Into Fire and Into Ice
Alec's return to the realm in which Magnus was trapped was considerably easier and less unsettling than his first journey. It was perhaps the fact that he was better prepared and knew what to expect, or perhaps it was that this time he did not fight the hallucinations and confusion that were the preamble to his departure.
"Perhaps the demonic disease can not only feed on Magnus' worse fears, but also on yours," Catarina speculated as they prepared for Alec to go under a second time. "There is no other explanation for what happened to you before. It is likely that the demonic disease will detect your presence again and try to feed on those fears."
"That might explain why Aldous got so scared that he stopped his experiments with petrified warlocks," Tessa added as she consulted the ancient warlock's spell book for what seemed like the hundredth time.
"If that is the case, what can I do?" Alec asked looking from one warlock to the other, apprehension tightening his features. Alec was a strong warrior, brave and selfless, but he was not fearless. Or at least, he didn't think he was. Just until a few weeks ago, he had been terrified of his loved ones' rejection of if they ever found out his true identity and his feeling for Magnus. In fact, most of his life, he had hidden his true self behind a reserve, hard, and sometimes acerbic exterior for fear that those around him would guess his secret. Even now, the prospect of losing Magnus was enough to send him into a state of near panic. What was worse, he suspected that, deep within him, he carried fears of which he was not even aware.
"You must do whatever it is in your power to get a hold of yourself and stay calm" Catarina replied. "Do not panic or let your fears show. You may find yourself unarmed once again, but you are not defenseless Alec," she added, resting her hands on Alec's shoulders and giving him one of her intense stares. "You have your wits and your Shadowhunter training to rely on. Remember that Magnus needs you."
"Okay," Alec said with an uncertain sigh, but then he turned to look at Magnus and his face acquired a look of determination. "I will find him and bring him back Catarina," he added right before downing in one gulp the potion that Catarina placed in his hand.
"Remember," Tessa warned as she snapped her fingers to command her magic powers, blue, purple and red sparkles coming to life at the sound, "when you hear my voice think of this room and do not linger. You should not stay longer than necessary, or I may not be able to bring you back."
Alec simply nodded, the gesture noncommittal, for he was determined that this time there would be no coming back without Magnus. He would go to the very depth of that hell in which Magnus was trapped and snatch him from the very grip of whatever demonic power had him. He would fight Lucifer himself if necessary to free Magnus. As the potion began to take effect and the room began to fade, Alec looked once again towards the still figure of his lover, wanting to carry that lovely face engraved in his memory as he set off on his journey.
Suddenly, like before, all sounds around him dissolved into dead silence and when Alec looked up, he was back in that sinister place, the same dark wooden door daring him to either proceed or turn back. Knowing that there was no other option for him than to push on, Alec took hold of the doorknob and pushed with determine strength. This time, while the corridor was as dark, cold and eerie as before, it was not empty. The same child that had stood by the exit door before was waiting for Alec a few meters into the corridor, and now he did not run off. Instead, he looked at Alec straight in the eyes and placed a finger in front of his own lips urging Alec to be quiet. Alec thought that the face of the child, open and rounded, with his big brown and serious eyes and still babyish features, looked almost serene despite the uncanniness of their surroundings. Perhaps he had been waiting for Alec and did not fear him, or perhaps it was the setting that no longer had the power to fright him.
The boy made a small gesture for Alec to follow and set off down the dark corridor, his bare feet making almost no noise as he walked. Alec followed close behind, using all his Shadowhunter training to remain alert and stealthy. About a hundred meters down, the boy stopped, turned to Alec and pointed up with a slender finger, signaling that they were about to enter the section of the corridor where he had previously encountered the demons. Alec trained his ears and eyes on the invisible ceiling, trying to detect any movement or noise and soon heard the faint sound of breathing and of bodies brushing against one another in the darkness. The demons were likely asleep, or they were still oblivious to Alec's presence. Alec and the boy proceeded even more cautiously then, Alec painfully aware that any sudden movement or sound would reawaken the demons. The next three hundred meters felt like three thousand, and by the time the corridor made a turn to the left and they reached a dark doorway that Alec had not noticed before, he was covered in sweat and every muscle in his body ached from the accumulated tension.
