After almost an entire day of sleeping Magnus finally felt normal again. The first thing he did when he managed to get out of bed was ask about Alec. Luke told him everything that had happened after he took him home.
Alec was fine, other than a terrible headache and some bruises he hadn't been hurt. Malcolm had been taken away and was being kept in a cell for the time being. He was to be executed the next day. The king still had almost all the guards looking for Magnus, or rather the one responsible for the blue magic, but luckily no one knew it was him. "Which is why it's even more important now than ever that you don't use magic in public," Luke ended.
"Yes, I know," Magnus said. "And you know I won't unless it's really necessary, like it was yesterday."
"Not even if Jace is being an ass?" Luke asked with an amused smile, raising an eyebrow, which caused Magnus to make an overdramatic sigh.
"Not even then," he promised.
"Good," Luke said. "Now, I'm guessing you want to go see Alec." Magnus nodded. "But have breakfast first," Luke said, handing Magnus a plate. Magnus took it gladly, he was starving. He quickly finished his plate and brought it to the sink before he rushed out of the flat to go and look for Alec. He needed to see for himself that he was alright and he was also still working for him, which required him to be there.
Magnus knocked. He usually didn't do that anymore, but he just wanted to be sure he wasn't intruding anything.
"Come in," came Alec's voice. He sounded fine. Magnus opened the door and stepped in. Alec was sitting on his bed, his head in his hands.
"Are you okay?" Magnus asked. Alec didn't look like he was in pain, but he needed to hear it from Alec.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Alec said. "It's just the remains of the headache."
"Do you want some painkillers? I could go get some in less than five minutes," Magnus offered. He knew it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't help feeling guilty. If he'd realized Malcolm was casting a spell earlier he could have done something, and Alec would never have been touched by any magic, his or Malcolm's. If he had just been clever enough to think of this possible reaction from Malcolm before.
"No, no, I'm fine. But thank you, Magnus. For everything. I probably wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you."
"You're welcome. I'm glad you're not dead, and I'm happy I could help."
"Help? Magnus, in the short time we've known each other you've already saved my life twice. So… Thank you. And don't brush it off with a joke or something, you deserve the gratitude," Alec told him which made Magnus look away, embarrassed but he was also very happy. Happy that Alec appreciated him, happy with himself, he'd managed to save Alec. Maybe not without Alec getting hurt, but he wasn't seriously injured, it was just a headache. He had done it.
"I know my father isn't the best with rewards, and he doesn't even know how you helped in this, but if you want something I could give you, just name it," Alec said.
"Alexander, I didn't do this for a reward, I did it because I care about you."
"Of course, I know that. I'm just saying, I want to repay you, show you my gratitude."
"Well, there is something…" Magnus started, he wasn't sure if he really should ask for that or why he wanted it but he thought it could be good.
"What? If it's possible for me to give it to you, I will."
"Malcolm. I know it sounds weird and suspicious, but I want to talk to him."
"Why would you want to talk to him?" Alec asked.
"I just… Would you manage that? Me and Malcolm alone for five minutes?" Alec frowned at him.
"I… yeah, I think I can make that happen. Are you sure you want to talk to him though?"
"Yes."
"Okay then, I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you," Magnus said with a smile.
Alec was leading Magnus through dark corridors under the castle, the dungeons. Magnus still wasn't sure what he wanted to talk to Malcolm about, but he had to talk to him. Had to ask him who and why. In only half a month Magnus had already taken out two threats trying to kill Alec. Malcolm was going to be executed in just a few hours, so he didn't have much time, but he wanted to know who the leader was, to see if he could end this once and for all
Of course, this was assuming Malcolm would tell him, which he probably wouldn't. But it was worth a try.
"Okay, we're here," Alec said, stopping outside a metal door guarded by two knights. Alec nodded at the guards, and one of them took out a key to open the door.
"Don't let him cast a spell," The other guard said. "If it looks like he's saying something suspicious, yell for us." Magnus nodded, and the guard opened the door, letting Magnus in. As soon as Magnus was inside, the door was closed and locked behind him.
Magnus looked around, the walls were dirty, there was barely any light and it smelled horrible. Magnus couldn't identify what it was, but he wished to be out of that cell as soon as possible. I could have been in a cell like this, right now, he thought. And he probably would have been, if Luke hadn't come for him.
Malcolm was on the floor, his hands were bolted to the wall, he probably couldn't move much with the position he was in. He was looking at Magnus, purple eyes full on display, glowing.
"It's you," Malcolm said. Magnus frowned.
"What is me?"
