Heya, Shadowhunters!

It's been a while and my sincere apologies for the delay ^^;

I'm having some health issues and life isn't that cheery anymore, but I'm finding my solace in bringing this chapter to you :D

This is the chapter before the last and afterwards the story is finally over. 4In April, it will be 1 year since I've started it and I'm happy to say it was a wonderful year of writing Malec for me and for you :")

There's not much Malec in this chapter, but there will be in the last one ;D

This chapter's title is inspired by this song - Grant Gustin - Running home to you

Unbeta-ed as always, slight errors/mistakes might've slipped thru ^^;

Thanks for reading and commenting, you're warming my days and heart every day 3

xoxo


Chapter 29: Running home to you

The outside noises were fading into the background as Simon let his mind wander away from the reality. It was the second week they were here in Idris and he didn't manage to reach to Magnus in any way. Ragnor and Catarina were also unavailable and he was running out of options and out of hope. Max and Lydia's wedding was in full preparations and he couldn't bring himself to feel celebratory or to even pretend he was happy for the couple. This was mainly the reason he was cooped inside Isabelle's chambers, watching from the balcony the people milling around the garden to have the last arrangements set in place.

The wedding was scheduled for tomorrow and his own words came back to bite him in the ass – he had said they won't be here for the wedding and still, they were here, getting ready to celebrate a joyful union when his King and friends were trapped on an island with his cruel mother. Everything about this was wrong and even if he knew it wasn't anyone's fault, he couldn't help but feel resentful of their casualness.

With a scoff, he pushed himself away from the balcony, going inside the room in the same time the door to the bathroom opened and Isabelle came out wearing a thin, red robe. As always, she managed to take his breath away with her beauty. Her face free of make-up, her hair wet and pulled back, falling down her back and wearing almost nothing – really, that robe couldn't count – she was the most exquisite of the beauties he have seen. And he was coming from a land of fairies.

"You're incredibly beautiful." He couldn't help but say, bringing a smile which stretched her rosy cheeks.

Her dark eyes met his in a silent question as she approached him, wounding her arms around his neck. "I like it when you're dumbstruck with the sight of me." She whispered as she nuzzled their noses together.

Simon chuckled low. "So you did it on purpose?" He asked, his own arms coming round her waist, enjoying the lush feel of her body being plied against his own.

"Maybe." Isabelle teased, playfulness in her gaze. "You looked like you needed a distraction." She then added, allowing a slight worry to slip in her voice, surprising Simon momentarily.

He let his forehead rest against hers as he sighed. "I feel trapped, Isabelle. Useless." He spoke low, but with raw emotion. It was the first time to say this out loud although he was sure she had noticed his moods.

"Simon," Isabelle called out his name softly and with such tenderness that it ripped through him like scissors through paper, "you tried. And you won't stop trying, we both know it."

He closed his eyes at the truth of her words. "Magnifia is my home and I left when it needed me the most."

"Hey," her hands came to cup his face and made him look at her, "you didn't know. Stop blaming yourself for something you couldn't control."

"It's not the first time, Iz."

Isabelle looked at him momentarily surprised. "What do you mean?"

A sigh left his lips as he pulled back from her embrace and took them both on the bed. His serious expression worried Isabelle, but she said nothing as she knew Simon needed to come out with his feelings on his own terms. They've been meeting in her dreams for a while now, but even so he had kept a side hidden to her, something she hadn't been able to bring it without Simon switching the subject. But it seemed now that being face to face was bringing out the side of him she had been curious about.

"Remember when I told you that Camille killed someone dear to me?" Simon started and Isabelle nodded carefully. She remembered that particular dream when Simon had basically tumbled in her mind, looking wild and lost, his emotions all over the place.

He hadn't spoken much back then, but he had said to her that in one of Alec's trials as the Consort of Magnifia he had been forced to relive the nightmare of when he lived with his mother. He had mentioned briefly her name – which had sounded familiar to her, but hadn't thought much of it since Simon was her main concern – and what an awful parent she had been to him, only to shock her in horror when he had told her that she had taken the life of someone he had cared of. But he hadn't continued past this, needing her comfort more than reliving once more through talking it with her.

"That person was actually my lover." Simon whispered, his hands holding Isabelle's tightly. "He was a warlock from Magnus' inner circle." He continued, not looking at her as he chose to speak of Raphael. "He…was different from what I've been told and taught to hate. I didn't realize it back then, but I fell in love with him on first sight."

Isabelle let out a soft whimper, feeling Simon's pain as raw as the day he had lost Raphael. She moved closer to him, never letting go of his hands. "I'm sure he was a wonderful person." She said, eliciting an amused chuckle from Simon.

"He was the most stubborn, witty and sarcastic warlock ever. He never knew when to shut up, always getting into trouble." The enchanter looked at Isabelle, his expression open and vulnerable for the first time in many years. "But he was also kind, compassionate, always helping those in need. And he saved me many times. He showed me how to love." He lifted one of his hands to touch Isabelle's cheek in a tender manner. "And I've failed him just like I'm failing everyone in Magnifia now."

"No, you're not." Isabelle caught his hand and kept it near her cheek, her eyes urging him to believe her words.

"When she found out about us, she hunted him down and brought him to me as a present to torture. She lied about finding him near our territory and she hid that she knew about us." He continued in a dead-like tone, wringing Isabelle's heart in pain. She couldn't even imagine what that must've felt like.

"What did you do?" She asked on a small tone, almost as if she was afraid to know more. But Simon didn't take notice as he let himself be dragged back to that horrific day of his life.

"I hurt him at first. He forgave me for that and he accepted it."

Isabelle gasped and before he could realize what was happening, she moved and climbed in his lap, embracing him tight. "It's alright, Simon. You don't need to tell me." She whispered to him, pressing loving kisses to his soft hair. "What happened then, it's not your fault."

A shuddered breath left Simon's lips as he lifted his arms and clung onto Isabelle like she was his lifeboat. "I wasn't strong enough to fight her. And he was hurt already. We couldn't keep her away. She poisoned him to death and had me watch." He kept talking, burying his face in her soft and half dry hair. "I left him to get to Magnus in my dreamwalking. But when I came back…" His hands crushed the thin material of her robe and Isabelle held him tighter. "…he was gone. He had died alone. I couldn't even save him and I let him die alone."

"No, Simon. Please, this is not your fault." She whispered, wishing that she could do something to soothe his pain away.

A shuddered breath left Simon's lips as he lifted his arms and clung onto Isabelle like she was his lifeboat. "I wasn't strong enough to fight her. And he was hurt already. We couldn't keep her away. She poisoned him to death and had me watch." He kept talking, burying his face in her soft and half dry hair. "I left him to get to Magnus in my dreamwalking. But when I came back…" His hands crushed the thin material of her robe and Isabelle held him tighter. "…he was gone. He had died alone. I couldn't even save him and I let him die alone."

"No, Simon. Please, this is not your fault." She whispered, wishing that she could do something to soothe his pain away.

"But it is. Don't you see?" He spoke anguished, his voice a ragged breath as if his emotions were choking him, running him through their sharp blades. "I've left him alone."

"You went to get help for him."

"He died alone because of me."

"He died knowing you love him enough to do whatever you could to save him."

