Chapter 12
As Magnus entered the blind alley, he lit a spark of blue flame in the palm of his hand to light the way. At the very end was an old, heavy wooden door with a sign above it that read 'Mortar & Pestle Potion Dispensary'. This was the only place Magnus was sure would have the rare and special ingredients he needed to fulfill his part of the terrible bargain with Lucia. The only place that might help him get Alexander back safely.
A small bell above the door tinkled noisily as Magnus entered the shop. It was a fascinating place, two of the stone walls were covered floor-to-ceiling in dark shelves, broken only once by a small door that lead to the back room. The shelves were full to bursting with books, glass bottles with various coloured liquids, specimen jars, skulls and other macabre curiosities. Hanging from the ceiling were wracks of dried herbs and old fashioned bird cages, some of which contained large, black ravens that cawed and flapped aggressively as Magnus approached the counter.
"Quiet down you silly birds, show some respect for the High Warlock of Brooklyn;" said an elderly man as he came out of the back room. "It's been a long time since you last darkened my door Magnus Bane, not since the shop was in Paris, I believe;"
"Janus Dark, you haven't changed a bit;" Magnus said as he took in the man's long, white hair, and dark twinkling eyes set deeply in a face that showed the ravages of advanced age. Magnus had been a young warlock when he'd first met Dark, and had wondered why the much, older warlock had chosen to present himself as an elderly man. He hadn't had the nerve to ask then, because Janus Dark had the reputation of being a very knowledgeable, very powerful warlock who didn't suffer fools lightly.
"You still don't get it do you Magnus;" The old man chuckled softly. "This;" He said indicating his appearance with a slight flourish of his left hand; "Is my way of hiding in plain sight. Everyone notices someone who is young and never seems to age, but the old are invisible, especially in this youth obsessed century. Now how can I help you?"
Magnus handed over a list of the ingredients he needed for the spell. Janus Dark moved over to a lit candle on the counter before turning his attention to the items written in Magnus' elegant spidery hand. "Hmmm;" the old potion maker said frowning slightly; " I hope you know what you are doing Magnus. I have only seen a list like this once before, centuries ago, and it ended very badly indeed;"
"This is what I require Janus, and if you can't supply it, I will go elsewhere;" Magnus responded sternly. They both knew he was bluffing, there was nowhere else that would have what was needed, but Magnus had to let Dark know that he was very serious.
"No need for that;" The potion maker said; "It will take about thirty minutes to get your order ready, please have a seat;" Dark motioned to the far side of the shop where a small round table and four chairs sat next to an old, cast iron, coal fireplace. In front of one of the chairs a china tea service and single cup appeared. "Help yourself to some tea while you wait;"
Magnus sat down at the table, knowing full well that hovering over the potion maker's shoulder would do nothing to speed up the process and might in fact do the exact opposite. In other circumstances, he would have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the shop's many oddities while he waited, but right now, all he could think about was his Alec at the mercy of Hellequin and Lucia. He poured himself a cup of tea and found his mind returning to 1630, to his first run in with Lucia...
Paris 1630 ...
Magnus arrived at Lucia's rooms a few minutes before the appointed time. He had brought a small satchel with him, but it didn't contain the ingredients for the spell that would create a pregnancy. He had no intention of following through on that promise, sending his evil half sister to a demon dimension was one thing, trapping an innocent life with her was quite another.
Taking a deep breath, his final preparation before one of the biggest gambles of his immortal life, Magnus knocked on the door. His face was a mask of calm, indifference as Lucia admitted him to the room. None of the grief over Adrien's death showed on his handsome face, none of the true nature of his mission was visible in his gold-green cat's eyes. Cardinal Richelieu himself would have been impressed if he could have seen the masterful way Magnus played the cards he'd been dealt; and by the end of that evening, Lucia had been trapped in one of the myriad demon dimensions that existed alongside the mortal world. Dante had written about the nine circles of Hell, but Magnus knew that truly, there were many, many more than that.
The warlock stood, head bowed, body exhausted alone in the room. He was not exultant over the defeat of Lucia, but he was at peace with it. Magnus was ripped back into the moment by the hollow, jarring sound of someone clapping. He twirled around to see the unwelcome form of his father Asmodeus applauding him from a the far corner of the room.
"Magus, well done, I don't know when I've been more diverted! You have proven, once again, to be the most able of all my offspring. We just need to work on your woeful tendency to care about others;" The man laughed.
Magnus, who could not have imagined this dreadful night getting any worse, was appalled. His father had not only been watching, but had positively enjoyed the interaction between Magnus and Lucia. He was beginning to understand Richelieu's hesitance to get personally involved in bringing an end to his half sister's crime spree.
"Azazel and I had a wager about which of you would be victorious, and I'm very pleased to say, I won. It makes a father proud, but then I could have said the same thing if Lucia had won." Asmodeus said grinning broadly.
"If that is all you came to say;" Magnus snapped; "I wish you hadn't bothered."
"Now, now Magnus is that any way to treat family? Oh, I forgot you just trapped you're sister in a demon dimension!" Asmodeus laughed...
Present...
A sudden noise brought Magnus back to the present with a start. He looked up to see Janus Dark holding out a carefully wrapped package of ingredients to him. Magnus took the potions and paid the man his exorbitant fee before walking to the door. Just before he stepped back into the alley, Magnus turned to the old warlock once more and asked almost against his will; "What did you mean when you said it ended very badly?"
Janus Dark shook his head sadly and replied; "An extraordinarily beautiful child, very powerful, but no empathy, no soul, an abomination. And the parents, both killed."
Magnus bowed his head and left the shop. The consequences of tonight's actions lying heavy on his heart. There was no way he could trick Lucia this time without it resulting in Alexander's death and he wouldn't risk that. Still to create a child that was anything like Lucia sent shivers down his spine. There had to be another way, there just had to be. In the next few minutes he would be back at Melrose Hall and Magnus knew he'd better have a some kind of plan, no matter how desperate.