"You're the blue one. You have the same energy. It's his aura."
"His aura? Whose aura?" Magnus asked. He was confused and he didn't want to talk about this. He came here to talk about the reason Malcolm had tried to kill Alec and not about his aura, but he was also curious.
"He was there."
"Where?"
"In hell."
"You know what, this is pointless. I'm going to ask you some questions and I want you to answer me," Magnus said. "Who sent you to kill Alec?" He asked.
"She did. She wants him dead."
"Who?" Magnus insisted. This was so difficult and frustrating.
"The Queen."
"What queen? The queen is dead."
"Not this queen. The queen. The queen of queens, the queen of death, the queen of hel-"
"Why does she want him dead?" Magnus interrupted. He didn't care what she was the queen of, just where he could find her. And it gave him a weird feeling to know that he apparently had the same aura as another one who was said to have been in hell, too.
"He is the king," Malcolm said.
"Alec's not king, not yet," Magnus frowned.
"He's not just any king. He's the king," Malcolm said, like that made perfect sense.
"Wait, so the queen wants the king dead. Could you please start making sense?"
"Everything will make sense soon enough." This clearly wasn't going anywhere.
"Okay, why did you try to kill Alec? What did she offer you?" He tried instead.
"She said she could bring her back," Malcolm said.
"Who?" Magnus hated this conversation, Malcolm didn't make any sense and he never just told him any names. One her, one him but nothing that would help Magnus.
"Annabel." Was he finally giving him a name?
"Annabel said she could bring her back?" Magnus asked, hopefully. It wasn't much, but it was a name. But Malcolm shook his head.
"She said he could bring my beautiful Annabel back." No, no useful name. Still just she.
"Okay, well bring her back from where?"
"Heaven."
"She said she could bring back Annabel from the dead?"
"Yes! And she can, she has the power. But I failed, and with her blood in my veins, I will never see Annabel again."
"Her blood in your veins?"
"She gave me a fragment of her power. But you have more, you have his power. More than just a fragment, half his power. Half of his blood in your veins."
"Whose blood?!" They were steering off the trail again, but what Malcolm was saying… he knew something, something about Magnus. Something Magnus would like to know.
"The Prince's."
"Oh, let me guess, not just any prince, but the prince." Great, another person without a name or any more information. Just another title.
"One of the seven princes."
"Do they want Alec dead too?" Magnus asked, trying to put them back on track.
"They just want to play."
"Play what?"
"War."
"War isn't a game! Are they on her side?"
"They're not on any side. They're watching everyone, playing with feelings and lives, like nothing matters… and it doesn't. Not to them anyway."
"Who are they?"
"The princes."
"What princes? Seriously, what do you want in order to give me full and simple answers?" he asked before even thinking clearly about his words. He was just too frustrated and confused. There was a queen and there were seven princes and Alec was the king of somewhere. Nothing made any sense to Magnus.
"I'm gonna die in a few hours. There's nothing you can give me. All I want is Annabel."
"I can't resurrect someone for you."
"Oh, you can. You have the power, his power. But you won't. No, you're young and scared and stupid, you don't see anything."
"Well enlighten me then. Tell me the queen's name."
"She will kill me."
"You're gonna die in two hours!"
"She will do worse."
"Fine. Well, I can't do anything about your Annabel and honestly… you're saying she's in heaven, and that's sad for you, but it's a nice place for her to be, so let her have peace and please tell me something. Anything really, anything I can work with. Why does she want Alec dead? What can I do to stop that? Or who are those seven? And whose powers do I have and why?"
"You can't stop her. She's unstoppable. That's why the king has to die, so she will never be stopped."
"You mean Alec's going to stop her?"
"The king and the queen. One will fall and one will rise, only one can end the other."
"So only Alec can kill the queen. And only the queen can kill Alec," Magnus said. Malcolm nodded. "Then why is she sending other people?" Magnus asked.
"She gives us her blood. We can fool fate, that's what she wants. 'Kill him with my blood, and it will be like I killed him,' she says."
"What about the princes, you said they're not on anyone's side, but they're powerful, right?"
"Almost as powerful as her. And you… so much power in such a small thing."
"Yes, his power you said. Whose power? And if you say the prince's again I will kill you right now," Magnus threatened. Malcolm hesitated, but he was going to say something, maybe finally something Magnus could use.
"His na-"
"Magnus! Are you okay?" Damn it, Alec, not now! Alec had yelled through the door. Magnus had kind of lost sense of time, but he must have been there for a while.
"I'm fine. Just give me one more minute!" he called back and then looked at Malcolm again. "His name. Now."
