Opening the portal for Alec was like opening the hole in his heart, but Magnus did it. Then he watched his lover leave, holding his son tight to his chest for comfort.
"He'll be back," Magnus tried to smooth the baby, though he was actually comforting himself. "Daddy loves us, don't forget that Max. Even when he's married to a silly woman, that won't change." Magnus was sure Alec wouldn't return again until after his wedding, and he was trying and failing not to think about it. Magnus could picture his future rather well, and it scared him at times. How was waiting for Alexander any better than being trapping in the Palace with him? Sure, rationally Magnus knew he'd made the right decision, but emotionally he was a mess. If not for Max, Magnus felt like he'd just crawl into bed, and not get out for a decade.
When he heard a quiet knock on his door, Magnus knew somehow that it wasn't Alec. The Prince didn't knock like that. Magnus put Max down in the enclosed play area he had made for Max, then turned to get the door.
Before him stood a stranger. She was short with brown hair and eyes, clearly human. Overall, there wasn't anything that remarkable about her appearance, except that she looked scared out of her mind. Her whole body was shaking with terror, and Magnus wasn't sure if simply knocking on his door had caused this or something else.
"M-Magnus?" the woman asked shaking in fear.
"Yes?" he confirmed.
"Prince Alec s-s-sent me," she stuttered. "Says we n-n-need you. War-warlock attacking the P-P-Palace."
"What's your name," Magnus asked her gently, thinking fast.
"J-Josey," the girl replied.
"Alright Josey," Magnus smiled kindly at her. "I need you to breath. Yes that's right. Now start from the beginning."
"Liz and I were in the garden," Josey began, talking through her tears. "Then we heard something - Liz turned so fast - this big black hideous demon was behind us, would have killed us if not for the shield. They told me to hide, but Liz is out there fighting. I-" The girl was truly sobbing now. "I don't want her to die."
"No one is going to die," Magnus told her as he brought her into the house. "I will make sure of it, but I need you to help. Can you do that?"
"I don't want to go back there," Josey sobbed.
"You don't have to," Magnus replied. "See I need you to stay here and watch my son. Can you do that for me?" The girl looked up, clearly relieved to be given such a task. "He's over there," Magnus pointed to the encircled play pen. "I just fed and changed him so he might nap for you. Just watch him okay?"
"Okay," Josey sniffed. She stood up and moved over to sit beside Max on the ground. Leaving a strange human alone with his son had not been what Magnus planned for his day, but at the moment he had no other options. Quickly scribbing down the situation and lighting the paper on fire with magic to send a message to Caterina, Magnus opened a portal and vanished through it.
The scene that greeted him was like nothing he'd ever seen. Sure, he'd lived through attacks on the Palace shield before, but this was different. Where the others had been calculated moves, this seemed to have no rhyme or reason to it. Lines of demons were hitting the shield in waves, seemingly unconcerned with their own safely. A winged warlock was flying above it all as if enjoying the show, Magnus could see nephilim fighting on the ground against the demon's the winged warlock had clearly summoned. As he studied the warlock, Magnus realized how very young he was. Magnus wondered if he'd been newly cursed, and was mad at the world. Nothing but a childish tantrum could create such a sight as this.
Drawing magic from the earth, Magnus made himself rise up in the air so he could talk to the child.
"Please stop this," Magnus calmly spoke to him. The boy was indeed that, a boy, no more than thirteen. He had a round face, dark hair, and thin limbs as if half way through a growth spirt. His wings were the most incredible part of him, huge and ink black like his skin, they looked much like a bat's wing. They were keeping the warlock in the air, which meant he wasn't wasting magic flying like Magnus was.
"Why should I!" the boy spat. "Why do you care? You are like me. You should be helping me. If we work together we could get that stupid shield down."
"I am many years your elder, young one," Magnus said gently. "Please just come with me and we can talk."
"I am tired of talking," the boy spat. "Tired of it. That's all mom and dad ever did, talk. I was in pain and they just talked over me."
"I know what that feels like believe me," Magnus continued. "But-" he gestured to the destruction on the ground. "This isn't the answer."
"Why not?" the boy replied. "They cower behind their shield like the useless leaders they are. Where were they when mother refused the demon's request. Where were they when father just let them have me!"
Magnus could picture perfectly what had happened to this child. He was so close to adulthood the curse would have been very dangerous and painful for him; it could easily have killed him.
"My father tried to kill me," Magnus offered. "But I did not deal with that pain by summoning demons to attack people who had nothing to do with it."
"What's that look on your face?" the boy said with narrowed eyes. Then he pulled back, his wings flapping madly.
"You love them don't you!" he spat with disgust. "Well in that case, you can die with them!"
Magnus felt the jolt of magic hit him squarely in the chest and he fell to the ground, just staying conscious enough to break his fall with magic. As he tried to shake off the hit and get back up, he heard Alexander call his name, then running footsteps. Magnus wanted to yell, no stay in the shield, stay safe, but it was no use. Alec was already here.
