Chapter 32

Robert Lightwood knocked firmly on his ex-wife's door. He and Maryse had been separated long enough by now that they were past the awkward phase, and for the sake of their children, able to be civil to each other. He expected Maryse was still at the court, however, and it was Alec he had come to see.

Alec opened the door, and to say his father was surprised by his son's appearance was an understatement. Alec's face was drawn, and he had lost weight since Robert had last seen him. Being forced to sit on the sidelines when his family was in danger was torture for Alec.

"Dad, this is an unexpected surprise;" Alec said quietly as he stepped aside to let Robert enter. The Clave's wards prevented Alec form even stepping into the common hallway of the building.

"Alec, I wanted to drop by and let you know that I've dealt with McKenzie's ludicrous accusations regarding Josh Cameron and Ian McRae. There will be no action taken against either of them." Robert paused briefly, glad to see a small smile of relief graced his son's pale face. "I understand that Jia has to be careful, but to give credence to anything that man said..."

Thanks for taking care of this Dad;" Alec interrupted, placing a hand on his father's shoulder. The relationship between them had been badly strained when Alec first came out, and admitted he was dating Magnus. Time and effort had been needed to repair the damage, and it seemed that they had both been repaid for that hard work.

"I took and leaf out of your book Alec, and did everything in my power to protect our family." Robert said softly.

The two men shared a quiet moment, but before anymore could be said, the Loft door opened with a bang and Izzy, Jace, and Maryse walked in arguing about the trial, and the testimony they'd heard.

Izzy stopped abruptly, as soon as she saw her father and Alec in the lounge. "Dad, I didn't know you were coming! Alec, I have a letter for you from Magnus, and something special from Catarina." Carefully she placed Magnus letter in Alec's hand, as well as the drawing that little Aiden had sent with his Aunty Cat for daddy.

Tears shone in Alec's eyes as he saw the precious items. He turned abruptly and went to the guest room that had become both his home and prison, since returning to Alicante. He needed privacy to read Magnus' words, and see the brightly coloured picture that his son had drawn, stick figures of the three of them in happier times.

~~~~~!~~~~~

Dante Serpens stood in front of his Abbot, explaining the failure of his mission to bring back the child of a marked shadowhunter and a warlock, who was the only means of producing the effective Curatio Daemonium Insanitas. Outwardly he remained calm, precise, unwilling to show the turmoil, fear even, that he felt reporting this unsuccessful effort.

"Dante, Dante, Dante...while this is not the news I would have preferred to hear right now, we must look calmly at what stands in the way of our ultimate success." Vladimir Druganin's cold, commanding voice filled the room, doing nothing to address the anxiety of his subordinate. The tall, imposing figure of Druganin stood, towering over Serpens, and moving with an ancient grace to the window, dark now with nothing but the moon and stars to illuminate the garden below.

Dante Serpens brought the news to Druganin that Morag Nightshade had managed to escape the cottage in Northern Ireland, with the boy. They had tracked her to the Edinburgh Downworld. Vladimir Druganin was not the type of leader who 'shot the messenger,' but neither did he suffer fools gladly. Serpens' entire attention was now focused on his leader, alert for any indication as to how this interview would go. He had no desire to become Druganin's next meal.

"The Edinburgh Institute is in shambles;" The Abbot continued; "And their long history of hatred toward the downworld makes it unlikely they will act decisively if we move against Briosag. The Clave is preoccupied with their own 'witch hunt'. A warlock having a baby through the use of magic has them paralyzed with fear, so typical of their narrow, bigoted view."

Serpens said nothing, merely nodding to indicate he understood and concurred with Druganin's assessment.

"If we attack the Edinburgh Downworld now, and take the child from Briosag and his followers, I think we have a fair chance of success. By the time the Clave realizes they need to act, it will be far too late."

"I will assemble the necessary men and supplies;" Serpens said anticipating the Abbot's next orders.

"Find me someone who has been to the Edinburgh Downworld;" Druganin said; "I want some idea of the layout before we make our move."

With a brief nod of his head, Dante Serpens summoned a portal and left to do his master's bidding. It felt good to be in active service again with Druganin, just like old times...

~~~~~!~~~~~

Deep in the underground tunnels, caverns and rooms, the city under a city, that formed the Edinburgh Downworld, Aidan Briosag sat in room lit only by lanterns hung on gray stone walls, and the flicker of a smokeless, magic fire on the hearth. Morag had gone to bed hours ago, after settling the child, Magnus and Alec's son, into one of the small guest rooms.

Briosag's heart had soared to see his beloved Morag again, but that joy was mixed with deep concern. He had questioned her minutely about the men who had breached her wards, and attempted to take her and the boy from the cottage in Ireland. Initially, he had assumed the Clave must have discovered Morag's hiding place, but now he was not so sure. Something about Morag's description of a tall, thin warlock with white blonde hair and small horns nagged at his memory, tantalizing, just beyond his recall.

It had been more than two century now that Aidan called Edinburgh home, but before that he had travelled extensively, lured by exotic places and new experiences; Hong Kong, St. Petersburg and Jakarta, where he had first met Magnus Bane. Wait! That was it! The High Warlock of St. Petersburg, Dante Serpens fit Morag's description to a tee, but what possible reason could Serpens have for wanting Magnus and Alec's son? It made no sense.

Aidan rose from his seat, he needed answers and he needed them now. The High Warlock of Edinburgh had survived for centuries by listening to his instincts, and they were telling him he was running out of time. Tired as he was, there would be no sleep this night until he had some answers, and in the meanwhile he would put his beloved Downworld Underground on high alert. Protecting the child was of prime importance, both from the Clave, and whoever it was that Serpens represented.

A quick tour of the Underground city, to reinforce the entrance wards, and double the guards was followed by the sending of a fire message to an old friend, a warlock who had long made his home in Russia. If anyone knew what Serpens was up to, Demetri would. The Russian warlocks had always been suspicious each other, circling like two alpha dogs trying to gage who was the strongest. Briosag had paid little attention to their squabble at the time, assuming things would eventually get sorted out, and it had been easy enough to let Demitri vent about the perfidious Dante Serpens.

Satisfied that he had done all he could for now, Aidan went to check on the child, before joining Morag to get a few hours of sleep. Although he did not know it at the time, It would be that last he had for awhile.