"Why don't you just admit the real reason you don't want to help me, your Highness?" Jace said with just enough mockery in his tone for it to be an insult. Magnus stared back at him, his pupils seeming to contract into angry slivers of black.
"Oh do tell?"
"You won't help me because of who my father is. In fact, you knew from the moment you recognized me that you wouldn't help me. All that 'ask me nicely' bullshit was just so you could toy with me because you never had any intention of telling me about this rune." Jace felt his eyes narrow in disgust. "You know, for someone who has such a bad opinion of Valentine, you're not too different from the man. You like to play with people for the sole purpose of watching them squirm. Never mind how they must feel, all that matters is your own amusement right?" Magnus smirked.
"I'm sure you know better than anyone how it feels to be the object of Daddy's little games of amusement huh?" Jace's expression went blank with forced indifference.
"That's right."
Magnus' eyes sparked, but then remembering his own father, he felt the light in them extinguish completely and felt sickened with himself for the cruel words that had just danced on his tongue, so willing to rush out and try to hurt the Shadowhunter in front of him.
"I can't imagine what that must be like." Magnus said quietly. Jace's eyes flicked over the subtle changes in Magnus' expression before he clenched his teeth, suddenly more angry then he had been since the exchange began.
"Save your pity for somebody who needs it, Downworlder." Jace said with venom. Magnus studied him, and Jace suddenly sensed an air of extreme exhaustion from him. His strange eyes seemed ancient when they met Jace's.
"You mistake compassion for pity, Nephilim. I believe its because you've rarely ever been shown it so you don't recognize the extreme difference." The blonde boy didn't seem to have a response to this. Magnus sighed and turned away from him.
"I don't understand." Jace said. Magnus glanced at him over his shoulder, amusement playing across his lips.
"And what don't you understand, little Shadowhunter?"
"You." Magnus grinned now.
"Oh, honey, don't feel bad. There are people who have known me for centuries who still don't understand me. And you've just met me today." Jace crossed his arms.
"That's not what I meant." Magnus heard the change in his tone and turned to face him again.
"Well spit it out then, love. Not literally though; that rug is made from a very rare animal and costs more than you can imagine." Jace looked down at the lavish skin that he was standing on. After a few seconds, he flicked his eyes back up to the warlock.
"Clearly, you dislike Valentine." he stated after a pause. Magnus inclined his head in acknowledgement. "I'm guessing, since you're still alive, that he insulted you in one way or another. He has…a way of looking at you and knowing just what to say. He can easily tear a person down to the bone with just a sentence." Magnus raised his head as he narrowed his eyes slightly. Jace sauntered forward slowly.
"What I don't understand, is why you aren't jumping at the chance to get him back." Magnus' eyes flashed.
"You think I'm a fool? I know better than to cross him over something as silly as a comment." Jace tilted his head and observed Magnus carefully.
"But it wasn't just a silly comment was it? It was unnecessary and offensive. And he made it clear that he truly believed it and didn't care what you thought in response."
"So what are you getting at?" Magnus said, not liking that Jace seemed to know so much about it though he was sure the boy hadn't known what had been said. Jace's eyes burned into his and the smallest of grins appeared on his lips.
"So why not get even?"
Feeling himself being drawn into Jace's persuasion, Magnus realized that the boy in front of him was truly dangerous when he flipped that charm switch. His father would be proud.
"No thanks. I'm not quite suicidal."
"Don't you think he deserves it? I need you to help me get back at him Magnus." Jace said quietly, his eyes widening slightly. With effort, Magnus turned away from him. He'd hate to see what this kid could do with a little magic at his disposal…or, he'd really love it…
"No, Jace. I don't come out and play when the game is revenge. Being seventeen, I don't really expect you to understand the enormity of that statement."
Jace stared at him with a cold expression before looking away at the wall, disappointment making his chest ache. He was stupid to have gotten his hopes up. Why had he thought that Magnus would help him? He was a Downworlder after all…
"I'll tell you what. I'll tell you about the rune and do whatever I can to remove it," Magnus walked over to the bar before turning and leaning back against it, facing Jace with his arms crossed and a hard look in his eyes. "If you can answer one question with complete honesty." Jace raised his eyebrows.
"That's it?" Magnus inclined his head and lowered his lashes slowly.
"That's it." Alec looked doubtfully from Jace to Magnus.
"But how will you know if he's being honest or not?" Alec asked.
