Alec Lightwood (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
strongest_faith) wrote2018-11-28 07:49 pm
strongest_faith) wrote2018-11-28 07:49 pm
Entry tags:
City of Ashes: Calling in a Favor
A group of Shadowhunters had been waiting for them when they finally exited the Silent City. Maryse and the Inquisitor but also several other Nephilim from both Alicante and New York.
"By the Angel," Maryse says, looking over Alec and Jace and Izzy. Jace moves away from Alec to stand a little ways off. From the look on the Inquisitor's face, he can tell she still wants to see Jace behind bars, so he fishes his phone from his pocket to text Magnus. There has to be another way. "What are you doing here, Alec? Isabelle? There was a distress call from the Silent City--"
"We answered it," Alec says, tucking his phone away again. He looks around the gathered crowd of Shadowhunters, full members of the Clave. They're all looking to him for answers. "You weren't at the Institute--and we couldn't raise anyone--so we came ourselves."
"Alec--"
"It doesn't matter anyway," Alec continues before anyone can try to stop him, can try to make light of what they saw down there. "They're dead. The Silent Brothers. Everyone in the Silent City. They're all dead. They've been murdered."
The whole group went silent and still, a pack of predators perched to pounce.
"Dead," Maryse says. "What do you mean, they're dead?"
Inquisitor Herondale steps forward. "I think it's quite clear what he means," she says, turning her attention to Alec, making him feel like a bug under a magnifying glass. "You found no one alive in the City?"
"Not that we saw, Inquisitor," he says, falling into the role of dutiful Nephilim.
"That you saw," she says, and Alec feels like he's been reprimanded, though he's not sure for what. She turns to Maryse. "There may yet be survivors. I would send your people into the City for a thorough check."
There are arguments back and forth as Nephilim march into the Bone City to search for survivors. Inquisitor Herondale takes charge immediately, and Alec sees the way that rankles his mother. Maryse hates having people tell her what to do or question her authority. Questions come fast and furious, and soon it comes out that the Mortal Sword was taken by Valentine--something Jace hadn't mentioned to them.
No one can quite figure out why though. Maryse suggests that it could simply be to sap the morale of the Clave. "The fact is--"
But before she can say what the fact is, Jace raises his hand as if to ask a question and then sits down suddenly on the grass as though his legs have given out. Alec kneels next to him, and Jace waves him away. "Leave me alone. I'm fine."
"You're not fine," Clary says, joining Alec on the grass. Alec glances down to Jace's wrist, where he'd drawn the iratze, only to find that the run is completely gone, not even a scar left in its place. Too much energy for healing raw wrists. He looks at Clary and sees her worry mirroring his own as she says, "Something's wrong with him. Something serious."
"He probably needs a healing rune," the Inquisitor says. "An iratze, or--"
"We tried that," Alec says. "It isn't working. I think there's something of demonic origin going on here." Why else wouldn't the rune work?
"Like demon poison?" Maryse asks, moving toward Jace.
The Inquisitor holds her back. "He's shamming," she says. "He ought to be in the Silent City's cells right now."
Alec jumped to his feet. "You can't say that--look at him!" He gestures toward Jace who is slumped on the grass, eyes closed. "He can't even stand up. He needs doctors, he needs--"
"The Silent Brothers are dead," says the Inquisitor, her voice cool and detached. "Are you suggesting a mundane hospital?"
"No," Alec says, keeping his voice deliberately even and casual. "I thought he could go to Magnus."
Izzy makes a sound that is entirely unladylike, and the Inquisitor gives Alec a curious look. "Magnus?"
"He's a warlock," Alec says, trying to make it sound like everybody knows this and not like he has a particular reason to know this. "Actually, he's the High Warlock of Brooklyn."
"You mean Magnus Bane," Maryse says. "He has a reputation--"
"He healed me after I fought a Greater Demon," Alec interrupts. "The Silent Brothers couldn't do anything, but Magnus..." He trails off. He's never really talked to anyone about that night, about Magnus sitting up with him all night.
"It's ridiculous," says the Inquisitor. "What you want is to help Jonathan escape."
"He's not well enough to escape," Izzy argues. "Cant you see that?"
Alec shoots her a look, hoping she'll take the hint and be quiet. "Magnus would never let that happen," he says. "He's not interested in crossing the Clave."
"And how would he propose preventing it?" the Inquisitor asks, her voice disdainful. "Jonathan is a Shadowhunter; we're not so easy to keep under lock and key."
"Maybe you should ask him," Alec says, the picture of innocence.
The Inquisitor's smile could slice steel. "By all means. Where is he?"
Alec checks his phone quickly for confirmation and says, "He's here." Raising his voice he calls, "Magnus! Magnus, come on out."
[ooc: All dialogue comes from City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare.]
"By the Angel," Maryse says, looking over Alec and Jace and Izzy. Jace moves away from Alec to stand a little ways off. From the look on the Inquisitor's face, he can tell she still wants to see Jace behind bars, so he fishes his phone from his pocket to text Magnus. There has to be another way. "What are you doing here, Alec? Isabelle? There was a distress call from the Silent City--"
"We answered it," Alec says, tucking his phone away again. He looks around the gathered crowd of Shadowhunters, full members of the Clave. They're all looking to him for answers. "You weren't at the Institute--and we couldn't raise anyone--so we came ourselves."
"Alec--"
"It doesn't matter anyway," Alec continues before anyone can try to stop him, can try to make light of what they saw down there. "They're dead. The Silent Brothers. Everyone in the Silent City. They're all dead. They've been murdered."
The whole group went silent and still, a pack of predators perched to pounce.
"Dead," Maryse says. "What do you mean, they're dead?"
Inquisitor Herondale steps forward. "I think it's quite clear what he means," she says, turning her attention to Alec, making him feel like a bug under a magnifying glass. "You found no one alive in the City?"
