'There's no protection,' Magnus noticed when they reached the house. Magnus had learned to sense magic, and there wasn't much here.
'I guess the witch isn't powerful enough to keep it on all the time,' Collin suggested.
Magnus didn't agree with that. A magical protection was something you could place there and something you could take away. You often didn't have to keep it going, though there were spells you had to keep going. Magnus expected at least some spells of the first category, but there were none.
'Unless she uses a spell to keep me from sensing the magic,' Magnus muttered. He was prepared, but frightened as well. Not only for himself, but for Alec and his friends as well. Magnus wasn't a hero, he knew that, and he didn't want to die. He didn't want anyone to die. He softly touched Alec's hand, Alec was walking just next to him, armed with a bow, two dozens of arrows, a feather staff, and some seraph blades.
'Maybe,' Collin said, 'I don't know that much about magic.'
Magnus didn't believe him, he suspected Collin was lying, but it wasn't important.
'So, let's go in?' Jace asked, 'Alec, shall I kill the witch or do you want the honour yourself?'
'You do it,' Alec muttered, and that was something Magnus liked about his boyfriend: Alec wasn't cruel, and he didn't like killing things that weren't demons. In other words, beings with a soul, even if they were evil. Alec was kind and sensitive that way, while many other shadowhunters weren't, and Magnus found that attractive.
'Let's go guys,' Isabelle suggested.
'Wait,' Simon said immediately, 'What about a plan? We can't just walk in and expect to find her and kill her. In D&D, these kind of awesome witch castles are trapped, and you must find a way to avoid the traps.'
Jace sighed, and so did Clary. 'This isn't D&D, Simon!'
Magnus had to admit that people who made those sort of games tried to be realistic, but of course, they usually were wrong, and Clary was right that this wasn't one of Simon's idiotic games.
'If we walk straight into a trap, then don't tell me I didn't warn you,' Simon said, and they walked in. They could just walk in, through the front door. The palace was nice looking, not cold and gray. Suddenly, the sensor Clary was carrying started making noise and exploded, Clary shied, and so did Magnus.
'There's a very powerful demon in here,' Magnus said, 'Maybe even one we can't defeat.'
'Maybe we should go back,' Alec suggested, 'If there's a demon we can't defeat, and the witch can control that demon, we're dead.'
Magnus had to say he agreed with Alec on that, it was no use getting them all killed by a greater demon.
'You can't go back,' Collin said.
'Who made you the boss?' Jace said, 'Because I'm pretty sure Alec is the boss, and since he's my parabatai, that means I'm the boss.'
'No, I mean, you can't go back. There's no going back. You can't get out unless she wants you to.'
Alec was the first who had calculated everything. 'You work for her. That's why you wanted to help us, to make sure we wouldn't survive.'
'Not entirely true,' Collin said, 'I don't want any of you dead. She wants you alive. But don't worry, she won't hurt you. Unless you hurt me, of course. She's protective that way, and strong. Kill me, and you'll all be dead. So let me give you a piece of advice: Listen to what she has to say, and don't make her angry.'
'Is the Faerie working with you too?' Magnus inquired, 'Christabel something?'
'Christabel, yes of course. She's Sawyer's closest friend.'
Magnus tried to think it trough. He was wise, because he was old, but he wasn't the smartest within the group.
'Why are those names so confusing?' Simon asked, 'Good Faerie of the North is supposed to mean that she is a good Faerie, and that she lives in the North. Like, you know, Glinda from the Wizard of Oz.'
'Follow me,' Collin said, 'And for your information, she's more like Glinda from Wicked. And my Sawyer is more like Elphaba from Wicked, instead of the Wicked Witch in the original story.'
Magnus followed Collin, together with the rest of the group, afraid of what would happen. He had seen the musical Wicked once, when it had come to Broadway first, but what did it say about the witch? Magnus felt guilt once again. Maybe she really wasn't evil, as she had said that night. She had come to him, and begged him for help. He had heard the rumours, that she had turned evil, and it had been confirmed by the Wizard, and he had believed it. He had sent her away, because he was afraid she could only cause trouble, that she was evil. It was one of the worst things he had ever done.
'They are here, darling,' Collin called, and he opened a door. The demon was inside here, Magnus was sure. It was a prince of Hell, or maybe Lilith herself.
'I should not have expected you to help me, father,' the witch hissed. She still had the same deep and strong voice she had when he knew her.
'Ah, finally,' the demon said, and Magnus was shocked to recognize him, 'Magnus, I haven't seen you in a long time. Shouldn't you have protected your little sister a bit more? Finally, I see my last alive son and my last alive daughter together. Shame they both love a shadowhunter, my mortal enemie.'
