Hi all! First, I would like to apologize profusely for the fact that it has taken me so long to update. This semester has been exceedingly rough, and I only seem to get busier with every passing week. My hope is that I can begin to write a bit every day so it won't take me this long to update again. But I make no promises because clearly it's been hard for me to do so!
Anyways, I hope that y'all enjoy this chapter! I have lots of Plans for this story, and this is the beginning of them! Please let me know your thoughts, and hopefully I'll see y'all soon!
When Magnus woke, the first thing he was aware of was just how heavy his entire body felt. But it wasn't the sort of heaviness that he had expected. Sure, he could feel just how physically drained he was. He could feel the effects of what had happened the night before, of passing out from the excessive use of magic and the fact that he was already growing weaker with each and every passing day. He could feel all of that, and yet none of it seemed to matter at the moment. As he sat up, his body protested, but he barely paid attention to it. The pain in his arms as he vpushed himself into sitting position was nothing compared to what was going on in his mind.
Slowly but surely, the night's events came back to him. He would have gladly passed out from the over-exertion a thousand times over if it meant he wouldn't have to think about the fact that Alec had very firmly closed the door on their relationship. Of course, if anyone had asked Alec directly, he probably would have specified that he'd talked mostly about needing time and space, which was decidedly not closing the door. But Magnus felt as though Alec had locked him in a room and all he could do was stare back at the door and wonder if Alec would ever unlock it again.
Just when Magnus felt as though he was going to suffocate from the thought of being locked away like this, he realized that he wasn't alone in his room. Ragnor was staring at him with more concern in his eyes than Magnus had seen in a long time. "How are you feeling?" Ragnor asked as soon as Magnus seemed to actually tune in to what was going on around him. "Does anything hurt or are you just tried?" Ragnor specified, his eyes searching Magnus for any signs of distress. Magnus wanted nothing more than to comfort Ragnor, but he knew that would be hard to do when he needed so much comfort for himself.
"I feel as though my entire body was ripped apart and then sewn back together by a monkey with less than spectacular sewing skills," Magnus replied, not at all surprised when Ragnor didn't even begin to smile at the joke. Over the past several months, Magnus had tried to make light of the situation that he was in, knowing that humor was the only way he was going to make it through. Ragnor, however, had failed to find anything about the situation funny no matter the day or time. "But I've felt worse," Magnus said, trying to shrug off exactly how he was feeling. He could see in Ragnor's eyes that the other warlock didn't believe him, but Magnus decided that that simply didn't matter at the moment. "Do we have a plan of action yet?" Magnus finally asked, reluctantly turning his mind back to what was ahead of them.
Ragnor sighed and shook his head, but Magnus could tell that this was due to his exasperation at Magnus's stubbornness. "I think there's a plan in place, but honestly, Magnus, I think it would be better if you didn't go with us." Ragnor looked slightly nervous at that, almost as though he wasn't giving Magnus the full story. "You need to rest," he said, clearly trying to get himself out of the hole he was digging. It was then that Magnus understood what Ragnor was trying to say. He was worried about Magnus being around Alec after everything that had happened the night before, especially not on a mission so important that any sort of distraction could prove fatal.
Magnus, however, was already shaking his head, moving to get out of bed without hinting to Ragnor just how much his muscles were protesting at the movement. As his feet hit the floor and he realized that he had greatly overestimated just how much strength he had regained, causing him to involuntarily reach out for Ragnor's already outstretched hand, steadying himself on his friend without a second thought. Magnus wanted to smack Ragnor when he saw the "I told you so," look on the other warlock's face, but he simply steadied himself and moved to get ready for the day, more than slightly anxious at what the day might come to hold. "Whatever you all have been planning, you're taking me with you," Magnus stated, giving Ragnor no room for an argument.
