Saving Luke
Riley and Simon dragged a groaning Luke into Magnus' living room, with Diana and Ailiz close behind.
"What happened?" Magnus asked.
"He was attacked!" Simon answered.
"He needs a warlock." Riley added. "He needs you."
Delilah grabbed a white sheet and draped it over the couch. "Put him here." she ordered.
Riley and Simon laid him on the sheet. "Where are you?" Luke muttered, a coat of sweat on his face. "I can't find you." Riley tried shushing him, but he just kept groaning. "Where are you? Jocelyn! Where are you?"
Luke reached up and Riley took his hand. "No, Luke, it's Riley." she corrected. "Can you hear me?"
Luke panted, catching his breath. "Riley, listen to me. You have to listen to me." he rasped. "I have to tell you, just in case-"
"No, don't even say it." Riley cut off, tears burning her eyes.
"No, listen to me." Luke rebuffed. "You need to know! Listen..." he trailed off.
"Was he bitten by an alpha?" Magnus asked.
"Yeah, why?" Ailiz questioned.
"Three, two, one..." Delilah counted down. Suddenly, Luke's body tensed up and his eyes glowed green, and he let out a vicious growl.
"Oh, my God." Riley gasped, jumping back.
"Hold him down." Delilah ordered. Simon, Diana, Ailiz, and Riley did as instructed, pushing Luke down onto the couch.
"We don't have a lot of time." Magnus informed, coming from his kitchen. He stuck a piece of grey bark in Luke's mouth. "It'll take a few moments to take effect."
"What's happening to him?" Riley asked, worridly.
"Random werewolf transformation." Ailiz answered. "It's a side effect of the poison in the alpha bite." she looked up at the two warlocks. "You have to help him."
Luke's body relaxed and he laid still. Delilah ran and grabbed a first aid kit, and began bandaging Luke's wounds. Riley leaned against a brick pillar, watching Luke intently.
"You okay?" Ailiz asked, standing next to Riley with her arms folded over her chest.
Riley blinked back the tears ad licked her lips. "I remember him." she muttered. "From before my coma." she sniffled. "I remember him always being there, always around. As far as Clary and I understood back then, he was the only father we ever knew." Riley bit her lip and took a shuddering breath. "I can't lose him."
Ailiz nudged her arm. "Hey, the two High Warlocks of Brooklyn are taking care of him." she reminded, wrapping her arm around Riley's shoulders. "He's in the best of hands."
"The bark will stop the transformation for now." Magnus informed, walking into the living room carrying a stack of bowls.
Delilah followed, carrying an armful of various herbs and liquids. "But Luke needs an antidote to stop the poison in his system." she added. "Unfortunately, we don't have all the ingredients here."
"Just tell me what you need and how to get it." Riley said.
"No, you stay here." Magnus ordered. "Luke will need you if he wakes up."
"When he wakes up." Riley corrected.
"I'll go." Simon and Jace said at the same time, entering the living room from two seperat ways.
Ailiz burst out laughing when she saw dried blood on Jace's nose. "Dude, what the hell happened to you?" she asked, trying to contain her laughter.
"Luke's car may have found its way into a pole while I was stashing it." Jace answered, shooting a glare at Ailiz. He rolled his eyes. "I don't do mundane driving."
"Yeah, apparently." Ailiz chuckled.
Jace ignored her and grabbed a tissue, wiping the blood from his nose. "What do you need for the antidote?" he asked the two warlocks.
"Phoenix eyes, moon salt, and Idris fulgurite." Magnus answered.
"One trip to the pharmacy, it'll take two seconds." Simon said, moving to leave.
Jace pushed him back. "I know a guy." he informed. "And, I don't need him."
"Too bad." Simon rebuked. "You're getting me." he turned to Riley. "That's what friends do, right Riley?"
Riley met his eyes and nodded. "Right, yeah." she agreed.
"I can get the Idris fulgurite." Diana volunteered, making everyone look at her. "What, I have some at the family home in Idris." she slung her quiver over her shoulder. "I'll be right back." she snapped her fingers and created a portal. "And Jace, try not to kill my best friend." she added, stepping through the portal.