"I was too late and I lost him because I was weak."

Isabelle couldn't take it anymore and she pushed away just enough to cup his face and kiss him to get him to stop thinking. It was a desperate action, but it was a needed one. Knowing Simon, he had probably kept all of this under heavy key, letting no one to see the guilt and pain he had been feeling all this time.

"You didn't lose him. You won him again because if he loved you like I do, then he knew what a wonderful man you are. You were his hero until the very last end." She whispered to him, their mouths barely apart and their gazes locked in a powerful yet emotional stare.

"You're crying." Simon breathed back in shock, lifting one hand to track down and wipe away the tears from her cheek.

"I am. Because it hurts me to see you hurt like this. And I can't help you how I wish I could."

Simon looked at her with surprise, not having expected for her to be this affected for his sake. It wasn't because he didn't believe in her love, but so many years have passed him by while love had been elusive and fickle towards him, that he had never believed he could meet someone who would care for him in a selfless way. Like Raphael did.

"Simon," Isabelle's soft voice tugged at his heart as he kept swiping gently her tears, "leaving Raphael is nothing like leaving Magnifia. You didn't abandon either of them and everyone is aware of this." She continued, her dark eyes pleading with him for understanding. "We will get back to Magnifia and we will save them if that's what they need."

"We?" Simon asked, his voice low, close to a murmur.

Isabelle smiled. "Do you think I will ever let you go alone?" She replied, leaning to press another kiss to his lips, this time kind and loving. "You belong with me, Simon. And I belong with you."

"What about Idris?"

"We will find a way." She said optimistically and Simon sighed half amusedly.

"You are something, you know that?" He looked at her with an impish grin, feeling that his heart was indeed learning to heal itself. He had lived in its pained cage for a long time, pretending not to feel, not to see what he was missing. But meeting Isabelle had been exactly what his heart had needed - a love as pure and fierce as hers.

She laughed, throwing her head backwards in a carefree gesture, her hands now hanging loose around his neck. He loved seeing her like this - wild and free, never to be tamed, but only his. He leaned to press a kiss at the base of her exposed neck, changing her laughter into a soft sigh. She moved gently in his arms, her expression open and full of yearning.

They have been together in their dreams, they have known each other in most intimate ways, but never in the physical world. And despite knowing her sweet spots, Simon felt like he was holding her for the very first time.

"We kind of waited on each other, didn't we?" Isabelle spoke and seemed slightly out of breath, like the intimacy between them was making her nervous.

Simon smiled at her. "I know you and yet this feels like the very first time I'm seeing you." He confessed, feeling completely at ease to be vulnerable in front of her, to bare his emotions to her. Idly, he wondered why he hadn't said to her about Raphael before.

"This is crazy, you know?" Isabelle murmured with a cheesy smile dancing on her lips. "We've met so many times in our dreams. You've been here for two weeks now and… still, we've held back." She continued, her hands slowly moving from his neck and down on his shoulders, enjoying the real feel of him. It was the same and yet different from their dreams.

"Why hurry? The best is enjoyed slowly." Simon teased, his brown eyes watching her attentively. "And I know I want to love you as slow as possible, to be able to memorize each and every of your expression." He whispered, holding her dark gaze with promises of love and happiness.

Isabelle felt her cheeks get warm at his words and the familiar tingling of desire spread throughout her body, shivering slightly when Simon pulled on her robe gently. It came undone easily, leaving her naked in his embrace. The callousness of his palms on her skin felt entirely different than in their dreams and she couldn't help the soft sigh which left her lips as his hands moved slowly on her body, touching and caressing in the same time.

"It seems like a mirage that you're truly here...touching me." She breathed the words, watching Simon through heavy lidded eyes, passion and desire burning in her dark eyes. Her hands finally found the strength to slid past Simon's silky chemise, shyly touching his chest before curiosity took the best of them and moved forward, causing the buttons to snap with a rather funny noise.

"Oops." Isabelle grinned at the enchanter who chuckled at her cute expression. "You look better without it anyway." She added, eyeing the broad chest and the ripped muscles beneath it, the urge to touch and kiss his body overwhelming her. "Did you look this yummy in our dreams too?" She ventured to ask, watching her hands move all over his torso, grazing slightly the soft skin.

Simon laughed at her innocent question. "I actually improved myself in my dreams, so what you see now...it's the real deal." He said, pleased that she was just as entranced with him as she had been in their dreams.

"I always prefer the real thing than the dream." Isabelle licked her lips and without allowing either one of them further chances to continue their discussion, she leaned forward, pressing naked against him and claimed his lips in a long needed and searing kiss.

Simon couldn't be more blessed.


It was late in the evening when Alec visited Simon, his whole body buzzing with energy and feeling more empowered than before. Ever since he had met with Jocelyn, despite how much time have passed, he had been given hope and to that hope he was clinging now to get back to Magnus.

So when he knocked on Simon's door, the man opening it moments later, he didn't hesitate saying – "Let's dreamwalk together."

Simon blinked owlishly at the prince. "What?"

"I've been thinking and I believe that the two of us should dreamwalk and get someone from Magnifia." Alec continued and pushed past Simon, to get inside his room. Luckily for him, there was no sign of his sister.

Simon closed the door behind them, then turned to watch Alec with his arms crossed. "And why do you think you, a non-magical being, would be an aid to my dreamwalk?" He asked, not caring if he was offending Alec's sensibilities.

But the prince seemed to be immune to his words as he paced around, a feverish look to him. "I'm the Consort, I've been meeting with Tessa on several occasions. It's impossible not to have some magic in me. I could help, even without actual magic you seem to possess."

The enchanter watched Alec carefully, pondering on his words. He might not be wrong, he thought to himself, his brown eyes narrowed in curiosity. "Okay, let's do it." He agreed, reaching the conclusion that after two weeks of continuous trying alone to reach anyone in Magnifia had been fruitless, it could do them no harm to try as a team. Besides, Alec did make a valid point in him being the Consort - he, above them all, should hold the key of breaking through Magnifia's wards.

"Great!" Alec's enthusiasm was slightly over the top, but Simon found himself hoping. Maybe he had lacked this as well – the enthusiasm to ever going back home to where his family was. "But I have some suggestions." The prince added and Simon looked at him with an arched eyebrow.

"Yes?" He prompted when Alec seemed to have muted.

"We contact Ragnor or Catarina and I stay hidden."

Simon couldn't keep his surprise off his face as he looked at Alec. "And why should we do this? I can understand as to why you'd suggest contacting Ragnor or Cat since Magnus' wards are the most difficult to penetrate, but why hide you?"

Alec chewed on his lower lip and Simon couldn't help but wonder if the prince was hiding something from him. "I don't want them to be careful around me. I want to know the whole truth of what's going on in Magnifia without either one of them softening the blow." He said with a stubborn, yet worried expression on his face.

A sigh left Simon's lips. He could understand Alec's reasoning and while he might not agree to it, he could offer this to him. After all, both of them deserved the whole truth and Simon wasn't going to deny Alec this right. "Alright, I'll hide your presence." He said and then gestured to the prince to take a seat on the carpeted floor. "Let's start our séance." He joked halfheartedly, a bit amused by Alec's unceremonious plop on the floor.

