Pain
Watching the flickering fire in the fireplace, Isabelle tried to relax. She couldn't really meditate; the tight blue dress was absolutely unsuitable for that. Nevertheless, sitting down in the comfortable armchair she tried to deepen her breathing like Meliorn had taught her. She could have gone to her own room without any problems, but she wasn't ready for that yet. Magnus had conjured a scented candle for her and lit it while they waited for good or bad news, and its pleasant mix of lavender and sweet orange just filled the room air wonderfully and calmed her nerves.
Besides, she was reluctant to run into people in the hallway. Her fellow Shadowhunters. The fingers of her right hand clenched into a fist as the cold stare of Imogen Herondale re-materialized in her mind. Isabelle's face contorted into a grimace and she couldn't hold down the sobering feeling that spread through her - for the first time she was somewhat ashamed of being a Shadowhunter! And the worst part of it was that Jace, Alec and she had been just like that not so long ago. Isabelle ached to admit to herself that she had thought herself better than mundanes and downworlders until recently. But all the new acquaintances she had made since Clary had stumbled into all their lives had, imperceptibly at first, but gradually more and more, changed her view of the Downworld and the human world. The words she had spoken during her questioning by Lydia Branwell had come from her heart, and she hoped her friends knew how serious she was.
Sighing, Isabelle rose. There was no point in relaxing now. She had always been a woman of action and she was itching too much to find out what Clary and Jace had to report. And change didn't happen on its own. She would just have to continue her work with charm and brain and fight to overcome the old enmities.
Isabelle blew out the candle and then watched with a smile as the last cloud of fragrant smoke spread around the room. She would have to think about how to thank Magnus for his sweet and thoughtful gift. Deep in thought, she reached for the door handle. But before she could open the door, she felt a strong vibration behind her. Inhaling sharply, she turned quickly and froze for a moment as a portal opened just below the ceiling and someone fell through.
"By the Angel..." she said startled and quickly knelt next to this person when they didn't move. Isabelle's eyes widened in astonishment. It was a young woman, dressed completely in black, who bore a striking resemblance to Magnus - the same night-black hair with three filigree strands of magenta amidst it and his soft features. Except that hers were distorted now.
"Hey," Isabelle spoke quietly, carefully pulling the messenger bag out from under the woman, who was half lying on it. This couldn't be comfortable. With one hand she went under the woman's back to support her, but immediately noticed something damp. When she pulled her hand back again, she found it soaked in blood.
"This isn't good..." she muttered. Then, black mist started to billow from her clothes and the alarm began to blare. Isabelle quickly stood up to grab her phone from the desk. At that moment, the woman emitted a pained whimper, followed by a word too quiet for Isabelle to understand.
"Hey, don't worry. I'm here. I'll get help, I promise," she tried to reassure the young woman, but she was still not fully conscious.
"Magnus Bane..." she whimpered again, and this time Isabelle understood. She quickly found the saved name and didn't take her eyes off the woman while she dialed the number.
"What is it, my dear? Have I forgotten something?"
"Magnus, are you still at the Institute?" Isabelle asked, trying to suppress the queasy feeling that spread more and more in her stomach the more the young woman was slowly enveloped in the black mist.
"I'm just about to leave," he said, now with a curtly tone, and Isabelle wondered what had happened between him and Alec again. "You all will surely-"
"I just had a woman literally fall out of a portal at my feet. She's badly hurt and saying your name. I think she's a warlock. I'm still in the office, could you come back here? I don't think I can move her without aggravating the injury."
For three seconds, only the penetrating alarm could be heard and Isabelle already feared that the connection had been torn off. But then a sigh reached her ears.
"Fine. I'm on my way."
"Thanks. And if you could tell Alec to tell Lydia to turn off the alarm, I'd be even more grateful. I'd forgotten how headache-inducing that Greater Demon alarm is."
But before she had finished speaking, the line had gone silent and with a sigh she knelt next to the woman again. She seemed to be slowly regaining consciousness, if Isabelle interpreted her head movements and fluttering eyelids correctly. Then her eyes suddenly opened and Izzy's suspicions were confirmed that she was looking at a warlock. Captivated, she gazed into the cat-like slitted pupils, which, embedded in a bright saffron iris, stared past her as if she didn't see Isabelle.