"Meet us in the library," was all Ragnor said before he finally walked out of the room, giving Magnus the chance to truly assess how he was feeling. Fifteen minutes later, he'd finally changed into the new clothes that Alec had so clearly retrieved from his apartment, washed his face, magicked some makeup on, and he was beginning to feel like a completely new person. He knew that it had been Alec who had retrieved his clothes because only Alec would know to grab his most comfortable pair of jeans and his favorite shirt. Magnus sighed as he slowly made his way to the library, taking more time than normal for several reasons, most of which included Alec.
Magnus had known that walking into the library would likely throw him face to face with Alec once more, but he hadn't expected to be thrown in the middle of an argument that he had no hopes of following at least for the time being. Ragnor and Alec were staring at one another as though they would like nothing more than for the other to spontaneously combust. "There's no point in us going without Magnus," Alec was saying, his voice much harsher than Magnus had heard it in a while. "We may need him to help us retrieve the Cup; you know what Valentine said about needing us to get the Cup for him. If we don't take him with us now, that could just put all of us in more danger later on," Alec asserted, clearly not ready to back down from his stance on the matter at hand.
For a moment, Magnus thought that maybe Ragnor wasn't going to respond, but then the other warlock finally spoke once more, bringing Magnus's heart to a standstill. "Don't pretend like you care about Magnus's safety," Ragnor spat at Alec. "You sure as hell didn't care when you all but ripped his heart out of his chest. You Shadowhunters are all the same. All you want is the Cup just like Valentine Morgenstern. The rest of us, especially us Downworlders, be dammed." At that, Magnus thought of stepping in, though stepping in was the last thing he truly wanted to do. But then Alec replied almost immediately, clearly still unaware of the fact that Magnus was standing just a few feet away from them.
"Don't even begin to pretend like I don't love Magnus," Alec said, but his voice was so void of emotion that Magnus almost couldn't believe him anymore. "I want the Cup so that Valentine will take his eyes off of Magnus. Don't talk about a relationship that you know nothing about." Magnus had been expecting something much more forceful and passionate, but Alec's voice trailed off as he looked up and met Magnus's eyes. It looked almost like the Shadowhunter was willing him to believe what he was saying, but Alec looked away from him almost as soon as their eyes had met, so Magnus was having a hard time believing that it had been there at all.
After several long moments, Robert cleared his throat, but Magnus wasn't ready to look away from Ragnor who was now staring back at him as though he wanted to drag Magnus away from every Shadowhunter they might ever see again. "Magnus," he began, and for a moment, Magnus thought that something awful was about to happen. "You seem well; are you ready?" he asked, pretending as though absolutely nothing had just happened. Magnus simply nodded, though he still had no idea of where they were going or why they needed to go there for the Cup.
"We have found a lead as to where the Cup might be," Robert continued, clearly ignoring the tension that was still filling the room. "Clary and Jace happened to find a journal of Jocelyn's saying that she hid the Cup in Idris," Robert explained, which was something that didn't surprise Magnus in the slightest. Idris would have been the most logical place of Jocelyn to hide the Cup. "From what we can tell, the Cup should be somewhere at the old Academy, but Jocelyn had a warlock help her place a spell on it so that it can only be released from its containment by the blood of two soulmates." Magnus didn't particularly relish the thought of visiting the Academy, even if there were no longer any Shadowhunters there.
The Academy had been out of use since the Uprising, but it had once been the place where all young Shadowhunter and Shadowhunters-to-be were trained. A place that Ragnor had once taught at, though Magnus couldn't even begin to fathom why he'd thought that particular job was the best for him. "So when do we leave for the Academy?" Magnus asked when it was clear that no one else was going to speak. That earned a rather angry stare from Ragnor, but Magnus decided to ignore it. There was no way he was going to let Ragnor walk into danger without going along with him. Magnus had heard stories of the demons that had overrun the Academy since it had closed down. The only place in Idris that was immune to demons was Alicante, and since the Academy was in a remote part of Idris, it hadn't taken long for demons to take it over when the Shadowhunters left it alone.
