Chapter 12: Chasing an angel

It took my mind

Its guide I'll follow

Surrendered to its will

I took it all

Embraced the beauty

Its sweet enclosure

-Sweet enclosure by After Forever

Sorry for the terrible lack of updates this past month…Life happened, finals, university projects, paperwork to go abroad in an exchange program next year and all that jazz, but here's a new chapter at last! I hope you like it…I'm a bit rusty. So some constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated! Read you all soon!

Isabelle kept pacing up and down the room, like a tornado of coiled and anxious energy, from time to time, she would look towards Magnus and Jace, who remained in the furthest corner of the room, with a sideways glance that she hoped was discreet but that fooled no one.

"Iz, I'm getting dizzy just by looking at you, please calm down" Simon had tried for a tone of voice that seemed both nonchalant and soothing, but judging by the nasty look his girlfriend threw his way, he hadn´t succeeded.

"That's easy enough to fix Simon, just stop looking at me" Isabelle kept walking without pause, as if she was intent on creating a furrow on the ground.

From the corner of his eye, the daylighter noticed his red-haired best friend getting up from the chair she had previously been occupying and walking towards Isabelle's direction, Clary stopped in front of Izzy, forcing the other girl to cease her pacing. The redhead put one of her hands on each of Izzy's shoulders and looked her dead in the eye.

"Simon is right" Clary started "You are making us all even more nervous than we already are, why do you thing Magnus and Jace are huddled in the corner? I know how scared you are for Alec but you need to calm down, it can't be good for you".

Isabelle inhaled and exhaled slowly, prompted by Clary and nodded her agreement.

"Yeah, I know you are right, but it kills me to stay here doing nothing for him"

"You are doing something, something that requires a bit of waiting first, waiting is a way of fighting to, you know?"

Izzy chuckled dryly "That's a shitty excuse weak people use to justify their inaction, or at least, that's what I would have said before, but ok, I'll try to be a bit more patient".

Clary smiled and put one of her arms around Isabelle Lightwood's shoulders.

"I guess that's the best I could hope for"

The girls sat together for a while, before Simon joined them, they talked about irrelevant things while the High Warlock of Brooklyn and Jace set up the preparations to whatever plan they had concocted to find Alec. Izzy turned toward her boyfriend and placed her head on his shoulder in a silent demand for comfort. He held her closer to him –or as close as their individual chairs would allow- and placed his own head on top of hers.

"Have a little faith. Alec is strong, we will find him before it's too late. Every person in this room wants to find him as much as you do".

"I don't want to lose another brother" was all she said, before burrowing deeper into Simon's contact.

"And you won't" Simon said, staring at Jace and Magnus who were finally done talking and heading towards them with unreadable expressions.

"Magnus here says we might finally have a plan" Jace told them, though is voice made it obvious that he wasn't too convinced.

"There is no might" The warlock disagreed "I know we finally have a plan, and it will require all of us to pull it off"

Magnus explained his convoluted plan to them all, and indeed, it didn't sound easy. He would use his magic to channel the power of one f Clary's special tracking runes, along with Isabelle's blood connection to Alexander and Jace's emotional bond, even if he could no longer use their parabatai connection, they were still brothers and friends and that should be more than enough.

"And how do I fit into this equation?" Simon inquired, still uncertain of what Magnus Bane could need him for, and honestly unsure if he would like what would be requested of him.

"Well, I was hoping you could help replenish my energy, since this spell is quite taxing and might drain me before we can find Alec, also if something goes wrong and someone gets injured, you can help me heal them faster.

"Is the spell you plan to use that dangerous?" Clary asked dubious, she was willing to try just about anything to find Alec, but couldn't help feeling slightly scared at the thought of this unfamiliar, untested magic putting them in danger.

The warlock looked each one of them in the eye and answered truthfully, he wouldn't lie to them, not about this.

"I can't be sure" he said "This is not a spell you will find in any grimoire or anthology, I created it from scratch in order to penetrate Sonneillon's defenses, it's not dangerous in theory, only taxing, if everything goes according to plan we'll feel tired and sore but we will have an specific location to Alec's whereabouts"

Apparently, it was Isabelle's turn to speak now "I don't care if you have to drain my blood or if I pass out because of exhaustion, we need to find him, he was so weak and sick, and he can't use any runes! If he runs into any danger now, hell die" by the time Izzy had finished her speech, her skin had gone ashen and her eyes looked slightly glassy, but no one commented on it.

"I appreciate the enthusiasm" Magnus said honestly, directing one of his hands to Isabelle's shoulder in a gesture he hoped was comforting "But I'll only need a few drops, you don't have to exsanguinate yourself to find Alec"

"I would if I had to" she stated in a flat voice, so much for trying to calm down.