Without hesitation, the boy pushed the door open and entered, and Alec followed him, glad to leave that dark endless passageway. They emerged into a room full of light, the sudden change momentarily blinding Alec. As his eyes adjusted, he saw that they were in an open and airy sitting room surrounded by windows covered in white gauzy curtains that billowed in the gentle freeze. The windows looked out onto a green tropical scenery, the daylight acquiring a yellow-green tone as it filtered through the trees making it impossible for Alec to determine what time of day it was. Still silent, the boy walked towards a corner of the room where a young slender woman with long straight black hair and golden skin – her features and posture surprisingly familiar to Alec – sat in a rattan armchair lovingly rocking a small bundle wrapped in white linen in her arms. She softly sang a lullaby which words Alec could not make out.
Alec thought the woman was beautiful, her beauty accentuated by the love and devotion clearly visible on her face. He was tempted to call to her, but the silent movement of the boy and the way he looked at her told him that this was a scene he was expected to witness without interference. He also suspected that the woman was unaware of their presence and perhaps could not see them. So, he simply stood still, watching as the boy looked upon the mother with her baby, his face full of a mixture of sadness, love and wonder. In the light of the room, Alec had a chance to better see the boy, and he realized that he wasn't as young as he had originally thought. Rather, he was skinny and small for his age, as if he was malnourished rather than young. The bones in his wrists and shoulder blades stood out, and his tattered clothes and bare feet suggested that he was uncared for, alone and abandoned. Yet, he had not lost the capacity for tenderness which now Alec could see clearly in the way the boy looked at the mother and her baby.
Unexpectedly, the woman screamed, and when Alec gazed back at her, she was looking at the baby in her arms with a startled expression of bewilderment and horror. With a hasty movement, and as if the baby in her arms had suddenly been transformed into something alien and terrifying, she stood up and unceremoniously dropped him in the bassinette nearby. She then run out of the room, calling to someone in a language that Alec could not understand, but which he suspected contained words of horror and shock.
The boy slowly walked towards the bassinette and peered inside and then he looked from the baby to Alec, his face no longer serene or wondrous but full sadness. Alec imitated the boy's movements and too came to peer inside the cradle, but even before he looked upon the face of the small baby there, he knew what he would see: the beautiful golden and green eyes of a cat, their slit pupils looking up at Alec with a look of recognition.
"Who is this?" Alec asked, speaking for the first time since his consciousness left Magnus' apartment. "Where are we and why are you showing me this?" he added, the questions stumbling into one another. But the boy didn't answer, he simply gazed at the baby one last time and then turned and walked out the same door thought which the woman had just left. After a second of hesitation and a final glance towards the baby, Alec followed, and soon they were in another corridor, not as dark or as long as the first.
After a few meters, the boy guided him through another set of doors and there, in a wooden panelled room, they came upon a tall man, his short blond hair, his white skin, and his crisp white shirt contrasting with the darkness of the room. He spoke harshly, his face full of rage, to an older version of the baby they had just left. This time, the child was no much older than a toddler and he sat at a heavy wooden desk, his short legs dangling towards the floor, an enormous bible in front of him. The book was so big and the child so small that his face barely reached the pages. The man pointed to a page in the book with one finger, while in the other hand, he menacingly held a bamboo stick.
"Read boy!" the man commanded. "For the sake of your soul, read!" and the boy, his face full of shame and fear, tried to sound the words. But the words got entangled in a tongue that was still too young and too small. The man lifted the bamboo stick and brought it down on the boy's back, the stick making a whooshing sound as it made its way through the air.
Alec felt a sudden surge of rage. He had never been able to tolerate cruelty or violence specially towards children and before he could stop himself, he had lunged towards the man, reaching for the stick before it came down a second time. Yet, at the moment he thought he would grab the man by the lapel of his linen jacket, his fingers passed right through and all he touched was air. Bewildered, he looked at the older boy, his face full of questions, and what he saw was a look of resignation before the boy silently turned and walked out.