Magnus wasn't going to allow Ragnor to go there alone, and he certainly wasn't going to let Alec go without him as well. He wasn't going to helplessly sit around while the people he loved most walked into a volatile situation. "Alec, Jace, go get your gear on and get ready," Robert said in response to Magnus, clearly relieved to be able to separate Alec from Magnus. With that, Robert also left the room, quickly followed by Isabelle and Clary who seemed to realize that they didn't want to be around while Magnus and Ragnor conversed as they inevitably would. Magnus spent several moments trying to decide if Isabelle had recently been crying or not, but all too quickly, Magnus was trying to figure out what to say to his friend, trying to figure out exactly what had happened so that he would know how to proceed.
Just as Magnus began to open his mouth, Ragnor threw his own words at him. "The only thing these Shadowhunters want from you is to use you for their gain, and you know that as well as I do, Mangus," he said, his words every bit as bitter as Magnus had suspected they would be. "They don't care if it hurts you or not. They don't care about you. They're just like every other Shadowhunter we've ever met. Self-centered and self-righteous." Magnus threw his hand up as Ragnor finally took a breath, knowing that this could go on for much longer if he didn't do something to step in. Ragnor looked a bit taken aback by Magnus's courage at stepping in, but Magnus knew it was really the only option he had.
"I think I know what's going on here, and that's fine," he said, enjoying the confusion on Ragnor's face. It was very clear that Ragnor had expected a very harsh response. "You're angry with Alec for what he's done to me. You think this proves that he's the selfish Shadowhunter you always pictured him to be. You're angry with me for still loving him despite everything. I get it. But right now this is bigger than my relationship with Alec. Valentine could destroy all of Downworld, and you and I are needed to help keep that from happening. So be angry at Alec if you want. Be angry at me if that's what it takes. But don't let Valentine win just because you're angry."
For a moment it seemed as though Ragnor was going to argue with him, and Magnus had to admit that he was prepared for it. But then Ragnor simply nodded and set about making a portal. Portaling to Idris had always seemed more difficult to Magnus than portaling anywhere else in the world, but he knew that Ragnor wouldn't allow him to help with the portal itself, not after he'd already drained himself down so close to death. When the Shadowhunters returned, Magnus forced himself to keep his eyes on Ragnor's work, not wanting to give away just how nervous he was about this mission. He knew that it wouldn't take much to completely drain his energy. And he also knew that they were likely going to be thrown into a highly volatile situation in which his magic could be needed at any moment. Several minutes later, as he finally stepped into the portal, Magnus forced himself to think of the Academy instead of Alec's arms.
Alec swallowed the lump in his throat as he landed in the soft, overgrown grass outside of the Academy. He tried his best to focus on the Academy itself instead of the fact that Magnus had landed right beside of him, a little too close for comfort. He'd never been to the Academy before, and it was slightly underwhelming if he was being honest with himself. He'd heard tales of just how grand it had once been, but now it was little more than a small mansion that had been overrun with nature. "Something feels wrong," Magnus said, more to himself than anyone else, breaking the silence in the most eerie of ways. Alec had to admit that Magnus was right. Something seemed off about the place. There seemed to be an evil presence, not just a wild one.
Drawing a seraph blade, Alec turned to his father, the one who was unofficially in charge of the mission. "Can you pinpoint what it is?" Robert asked both Magnus and Ragnor, clearly analyzing their faces to assess just how bad the situation might be. Alec turned to Jace and Clary then, sending Jace a questioning look as to what might happen if they failed to retrieve the Cup. Jace simply shrugged as they waited for a response from the two warlocks, and Alec was forced to think of what might happen to Isabelle if they failed. Robert had ordered her to stay at the Institute with Max, explaining to her that she was in too much emotional pain over Simon to come on a mission that had so much at risk. In true Isabelle fashion, she'd fought with Robert all night. At least until Alec had stepped in and forced her to see reality for what it really was. But Alec knew that if they failed to retrieve the Cup and something else happened to Simon, Isabelle would blame herself for not being on the mission with them.
