Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended
Author's note: to KB, who asked: yes, after this one we have just 7 more chapters, then it's over. If all goes according to plans, I'll be done by March 4th!
Spyra was leading them through a maze of corridors that had more turns than Alec could count. He gave up after a while, realising that confusing them was the exact purpose of the fairy. When he voiced that, keeping his tone as neutral as he could, Spyra smirked at him.
"See it this way, Pet. It was either the long way, or I had to blindfold you. To be honest the blindfold is always tricky, I have to guide you step by step, make sure you actually don't see anything—I'm not interested in wasting that kind of time. So I chose the long tour. Are you tired of walking?"
Alec didn't bother to reply, choosing to focus on the surroundings instead. With every step they were apparently leaving the caves behind and heading toward a more civilised part of the Fairy Kingdom: the floor was now paved and not simple stone, flaming red crystals were embedded everywhere in the ceiling, their only source of light. There was still musk and dirt on the walls and the crimson light just made the whole atmosphere depressing and gloomy.
"You're keeping up a glamour," Magnus noted as they were walking. He always knew Spyra was a magic user and a powerful one. It was part of her charm. "I can sense the magic. What are you doing?"
Spyra was walking fast with a concentrated expression in her eyes. "Even though I'm taking you on the long way, I don't want you to see the Court like it really is and anyway you don't need to; I doubt you'll come back here, especially uninvited. If you leave here alive—although that only applies to your Pet here."
"Are you threatening me?" Alec asked quietly. The seraph blade was still glowing in his hand and he was ready to use it.
Spyra just smirked. "I have a debt towards Magnus Bane: he saved my life years ago and I gave him that token so he could ask me a favour in return. Fairies don't like to have debts with anybody. But you are nothing to me Nephilim and I won't vouch for you with the King. Whether or not you leave here with your head on your shoulders, it's entirely up to him."
"I think you'd find I'm quite attached to my head. Can you say the same for the rest of your kind, if they were to attack me?" Alec's voice was still quiet but Magnus recognised Jace's lines in his speech. Even after all those years, Alec held in high consideration his parabatai, trying to resemble him at least in combat. He wondered absent-mindedly if Alec would ever realise he was a great man just the way he was, not needing to emulate anyone.
"Oh, you're a feisty one." The fairy laughed. "Maybe I like you a little more now."
Just ahead of them there was a huge door made of glowing steel: it was polished and carved with strange symbols Alec didn't recognise. Spyra stopped in front of it and turned around.
"Here we are. A word of advice, Magnus: keep your Pet on a very short leash. My brother doesn't like the Shadowhunters, he never did."
She took a step back and opened the door wide, walking in with a confident stride.
Magnus understood Spyra's words as soon as they entered the throne room and grabbed Alec's arms immediately, squeezing it with an almost bruising strength. Looking at him, he realised he had been just in time, as Alec's eyes widened in disgust and fury, his whole body tense with the need to jump ahead and just start killing.
"What... what is this? How can they—" He whispered before Magnus shot him a warning glance.
"Don't speak. Don't say anything. They are just waiting for you to make a mistake, don't give them the opportunity. Let me do the talking."
The Unseelie throne room was horrible. Panels as red as blood were hanging on the walls and the omnipresent crimson crystals on the ceiling contributed to plunge the room in a low, languid, red light. It was like the air was ready to burst in flame and as Magnus and Alec advanced to the throne, the warlock had to remind himself about the task they were trying to accomplish; tearing the place apart wouldn't do William any good.
Cages were hanging above the ground, circular, low cages made of hard iron and in those cages, crouched and wailing, Seelie fairies were imprisoned, their cries of pain resonating in the throne room. Men, women, but mercifully not children, they were endlessly wailing as the iron of the cage was pressed in their naked flesh, burning and scorching. The Unseelie fairies didn't even glance at them as they were talking and laughing while they were served food and drinks from chained slaves, also Seelie fairies. As much as Alec didn't trust her, he was suddenly glad Kaelie wasn't there to witness the horrible torture her people was subjected to.