"Wait!" Alec called and when the boy did not turn or answer, he followed him out onto the corridor once again. "Whose house is this? What are you trying to tell me? Where are you taking me?" he asked, the questions rushing out yet finding no answer. For the boy seemed stout in his silence. Or perhaps, Alec thought, he could not speak. Eventually, he stopped asking and resigned himself to the company of his serious and silent companion, as the boy took him from one room to another, each one a tableau of new cruelties, rejections and abuses. As they went from room to room, Alec saw the same toddler, perhaps a little older, dressed all in black, cradling a blood-stained lace shawl in his arms; the same child, his clothes soaking wet gathering a few belongings in a canvas bag before walking out into the night; the same boy begging for food and sleeping on the cold stones of a lonely alleyway.
When Alec thought he could not take anymore and had begun to think that he was destined to wonder through an interminable succession of miseries, forced to witness but unable to do anything to help the child, they came upon the last door.
This time, the boy did not walk through first as he had done until then. Instead, he hid, scared and uncertain, behind Alec as Alec pushed the door and stepped through. As soon as they were in, Alec knew they had arrived at the end of the path and that this room, so different from the others, with its stone walls and its iron chandelier hanging from a high and dark ceiling, contained new and yet unimaginable horrors.
As soon as they were inside, the child run off and disappeared behind a column and when Alec looked back, he could not see him anymore. 'It is just me then,' he thought and, after taking a deep breath to settle his own nerves, Alec took another tentative step into the room.
Almost immediately, Alec knew that the room was far from empty. Dark figures lurked in the shadows just beyond the reach of the candlelight. Their stares made the hair in the back of Alec's neck stand on end, and a sudden fear squeezed the pit of his stomach. Remembering Catarina's words, he willed himself to not show just how scared he was. As he cautiously made his way towards the center of the room, Alec looked from side to side and got a glimpse of bodies dressed in the fashions of times gone by: full skirts, corsets, long coats, white wigs.
Suddenly, music came to life, as if someone had switched-on a turntable that had already been playing a record when it was switched-off. The music resonated throughout the room, dissonant at first but becoming more harmonious as the turntable gained speed. Cautiously at first, the figures began to step into the light moving to the rhythm, coalescing with one another, as if an invisible force was pulling them together until they became a single mass of bodies moving closer and closer to Alec. As the music intensified, they began to collide, to touch one another with increasing suggestiveness; kissing mouths and necks; running fingers and hands down faces, backs and chests; pulling dresses off shoulders and unbuttoning shirts; lifting skirts to runs hands up thighs.
As Alec walked by them, trying to get to the other side of the room where he hoped to find an exit, the figures looked at him and mockingly sneered, showing decaying teeth and black tongues, their eyes full of desire and hunger. As they got closer, Alec began to push by them, trying to stay away from their bony hands and the disgusting touch of their bodies. But it was to no avail and soon hands and arms were on him, pulling at his shirt, reaching for the belt loops of his pants, running hands through his hair. When he squirmed away, they laughed, terrifying and evil laughs. The volume and intensity of music increased even more until it became almost deafening. As it did, the faces turned even more menacing and voracious and the hands no longer caressed him, but violently clawed at him, trying to tear his shirt and skin to shreds.
As the mob intensified their assault, drops began to fall from the ceiling, crimson, fat and heavy drops that landed and tainted their ashen faces red. Alec looked up and saw with horror that blood was dripping down from the chandeliers as if they were no longer made of iron, but of bleeding veins. Some of demons turned their faces up and opened their mouths to catch the drops with their wild tongues, laughing terrifying laughs as blood touched their cheeks and entered their mouths.
When Alec thought he was for sure lost and that he would die at the hands of that demonic mob, a roar resonated throughout the room. The music immediately ceased, and the demons turned their expectant and fascinated faces towards a spot in the dark rafters of the room.