'I didn't know,' Magnus said. He really didn't know. He knew, of course, that Sawyer's father had to be powerful, because she was extremely powerful.
'I can help you, Sawyer,' the demon said. His father, but Magnus didn't want to think of him that way. 'A blood sacrifice is enough. One kill for the changed warlocks and werewolves, to save them. The little redhead, maybe?'
'Stay away from her,' Jace said immediately.
'I won't!' Sawyer shouted at the demon, 'I banish you from this pentagram!'
The demon disappeared, which was a relief to Magnus. He had only once summoned his father, to confirm his identity, and he was shocked by it.
'Sorry about that,' she said, 'And about the fact that you guys are my prisoners now. But don't worry, I am not going to hurt you. It's just necessary, nothing I can do about it, but I need to free the warlock animals and the werewolf wolves.'

Alec was confused. The Wicked Witch of the West was Magnus' sister? They didn't really look like each other. The witch was impossibly tall, even taller than Izzy, and she wore the sort of boots Izzy would wear, and the sort of dress Izzy would wear, an elegant black knee lenght dress with a split in the skirt. She also wore a pointy hat like witches in fairy tales. Her skin was a light colour green, Clary could probably name the exact colour, but Alec couldn't. She wasn't ugly like the witch in the Wizard of Oz, she looked young, like a beautiful young woman but green. She looked like the sort of woman most straight men were attracted to. Except green.
'You love her,' Clary said, looking at Collin.
Collin nodded. 'I met her two years ago at a downworlder party, hosted by your warlock friend here, and I helped her afterwards. But she can tell you the whole story. She isn't wicked, the Wizard just told everyone that so the Clave would kill her for him, but the wizard is the Wicked one.'
Alec was even more confused now, and he did no longer no who to believe. The witch and Collin and the wizard?
'Explain it, then,' Alec said, blunt because he didn't know how else to be, and he wanted to know. He wanted to know who was good and who was evil, and who he had to fight.

'I will,' Sawyer said, 'But first, follow me.'
Sawyer expected people who felt a bit comfortable would sooner trust her, so she took them to the living room. She didn't use it much, but her palace was gigantic and she made one anyway. Most of this was made with magic, and most of the furniture was stolen, she had to admit.
'Sit down, please,' she said. The couch she had stolen over a year ago was big enough for six people, and the six prisoners sat down. Sawyer examined all of them. Magnus looked a lot like he had two years ago, except now he was completely in love with the shadowhunter boy, who sat next to him. Alec Lightwood, was his name. Next to Alec Lightwood sat his parabatai. Sawyer knew his name because he was one of the heroes of the Mortal War, a war Sawyer had in fact fought in, though no one but Collin knew. Jace Lightwood, was his name. Next to Jace Lightwood was the little redheaded girl. Sawyer didn't remember her name.
'Would you introduce yourself, please?' she asked, 'My name is Sawyer Thropp. People call me the Wicked Witch of the West, but I prefer you to call me Sawyer or miss Thropp.'
'You know me, I guess, Sawyer,' Magnus said. Sawyer nodded. 'I don't know if you're good or evil now,' Magnus continued, 'But whatever you are now, I'm sorry for what I did two years ago.'
Sawyer just nodded. 'Alec,' the blue eyed boy said, 'I mean, Alec Lightwood.' He appeared shy to Sawyer, not the way shadowhunters usually were.
'Jace Herondale,' Jace said, 'But I guess you know that?'
Again, Sawyer nodded. 'Clary Fray, I mean Fairchild,' the little redheaded girl said.
'I'm Isabelle Lightwood,' the pretty darkhaired girl said.
'Simon Lewis,' the vampire boy eventually said. She had heard stories about him as well, the vampire who could walk in daylight. It was rare, extremely rare.
'Good,' Sawyer said, 'It's easier to talk to people knowing their names. Now a hypothetical question: What would it be like of someone, say, some dark warlock, would transform a warlock you know, say Magnus, into an animal permanently. I'm guessing because of his catlike eyes, he would become a cat. Permanently.'
'That's horrible,' Alec said immediately, and Sawyer was pleased at his confession of his love for the warlock. 'Are you going to do that to him?'
Sawyer was sure she could see tears in the boy's eyes. 'Goodness, no,' she said, 'I would never do such thing. But Magnus and I aren't the only warlocks with power. The Wizard himself has no power. He's as close as an ifrit can get to a warlock, but he doesn't have power of his own. Magnus, who do you think, who works for the Wizard, could have that power?'