"We know" It was Jace who tried to reassure her this time, by leaning his body closer to hers and shooting her a phantom of his usual cocky grin "there's not much any of us wouldn't do for the people we love"

They all nodded and turned towards Magnus, signaling that they were ready to begin, he directed them towards the center of the room and started giving instructions. They set up a circle of salt and white candles and Clary drew tracking runes between each candle and invested them with as much power as she could manage and finally she drew one last, huge rune that used up most of the space of the circle's center. Then it was Jace and Izzy's turn to step in, they walked into the circle and stood facing each other, careful not to step into the rune Clary had drawn. Isabelle slashed at her arm and let a stream of blood fall steadily to the ground, painting the center of the rune a bright shade of crimson. Magnus told her to place an iratze on her arm and reprimanded her for overdoing it with the bleeding, but she couldn't help it, after all, this was all she could do to save her brother.

Then it was Jace's turn, and he was not completely sure about what he was supposed to do, Magnus had said that the emotional bond he shared with Alec would be as vital as Izzy's blood connection, but what was he supposed to do? It wasn't like he could stab his feelings out of his body and pour them into the circle.

"Just close your eyes and empty your mind of everything but your memories of Alec" Magnus instructed, as if he had read the blond shadowhunter's mind.

And so Jace did, he thought of Alec, of everything they had been through together. How when he had first arrived at the academy his adoptive brother didn't care much for him, and how they had eventually become closer through their training and the many hours they spent together. He remembered his brother's stunned and delighted surprise when Jace asked him to become parabatai and all the hunts they had shared ever since. He let the memories flow into his mind and soon felt warmth spreading through is whole body, sending a strange pleasant warmth through his veins and making his extremities thrum and tingle. The odd sensations were so pleasant, and the sense of detachment so alluring that it took the shadowhunter sometime before he realized a voice was calling out to him.

"That's enough Jace" It was Magnus, talking to him in his most commanding voice, but his tone faltered and shook a little, which was and indicator of just how tired the warlock was.

"Jace!" The warlock bellowed "Open your eyes now! Before you pass out!"

He tried. His lids felt so heavy, and the strange trance he had been in was so oddly enthralling, he wished he could have stayed there with his memories just a bit longer, but then he remembered. Alec. They were doing this for Alec. Finally he found the strength to fight his heavy eyelids and fully open his eyes. What he saw stunned him for the briefest of moments.

He was shining with a faint blue light, thin tendrils of light shot from his body and they looked like small chains of adamas, glimmering with an iridescent glow. The many tiny chains that came from his body met at the center of the circle they had cast, shifting and twisting around a small scarlet-colored orb. It was Isabelle's blood, Jace noticed. The tracking rune that had been pained at the center was shining so brightly, it was nearly blinding, as were the other, smaller runes that had been placed outside the circle. The flames of the candles had grown to a nearly impossible light, shielding him and Izzy like a protective wall of fire

He finally noticed Isabelle, standing in front of him with her arms raised, she too was shining faintly with a triumphant smile on her face.

"It's working!" She announced, beaming with joy "When Magnus completes the spell those chains will guide us to where Alec is, we are almost there!"

The mention of the warlock's name made Jace remember the magnitude of what they were doing, he searched for the rest of his friends with his eyes, and finally found them a few feet away from him, outside the circle.

Magnus had his eyes closed, and was muttering something in a language Jace had no hope of understanding. The warlock's complexion seems pale and sickly, his skin was glistening with sweat and his brow was furrowed, as if he were in pain, which he probably was. Simon was holding one of the downworlder's hands and it shone brightly were they entwined. Simon was sharing his energy with Magnus, trying to lift some of his burden.

Finally, he noticed Clary. She was drawing a rune on Magnus' free hand. She must have just invented it, if it could work on a downworlder and it was not an alliance rune, once she was done drawing on the warlock's tan skin, she looked around the room, as if feeling his gaze. She smiled when she noticed Jace watching her.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

"Not too bad" he answered truthfully "What did I miss?"

"Well, only the moment were you and your sister started glowing like stars and this threads of light emerged from your body at the same time Isabelle's spilled blood crystallized. Magnus has been casting a lot of powerful spells, but even drawing energy from Simon and using some of your angelic power to lessen the burden, there's only a little time left before he passes out"

"Fear not, you poor helpless blonde" Simon added "We are just about done"

Sure enough, after a few more minutes Magnus ceased chanting and a lot of things happened all at once. Both he and Izzy stopped glowing and the threads of light detached themselves from his body, completely surrounding the red orb of Isabelle's blood, the candles around the circle flared for a moment and the tracking runes shone so brightly that, for a moment, Jace and Isabelle were completely blinded. A moment later the flames of the candles was completely consumed, the tracking runes vanished and the circle was broken, leaving behind a single thick, long chain that shone with a light as red as the blood that had helped create it.

