Yes, I know two chapters in two days is a bit much, but I just didn't want to wait. I've had this chapter written for a while, and I really want to post it. Besides, I don't know when I'll get to post again, so might as well give two in a day than one. Hope you all enjoy! Please comment!

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or Cassandra Cane's books. If I did, I would already be reading her new Magnus Bane series set to be released next year.


Chapter 6: The Truth

When Magnus awoke, the first thing he registered was the smell. It was not a pleasant one. It had a stench that reminded him of demon ichor, but also mixed with dust, mud, and human urine. Not pleasant at all.

Magnus attempted to run his hand through his hair, only to have his arm jerked down. That was when he finally registered the feeling of cold metal on his wrists. Magnus looked down, seeing his hands shackled, the chains short and hammered into the ground. Just like back in Edom. Only this time, they weren't in a demon dimension controlled by his Prince of Hell father. Rather, in a dimension where his apparently alive younger half-sister was queen of an ancient race, and hated his very existence. Lovely.

He glanced around his cell. It was dark, and looked much like an ancient medieval dungeon cell, not that's he'd spent any time in those. There were large, stone block walls around them, with thick metal chains attached to the wall. All four walls had no door, nor a window. The ceiling was also bare, simple stone brick. If it had not been for the single torch on the wall, Magnus wouldn't have been able to see a thing.

The torch blazed brightly, but it didn't give off any heat. Also, the flame was white, so Magnus guessed it was magic fire. Besides that, it was freezing. Magnus clothes did little to protect him from the cold. There was no bed, no blankets, no bunks, no toilet, nor anything but the chains and torch. Magnus thought he was alone. Until he heard a shuffle at his side.

Magnus turned his head, looking at Alec. He didn't seem injured, or, further injured since their run in with those girls at the Amazon office. He was sitting with his back against the wall, his legs crossed, elbows resting on them, chin on his fists. His face was blank, as if he didn't even notice Magnus was awake, completely attached to the floor in front of his feet. Magnus could tell by that expression he was either deep in thought about the situation or he was contemplating how mad he was at Magnus. Probably both. So, Magnus decided to test the waters and see how deep he was in for it.

"Well this is comfy," Magnus said sarcastically, groaning a bit at he tried to stretch his stiff limbs. "Not exactly a five-star hotel, but nice. Although, it could definitely—"

"Magnus," Alec interrupted quietly, not even looking up at his boyfriend. Magnus snapped his mouth closed. Yep, Alec was mad at him. Well, seething was probably a more accurate description. When Alec was extremely, overwhelmingly anger, which rarely happened, he was the type to get silent, which in some ways was scarier than yelling and screaming. When Alec finally did lift his head off his hands and looked at Magnus, his eyes showed betrayal. Magnus felt guilt fill his stomach.

"Sister?" Alec asked quietly, his voice laced with confusion, anger, and betrayal. Magnus hung his head. At one point in his earlier life, Magnus would have scoffed and claimed the girl was lying, or question why anyone had the right to know about his past. But this was Alec, the one he loved more than anyone or anything, except maybe their children. Their relationship nearly broke years ago when Magnus barely said anything about his past. They had promised each other no more secrets, but Alec was just revealed to a new one, one that Magnus didn't even consider telling or even try to remember. This was one of the few times in the warlock's life where he felt utterly, truly ashamed.

"Honestly, Alexander," Magnus said, just as quietly and filled with guilt. "I didn't know she was alive."

"That's no excuse, Magnus, and you know it," Alec said firmly, his hands, now in his lap, balling into fists and anger tainting his voice a bit. "You still didn't talk about her. Even after we promised that there would be no more secrets about your past or anything else. Did you just want to keep it from me?"

"Not necessarily," Magnus said, staring intently at his wrists as he spoke. He couldn't meet Alec's betrayed expression, it hurt too much. But then again, Alec deserved to feel betrayed. Magnus had broken his promise, the most important one he made.

"Please, try to understand Alexander. Kiara was a challenging part of my life. She wasn't there that long, but whenever I think about her, I feel nothing but sorrow and regret. However, even though she was only in my life for a short time before disappearing, she still left her mark on me." Magnus paused, finally looking up at Alec. His eyes were filled with deep regret, making his amber eyes dark. Alec was still mad, his expression and eyes clearly showing it, but he was also being patient, silently urging Magnus to continue explaining before he became irrational.