Spyra walked straight to the throne where the King was seated: tall and dark, he had flowing white hair neatly tied behind his head and his blazing eyes never left his two guests even while his sister was approaching.
"Your Majesty," she laughed stopping and kneeling before him, "I bring you fun, something to play with in this fair night."
"I see," the King replied, looking at his sister, "and where did you find your toys, my princess?"
"Long ago, when I decided to take a look at the human world, I met this warlock. We had some fun before you recalled me here and I gave him a token because—" she seemed a little uneasy and that was a first for Alec, "well, because he saved my life. Now he's come to collect his debt, so I can't even kill him. The Nephilim is his lover and he chose to go with him. I'll not take responsibility for his presence here, or his well being."
"Well." The Unseelie King raised his eyes and licked his lips, his eyes sparkling in amusement. "So, we have Magnus Bane and his dear Alexander Lightwood. How nice of you to come here and delight me with your presence."
"You know who we are." Magnus said, trying to keep his face straight.
"If you wish to keep your people detached from the world, then you must know as much as you can about that world, warlock." He smiled at them and just like with Spyra, Alec felt his fingers twitch on the hilt of his Seraph blade, ready to strike. That creature was pure evil, he could almost smell it, and it was disgusting.
"I would be a very poor King if I didn't know the names of the people in the famous group who saved our world from Sebastian Morgenstern." The King continued. "And just for that, and just this once, you get to walk away with your life. You and your Nephilim. I'm feeling generous tonight."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Magnus bowed his head and Alec was suddenly grateful he agreed to let him talk because there was no way he would be able to show curtsy to that monster who called himself a king. "I take it that you disagreed with the Seelie Queen involvement with Sebastian Morgenstern?"
"Did you see even one Unseelie fairy fight alongside those weaklings?" The King enquired with an amused smile. "We had nothing to do with that. And yet the entirety of our race was condemned because of that bitch and her human lover. I heard you were the only one who pleaded for mercy for the Fair Folk?"
"Indeed Your Majesty. Not that it was of much use, but yes."
"Well, what do you want warlock? We just captured a new batch of Seelie fairies and I'm dying to pay them a visit." He licked his lips again and Alec knew for a fact that he was eager to get to torture them as well.
Magnus' eyes sparkled in anger but he quickly hid it. "I came to seek your wisdom Majesty. And while humbly looking for an answer to my question, I also offer you the opportunity to destroy a plan carefully crafted by the Seelie Queen."
The King was silent for a minute, then he raised a hand and snapped his fingers; just like that, one by one, the Unseelie fairies in the throne room left, until only the caged prisoners remained. Spyra didn't leave, standing at the right of the throne.
"For my protection," was all the King said, pointing at his sister. She smirked and Magnus didn't doubt she was ready to toast them if they made a wrong movement.
"So, now that we're alone." The King leaned back on the throne, crossing his legs. "I'm always up for some fun at the expense of my fair, fair cousin. Ask me your question and I'll decide if it's worth an answer."
This is it, Magnus thought. Here it goes, all or nothing.
He breathed deeply and asked. "Is there a way to permanently heal a person infected with the Kohl poison? I know the antidote consists in drinking the Kohl tea everyday, but I wish to heal it once and for all."
"Interesting." The King joined his hands in his lap, narrowing his eyes. "Who's the poisoned one?"
They had debated this, before leaving for the Unseelie Court: they knew the King would ask for more informations but Clary was unwilling to give him the details. Yet, the Unseelie fairies were known for their temper and if they wished to get an answer they couldn't afford to deny the King anything he wanted to know. So Magnus replied, even though unwillingly.
"The Seelie Queen abducted a Nephilim child and poisoned him with the Kohl poison. We can't rescue him because the only antidote we know is growing in the Fairy Kingdom and the child would die without it."
"A Nephilim child." The King looked thoughtful. "And why would she steal and poison him?"