It wasn't the first time Simon brought someone with him, but somehow he felt this little trip was going to be different, special. He seated himself in front of Alec and ordered him to close his eyes and try to empty his mind. As soon as Alec seemed to have finally relaxed, Simon followed the same instructions and let himself reach deep within himself to where magic resided eagerly to be used.

It responded like a pet to its owner's touch and soon enough, Simon was wrapped in the warmth of his magic. With his mind heightened by the sharp feeling of it, he reached to Alec, searching out his energy only to stop in mild surprise. Alec was...brimming with magic. It seemed to ooze out of him in powerful, liquid waves as if it could not be contained in his body. It could be the reason as to why Alec had looked so energic earlier, as to why he had been acting odd lately.

Simon's mind whirled around Alec's behaviour from the last week and he recalled how the prince had been looking either very tired or very trippy, like he was high on something. When questioned, he had answered that he was happy for his brother's wedding and that he had been spending the nights reading on Jocelyn's journals, maybe it would help get them back to Magnifia. The enchanter wondered if those journals contained any residues of magic which had latched onto Alec who had been in direct contact with magic itself. It wasn't possible, he thought immediately, the amount of magic Alec was exuding being too much to be picked up in some Greater God's journals.

"Simon, nothing's happening." Alec muttered, drawing Simon's attention back to the task they were supposed to do.

"I'm preparing." He replied grumpily and once more pulled on his magic, wasting no more time in wondering what was Alec doing with so much magic. They would have time afterwards to discuss it.

The storm took Alec by surprise, but it soon changed to exhilaration as he and Simon stood in the middle of a raging tornado, all around them being noise and flashes of colored light. He looked at Simon and saw him wearing a focused expression, his eyes all silver and his body taut with magic. Closing his own eyes, he breathed deeply and grabbed Simon's hand then extended his other one, flinging it into the swirling mass of lights.

The boost of energy had Simon crash through Magnifia and then Ragnor's wards, both of them tumbling in a heap of limbs in the middle of a greenhouse.

"What…?" They heard a voice and both of their heads swirled in its direction watching Ragnor look dumbfounded at his surroundings.

"Ragnor!" Simon leaped to his feet and forgetting his cool self, rushed to the grumpy warlock and hugged him tight. "You're well and alive!" He exhaled a relieved breath, all the while his mind and magic worked on concealing Alec from his view. He would definitely need to talk about Alec and the magic he seemed to possess.

"Simon?" Ragnor looked at Simon, almost disbelieving. "Is it really you, son?" He asked, the appellative warming Simon in a way he wouldn't have expected.

"I've been trying to get a hold of you for ages! Of course it's me!" Simon pulled on his horns, making the warlock grumble in displeasure.

"Yeah, that's you alright." He swatted Simon's hands away, making the other one laugh. "How'd you manage to break through?" He then asked, glancing around and back at Simon. "And you picked this place out of all…"

Simon felt guilt grip his heart. "I found a source of magic powerful enough to help me break through. But I couldn't control it and it picked out your most meaningful place." He said, apology clear in his voice. "I'll change it." He added quickly, but Ragnor shook his head.

"Leave it. It does me well to remember." The warlock heaved a sigh, the memory of him and Raphael working in the greenhouse being such a vivid and painful pleasure.

Simon kept silent for a few moments, allowing Ragnor to recollect himself from the memories he had only heard of. "What's going on, Ragnor? Why were we shut out of Magnifia?" He then asked, unable to keep the betrayal out of his voice. "Is it Camille?"

The warlock leaned to take in the scent of some plants. "That's right. Camille has trapped Magnus in the debt he collected from the Lightwoods. I told him back then that it was a bad idea to take on that blasted debt, but he wouldn't listen and he was too smitten with the prince. Now, Camille played her card and threatened Alec's family."

"Then why didn't he kill her?" Simon asked with a small voice, thinking that he wouldn't have hesitated to do this if that bitch would have threatened his land and lover. She already took his lover once, he wouldn't allow her a second time.

Ragnor sighed. "Killing isn't the answer, Simon." He said and the enchanter was about to argue when the warlock continued – "But I agree that in this case it would have been the sensible choice. I disagreed with Magnus at first, but seeing how things are progressing, we are better off without her, despite the imbalance her death would cause to the land."

"At first?" Simon picked on the only thing that seemed to matter at the moment. "You knew about this before we left?"

The warlock looked long at the other man. "Yes, we knew. Camille sought Magnus out right before Alec came up with the idea to send those two girls on the journey for the Greater Gods' items." He confessed and it looked like this truth had sat heavily on his chest. "She gave him an ultimatum and Magnus decided to take her out for good. But then Alec got informed that Max is in danger and Magnus couldn't risk his life…"

Simon seethed in anger as he glared at Ragnor. "Max is safe and so is the rest of Lightwood family. Camille had lied to you, played with your feelings and you would have known it was a trap if you had discussed it with me since I'm the one who had lived with her so many years, had seen her traps being enacted."

"Alec would have never listened to you." Ragnor met his glare with a tired one.

"Yes, he would have because I would have contacted Isabelle and would have found out the truth."

"You tried that, remember?" Ragnor pointed out and Simon cursed out loud.

"I know, but I still would have known it was her magic blocking me. I would have looked past, tried hard and gotten through." He said, stubbornly wanting to believe that he could have stopped her.

Ragnor looked at him, understanding his frustrations as they have matched his lately. "There's no use crying over what could have been. The choice has been taken and now we must face the consequences." He said, absently touching the big leaf of a potted plant. "So you're saying that neither of the Lightwood family has been harmed?" He circled back to the piece of information Simon had given him at first.

"No. She won't go against a family protected by a Greater God. And Magnus' protections work on Max, he is getting married tomorrow and no sign of magic crumbling inside of him."

Ragnor felt a headache creeping up. "So...you're saying that everything we did was for nothing?"

Simon knew he shouldn't be this cruel or forward, but he said it anyway – "Yes."

"Oh God." Ragnor groaned and sat down on the battered earth like an old man. Simon didn't like this sight of him, but he couldn't blame him.

"What has she done to you and our home?" He asked on a quiet voice, his eyes blazing with emotion.

Ragnor took a few moments, staring into emptiness before he replied – "She gave power back to the trolls and enslaved the elven city to her whim for the wedding. She summoned the griffin and they wouldn't come, she asked Magnus to have Chairman change into a catsith and punish them."

Simon looked in horror at the warlock. "Did...Magnus do it?"

An irritated look appeared in Ragnor's eyes. "Of course not. Besides Chairman has run off, he doesn't accept her as a Consort and he hissed at Magnus for allowing her to become one. Basically, that cat is free."

"And you're not." Simon commented with a bitter tone to which Ragnor agreed with a nod. "We have to come back." He then said fervently, looking stubborn.

"How? The gargoyles are under her command now, well, they have always been, but before it wouldn't have mattered if Magnus decided to bring someone because she had no say. Now… we can't bring anyone without her notice."

"A portal. I need a portal, ask Magnus to create one and bring it to me." Simon replied immediately, having toyed with this idea for the past weeks.

Ragnor looked at him and Simon got the distinct feeling that the warlock was holding back something. He couldn't read well a magical being's emotions while in dreamwalk and Ragnor had long mastered the art of hiding his true emotions.