"Oh, you did it now boy" said a stocky demon in a long red silk jacket and a white powered wig, his skin and eyes a sickly yellow that resembled jaundice. "You woke him up with your raucous," he added and excitedly rubbed his hands together, as if he was about to witness a much-anticipated spectacle. His words were followed by the sound of leathery wings flapping in the air and when Alec looked up, he saw a dark silhouette detached itself from the darkness and take flight, growing exponentially as it approached. The monster flew once around the room and then, with the sound of claws and talons on the stone floor, landed in the space the demons had made for it, a few meters from where Alec stood still surrounded. Once on the ground, the monster folded its wings and transformed into a cloaked figure, its face hidden under a thick black hood. Its only distinguishable feature was a pair of red eyes, as red as rubies, catching the light from the candles and shinning with unusual brightness.
"All hope abandon, ye who enter here!" the stocky demon announced in a booming and formal voice as he tapped a heavy wooden cane twice against the stone floor. Every one of the demons turned where they stood and, straightening their clothes and smoothing their hair, faced the new arrival.
"A child of the Angel dares entering our realm?" the cloaked figure said, the statement acquiring the tone of a question. The deep and drawling voice echoed in the enormous room, commanding the mob surrounding Alec to immediate silence. "You must have a very powerful motive, Nephilim, to come into our domain. Explain the reason for this unforgivable impertinence."
The statement was followed by the mocking sniggers and snarls of the mob. A few clawed hands reached for Alec in a threatening gesture forcing him to move away and take a defensive posture, prepared to fend a new attack. The hooded figure turned his head from side to side to look at the demons and, feeling the full weight to that incandescent stare, the demons parted, retreating back into the shadows leaving Alec standing alone facing the monster.
"Our Prince demands an explanation, Nephilim," the yellow-skin demon, who now stood to one side of the hooded figure, said, almost spitting out the last word as if it was poison or an insult.
Determined not to show fear, Alec willed his heart to quiet its fast beating and his breathing to settle. He looked straight ahead at the still hidden face, making every effort not to be intimidated by the glare of those red eyes. For a moment, he thought those eyes expressed surprise or perhaps astonishment, likely at the audacity of having a human refuse to show terror. "You know why I am here," Alec stated, the defiance in his expression also coloring his words. "If you release Magnus Bane, we will leave without making any trouble."
"Magnus Bane?" the drawling voice asked with a feigned tone of confusion. "What makes you think we know who that is or that we have him?"
Alec took the posture of a soldier at ease, his hands interlaced behind his back, his body and head straight. He was determined not to betray the torrent of emotions and anxieties that threatened to overcome him at any moment. 'Do not show fear,' he silently repeated as he had done countless times since he had come back to this place. Another voice began to also echo in his mind, the faint call of a mermaid calling his name from a long distance. Tessa was beckoning him, telling him that it was time to come back to the human realm. He pushed the voice out of his mind, determined not to heed its call, not to think of Magnus' living room where Tessa and Catarina were waiting for him. 'There is no going back without Magnus,' he repeated in his mind, the words a renewed oath.
"You know perfectly well the one of whom I speak," Alec replied with a steady and assured tone, his eyes on the hooded monster unyielding and cold.
"Do not presume, Angel's son, to tell us what we know," the demon stated. The scornful words prompted a wave of gasps and whispers from the figures standing in the shadows.
"Let's not play games, demon," Alec replied. "Tell me what you want in return for his freedom."
A low and deep chuckle came from underneath the hood and the red eyes suddenly shone with even more malice. The demon lifted a pair of cadaverous and bony hands towards the hood and, with a slow and deliberate motion, pushed it back revealing a skeletal face with hollow cheeks and thin blue lips. The demon's skin had the appearance of death, ashy and grey, the only color came from those terrifying red eyes. "Hum," he said pensively, "perhaps we should entertain your inquiry if only for our amusement. We wish to hear a description of the one you seek. Perhaps we might discern whether we know, have seen, or at the very least heard of the creature capable of making a Shadowhunter comes into the depths of hell."