"To blackmail his parents. They crossed the Queen and this is her revenge."
Spyra bent down whispering something in her brother's ears and he raised an eyebrow. "Ah, that's clear then."
"So," his gaze went back to Magnus, "my sister brought to my attention that you may be talking about the Herondale child. Is it right? I heard he died six months ago, he was not even two years old. His death could have been a deception though. And his father is your pet's brother. It makes sense."
"Yes," Magnus answered, knowing there was no use in denying it. "I'm talking about William Herondale."
A small smile played on the King's lips. "And what would you do if you could cure the child? What would come next? I'm asking you, Nephilim."
Alec looked at Magnus and when the warlock nodded he turned to answer the King. "We would go and get my nephew back. We would fight our way in, if necessary."
"Pure Shadowhunter style." The fairy nodded. "And what would happen to the Seelie Queen?"
"Probably a trial. We'll have to involve the Clave to rescue my nephew and that means the story will go public. They'll want to punish her for what she did."
The King smiled again and looked at Alec. "My services, or in this case my knowledge don't come for free. Are you willing to pay my price? You could not like what I want in exchange for your answer."
"Name it." The blue eyed boy firmly said, trying not to hope too much. It all could be just a ploy to make fun of him. And yet if the King was talking about his price, maybe he indeed had an answer...
"If I help you, there will be no trial. I don't want the Queen captured, I want her dead."
Alec's heart started beating faster: so there was a cure! He tried to contain his excitement and keep his face straight as he replied: "That will probably be the outcome anyway. She kidnapped one of ours, the Clave won't show any mercy."
"No, little Pet." Alec was getting tired of being called a pet. He was a Shadowhunter, not a cat! The King continued, his voice icy cold now. "I don't want her to stand a trial and be executed. I want her to die in her Court, where she most feels safe. I don't care who kills her, I don't care how you do it, but I want her head. Quite literally perhaps. I think I'd like to hang it just above my throne, as a trophy."
The Nephilim stopped for a second, biting his lip: as much as he wanted the Queen dead, he always envisioned her death to be part of the Clave justice: a trial, and then the sentence. This was murder, something he wasn't accustomed to. He remembered the first time he did it, when he killed Meliorn with his bow. He remembered how cold he felt, how detached. It wasn't a feeling he wanted to experience again, but he did it for Magnus that time, because he was in danger and the Fairy Knight had been the one who kidnapped him. This time, Will's life was on the line, sweet, innocent William. He couldn't—wouldn't—hesitate.
"Deal." He said, nodding. "There will be no trial."
"Excellent." The King clasped his hands, his eyes betraying his excitement. "I would have my dear sister follow you in the attack to make sure you keep the bargain, but if you swear to me on your Angel that you'll kill the Seelie Queen during the rescue, I won't."
Alec breathed deeply. "There will be no need. I swear on the Angel the Seelie Queen will die when we go for William." He thought about it for a second, then he added. "Provided that she doesn't manage to escape somehow. But it looks unlikely."
Spyra laughed and suddenly she winked at him. "I really think I like you now, Pet. Not many dare to negotiate an oath to the Unseelie King."
"I'm not done." The King continued. "There's another condition: I want the Clave to acknowledge our complete detachment from the Seelie Court. We may be all fairies, but we're nothing like them. I want the Clave to treat us like two separate entities, not a single nation. Do you understand, Nephilim?"
"You want the peace treat to not apply to you." Alec slowly said. "You want your own army back, you want back under the Covenant."
"I can't care less about the Covenant, Shadowhunter." The fairy laughed. "It's more about principles. I'm sure you see what I think of our fair cousins." He pointed at the prisoners in the cages, making Alec grit his teeth. "I don't want my people associated with them in any way."
"This requires a work inside the Clave, something that can't be achieved immediately. We will need meetings, you'll need to send an envoy to the Clave to negotiate."
"And I will. When I do, though, you'll be there with your family to sustain my claims and you'll fight for them. Deal?"