"There's a very dark force here," Ragnor said slowly, clearly still trying to figure out what was going on. "I can't tell what it is, but there's something evil here." Both he and Magnus shook their heads when Robert asked if it could simply be due to a large presence of demons. "It's darker, more evil than that," Ragnor explained, his voice gravely serious. "Most demons are just doing the bidding of those who control the, but this is a presence that has a power all of its own." For a moment, Ragnor and Magnus talked to one another, their voices just low enough to not be heard by the rest of the group, but that didn't bother Alec. The two warlocks certainly knew far more about the situation than the rest of them.
After several long minutes, they seemed to decide that the only two options were to go back home or face whatever they were up against. "We can't leave yet," Alec said a bit too forcefully. "We'll have to face this at one point or another, and we won't know what it is until we at least try," he pointed out, hoping to recover himself enough to erase the fear he knew was there. All he could think about was Isabelle and the pain that she was already in, the pain that she would surely be in if they returned empty-handed. She'd never forgive them if they returned without even trying to find the Cup. At that point, Robert glanced toward Magnus and Ragnor once more before apparently deciding that Alec's point was as valid as could be. He directed them to split up, sending Jace, Clary, and Magnus to search the kitchen and the training halls while he directed Ragnor and Alec to follow him to the classroom and dormitory portion of the Academy.
Alec silently thanked his lucky stars for the fact that his father had put Magnus with Jace and Clary. There was only so much that Alec could handle at the moment, and he didn't think that being relatively alone with Magnus was something that he could properly deal with. Not that being relatively alone with Ragnor was much better at the moment, but at least it was a start. As they entered the Academy, Alec couldn't help but look toward his father, wondering what Robert was thinking of. There were certainly a lot of memories associated with the Academy for Robert, and Alec could only hope that the majority of them were happy memories.
For several rooms, the three of them walked in silence, and Alec could only imagine what was going through Ragnor's mind. He knew that Ragnor was angry with him, and he thought he understood why that was, but he still wasn't sure how to handle it. He wasn't used to having Ragnor be so harsh with him, and navigating this new dynamic wasn't easy. Alec was lost in thought about it all when Ragnor brushed past him on their way into the Academy's library. "If Magnus ever gets hurt because of you again, you'll live to regret it," was all Ragnor said, but that was plenty. Alec could hear the sincere anger in Ragnor's voice, and that was all he needed to hear.
Alec paused for only a moment, wondering if he should respond to Ragnor at all, but in the end, his body seemed to decide for him. "Look, I know you're angry," Alec said, stepping up behind Ragnor and ignoring the looks they were getting from Robert. "You have every right to be angry with me, but you don't seem to understand that I'm angry with myself as well." Alec felt a bust of satisfaction when his words brought Ragnor to a halt. "I'm in love with Magnus," he continued, hoping that those words would explain as much as humanly possible. "Completely and utterly in love. And I know that I'm hurting him. I can see it in his eyes, in the way he walks. And that's the last thing I wanted to do. But right now, I can't love him the way he deserves to be loved. Not when I'm hurting and angry. So I'm going to keep my distance for a while until I can separate my hurt from my love again."
It looked like Ragnor had been planning a snide remark, but then he quickly shut his mouth, seemingly taking in everything that Alec had just said. "I hate doing this to him. And don't think for a second that it doesn't hurt me as well," Alec continued, walking past his father and beginning to actually look around the library. "But Magnus deserves more than someone who is irrationally and hopelessly angry with him. Trust me, if Magnus gets hurt because of me again, you won't be the reason that I live to regret it." Alec turned to a display of old weapons then, trying his hardest to ignore the fact that Ragnor was staring at him, likely studying him to figure out whether or not he was telling the truth. But the problem was that he had been more honest just now than he had been in a long time.
"You okay?" Robert said quietly enough that Alec knew Ragnor couldn't hear them, stepping up behind his son in an almost protective way. "I thought that splitting you and Magnus up would have been the best, but if that was the wrong decision, I'm sorry." Alec tried to look at his father and smile, but he simply didn't have it in him. Not to mention the fact that he knew Robert would be able to see through any smile that he could muster up at the moment. Alec simply shook his head, trying to get Robert to understand that it was quite alright with him. Either way would have likely been a disaster regardless of what Robert had done. "I see the way you two look at each other," Robert continued, his voice eerie in the silence of the library.