"And I can get the Phoenix eyes." Delilah suggested. "See you soon, brother." she chuckled as she created a portal. "And remember, we need to save the werewolf." she winked as she stepped into the swirling purple mist.
"One more thing." Magnus called. "I need Alexander."
"Uh, why do you need Alec?" Jace asked.
"Virgin Shadowhunter energy." Magnus answered.
"That explains so much." Simon scoffed.
"Um, Alec, yeah." Jace cleared his throat. "I can't."
"Jace, just ask, please." Riley begged, walking up to him. "You guys need to talk." she rubbed his arm.
Jace looked into Riley's eyes and relaxed. He grabbed Simon by the front of his shirt. "Just don't speak to me." he ordered as they walked out.
Riley sighed, running her fingers through her hair. Magnus went right to work, preparing the potion with the ingredients he already had.
"What's all this for?" Riley asked, her voice lined with panic.
"The base for the potion." Magnus answered, handing her a spoon. "Stir." he ordered, as he began mixing two liquids. "We need to have it ready before my sister, the young warlock, and your boy toys get back."
"What if they don't get back in time?" Riley wondered.
"You can't think like that, biscuit." Magnus told her, patting her cheek.
Riley took a shuddering breath. "That's all I can think about." she sighed.
'Riley, take a deep breath." Ailiz soothed, standing next to her.
Riley rolled her eyes. "I don't know if I can do this anymore." she admitted. "Okay, it's one thing to read about monsters and demons, but it is completely different to see them up close and personal." she scoffed. "I don't know what I'm doing."
Ailiz patted her shoulder. "Don't sell yourself short."
Magnus nodded, in agreement, tossing in a few more ingredients. "She is right." he agreed. "You forget, I've seen you in action, Riley Fairchild. You're more powerful than you think you are."
"You did kill a Greater Demon." Ailiz reminded, grinning. "In a pretty badass way."
"Jocelyn!" Luke shouted, startling everyone. "No, don't...don't touch her."
Riley ran to his side taking his hand. "Luke, I'm here." she soothed. "I'm here."
"Let me take your pain away." Magnus offered.
"No. No." Luke rebuked, gasping.
"Agitation only makes the venom work faster." Magnus reminded.
"I need to tell Riley." Luke rasped.
"Save your strength." Riley advised, squeezing his hand.
"No, you need to know." Luke rebuked.
"Magnus, do it." Riley pleaded.
Luke grabbed Magnus' arm. "You need to tell her, all of it." he said, gasping. "Promise me."
Magnus snapped his fingers and his hands hovered over Luke's body, blue smoke coming from his palms. "The poison is spreading." he noted. "Your suitors need to hurry. As do my sister and Diana."
A portal opened and Diana stepped through. "Idris fulgurite." she announced, holding up a small vial.
A second portal opened and Delilah stood by the table. "Fresh supply of Phoenix eyes." she stated, holding up a large tinted jar.
"Delilah mix those two and add them to the potion." Magnus told his sister.
Delilah nodded, her and Diana running to the table and combining the two ingredients into the antidote.
Riley looked at Magnus as he finished his spell on Luke. "Tell me what?" she asked. "What's so important that Luke risked his life?"
"Everything Jocelyn hoped to hide from you and your sister." Magnus answered. "When your sister was younger, I'd watch her sketching. It was her bliss." he added. "And from what I've seen in your eyes, you have the same bliss. You're gonna need some now."
Riley sighed. "Ever since waking up, I've been drawing when I can." she informed, digging out the book of her artwork from her satchel. She flipped through the pages, stopping on the one she drew of two girls reaching for eachother with a wall between them.
"I guess the art gene runs in the family." Magnus noted. "You're the woman your mother always knew you could be."
"But tried to keep me from being." Riley sighed. "She kept this entire world a secret from us." she traced over the image. "Clary's alive, Magnus."
"Really?" Magnus questioned.
Riley nodded. "Yeah, I found out the other day." she leaned against the table. "I've been trying to tell Simon, but something else always comes up; getting kidnapped by werewolves, Luke's injuries."
"It's gonna be okay Riley." Ailiz assured, pulling her into a one-armed hug.