It took just a moment for Alec to nod his acceptant and when he did, Magnus decided to press on. "Do we have a deal then? A definite cure for William in exchange for your terms?"
The King nodded. "Just know that if you don't keep your oath, I won't forget it. You'll think you're safe, you'll think you're happy, but then I'll strike and I'll destroy everything you care about."
"I swore on the Angel." Alec quietly said, his blue eyes directly looking at the fairy. "That's the Shadowhunters most sacred oath. One we never break. Don't threaten me or I'll make a different kind of oath—and I'll keep it as well."
He didn't add anything else but the meaning was clear: if the Unseelie King ever dared to come after the people he loved, Alec wouldn't stop until he killed him.
"Your Majesty," Magnus said, trying to break the tension: it wasn't wise to threaten the Unseelie King in his throne room. "I take it that a cure for the Kohl poison indeed exists?"
The fairy looked at him and slowly smiled. It was horrible and cruel and Magnus struggled to keep his composure. "No, it doesn't. There's no way to permanently cure the poison."
It was like being suddenly plunged in icy water: Alec and Magnus froze, unable to breath, move or speak for a moment. The King looked at them, obviously pleased by their reaction and then added: "But you don't need to. The child isn't poisoned."
Silence again, then Magnus carefully repeated: "You say the child isn't poisoned. I saw him sick though, with the Kohl poison symptoms. And an antidote was delivered that made him feel better for a couple of days."
"Oh I don't doubt that he was indeed injected with the poison. But almost nobody knows that the Kohl poison doesn't permanently affect children, not before they hit puberty. There's something in their bodies that rejects the poison: it makes them sick for around twenty days, showing every symptom but it doesn't kill them. And then the body heals."
"What about the antidote?"
"The Kohl tea helps in getting rid of the poison and it negates the symptoms. But anyway, antidote or not, the child will always heal by himself."
A thick silence fell in the throne room and Spyra looked at the two pale men before her: there was something glorious in watching the realisation coming in their eyes, when her brother's words hit home.
"Was it a trick then?" Alec whispered, his eyes wide. "Was this for nothing? William never risked dying?"
"Apparently not." Magnus replied, pinching the bridge of his nose. "And it actually makes sense considering the Queen needed Will."
"Yes." Alec murmured. "Yes, she wouldn't want him dead. By the Angel, when Jace will know..."
"Let's talk about this later." Magnus shot him a warning glance and turned to the King again. "Your Majesty, I suppose the Queen was well aware of this limitation in the Kohl poison?"
"I'm sure she was," he answered. "I wouldn't expect any less."
"But why wouldn't the poison kill a child?" Alec asked. "How can we be sure William will be safe if we get him out of the Seelie Court?"
The King snorted. "Why can't a mundane drink from the Mortal Cup after he's eighteen? Or why can't two Shadowhunters bond as parabatai after that? We don't always have an explanation, Nephilim. We just know that the body of a child will reject the poison, but we don't know why. And you can be doubtful, but remember that I'm a fairy. I can't lie."
"That is true." Magnus slowly said. Of course there was the possibility that the Unseelie King was a half human like Kaelie, but the warlock knew it was unlikely: nobody save the purest bloodlines could be King or Queen. So it was true, the threat on William's life had been fake, he was healed, healthy, ready to be rescued.
Magnus straightened his back noticing that Alec was doing the same; they were on the same page, as always.
"Thank you Your Majesty. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. We will leave now, with your permission."
"Spyra will lead you outside, I won't let you use a Portal from here." The King lazily looked at them, focusing on Alec. "I'm looking forward to hear about your rescue mission, Nephilim. Don't disappoint me."
Alec looked about to reply but chose not to say anything. When he saw Magnus bow his head to the King, he did the same and then they followed Spyra outside. As soon as the steel door was closed and he couldn't hear the wailing fairies anymore, he exhaled a silent sigh of relief; keeping his composure while all he wanted to do was tear the place apart and destroy those awful cages, had been nearly impossible. Every second he had to remind himself they needed the King, they needed his knowledge, that William needed his uncle to keep his cool and deliver the news to his parents but it had been one of the hardest thing he ever did. Leaving someone to suffer, witness their pain without acting was so alien to his nature that he felt physically sick.