"I treated her in ways I am not proud of," Magnus continued softly, pain and regret making his voice shake. "And when I heard she was dead…it left me devastated. I hadn't treated her like family at all, often times I acted as if she were a nuisance, and for a while I thought she was. But when I learned she was dead, I felt so ashamed of my actions and regretted it ever since. I just wasn't ready to talk about it. I haven't talked about it in two centuries. In fact, it barely crosses my mind anymore, probably because I block it out. Whenever I think about anything that can be connected to her, I redirect my thoughts."

As his boyfriend explained, Alec's glare softened as he looked at Magnus. His boyfriend's eyes were filled with pain, confusion, and heartache as he cast his eyes back to the chains on the floor. He was still mad that Magnus never said anything to him about having a sister, but in a way, Alec couldn't blame him. It's natural to try and suppress something you don't want to remember because the guilt or anger seems unbearable. But Magnus was immortal, and not talking about this for two hundred years was beyond unhealthy. Carefully, somewhat against his will, Alec stood and made his way over to the warlock. Then he sat down beside him, wrapping an arm around Magnus gingerly. Magnus found this comforting, and leaned against Alec a bit. He knew Alec was still mad, but was grateful that he was giving him a chance to explain himself.

"Why?" Alec asked quietly after a few moments of silence. His voice was soft and patient. "Why haven't you talked about this?" Magnus shrugged a bit, a humorless smile on his face.

"The pain was unbearable, I suppose," Magnus answered, staring at the chains around his wrists. "You know how you felt when your brother Max was killed? If I hadn't known you, would you have wanted to talk about it? Not just with me, but with anyone? Would you have ever wanted to tell me about it?" Alec considered what Magnus asked, and nodded. He understood Magnus' pain to a degree. Losing a sibling you loved was hard. But Alec still wanted to know more. And he wasn't going to let Magnus hide it. Not again.

"What happened?" Alec asked gently but commandingly, showing he wasn't going to let this go. Magnus looked up at Alec with sad eyes. Alec thought for just a moment, with how young the warlock looked, looking into his eyes showed how truly old he was. This was one of the moments when Alec registered just how much Magnus had been through, how long he had been alive, and what he had seen over the centuries. Magnus opened his mouth to answer.

Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps approaching, which broke the atmosphere. Both Alec and Magnus looked up in time to see a wooden cell door appear on the wall they were facing. The footsteps ceased, and the sound of the doorknob turning filled the small space. Alec held Magnus hand, and Magnus squeezed it back. The door opened, revealing Lady Hannah. She looked at Magnus and Alec with distaste in her gaze, still wearing the same outfit and armor she had been wearing. For a moment, they just looked at each other, silence filling the air.

"My queen is ready to speak with you," she finally said, any sort of emotion drained from her voice. But her eyes were filled with repressed judgement and coldness.

"Good," Alec said, making his way to stand. Just as he got to his feet, however, the gravity in the cell increased and a second later, Alec was forced to his knees. He struggled for a moment, trying to stand up, but that just made the gravity heavier, until he was flat on the ground, unable to move. On his left, Magnus was suffering the same treatment.

Lady Hannah stepped closer, the doorway vanishing behind her into a plain stone wall. As she moved closer, she pulled something out of her back pockets. The two pinned prisoners immediately recognized what they were. Two syringes.

"To prevent you two from finding a way to escape, certain precautions must be taken," Lady Hannah explained coldly, before she jammed both needles into their necks. Darkness overcame them once more.


When Magnus began to grow conscious again, he registered he was no longer on a hard floor. Instead, he was on something soft, and warm.

"Where am I?" Magnus asked quietly. Sitting up slowly, he rubbed his eyes in an attempt to stretch out, wake up more. When his eyes finally adjusted, he looked around the room.

He and Alec, who was still sleeping, were in a king size, mahogany four-poster bed with the deep red curtains pulled back. Looking around the room, Magnus guessed it was about as big as his loft living room, maybe bigger. Unlike his loft, it was not spectacularly decorated. Plain white walls, a simple mahogany dresser in the corner, and large glass windows with drawn curtains were all the other furniture in the room. On the opposite wall, there were large glass window doors that had no curtains. Looking outside from on the bed, he saw it was dark out, no stars out.