"Asmodeus, Prince of Edom. Your father."
"My… my father?"
"That's the only way you can have so much of his power. Only the eyes are missing…"
"What eyes?"
"Unique eyes, the only ones. Yellow, glowing. Like a cat." That's how Luke described his eyes!
"No, that's not possible. My father was a coward, he ran away. He wasn't a demon, he wasn't a prince of hell!"
"Someone's been lying to you, don't trust them. You should only trust your own kind. Help me get out of here, help me get Annabel back, and I'll be forever in your debt."
"I'm not gonna resurrect her. That's black magic."
"I'll tell you everything! No more riddles, no more half answer, I'll give you names, places, everything I know, just help me get her back!" Magnus considered it. He couldn't make a deal with a murderer, but he could use all information he got. And Malcolm wasn't really a murderer. He hadn't actually killed Alec…
"Magnus! Are you done?" Alec was getting impatient. And probably worried too.
"Yes, just a little bit more!" Magnus answered.
"Listen… I won't bring her back but I'll find a way to make it possible for you to go to her and be out of the queens reach. So if you swear a blood oath that there will be no more riddles but real answers then… then I will get you out of here alive."
"I will, I swear. No riddles, I'll tell you everything."
"Let's start right now then."
"Magnus! Magnus, are you okay?" Alec was knocking on the door, he'd been yelling for almost two minutes, but Magnus hadn't answered. He had been worried about this whole thing from the moment Magnus had asked him to go and be allowed to see Malcolm. Alec had trusted Magnus's judgment and so he had made it possible. Magnus had been asking for 5 minutes but he had been in there for almost 20 now and he hadn't answered in the last two minutes. The last two times when he had called for him he'd at least given him an answer, so Alec was getting really worried. He gave Magnus one more minute to answer before he looked to one of the guards and nodded towards the door. He was going to have a look inside.
The door was opened slightly, just enough to look inside. What Alec saw was the last thing he was expecting, the thing he'd begged so hard not to happen.
Magnus was on the floor, unconscious, at least Alec hoped he was just unconscious. Malcolm was standing, his hands were free, the bolts he'd been fastened to broken on the ground. Alec unsheathed his sword. "Let him go," he said.
"Who, the servant? Why do you even care, just get a new one. I think I'll keep him."
"What did you do?"
"Oh, don't worry, he's still alive. A dead servant is no fun."
"What do you want?" Alec asked. He shouldn't be asking him that, but he couldn't let Magnus die. Or get captured by some crazy murderer.
"There's not much a dead man can want. Except for not being a dead man."
"The punishment for using magic is death, everyone knows that. You knew that when you tried to kill me. Which is also punished by death. Two crimes, two of the worst crimes, we can't let you go free."
"Of course, I understand. It's all politics, right? Rules and royalty and all that. So I keep the servant, and in two hours you'll get him back. Maybe a more… broken version of him, but him nonetheless." Malcolm murmured something Alec didn't catch, and purple surrounded Magnus. It pulled him up, till he was in a standing position. "Now, if you don't mind I would like to have some fun with my new toy before I die."
"No," Alec said. "I will kill you right now if you don't give him back." Magnus floated over to Malcolm till he was protecting him like a human shield.
"Of course, kill me. But your servant goes too," Malcolm said. "Now, I'm just gonna go…" Malcolm said. And for some reason Alec didn't stop him when he walked right past him. He couldn't make himself hurt Magnus. The guards stood, they looked at Alec for orders. Alec shook his head. He couldn't let them hurt him. Instead he just watched as Malcolm walked away with Magnus floating after him. In that moment Alec was cursing Magnus, for how stupid he had been. But he also cursed himself, that he had helped Magnus and that he was too… too in love with him to stop a murderer from fleeing prison and his upcoming execution.
Love. Alec hadn't actually admitted it to himself, but he realized now. In the few days he'd known Magnus he'd already managed to fall in love. Was that even possible? To fall so fast, so hard. He'd told himself how he loved Magnus' smile, Magnus' witty remarks, Magnus excitement to learn new things, Magnus' pep talks, Magnus' support, Magnus' personality, Magnus' body. But he'd never let himself think that he loved Magnus.
But he did. And he'd just let a murderer take him. He knew there was nothing he could do at that moment but he followed them. He had to see where they were going. Alec knew he had to get Magnus back. He turned the corner Malcolm had turned and… ran headfirst into a brick wall. A brick wall that definitely didn't belong there. He took two steps back and saw that there was a paper on the ground. Alec picked it up.
