Magus gazed down into the bubbling brew. It broiled and churned, changing from deathly back to golden yellow. It was one of many in the small shop. Witch Tricks and Wizard Wits was a small magic store that sat in the foothills of the Alicante Mountains. Coloured with musky woods and rich purples, the quaint little converted house encompassed any who entered, cloaking them in the mystical wonders of magic. Magnus had sort solace and peace here many a time in his past.
"Why I do believe my eyes deceive me! Magnus Bane?" a voice suddenly boomed.
"Magnolia," Magnus smiled.
The old woman, weathered, worn and creaking like old house floor boards, open her arms to Magnus. He accepted the invitations, stepping into the warm, welcoming hug. Her ghost white hair tickled his nose as he returned her embrace. Oh how he had missed the dear old woman. When she finally released Magnus, she stepped back and looked at him with her lips in a small 'O'.
"Is this red I see in your aura young man?" she whispered. Despite his age she still used the endearment.
He smiled softly and nodded, "I finally found love Noli. He's wonderful. I treasure him above all else."
"I can tell. But there is trouble?" She noted aloud.
"There are many troubles Noli. He is a shadowhunter," Magnolia gasped, brining her wrinkled hand to her mouth.
"My boy, you just love to cause a stir don't you?" she said, shaking her head.
"Of course. But this is not why I came to you today," he said sullenly.
"I suspected as much," she nodded gravely, "what is it you require?"
"Wormwood, blackroot and dead man's blood," he asked.
"What on Earth do you need such things for?" she gasped, scandalized.
"An abomination walks the Earth. It is part Demon, part shadowhunter. He is holding a young girl's mind captive and enters the dreams of the ones he taunts. We were able to penetrate her comatose realm and retrieve a piece of hair for a tracking spell. But I cannot use just any tracking spell,' he explained mutely.
Magnolia sighed, nodded her head then turned and headed to the back of the store where she disappeared through a sheen pink screen of silk.
Magnus stood and waited patiently, staring intently and the boiling brew again. It was like the drama around him, constantly changing with time of great despair and moments of rejuvenating happiness. He only hoped that soon, the rolling broth of their lives would settle on a harmonious yellow and they could all live in peace, finally.
He was soon pulled from his trance but the sound of shoes scuffing lightly on the floor. Magnolia walked towards him, carrying a wooden box. Once she reached him she placed it in his waiting hands.
"You will find everything you need in there," she muttered.
"Thankyou," Magnus said sincerely.
She nodded again. She reached up and ran a finger lightly down his cheek.
"Be safe. You have too much to live for now."
It pained Jace to leave her side. But he had to. Not only had nature called but he had matters to discuss with another Fairchild. He closed the door softly and headed toward the stairs. When he reached the bottom he found his family, minus Alec, situated in arm chairs and on couches. They all turned to look when he entered the room.
"Contact me if she moves even the slightest," he said simply.
They all nodded. His intentions were clear and they were not foolish enough to stop him. So they simply sat and watched him walk out the door. Once the click of the latch was heard, Isabelle rose from her seat.
"I'm going to go and sit with her," she told her parents and they nodded again.
Jace walked down the cobble street, his head down and hands tucked into his pockets. The sun had long set and the cold air bit at his exposed skin. But it did not deter him. He walked and walked until the little red house came into view. His strides turned into a forceful march as he approached the door. He knocked the wood hard three times. He waited. Then he heard the footsteps, scampering through the house until the door finally opened.
Jocelyn's hand froze on the air, an earring dangling from her grasp. Jace felt the rage begin to build, a fire in the pit of his stomach. Clary's mother was dresses in a silk red dress, her hair curled and her face made younger by strategically place make-up. She was going out.
"Who's at the door?" he heard Luke call. Jocelyn made no move to reply.
After several more moment of silence, Luke appeared over Jocelyn's shoulder.
He smiled, "Jace what are you doing here? Where's Clary?"
Jace's cold glare met Jocelyn's terrified eyes.
"You didn't tell him?" he hissed.
"Didn't tell me what?" Luke asked.
"That her daughter is currently in a comatose state and that we can't revive her and don't know when she'll wake up!" Jace exploded.
Luke staggered slightly, his mouth a gap. He looked to this partner is disbelief.
"What, how, when?" he asked.
"Why don't you ask her?"Jace said, pointing a finger at Jocelyn, "oh wait, she wouldn't know because she walked out!"
Jocelyn cringed at the clear malice in his voice.
Luke shook his head, "Jocelyn? What is wrong with you?"
"I didn't...I wasn't..." she stuttered uselessly.
"Where is she?" Luke asked, turning back to Jace.
"The Lightwoods," he said bluntly.
Luke grabbed his coat off the hook, "May I?"
Jace nodded and turned away before he defied all morals and lashed out at the woman still standing in shock at the door. He listened to the crunch of Luke's boots on the gravel and continued to walk. Luke soon caught up and fell into step beside Jace.
"I can't believe..." Luke trailed off.
"I know," Jace mumbled.
"She's not the woman I thought she was. When she came home, suggesting we spend an evening out together, I presumed you and Clary had made plans and she would be remaining with you. She seems so cheerful. If I had known..." Luke trailed off again.
"There's nothing that can be done about it now. Jocelyn has made her bed and now she has to lie in it," Jace said emotionlessly.
Luke sighed regretfully, he knew this was true and it pained him to admit it. She was not the woman he loved.
She was changing and this frightened him more than anything else.
Because he didn't know what she would become.