Alec took a deep and annoyed breath and for a split second looked down, trying to bring his emotions under control. He understood that he was not in his element and, what was worse, he was unarmed and alone. If he had the faintest hope of leaving this place with Magnus, he had no other choice but to go along with the demon's game. Once again, Tessa's faint call threatened to distract him and, once again, he put all his concentration in the task of remaining where he was. "He is the High Warlock of New York," he began, "his eyes resemble the eyes of a cat, and…"
"Desist," interrupted the demon with a dismissive gesture of his hand, the drawl momentarily gone from his voice. "We have heard no more than three words and we are already bored. We wish to be entertained. We have not heard poetry since that human was here, what was his name again?" the demon asked turning to his yellow-skinned assistant who still stood a few steps to his side.
"Shakespeare, my lord," replied the other demon, his voice full of deference. Another wave of whispers, this time of recognition and perhaps anticipation, run through the crowd.
"Yes, that is the one," the demon drawled. "How did that sentimental poem go?"
The yellow-skinned demon cleared his throat and began to recite:
"Take him and cut him out in little stars,
and he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night..."
"Yes, yes, I remember now," the demon assented, an ugly and malicious smile curving his lips. "We wish," he said turning to Alec, "for a true representation of this Magnus Bane's character. What does he mean to you?" he asked waving a hand in Alec's direction in a commanding gesture. "But beware that we crave poetry and prose in this dark forsaken place, and we wish you to entertain us with a description of your beloved."
Alec sighed loudly and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts and device a strategy that could hopefully get him out of this mess. With every fiber of his being, he felt the danger in the air and knew that he was at a considerable disadvantage. His only way out was one he was not willing to take. He would not return to his realm without Magnus. At that moment, he decided that there was no other option but to play along, that he had too much to lose, that too much was at stake, to refuse the demon's demand. So, he opened his eyes and steadily looked at the red-eyed demon, hoping his face would not betray his increasing desperation.
"I am not a poet," Alec began, his voice steady, his posture unmoving, "and I am certainly not skillful at providing entertainment. But I can tell you that no matter where Magnus stands, he is always the light of the room and I his shadow. It is not just the makeup, the cat eyes, the glamour, or the High Warlock persona he wears like a second skin. It is not just the snazzy remarks or the flirtatiousness, and it is certainly not just the magic. Do not get me wrong, all those things make Magnus beautiful and special. It is just that Magnus shines like a star in a dark sky, with fire and warmth that come from within, from the depths of his soul. Magnus shines so bright that he can illuminate all my days and all my nights. Since the very first time he looked in my direction, I was hopelessly caught in his magnetic pull. Without him, my world is in darkness."
"Before I met Magnus," he continued, suddenly oblivious to the demons in the room and to the mocking eyes of their leader, "I was impervious to any emotions that were not anger or self-doubt. I was a ship at the mercy of a raging storm, without port or anchor. Magnus came into my life like a calm and fair breeze, a freeze that swelled my sails and gently and without rush pushed me forward. Without him, I am lost at sea, at the mercy of fickle winds, without origin or destination. That is why," he finally added, his gaze fixed on those red eyes, determined not to waver or show weakness, "I will give you anything, make any bargain, in exchange for Magnus' freedom. Name your price, demon, I will pay it for I am nothing without Magnus."
"Such strong and forbidden feelings for a Nephilim to harbour, especially towards the son of a demon," the demon said, a tone of awe in his voice that Alec wondered whether it was genuine. "What would your people say if they heard you speak of such forbidden, degenerate and abominable passions? What would they say if they knew your sin? Would they vanish and dishonour you?"
"It doesn't matter to me what they do or think."
"Hum, and will you truly make any bargain in exchange for the warlock's freedom? Would you offer your own freedom in return?"
