Chapter 11

Magnus with his heart racing, opened a portal to the park. It was all he could do not to destroy Janus Dark for betraying his son. Deep in his innermost soul, he knew it wasn't the potion maker's fault, not everyone was cut out to be a hero; but Aiden was innocent, helpless against the evil of this world, dependant on Alec and himself for protection, and the thought that he was now the target of powerful, desperate men terrified Magnus.

Arriving at the park, Magnus headed for the playground at a run only to stop short when he saw the last, faint glimmer of portal magic disappearing and the mutilated body of the woman who had served the New York Institute for several years, and had come to be regarded as family. A scream of rage and fear tore from Magnus throat as he realized he was too late to stop his precious son from being taken, or help the woman in front of him. With enormous effort he collected himself, and sent a fire message to Izzy at the Institute. He could not afford the luxury of giving into his emotions now. Aiden needed to be found, and it almost overwhelmed him again when he thought about how frightened the little boy would be.

Magnus took a deep steadying breath and focused on summoning the spirit of the newly dead housekeeper. He had no doubt that she would move on quickly, unlike old Molly, the ghost he had sent Will Herondale to see in the Cross Bones Graveyard near London Bridge over a century ago. Magnus hated the idea of summoning the housekeeper only to force her to relive the traumatic manner of her death, but he desperately needed any information she could give him about who had taken Aiden.

The warlock uttered a brief incantation and waited anxiously as a thin, wisp of mist began to swirl and collect into the rough shape of a woman. The most distinct feature was the face which wore such a terrified expression that it tore at Magnus' heart. If only he'd been able to save her, and his son.

"M-master Magnus, is that y-you?" the spirit asked in a quavering voice.

"Yes dear;" Magnus replied softly not wanting to do anything to startle her further. He needed to prompt her to talk about what happened. "I'm so sorry;" He began...

"Don't..." She interrupted him. "They came up behind us and grabbed Aiden before I could stop them. There were three men. I didn't recognize any of them, but one was a warlock. He started to open a portal, and his magic was a dark orange colour. The one, who was holding me, prevented me from screaming. I didn't see his face, but I know he was a shadowhunter, I could see the runes on his arms."

If Magnus was surprised by what the housekeeper told him, he didn't let it show; "And the third man? The one that had Aiden?" Magnus prompted.

The ghost seemed to shudder at that memory and begin to lose the already tentative grasp she had on her spectral form. Magnus held his breath praying he would get some information before she disappeared entirely.

The voice that answered him was barely above a whisper; "He was very tall, his eyes were consumed by fire and..." The ghost seemed to falter at this point, as if the memory of what she'd seen overwhelmed her. At last, however she continued; " There were thin, dark legs sprouting from his head, spider's legs, each ending in a sharp, black claw." As the ghost recounted this vision of hell, she became fainter, and fainter until at last no trace was left.

Belial, Magnus thought, a greater demon. Someone had sent a greater demon after his three year old son, and at least one shadowhunter was involved! An enormous flash of blue light erupted from Magnus' finger tips. A scream of rage tore from his throat as he let the full implications of what he'd learned sink in.

"Magnus!" Izzy yelled hesitating to get too close to the enraged warlock until she was sure he recognized her as a friend. "What the hell is going on?" Then she saw the body of the dead housekeeper and her eyes widened in shock. "Magnus where's Aiden?"

Managing to get himself back under control, Magnus filled Isabelle in on what he knew. "We have to get back to the Institute so I can track my son. If any harm has come to him, someone is going to pay very dearly indeed."

Shuddering, Izzy thought she might have preferred Magnus' wild rage to the deadly calm that replaced it. Turning away abruptly, Isabelle grabbed her cell phone and arranged to have the body of the housekeeper collected, then hurried back to the Institute with her grim brother-in-law. Jace met them in Alec's office, concern written clearly on his handsome face.

In as few words as possible, Magnus told the two shadowhunters about the attack on Janus Dark and his belief that the Hellfire club was behind the kidnapping.

"The Hellfire Club actually exists?" Jace said; "I thought it was just an old legend."

"Oh it exists alright;" Magnus replied grimly. "And as long as there are shadowhunters, downworlders and even mundanes with depraved tastes, and a desire for power, it will continue to exist."

"And you believe Aiden was taken because his blood can be used in the cure for demon pox, curatio demoni...whatever it's called?" Izzy asked. The thought of it appalled her, but at least if it was true, the kidnappers would have a vested interest in keeping the child alive.

A curt nod was Magnus' only response to Isabelle's question, and with very little more said by any of the others, they soon went their separate ways to prepare for whatever came next. Magnus withdrew to begin his tracking spell, Izzy to arrange for their inevitable absence from the Institute, and Jace had the unenviable task of sending the fire message that would recall Alec home. How do you tell your brother that his only son has been kidnapped, and that there is reason to believe at least one shadowhunter was involved?

~~~~~ ! ~~~~~

Alec caught up with Josh and Ian at a small cafe off Angel Square. The white stone façade of the building was partially obscured and softened by old vines whose gnarled branches seemed to grow right out of the wall. Cheerful planter boxes decorated each window and elaborate black wrought iron tables and chairs sat on the sidewalk out front.

Alec's mind was not on his pleasant surroundings however, he was worried about what might happen to Josh and Ian if Isaiah Blackwell found proof of a romantic relationship between the two boys. Alec knew he had to caution them, and make sure they understood what could happen if the Clave found out they were secretly involved.

It was Ian that first looked up and saw Alec, the smile that lit up his honest face broke Alec's heart a little bit, and he wished, more than anything, he could take these two boys back to new York and protect them from the harsher realities of the Clave's intolerance.

"Alec! What are you doing here?" Ian asked.

"Checking up on us!" Josh replied with a smirk. "He knows better than to think we've been model prisoners."

"Has it been that bad?" Alec asked before he could stop himself. He still vividly remembered his and Jace's training with Blackwell. Jace, of course, impressed the irascible instructor with his extraordinary abilities, so Blackwell had focused on Alec who he believed was not good enough to be Jace's parabatai. It had been a painful and difficult experience for Alec, who had also been struggling with the fact that he was gay, and believed he was in love with Jace.

Just as Alec settled himself at the table, preparing to warn the two young shadowhunters about the danger that Isaiah Blackwell represented, a fire message arrived that stole the very breath from his lungs.

"Alec, what's wrong!?" Josh cried.

"It's Aiden, h-he's been kidnapped..." Alec gasped, trying desperately to wrap his mind around the horrifying message that Jace had sent. "I-I have to go back!"

"We are coming too!" Ian and Josh said in one voice.

Alec gave a curt nod, he could not imagine facing this crisis without those, who had become like family, by his side.