Sorry, I will take it away once I'm far enough gone. Don't worry, your servant is in safe hands!
Malcolm. "That son of a bitch!" Alec yelled. He usually didn't use language like that, his father had always scolded him for it. But now he just couldn't hold it back. He stood there and stared at the wall for a few minutes before he gave up and went the other way back towards the castle. He didn't know what to do but somehow he made his way to Luke's place. It seemed like the right place to be.
"Luke?! Are you in?" he called and knocked on the door. He heard footsteps before the door was opened.
"Alec, what are you doing here? Where is Magnus?"
"I… Malcolm, he- he took Magnus with him and I- I couldn't stop him, not without hurting Magnus. I don't know where Magnus is and what he will do to him and I... I just thought you should know and I am hoping that you know what to do or that you can give me some advice," Alec mumbled. He felt bad, he had lost Magnus and now he was telling that he had no idea where he was. At least he didn't have to tell him that Magnus was dead, he didn't think he could do that.
"Malcolm took Magnus with him? Why did he do that?"
"I… he wanted to make a deal. I rejected him, and then he ran away with Magnus. I should have made the deal with him, I should have-"
"Alec, you couldn't have done anything. Don't spend time thinking about how you could have been better, we have to figure out what to do now." Luke said. "First of all, we have to figure out if Magnus is still alive."
"He is," Alec confirmed. At least that much he knew. "Malcolm wanted him alive, he said he wanted to… He didn't say exactly what he was going to do, but it's something bad, I'm not sure if there will be much of Magnus left when he's done. He's going to hurt Magnus and it's all my fault…"
"Hey, it's not your fault. Now stop, we have to find him. What do you know about Malcolm? Where could he go?"
"I know nothing about Malcolm! He's the representative of Edom, he used magic and tried to kill me, he… the guards said he kept babbling about some Annabel, or something, but none of this can help us!"
"Calm down, Alec, we'll find him," Luke said soothingly. Alec looked like he was on the verge of having a panic attack.
"How are you not worried?"
"I am worried, Alec. I'm worried, terrified. But I know that that won't help us find Magnus, so I'm trying to keep my head cool. Come in and sit down, okay? Let's take a moment to calm down and collect our thoughts." Luke waved Alec in, gesturing towards a chair for Alec to sit. "Okay, no we sit down and we breathe," Luke said, sitting down too.
"Now, let's take everything from the beginning," Luke said after a few minutes. "Magnus asked you if he could talk to Malcolm and you said yes. Magnus went in to talk to Malcolm and then Malcolm took him. Clearly I don't know the whole story here, so fill me in."
"Um, okay. So I told Magnus I wanted to repay him for saving my life. He wasn't exactly the blue magic person, but he did save my life as much as whoever that was. And I told him, if there was anything he wanted that I could give to him I would. He asked for five minutes with Malcolm and… well, I figured that couldn't hurt, so I said yes. So he went to talk to him, and we locked him in, so Malcolm wouldn't escape. After five minutes I got worried so I called for him, and he answered almost immediately, asked for a few more minutes. Five minutes after that I called for him again, and he answered. Then, after that I left him in peace for almost ten minutes before I started worrying again, so I called for him again, but he didn't answer. That's when I felt something was wrong. So we opened the door, and he was unconscious on the floor, and Malcolm was somehow free of his bonds. I told him to let Magnus go, and he said he would if we let him go, I refused, and then he used Magnus as a shield and left. And I didn't do anything. I just let him walk away, I couldn't hurt Magnus."
"It's okay, Alec. It's not your fault. You didn't know this would happen and there was nothing for you to do and stop him…. You don't know what they could have been talking about? Why he wanted to see Malcolm?"
"I have no idea. When I asked him he just, didn't answer… But he was sure Malcolm was following orders, and that he was sent by the same person that sent the shapeshifter."
"Yes, he told me about that suspicion too," Luke said.
"Maybe he wanted to ask Malcolm about that, about who was sending them. But why? Does he think there are going to be more coming? What was he planning to do?"
"I don't know, but I have to say that it sounds a lot like Magnus, that he wanted to find out if there were more people coming after you and who is responsible for them and why," Luke said. He knew that Magnus liked Alec and therefore he would do a lot to protect him. The way he used his magic at the tournament just proved that.
"What if Malcolm takes him to whoever it is that is sending these killers? After what just happened he'll know Magnus is a weak spot for me, what if they use that against me? Or what if they… I don't know, brainwash him or something, and make him come after me?"
