with fight or flight he chooses 'sell out whoever you can to ensure safety'. It's a bit of a blow below the belt but I don't expect any more from him." He blew an annoyed raspberry. "Now if it had been Catarina doing this then maybe we would have been safer . . ."
"Don't you have . . . I don't know . . . like a Warlock Oath or something? Protect one's own, that sort of thing?" asked Alec.
Magnus snorted. "No," he replied. "There's Warlock Law, but no Oath of Loyalty."
A small pause. "Then how do you trust anyone?"
"Short answer: I don't."
Alec decided not to push the topic any harder. He knew what it was like to not wish to talk about something and he wasn't going to force Magnus into saying anything he didn't want to say. "So . . . what do we do now?" he asked. They were just walking across the field in no particular direction and it was becoming a bit disorientating to even remember in which direction Ragnor's cabin had even been.
"I propose that we find the closest ocean," Magnus answered, coming to a stop in the tall grass. He put his hands on his hips and looked around the endless sea of green and yellow weeds. "I want to summon some mer-folk."
"Do you think they'll talk to us about it?" asked Alec.
"They'll have to," said Magnus.
"And why's that?"
Magnus smiled. A childish, boyish, cheeky smile that made Alec's stomach do somersaults. "Because I have something they want."
A/N: I am so sorry for the huge delay with the story! I have a path in my head now regarding where I want this to go so hopefully, hopefully there won't a wait as long next time.
