Warlock (The Mortal Instruments)

Chapter 3

Rowan wood. They were threatening her with Rowan wood. Riley tried controlling the nightmare and shifting it into another dream. Normally it worked, but something was preventing her for once. She was trapped and this time, the nightmare felt real.

"Stop!" Fear and anger rippled through Riley's scream. She could feel the chair, she could sense the enchantments within the room, she could even smell the maple wood of the chair. The dream was getting more real by the second. She was slipping away from how it was all a dream. It felt like reality.

They couldn't. They wouldn't. Using Rowan wood went directly against the Accords. It said exactly, no warlock shall be exposed to Rowan wood for purposes of torture or otherwise. Didn't they know what happens when a warlock is exposed to Rowan wood? Didn't they know it sapped the very essence of their soul?

"No!" An enraged shout escaped Magnus' mouth as he rose out of his seat. Blue sparks flew from his hands. He was restrained by some of the Nephilim. "You can't do this! It's against the accords! Just listen! She only refused because she can't answer!"

The two shadowhunters walked closer with the Rowan wood. All it took was one touch, and she'd be screaming to the rooftops.

Riley wanted to stand up and run away, but if she got out of the chair, they would think she was being irrational. Her only choice was to stand her ground. But it was a slim chance, she couldn't even conjure anything thanks to the enchantments on the stupid chair. "I can't answer! There's a curse that prevents us! Rowan wood is worse to warlocks than silver is to werewolves or iron is to the Fey! It's worse than putting a rune on an infant shadowhunter!"

Some of the Nephilim gasped, but the Inquisitor waved a hand for silence. "All you have to do is tell us where the Spiral Labyrinth is."

"Don't you see? You're asking the impossible. Magnus and I aren't lying." Riley remained frozen in her seat. Her heart was pounding too fast for her to comprehend. She was sure her eyes were shining with fear, but that was reasonable. A warlock even touching Rowan wood had worse effects than a dementor's kiss. "I can't answer. I'll die if I do. No warlock can reveal the location of the Spiral Labyrinth to non-warlocks and if they try they'll be killed instantly by an ancient spell."

"I can't tell if she's lying or not." The consul admitted.

"Let's just take a vote." The Inquisitor answered and spoke up. "Who believes the warlock in question is lying?"

Riley felt like she was turning into jelly.

Most raised their hands.

"Who believes she is telling the truth."

A few raised their hands.

"Riley!" Magnus yelled. She felt something shaking her.

"Riley!" He yelled again.

"Riley, wake up!" He shouted.

Riley sat up in bed as fast as she could, panting.

Magnus was standing in her room beside her bed. "Nightmare?"

"Yes." Riley brought her knees to her chest and flopped her hair to the side. She always put her hair in a braid before she went to sleep. It was a habit.

"What was it about?" Magnus sat down on the end of her bed in his striped blue pajamas and sparkly slippers.

"The witness account, except they turned it into a trial. They were trying to get me to tell them where the Labyrinth was. They were going to kill me. They were threatening me with Rowan wood. They were going to suck out my soul." Riley took in a deep breath and spilled.

"I should have known." Magnus muttered. Riley hated it when he kept stuff from her.

"Known what?"

"I suppose it's about time you knew. That was a nightmare from our father." Magnus told her. "Judging from the fact that you're still alive, I'm guessing you didn't tell the location. That's good. You can never tell, not even in a dream. If you did, you would be dead and the Labyrinth would've been destroyed by demons."

"That's comforting." Riley threw in some sarcasm.

"It's a reality we all have to face eventually. I doubt you're going back to sleep soon. Want to learn some spells?"

"It's one in the morning." Riley glanced at the clock on her nightstand.

"Ah, the witching hour. Perfect. The magic in the air is thicker now." Magnus rubbed his hands together.

"What?" Riley was confused.

"I thought you knew." Magnus cocked his head to the side. "During the hour after midnight, the thirteenth hour, magic is stronger than normal and it's easier to learn spells."

"That explains all the noise coming from the library in the middle of the night. I thought you just stumbled over everything trying to get to A Tale of Two Cities."

"Haha. Very funny." Magnus replied. "What would you like to learn? Destruction, conjuration, or restoration?"

"Restoration. I'm a bit rusty." Riley admitted.

"That's what we'll work on, then." Magnus sashayed to the bedroom door.

And so they casually crept to the library. When they entered, Magnus took a dagger out of the desk in the center of the room. He brought the dagger to his wrist and slashed it.

"What'd you do that for?" Riley was surprised, to say the least, even though she was used to Magnus' erratic teaching methods. 

"You need something to heal." Magnus reached his hand out to her. "So, fix it before I bleed on this carpet."

"Airendiae." The spell rolled off of the tip of her tongue. It caused the cut to heal in a matter of seconds. Not even a scar was left in place.

"Great job." He praised. After a while of continuing on, he spoke again. "How'd you like to move on to defensive spells?"

"Sure, why not?" Riley shrugged. It was mostly wards and shields.