"Magnus is not well." Ragnor finally replied, a sigh quickly following his words.

"What do you mean?" Simon asked, feeling the raw emotion of concern cut through him twice. Alec was still there.

"You weren't born when Tessa was queen." Ragnor started and the enchanter wasn't sure why he was bringing her up, but he continued to listen nonetheless. "But she was a queen much like Magnus is now – fair, kind and strong. All of these qualities doubled when she met and fell in love equally for Jem and Will. It was a foolish way to love, but the heart loves who it loves." A short pause followed and Ragnor stood up, wandering about, Simon watching him curiously. "But love is also a weakness, something not many want to agree upon. Yes, you are stronger, fiercer and more fearless, but take that love away and it will destroy you slowly."

Simon's eyes rounded in surprise – "Are you saying Magnus is magically affected because of heartbreak?"

Ragnor smiled humorlessly. "Unbelievable, no? But Tessa died because of it. Surely, it was not the heartbreak the main cause, but it drained her magic, made her weaker when she should have been stronger." The warlock exhaled a deep sigh. "Magnus is holding on so far, but his magic has lost its spark and his light is getting dull."

"But Alec didn't leave him, never to return!" Simon exclaimed, frustrated with how things seemed to have developed so far. "He and I have been trying to find a way to get back for weeks now, surely he must know his Consort will not stay behind when he's in trouble."

"Magnus has been abandoned before." Ragnor said simply and the sharp tang of pain filled Simon's senses. He almost felt sorry for Alec for having to listen to this. "And while he is aware that Alec's love for him is true and it was not something he had wanted when he left, it still causes a rift in one's heart. He doesn't say anything and just tries to do damage control with Camille, but he is not the King you remember."

Simon gritted his teeth. "What do you do to stop her?" He asked, fisting his palms in uselessness.

"I'm stalling the Consort ceremony and Cat is tending throughout the land to those hurt by Camille's henchmen."

"She won't buy for long your stall." Simon said, ruffling his hair in frustration. "And when she realizes you've been leading her on, she will get revenge."

Ragnor bared his teeth in challenge. "Let her come. I would gladly see her bleed." He said fiercely and Simon admired momentarily his thirst for getting back at her. He knew that Ragnor wanted nothing more than to see the person who killed Raphael pay for her crime.

"Tell Magnus we're coming." Simon said after a short silence and with the wave of his hand, revealed Alec's presence, startling Ragnor.

"Alec…?"

The prince looked at the warlock with eyes blazing with emotions. "Tell him I'll kick his ass when I see him."

Simon grinned at Alec's words. "And have him prepare a portal cause we're going to come in crashing Camille's party." He added, taking a stand next to Alec and both of them looking at Ragnor with stubborn expressions.

The warlock finally smiled, seeing the proverbial light at the end of a tunnel. "Get back safe." He said before the dream dispersed.


The moment they were back in Simon's room, Alec stood up and went to the balcony where he could see the sea bathing in the moonlight. Emotions were running high inside of his soul and it frustrated him even more when he knew he couldn't even vent them to the person who caused all of this. If Magnus had trusted him, if Magnus had discussed with him, then maybe neither would have been in this situation.

He thought of you, of your family.

The treacherous voice inside his mind whispered and Alec closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. He was aware that Magnus didn't hide the truth of his situation because he had wanted to, but because he hadn't wanted Alec to choose between him and his family. And yet, he couldn't help feeling bitter, wondering if Magnus would hide more things like this in their future. If they even got to have a future together.

Simon's steps were heard behind him and Alec waited for him to speak up. It didn't take long and while this was one of the things he liked about Simon, he wished he would have shut up a little longer.

"Where did you get the magic, Alec?"

The question took him by surprise, despite having expected it at some point. But he had believed Simon would have addressed the problem of Magnus hiding the problems away from them. Apparently, he had been wrong.

"Does it matter?" He replied, not turning to look at the enchanter.

"It does." The reply was simple and sober enough to have Alec sigh. "Your family already dealt a bad card in the past with magic. You should know better than to do the same."

A derisive laugh left Alec's lips. "It helped get you past those wards, that's all you need to know for now."

"Need to know?" Simon bristled all over and before Alec could react, he was turned around, the enchanter's grip fierce on his arm. His eyes were angry, but Alec was a little bit past caring. "You saw what happened when Magnus kept secrets from us! I think the most important thing right now is to be honest with each other, not to hide away things that might come back and bite us in the ass."

Alec's eyes narrowed at the truth in Simon's words. "Did you tell Isabelle that you wanted her because she reminded you of Raphael?" He heard his own voice asking and even if he saw the stricken expression of Simon, he couldn't bring himself to feel sorry or regretful – not right now.

"That is none of your business." The enchanter replied as he released Alec's hand like it burned him.

"Is not?" Alec smirked as he straightened. "Is she not my sister you're sleeping with? Is she not my sister you've used for your amusement?" He stated and for a morbid moment, enjoyed seeing Simon pale with each sentence. "Is she not my sister who's fallen in love with you, regent of Magnifia?" He pushed his finger in the other man's chest. "It is every bit my business because you lied to her from the very start."

"No, he hasn't." Isabelle's voice was heard from the balcony's door and Alec raised his head to see her angry and disappointed expression. "While I appreciate your brotherly concern, my and Simon's relationship is our business only. And you have no say in it."

Alec said nothing for a few more moments, looking defiantly at her and just like his anger and annoyance had quickly bubbled to the surface and pooled over Simon it now deflated out of him, making place for shame and embarrassment. "Greaters," he murmured as he turned his back on them, staring again at the sea, "I'm sorry." He said, unable to face either one of them. He had said words he had used to think and had convinced himself out of believing them. He had meddled in their relationship where he had no right to do so.

"Apologies accepted." Simon's voice was heard and even if it was leveled, Alec realized it took the enchanter a whole lot of self-control to actually not snap at him and turn him in a toad or something.

"What happened?" Isabelle asked, concern and the faintest trace of annoyance lacing her tone.

"We made a break." Simon replied, the gasp of surprise from her bringing a soft smile on his face. "We talked with Ragnor." He added and took her hand, dragging her inside the room and giving Alec the privacy he should have given from the beginning.

"And this is what's got Alec's pants in a twist?" She threw a worried glance towards the solitary figure of her brother.

Simon sighed. "Yeah." He paused and then decided to follow his own advice at not keeping secrets anymore – "Magnus was indeed tricked by Camille with the debt he took from your parents and she had used his feelings for Alec and his family to get herself the Consortship."

Isabelle frowned. "I thought only a human could be a Consort."

"That's the rule, but rules can be changed and Greaters know Camille loves breaking rules and changing them to her like." Simon replied and his voice carried the memories of his years spent with Camille. "But what must've bothered Alec was the fact that Magnus hid this situation from him. I understand him, I'm pretty pissed off myself for the way my kind handled this situation."

Isabelle touched his cheek tenderly. "Even so, that was no excuse for him to speak to you like that. I also understand he is worried, but you are completely my business."

Simon felt his heart stumble in his chest and he wondered just how he ended up having such a beautiful and wonderful person love him so simply and without restraint. "As you are mine." He said, taking her hand and pressing a soft kiss on it.

