The group of five were thrown out of Clary's Portal into Magnus's living room, and Jace had soon joined them to help with Cat. Isabelle was carrying the blue-skinned warlock bridal style, and Alec ushered his sister along.
"There's a spare bedroom next to ours."
He pushed open the door, and Izzy deposited Cat on the bed carefully. Alec rushed to open the windows, feeling the heat of the previous room lingering, while she and Jace cut away the shoulder of Cat's shirt to reveal the wound further, and Jace whistled under his breath.
"We need another warlock."
"On it," Alec called, sweeping Madzie up with one arm and going into his boyfriends room. Magnus was still asleep, his colourful hair floppy from lack of product and lips parted adorably. Alec smiled, and whispered into Madzie's hair:
"Wake him up for me?"
She grinned and jumped up onto the bed.
"Magnus?"
The older warlock shifted and Madzie began to tickle his neck and shoulders. Magnus's mouth twitched, and Alec grinned at his attempt to keep a straight face. He turned away, tapping on his phone to ring the Institute, and seconds later heard laughter, and his warlock's sleepy voice. "Two can play at that game, sweetpea." Madzie's own laughter resonated through the loft, pushing his mouth up into a smile as the call connected.
"Hello, I'd like the Head of the New York Institute please. Alec Lightwood. Ma'am ,there have been two attacks on significant warlocks of New York, Magnus Bane and Catarina Loss. They have both been exposed to the same poison, and she is in a critical state. If you could send a warlock specialised in healing over, and send out an alert to any other warlocks."
There was a pause and in that time, Isabelle sprinted from the spare room and came back with rolls of bandages.
"What? We're talking about the High Warlock, an associate of the Clave. I can't believe this. We're a group of Shadowhunters requesting a warlock, that isn't difficult! Put me through to Robert Lightwood."
Another pause and then-
"Dad! We need your help, Magnus and Catarina are really hurt, we need another warlock to heal them."
Robert said something and Alec felt anger well inside him. He rubbed the Calm Anger rune on the curve of his back in small circles as his father continued.
"I'm ashamed to be recognised as your son," Alec spat. "The Clave truly do prioritise themselves." He finished with a phrase even he considered rude and hung up, then stormed back into his room, where Magnus and Madzie were giggling.
"Hey, you two," Alec kissed Magnus briefly, feeling his anger deflate at the sight of his boyfriend. "How're you doing?"
"Good enough." Magnus was pale and worn, but he moved around easily. "This little one just told me Cat's been attacked."
There was fondness in his voice, but Alec could tell he was desperately worried.
"Yeah. Sorceress, could you go and get Fr- Clary for me?"
When the little warlock had disappeared, Alec spoke hastily, moving to sit beside Magnus, legs over the bedcovers. "She's poisoned, Mags."
"With the-"
"Same poison as you, yeah. And when we arrived, there was a circle of -almost magma, the walls were set alight, they were melting-"
Magnus cried out suddenly and flinched, doubling over his abdomen. At the exact same time, Cat screamed. It was a thousand times more intense than Magnus's outburst, but Alec still panicked.
"Magnus?"
"It's okay." He gasped again, and Cat, in the other room, moaned. "Alec, it'll be a greater demon from hell, literally. Magma, lava, whatever you saw, is heat of hell. Whenever they enter or leave somewhere, heat of hell marks their presence."
He gasped again, and Cat continued to moan. Madzie appeared in the doorway pulling Clary by her hand, her brown eyes scared. The Fairchild took one look at Magnus and her own green eyes grew wide.
"I know what's happening. The poison, I think it's linked them. Whenever Cat hurts badly..." On cue, Cat screamed, and Madzie covered her ears and knelt down, as Magnus flinched again. "So does Magnus," Clary finished.
"Why is Cat hurting that much?"
"I think the first few hours of the poison's effects are the most intense. Magnus was passed out during his."
"So it'll pass?" Magnus strained, clutching at his stomach.
"Yes. But not for a while, I think it might be best if one of us knocked you or Cat out."
Alec raised his hands. "What?"
"Alec, it's gonna be really painful. Even if Cat passes out, her body will still be in pain, and Magnus will still feel it."
Magnus gasped and reached out for Madzie's hand, for both his and her comfort. He folded around her and the two warlocks hugged each other tightly, Madzie burrowing her face in his chest. They remained that way for over ten minutes, during which Alec and Clary left to help Cat. Madzie knew that Magnus was in pain, and for the first time since seeing someone hurt, she wanted to help. The first people she had seen hurt, had been hurt by her. Suffocated by the gills that slit her neck - Madzie had never used her magic for anything deemed good. But now, it was like it had a brain of its own - her magic was different to the other warlocks' she had met, it was different to Magnus's: where his was mostly electric blue, and fiery, hers was silvery white and gentle, but not gentle like cotton, gentle like steam - thin and wispy, but entirely capable of burning you. Her tiny, caramel hands traced up and down his back, leaving her magic to soak into his body and numb however much of the pain it could.
A few minutes later, Madzie remembered what Clary had suggested, and closed her eyes, pushing all her remaining energy into her magic. Magnus felt the feeling in his limbs dissipate.
"Sweetpea?" He mumbled. "What're you doing-"
He fell unconscious before she could tell him. Carefully, Madzie pushed him against the wall and stood up, leaving the room to find Alec or Izzy. She found Clary in the living room instead, realising the Lightwood siblings were out.
"I knocked Magnus out."
Clary looked up from the texts spread over the table and smiled.
"With your magic?"
Madzie nodded solemnly.
"I bet you're exhausted, sweetie. Tell you what, I'll go and get Magnus to bed and you come and curl up here and wait for Iz and Alec. Is that okay?"
Madzie flopped onto the sofa and nodded. Clary threw a blanket over her and left, quickly replaced in the room by Jace, who was carrying a stack of bloody bandages.
"Hey, kid." The Herondale ruffled Madzie's hair fondly, and quickly continued, not finding anything strange with her silence. The baby warlock had never been the most talkative child he knew. But Madzie didn't reply because of that - she was already asleep.
It was two hours before Alec and Isabelle returned late at night. Clary shushed them as they entered, and pointed to Madzie on the sofa. Alec smiled softly. The siblings looked exhausted, not physically, but mentally. Alec had three extra Calm Anger runes scrawled on his forearm: Isabelle had two on her exposed shoulder. Clary hung up Izzy's leather jacket and led them into the dining room, the only room in the loft that was lit. Jace was sprawled across the dining table, seemingly too tired to even draw an Energy tune with his stele. Clary shut the door and kissed Jace's cheek lightly to wake him.
"Hey. Late-night research session."
Alec sat down wearily, and began explaining their time arguing against the Clave. It was an hour before he had finished but the outcome was clear - the Institute and the Clave wouldn't help - they had been left to save the lives of his boyfriend and friend alone.