Hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review! :D
The person in front of them wasn't Alec at all.
It was Deacon. The waiter from the restaurant.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Jace called out.
Deacon's snake eyes flashed menacingly.
"I'm here for the same reason you are, I'm sure."
"For Alec?" Isabelle said in disbelief.
"Well in a round-about way yes. Or rather I'm here for what's inside him. But first there's something I want. Something you have. So just hand it over and I'll let you leave right now, give you a bit more time to live before I kill you all later."
"Hand what over?" Clary asked suspiciously.
"Oh don't play dumb with me little girl, although I'm sure you don't have to try that hard."
"Hey!" Jace yelled, taking an angry step forwards but Clary grabbed his arm.
"Did I offend you? Good. Now hand it over I don't have time for this nonsense."
He looked at the blank expression on each other faces and snarled.
"Give me the damn chest!"
"We don't know what you're talking about." Isabelle said, brows furrowed.
"Don't lie to me!"
His entire persona seemed to have switched: the smirk was gone, replaced by a wild, crazed look in his eyes and a cruel twist in his lips. He was very clearly unhinged.
"I had the chest. I worked out where it was, I took it from the shop-"
"That was you." Jace said in realisation. The shadowy figure at the shop had been Deacon and the thing he had stolen was the chest. How had they not realised this before?
"Pretty-boy works it out. Yes that was me. I had the chest but I had to stash it in case you and your stupid friend were still chasing after me. I went looking for it earlier but it was gone. I'd been using these warehouses as a hide out for ages, very convenient place to store large groups of demons. I mean it's not like anyone checks them. So of course I noticed when your little boyfriend," he simpered mockingly at Magnus, "turned up."
The group looked at each other, not speaking but each conveying that they were thinking the same thing: Alec was here. But they had to find him and soon.
"But it all makes sense. You found the chest and now you're here to save your friend. Well I hate to break it to you but that's not an option so. Give. Me. The. Chest."
"We don't have it." Jace said blankly but Magnus spoke over him.
"Fine. You're right. We have it but we're not going to hand it over until you answer a few questions for me."
The other Shadowhunters glance at him incredulously but didn't speak. They had to trust Magnus had a plan.
"Why don't I just kill you now and take it?" Deacon sneered.
"Because we don't have it on us. It's hidden somewhere in the warehouse but you need us alive to tell you where."
"I don't need all of you alive," he mused, staring evilly at Jace as though imagining all the wonderful ways he could kill him.
"No you have to let us all live otherwise no deal. Plus don't you want the chance to brag?"
Deacon paused for a moment, stroking his chin almost comically as though seriously contemplating Magnus' offer. But the warlock knew from the gleam in the Viperla's eye that his decision was already made.
"Fine," he said at last.
Magnus nodded slowly, silent for a brief moment before speaking.
"So the break-ins were all you?"
The proud tone in Deacon's voice made a disgusted shiver race through Isabelle as she thought of the innocent people he had killed in the process.
"It was the easiest way to locate the chest. Having demons do your bidding is so much less time consuming."
All of this Magnus and the others had begun to expect but now they began to broach unknown territory.
"How did you know it was Alec?"
"I admit it took me a while to put all the pieces together. It was only after your little boyfriend returned to the restaurant I worked out that he was the one possessed."
Magnus' lips drew back into a snarl. The loathing he felt at himself for not realising sooner, for this monster being able to work it out before he could, making dark red energy crackle in his palms, he didn't attack but nothing stopped him striding forwards and grabbing the other man by the throat and slamming him into the wall.
"Start talking." The warlock said in a scarily calm voice. "How did you know?"
Deacon scrabbled at Magnus' hands but began to speak even as his eyes flitted back and forth across their faces, the Shadowhunters having moved to behind Magnus, weapons still pointing at the Viperla.
"I heard you on your stupid little 'date', he spat, "muttering about the shops being broken into and the increased number of demon groups. You acted like I so beneath you that you ignore me, didn't even realise I was listening did you? Thanks to you I managed to work everything out."
Now that he had started talking Deacon seemed to be unable to stop, the words kept pouring forth from his mouth at an increasingly frantic pace.
"I knew it was the chest I needed, almost got caught to get it from that shop but when I tried to open it I couldn't. Later I discovered something, turns out only a Shadowhunter can. So there went my plan to re-trap the demon for myself. When your precious boyfriend turned up at the restaurant again, oh the things I heard we so very surprising but like I said, it didn't take long for me to fit the pieces together. I admit at first I was furious, why should he get to wield that sort of power? Especially when he has no clue just how to use it.
But now I realise that the Lightwood boy getting possessed by the demon is actually rather useful to me. The chest was my bargaining chip. I could threaten the demon with entrapment, or re-trap him then use the chest's magic to force him to bind with me. Slightly trickier now but still all I need to do is get the demon to join with me and I can cause all the death and destruction I want. I've already got a fair few demons under my control, thanks to some spells, and with that offer there's no reason for the demon to say no. With hundreds, even thousands of demons under my control no one will be able to stop me."
As he finished he stood there panting, Magnus' hand still clamped around his throat, his eyes blazing with a crazy sense of pride at his plan.
"But why are you doing this? What are you after?" Isabelle said furiously.
Deacon practically cackled, his manic eyes dancing with a fiery light.
