By the time Magnus had woken up, light was streaming through the library windows. His head was pounding, so it took him a moment to will his legs to stand up. For a moment, he had no memory of the previous night or how he ended up in the library. Then, the memories hit him like a barreling train. The weight of his guilt, of what he had done, almost brought him to his knees. I have betrayed the Nephilim, he thought. I have betrayed Alec. Even though he had ended things with Alec, it in no way lessened his affection for him. Alec was the one person who Magnus was willing to die for.
Once the weight of his guilt was lifted from his shoulders, Magnus looked down at his torn shirt. Not only was it a gift from Alec, but it was also the last thing that smelled of the shadowhunter. Alec had packed up all his things and moved out weeks ago. His eyes wandered over the rune Jonathan had drawn on his chest. The mark, though faded, was still there. It was like no other rune Magnus had seen in the Gray Book. It looked like something Clary would draw, but it had been her evil brother, not the fiery ginger. It had to be demonic in nature. The dark mark stared up at Magnus almost like it wanted to hurt him. At least, it gave Magnus that vibe.
Taking small steps, Magnus started walking towards the desk to notify Jia Penhallow of Jonathan's whereabouts. At least, Magnus considered, where you think they went. Magnus had no idea when in the past everyone had been sent to. If it was in his timeline, surely he would remember them. Or others would know. The thought now dawned on Magnus that he wasn't the only one who was alive a century ago. Maybe Tessa had remembered or… Magnus thought of Brother Zachariah chasing after Jonathan through the portal. He knew the risks of contaminating the timeline more than anyone. He hoped and prayed Jonathan wouldn't change anything drastic. But Magnus knew it was useless. Drastic was what Jonathan was like.
A pounding sensation started in his head. For a brief second, Magnus worried that Jonathan had returned, but the library remained empty. Not again, Magnus complained. Magnus started to feel weak and braced his arms on the desk for support. His legs buckled underneath him, sending him toppling back to the floor. This was not physical pain he was feeling. Magnus knew exactly what was happening. His magical resources were being drained from his body once more. This time, there was nothing to catch it, so it faded away. Magnus willed himself to stand, not for his health, but he owed it to Alec to bring everyone back. And he was going to go through with that pledge.
His cracked hands reached for the edge of the desk, and he used what remaining strength he had stored up to haul himself to his feet. Cuts were appearing all over his body, but he worried not about himself, but of his power. Could he do it? His shaking hands reached for the phone. He only managed to dial the number before he felt his heart start failing. His last thought before the darkness took him was if she would pick up.
Will had exchanged his torn and bloody gear for a clean outfit. He stayed in his room longer than he needed to because he wanted to stall. They had moved the Silent Brother's body to the infirmary, where the warlock was working his magic to heal him. All the other shadowhunters had remained by the Brother's side. Charlotte had explained to him who they were and how they had come to be here. Will had been a little surprised to find out Magnus was the one who sent them. As far as he was concerned, the warlock wanted nothing to do with shadowhunters. Apparently, 130 years changes a man's mind.
Will wanted to stall because he could not look the Silent Brother in the face. He was sure it was Jem's face, but when they took his body away, Will had doubts about what he'd seen. Jem was in his room with Tessa. Will had made sure of this in case it had all been a misunderstanding. Will did not want to find out if his best friend, his parabati would become a Silent Brother, men who barely lived at all in a city filled with the bones of their brothers. It was too dreary a place for Jem to live for years. Jem would outlive all of them in exchange for his service. It didn't seem fair.
Will also stalled because he didn't want to see who the other shadowhunters were. Maryse, Isabelle, and Alec were descendants of Gideon and Gabriel, a scary thought. They seemed fine from a distance, but Will guessed they all had their problems. Clary was the spitting image of Charlotte save for Henry's ginger attributes. The daylighter, Simon, seemed close with these shadowhunters, as much as Tessa was with them. It seemed things would never change with these families. And finally, there was Jace. Will couldn't believe Jace was a Herondale. It meant that Will was to marry at some point to start a family and pass down his name. He refused to believe his future self would love anyone other than Tessa. He would not love anyone as much as his heart yearned for Tessa. And she was engaged to Jem. But even if Jem was forced into becoming a Silent Brother, he would not be with Tessa.
