Chapter 24
Alexander Gideon Lightwood paced the length of his mother's flat in Alicante. He was under house arrest, and could not leave the warded dwelling unless accompanied by an appointed member of the Clave. Whenever his troubled mind could shift from thoughts of Magnus imprisoned in the Gard, and his precious son in hiding, he wondered how Hodge Starkweather had dealt with his long term imprisonment in the New York Institute, without going mad?
He supposed bad as he currently felt, it was better than those few horrible minutes at Eilean Donan, when the Clave had been looking for Morag and his son. The fact that they found no bodies in or near the castle meant bolstered his belief that the healer had gotten Aiden to safety. Alec expected no communication from Morag, it would not be safe until the Clave determined his and Magnus' fate.
He knew his mother was currently meeting with the Council, trying to get information on what exactly he and Magnus would be facing. The old laws were still in place and if the Clave insisted on enforcing them, Alec knew he would be stripped of his marks, Magnus would be executed , and little Aiden would be condemned to live a secret life. A soft sob broke from Alec as he paced the long, beautifully appointed great room in his mother's flat.
In other circumstances he might have been amused by the fact that there was so much the feel of a New York loft about his mother's place. The high ceilings, soaring windows and hardwood floors gave the flat it's light, sophisticated feeling. A black baby grand piano sat next to the large cast stone fire place, waiting for Jace to fill the room with the music he loved. Framed photographs of Alec, Isabelle, Jace and Max sat on occasional tables, and hung on the exposed brick walls. Although New York had originally been a place of exile for Maryse, it was obvious that it had eventually become home.
The noise of several people entering the flat broke into Alec's gloomy thoughts and he looked up to see his mother, Jace and Isabelle arriving from the Gard. Izzy threw her arms around Alec, hugging him tightly. He knew she blamed herself for his current predicament, but the truth was that he and Magnus might be dead if she hadn't let Maryse call in the cavalry. "It's alright, Iz;" Alec whispered softly in her ear as he hugged her back.
"No, it isn't! But we are going to fight until we get justice for you and Magnus!" She replied fiercely. "I mean it Alec, nothing matters until you, Magnus and Aiden are back at the Institute." There was something comforting in the fierceness of Isabelle's pronouncement. She had the gift of making others believe they had a fighting chance, even if the deck was stacked against them.
Maryse had moved to the kitchen area of the open concept space and was busy preparing a quick lunch for them all. She suspected that Alec had gotten very little sleep the night before, and had probably not bothered to eat this morning. He would need to keep his strength up to deal with the situation before him, and she intended to make sure he did. In short order, she brought a tray of sandwiches and drinks to the coffee table and indicated to her children they should take seats and dig in. There was a lot to discuss, but she'd wait until they'd had their food before bringing them up to speed on the Council meeting she'd attended.
Once everyone was settled, Maryse began; "A date has been set for Magnus' trial. It will begin a week from tomorrow;"
"No!" Alec interrupted. "They can't be serious about upholding those ancient, awful laws!"
"Alexander, I'm sorry;" Maryse said; "I tried to convince the Council the laws were unjust and needed to be changed, but they insisted their hands were tied and that the Court alone could bring such a challenge. Even the warlock representative, Felicia Phantom sided with them." The look on Maryse's face told her children just how disgusted she was by the failure of the Council in general, and Felicia in particular, to take action."
"She hates Magnus;" Alec said his tone indicating he expected no help from that quarter. Jace shot him a questioning look, but as Alec showed no sign of adding to his statement, Jace let it drop. There were more important issues before them.
An awkward silence fell over the family, no one seemed to know what to say or how to begin this difficult conversation. At last Izzy spoke up; "Will they get Luke to be Chief Justice again?"
"Oh, no;" Maryse replied quickly, realizing with shock that her children's only understanding of the judicial process was limited to that horrible business in New Orleans when Magnus had been wrongly accused of Alexander's murder. "The Court of Assize was set up and formalized several years ago to deal with serious legal matters that arise in the shadow world. Justices and advocates are carefully selected by the Council and specially trained to deal with such trials, the outcomes of which are binding on the entire shadow world."