"Justice. You stupid Shadowhunters have ruled for far too long. It wasn't too bad when you hated us Downworlders and we hated you but now you've gotten all friendly and it makes me sick. And as for you," he turned to sneer at Magnus again, "Warlocks like you deserve death just as much as the Shadowhunters and any Downworlder that sides with them. It's time for a little structural overhaul, don't you agree?"
Jace drew back a hand and was about to punch Deacon straight in his smug, evil face when he heard Clary scream just as she disappeared from his peripheral vision. He span around just in time to see her land hard about ten feet away and come face to face with a whole room full of demons.
Crap.
Stunned but otherwise seemingly unhurt Clary scrambled to her feet and began fighting. The demons swarmed forwards and the whole group was swept into the sea of claws and teeth.
In a brief moment of respite Magnus looked up, suddenly very aware that Deacon was no longer where they had left him. Glancing around Magnus spotted him standing by the room's exit. He half expected Deacon to make some sort of mocking comment as he left but the gleam in his eyes said it all as he slipped quietly out through the door. He moved to follow him but demons blocked his path.
For a while there was nothing but cutting and slicing; punching and kicking; blood and death, until finally Magnus and Isabelle cleared a path of demons and managed to get their backs to the exit.
Looking around for the others they spotted Jace and Clary surrounded by a thick circle of demons. Watching it seemed like every time they killed a few only for more to take their place.
Noticing them Jace yelled "Go! We'll handle this."
"Go find Alec!" Clary called as she sliced the head of a particularly nasty looking Saikren demon.
Isabelle turned to Magnus. "We can't let him get away. We have to find Alec."
She took a last concerned glance at her friends who were holding their own admirably before nodding at Magnus. Together they sprinted through the door and after Deacon, following the sound of his loud, echoing footsteps.
They must have passed through dozens of rooms, barely slowing before barrelling inside each one hoping that it would be the one containing Alec.
Deacon's footsteps seemed to be growing steadily quieter and quieter as he moved through the maze of the warehouse with a surety that indicated much time spent traversing the rooms.
Isabelle and Magnus burst through yet another door and the sight that greeted then an aching hollowness to fill their guts.
They had founded Alec. But he was not alone.
In front of him stood Deacon, pacing furiously back and forth, almost vibrating with pent up rage and disgust as they watched in silence, unwilling to alert either of them to their presence.
His voice echoed loudly against the stone.
"…and surely it would be better to join with someone who wouldn't fight? This stupid shadowhunter boy has been resisting you at every turn. If you merged with me we could unleash the full extent of our joint power. Think of what we could do!"
Alec laughed. Or rather Alec opened his mouth but the sound that crawled from his throat was not him at all. On the surface it was rich, almost melodic, but something harsh and terrifying lurked underneath. It had an unearthly quality that made the hairs on their arms stand on end and a shiver rack through them- like nails being dragged down a chalkboard.
Then he spoke and it was even worse for the voice he used was still Alec's and yet…it was not.
"True this boy has been fighting-but his soul is almost mine. He had a strong will but there was no doubt I would crush it eventually."
"But I would not fight you! And if we combined our powers we could do anything. You need me, this boy will not help you, only hinder and-"
Alec grabbed Deacon by the throat, eyes flashing.
"You are nothing but a pathetic, bitter little man with a longing for power you could never control. You say we need each other but you are wrong. You wish to use my power for your own, pitiful revenge. But you forget: NO ONE. CONTROLS. ME." As he spoke his voice rose to a fiery crescendo until his voice thundered throughout the room.
As he went to throw Deacon carelessly to the ground the Viperla lashed out, raking his nails against Alec's neck as he fell.
"Hey hands off my brother!" Isabelle yelled, no longer caring about keeping silent. No one hurt her brother without her making them pay for it.
Alec's head snapped up, his piercing crimson eyes fixing on her. He barely so much as glanced at Magnus and, despite usually being the first with something to say, he found he could not speak. His entire throat seemed to have closed up.
Alec smirked. "Well is this not the sister? So nice of you to join us."
"Let my brother go Abbadon! He has done nothing to deserve this." Her voice was venomous but Alec merely stood there, looking at her with eyes she could no longer recognise.
Deacon scrabbled up from the floor, looking between Alec and Isabelle, unsure of what to do next. He had not even considered that Abbadon would reject him.
"Deacon you will pay for the lives you have taken and the Clave will have much to ask you." Isabelle stalked forwards, uncoiling her whip and slashing it threateningly against the floor.
Deacon pulled a dagger from his belt and advanced towards her.
"You over estimate your skill girl."
"Try me," she snarled back.
Magnus' gaze was fixed on the pair but was drawn away as Alec began backing away from then.
"Alec-" Magnus began to say but his words trailed away as Alec fixed him with a piercing look, rooting him to the spot. It felt as if he was looking inside the warlock, into his very soul.
Alec continued to back away slowly even as he spoke.
"The High Warlock of Brooklyn…" he drawled. "I've been looking forward to killing you." The taunt rang mockingly back to Magnus ears as Alec slipped away though the archway.
Magnus knew Isabelle was more than capable of dealing with Deacon herself, in fact she'd probably never forgive him if he tried to help her.
As he ran through the door and after Alec her voice trailed after him: "Save my brother Magnus. Please. You're the only one who can."