She smiled at him and Simon knew that this was what he wanted to see on her face every day. And he wanted to be the reason for it. "I…" He started, but then fell silent, piquing Isabelle's interest, but she was patient. She had known from the beginning that loving Simon would require a lot of patience, but what she had with him was worth it.

"I didn't simply want you because you reminded me of Raphael." He finally spoke, surprising her momentarily. They have talked about Raphael, about how he had been drawn to her because she seemed to have the same defiant spark as he had. What she had told Alec it had been the truth – Simon might've skirted around some truths, but he hadn't lied to her about what they were.

"I know." She said and as she did it lightly and with understanding, Simon felt like an incredible weight had lifted from his chest. He hadn't known it had been there until he had said out loud and heard Isabelle's reply. "The same as I know it takes a new love to move on from an old one." She continued, surprising the enchanter with her simple manner of presenting the facts, even those of love. "I could never fathom you not loving Raphael the way you did, just as I could never expect you not to be reminded of him in someone's demeanor even if it's just something faint. Love, old or new, leaves scars, some good and some bad. It leaves traces behind and it is everyone's choice whether to let those traces rule their life and decisions."

Simon gulped down the emotions which got stuck in his throat and he wondered if he was getting the wedding jitters instead of Lydia. "I am so lucky I met you." He said and leaned in to kiss her, her soft chuckle tickling his lips.

"You damn are." Alec said as he entered the room, looking still surly, but definitely embarrassed. Isabelle arched an eyebrow at him and he shuffled his legs uncomfortably. "I sincerely apologize for my earlier behavior. I meddled where I shouldn't have." He addressed to Simon, looking at him straightforwardly as he wanted him to understand he was truly sorry.

A smirk curled Simon's lips as nodded in acknowledgement. "Then will you tell us from where did you get the magic?" He asked and he almost heard the curse words escaping Alec's lips as Isabelle looked on turns at them.

"Magic? Alec, you have magic?" She asked and went to him, touching him as if he was going to suddenly combust into magic.

"You had to say it, hadn't you?" Alec leaned slightly to look at a smug Simon.

"You need to tell us." He shrugged, obviously unapologetic of using such schemes.

"I was going to," Alec hissed, batting away his sister's prodding hands, "but on my own terms."

"There's no time, Alec, and you know it. Besides, we have to make sure it's not another trap of Camille's and who's best to know, but I?" Simon argued back and Alec saw no flaw with his reasoning.

"Izzy, stop it. I cannot use magic." Alec caught her hands slightly irritated, but she just pouted at him. "Really, I can't." He added on a softer tone and his sister went back to Simon's side with a deflated expression.

"Then how come your energy is drenched in magic?" Simon asked with a frown on his face. "It was you who broke through those wards, you know that, right?"

Alec nodded. "I know because I've been told how to do it." He confessed as he took a chair and sat down, looking at them. "A week and a half ago, Jocelyn contacted me."

"Jocelyn, Clary's mother?" Isabelle frowned in confusion and Alec recalled that he and Simon hadn't told everyone the connections between Clary and the Greater Gods.

"Yes," he seemed to hesitate a bit, exchanging a quick glance with Simon, "Jocelyn is a Greater God." He went ahead with the whole truth, like ripping a bandage.

Isabelle's eyes rounded in surprise, not believing what she was hearing. They had been living with a Greater God? She had braided the hair of a Greater God?! "Oh, Greaters. Or should I say, oh, Jocelyn?" She looked at them, shock pretty visible on her face still.

Simon chuckled softly as he pressed a kiss on her temple. "I think that would sound weird and kinky." He joked, hoping to diffuse some of her possible worries and it paid right when she elbowed him playfully.

Alec's lips quirked at their familiarized antics and the need to be by Magnus' side hit him hard. He needed to get to Magnifia as soon as possible. "Anyway," he cleared his throat, drawing the two lovebirds' attention, "she is a Greater God and has offered to help me get back to Magnifia. She gave me magic to break through the wards."

"And you just agreed to this…? I mean, she's a Greater God who imprisoned her only daughter." He pointed out, once more causing Isabelle to gasp in surprise. "I'll tell you all later." He promised to her before she could ask anything and to Alec's marvel, she did.

"You know it wasn't her choice to imprison Clary there." Alec reminded Simon who shrugged in response. "Besides, I don't care if she does it from the goodness of her heart or because she has ulterior motives. Right now, Magnus needs us and I'll take all the help necessary."

"Even if it kills you in the meantime?" Simon asked gravely, feeling Isabelle tense next to him.

Alec stood up and smiled at him grimly, but with a whiff of superiority in the same time. "I won't die that easily." He announced, his eyes flicking to his sister who already harbored a pleading expression. "Don't forget we still have Lily and Maia on the hunt for the aliqvi. Not all is lost, Simon, have a little faith." And with that, he excused himself and left them alone.

But Simon didn't escape Isabelle's inquiries.


Out of all three siblings, Max hadn't believed he would be the one tying the knot first. Quite the contrary, he had believed he would never get married, always having thought that having a wife would be as nagging as a nanny. But being with Lydia, there was nothing of the sort – sure, she did nag sometimes, but this kind of nag only warmed his heart and ultimately, his bed.

Everything had happened so fast. She had been his brother's short term fiancée, but she had never liked Alec, her attention being only for him. When Max had started falling in love with her, he couldn't be sure, but now they were one step away from being forever together, united under the vows of marriage.

He had thought he would have second thoughts, maybe an illogical fear before the wedding, but right now, all he wanted was to see his bride walk down the path towards him, to see her smile and know it was because of their love, because of him.

Not even the weak December sun could dim down the radiating warmth he was feeling as he waited for Lydia under the flowery arch they have settled near the cliffs. When they have had to choose between a typical church or the palace's courtyards, both he and Lydia had chosen the latter, more specifically near the cliffs. It had felt to them that this place had a special appeal and Max hadn't been able to shake away the feeling that this is where he should end his celibacy and start anew with his beautiful wife.

As soon as the carriage pulled by two white stallions approached, Max's heart started beating faster and his grey eyes darkened with emotion. Next to his left, Alec reached to put his hand over his shoulder in a brotherly show of support. Max didn't turn, but he smiled and relaxed visibly. This was right, this was what he had hoped to have with Lydia ever since he had discovered she was pretty much everything he had wished in for a woman. No, she was truly everything he could have wished for.

The ceremony wasn't to be grand, only family and close friends having gathered as they had wished. Surely, the party was going to be something huge since Maryse and Charlotte Branwell wouldn't have it otherwise, but for their union ceremony, only those who mattered were present. And Max couldn't even express just how happy he was that Alec was here with him.

The carriage stopped and so did Max's heart as he watched Lydia get out of it with the grace of a goddess. She was dressed in a beautiful bride gown which fit her body snugly at the waist, then cascaded into waves to the ground, sweeping it as she took a few steps. The green-tinted color glowed in the weak sunlight, making her look divine sent with her golden hair pinned in lush ringlets which fell softly over her shoulders and back. Her arms were covered in white long gloves and she carried a small bouquet of lily-of-the-valleys. Where she managed to get them, Max didn't know, but one thing was sure – he was one of the luckiest men on planet.