Magnus was filled with so many questions now. What was he doing? Wasn't he just in a cell? Where was this kingdom? How long had he been here? What time was it back home? Was Catrina trying to contact him? Were the boys alright? Magnus' head was spinning with questions, but he knew he had to be patient. Kiara was probably looking for a single misstep to justify his death. When he saw the single door on the wall to the right of the bed, he decided that was where they needed to go.

After waking up Alec and getting out of the bed, the two of them slowly approached the door. It was a simple door, wood, white paint, plain doorknob, nothing peculiar about it at all. But it still gave the two of them anxiety. Because whatever was beyond it was probably going to kill them. Magnus took Alec's hand, squeezing it not just to try and reassure Alec, but reassure himself. They had faced death hundreds of times, what's once more? Alec looked at Magnus and gave a firm nod. Slowly, he took the doorknob in his hand, turned it, and opened the door.

When it was fully open, it led to another room, with two figures already inside. Slowly, cautiously, Magnus and Alec stepped through, hands still locked firmly together. Once they were through the doorway, the door slammed shut behind them and vanished. They stopped for a moment when it shut and vanished, but then they turned back and kept moving forward, taking in their surroundings.

This room was much more grand and decorated than the room they woke up in. There was no bed or bedroom furnishings, but there were two plush leather couches just ahead of them on top of a plush, elaborate rug. They were facing each other, parallel, one with its back to the pair and the other with the front facing them. To the left of the couches there was a roaring fireplace that cast the room into an orange glow. To the right of them was a grand piano resting silently in the corner, top closed and piled with books. One wall was made of large windows that showed the dark sky outside. All along the rest of the walls, there were books. The walls were covered in them, as it if was made of books, but they knew it was just shelves built into the walls. Magnus deduced they were inside some sort of study.

Ahead of them, two figures were present. At first they weren't recognizable, but as they edged closer, the firelight illuminated one of them. Lady Hannah was standing behind the farther couch, glaring at them as the approached. The other figure was standing at the large, spacious glass windows, faced away from them. Once the two of them made it to the couches, they stopped, looking at Lady Hannah, who was glaring at them, daring them to try and do something funny.

"Where are we?" Magnus asked again, this time to the figure that was turned away.

"In my castle, brother." The last word was spoken with so much venom that it nearly made Magnus wince. Kiara turned around from the window, her face full of hatred and disgust in the firelight. She was still dressed in the attire she wore in the throne room, and that seemed to amplify the emotion in her eyes. Magnus felt guilt and shame fill his system rapidly as he looked into his sister's hatred-filled cat eyes.

"I was going to have you bound and chained during out discussion, Magnus," Kiara explained harshly. "But Lady Hannah said that it wouldn't be just. Our laws dictate that in any questioning, the accused has the right to remain comfortable, yet still guarded. Personally, I think I'd just like to burn you at the stake right now."

"Touch him and you'll be sorry," Alec responded immediately, much to Magnus shock. Alec almost never made threats to those harming Magnus, because he knew the High Warlock of Brooklyn could protect himself. Lady Hannah glared at the Nephilim.

"The serum I gave you both will cancel out any magic in the warlock and any enhancing runes on your body, Shadowhunter," the woman replied coldly. "Also, we confiscated all your weapons. How could you hope to attack us and win?"

"I'm trained to fight in any situation," Alec replied, his tone just as cold. "I'm a living weapon, trained to kill demons. I can find a weapon in any situation. And I will if you hurt him." Lady Hannah looked ready to take his head off, but, shockingly, Kiara began to laugh.

"Oh, I like you," Kiara said, smiling fondly at Alec. "You're just like that blond boy and the black haired girl I spoke to earlier. So confident in your abilities to beat me in combat. But you're also very different. You aren't trying to show you are superior, or trying to intimidate me, which will never happen. You are just trying to expression your willingness to protect your love. I must admit, I do admire that. Although, you could give that care to someone much better than that lying demon spawn."

"What did you do to my siblings?" Alec asked threateningly, ignoring the girl's insults to his boyfriend. Kiara just waved his question aside.

"Relax, they are unharmed," Kiara said in a calm voice. "Until your verdict is decided, you will not be harmed in any way. Keeping you in the dungeons is a safety precaution. Many of my people have a bad history with Shadowhunters, and have much less restraint than I."