"Yes," Alec replied without a vestige of hesitation, "as I said, name your price." He still hoped to get himself and Magnus out of this place, and, he was afraid, terrified really, of the prospect of being trapped forever in this infernal place. But when he examined his options, he realized that he would not think about it twice. He had told the demon that his life without Magnus would be dark and that he would give anything, pay any price for Magnus' freedom. Now he understood that that freedom meant more to him than his own happiness and that he would gladly stay in a world full darkness if he knew Magnus was free.
"What do you say to that Magnus?" the demon asked in a louder voice as he raised his face towards a spot in the dark ceiling above Alec's head. Someone somewhere released what sounded like chains and as Alec followed the demon's gaze, he saw that an iron cage was being lowered to the ground, its shape and contours becoming more discernible as it came within the reach of the candle lights. With a clank, the cage landed a few meters to Alec's right, just out of his reach. Imprisoned in that cage was the man that Alec had so fiercely searched for since he entered this demonic realm.
Even though his expression remained impassive and he stood with his back straight, Alec's first impression was that Magnus was tired, or rather worn out, as if he had been battling some unknown enemy for days or had used too much of his powers without having a chance to replenish them. Yet, to Alec, Magnus looked as handsome and fearless as ever and his heart threatened to stop the moment that Magnus looked at him. Suddenly the room seemed less threatening and sinister as Alec's heart swelled like a balloon full of hope and love.
"Do not say anything more Alexander," Magnus said, his tone a warning, and his eyes fixed on Alec, their golden incandescence burning with unusual intensity.
"Magnus!" Alec exclaimed and attempted to take a step in the direction of the cage, desperate to reach and touch his lover; desperate to make sure that those were truly his eyes looking at him and his hands gripping the iron bars. But when he tried to lift his feet, he found that an invisible force had him trapped in place. It was as if invisible tendrils had suddenly coiled up his legs pinning him to the ground. "Let me go!" he demanded turning towards the demon, his eyes fierce and pleading.
"What do you think about the Shadowhunter's offer, son?" the demon asked turning to look at Magnus, ignoring Alec's protest.
'Son?' Alec thought, the word halting his attempts to free himself from his invisible bonds. He looked from the demon to Magnus, his eyes full of questions, questions that Magnus quieted with a slight shake of his head. Magnus' eyes were un-glamoured and Alec thought he saw in them a mixture of fear and relief, as if Magnus was uncertain whether to be happy to see Alec or anxious about the circumstances of their reunion.
"You already have what you want, father. I am here," Magnus replied looking away from Alec and facing the demon, whom Alec now knew was Asmodeus. "There is no need for the Shadowhunter."
If he had not known each one of his gestures, Alec would not have noticed the way in which Magnus trained his face to remain impassive and not betray any feelings, not even the anxiety Alec had seen in his eyes a moment ago. Following Magnus' example, Alec made a similar effort to push the relief he felt to have finally found Magnus deep down within him along with the urge he felt to run to Magnus, stand between him and Asmodeus, and protect him against all the dangers that surrounded them. Still, his heart beat at a thousand beats for minute, threatening to jump out of his chest, as a result of the mixture of surprise, relief and uncertainty he felt. Alec began to assess the situation, surreptitiously looking for an exit route, desperate to get Magnus out of this horrid place.
"But the offer is so tempting," Asmodeus stated, the drawl in his voice so pronounced that Alec thought that if cats could speak, they would speak in that same manner. "Understand Magnus that in the time you have been with us, you have provided us with an immense source of enjoyment and strength. We could not have asked for a better punishment for your rebellion and betrayal. But the Nephilim can offer us so much more. He has already said that he would make any bargain in exchange for your freedom. Would he offer his own life? we wonder. Imagine what it would be like to have a Shadowhunter to entertain us." The last sentence was followed by the excited whispers of the demons in Asmodeus' court.
The words sent another wave of shivers down Alec's spine, and the hairs all over his body stood on end. For with each word, Asmodeus was stifling all hope to leave this place with Magnus. This was a 'one or the other, but not both" kind of situation and Alec understood that no matter the outcome, at the end he would be alone.