Magnus glanced down at Alec's hand that was dangling over the edge of the table top before pressing his up underneath it so that their palms and fingertips were lightly touching.
He pulled his fingers back an inch before making gold sparks erupt from his fingertips. Magnus watched as they bounced off of Alec's skin, knowing that he was feeling a soft, tickling sensation.
"I've been alive for a very long time Alexander. I know when people are lying to me." Magnus said in a low voice.
Alec's eyes flicked up from the sparks, which had turned an intense cobalt as they noticeably kicked up a few degrees, to Magnus' face.
Jace stared at the two of them, not sure if he was still the subject of the conversation. Magnus killed the sparks and dropped his hand, now looking up at Jace again.
"So does that sound fair to you, Morgenstern?" he asked a little coldly. Alec slowly dropped his hand to his side. Jace met his stare and nodded.
"So what's your question?"
Magnus crossed his arms and looked down at his glittery nails, portraying the image of unconcern. This was lost however, when he finally looked back up at Jace and fixed his gold green eyes on his face, and Jace could see the emotions flicker in their depths; hostility, defensiveness, and just a hint of anger, all masked by a light coat of icy stillness.
"Why do you hate Downworlders?"
Next to Magnus, Alec's eyes slipped closed as he mentally swore. Damn. That was a good question. Magnus Bane…what a messed up thing to do. Jace was basically screwed.
If he lied and said he didn't hate Downworlders, (and even Alec would know he was lying about that) then he wouldn't be following the rules of the deal and Magnus wouldn't help him. But if he did answer honestly…well then he was insulting Magnus to his face. Exactly what his father had done. Would Magnus really still help him after that?
Alec looked at Jace, who was looking at Magnus. The expression on his face told Alec that Jace was thinking the same thing Alec was. He knew he was screwed.
"Tick tock, Morgenstern. You have to answer for it to count." Magnus said with raised eyebrows.
Jace bit his lip and looked away. Alec willed him to think of something fast. But Jace wasn't saying anything. Alec watched as Jace's eyes closed and he felt a pang of hurt when his eyelids closed even tighter for a brief second, like he was in pain.
"I guess that's that." Magnus said as he pushed up away from the bar with his shoulders. "Not being able to answer is the same as not answering." Magnus glanced over at Alec before reaching behind him for his glass of blue alcohol. "Alec, don't be a stranger." he said in dismissal before striding past Jace, who still had his eyes closed. Alec suppressed a sigh and turned to go to Jace, but stopped because he had opened his eyes.
"You said I had to answer honestly. And I'm trying to." he said without turning to Magnus. The warlock stopped and turned back around at the tone of his voice. Finally, Jace turned to face him as well. Magnus was surprised to see the look in his eyes.
"You asked me why I hate Downworlders…but all I can think of are the reasons why my father hates them."
Magnus watched him, noticing that Jace seemed to be staring at him blankly, lost in thought. "He says that they're untrustworthy, and manipulative. That they lie. That they'll stab you in the back the first chance that they get." Magnus narrowed his eyes; Jace said it all expressionlessly, like he was reading it from a book. Clearly, his father had drilled this into him.
"But really…that can be said of anybody." Magnus blinked slowly, starting to feel a thin thread of respect for him. Jace looked at him, finally seeming to see him.
"I wish I could say that I don't feel some…resentment towards Downworlders, but I do. I don't have the same view of them as my father and brother though. I understand that they aren't made for my amusement. And I wish I didn't feel superior. I really do. It's just difficult to forget something when you've been raised to believe it so ardently." Magnus shook his head and made his glass disappear with a small puff of smoke before walking the few steps towards Jace so that he was standing in front of him.
"Don't use that as an excuse. Just because you are taught to believe one thing, does not mean you have to believe it forever, or ever truly believe it for that matter. It's possible to have your own beliefs you know."
"I understand."
And as Magnus observed him, he saw a look in Jace's eyes that he was sure Jace had not meant for him to see.
His golden eyes hardened with determination in himself, and Magnus could not help but feel his earlier prejudices towards him fade. He should know better than to judge someone so harshly based on a name.
Even though it was obvious that in many ways, Jace Morgenstern was like Valentine, clearly, there was something burning bright in Jace that his father could not snuff out with his darkness.
"So," Magnus said with the darkly humorous grin of a conspirator, "Lets see that rune."