'I have never heard of such power,' Magnus said, 'But I'm guessing the warlock in question would have to be very powerful.'
'Quite right, Magnus,' Sawyer said, 'Therefore, I'm guessing miss Darcy is casting the spells. Christabel isn't close enough to the Wizard himself yet to find out, I'm afraid, but she's my main suspect. Of turning the warlocks, that is. And not just warlocks, also werewolves. Somehow some werewolves have been turned into wolves, permanently. I have been looking for two years already, yet I have never found the spell. I know the Wizard has to be stopped, but unfortunately, the Clave won't believe me, since they already believe the Wizard. When Collin told me you would come looking for me, I figured my best chance was trying to convince you to help me. I can't defeat the Wizard alone. I haven't been able to save those poor animals yet, but I'm still looking. The wizard no longer owns the most powerful spellbook in the world.'
'I own the most powerful spellbook in the world,' Magnus said, 'And it has been hidden in the Wayland manor for years, by Jocelyn Fairchild.'
'It's not the book of white I'm talking about,' Sawyer said, 'I mean the Grimmerie, the Dark book. The magic is much darker, and most spells I wouldn't use, but there are also good spells in it. The Grimmerie isn't easy to read, and I haven't read everything yet. I was hoping my father would know something, and he does, but he demands a human sacrifice, and I won't do that.'
'I think,' Magnus said eventually, 'That I believe you.'

At the evening, after they'd eaten, Sawyer had pointed a few bedrooms for them, and Alec shared one with Magnus, as he was used to. Alec felt uncomfortable being a prisoner here, but he started to trust the witch; Sawyer. She seemed honest, but Alec wanted proof. He wanted to see the animals. He lay down in the bed with Magnus, Magnus' arms around him as they usually did. It felt comfortable for Alec, Magnus' body warmth against him. Unfortunately, it would be harder to sneak away this way, to look around, find proof Sawyer was honest. He let himself fall asleep, and trusted he would wake up at night, because he often did. He would wake up then, around three or four a.m., and feel Magnus' warm body against him, and then he would fall asleep again. Only this time he didn't intend to fall asleep again. Alec's weapons where in the room, and he planned to take his bow and a few arrows just in case, but not much more. Now he just let himself fall asleep against Magnus. When Alec woke up, Magnus still lay close to him, but no longer with his arms around him, and therefore Alec could come out of bed without Magnus noticing. He wasn't sure why he didn't want to tell Magnus, but he didn't. He was afraid Magnus would stop him. Alec only wanted to reassure himself that Sawyer was honest. He dressed himself, he slept wearing just his shirt and underwear, and he took his bow and arrows. He opened the door, as silent as possible, and slipped out. He wasn't sure exactly where he had to go. He walked around, silently, and got lost. It was so huge inside. Alec silently blamed himself for doing this. It was stupid, needing this proof, and wandering around at night to find it. He walked trough a door that was open, and there he saw a place for an animal to live. He saw a young dog, no it had to be a wolf. He was cautious, not sure if it was safe or not.
'Sleepwalking, shadowhunter?' he heard a voice behind him. Alec turned around. Sawyer stood there. She didn't wear her high heeled boots, which was why he hadn't heard her. Alec knew how loud Izzy was unless she used soundless runes.
'I'm sorry,' Alec said, 'I just wanted to...'
'Find proof, I'm guessing?' Sawyer asked, 'I can hardly blame you, I expected one of you to come here, though I was guessing it would be one of the other shadowhunters. Not that I know you that well.'
'I guess I'm the kind of person who needs reassurance,' Alec said, 'I'm really sorry.'
'Don't be,' Sawyer said, 'I see you have found Raisa. She's a werewolf cub, but she can't change into a human. I'm not sure who put the spell there, or what spell it is. There are no spells to simply reverse spells like this, I have to find a completely different spell.'
'I don't know much about this sort of magic,' Alec admitted, 'Maybe Magnus does. He owns the book of White.'
Sawyer looked down. 'I still believe there's a way to reverse it, but I just don't know where to look. There are many spellbooks, the book of White and the Grimmerie are the most powerful books. I believe I now have access to both of them. But it will take time.'
'Is this the only one?' Alec asked.
'I am still planning to rescue the other animals, but I don't have time to take care of all of them. That's why I need help.'
'I think I believe you,' Alec said, then.
'Thank you,' Sawyer said, 'Your help will be appreciated. Now, I'll show you your way back to your room. You surely must be tired.'