Chapter 21

The seconds dragged on like hours as Alec waited in that cold dark hallway. He heard the soft whimpers of his traumatized child and ached to pick him up and hold him close, but he needed to be prepared to defend them both if Magnus failed to disarm the other warlock. Alec heaved a sigh of relief as he saw Magnus race out of the room and scoop Aiden into his arms.

Magnus would have given a great deal to be able to open a portal and get his husband and son away from this cursed place, but he knew that, even if it had been possible, the expenditure of that much magic would alert the Hellfire Club of their presence, and doom all those who had risked so much to help them. A gentle spell to put his son into a magic sleep was the best he could do at the moment to spare the child witnessing any more violence.

"The warlock?" Alec asked.

Magnus, remembering the final blasts of magic he had traded with Gorgon, replied tersely; "Dead." Before turning to follow Alec back down the hallway. Finaly registering the livid, seeping burn on his husband's back, Magnus gasped; "Alexander, your hurt!"

"It's not as bad as it looks, I'll get Jace to do an iratze. You need to save your magic. We don't know what we could be facing."

Moving swiftly now, the two retraced the steps that had led them to their precious child, praying they would be able to rejoin the others and escape the castle without alerting the bulk of the Hellfire Club.

~~~~~ ! ~~~~~

"What are you doing here?!" Madeline Pyre barked as she came face to face with one of the initiates, who by rights should be unconscious on the ballroom floor, not creeping around the castle halls unescorted. Madeline's fragile beauty belied her speed and strength. She was an old and cunning vampire, perfectly capable of putting a whelp like Daniel LaCroix in his place, and enjoying herself while she did it.

A deep visceral growl erupted from the boy's throat as he launched himself at Madeline, and the older vampire found herself in an unexpectedly defensive position against a virtual novice! She had no way of knowing Daniel had been training with the shadowhunters of the New York Institute. The boy hadn't needed years living in a dangerous world to hone his reflexes, he had Jace and Alec. But, perhaps more important still, he had acceptance, friendship, and love to motivate that powerful arsenal.

Madeline pulled out all her tricks as she desperately tried to gain the upper hand. A little more experience and this boy would be a powerful enemy indeed. Finally she managed to pin him against the stone wall, though she suffered some serious damage doing so. Madeline's long, talon-like nails dug into the soft skin of his neck, and she smiled sweetly; "I'm going to enjoy this!"

Too late, she caught a glimmer of sparkling, black magic from the corner of her eye. Seconds later she was slammed roughly against the opposite wall and held there like a moth pinned to the bottom of a collector's glass cabinet. "Briosag!" she snarled struggling desperately to free herself.

"Madeline, what a pleasure;" Aiden said insincerity dripping from every word. "I might have known you'd be part of this depraved organization. I don't envy you trying to explain to your clan why the Clave is all over their asses looking for you;"

"Worry about your own ass Briosag it's in more danger than mine!" She snarled and then arched her neck letting out a shriek so loud Aiden thought the stone walls might crumble.

Aiden's magic flashed out again silencing her, and causing her crumple to the floor unconscious. "Come on! We have to grab Shivvy and get out, before the rest of the Club comes running!"

Even as he spoke, doors began opening on either side of the hallway emitting werewolves, vampires and shadowhunters who were part of the Hellfire Club. The two friends found themselves fighting for their lives in the narrow, confined space of the ancient castle hallway. From one doorway, however, a fierce ally emerged, Shivvy McRae. Seeing her friends embattled was all it took to send the young shadowhunter headlong into the fray. She had spent the last three years training with the likes of Jace Herondale, and Alec Lightwood, her fierce instincts took over, these were her friends, her loved ones, in trouble and nothing else mattered.

Still heavily outnumbered, the three friends used the narrowness of the hallway to their advantage, preventing anyone from circling around them to attack from behind. Aidan's black magic shot out slamming and locking doors to ensure no further club members could join their attackers. They backed inexorably to the end of the hallway Aidan shouted a brief warning to his companions, as a huge blast of magic issued from his fingers striking the walls and ceiling. Stones that had stood for over a century shook and cracked tumbling down on the heads of their enemies.

"RUN!" Aidan yelled.

Shivvy and Daniel didn't need to be told twice. The young vampire led them at break-neck speed back along the route he and Aidan had travelled. Periodically, they encountered small groups of club members who attempted to impede their progress, but were more than willing to scatter at the first hint of strong resistance.

The young shadowhunter's mind was whirling, she'd known Daniel would pass on her information regarding the whereabouts of Magnus and Alec's kidnapped son, and she assumed she was now involved in a rescue attempt. There was nothing else she could have done, when she saw Daniel and Aidan fighting for their lives, but what would this mean for her brother Ian? She'd promised to marry Gerard McKenzie to ensure Ian's love for his parabatai Josh Cameron remained a secret. That plan was now in ruins, and she could only pray there would still be something she could still do to protect Ian.

The sound of falling stones and screaming died away as they put distance between themselves and the club members who had attacked them in the hallway. Gradually, however, those noises were replaced by the sounds of battle up ahead, the clash of steal, the blast of magic, shouts of anger, and the feral growl of angry wolves rent the air. There could be no doubt now that any chance of slipping out of the castle undetected was over, and the three friends hurried on toward whatever fate awaited them.

~~~~~ ! ~~~~~

The two women occupied the same dark, brooding space. Tension snapping between them like a taunt rope at the point of failure. Isabelle paced back and forth, back and forth, her mother, Maryse, perhaps more used to life's challenges, erect and still, sitting in a chair waiting for the inevitable. A fitful fire was the only light in the room, neither woman had bothered turning on a lamp to relieve the gloom, as if it might shed unwanted light on the terrible decision they would have to make. Isabelle glared at the telephone on the desk at each turn back into the room, as if it was to blame for Alec's failure to call, and tell her all was well, Aiden had been rescued and they were on their way home.

"Isabelle!" Maryse voice rang out, shattering the heavy silence. "We have to call the Clave. If Alec was able to contact us, he would have done so by now. We must act or there will be no one left to save!"

"Mother, you know what the Clave may do to Magnus and Alec if they find out about Aiden!" Isabelle replied, her voice choked with emotion.

"Don't! Isabelle, I know the law, and I know that the Clave has not always been merciful, but if we do nothing... w-when they are in mortal danger... I would rather trust to the Clave than bury my son, and grandson because I did not act."

Isabelle stopped mid-stride; "Promise me!" she demanded looking steadfastly at the other woman. "Promise me that, if we do this, you will fight the Clave, if necessary to protect them; Magnus too!" she added, as if afraid that her mother's efforts might fall short of including the downworlder who was the love of Alec's life.

"By the angel, Isabelle, I swear;"