"Not that we saw, Inquisitor," he says, falling into the role of dutiful Nephilim.
"That you saw," she says, and Alec feels like he's been reprimanded, though he's not sure for what. She turns to Maryse. "There may yet be survivors. I would send your people into the City for a thorough check."
There are arguments back and forth as Nephilim march into the Bone City to search for survivors. Inquisitor Herondale takes charge immediately, and Alec sees the way that rankles his mother. Maryse hates having people tell her what to do or question her authority. Questions come fast and furious, and soon it comes out that the Mortal Sword was taken by Valentine--something Jace hadn't mentioned to them.
No one can quite figure out why though. Maryse suggests that it could simply be to sap the morale of the Clave. "The fact is--"
But before she can say what the fact is, Jace raises his hand as if to ask a question and then sits down suddenly on the grass as though his legs have given out. Alec kneels next to him, and Jace waves him away. "Leave me alone. I'm fine."
"You're not fine," Clary says, joining Alec on the grass. Alec glances down to Jace's wrist, where he'd drawn the iratze, only to find that the run is completely gone, not even a scar left in its place. Too much energy for healing raw wrists. He looks at Clary and sees her worry mirroring his own as she says, "Something's wrong with him. Something serious."
"He probably needs a healing rune," the Inquisitor says. "An iratze, or--"
"We tried that," Alec says. "It isn't working. I think there's something of demonic origin going on here." Why else wouldn't the rune work?
"Like demon poison?" Maryse asks, moving toward Jace.
The Inquisitor holds her back. "He's shamming," she says. "He ought to be in the Silent City's cells right now."
Alec jumped to his feet. "You can't say that--look at him!" He gestures toward Jace who is slumped on the grass, eyes closed. "He can't even stand up. He needs doctors, he needs--"
"The Silent Brothers are dead," says the Inquisitor, her voice cool and detached. "Are you suggesting a mundane hospital?"
"No," Alec says, keeping his voice deliberately even and casual. "I thought he could go to Magnus."
Izzy makes a sound that is entirely unladylike, and the Inquisitor gives Alec a curious look. "Magnus?"
"He's a warlock," Alec says, trying to make it sound like everybody knows this and not like he has a particular reason to know this. "Actually, he's the High Warlock of Brooklyn."
"You mean Magnus Bane," Maryse says. "He has a reputation--"
"He healed me after I fought a Greater Demon," Alec interrupts. "The Silent Brothers couldn't do anything, but Magnus..." He trails off. He's never really talked to anyone about that night, about Magnus sitting up with him all night.
"It's ridiculous," says the Inquisitor. "What you want is to help Jonathan escape."
"He's not well enough to escape," Izzy argues. "Cant you see that?"
Alec shoots her a look, hoping she'll take the hint and be quiet. "Magnus would never let that happen," he says. "He's not interested in crossing the Clave."
"And how would he propose preventing it?" the Inquisitor asks, her voice disdainful. "Jonathan is a Shadowhunter; we're not so easy to keep under lock and key."
"Maybe you should ask him," Alec says, the picture of innocence.
The Inquisitor's smile could slice steel. "By all means. Where is he?"
Alec checks his phone quickly for confirmation and says, "He's here." Raising his voice he calls, "Magnus! Magnus, come on out."
[ooc: All dialogue comes from City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare.]
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And then the moment comes and Alec calls his name. He is the high warlock of Brooklyn he has not need to be afraid at least not much of a reason, so he steps forward.
The warlock is wearing tight black leather pants, a belt buckle in the shape of a jeweled letter M and a choice blue Prussian military jacket open over a white lace shirt. He shimmered with layers of glitter (OOC: description of outfit comes from City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare)
His attention first drawn to Alec before turning to Jace, "Is he dead? Because he looks dead."
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Doing everything he can to seem to not care about the Shadowhunter, and really he doesn't, only that this Shadowhunter means something to Alexander and Clary.
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"Very well," says the Inquisitor. "But he can't remain at the Institute. Just because the Sword is gone doesn't mean the interrogation won't proceed as planned. And in the meantime, the boy must be held under observation. He's clearly a flight risk."
"A flight risk?" Isabelle's anger is only just sparking, and Alec can already see how it will flame out of control. "You act as if he tried to escape from the Silent City--"
The Inquisitor cut her off sharply. "Well. He's no longer in his cell now, is he?"
"That's not fair! You couldn't have expected him to stay down there surrounded by dead people!" Isabelle's voice gets louder.
"Not fair?" says the Inquisitor, whirling on Isabelle. "Not fair? Do you honestly expect me to believe that you and your brother were motivated to come to the Bone City because of a distress call, and not because you wanted to free Jonathan from what you clearly consider unnecessary confinement? And do you expect me to believe you won't try to free him again if he's allowed to remain at the Institute? Do you think you can fool me as easily as you fool your parents, Isabelle Lightwood?"
Izzy's face is bright red, and Alec wants to step in, but he's not sure how to fix this.
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"He's not my warlock," Alec says, feeling his cheeks flushing.
Magnus' response is harder, free of his usual joking. "I've held prisoners for the Clave before. I think you'll find I have an excellent record in that department. My contract is one of the best."
The Inquisitor makes a disgusted noise and says, "It's settled, then. Let me know when he's well enough to talk, warlock." Alec hears the way she spits the word out, and he thinks he understands why Sinric hates it so much. "I've still got plenty of questions for him."
"Of course," Magnus says and crosses to where Jace is slumped. "Can he talk?"
Jace's eyes open slowly, and he looks up at Magnus with a dazed look in his eyes. "What are you doing here?"
With a grin that sparkled in the dim morning light, Magnus said, "Hey, roommate."