"I know it's none of my business, son, but if there's one thing I've learned in life, it's that you should never let your loved ones get too far from you." Alec looked toward his father then, wondering if Robert was referring to the fact that he'd lost Michael all those years ago. "Just don't forget that he's your soulmate, alright?" Robert asked, sending a weak smile Alec's way. All Alec could do was nod, hoping that he would be able to take his father's words to heart. The last thing he wanted to do was push Magnus away or make Magnus think that he didn't care, but that seemed to be exactly what he was doing.
Very quickly, however, Alec remembered that they were on a mission, and he pushed thoughts of Magnus aside. He could assess his feelings later, but he needed to focus on retrieving the Mortal Cup while minimizing the disaster that would take place while doing so. Alec turned his attention back to the situation at hand, scanning the weapons display in front of him, even though he knew it would most likely be useless to do so. Almost as soon as he'd finished scanning the weapons, however, Ragnor called out to them from the opposite side of the library, directing their attention toward a display of the Mortal Cup. "I know this says that it's a replica of the Cup, but why would they have a replica in a cage with such a complicated lock?" Ragnor asked as soon as they were close enough to see what he was seeing.
Alec had to admit that what Ragnor was saying made sense. He could understand why the weapons would be locked down, so that no one could get them and use them or break them because of how old they were, but if the Cup was truly a replica, why keep it under a lock unlike anything that Alec had ever seen? Why not use a replica as a teaching tool instead of making it impossible for students to so much as breathe on? The lock was highly intricate to the point that Alec couldn't really figure out how it worked, the glass around it clearly reinforced by wards of some sort. There would be no breaking the glass to get to what was inside. "The lock is clearly magical," Ragnor explained, his voice distant and thoughtful. "Maybe Magnus will have seen something like it before."
Ragnor moved to perform some kind of spell that Alec recognized as a form of signaling between him and Magnus. But before Ragnor could even begin working the spell, a cold wind swept through the entire room, cutting through Alec in an almost painful way. What remained of the stained-glass windows near them suddenly burst, glass flying in all directions at a frightening speed. Alec reached up to cover his face with his arm, wincing slightly as the glass embedded itself in his forearm, more of it quickly making its home in his legs. He was just about to wonder what had caused the shattering, but before he could even lower his arm, someone spoke behind him.
"Magnus may not have seen it before, but I certainly have," the man said, and Alec turned to see someone who looked shockingly like Magnus, down to the golden-green cat-like eyes. But as far as Alec knew, Magnus didn't have any siblings, at least none that were living, so he tossed that thought to the side, waiting for someone else to make the first move. "It's been a long time, hasn't it Ragnor?" the man asked, and Alec looked to Ragnor for any sort of clarification. Ragnor's face was pulled tight with concern, clearly weary of whoever their new guest was, but clearly not wanting to show the full extent of his emotions. "Speaking of Magnus, where is my favorite son?"
Alec wasn't sure what hit him worse, the thought of finally being face to face with Magnus's father or the sound of this Asmodeus's voice as he talked about Magnus in that way. Before Ale could even begin to think about what he was doing, he'd already drawn and loaded an arrow, his rage immediate and insatiable. His thoughts were consumed with all that Asmodeus had done to Magnus, and he couldn't even begin to control his reaction to that. But as soon as his arrow left the bow, it disintegrated in midair, Asmodeus laughter the only sound that followed. "Here's what's going to happen," he said almost lazily, as though he knew they had no other option but to listen to him and do as he asked.
"Magnus will walk through that door any moment now, seeing as the glass currently embedded in your flesh has likely left countless cuts on Magnus's own skin," Asmodeus continued, his eyes flashing with a bit of mischief that sent chills down Alec's spine. "And when he does, I'm going to show the two of you how to retrieve the Mortal Cup, which you will promptly hand over to me if you wish to live to see another day." Alec swallowed the lump in his throat, suddenly realizing that they really only had one option. Even Ragnor and Magnus together wouldn't be enough to handle Asmodeus, so they'd either have to hand over the Cup or face the consequences, something that Alec couldn't even begin to imagine.