"Now the only thing left to do is give it and order, and it will move to guide us in the right direction" It was Magnus who spoke, he was panting loudly and he looked pale and drawn, but the satisfied smile on his face made the tiniest bit of hope flicker within everyone's souls.

"So, basically, you created a compass" Jace commented, trying to sound mocking but the relief and hope in his voice betrayed his true emotions.

Magnus shrugged noncommittally "Desperate times call for desperate measures"

"That's enough of your jokes for now" This time it was Izzy who spoke "let's just go find Alec"

They all nodded their agreement and turned towards the huge crimson chained that floated in the middle of the room.

"So, who has to command it?" Simon inquired, both curious and apprehensive.

"I guess either Jace, Isabelle or me would do" Magnus replied "It will respond to our connection with Alexander and attach itself to one of us in order to show the way"

"I'll do it" Isabelle offered, stepping closer to the magical artifact they had created. "It seems to me that, out of the three of us, I'm the one who is least tired and has both an emotional and physical connection to him since we are blood relatives"

"I suppose that's as good an idea as any" Magnus agreed "Just ask for it to guide you to were Alec is, use his full name"

Isabelle walked until she was about three inches away from the chain, she cleared her throat. Knowing exactly what she had to say, though she wasn't sure just how the words had popped into her head.

"By right of heart and blood ties, that helped create thee, I ask you show the way to were my brother might be. By my angelic power I demand to know! Show me where to find Alexander Gideon Lightwood!"

"By the Angel" Jace and Clary screamed in unison when they saw the chain start to move. In one swift movement one of its ends attached itself to Isabelle's arm and the other stretched into the distance tugging the girl forward in a certain direction. She started running, letting herself be guided by the magical chain.

She noticed the rest of her friends and family running behind her, but she didn't stop. She needed to hurry, for Alec. For once, she wanted to be the one to protect her kind and loving brother.

Must find Alec, We have to find him soon!

Her thoughts were interrupted by Clary's question. The redhead was clearly putting a lot more effort into keeping up with her than the rest of the group, what with being considerably shorter than the rest of them, besides she was still getting the hang of shadowhunter stamina.

"That was awesome" She said, a look of wonder in her emerald eyes "How did you know what words to say?"

Izzy pondered her answer for just a moment, turning a corner when the chain gave a little jerk, they were barely outside The Institute's grounds now.

"I can't really explain it" Izzy said "I just sort of…knew"

"It was probably your role in creating it" Magnus said "All of us who contributed something to its creation are connected to it, so it probably guided you along the process of claiming its power"

"Well that doesn't really matter to me at this moment" Izzy told him "For now, let's just focus on finding Alec"

They fell silent then, concentrating only on following the path the chain was creating for them. It had taken them over a day to come up with this plan, their time was running out. Alexander's time was running out. They were not sure of what state he would be in when they found him and didn't allow themselves to dwell on the thought, they couldn't afford to panic right now.

In some other part of the city Sonneillon laughed heartily, the unconscious shadowhunter lying beside him on the bare floor of an abandoned ally. He clicked his tongue in irritation and stopped the hands that had been hungrily roaming the boy's body.

"It seems they finally managed to create a way to find you, dearest Alexander, and just when I had decided to have some fun with you. Merely watching you sleep and stealing some chaste caresses and kisses can be so boring. Oh well, I guess It was not meant to be, they'll be here any minute now"

He stepped away from Alec's body and allowed the shadows to engulf him, dissolving into the darkness.

"I'll be back before you have time to miss, my cute little angel. After all, there's only twenty four hours left to your life"

Sonneillon used the tiniest but of his power to wake Alec before disappearing into the shadows. Where was the fun in one last, dramatic family reunion if the prodigal child was not conscious to experience it?

So, what do you guys thing? Creepy Sonneillon is creepy: P and Alec only has a day left. What do you guys hope to see when the gang finds him? BTW once this story is done, and I won't say just how much is left! I want to write another malec fic. But what would you guys like to see. I don't know if I should make a malec version of a Disney fairy tale, like sleeping beauty, the little mermaid or something like that. Or maybe something with a disabled Alec? And in that case, should he be blind, deaf-mute, just mute? An amputee? Or something else, please review or PM me with your thoughts for a new story. And remember, reviews are love!