She began walking towards him, brushing past the path of rose petals they have scattered over the red carpet which led to the arch. Isabelle sniffed on his right and he heard Simon murmur something, but he couldn't care, his eyes were all set on Lydia.

"You look precious." He said to her as she was handed to him by Henry, as the exchange of promises to take care of her ended.

Lydia smiled brightly at him. "I feel precious." She replied teasingly, getting a soft laugh out of him. He turned them both towards the minister who was going to perform the ceremony and unite them in the sacrament of love.

Alec looked at them, smiling widely and with a hint of nostalgia. Knowing how Max's life would have ended without magic, it was truly a miracle to see him now, on his wedding day. To see him smile, to see him happy was what Alec wanted for his little brother and if magic helped, he wouldn't hesitate using it again.

His gaze slid from Max and Lydia to Simon and Isabelle and seeing them holding hands, Izzy watching the marrying couple and Simon watching her, it made Alec's heart squeeze just slightly in pain. It was clear that Isabelle had found her love too and she would hold fiercely onto it and while he had said nasty words to Simon, he also knew that the enchanter loved his sister. He was happy for his siblings, he wished them the best with their lovers, but… he wished Magnus was here.

Blinking away unexpected tears, he looked at the minister and tried focusing on the words he was saying. However Ragnor's words of how Magnus was magically affected by heartbreak kept ringing in his ears and he could only think of how stupid Magnus had been, how stupid he had been. He had realized last night that Tessa had warned him – in her cryptic manner – that he was going to be made to leave and she had asked him to stay. But he had forgotten everything the moment his own mother has appeared to tell him about Max.

If only they have discussed what was happening, if only Magnus had trusted him enough to make the right decision, they wouldn't be now separated and suffering because of this. He took a deep, shuddered breath and he felt the supportive hand of Jace on his arm. He looked to his right and he saw his best friend looking at him questioning.

Jace had lost Clary years ago and back then, Alec hadn't understood him completely. But now he did, now he understood what his best friend must've felt when he realized he couldn't find Clary anymore. And he had kept her location a secret from him. Simon was right – keeping truths away only drove wedges between friends and lovers, allowed the evil to slip in and separate them.

He smiled and shook his head at Jace's questioning look, deciding in that moment that after the wedding he was going to tell him about Clary. He had a right to know, just like he had had a right to know about Camille. He would go back to Magnus, but he was going to hear him this time – no more secrets, they have promised before. Well, this time, they had to make good on that promise.

"Repeat after me." The minister said and Alec focused onto the ceremony, pushing his thoughts aside.

"Before my friends and family, I, Maxwell Lightwood, take thee my friend, Lydia Branwell, to be my spouse, promising, through divine assistance, to be unto her a loving and faithful spouse, so long as we both on these realms shall live."

Alec noticed a slight tremble to Max's voice, but the radiant expression on his face told him it was not fear which caused it, but emotions which seemed to have found their way in his tone. As Max turned to take the ring from him, a simple gold band, Alec touched him briefly, calming his nerves and emotions through magic.

"Before my friends and family, I, Lydia Branwell, take thee my friend, Maxwell Lightwood, to be my spouse, promising, through divine assistance, to be unto her a loving and faithful spouse, so long as we both on these realms shall live."

It was Lydia's turn to say and she twisted just a little to take the ring from Isabelle and then slid it on Max's finger. She looked brighter and happier than a sunny day, even if her blue eyes were slightly moist.

"You have declared your consent before the Temple. May the Greater Gods in their goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with their blessings. What Greaters have joined, men must not divide." The minister said and then, grabbed their hands and brought them together in a hold, covering them with his own. "I declare you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Cheers and applauses erupted from their friends and family as Max turned to Lydia and without hesitation, pulled her in and kissed her deeply, love and happiness exuding from both of them. And Alec could literally see the magic dancing around them, weaving itself in knots of pink energy. He looked around discreetly, but only Simon could see it if he were to judge it by the peculiar expression he wore on his face. His gaze was caught by his and Simon nodded as if he was aware of what Alec was seeing.

Alec recalled what Tessa once told him – magic is not extinct in Idris, just locked away. And it always found a way to manifest. Maybe there was hope for the realms still.


Two days later after the wedding, Alec sought out Jace with the intent to tell him about Clary, especially since he and Simon were going to visit Ragnor again tonight and hopefully they would get the portal to Magnifia. He was told that Jace was outside at the stables and he was on his way when he heard the commotion farther away, near the gates.

Curious, he headed towards it, surprised to see his guards gathered and blocking entrance to two travellers. While Idris wasn't easily invaded, the security wasn't that tight near the castle so it rarely happened that his guards would adamantly block someone's entrance. If they were to seek an audience with someone from the royal family, they were simply notified and then invited along for a discussion – sure, there were specific days for when to seek an audience and Alec wasn't sure today was one of it.

Nonetheless, he approached the commotion – "Guards, what seems to be the problem?" He asked as soon as he reached them, the men quickly making way for him. But as he laid eyes on the travellers, he didn't hear a thing of what a guard said. "Maia, Lily!" He breathed their names out and the girls looked just as shocked as him before charging him in a fierce hug, dumbfounding the guards who had been ready to cut them from going towards their prince.

But Alec laughed and caught them in his arms, taking a few steps back before he regained his balance. "I can't believe you're here!" He said with awe, looking at them on turns.

It seemed like he hadn't seen them in ages and even if there were obvious changes, they looked the same. Maia had her hair long and braided, her face weathered as it seemed dusted with gold. Lily had cut her hair short and looked wiser, more fulfilled like both of them have rediscovered themselves in their hunting journey.

"Right back at you, prince." Lily said, arching an eyebrow in question.

"It's a long story. Why don't we go inside?" He looked slightly uncomfortable and indescribably sad, worrying the two girls immediately. "Thank you, guys." He then addressed the guards who were still baffled with the change. "They're my friends."

Lily turned at them with a smug face before she took Maia by the elbow and followed Alec. "They wouldn't let me in because of my sword." She complained to Alec who glanced quickly at her sheathed sword and chuckled. Now he understood why there had been a commotion.

"Yeah, we don't let people in with any weaponry, for security reasons." Alec replied, a slight amusement in his words as he could see Lily refusing to let her sword at the gate.

They entered the castle and Alec led them to the guests' living room, asking a servant to bring them some refreshments and something to eat. He gestured for the two of them to sit as he took a seat across of them. "So, how come you're here? Is it just a stop on the way to other islands?" He asked eagerly, looking at her with mixed emotions – he was happy to see them, to know they are alright even after he had asked them to go on a dangerous adventure. But also, their presence reminded him of Magnus and Clary, of Ragnor and Cat who were left behind and to whom he couldn't wait to return to.

Maia chuckled softly. "We're here to collect the last aliqvi." She said to him, looking proud and amused by his startle.

"What…? You found them all?"

Lily nodded. "Yes. The last one is here, in this place." She replied, feeling giddy with emotion. "Sure, the journey wasn't easy and there were some acolytes we had to fight with, but Magnifia's magic opened a lot of doors we couldn't have opened without it."