"You came," Alec smiled as he pulled Magnus's head into his lap.
"That makes us both idiots," Magnus laughed. "Get back in the shield Alec." But he didn't listen. Instead Alexander shot an arrow into the demon sneaking up on their left and ignored Magnus's request.
"I take it talking to him didn't go well?" Alec asked.
"You think?" Magnus replied, sitting up and using a little magic to sooth his aching head. He was low on magic again, and this kid - though not at all trained - seemed to have an endless supply, which Magnus didn't understand.
"He's so new," Magnus whined. "Why is he so strong?"
"No idea," Alec answered. "You said time makes warlock magic stronger."
"Time and training," Magnus nodded. "He has neither, unless…"
"What?"
"We need to find his parents," Magnus said. "And quickly."
"Why?" Alec inquired slowly.
"The only way for a warlock to have such power without age or training is by stealing it," Magnus explained. "He is probably sucking the life out of someone to do this, and from what he told me just now, my guess is his parents." Magnus tired to stand up, but he staggered. Maybe this kid was sucking the life out of his own childhood block. Magnus had four hundred years on the kid, and this was ridiculous.
"You okay?" Alec asked.
"Behind you!" Magnus exclaimed as he saw a dark shape with yellow eyes sneak up behind Alec. The archer turned with lightning speed, cutting the demon in half with a glowing blade.
"Wow those reflexes are something to see," Magnus grinned.
"If the kid can steal energy from others?" Alec asked. "Can you?"
"What do you mean?" Magnus sighed.
"Take energy from me," Alec instructed. Before Magnus could answer, they heard a great crack. They turned and just as the sound suggested there was a crack in the only thing keeping Alec's family alive. At a sprint they ran to the shield.
"I have an idea," Magnus yelled as they approached. "Give me your hand." Alec didn't even resist, but took Magnus's hand with perfect trust.
"What's going on?" Robert called to them from where he was issuing commands at the center of the fight.
"Magnus has a plan to help," Alec explained. "We have to trust him." It seemed Robert didn't need telling twice. Magnus told him the plan and he quickly put it into action. As Alec's other hand connected with another member of his family, and they in turn held the hand of the one beside them, Magnus could feel the potential power. Taking from so many would minimize damage and maximize strength, or so he told himself as he pulled the energy from those linked with him.
Magnus was standing just inches from the edge of the shield, with all the nephilim linked with him standing inside it, except for Alec who stood half inside and half out. As the power built up inside him, Magnus threw out a shield of his own, just a few feet bigger than the one already there. The purple shield behind him, and the orange one in front of him seemed to dance together in the shimmering light from the moon.
"Fool!" the winged warlock cried. "Leave them to their faith. You are a disgrace to our kind."
"Oh what do you know!" Magnus yelled back. "You've been 'our kind' for all of five minutes." And to everyone's surprise, Robert was laughing. His booming voice echoing around the suddenly still soldiers.
"We just need to give your permanent shield time to repair itself," Magnus explained, not sure how to react to the King's laughter. "Since its self sustaining unlike mine."
"Someone needs to cut off his power supply," Alec explained to the other shadowhunters. "The warlock is young, and can't have this kind of power on his own yet. He is drawing it from somewhere like Magnus is drawing on us."
The blonde and Alec's sister instantly volunteered to go in search, but Magnus called out to them before they left, handing them a small flat disk with a spinning dial. "This will help you track it," Magnus explained. "Sorry I don't have the magic right now to do a tracking spell."
"Just keep my Clary safe," the blond replied. "I can handle this." Alec's sister nodded, and the two of them disappeared through both shields and back into the fight, her whip flying.
So there they stayed, at a stalemate. The demons unable to get past the orange shield, and the shadowhunters having to remain still to keep it up. Magnus tried to focus on Alec's hand in his as he listened to the whispers and cries of the people he was protecting. He knew one voice had to be Liz, since she was the only one worried about someone who wasn't here. Magnus explained to Alec who passed it along, and the woman seemed to calm down once she knew Josey was safe. Time ticked by as they waited for Jace and Izzy to return or for the winged warlock's power to diminish.
"I think we'd all be dead without you," Alec told Magnus as he squeezed the warlock's hand affectionately.
"I couldn't let you die," Magnus replied.
"I love you," Alec said calmly as if he'd said it a hundred times before, and he had in different ways.
"I love you too," Magnus replied, and then they waited. Magnus felt like he was holding up a mountain as he tried to keep the shield going.
But then suddenly the winged warlock fell to the ground, his demons disappearing. Magnus let the second shield fall, panting from exhaustion.
"They did it!" cheered the nephilim. Magnus watched as they all hugged each other, jumping for joy as if it was over. It wasn't over. The other two weren't back yet, and the warlock wasn't by any means defeated. He'd just lost his extra power. Magnus was about to walk out to meet him, maybe now that the boy wasn't high on magic he'd listen to reason, when Magnus felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned.