"And why would we hand the Cup over to you?" Magnus asked from behind them, his gaze fixed entirely on his father. Alec was almost scared of the hatred and anger he saw in Magnus's eyes, the ice in his voice, but he also knew that these things were completely justified, so he couldn't find it in himself to blame Magnus for any of it. "I'd sooner hand the Cup over to Valentine Morgenstern. At least I know that son of a bitch wants to eradicate my people. With you, I never know how you might sink your fangs into me next." Magnus's voice gradually became lighter, but Alec knew that was simply a trick he was trying to use on his father, and he wondered whether Asmodeus could pick up on it or not.
At that, Asmodeus chuckled, clearly enjoying what he saw as an amusing conversation. "Valentine Morgenstern wants the Cup, that I am highly aware of. How do you think I found you?" he asked, a smirk appearing on his face when Magnus's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Did you really think that Valentine could pull everything off without a little assistance from someone far more powerful than he pretends to be? Did you really think that I would assist him without gaining something myself?" Asmodeus was clearly enjoying watching the shock on all of their faces. "He'll soon learn that I have betrayed him and taken the Cup for myself, but I have a very special plan in mind for him, so by all means, allow me to show you how to work this lock."
It was then that Magnus finally turned to Alec, his eyes quickly searching Alec's face for any sign of what to do. The problem was that Alec was just as clueless and just as hopeless, so he simply moved to stand in front of the Cup as Asmodeus had beckoned for them to do, moving to take Magnus's hand at the same time. To his surprise, Magnus didn't pull away from him, and he knew they would have a lot to talk about later, but for the time being, Alec simply needed to be as close to Magnus as possible given the situation at hand. "You'll need to mix your blood together," Asmodeus said matter-of-factly when he was satisfied that they were listening to him.
"Preferably just cut open your hands and mix it together," he said, as though any other sort of blood would be too dramatic for him. "Then one of you will take your palm and press it into the opening here," he said, gesturing at a very small opening in the lock that Alec had only just noticed. "Years ago, Jocelyn Fairchild decided that she would hide the Cup here because it would be the last place that anyone would look. Presumably she decided to enchant the lock in this way as a stab towards Valentine who I've heard hates the mere existence of soulmates." When he paused, Alec remained where he was, afraid of the possibilities of what might happen if Asmodeus truly got his hands on the Cup. "Well, what are you waiting for?" the demon finally asked, waving his hands around as if to say that they should have already handed him the Cup.
Very slowly, Alec moved to grab the sole dagger he'd brought with him, hoping that a dagger would hurt Magnus less than a seraph blade would. A removed his hand from Magnus's long enough to slice it open, then he pressed his hand in Magnus's once more, their blood quickly mixing through their shared wound. After several long seconds, Alec moved to press his palm over the lock, knowing that Magnus was too stubborn to do it himself. The lock immediately began clicking into place, its gears shifting in an almost ominous way. But that was when the world around Alec all but exploded, and all he could do was stand by and watch as it did so.
As soon as Alec had pressed his palm to the lock, Magnus had jumped into action, spell after spell shooting from his hands in a way Alec had never before seen. Ragnor immediately yelled for Magnus to stop, knowing that Magnus's energy wouldn't hold up for very long, but Magnus didn't seem to hear it at all, not slowing down at all despite the fact that nothing seemed to be affecting Asmodeus very much. Granted, the demon did seem to be using his own sort of spell to block Magnus's, and that was clearly taking some energy out of him, but it was nothing compared to what was going on with Magnus at the moment. Alec wanted to reach out and stop him, but then the Cup was before him, and he couldn't help but reach out for it.