"That is not necessary," Magnus interjected. "I already told you that I would stay. Besides, you do not want to antagonize the Nephilim."
"It is okay Magnus," Alec stated, "I can stay."
"Silence!" Asmodeus stated abruptly and the word provoked gasps of surprise and fear among the demons in the room. "Do not speak as if you have a choice. We will do what we want. And what we want will give us immeasurable pleasure, for it will strengthen us, give us the chance to have one of the Angel's chosen, while we ensure that you, rebellious and treasonous son, receive the worst of punishments. This is a perfect win-win situation. Imagine the torture of knowing that the man you love is forever lost and at the mercy of my unmerciful hospitality. What a delicious vengeance." Asmodeus' eyes danced with amusement and he rubbed his hands together as if the anticipation was too much to bear.
"Father, I will do whatever you ask of me," Magnus spoke, his face no longer impassive, but full for anguish. "I will stay with you for all eternity if you just let Alec go."
"You see, my vengeance is already bearing fruits," Asmodeus said with an evil chuckle. "Your love and concern for humanity has always been the worst of your weaknesses, son, and now I send you back to the mundane realm to live with the effects of that weakness for all eternity."
"Father please," Magnus pleaded, and he now extended his arms through the iron bars, reaching towards Alec.
"It is okay Magnus," Alec said imbuing a tone of reassurance into his voice and pushing down the terror that threatened to make his knees buckle. "It is okay. I will be fine. You will be fine."
"Alexander," Magnus called to him.
"What do you say?" Asmodeus asked speaking now to the demons in his court. "Should we allow the star-crossed lovers to say a final goodbye?" The question was met with another surge of excitement and whispers that run through the crowd. "Well then, let it be known that we are magnanimous," Asmodeus said in answer to his own questions. He then snapped his fingers and the top of the cage vegan to slowly lift to let Magnus out.
"Or perhaps not," Asmodeus added offhandedly, as if at the last moment, he had changed his mind. He quickly snapped his fingers again and this time the stone floor under Alec's feet began to shift, opening to reveal a trap leading to a dark bottomless abyss.
"It is okay Magnus," Alec repeated as he looked from the shifting ground to Magnus and smiled attempting to reassure him that he would be, in fact, okay. As he lost his footing and began to fall, Alec reached for Magnus hoping for the touch of his hand one last time. He saw Magnus running towards him, his hands extended, his fingers snapping as Magnus attempted to call on his magic to stop him for plummeting down towards the dark unknown. But it was too late, and the last thing Alec saw before the darkness swallowed him was the desperate expression of the man he loved like he never thought possible to love anyone, reaching down towards him, the faint sparkle of red magic flickering and then going out between his fingers.
"Alexander!" Magnus called, oblivious to the demonic laughs that echoed through the room. He fell on the ground and extended his arms trying to command the magic that had refused to obey him since he first set foot on this place. "Alexander," he called again, his voice full of desperation, as he saw the face of his lover disappear in the darkness of the trap.
"Alexander!" and now the name sounded heavy in his lips, as if it had become a rock stuck in his throat. He called for Alec again, and this time his voice sounded as if it had an echo that resonated in two places at once, as if the name was being torn between two worlds.
He no longer heard the laughs or the raucous of the demons in Asmodeus' court; the sound was replaced by a faint but insistent tapping, like rocks thrown on a roof. Suddenly, his body felt so heavy that he could barely move. It was as if all his muscles were stiff from lack of use, and when he tried to call for Alec one last time, his voice came out hoarse and no louder than a whisper. Abruptly, his vision shifted, and he could no longer see the dark hole that had swallowed Alec or feel the stone ground underneath him. Magnus knew then that he was no longer in Asmodeus' court. The blurry image of the city lights shining through his window confirmed that he was back in New York, the sensation of his magic powers reawakening and resurging with unusual strength the only relief he felt.
"Magnus," Catarina called to him, as she placed her hands on his shoulders, shaking him gently. "Thank the Angel, Magnus, you are back," she said with a deep sigh of relief.