"S-so Magnus will need one of these specially trained advocates?" Alec asked.
"Yes;" Maryse responded, adding; "I have the names of three who are currently in Alicante, I am expecting fire messages from them to say whether they are available."
At that moment, as if on cue, a fire message arrived from one of the advocates. Maryse scanned it quickly, a frown marring her face as she crumpled it up. There were still two others to hear from, and she wasn't going to let one refusal upset her. Unwillingly, however, her mind drifted to the nasty comments that had reached her ears as she walked to the Gard each morning. Narrow, bigoted comments about half-demon warlocks who should never be allowed to breed, and suspect shadowhunters who chose to cohabit with downworlders. Maryse wanted to believe that the majority of shadowhunters did not share those views, but this was Alicante, downworlders were thin on the ground here and often looked on with suspicion merely because they were different. To her great shame, Maryse knew that she herself had been guilty of the same prejudices. Enflamed by the exclusive world view of Valentine Morgenstern and his Circle. And she knew just what such terrible thoughts and feelings, translated into actions, could cost. Maryse schooled her features, she did not want to add to Alec's burden by expressing those concerns at the moment, even if just by the look on her face.
Marsye continued to describe the Court of Assize to her family. In some ways it was similar to the original court that had tried Magnus in New Orleans, with a panel of five Justices, one of which would be the Chief Justice and tie-breaker in the event a consensus could not be reached, and two advocates, one who represented the accused, and one who represented the Shadow world. The body of law covered by the Court included Clave, Fae, Coven, Clan and Pack. It was intended to deal only with serious crimes that involved more than one group in the Shadow world, and the punishment handed down would be determined by the laws of those wronged by the action. In this case Magnus was accused of the theft and use of an illicit spell that had been in the possession of the Silent Brothers, and would be subject to Clave law if found guilty.
"What about Gerrard McKenzie?" Jace demanded, still furious about the kidnapping of Aiden and all that had followed that horrible act.
"He will also be tried in the Court of Assize;" Maryse replied. "I believe in his case, he will be subject to Coven law for the kidnapping and Clave law for his activities with the Hellfire Club;"
"Why Coven law for taking Aiden? He's as much shadowhunter as he is warlock? Jace asked sharply, more than ready to take offence on his nephew's behalf.
"I'm sure Coven law will deal just as harshly with McKenzie as Clave law would;" Maryse responded, not wishing to deal with the reality that she wasn't sure how Aiden would be viewed by the Clave, considering the old laws that were still on the books. The Coven had indicated they would treat the matter in the same light as someone who kidnapped a warlock's apprentice. A very serious crime under Coven law.
The arrival of two more fire messages in quick succession interrupted all further discussion. Maryse reviewed them quickly, two more rejections! What on earth was she going to do now? She looked up quickly, seeing the expectant looks on her children's faces and her heart sank. A brisk knock on the flat's door signalled a last minute reprieve for Maryse as she rose to answer it, a slight frown on her face. No one who wasn't already there was expected, and unsolicited visitor were unusual.
Maryse opened the large oak door and was surprised to see a beautifully dressed fairy standing there. He had long, straight, black hair, and arresting silver eyes set in perfectly chiselled features. His physique, was long and lean, much taller than the average fairy. He wore an elegant suit, which, if Magnus had been there, Maryse would have been told was Armani.
"Can I help you?" The shadowhunter asked somewhat sternly.
"Are you Maryse Lightwood? He asked, seemingly taking no notice of her less than friendly tone.
"Yes." The Maryse replied crisply, still waiting for the fairy to state his business and go.
" Excellent! My name is Asher and I am Magnus Bane's new Advocate." A slight smile spread across his beautiful features as he saw a brief look of shock on the woman's face.