The moment Alec's hand touched the Cup, a searing pain shot through his arm, and he immediately pulled back, confused as to why the Cup would cause him any pain. But then he realized that it wasn't the Cup at all. Asmodeus had quickly silenced Magnus's onslaught of attacks, rendering Magnus defenseless. But what was causing the pain in Alec's arm was the fact that there was currently a whip, much like Isabelle's, wrapped around his wrist. The other end of the whip was in Asmodeus's hand, and as the demon retracted the whip, Alec felt it slicing through his flesh just as easily as he might cut through a stick of butter.
"Like I would ever allow you to take the Cup," Asmodeus spat at them, his words not truly sinking in for Alec, the pain in his wrist taking up all the space in his mind. "Like you would ever be a match for me, son." At that, Asmodeus simply laughed, but Alec was too focused on the fact that he couldn't feel his fingers to really take in what was going on around him. "And just for your little outburst, I think I'll take more than the Cup with me while I go. Farewell, son. I'm sure we'll see each other soon," he finished. Before Alec had time to wonder whether or not Magnus could feel his own fingers or what Asmodeus might want other than the Cup, Alec's vision went completely black and the floor fell out from underneath him. The last thought Alec had before the darkness took his consciousness was a hope that he would still be able to shoot his bow.
Magnus sank to the ground, unable to stand any longer, his energy drained yet again. But he wasn't really worried about his energy at the moment. He was more worried about the fact that his father was gone and he'd taken the Mortal Cup with him. Yet that didn't disturb him nearly as much as who Asmodeus had taken with him. As soon as the demon had disappeared, so had Robert, Ragnor, and Alec. And all Magnus could do was think of the things that Asmodeus might do to the three of them, the things that Asmodeus might force them to do, and suddenly he knew he was going to be sick. Yet somehow that felt like the best reaction he could possibly have at the moment. Before he could move, however, Jace took hold of his hand and began wrapping his wrist in a blanket he'd apparently retrieved from one of the dormitory rooms. It wasn't until that moment that Magnus remembered what Asmodeus had done to Alec's wrist, slicing it open with his whip faster than Magnus could follow.
"We have to find them," Magnus said, trying to stand up as best he could. The problem was that he had to heavily rely on Jace, and even then, he only made it a few feet before even Jace's support wasn't enough to help him any longer. "My father will not take someone else from me," Magnus continued, the determination in his voice weakened by the fear that was beginning to roll over him in waves. "He will not take them from me." He knew that his voice was final, but his mind was a mess. With all the dreams he'd been having lately about Ragnor's death, he knew that he was already running out of time to help Ragnor. There was no way that Asmodeus would simply take them and then not harm them. He was a Greater Demon. That wasn't how he worked.
"The first thing we're going to do is get you to Catarina so you can be healed," Jace said, his voice surprisingly gentle, and Magnus wondered if that was for his sake or for Alec's sake. "Your energy is already dangerously low, Magnus. You won't be of any help to them if you come after them in this condition." Magnus hated to admit that Jace had a good point. The last thing he wanted to do was make the situation worse. But Magnus could already feel the clock ticking. It was only a matter of time before Asmodeus hurt one of them. Or worse. Magnus tried to shake his head, tried to stand up, but he was already extremely groggy from the pain and the blood loss, and he knew that it would all be in vain.
Then, for a single moment, Magnus's mind completely cleared. He felt as though nothing had been wrong with him for weeks. He felt as though he could run a marathon twice through without so much as breaking a sweat. And then the pain began, and Magnus lurched forward, grasping at the air, searching for something that would ground him in reality once more. He could hear Jace asking him what was wrong, but it was too late, the darkness was already creeping in, and Magnus knew he wouldn't be able to take much more. His father was torturing Alec, a fact that was so clearly evident. From Magnus's experience, the fact that the pain was radiating throughout every part of his body most likely meant that Asmodeus was torturing Alec with demon's blood, but the tool he was using didn't truly matter. What mattered was that Magnus's last thought before he passed out was that his heart had never truly been broken in the way that it was breaking now. And he was entirely certain that it would never be made to break in this way again.