Chapter 25
Magnus Bane woke from a fitful, restless sleep. It took him a few desperate moments to remember where he was, and with that memory all the horror of the last few days came rushing back. Aiden's kidnapping, the fight with the Hellfire Club, and his arrest by the Clave for the theft and use of an illicit spell. Magnus closed his eyes, but he knew there would be no more sleep for him and it wasn't because of the thin, lumpy mattress on the narrow cot, or the threadbare blanket that didn't do much to counter the cold dampness of the cell.
The warlock's eyes swept around the small room, taking in the thick stone walls, and single tiny, barred window. He wondered idly if this was where the Clave had held Simon Lewis when Valentine was threatening Alicante? He hoped he would be as fortunate in the outcome as the vampire had been. Magnus knew the cell was warded against the use of magic, so, just like Simon, any rescue would have to come from the outside, either through a successful defense in court, or a jail break, and at the moment he would take either. There was nothing he could do for Alec or Aiden stuck in a cell under the Gard.
In the short time he had been imprisoned here, Magnus had grown to hate the small space. There was nothing here to distract him from thoughts of his beloved Alexander facing perhaps the worst fate that could befall a shadowhunter, the stripping of his angelic runes. None of this was Alec's fault, he hadn't signed any blood oath. All he was guilty of was protecting a precious, innocent child, surely the Clave wouldn't punish him for that? But Magnus knew, even as the thought crossed his mind, it wasn't that simple.
The very existence of Aiden, the son of a warlock and a marked shadowhunter would cause consternation among many groups in the shadow world. Warlocks were powerful magically, the offspring of a demon and a mundane, but relatively thin on the ground due to the fact they were sterile and could not, in the normal course of things, have children. Historically, the Clave viewed warlocks as half-breed demons who couldn't be trusted, and considered their relatively small numbers a blessing. It was why they'd decreed that spell Magnus used illegal, and hidden it with the Silent Brothers. The Accords might have eased things between the Clave and the downworld, but there were still quite a few shadowhunters, especially in Idris, who clung to the old beliefs.
And, if Magnus was being honest, it wasn't just shadowhunters that viewed warlocks with distrust. The Fae also had a longstanding contentious relationship with the children of Lilith. Fairies were contemptuous of the fact that warlocks did magic for money, and whether it was because, having magic themselves, they hated to pay for magic they couldn't do, or some other deeper discontent, he didn't know. The few times Magnus had been called to the Seelie Court, he was quite aware of his hosts' dislike. They seemed to view warlocks as, at best, a necessary evil, and at worst an unnecessary one.
The sound of someone approaching his cell interrupted Magnus thoughts. A guard had brought him his supper. The small amount of light that came through the cell window meant that, without the ritual of meal times, Magnus wasn't sure what time of day it was. The food that was brought to him was actually quite good, if Magnus had had any appetite to eat it. He wondered idly if this was the typical fare for prisoners, or if he was being given special consideration?
The Guard stopped, just outside the cell door and slipped a tray through the slot provided. He was an older man, heavy set and powerful. His skin bore the traces of angelic runes applied over many years.
"Thank you;" Magnus said softly, his manners a habit so ingrained that even a shadowhunter prison cell could not completely subdue them. Truly, the warlock had no appetite and wished the man would just leave him to his dismal thoughts, but no such luck.
"The Inquisitor told be to let you know your advocate will be visiting in the morning;" The man said gruffly.
"My advocate?" Magnus replied startled by this unexpected news. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised, he knew he needed an advocate, but had presumed he would be allowed to select his own, not have one appointed. "Who is it?"
The guard, whose name was Jessie Bradshaw looked sharply at Magnus before replying; "Some fairy, name of Asher I think. Anyway, he'll be here in the morning so you'll find out then." The shadowhunter continued to stand there for a few minutes more staring at the prisoner. He had never had much to do with warlocks, and this one was apparently pretty famous, well infamous maybe. Married to a Lightwood, God how had that happened? Bradshaw tipped his head to the side considering the man in front of him. The warlock was tall, but slender and really didn't look terribly dangerous from Jessie perspective. Still, it was just as well the warded bars of the cell stood between them. No telling what tricks the man would try to pull else.
"Was there something else?" Magnus asked sharply. The guard's continued silent observation beginning to fray his already anxious temper.
"You were on the Council once, weren't you?" The guard's question seemed to be rhetorical though because he continued; "I guess it's true what they say, you can't trust a warlock."
A flash of anger pulsed through Magnus body. He had been working to help bring about the Accords since before this man was even born. "Funny, how it's always 'they' who are responsible for our own bigoted opinions!" Magnus turned on his heel and went back to the cot, ignoring both his meal and the guard until the man moved off down the ancient stone hallway.
~~~~~ ! ~~~~~
Maryse Lightwood took an involuntary step back, allowing the elegant fairy to brush past her and enter the flat. "B-but..." Maryse stammered uncharacteristically unable to take command of this extraordinary situation.
"You do require an advocate for Magnus Bane don't you? Or have I been misinformed?" Asher demanded, one eyebrow raised, and a hint of amusement in his tone.
Maryse had been upset by the responses from the advocates she'd contacted, and unsure about her next course of action, but to have a stranger, unsolicited, come to her door and declare himself Magnus' advocate was more than she could manage at the moment. "Y-yes, but..." Maryse began again, before being interrupted by her visitor.
"Excellent! I assume, you've already received refusals from all the other available advocates, so shall we get to work. Perhaps you'd start by introducing me to your friends? Family?"
Before anyone else could respond, Alec rose from the chair he'd been seated in and approached the fairy. "I'm Alexander Lightwood-Bane;" he said. Alec rarely used his full name, but when he did, it was always with a sense of pride, of acknowledgement of his husband, and family.
"Of course you are;" Asher said, an appreciative smile crossing his handsome face as looked Alec up and down. "High Warlock Bane certainly has an eye for handsome men;"
A look of fury swept across the shadowhunter's face. His beloved Magnus was facing a possible death sentence, and this idiot thought it appropriate to flirt! Alec had been stressed out since Aiden's kidnapping, and was now finding even minor issues brought him to the brink of losing it. Needing some time to compose himself, the shadowhunter turned on his heel and stalked from the room.
"Nice going Advocate. Do you impress all your prospective clients like that?" Jace asked, sarcasm dripping from every word.
Izzy rose from her seat, preparing to go after Alec, when a sign from Maryse stopped her cold.
Maryse looked sternly at the Advocate; "I think we should focus on the rather pressing business of Magnus' trial, don't you?" The fairy recognized it was a rhetorical question and confined himself to a brief nod before Maryse continued; "I will talk to Alexander, you two;" She said indicating Izzy and Jace; "Answer any questions Advocate Asher may have." With that she turned and left the room in search of her eldest son.
Looking completely unruffled by the awkward exchange, the fairy turned to Jace and Izzy, and asked; "Sooo, exactly what part did you play in this mess?"