"Alec, calm down. They can't brainwash him, he would need to be possessed by a demon in that case. Magnus can take care of himself, and whatever they want to do, he won't let them without a fight. That might just give us enough time to find him."
"But Malcolm has magic. What if he made a portal? They could be on the other side of the world!"
"Or they could be in a room in a tavern two streets from here. We don't know, Alec, let's not assume the worst."
"Okay, okay. I will have the guards looking for him, search every house and every street for both Malcolm and Magnus," Alec said, standing up.
"Hey… I'm glad that he means this much to you. You are important for him as well. I just think you should know that, and I highly appreciate the effort you put into finding him."
"Magnus is the best friend I've ever had," Alec said, forcing himself to say friend because that's what they were. "The only friend, actually, the only real one. I won't lose him, I can't. I'm gonna go send out the order now," he said before striding out of the house.
He was going to find Magnus, nothing would stop him.
"You are quite the actor," Malcolm said, finally releasing the spell on Magnus and letting him stand up by himself.
"All I did was play unconscious," Magnus said, brushing off the compliment. He felt bad for Alec, he had not been able to look at him but he knew that he was scaring him and he didn't know how he was going to explain this to him later. He wanted to explain it instead of hiding it because he knew that eventually, Alec would find out. But what exactly would he say? He couldn't tell Alec he'd helped Malcolm escape, but there was no other way to explain it. He'd have to think about that later.
"So… answers now," Magnus demanded.
"What do you want to know?" Malcolm asked.
"The questions I asked you about twenty times in the cell. Who the hell is the queen, why is Alec the king? Where is the queen hiding? How can I stop her? I've already guessed who the princes are, I've heard a lot about the seven princes of hell." Now that Malcolm had mentioned Asmodeus it was quite obvious who the seven princes were, he had heard some stories about them. And if they were the princes, then the queen had to be...
"The queen is their mother, the mother of all demons, Lilith. Alec is the once and future king, destined to kill Lilith unless she kills him first. She isn't exactly hiding, she has a castle in Edom. But you can't beat her, only Alec has any chance."
"How is Alec supposed to kill her if she's in Edom? I'm guessing you can't just ride in there."
"Not at all. Edom might be on the map, but it is not a part of our world. It's another dimension, the city people think it's Edom is just a glamour."
"A glamour?"
"A spell that makes things appear as something they're not. The same thing that hides your eyes."
"My eyes? My eyes aren't hidden," Magnus frowned.
"The real ones are. Mine are purple, but I glamour them as blue," Malcolm said, and just as he said that his eyes changed color, blue.
"But I have never glamoured anything!" Magnus said. "I don't even know how to glamour things."
"Maybe someone glamoured them for you," Malcolm said. "Can I?" He asked, raising a hand to Magnus' temple. Slowly Magnus nodded. If Malcolm wanted to kill him he could have done it a long time ago. Well, not that long, but he certainly had the chance.
He closed his eyes and felt Malcolm's fingers on his temple. Malcolm's magic flowed through him until he suddenly pulled back. "There is a spell there for sure, probably as old as you," Malcolm said. "I can remove it if you want, but it will take some time."
"No," Magnus said. "We don't have time. You need to tell me every single detail, and then you need to leave this place before someone finds you."
"You promised you would help me be with Annabel!" Malcolm said. As if Magnus needed a reminder.
"And I will, I will find a way for you to be with her, but I don't have time now. Is there any way I can contact you later?" Magnus asked.
"You could send me a fire message," Malcolm suggested.
"A what?"
"A fire message. Do you really not know what that is? It's the simplest of magic that is!"
"Yeah, well I only started actually practicing magic less than two weeks ago, so I'm not exactly an expert."
"Oh god, okay. You really are powerful. You stopped me even though you've only practiced magic for two weeks…. I'll teach you how to send a fire message, which shouldn't be too much of a problem for you. Then I can tell you whatever small detail you want to know, and then I'm getting out of here before they find me."
"Yes. That sounds like a good plan," Magnus nodded as he listened to Malcolm's plan. He agreed with him and thought that fire messages would be a good thing. During the following half an hour Magnus learned how to send a fire message and how to conceal them so no one would notice when he got one, since it would only expose him as someone who worked with magic.
"Good… so now that we've done that and I know how to contact you once I know what to do about your girlfriend. I think you should punch me or something, so it will be believable to everyone that you've kidnapped me," Magnus said. He knew he should tell Alec the truth but he didn't know how, so at first it had to look like he had been hurt by Malcolm. He also knew that he had to talk to Luke about this, especially since he had been lying to him about his father.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, come on… Make it look real so people will believe me," Magnus requested and closed his eyes as he prepared himself to be hit or punched by Malcolm.