Kiara then moved from the windows and sat on one of the two plush couches. She moved with such grace that all her movements seemed to flow in one rhythm. She glided across the floor as if she was skating on ice. When she sat down, she gestured for the two of them to sit as well. Slowly, the couple sat on the couch parallel to her, waiting. Lady Hannah stood unmoving behind Kiara, glaring at them.

"So, why did you try and find my people?" Kiara asked. Alec glanced at Magnus, but he just averted his gaze and kept his head down, something he never did.

"We wished to investigate something, Your Highness," Alec answered politely. Even though he was mad, he believed the queen's word, and decided if they were going to get out of this, he better be polite.

"And what, pray tell, was that?" the queen asked, genuinely curious.

"We were attacked, and after investigating possibilities, we believed it was possible we were attacked by werecats," Alec said bluntly, slightly annoyed that he was telling her something she already knew. Clary already told her this, why did she have to ask him? At his answer, Kiara's eyes widened, and Lady Hannah seemed ready to tear them apart.

"You DARE—" Lady Hannah began, but stopped when Kiara held up a hand. She looked amused.

"Really, Hannah. After hearing the same thing from the other pairs, you still find it shocking that they are accusing us?" Kiara asked Hannah. Lady Hannah just grunted and went back to stabbing Magnus with her eyes. Kiara then lowered her hand and folded her hands in her lap, staring at Alec. Her eyes were serious.

"Please, tell me all that you know. Describe your attackers and your reasons to believe it was my people who attacked you and your friends." So, Alec did what she asked. Starting with the attack on him and ending at the plan made at the loft, Alec told her everything. From about the attackers, to their features, to the reasons for ruling out other Downworlders, and everything in between. By then end of it, Alec's throat felt dry from the talking, but Kiara pondered hard.

"This is troubling news," Kiara said, her voice heavy in concentration. "Your friends spoke similarly, and what you describe is highly probable due to similar incidents occurring amongst my people. However, I am inclined not to believe you."

"Why is that?" Alec asked. Kiara turned her gaze to Magnus, her cat eyes full of hate.

"Him," was her reply. Magnus looked up at Kiara, and felt the shame reach new heights. Ice filled his stomach, making him feel sick. However, he tried to keep a straight face.

"What did I do?" he finally asked quietly, and the room filled with tension.

Lady Hannah tensed, and glared at Magnus hard, still stabbing him with her eyes. Alec just looked between the two siblings, waiting for an explanation, and growing more nervous with each second. Kiara was struck to silence. She stared at him, her eyes wide with wild, unabashed shock. When she finally recovered, her voice darkened and her eyes blazed with fury.

"What did you do?" she asked incredulously. "You tried to have me killed!"

"What?" Magnus asked, perplexity filling his voice.

"Don't deny it," Kiara demanded, her voice filled with anger. "All I wanted to do was try to have you accept me. If not as your sister, then I at least wanted you to recognize me as a fellow warlock, or something other than a disease that was infecting your life. But instead, you hire a crazy, psychotic freak to kidnap me and torture me for fifty years!"

"What are you talking about?" Magnus asked, completely bewildered. "I never hired someone! When you didn't return from your job I searched for you, but no one found anything, so I assumed you died! I was devastated!"

"You lie!" Kiara screeched, rocking the room. "He told me so! You hired him, payed him handsomely for him to 'get rid of that pest'. You wanted me dead!"

"I didn't do any of that!" Magnus yelled back, finally regaining his full voice. Magnus Bane had done a number of things in his life, some atrocious to any being that wasn't a demon. But he had never, EVER, done what she was claiming.

"You did," Kiara said quietly, her voice colder than the Arctic Sea. "And I've always wondered something, dear big brother. Did you enjoy it? You had hated me from the minute I arrived on your doorstep, it's most likely that you rejoiced in the fact I was gone. Perhaps you throw a party in celebration? I imagine you did; you love your precious parties."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Magnus said firmly. For a few silent moments, the siblings just stared at each other, their identical cat eyes locked onto each other. One set was full of stubborn determination to get a point across, and the other was full of stubborn hatred. To the shock of everyone, Lady Hannah placed a gentle hand on the queen's shoulder. It was a motherly gesture, something that greatly shocked the couple, though they didn't express it. Kiara seemed unfazed.

