Alec Lightwood

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.]

Alec was late. He was really late. Late enough that he was pretty sure Magnus would have given up on him. Damn Jace wanting to train and Alec's inability to think of a good enough excuse to get out of it.

He'd rushed through a shower and pulled on a light-blue shirt that was actually new. Izzy said it did good things for his eyes. Alec hoped they were good enough for Magnus to forget that he was supposed to be there more than twenty minutes ago. He also hoped Izzy had been right about the cologne. He'd never worn cologne before.

As he sprinted through the Brooklyn streets to Magnus's loft, Alec dodged between pedestrians and once or twice vaulted a low wall that was in his way. He couldn't be bothered to stop for things like red lights, so he just flitted between (or over) cars where necessary. He was already late, but he didn't have to be any later.

By the time he got to Magnus's loft and threw himself at the buzzer, he actually needed to catch his breath.


[ooc: Dialogue and plot courtesy of Cassandra Clare's The Bane Chronicles.]