"Magnus Bane..." she whispered again and, against all caution, Isabelle gently brushed a strand of hair from her forehead that threatened to slip into her eyes.
"It will be all right," she assured the woman, watching in fascination as the smoky mist approached her hand but then billowed up around her fingers without touching her skin, as if sensing that she meant the unconscious woman no harm. "Magnus is on his way, he'll be here in just a few minutes."
At that moment, the alarm died away and Isabelle breathed an audible sigh of relief. Immediately, she heard quick footsteps and voices in the corridor and turned to the door. It was swung open and one after the other Alec, Lydia and Jace rushed into the room, all three with weapons drawn and determined expressions on their faces. Magnus followed them directly with a strong aura of curiosity.
"Shit!" Jace shouted immediately, pointing his seraph blade at the woman behind Isabelle.
"By the Angel! Izzy, have you lost your mind? Step away from the hellmist!"
Yeah, no, she certainly wouldn't do that as long as Jace looked like he was going to pounce on the woman at any moment. Deliberately turning to cover as much of the unconscious stranger as possible, she glared at her brother. "I don't think she's dangerous, Alec. Let Magnus through so he can look at her injury."
Uncertainly, her brother looked from Magnus to the young woman, but before either of them could make a move, Lydia stepped closer. Vigilantly, Isabelle followed her movements with her eyes, but she had lowered her sword and seemed most interested by what she saw.
"I haven't seen anything like this before. It almost seems as if the hellmist is avoiding you, Isabelle. Who is she?"
"I don't know, but if we don't help her quickly, we won't ever find out. She'll bleed to death!" To punctuate her words, Isabelle raised her still bloodied hand and at the same time pointed to the pool of blood that was slowly spreading under the woman's back.
"What made you suspect she is a warlock, my dear?" Magnus asked, who by now had made his way past Alec and was also kneeling beside Isabelle, holding out his hands over the woman's torso. With a quick snap and elegant movements of his fingers and hands he began to work his magic.
"Her eyes, look," Izzy replied, leaving unnamed the fact that the woman's appearance had first given her that thought.
As if recognizing Magnus, the woman widened her eyes at that moment so that her cat's eyes were visible to them all.
"How can you have those eyes?" Magnus murmured as if to himself, gently touching the woman's cheek with his right hand while he maintained his magic with the other.
"What do you mean, Mr. Bane?" asked Lydia, positioning herself opposite him and Izzy. "Don't cat eyes mean we're dealing with a warlock?"
"Certainly. What I meant is that I didn't know that this specific demon had fathered a daughter!"
"You know who her father is? But you've never seen her before?" Isabelle inquired, unable to help but notice Magnus' furrowed brow and pursed lips. He shook his head slightly and narrowed his eyes.
"Either she's not from New York, or she's an ifrit and has so far eluded my sphere of influence. But you said she fell out of a portal?"
"Yes. It appeared on the ceiling and she just fell through it like she had no control over it."
"It could be that another warlock opened the portal for her. Or her father did. That hellmist comes from him! It's very likely that this has triggered your alarm." For a moment the air around Magnus' magic crackled and it changed color from a soothing blue to aggressive orange.
"We'll soon know whoever opened the portal. She doesn't look so pale anymore. Your magic is definitely healing her," Isabelle told Magnus, placing a hand on his shoulder, which he answered with a slightly tense smile. But at least his magic started flashing blue again.
The Shadowhunters fell silent and let Magnus work. It didn't take long for the woman's features to relax, to calm her breathing and for the hellmist to dissipate. With a flourishing final swing of his arms right above her heart, Magnus finally lowered them as the two warlocks both let out a deep sigh at the same time while the woman closed her eyes. Watching the two of them closely, Isabelle wondered if it was a coincidence that she looked so much like him or if they were related. She didn't know many warlocks personally, but according to the profile pictures in the archives, most of them looked very individual, unless they actually possessed the same demon-paternal or maternal blood. Not for the first time, she also wondered what Magnus' warlock mark was and if it was also such fascinating cat eyes. These would certainly suit him. But before she could satisfy her curiosity and ask about it, those special eyes looked at her again and this time Isabelle saw the woman's alert mind behind them.