"My queen," Lady Hannah said softly. "Perhaps he is speaking the truth. After all, you were tortured, not just physically, but emotionally. That psychotic being, who took pleasure in any form of pain and suffering, which means mentally tormenting you as well. He had research on each of his prisoners, if you recall. Files, families, locations, mapping, he studied his targets thoroughly before taking action. If he lied, he is still controlling you, even now."

The Queen remained silent for a moment. Her eyes were covered, her lips were moving, as if she was trying to deny something. Lady Hannah removed her hand, and glanced at the queen, concern in her face. Suddenly, Kiara laughed harshly and looked up again. In her eyes, a dark light blazed, unnerving the couple.

"Then you won't mind if I put that honesty to the test?" Kiara asked harshly, a dark glint in her yellow-green eyes. An instant later, Magnus felt searing heat burning throughout his system. He resisted the urge to cry out in pain, but it hurt enough for him to have trouble resisting the urge. Alec's eyes widened in shock as blue flames surrounded Magnus' body. They looked exactly like Magnus' magic flames.

"What are you doing?" Alec asked harshly. Lady Hannah continued to watch the queen in concern as she held out her hand, which was controlling the fire.

"SPREAK THE TRUTH MAGNUS BANE!" Queen Kiara said in a voice similar to Magnus' High Warlock voice. "DID YOU HAVE THAT MAN PAYED TO KILL ME, OR TO AT LEAST GET RID OF ME?"

"No," Magnus responded immediately. "I have no clue what you are talking about. It is true that I didn't care for you at all when I met you, and at times I did want to get rid of you, but I never considered killing you. I have no idea what you are talking about, and everything Alexander said to you was true." The words poured out of his mouth like water over Niagara Falls. It felt like the answer was forced out of him, and he couldn't stop.

Suddenly, the flames disappeared and Magnus' energy completely drained out of his body. He collapsed into his boyfriend's arms, and watched his sister. She was in the same state, with Lady Hannah supporting her. After a few moments of checking Magnus over, Alec turned his angry eyes to the queen.

"What did you do to him?" Alec asked dangerously. Kiara's voice was quiet, somewhat broken in her response.

"A truth spell," the young looking queen said, breathing heavily and shakily. "The spell is more powerful than any truth spell a warlock or faerie could ever cast. It is impossible to resist. Everything he said was true."

"You see?" Magnus asked as he struggled to sit up right. "I didn't have anything to do with a torture or your disappearance."

"Yet you admit that you didn't accept me," Kiara continued quietly, her voice full of pain and sorrow. "And you had just as much to do with it, even if you didn't pay that maniac to do what he did. I only took that job to try and prove to you I could at least be an equal as another warlock. I took that job to try and get at least some sort of reaction from you besides hate and annoyance."

Magnus hung his head, that unknown, icy feeling filling his system even more. He supposed this was shame, or something of that. The High Warlock had never felt it to this extent before, and he didn't like it.

"I just wanted to find my brother," Kiara continued, her voice barely audible. "I wanted to find someone who also knew my predicament. My mother had just died, and she spent her life trying to find someone who could help me understand these powers. And when I finally find the man that she worked so hard to find, he doesn't want anything to do with me. And I still wanted to be in your life. You and I shared the same father, and even though that isn't a good thing, it at least made me feel like I had someone I could connect to. But instead of trying to give me a chance, you immediately hated me. And don't deny it, I already know you did."

Everyone remained silent for what felt like an eternity. A nuclear bomb could have gone off behind them and none of them would've known. Alec looked down at Magnus, shock and questions in his eyes, but Magnus didn't meet his gaze. He was too busy looking at his feet. Lady Hannah supported the queen, and motherly hand still on her shoulder, squeezing for comfort. When Kiara finally looked up again, she had tear tracks on her cheeks.

"We are done here," Kiara said with finality. "I shall review everything that you and your accomplices have told me. By tomorrow, I shall have the verdict."

Kiara then snapped her fingers, and several guards entered the room. With a simple gesture, both boys were grabbed and forced to stand. Then, a familiar sharp pain entered their necks. The last thing either male registered was Kiara's cat eyes, full of sorrow and tears, along with unshed pain.


So, what do you guys think? ALso, I've been thinking about adding an extra chapter or bonus chapter that includes Clace's and Sizzy's discussions with Kiara and Lady Hannah. Good idea? Bad? Meh? Let me know please! See you next chapter!