Alec was surprised to hear this and an unexpected need to see Tessa overwhelmed him. Despite her flaws, she had helped him, she had wanted him to stay. "Thank you." He reached over to them, grabbing a hold of their hands. "I am happy to see you both safe."

The girls blushed, but they smiled brightly and proudly. "Now… can we look around for the last aliqvi?" Lily asked after a few moments and Alec nodded immediately.

"I can help if you want." He said, but Maia shook her head.

"It's alright, the compass will point us to its location." She replied and Alec watched her curiously as she took out the magical compass Tessa had given it. With a touch of magic, its lid opened and revealed its starry quadrant with the aliqvi drawn on. Another brush of magic and the compass hands moved erratically before settled on one of the items which then rotated until the tip of the hand pointed its location.

Maia and Lily looked startled at the quadrant, then at Alec. They repeated the movement and Alec felt a trickle of nervousness slide down his back. "What's wrong?" He asked and stood up to come next to them.

A collective gasp left their lips as the aliqvi moved according to Alec's position. "It's you." Maia said in awe, staring at Alec with big eyes.

"I'm what?" He asked even more confused.

"No, it's the ring!" Lily pointed at his hand where he carried the Consort ring and instinctively, Alec covered it.

"It's the ring of love." He heard himself say and just like the hands and rotations of the compass, everything clicked in place. "It's the last aliqvi."

Maia and Lily smiled brightly at him. "Yes! It's always been under your nose. Now we can free your friend, Clary."

"Clary?" A new voice was heard and Alec turned on the spot to look at Jace who had just entered the room. The two girls turned as well, their eyes curious and apprehensive in the same time. "Did you just say free Clary?" He asked, his golden eyes glued to Maia and Lily.

"Yes." Lily replied defiantly, jutting her chin out. "You got a problem with that?"

Jace felt lightheaded as he looked from them to the prince. "Alec, what are they talking about? What is this about freeing Clary?" He asked and Alec could see that he was slowly panicking.

"Jace, calm down." Alec started, hating that this was the way his best friend had to find out. He had wanted to tell him first, not to simply be shocked into the news. "We know where Clary is and we have a way to get her out." He continued, thinking that it was best to just let it all out.

"W-what?" Jace's voice trembled and he felt cold and hot in the same time. "You're not messing with me, are you, Alec?" He asked, his eyes filled with emotions.

"No." Alec shook his head and approached slowly. "It's true, I've seen her." He told Jace whose eyes rounded in surprise. In a fast movement, he was next to Alec and his hands were gripping his arms.

"You've seen her?! Where? When?!" The questions were hard and desperate, but Alec could relate to them so well.

"Glass City is in Magnifia." He answered on a soft and guilty voice, seeing the confusion settle in on Jace's face before anger took over.

"She's in Magnifia?!" Jace pushed Alec away from him, hurt clear in his voice and eyes. "You've lived there for almost half a year and you couldn't think to tell me that?!" He threw the accusation which Alec had expected. "You knew how much I looked for her, you know how much I still love her. And yet, you've been back for two weeks and you haven't thought once to tell me this."

Alec looked at him, not knowing what to say. He deserved the anger, the accuse, because he had hidden the truth away from Jace. "I'm sorry." He said, but even as he did so, it sounded lame and without substance.

Jace scoffed at his apology. "Sorry isn't going to cut it, Alec."

"Then maybe freeing your girlfriend will?" Lily spoke, drawing Jace's attention instantly.

"And who are you?" He asked rudely, his golden eyes flashing with annoyance.

"We are the ones who have been hunting some magical items which will allow you and us to break the redhead from her prison." Lily replied haughtily, going to stand next to Alec on his right side while Maia took on his left side.

"Jace, is it?" Maia said and Jace nodded curtly. "I'm Maia and she's my girlfriend, Lily, we're both Magnifia residents. I get it that you're pissed off right now for not being told where Clary is, but yelling won't help her break out. And Glass City is not your ordinary prison, so even if you knew where she was, you couldn't have helped her in any way."

Jace's lip curled in a mocking smirk. "You two are lovers, right?" He asked and ignored the way Lily seemed to have bristled as if he had personally offended her. "So, you're telling me that if one of you went missing, you'd accept quietly that someone close to you knew about your lover's whereabouts and didn't tell you?" He asked them, their silence being more than an answer. "That's what I was thinking." He added derisively, but the anger was slowly subduing, leaving behind mainly hurt and disappointment.

"Jace." Alec called to him and he looked at him reluctantly. "I didn't want you to hurt more than you already was. Finding Clary in Magnifia had been a surprise to me as well, but like Maia said, there was nothing we could have done to get her out."

"I could have come to Magnifia and stayed next to her prison." Jace said with a cool voice, despite the blazing emotions in his eyes. "I could have kept her company, I could have been there for her."

"You would have died in front of her eyes." Lily countered before Alec could say anything. "You think a human can withstand the magic in Magnifia? Alec is the Consort, he is magically tied to our King. You, on the other hand, are an ordinary non magical being and instead of helping your lover, you would have caused her more grief. She is holding her own there because she knows you're out here and living your life and maybe, one day, she hopes to see you again."

Jace looked at Lily with a scowl on his face. He didn't want to see the truth in her words or to listen to the reasoning of withholding back this truth. But he had to because it was Clary and she was alone there, holding onto their memory together and onto their love. He owned it to her to save her and if in doing so, he had to cast aside Alec's betrayal, he would.

"Tell me how can we save her now." He demanded and Alec had to thank Lily and Maia for their interference. Maybe Jace would have reacted more, blamed more than he did now if it hadn't been for them, but their presence and their words had given his friend the impulse he needed to pull himself together over the news of Clary's whereabouts and get to action.

"We bargain with the Greaters." Alec started and to Jace's frown, he gestured to the sofas. "Let's sit down first. There's a long story behind Clary's imprisonment."


Later that day, Alec had gathered everyone in the royal office, having decided that it was time that everyone knew what were their plans about Clary and getting back to Magnifia. He was glad that Max and Lydia hadn't left for their honeymoon yet as he wanted to say goodbye to them before leaving.

So after a short exchange of pleasantries between Maia, Lily and the rest of them, Alec had them sit down and given them a summary of Clary's her real origins and whereabouts and how they intended to get her out. They were only missing a portal to Magnifia since the usual access was under the control of Camille.

"And how are you going to get the portal?" Max asked, looking from Alec to Simon.

"We thought we could have used Lily and Maia's portal stones, but apparently they can't be used from here since Idris' magic isn't available anymore." Alec said with a sigh and the girls offered him an apologetic look. "We'd have to travel to Uriba or even Ice Island to get a shot of getting through Magnifia."

"But, with the wards up, we cannot guarantee it will pass through." Simon replied, looking tiredly at everyone. "Only a portal powered by King's power can breach the wards safely for us to pass."

"Magnus contributed to the portal stones' creation." Alec tilted his head to look at Simon.

"Contributed, but not completely created." Simon pointed out the difference, getting a collective ahh from everyone. "The wards are up so it stops anything or anyone trying to come from outside. If the King's powers are mixed with someone else's it will still consider it an intruder and we could end up in the mouth of the kraken."

"Kraken?" Lydia asked in surprise.

"Magnifia is surrounded and protected by two krakens." Simon explained with a grimace. "It attacks even the King."