"Thank you." It was the king. Magnus couldn't believe it. Robert Lightwood was smiling at him. He'd stepped out of the shield to speak to Magnus. "We have misjudged you, perhaps others of your kind as well, because of those like the one we just fought. And I am sorry. Can you forgive us?"
"I-" Magnus just stared stunned. Then the Queen appeared standing behind her husband, also smiling at Magnus.
"I see now that I must be mistaken," Maryse said. "For you to come help us like this without a promise of something in return." She didn't finish her sentence, but Magnus knew what she meant, and he had tears in his eyes.
A blast of white light came shooting out of the darkness, where the demons had disintegrated, and hit him squarely in the chest. Magnus collapsed, unsure what happened to the others, as he heard people screaming. It must have been the warlock, he thought as he heard more shouts and the calls for revenge. Before Magnus could even try and explain that he was just a confused over powered child that needed help, he heard the order to finish off the enemy.
Slowly Magnus found the energy to stand, and figure out what happened. A tall blonde with evil in his eyes had killed the young warlock. Magnus wanted to cry. He'd been planning on taking the child in and helping him, or at least letting Caterina find a home for him. Maybe he shouldn't have helped these fools, who could be grateful to him, while at the same time kill another like him. The world wasn't fixed with just one ruling monarchs eyes being opened.
Magnus managed to stand, his head throbbing more acutely than his worse hangover. Then he saw the reason for the nephilim's willingness to kill. The white magic that had struck Magnus down had hit the people standing beside him as well and they were in worse shape. The King lay bleeding out into his wife's lap, Maryse's face was bloody from the wound at her head. Alec's sister and the blond had returned, both of them looking battle worn, but alright as they all stood around the dying king.
"Magnus!" Alec's voice was sharp with pain. "Can you save him?" Too weak to deny Alec anything, despite the execution he'd just witnessed, Magnus moved forward to try. He placed a hand on the king's chest, and with what little magic he could summon, Magnus tried to keep the heart under his hands beating, but it was no use. Magnus pulled away and hung his head. Robert was bleeding out too fast, and Magnus's magic was too low.
"Take from me to save him," Alec pleaded. His family echoed his wishes, Maryse, Jace, Izzy and the rest also agreeing to have their energy sapped.
"I am too weak to hold the energy," Magnus explained. "And I have already used you all for the shield. It could kill you too."
"There has to be a way," Alec yelled, but Magnus shook his head and took a step back. There was nothing more he could do here. No one here he could help, but there was someone at home who needed him, and right now Magnus felt like maybe he needed Max more.
Without a single drop of magic to his name, Magnus started walking home. Caterina had likely not even seen his message yet, for though it felt like decades, it had been mere hours since Josey had arrived on his doorstep. It was hours more before he gave up walking, and just curled into a tired lump on the ground to sleep.
Caterina woke him with a hot meal and a portal home. She had it seemed, arrived at Magnus's house moments ago, and gotten the story from a very confused Josey who told her what was going on, before Caterina set out to find Magnus.
The first thing Magnus did upon exiting the portal into his house, was pick up his son and hold him close. Caterina explained to Josey that she could go home, but all Josey wanted to know was if Elizabeth was safe. Magnus told her she was, and Josey visible relaxed. Caterina portaled her home as Josey commented for the first time on Max's blue skin. The woman must of been in such a state of shock to have only noticed this now. When the portal closed they sat in silence. Caterina being all the more dear to him in this moment for not making Magnus talk about it. He felt like he'd failed, and he wouldn't be surprised if Alec never came to visit again.
So did anyone see that coming? One of my editors was worried I'd kill Elizabeth... but that was never the plan. Actually Elizabeth was a last minute addition to this story like Max.
And big thank you to my two guest reviewers! I can't PM you back so... I am going to answer you here:
To Mridula: Awws thanks SO much! this is far less silly than all my other Malec romances. All the plot. hehe. Means alot you can enjoy all the plot around the Malec. :) That is one step closer to building my own world to play in. :)
To Ashley Knight: Oh my I love you! Thanks so much. That comment made me grin like a fool. :)
I am so glad people like the heavy plot! :D This is the first story I've written that is all external conflict. Very exciting for me!
And yes I have been writing this story like a spaz and forgetting all my other stories in favour of this one so... roommates and soulmates has no update while the next chapter of this is almost done. hehe.
Sneak Peek Chapter 14
The moment Robert stopped breathing everyone looked to Alec. Izzy and Jace reported that the warlock had been magically linked with nearly all the people who lived around the Palace and they were sure these people hadn't volunteered to be used as a power source. Magnus had been right that the parents had been involved. Like with Magnus's link it required a physical connection so once Jace and Izzy had cut free the young warlock's parents and those tied up with them the link had been severed. The rope hanging by the warlock's ankle connecting him to nothing, he'd fallen.
Valentine hadn't waited for an order to kill the warlock. He'd heard the people's cries and acted. Alec didn't have the energy to care about the executed warlock though a part of him knew how wrong it was. His father's cold bloodless body was all Alec could see.