"Well, that went well, right?" Spyra cheerfully said while guiding them out. "See? No groveling, no boot licking. You caught my brother on one of his good days, Pet."
"You did it on purpose, did you?" He couldn't hold it inside anymore. He had to know. "The glamour. You kept it up so we couldn't see the Court but you dropped it in the throne room. You wanted us to see the cages. You wanted me to see them."
A cold smile graced Spyra's lips. "I like when you act smart, Pet. Of course I did. Were you not entertained?"
"Why would you do that?"
"Well, to be honest, I wanted to have some fun." She giggled and it was horrible. "What did you value most? The quest that brought you here or our little guests in their cages? You didn't disappoint but I knew you wouldn't. It isn't the first time a Nephilim turns his head and pretends not to see."
"But why?" He was horrified and ashamed because it was true: he had chosen William over those prisoners, he had chosen not to see. He left them there to suffer. "Why are you doing this to other fairies?"
"Would it be different if they were vampires? Or werewolves?" Spyra raised her eyebrow, a mocking smile on her lips.
"It wouldn't be different even if they were Endarkened!" He shouted, finally losing it. "What kind of—monster does that to somebody else? Even an enemy? This is torture!"
"Alec..." Magnus tried to stop him, but Spyra just laughed.
"Oh, Pet, you're so funny." She stopped walking and directly confronted the Shadowhunter. "We're the Unseelie fairies. We are connected with the earth and the fire, and we are earth and fire. We have them in our veins, we're passionate and hard and even cruel, if you want to look at it like that. The Seelie fairies are weak. They are soft and pitiful and yet they managed to bring our entire race down with them. We don't forget, Pet. We don't forgive. We are an ancient, proud people, and we deal with traitors and shame in our way. You don't like it? You're welcome to turn around and leave. Or do you plan to wage war against us? I fear you would find out we're pretty tough to kill."
He was about to attack. He would draw his Seraph blade and use it, for the first time, on someone who wasn't a demon. Because this person, this fairy, didn't deserve to live, nor did her cruel King. His hand went to the hilt but suddenly Magnus was there, keeping himself between him and Spyra. He was there, looking deep in those blue eyes, keeping them chained on himself. He was there, whispering his nephew and son's names, begging him not to react, not now.
"So what will it be, Pet? Do you wish to test my magic here and now, or are you going home like a good boy?" Spyra's eyes were raging, looking forward to the fight, that mocking smile still on her face.
Alec took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Let's get out of here. Now."
"How disappointing." She laughed but resumed walking, not even turning once. He didn't know whether to feel relieved that she wasn't taunting him further or angry because it looked like she wasn't afraid in the slightest of having a pissed off Shadowhunter right behind her.
Soon enough they were under the sky again and Spyra turned to them once more. "It was a pleasure to see you again Magnus, even though you changed so much. I don't recommend you coming back though, your free ticket has expired."
The warlock nodded but didn't smile. "I doubt you'll see me again."
"As for you, Pet, a word of advice." Her face turned serious and so did her voice. "Take a tour in your library and check some of the Nephilim history: you will find that your people committed lots of atrocities during the centuries. So don't act so high and might, because in no way you're better than us."
And then, just like that, she was gone, vanished in thin air. Alec looked around noticing they weren't that far from the Institute and started walking without a word.
"One day," he finally said, looking at the moon up in the sky, just as they were about to cross the threshold, "when this is all over I'll go back there, Magnus. I'll go back, I'll burn that place to ashes and I'll kill the Unseelie King and his sister."
He felt a hand slip in his own and revelled in his boyfriend's warmth, allowing it to slip in his heart to replace the hatred that was growing in him.
"I know," was all Magnus said, "my Alec, I know."