Magnus cleared her throat. "The reason why Luke is risking his life is because you, Riley Fairchild, need to know how you got here."
"Will it help me find my mother and sister?" Riley asked.
"That's the only reason I can think of why Luke would be so adamant." Magnus answered.
Riley sighed, looking at Ailiz, before meeting Magnus' eyes. "I'm ready." she said, walking up to him. "Bring it, warlock."
Ailiz and Diana left the room to make some tea for everyone; also giving Riley some time alone with Magnus and Delilah. She sat in a decorative chair with a large sketchbook and colored pencils.
"When I first heard about your father, around the time he and Jocelyn first got together, long before the Uprising and the Circle, Valentine elevated the Morgenstern name to be synonymous with virtue." Magnus informed, as Riley began drawing without much thought. "And your mother was at his side. But by the time my people came to know him, barely two years later, his name had become synonymous with devastation. Your mother told me it was then she first saw the signs."
Delilah sighed, pouring herself a glass of wine. "We'd all stood with the Clave for centuries." she went on.
"How could that not matter to him?" Riley asked, moisture welling in her eyes.
Delilah patted her shoulder. "He was obsessed with ensuring purity of blood. Convinced that the impurities were a threat to peace." she answered.
"He was the threat to peace." Riley scoffed.
"Mad men rarely make sense." Magnus reminded. "Mostly, they just hate. And he hated the Downworlders, for the gifts that we possess that he could not have. He hated us enough to kill us all."
Riley shook her head. "Ever since my mother and sister were kidnapped, and the Shadow World invaded my life, so many Downworlders have helped me, not even thinking about what it might cost them." she remembered. "How could Valentine not see good in any of them?"
"He was blinded by his ambition." Delilah answered, sipping a glass of red wine.
"Why didn't the Clave stop him?" Riley asked.
Magnus sighed. "He was clever. He and his followers, they managed to convince the Clave that the Downworlders they killed on their special missions had violated the Accords in some way." he informed. "Complete fabrications."
Riley shook her head, putting the finishing touches on a section of her drawing; two hands intertwined, attached to bodies laying flat on their backs in the grass. "How could the Clave not see?"
Delilah took another sip of wine. "Shadowhunters believe in the Law as absolute." she said. "They could never conceive of one of their own going astray."
Riley laughed. "Astray." she repeated, shaking her head as she further sketched details on her artwork; two girls laying in golden grass with their hands intertwined. "My father didn't go astray. He went insane."
Magnus poured himself another glass of whiskey. "What happened back then is happening again." he informed. "The Clave refuses to believe that Valentine's a threat. Nineteen years ago, their lack of vision allowed the Circle to almost decimate the entire Shadow World."
"That was the Uprising?" Riley questioned, her ponytail draped over her shoulder. By this time, Ailiz was sitting on the armrest of the chair and Diana was leaning against the table the potion sat on, both girls listening to the story.
"Yes." Magnus confirmed. "Valentine wanted to create a new Shadowhunter army. And for that, he needed the Mortal Cup."
"He knew it would be on display at the signing of the Accords as a show of the Clave's power." Delilah continued, pouring herself another glass of wine. "He seized the opportunity to accomplish everything he ever wanted. Destroy the Accords, murder Downworlders, and secure the Cup."
"How could my mom and Luke be a part of something like this?" Riley pondered, adding color to her artwork; shading in the two girls' hair a mixture of orange and red.
"Jocelyn and Luke tried to prevent the Uprising." Delilah told Riley. "They tried to change Valentine's mind about Downworlders."
"Obviously, they didn't." Ailiz scoffed, crossing her legs.
"If it wasn't for Jocelyn and Luke, the Circle would have won." Magnus informed.
Riley shrugged her shoulders, putting the finishing touches on her drawing; depicting her and Clary holding hands while laying in a golen field with the sun shining down on them.
"Wow, that's amazing." Ailiz complimented. "You take requests?"
Riley chuckled. "Maybe once this craziness calms down." she replied, nudging Ailiz's arm. She sighed. "Ever since I found out Valentine was my father, I wondered how my mother could be married to someone like that, and why she stayed."