"Fine," was the only response he got before he felt Malcolm hit him, both with his bare hands and with magic, which left burning streaks on his chest, arms and neck. It hurt, a lot, but he knew this was right. That this was important so he wouldn't get exposed for helping Malcolm flee.
"How do you feel? Because you look rather bad. If you walk back to Idris now and get a bit muddy, as if you fell down once or twice then I'm sure everyone will believe you and not question anything about me abducting you. You just have to think of a reason for why I let you go," he said before he turned away, opened a portal and disappeared.
It did hurt, burned. But Magnus was glad it did, he felt like he needed to hurt, he deserved it for all the stress and worry he was causing Alec and probably Luke. He needed to get back as quickly as possible, so he started walking back as soon as Malcolm vanished from the scenery.
Soon his legs were burning, but he kept walking. He didn't even to try and make himself fall, he stumbled over enough roots and soon got dirty and muddy.
It took Magnus about half an hour to reach Idris again, and once he saw the city he smiled sadly. Alec was there, and Luke.
The magic that Malcolm had used to hurt him was strong, and it drained Magnus of his energy. As soon as the city was in sight he collapsed. His legs felt like they were on fire, everything felt like it was on fire. Magnus had no energy left, he couldn't move away from his spot.
"Hey… hey, what is wrong with you? Can I help you?" Magnus looked up when he heard a soft voice next to him and felt a small, warm hand on his shoulder. He saw a girl, she was around his age, and Magnus didn't think he'd seen her before.
"I need… need to get Luke… the royal medic," Magnus panted.
"Not everyone can go to the royal medic."
"No… but I can… I live there, please help me get to him." The girl looked him carefully up and down.
"I'll take you there," she finally said.
"Th...Thank you" Magnus whispered as he closed his eyes.
"You look pretty hurt, what happened to you?" She asked.
"I'll tell you later if you help me get to Luke. Please… I really need his help"
"I'll go get a horse, it's quicker that way," she told him and then left Magnus alone. How he was supposed to get on a horse he didn't know, but he trusted her to help him. Maybe he shouldn't, maybe he also should start to worry about Malcolm. Yes, they had to make it believable but did he really have to leave him this exhausted? The girl was back quickly and she had a beautiful, tall and dark brown horse with her. "Can you stand up? I'll help you but you have to move as well" she told him.
"I think so," Magnus said. He forced himself into a kneeling position. "Just… give me a hand here," he said and the girl tried to pull him up.
"Hey, do you need help over there?" An unknown voice asked. Magnus looked up and saw a man there, a knight. What was he doing out here? The Knights usually weren't this far outside the city.
"Yes, he's really hurt, can you help me get him on the horse?" The knight jumped off his own horse.
"What happened to him?" The knight asked.
"I don't know, he hasn't told me yet. I just found him here, almost passed out on the ground. He's asking to be taken to the royal medic, says he lives there."
"Wait, what's your name?" The guard asked Magnus.
"I'm Magnus," Magnus said. "Magnus. Bane."
"Prince Alexander's servant!" The knight exclaimed. Magnus nodded. "Where is Malcolm?"
"I… I don't know. He portaled away, left me."
"Why would he do that?"
"Hey, he's hurt! Can't you interrogate him later?" The girl said.
"Okay, fine. You're right. Let's get him to the medic," the guard said. "I'll take him on my horse, you go back to whatever you were doing."
"I found him, I'm not gonna leave him before I know he is safe," the girl said.
"Okay then, follow me." The guard took Magnus and put him on the horse before getting on it himself. The last thing Magnus noticed was that they were starting to move, then he blacked out.
Alec was pacing. He'd probably left a mark on Luke's rug already, but he couldn't stop, couldn't stand still. It had been over an hour since Magnus and Malcolm had disappeared, and there was still no sign of them. He had every single knight looking for them, all over the city and the woods. He had to find them, at least Magnus. Malcolm could go free for all he cared, he just needed Magnus back.
"Alec, you need to calm down," Luke said for the millionth time.
"I can't, Luke. He's out there, and there's nothing I can do to help him. Who knows what Malcolm's doing to him? What if he's torturing him?" Alec couldn't get the images of Magnus, somewhere, hurt, begging for help, for someone, out of his head. And Alec was here, doing nothing.
"Alec, let's not think about that."