A knock on the door pulled Will from his thoughts. They were probably waiting for him in the infirmary. He took a deep breath to try to calm his nerves, but his heart quickened with dread. He stepped out of his room to see Alec waiting for him. All of the shadowhunters had changed into clothes more appropriate for this time. Alec was wearing something of Will's. It was a little big on him since Will was at least a few inches taller than Alec. Alec tugged at his sleeves, but when Will emerged from his room, Alec's hands went to his sides. Alec gave Will a small nod before turning down the hall. Even though Will had lived here over a third of his life, he let Alec escort him to the infirmary. With Alec ahead, it gave Will a chance to examine the boy.
Alec was a lot like Will in looks. It was a wonder this boy wasn't his descendant instead of the Lightwood's. They had the same black hair, though his was longer than Will's. They also shared the same intense blue eyes he'd only ever seen on Cecily and himself. This made him question whether or not Alec was related to Cecily. Now that he thought about it, Cecily had been spending a lot of time in the training room with Gabriel since she's been here. He shuddered at the thought of Gabriel marrying Cecily and having children with her. He hated Gabriel as much as he loved and cared for his sister.
The infirmary doors were slightly ajar, so Will could hear someone speaking. The voice was not instantly recognizable, so he figured it was one of the other shadowhunters. Referring to them as their eventual descendants was a little too much for him.
"...Jonathan here means he might actually succeed," the voice said.
"If he joins with Mortmain and his clockwork army, Jace might be right." This new voice belonged to Magnus Bane. Alec stiffened a little, but continued walking through the doors. Will paused for a moment before following Alec through.
Everyone stood in circles around the bed the Silent Brother occupied. He was sitting up, and, to Will's relief, his hood was pulled up over his face. Clary sat next to the bed with a stele in her hand. It seemed to Will that she helped Magnus in healing the Silent Brother. Jace stood by her side protectively, a stance Will did with Tessa. Tessa was not in the infirmary, so Will assumed she was still with Jem. Everyone else, Maryse, Isabelle, Simon, Charlotte, Henry, Gabriel, Gideon, and Cecily, were discussing their predicament concerning Mortmain and a deadly shadowhunter named Jonathan Morgenstern. Alec strode across the room to join his sister. Will, on the other hand, remained distant from the group.
"We don't even know if Mortmain will consider working with Jonathan," Gabriel said. "How do we know they won't turn on one another?"
"Jonathan Morgenstern," Clary said, "is the most dangerous shadowhunter. Period. My father fed him Lilith's blood while he was still in the womb. Valentine raised Jonathan to be a killer and beat him when he misbehaved. He worshiped my father and believed the Nephilim were inferior to him. With my father gone, he created a group of endarkened shadowhunters to help him kill every last shadowhunter." Will had to admit, Mortmain seemed like a helpless child compared to Jonathan.
"Mortmain has wanted to destruction of Nephilim for months now. He wouldn't want to miss a chance at allying with a shadowhunter like Jonathan. Especially since he's from the future. Jonathan knows how this war will end and he will do whatever it takes to change that fate." Charlotte had lost her sense of confidence. This horrible news had taken it's toll on her faith in the Clave. It seemed no one believed they could still win.
"I would much rather the discussion be pointed towards how we will win instead of our inevitable doom," Will snapped. Eleven heads turned in his direction. Most looked a little shocked to see him standing there. Will ignored all of this. The only one he paid attention to was the darkness under the parchment hood. Will could almost feel his closed eyes staring at Will.
I agree with William, a chilling voice said in Will's head. It would help us better to talk of strategies to overcome Mortmain and Jonathan Morgenstern than defeat.
Will knew that voice all too well and he hung his head so the others wouldn't see him flinch. Will heard gasps, probably from Charlotte, and he guessed he wasn't the only one who recognized the Silent Brother.
Lifting his head, he saw Charlotte sitting on the edge of the adjacent bed, her hands clasped over her mouth. Everyone who knew Jem was in some state of shock and anguish. Gabriel and Gideon were merely staring at the Silent Brother. Henry, paler than usual, was trying to comfort his wife. Cecily was staring at Will, as if to make sure he was alright. The other shadowhunters looked very puzzled as to why all of them looked grim.