"She had to stop him. And safeguard the Cup." Delilah answered. "Everything Jocelyn did, she did to save the people she'd sworn to protect. She took her oath as a Shadowhunter seriously."
"I understand, but how does that help me find the Cup?" Riley asked, setting the pencils to the side.
Magnus shrugged. "Maybe Luke thinks if you know your mother better, you'll know where she hid it." he guessed.
"Then, tell me why she gave up being a Shadowhunter." Riley said, flipping to a blank page in the sketchbook.
"Because the one thing in the world she loved more is you and Clary." Delilah replied, rubbing her shoulder. "She had to protect you two."
Riley sighed. "From our father, the lunatic." she scoffed, leaning back in the chair.
Luke groaned and started panting again. Everyone rushed to check on him, Riley kneeling down by the couch. "Luke?" she questioned.
"The magic's wearing off." Diana noted.
"It was our fault." Luke panted. "All our fault." he groaned and his body tensed up.
Riley lifted up the gauze pad over the Alpha bite, "It's getting worse." she gasped. "Simon and Jace aren't back yet. Magnus, please help him."
She backed off as the High Warlock took her place. Magnus snapped his fingers and held his hands a few inches above Luke's chest, emitting blue smoke. "This is just a temporary fix." he informed. Delilah and Diana stood on either side of him and pooled their magic together with his.
"Jace and Simon better hurry up." Ailiz scoffed, pacing back and forth.
As the minutes dragged on, the three warlocks were loosing power, and the loft started shaking. "I'm running out of magic." Magnus exclaimed. "We're all running low."
"What do I do?" Riley asked.
Diana caught her breath. "Neither one of us can leave him."
"The potion stock still needs Komodo scale." Delilah informed.
"Find it, add the rest when they get here." Magnus added. "You'll have to feed it to Luke."
"What about you?" Riley questioned, concerned.
"We'll hold on as long as we can." Magnus replied. "Go!"
Riley ran into the kitchen area searching for the Komodo scale, while Ailiz made sure the potion didn't end up on the floor. Alec ran nto the room, and went straight to Magnus. He took Magnus' hand, lending him the strength, while Delilah and Diana backed off, catching their breath.
"Riley!" Jace and Simon called, as she ran into the room.
"We have to hurry." Riley told them, running to the potion. She dumped in the remaining ingredients and quickly mixed it together. She poured a small amount in a glass and hurried to Luke, tilting his head up and making him drink the potion.
Luke's breathing regulated and he recovered rather quickly. He opened his eyes and smiled when he saw Riley. "Hey there Riley." he sighed.
With the help of Ailiz and Simon, Magnus, Delilah, and Diana moved Luke to one of the bedrooms, making sure he was comfortable. Riley was busy cleaning up the living room. Alec walked behind her, picking up the books that fell.
"Alec, wait." Riley halted. "If you hadn't gotten here in time." she sighed. "I'm just glad you and Jace are okay now." she walked up to him, a gentle smile on her lips.
"I didn't do this for Jace." Alec rebuked.
Riley nodded. "Then I'm glad you did it for you." she hugged him, "Thanks." she pulled away, still smiling.
Jace joined them, hugging Alec in gratitude. "Thank you." he whispered. Alec nodded and walked into another room. Jace turne to Riley, crossing his arms over his chest. "You have an interesting effect on people, Riley Fray." he noted, smirking.
"He helped save Luke's life." Riley defended. "You all did. Thank you."
"For what?" Jace asked. "For running an errand?"
"For having my back." Riley giggled.
Jace cupped Riley's cheek, looking into her eyes. "I'm always gonna have your back." he promised.
Riley reached up and took his hand, laughing softly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, sighing heavily. "Really Jace. From the bottom of my heart, thanks so much." she whimpered. "As far back as I can remember, Luke's the only father-figure I've known."
Jace pulled away, draping Riley's ponytail over her shoulder. "You can always count on me Riley." he told her. "I'll never abandon you when you need help."
Riley leaned up and kissed his cheek, caressing the back of his neck with her thumb. Simon entered the room, clearing his throat. "Riley, Luke's asking for you." he told her.
"Yeah." She chuckled, walking that way. "Thanks Simon." she gave him a one armed hug, before heading into Luke's room.