"Hey," she spoke softly, hoping that her wide smile would make that warlock trust her. However, the woman's eyes widened all at once as her gaze wandered and then chaos erupted.
Isabelle felt a strong force sweep her off her feet and hurl her into the air. Before she had time to brace herself, she was slammed against a wall with such force that she was sure she would be badly bruised! When the roaring in her ears had subsided a little after a few moments, Izzy could hear how they all shouted in confusion and rage. Suppressing a groan because of the steel cloak of magic that surrounded her and pressed her arms relentlessly against her body she tried to focus on the others. And looking at them it was as if someone had slowed the normal time down - Izzy saw with startling clarity how Alec was drawing an arrow and taking aim at her attacker, Jace got up and shook his head in a daze, while Lydia swung her sword. It would have definitely hit the woman leaning against the wall with a panic-stricken expression, inflicting a possibly fatal wound, had Magnus not jumped between them and immediately raised a kind of protective wall around them.
"Magnus! What are you doing!" Alec shouted with an authoritative voice, continuing to hold his bow taut as Lydia yelled that this action would have severe consequences.
Isabelle should have been afraid herself, she realized, as the magic of the warlock continued to press her against the wall so that she couldn't move. But all she saw was the absolutely fear-filled expression in the woman's eyes and how her hands were shaking. Izzy didn't hear what Magnus said to Lydia. She only saw him turn around at the same time and try to reach for the woman with one hand. Isabelle realized immediately that this wasn't a good idea. The magic around her condensed with an ominous electric hiss and all at once she found it hard to breath.
A frightened cornered cat hissing and scratching to defend itself came to Isabelle's mind and suppressing any impulse to fight, she tried to relax.
"Who attacked you?" she asked, and though the room was still filled with an endless buzz of loud voices, the other woman seemed to hear her. The latter winced and pressed herself even further against the wall. But at the same time, she lowered her outstretched hands a little, which Isabelle chalked up as a small success.
Magnus apparently saw it that way too, because while he himself took a step back, he raised his left hand placatingly while he continued to maintain the protective wall with his right.
"I'm Magnus Bane. You wanted to see me? This woman there, Isabelle," he spoke slowly and clearly, pointing with one hand at Izzy, "doesn't want to harm you. It was she who called and informed me that you needed help. These are her brothers and boss who won't hurt you either, I promise you. Can you put her down? Then we can all calm down and talk about what happened."
Isabelle could hear a gentle smile in his voice, but when the woman let her gaze slide from him to Lydia, Jace and Alec and back faster and faster and her hands began to tremble even more, Izzy had the uneasy feeling that she was caught in a cycle of fear.
"Alec, Jace, lower your weapons. You too, Lydia," she groaned out before she couldn't suppress a tortured whimper anymore as the magic bored into her throat.
"Izzy!"
Alec actually lowered his bow and while the arrow dropped carelessly to the ground, he was at her side in two quick strides, clasping her arm. As much as she was grateful to him for this physical contact, which was like a welcome anchor, it did nothing for the pain that numbed her and slowly blurred her field of vision.
Then another whimper was heard and when Izzy looked to the warlock with the last of her strength, she was moving her hands rapidly back and forth, as if she wanted to shake off the magic.
"Hey, hey…"
"Izzy!"
When Jace's seraph blade struck Magnus' magic barrier with a frustrated yell, the young woman cried out in fright, looking at Isabelle with such naked panic as Izzy had never seen in a living being.
"I can't control it!" she cried and whimpered miserable.
"Magnus, do something! Or she'll have Izzy on her conscience!"
"You must... calm down..." Isabelle wanted to say to the other woman, to help her, but she lacked the breath to get the words out intelligibly. Seconds before her mind drifted toward unconsciousness, she blurrily saw Magnus grasp the woman's head forcefully with both hands and catch her as she slumped a breath later. A breath she no longer had herself.
Isabelle fell the second the magic around and within her was gone all at once. But she no longer felt Alec catching her.