"Did you say something, Brother Zachariah?" Isabelle asked. Charlotte let out a gasp as tears started streaming from her eyes.
I have merely returned home, Miss Lightwood, Brother Zachariah said. And with that, he pulled his hood down to reveal a face so appalling, Will had to look away.
He looked just like Jem. The darkness of his raven hair made Will sick to his stomach. This was what Jem would've looked like if the demon hadn't poisoned him with yin fen. His eyes and mouth were not yet sewn shut, but they remained closed. Runes pained his delicate cheeks that took away from his gentle looks. Jem looked like the ghost of the boy he once was.
Will walked up to the bed with a brisk pace. Clary looked to Jace, then stood to make room for him at Jem's bedside. Will then collapsed in the chair and looked at Jem, though it was odd to be looking at him with his eyes closed. "I am so sorry. We always said that we would wait for the other across the river, but…" Will could not continue.
Jem understood what he was trying to say. It was my only shot at life and I have not regreted it for a moment.
"Jem-"
My name is no longer James Carstairs. I am only Brother Zachariah. It stung to hear Jem dismiss his own name. It hurt even more to see Jem alone in the world.
Clary had come to Will's side and knelt down, "Jem, like the dying boy?"
I was his parabati, Clarissa Fairchild. We were blood brothers, Jem said. Will refused to call Jem by anything other than his name.
"That is why you were so invested with Jace's disappearance. You were watching over the only living Herondale," Clary said, putting two and two together.
Will looked at Jem with new sadness. "That was a burden you were not bound to."
I could not live without you, Will. When you died, I sought to watch out anyone who accepted the name Herondale as their own.
"I will not let you do this. In another time, you became a Silent Brother to escape the disease you were dying from. But now I can help you. I will cure you so you can have a life with Tessa," Will declared. He was going to put things right for both he and Tessa.
Jem shook his head. You cannot change anything that has happened in the past. I am not meant to be with Tessa or in your lives. If we are to return home, we need to stick to the timeline. I am the only one who knows what will happen and can make sure history sticks to its course.
"Je- Brother Zachariah," Charlotte said. She had risen from her sitting position and was now standing at the end of his bed. It looked as if Charlotte was having a hard time accepting Jem as a Silent Brother. "With Jonathan Morgenstern cooperating with Mortmain, isn't the timeline already on a different course?"
Charlotte, the small details don't matter as much as the result. I need to make sure who lives and who dies correlates with the previous timeline.
Will noted there were no emotions in his voice. It sounded like the other Silent Brothers, who did what they had to do without question or emotions. This was not like Jem at all. "Do you expect us to sit around as you let people die because it was supposed to happen!" Will shouted at Jem. "If I or Henry or even Charlotte were to die, would you not lift a finger to help us!"
Will shot out of his chair in anger. This was not Jem. This was another person wearing his skin. His best friend was dead. Turing with such anger he knocked over the chair, Will stalked to the door and threw it open. And stopped.
Tessa straightened herself after having been caught off guard listening through the door. She looked around at everyone, her cheeks reddening. "Sorry, but I heard shouting and I came to make sure nothing was…" She trailed off, looking at something over Will's shoulder. He saw her beautiful gray eyes widen and he knew what she saw. She looked over her shoulder, and a figure appeared beside her. His shirt was still stained with his blood and his silver hair stuck up in back a bit.
"Is something the matter Tess?" Jem asked, peering through the open doors. His gaze locked on to the figure sitting in the bed. He didn't look as shocked as Tessa did, but he did look concerned. He looked to Will and said with the most casual voice, "I've missed something, haven't I?"
A/N: Well, the impossible just happened. What did everyone think of Jem's reaction to seeing Brother Zachariah. I for one, thought it was exactly what Jem would do. I felt so emotional writing this chapter because Will got to talk with Zachariah and Zachariah told Will the awful truth: everything needs to happen as it did all those years ago. I'm also excited to write more of Magnus's journey. Who was the girl he was calling? If you review, you will find out sooner. Gosh, I love having all the power :)