"How can you not think about it?!" Alec yelled. He understood why Luke wanted to stay calm, but how could he? Magnus could be out there in pain, and they were sitting around drinking tea and staying calm. "How are you so calm? I can't stop thinking about Magnus being somewhere, alone and scared, and hurting. And I did nothing to stop it, nothing. And you want me to just stay calm and do nothing? I can't, I can't lose him." Alec said. "I can't, he's… he's-"
"Sire! Your Highness, are you in there?" Someone was knocking furiously on the door. "Luke?" the man yelled. Alec ran to open the door, desperate for something.
"Magnus!" he exclaimed when he saw him. The knight had him thrown over his shoulder. "No...is- is he..?" Alec stammered and looked at the knight, who was shaking his head.
"No, he's just unconscious," he said.
"Where did you find him?" Alec asked. He moved closer to the knight to get a look at Magnus, just to make sure he was really fine.
"He came out of the woods and collapsed on the field," a girl said. Alec didn't know who she was. "I wanted to help him and then this knight arrived, Sire"
"Thank you. Tell me your name and then please wait, you shall be rewarded for your help" he said to her and then looked at the knight. "Bring him inside, Luke will have a look at him." The guard nodded and took Magnus with him inside.
"So, what's your name?" Alec asked again.
"My name's Dorothea Rollins, but I really don't need a reward, sire. I'm just happy I could help."
"If you ever need anything I'll owe you one. I won't forget your name, Dorothea, anything you need, you can come to me for help. Okay?"
"Yes. Thank you, sire. Thank you very much."
"No, thank you. Thank you for finding him," Alec said. "Do you want me to have someone escort you back home?" He asked Dorothea.
"No, I'll be fine. Thank you, your highness," Dorothea said with a small curtsy before leaving Alec alone by the door. Alec went back inside to see how Magnus was doing. The knight was standing in the middle of the room, probably unsure of what to do now that he had finished his job.
"Tell everyone Magnus has been found, but keep looking for Malcolm," Alec said.
"Sire, the boy said Malcolm portalled away," the knight said.
"Where did he go?"
"He didn't know. But if I was him I would get as far away from here as possible." Alec sighed.
"Okay, tell everyone they're dismissed and to return to their usual post." The man left with a nod, and Alec turned to where Luke was standing over Magnus, who was lying on the bed Luke had around for patients.
"How is he?" Alec asked, worried.
"He's far from okay, but he's alive."
"What did Malcolm do to him?"
"It looks like he burned him, but these aren't normal burns. They are magical. I've seen them before… all those years ago. He needs to rest a lot of that and I have to mix a salve. It won't be easy but it should help him," Luke said.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Alec asked.
"You can sit down and relax. You need it. And give Magnus a week off, he's gonna need that."
"Of course, all the time he needs. As long as he's okay," Alec said. He was on his way to the door when he turned around again. "Can I stay here?" he asked quietly. He didn't want to go and leave Magnus. He had to make sure that he was going to be fine, that he was waking up.
"Of course. Grab a chair, make some tea. You can read a book if you want."
"Thank you, Luke. I won't disturb you."
"I don't mind company if you want to talk. Magnus always talks nonstop. He always asks about whatever it is that I am doing. He wants to know everything," Luke chuckled.
"Yeah, that sounds like Magnus," Alec said with a small smile. "I'm so relieved that he's alive, and that he will be okay."
"Me too," Luke mumbled. "Me too." He repeated and decided to have another look at Magnus to look for more or other injuries.
When Luke was done inspecting Magnus and moved to the table to make the salve Alec had gone to take a look at him, too. Luke had taken Magnus' shirt off, so the angry red streaks running up Magnus' neck and down his arms and torso were on full display, and Alec couldn't help but feel guilty.
"Is he in pain?" He asked Luke. Luke looked up at Alec and then looked away.
"Yes," he said. "But this salve will take away some of it, and I'll have plenty of painkillers ready for when he wakes up."
"Thank you, for taking care of him. I mean he lives with you so you would have to take care of him whatsoever but… thank you," Alec said and looked back at Magnus. He wanted to take Magnus's hand and hold it, but he couldn't and he was angry at himself for even wanting that. He shouldn't want that, shouldn't be in love with this man. Or any man. But here he was. And he was slowly accepting his feelings for Magnus. He just wished Magnus felt the same. He had always hoped that if he ever fell in love with someone other than Jace it would at least be with someone who could love him back.
"You'll be okay, Magnus," Alec whispered, not loud enough for Luke to hear. "I won't let anything happen to you ever again. I'm so sorry."
