Chapter 38

Aidan Briosag awoke from a light, restless sleep, every nerve tingling with alarm. He could hear the sounds of fighting in the distance, but still, closer than they'd been when he closed his eyes. There was a new strange, sound to the battle that hadn't been there before, and he supposed that was what woke him. Rising hastily he grabbed weapons and made his way out of the building. He would dearly have loved to stop and see Morag, make sure she and little Aiden were secure, but that was a luxury of time he didn't have.

"Report!" Aidan barked as his new second in command came into view. God, he missed Hamish who had served him so long they could finish each other's sentences. Grimwald, a young vampire was a talented and able replacement, but they were still getting used to each other and it wasn't fair to compare him to Hamish who Aidan had known for centuries.

"Druganin has had a demon summoned, we are taking heavy casualties." Grimwald reported. "I was just coming to get you."

"Damn!" Aidan swore softly before switching to his native Gaelic to outline just what he'd like to do to the Hellfire club in general, and Druganin in particular. "Any idea what kind of demon they've unleashed?" he asked.

"It's that one they had at Eilean Donan, the one that killed Hamish." Grimwald said.

"Belial!" Aidan hissed. This was bad news indeed. The greater demon had been difficult to subdue when he'd had the powerful Magnus Bane by his side, now he was alone, and already depleted from protecting the underground.

"A-Adian...;" A soft voice spoke from behind the High Warlock, and he turned to see Morag Nightshade standing there. From the look on her face, Aidan knew she had heard his conversation with Grimwald. "I'm coming with you. It will take more than one warlock to deal with Belial. I know I'm a healer, not a fighter, but this is my home too and Hamish was my friend."

"What about the child?" He asked wanting to find a reason to deny her, to keep her safe.

"I've left him with two of the vampire nurses, they know what to do in the event the Hellfire Club breaks through our defenses."

Aidan looked at her beautiful, stubborn face and knew that he had a better chance to beat Belial with her, than without her. A brief nod was all he could trust himself to give, and then they were running, toward the sounds of battle, toward the future, whatever that would be...

~~~~!~~~~

Alexander Lightwood paced the length of his mother's downtown Alicante loft, or prison, as he had come to think of it. This time of waiting and uncertainty had not been kind to the young husband and father. His face, thinner now, wore a haunted, gloomy look matching the heavy thunder clouds that had threatened the city since daybreak.

His mother, and sometimes Clary, Izzy or Jace depending on who was visiting, kept him apprized of the trial and news from the New York Institute, but the frustration of being powerless to help his loved ones grew more and more intolerable as the days passed. The only respite came from the intense training he continued to do in his mother's home gym.

A knock on the door, startled Alec from his dark thoughts, and, as he moved to admit his visitor, he heard the first rolls of thunder heralding the coming storm. Standing in the hallway was his father, Robert Lightwood Inquisitor for the Clave, his face grim, his eyes shadowed with pain and anger.

Stepping aside to allow the older man to enter, Alec asked anxiously; "What's happened, has the Court returned a verdict?"

"N-no, no not yet;" Robert stammered slightly, understanding how this sudden visit must look to his son, and knowing that the news he brought would be just as unwelcome. "I have news from New York, about Aiden...;"

"F-from New York? is Aidan in New York, is he alright;" Alec interrupted as a thrill of anxiety ratcheted up his spine.

"Alec, listen carefully, there is not much time!;" Robert responded urgently before Alec could interrupt again. Quickly, he advised is son of the terrible news from Edinburgh. As Inquisitor, Robert had the authority to release Alec from house arrest, although doing so would probably end his career. "Jace, Izzy, and some of the other shadowhunters from the New York Institute are on their way to Edinburgh. I understand that some of the New York Downworld leaders are also sending help. I'm releasing you from house arrest Alec, Catarina Loss is downstairs, she will open a portal to Edinburgh."

The look on Alec's face told Robert all he needed to know. "Go and save my grandson! Your mother and I will stand with Magnus while the Court deliberates." A sudden swirl of his stele released the wards that had confined Alec. "I took the liberty of collecting some weapons for you, they are in the hallway."

The look of gratitude on his son's face was all the thanks Robert needed. Whatever happened next, he knew he would not regret his actions this day.

~~~~!~~~~

It was the witching hour, 3:00 am when the swirling green magic of a portal opened next to the Witch Trials Memorial on the Royal Mile. The shadowhunters of the New York Institute, and a cadre of vampires and werewolves led by Lilly and Maia tumbled out followed by Jenny Bone.

Dusting himself off from a rather rough landing, Jace turned to Jenny Bone and said; "You aren't going to insist on blindfolding us this time, are you?" Several years ago Jenny had brought himself, Izzy and Magnus to the Witch Trials Memorial, where they had been blindfolded before being taken on to the Edinburgh underground. It was their first meeting with Aidan Briosag, and relations between the shadowhunters and downworld in the city had necessitated tight security. Still he could not imagine Jenny leading this number of people blindfolded into the tunnels, it would take forever.

"Don't be silly!" Jenny snapped. "We are waiting for two more to join us though, so keep your shirt on." She could see the tension in every line of Jace's body, and knew he was anxious to get moving. Delay for any reason seemed intolerable; well, Jenny thought, they would have plenty of action soon enough, and she suspected he would not begrudge this short wait once he knew who was coming.

The faint glimmerings of another portal formed on the wall nearby and two people emerged. Jace was the first to recognize his parabatai and moved to greet Alec with a warm hug.

"By the angel, it's good to see you..." He said.

"Has the Court returned a verdict? Is Magnus free?" Izzy interrupted.

Alec took a deep breath; "No, father told me what was happening, and released me. Let's get moving."

Without another word, the group fell into line behind Jenny Bone, several of them mumbling greetings and expressions of support to Alec as they did so. He was more than grateful for this show of strength and support from New York. It seemed like a life time ago that he was at the Institute, training Josh, Ian and Shivvy; attending meetings with Lilly and Maia to work out downworld/Clave issues, and living a blessed life with Magnus and Aiden. Suddenly, he felt Jace's hand on his shoulder, offering strength, support, anything he needed at this difficult time, and he knew that the fate of his precious little family was important. These wonderful people had come at a moment's notice to help, and he was humbled.

Jenny led the group to a cleverly concealed entrance to the underground. She had to disable a few pesky wards before they could continue in. Jace and Alec dealt swiftly with the Hellfire club's guards. It was almost a relief to allow the years of elite training to explode into action.