"Really?" Isabelle looked at him in surprise.

Simon allowed a small smile. "Yeah, actually that's how I ended up Regent. Saved the King's stupid ass." He couldn't keep away the boastful manner.

"Magnus?" Max asked and Simon nodded.

"He thought he could get to an agreement with the beasts, but in the end he was dragged in the water and almost eaten alive. I used magic to pull him out of the water." He related the incident and Alec could imagine how this all went down.

"You yelled at him, didn't you?" He asked Simon who couldn't keep away the blissful expression which appeared on his face.

"Best five minutes of my life." He admitted and everyone snorted or laughed.

"Sober up." Jace ordered from his corner, looking at everyone with a brooding expression. "We need to get to Magnifia one way or another. So any ideas?"

Simon and Alec exchanged a look. "We managed to contact Ragnor a couple of days ago and we told him to have Magnus create a portal for us. We will try again to contact Ragnor and hopefully we will get the portal."

"But how? Aren't you going to be here?" Lydia asked, curiosity and concern written on her face.

"Yes," Simon replied with a hint of mystery, "but Magnus thought me how to use my dreamwalk abilities to get something or someone from here to there." He revealed and Alec clearly recalled the one time he had witnessed Simon do this. "Surely, I wouldn't trust to actually work here in Idris due to your shortage of magic, but Alec has been communicating with Jocelyn, one of the Greater Gods."

Everyone, except Simon and Isabelle, looked at Alec immediately, making him feel under interrogation. "She wants to save her daughter and I'm Consort to Magnifia. She has left her duties as a Greater God control her life and her daughter's life for too long and now she wants to help. So, she has given me magic to help Simon break through the wards."

A short silence followed after his words and Alec wondered if he had done the right thing to say this to them. "Okay, cool. We have a Greater God on our side, I think our chances of winning are good." Max finally spoke and everyone quickly nodded to his assessment.

Alec let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding back. "Yeah, I think so too." He said, feeling the slight jab of guiltiness for giving only half of the truth regarding Jocelyn. But that was not a secret he could share, despite their latest agreement. It wasn't even entirely his secret to share and it was essential it was kept a secret until the last confrontation.

"Okay, so… we will go visit Ragnor and try to get the portal." Simon spoke and gestured Alec to take a seat on the floor, quickly following him. "Try not to wake us." He grinned at them before he told Alec to close his eyes and empty his mind.

The rush of magic washed over Simon and soon it engulfed Alec too, sending them in the same tornado as the last time. Alec glanced at Simon and did the same thing as their first time breaking through, but instead of sending them tumbling through the wards of Magnifia and Ragnor's, it pushed them back in the real life, the two men repelling each other with the power of a strong wind.

Alec hit the big desk behind him and Simon hit the door. Noises were heard all around them, worried voices flying back and forth. "What…the hell…happened?" Alec groaned as he massaged his head, having hit it hard on the solid wood.

On the other side of the office, Simon was slowly rising to his feet, but his face was white as a sheet. "Ragnor is in pain. Camille must've found out about his stalling plan." He heaved the words out, looking like he was going to get sick any minute. "We need to get there fast."

"How?" Lily asked, looking concerned for Alec as she kneeling on his side. "Our portal stones don't work on the wards and you cannot get the portal from Magnus. Should we combine our dreamwalking abilities?"

Simon shook his head. "It wouldn't work either way. Alec's the one pumped with Greater God magic and it still shut us out. When someone is in pain, the emotion is so high it won't penetrate anything else. And I'm assuming that either Magnus or Catarina are busy with keeping Camille in control and Ragnor to get through his pain. They cannot help us."

"What if we try to communicate the way I did with Alec?" Isabelle suggested, touching her necklace for everyone to see.

"It's not going to help us." Simon looked at her with an apologetic look. "If it would have been a portal stone created by King, yes, but us appearing there as translucent persons won't help us or them." He said and caressed her cheek softly.

Isabelle felt a memory slid gently in her mind and with a sudden expression of realization, she gripped the necklace stone tighter. "It is." She said in a whisper which only Simon heard. "It is." She repeated with a louder voice and looked at everyone with shinning eyes.

"What is?" Jace asked, frustration clear in his voice.

"My necklace. It is a portal stone created by the King." Everyone looked at her as if she was suddenly crazy, even more when she laughed. "Before Magnus left, he gave me this necklace saying I could contact Alec any time I wanted. Also he said that it was a portal should there be a need to get to Magnifia, seeking help or Alec."

Everyone was suddenly silent and their eyes were locked on the ruby stone, now seemingly to have taken a glow at the intensity of their stare. "Now I'm not sure if you're looking at the stone or my chest." Isabelle broke their focus by joking and there were some hasty look away movement and more practiced roll of the eyes.

"Give it to me." Simon asked for the necklace and although Isabelle hated to part with the beautiful jewelry, she gave it to her lover. The enchanter took it and seemed to weigh, check it like an experienced jeweler. Then he closed his eyes and red tendrils of magic surrounded his fist as he closed it around the ruby.

A few moments later, he smiled and looked at everyone – "It's genuine. I can't feel anyone's magic but Magnus'."

Alec looked at him with a hopeful expression. "Then what are we waiting?"

Simon handed Isabelle's necklace back to her and with a small reverence, he said – "Do the honors, heiress."

With a slight nervous laughter, Isabelle took the necklace and with a deep breath, she threw the stone on the floor where it broke in a blinding smoke of red and white, an oval doorway forming. "Let's go." She said excitedly and looked at Simon who seemed confused for a moment.

"You're not coming." He said and Isabelle arched an eyebrow at him.

"I sure am." She countered and soon enough, Max and Lydia joined her in this.

"We're coming too."

Alec interfered immediately – "You cannot. Someone has to look after Idris. You cannot abandon this island. We'll let you know once it is over."

"The hell you are." Isabelle argued back and looked angrily at her brother. "I'm not staying behind while my lover and my brother are going to fight against gods and magic. I am coming and that's final."

Alec looked at her for a few moments, then exchanged a knowing look with Simon. "Fine. Grab a sword then, we might need it." He agreed much to Simon's chagrin. "But you two must stay." Alec turned to Max and Lydia, his gaze lingering a few more moments on Lydia. "We cannot leave Idris unprotected and you know what this could mean to Teika, Max." He clasped his hand over his little brother's shoulder. "I'll make sure Izzy gets back safe, but please stay and protect Idris."

Max felt himself conflicted with emotions, but in the end nodded. "You have my word, Alec. Just be safe and protect our sister."

"Always." He grinned at Max before pulling him in a hug and pressing a quick kiss on Lydia's head. "Take care of each other and our land." He looked at his brother's wife with a hidden meaning which she got as she nodded in agreement. Max was safer in Idris.

"Alright. I'm here." Isabelle came back with a sword tucked at her hip over her red dress. "Didn't have time to change." She added as Simon looked at her with an amused, but exasperated expression.

"You're alright. We'll fight only if needed." Alec said and looked at Jace who was wearing a grim, but stubborn expression. "We'll free Clary, but first we have to free Magnifia." He said to his friend who nodded in return. "Okay, see you in Magnifia." He added and with a smile full of hope and strength, he crossed the realms, his friends and family quickly following him.