"You should really go home," Luke said, not for the first time. Alec had rarely been at the castle in the past two days since they had found Magnus, who was still unconscious. Alec had barely left his side, and he was sure Luke was desperate for some privacy, but he couldn't leave Magnus. Not yet, not before he wakes up.
"I just want to be here. When he wakes up."
"Alec, I understand that you want to be here, but you can't abandon your duties, Magnus wouldn't want you to do that."
"I know, I just… I'm sorry for being annoying, but I just... Can I just stay for the rest of the day?" Alec begged. Luke hesitated.
"Okay," He said eventually. "Just for the rest of the day."
"Thank you," Alec smiled and looked at Magnus, who was still just lying there. "I'm reall-"
"Al...Alexander?"
"Magnus? Luke!" he called and quickly looked for Luke before he turned his attention back to Magnus. "Magnus… Hey. You're home, you're safe. I'm here and Luke is, too," he told him.
"Is he awake?" He heard Luke say, but Alec wasn't listening.
"Alec…" Magnus said. "Not… your fault. I'm sorry." Alec shook his head.
"It's not your fault either, Magnus. It's Malcolm's fault," he told him, and this time couldn't stop himself from taking Magnus's hand. "It's not your fault," he repeated and squeezed his hand a bit. He was so relieved that Magnus was awake, finally.
Luke pushed Alec to the side to have a look at Magnus. "Here, take this," he said, giving Magnus a glass of water and painkillers. Magnus took both things and swallowed greedily.
"Magnus, do you need anything?" Alec asked. "Anything at all?"
"I… food. I'm hungry."
"Of course," Alec chuckled and pulled his hand back. "I'll go and get you something. Only the best thing the kitchen has to offer today." He quickly left the loft, leaving Magnus and Luke alone.
"Why did you lie to me?" Magnus asked immediately, as soon as Alec was out of hearing range. "About my father, why did you lie?" Luke sighed.
"He told you?" Magnus nodded.
"He told me everything. About my father, about the prophecy, about Lilith, everything. I just want to know why you lied to me."
"Magnus, you have to understand. Your mother didn't realize, and when you were born, when she saw your eyes, she was scared. She asked me for help, to glamour you so no one would see. She wanted to forget all about Asmodeus, she wanted you to have a normal life, be a normal kid."
"How could she want me to be normal? I'm half demon, Luke. My father is the prince of hell! I deserved to know that, I had the right to know!"
"Magnus…"
"No, don't try to make up excuses. That explains everything, why I have this power, why I've always felt different. I had the right to know that."
"You did, Magnus. She should have told you, but try to imagine this from her perspective. Some other person might have panicked, killed you, killed themselves. She was scared, confused, she wanted to forget. If you can't understand then at least try to forgive her. Forgive me."
"I… I can't be mad at you, or her. I just… I wanted to know that."
"I know, Magnus. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Magnus said. "The past is in the past. What's important now is Lilith."
"Lilith?" Luke questioned.
"Yeah, she's the one who's been sending these people."
"Magnus, what exactly happened with you and Malcolm?" Luke asked.
"It's kind of a long story. I started questioning him, but he wouldn't give me any straight answers, and it was very frustrating. So I made a deal with him, he would tell me everything he knew if I helped him get away and…"
"And what?"
"Found a way for him to be with his dead girlfriend."
"Did you agree to resurrect her?!" Luke exclaimed.
"What, no. I'm not that stupid, I won't use black magic. I agreed to find a way for him to be with her, somehow." Magnus said. He stopped for a minute to collect his thoughts before continuing. "Anyway, we made a plan to get him out, I played unconscious and he got us out, took us to somewhere in the woods. He told me everything, who and why and where, and all that. I asked him to hit me, to make my escape look realistic, and… well, that's where all this came from, I guess he overdid it a bit," Magnus said, gesturing at himself. "But he told me everything, so it was worth it!" Magnus assured Luke. Luke was just about to answer when the door creaked. They both looked up to see Alec standing there, looking at Magnus with shock and betrayal in his eyes.
"Alexander… how long have you been there?" Magnus asked.
"Long enough," Alec said. "Here is your food, enjoy it and I don't want to ever see you again" he snapped and threw the plate onto the floor before he turned around and left Lukes flat.
"Alexander!" Magnus called and tried to stand up. But his legs were still too weak and he just fell out of the bed. "Alec! Shit, Luke. What did I do?" Magnus tried to stand up again. He had to go after Alec, explain it to him. He had to get Alec.
Thank you very much for reading! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.
Just a reminder that there is a new chapter every Sunday (unless I've had a very busy week). I saw someone wondering about that, so yeah.
See you next Sunday!