Chapter 20

Daniel arrived back at the old the old manor house. He knew his time was short if he wasn't going to be missed by the Hellfire Club, but he had to tell Briosag about young Aiden and ... Shivvy. Stepping into the grand entry hall, Daniel was shocked to see several strange downworlders milling about, including some werewolves, and warlocks as well as vampires.

"Daniel! Thank God you've arrived!"

Stepping away from the group, Daniel saw Hamish Nathrach, Aidan Briosag's second-in-command coming toward him.

"H-Hamish, what are all these people doing here?" Daniel stammered.

Before Nathrach could respond however, double doors on the right side of the entry hall opened and Aidan Briosag walked out followed closely by Alec, Magnus and Jace. The moment Daniel saw them, he ran toward the men that had become family to him, ever since his self-imposed exile from France. They were the ones who had helped him come to terms with becoming a vampire, losing his birth family, and making a new life, and he owed them everything, including his sanity.

Alec gathered the younger boy into a welcoming hug as Jace reached over to ruffle his hair affectionately. Daniel pulled away taking in the worry and tension in Magnus and Alec's faces, and the fact that both shadowhunters were dressed in gear and armed to the teeth. "I've seen Shivvy;" he said a look of pain flitting across his face. "She said that little Aiden is being held at the castle and gave me a map to help you find him;"

"That's good news!" Aidan Briosag replied taking the map from Daniel's hand and reviewing it with Magnus. He had not dared to hope that Daniel would be able to give them news of the child as well as Shivvy. Perhaps if the fates continued to favour them they would succeed in freeing both from Eilean Donan before dawn.

Daniel was also able to inform them of the number of Hellfire Club members in residence, confirming Briosag's impression that their best chance of freeing Shivvy and young Aiden would be to slip in undetected. He had enough support from the Edinburgh downworld to keep an escape route open as long as the full force of the Club wasn't marshalled against them. Knowing where Aiden was being held and having Daniel's knowledge of the Castle's layout meant this plan had a real chance of succeeding. A wild light danced in Aidan Briosag's gray-green eyes as he turned to those assembled in the entry hall and said; "Let's get this party started!"

Placing a hand on Alec's shoulder, as he turned to follow Briosag out of the manor, Jace whispered. "We are going to get Aiden back safely Alec, I swear by the angel;"

Alec glanced for a moment into his parabatai's eyes seeing, courage, strength and a fierce determination written there. He nodded briefly and gave Jace a small smile that did not reach his eyes, then he moved off following Magnus out into the night.

The small group moved swiftly, the werewolves among them already changed into their feral forms. Daniel led them back along the path he had taken until they reached Eilean Donan, and helped them slip into a little used door at the base of the castle.

Once inside, they stopped briefly, Alec and Magnus broke away from the group and followed the map Daniel provided making their way to the room that held little Aiden. Most of the rest spread themselves along the hallways, determined to provide a secure escape route for Magnus, Alec and the little boy.

Briosag looked at his second-in-command, Hamish Nathrach, and said; "Daniel and I will get Shivvy, if we are not back by the time Magnus, Alec, and the boy return, get them out safely. We will join you as soon as possible back at the manor."

"But..."

"Hamish, old friend!" Aidan interrupted. "Nothing is more important to me than the safety of Magnus and Alec's child. You know I will move heaven and earth to get out of here with Daniel and Shivvy. All I need is your promise to do the same for the others I hold dear. Swear to me!

"A-aidan... you know I will do whatever you need me to. I swear! I swear..."

"God go with you Hamish, and bless you always;" Briosag said, giving his long time friend a brief hug, before following Daniel deeper into the depths of Eilean Donan.

As Briosag disappeared into the gloom, Hamish quietly set about placing the remaining downworlders along the escape route, making sure they all had strategic positions from which to observe the movement of servants and club members who could raise the alarm and foil this desperate rescue mission.

~~~~~ ! ~~~~~

Alec moved swiftly down the dimly lit stone passage. He could feel the uneven, rough stone surface beneath him testifying to the thousands who had trod the same path over the centuries. It was a relief to finally be doing something to save his son. The last while had been a nightmare for himself and Magnus filled with fears for the safety of their precious child. At last they reached the door and a hastily applied opening rune allowed them to breach the chamber.

A blast of chartreuse magic sliced the air between Magnus and Alec causing them both to dive and roll away from each other. Alec was on his feet in an instance, seraph blade out and beginning to glow as he whispered the name, "Gabriel".

Flashes of blue magic snapped and crackled at Magnus' fingertips as he faced the warlock who was using the terrified three year old as a shield; "D-daddy..." Aiden wailed as he wriggled trying desperately to free himself.

"Stay away, or your son is dead Bane!" Marcus Gorgon growled, inching his way toward the door, always careful to keep the boy between himself and his adversaries.

Alec knew he would only get one chance at this, and the stakes were so high. If he made the slightest miscalculation it could cost him Aiden's life, and that didn't bear thinking about. He glanced quickly at Magnus and though no words passed between them, a microscopic nod told him that the warlock understood and would follow his lead.

Years of training and experience allowed Alec to let go and trust his body to do what needed to be done. The shadowhunter's movements were so fast that Magus didn't even see a blur, one moment Alec was across the room and the next he was in front of Gorgon ripping the child from the startled warlock's grasp. As soon as he had Aiden in his arms, Alec turned his back to Gorgon using his body to protect the child.

Alec felt a searing pain across his back that almost made him stumble, and then the air was crackling with magic as Magnus and Gorgon began trading shots. Alec would have given anything to turn and help his husband, but he knew that his first responsibility was to Aiden, and he headed for the door and the relative safety of the hallway.

Once outside, Alec put the little boy down and began to check him for injury. stopping only briefly when the boy asked; "Daddy, daddy where were you, I was soooo scared;"

"I-I'm sorry Aiden, we didn't know where you'd been taken; but I promise papa and I would never have stopped looking until we found you, baby;" Alec hugged the boy tightly to his chest, ignoring the pain that shot through his injured back. Holding his beloved child in his arms once again, was worth any amount of pain. The fact that little Aiden had been put through this trauma would not be forgotten, and those responsible would pay dearly, if he had any say in the matter.

Alec's senses were honed to the sounds of battle coming from inside the room. He desperately wished he could help Magnus, but would not risk letting go of Aiden even for a moment. The blasts of magic, and sounds items shattering, ceased as suddenly as they began. Alec waited anxiously, his seraph blade drawn and Aiden behind him to see who would emerge...