Chapter 8

"I think we possibly guessed that revenge was involved somehow. Do you know anything more specific, Iolo?" Magnus had dropped his lighthearted tone completely now.

"Not a great deal. But that's not surprising; it's known that I don't take sides, and also that I didn't approve of the faerie war against the Nephilim. Though I approved equally little of the Nephilim terms after the war."

"None of us approved of those terms." Alec spoke suddenly. "Magnus spoke against them, and the rest of us would have done, if we'd been part of the council. Clary too, she didn't want any of this to happen."

"She may not have done, but the fae don't see shades of grey. They know that I do, and that's why they try and keep their talk of revenge away from me."

Magnus looked thoughtful "Have any of the murmurings you've heard involved the Wild Hunt? We don't have much to go on, but we know that Clary has been drawing the hunt, I've got her sketchbook here."

"So that's why you're here?" Iolo looked curiously at his name, written beside the sketch.

"The writing is one of the Shadowhunters from the Institute. We're guessing that she suggested Clary talked to you – we can't get hold of her though, they're all out of reach in North Wales, dealing with an incursion."

Iolo raised his eyebrows. "Convenient timing."

Jace hadn't thought of that, but it made sense. "Do you have any idea why she'd have suggested your name to Clary?"

The warlock shrugged. "I've had a fair bit to do with Gwyn ap Nudd over the years, and I've spent time in Cantre'r Gwaelod."

"Before it was drowned?" Gwen sounded excited. "Did you know Taliesin?"

He laughed. "I may be old, but I'm not that old, child. Sadly not."

He looked at Clary's sketch pad again, with interest. "This is an incredibly powerful drawing, you know, I can almost smell the magic in it. It's really not something I'd expect a Shadowhunter to have produced – maybe a warlock whose talents ran that way. "

Magnus took it from him, and looked at it more closely. "Clary has always been able to do unexpected things with her drawings. I know she can put physical objects into them, as well as the new runes that she produced during the War." He shook his head. "I'm losing my touch, Iolo, I didn't think to look for magic in the drawings."

"Well, I'm glad to see something new for a change, Magnus, thank you for bringing it to me. Do you want to bring the book into my hut, and we can see if we can find anything useful from it."

He opened the door, but as the three Shadowhunters started to follow, he blocked their way. "No mortals in my house." He shook his head, disapprovingly. "It may be made of wood, but it is still a warlock's home. Would you think of trying to enter Magnus' dwelling?"

"Oh - sorry," Alec said, quickly, before Jace could make a sharp comment, probably including his presence in Magnus' bed as well as his apartment.

"Things have become a little less formal in the last couple of hundred years, you know, Iolo" said Magnus, as they went into the hut.

"Maybe mortals in New York have cleaner boots, Magnus. Round here, anyone without magic stays outdoors."


"So, did you find anything?" Alec asked, as Magnus reappeared.

Magnus shrugged. "We had a look at it, but to be honest, I think Clary's drawings all have a bit of magic about them. There didn't seem to be anything particularly different about the picture of the Hunt. Come to that, I think Jace might want to check that he isn't missing bits of his soul, given the power in some of those drawings."

"It took the two of you a long time to come to that conclusion," said Jace, suspiciously.

"Well, you know, Iolo got out a bottle, we had a bit of a chat about the old days, that sort of thing."

"So you left the three of us out here in the cold while you reminisced about your warlock pasts? Great."

"Something like that," said Magnus, blandly, as the hut door opened again.


"If you're serious about going to Cantre'r Gwaelod, Magnus, you know you'll need someone with fae blood to go with you."

Magnus nodded. "I was hoping that you'd have an answer to that one, Iolo."

"I may do. But it's a serious favour you're asking. I've worked very hard to stay neutral."

"And we're not asking you to change that. All we want to do is to speak to Gwyn ap Nudd, and find out what they have done."

"Very well. I hope I won't regret this." The warlock turned as if to go back into his hut, but instead walked around to the back of it, and whistled loudly into the woods, as if calling back a dog.

"Iolo? Were you looking for me?" A small, thin figure appeared through the trees - Jace couldn't work out whether it was male or female, nor how old, though he guessed perhaps mid teens.

"I was indeed. Magnus, Nephilim, this is Aderyn. I think that if you explain your problem, he may be willing to help you."

"What is it you're wanting, now?"

Jace explained, briefly, what had happened to them. How he and Clary had ended up part of the Dark war, and how she had killed Sebastian, in order to prevent him destroying the mortal world. That now, Clary was in an unreachable coma, her spirit apparently kidnapped.

"The Clave's peace terms with the Fae were none of our doing, but it seems from what Magnus and Iolo say that Clary and I are being blamed for the Faeries' humiliation, and they are taking revenge. If the Wild Hunt are involved, then I want to go to Cantre'r Gwaelod, and treat with them for her return."

"But you need a faerie, or someone with faerie blood to go with you." It was a statement, not a question.

Jace nodded, silently.

Aderyn shrugged. "I don't see why I shouldn't take you. I can't help you once we're there, though – the fae won't listen to me, and besides, it's no business of mine on either side."

"All I want is help to get there."

"Can you ride?"

"Yes" answered Jace, Magnus and Gwen, as Alec asked "Why?"

"I can take two of you, if Iolo will let you borrow his horses."

"Jace and I will come with you." said Magnus. He looked at Alec. "I know you'll want to go, but Jace has to be there, I think, and since I'm not Nephilim, and I spoke out against the peace terms, they may listen to me."

Alec shrugged. "So what do Gwen and I do while you two are running off on your heroic rescue mission?"

"Stay here, unless you can drive," said Gwen. "Because I can't. Tony's not going to be impressed that we've left the Institute empty, either."


To Gwen's obvious relief, Alec had been happy to drive them both back to the Institute, and to stay there with her until the others returned. Jace couldn't argue with Magnus' logic, much as he would have liked his parabatai at his side for a rescue misson. Besides, Alec couldn't really ride, having spent most of his childhood in New York.

When Aderyn reappeared with Iolo's horses, Jace was impressed, despite himself. Even in his days in Idris, he had rarely seen such gorgeous creatures. Both must have been at least 17 hands, with fine bone structure, and glossy black coats.

'What do you think?" asked the faerie boy, proudly.

"They're beautiful." Jace answered, honestly. It was a long time since he'd had the chance to ride, and in other circumstances, he would have been overjoyed at the opportunity. Right now, though, he was wondering how far it was to the coast, and how long it was going to take them.

Magnus went up to one of them, and stroked its nose, gently. He spoke as if he were reading Jace's thoughts. "They are beautiful indeed. You realise that they aren't ordinary horses?"

After a moment, he went on. "They have a look of Balios, from the Institute, back in the days when we travelled everywhere by horse. He brought Will Herondale from London to Cadair Idris in three days."

"You're right, Magnus, as always," said Iolo, reappearing from his hut. "He stroked the other horse. This is Gwanwyn, and you have Gaeaf, there. They're both descended from that line, as is Aderyn's horse, Castan. I pulled some favours in around the start of the twentieth century when the Nephilim got rid of their stables in London. They'll carry you to Borth in under four hours, Shadowhunter."

"Okay, I'm impressed," said Jace. "But is there a reason we couldn't go by car?"

"You can, providing you don't mind walking the 20 miles on into Cantre'r Gwaelod. I would suggest that my horses may be a better solution."