City of Demons (The Mortal Instruments fan-fiction)

18. Courier

"You have Evie?" Magnus heard Clary's gasp over the phone. Evie wanted him to tell the Institute that she was safe and home. But he had more to tell them. He swiftly stepped into the empty elevator. He pressed the button for the first floor.

"Yes. She's safe." The doors closed.

"What-" Clary blew a sigh of relief, "Did she...wait, you...how?"

"Magic. It wasn't easy, I'll admit that, but all that really matters is that she's back."

She was silent for a moment. "Thank you. I really do mean it Magnus."

"It's fine." He stared at the buttons. "Where are you? I need to speak to you."

"Just me or...?" she trailed off.

"Everyone." His tone was firm.

"We're in Central Park. Near uh...that small bookstore."

"I'm already on my way. Meet you there." He said no more. He was about to hang up, but stopped when he heard someone's voice on the line.

"Magnus?" That voice. It haunted him. It didn't matter how hard he tried to push the thought of him away, it just didn't work. Alexander Lightwood. Alec. The boy with the blue eyes. Magnus held back his tears, hurrying to press the END button.

The elevators doors opened.

•••

He's changed. Evie couldn't help but notice how different Magnus acted. The thought came immediately as he stepped out of the apartment, ready to tell the Shadowhunters of her return. Evie shook her head.

He was no longer the confident, flamboyant Warlock of Brooklyn who everyone admired. Her brother was replaced with a solitary, struggling man who was healing from a broken heart. He was in pain. She didn't completely understand why Magnus was pushing Alec away. Nevertheless, Evie understood that she was in no position to give Magnus any advice. He was someone who had gone through hell, for centuries. What she had gone through was probably nothing compared to what he's experienced.

With that thought in mind, she picked herself up. Evie needed to get her priorities straight. Magnus left clean clothes for her on the mahogany coffee table. Beside her clothes was a chicken sandwich, a glass of water, some pens, a napkin and her phone. So thoughtful. She quickly got dressed into the outfit, spending a little more time tying up the laces of her heeled boots. She took the closest pen to her which turned out to be an awful shade of green, and scribbled a little message on the napkin. The message was:

Out for a bit. Don't wait up.
- Ev x

When Evie made a mental check of what else she had do, she checked the time. Her phone said it was 1:57am and also that Brooklyn was currently six degrees Celsius. She grabbed Magnus' leather coat, a personal favourite due to the lack of glitter, and swung it over her shoulder. She hopped over to the table to collect the sandwich and no more than a moment later, left the apartment.

•••

Clary gripped her phone, replaying the conversation she just had in her head. Jace stood beside her, his presence melting her worry. "She's back."

"I know." A faint smile stretched out on his lips.

Simon and Isabelle sat beside each other. The bench was slightly damp, so Simon took off his sweater for Isabelle to sit on. He wasn't even cold to begin with.

Alec was slightly detached from everyone else. He leaned against a tree for support, his mind wandering off to somewhere else. Evie was back. But Magnus had an issue to discuss with them. That's why they were all gathered in the park at two in the morning. It was dark but he held his witchlight in his hand; the area he stood in was flooded with some light at least.

As he looked up, Alec noticed a dark figure approaching them. He could tell who the figure was, even from a far distance. Magnus always stood out. Even when it came to something as simple as walking. His chest ached.

"Magnus!" Clary called out to him, waving her hand. He sped up, but only by a tiny bit.

"You'll never guess what happened to Evie." said Magnus, his tone catching their attention. Everyone, even Alec, stepped closer to the Warlock.

"What?" Jace crossed his arms.

"I spoke to her when she woke up. She seemed said to leave. When I asked why, she said it was because she made a promise to stay with him or something like that. Then she said she thinks he's changed."

"What are you trying to say, Magnus?" Jace raise an eyebrow.

"Evie is in love with Sebastian." All of them were quick to show their disgust and disbelief.

"Oh, no." Clary covered her mouth.

"You're joking right?" Isabelle gasped. When they saw Magnus's expression they reacted immediately. Isabelle made a gagging noise as Simon shook his head.

"No, she won't admit it, but it's more than obvious on how she feels about him."

"Magnus, stop it." Jace shuddered. "Please tell us that you're not being serious. How can Evie fall for such a...thing?"

"This doesn't make any sense." Simon furrowed his eyebrows.

"Actually," Alec intervened, "It makes perfect sense." Everyone turned to stare at him.

"What are you talking about?" Isabelle asked her brother. He rolled his eyes.

"Remember when we were in there?" He pointed towards the bookstore. "After we killed the demon, what did we find? A message written in demon blood. What did it say?"

"Evie is safe. I will not harm her." Clary recited, her eyes widening. "Sebastian has fallen in love with her. They're in love with each other."

"What does this mean?" Jace's stance was rigid.

Magnus laughed bitterly, "It's Persephone and Hades all over again."

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Happy Father's Day! <3

Wrote all of this chapter today! Kept my promise that I will update in no more than two weeks. I'm the queen of procrastination, I swear.

This story is going to end soon and I'm both ready, but upset. It's been so fun writing this, especially since most of what I've written has been spontaneous and an "in the moment" kind of thing. Now I don't have long, I need to read 2 books today (I'm so excited) and start on my Art project (I really cannot be asked). Bleh.

Love, love, love you guys ❤️❤️❤️