Better Angels

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Magnus

Magnus had tried to get a fire going in the Institute’s most central fireplace in the library, but he was still very weak. Whatever force that had gotten to Victoria had done a number on him and the wards hiding the Institute, which was now visible to humans. Not that any had tried to approach the Institute. They were all too afraid to leave their homes, and for a good reason too. Magnus hadn’t dared to go home. There was no telling what lurked outside in the darkness anymore. Jordan’s last trip to deliver Simon’s note had been his last. Apparently he’d been stopped by some lower class demons, but they didn’t want anything from him. He said that they just stopped him and then kept on running. He also said they weren’t like the demons he’d seen during the battle of Idris. At first Jordan just thought that they were humans, but their eyes were black and that they identified themselves as demons. It was all too much to handle at the moment. Magnus massaged his temples.

The angel Samandriel was right. All of the Nephilim were passed out on the couches in the Library attempting to rest up and save their energy which was slowly fading. The Silent Brothers had yet to show up, only Brother Zachariah was still at the Institute trying to help as much as he possibly could, but what was happening to the Shadowhunters was unlike anything he'd ever seen. It was almost hopeless for their recovery without the aid of the other brothers. But Magnus figured that they, and the other Shadowhunters were busy dealing with the repercussions from the power shock that went across the whole planet. It was unbelievable. Maryse and Robert Lightwood had yet to form contact with their children, which was unusual. She’d left for Idris when Victoria had returned to the Institute. Magnus had assumed that it was for a request of more protection. Sebastian had kidnapped two of her wards, Jace and Victoria, and Clary had gone after Jace almost getting herself killed in the process.

Magnus sighed in frustration and collapsed in a nearby armchair massaging his temples while wondering how Chairman Meow was fairing all by himself. That cat was his life now. He could starve. Magnus gave another sigh before shutting his eyes and attempting to get some rest. Which was quickly disrupted when the door to the Library slammed open and there was the clicking of heels on the stairs. Isabelle. Magnus groaned as did all of the other Shadowhunters attempting to sleep in the Library.

“Was that necessary!” Magnus shouted jumping up from his chair before stumbling and falling back into it again.

“There’s no need to shout,” Jace complained. Magnus turned around to look at him. His normal tan complexion seemed to extraordinarily pale and flushed. Magnus could hear that his breaths were becoming shallow. Magnus slowly rose to his feet once more and took a few stumbling steps towards the couch before kneeling next to Jace on the couch. Magnus placed a shaking palm on Jace’s wet forehead. It was abnormally hot, but nowhere near as bad as Victoria’s had been. Magnus grimaced at the thought of Victoria’s fever. It had been like there was and eternal hellfire burning inside of her. Now that Magnus thought about it in that sense it was a possibility. If Jace had angelic fire in him then it made sense that hellfire... Magnus shook his head. Honestly, how could his thoughts get into such a jumble. Oh yeah. Because of some dark evil force... thing. He seriously needed to sleep. Magnus figured that Jace would make a quick recovery. The holy... angelic...fire was probably the only thing causing him to have a fever. Magnus hoped that it was battling the darkness, but he honestly didn’t know.

“How are they doing Magnus?” Isabelle asked curtly. Magnus glanced up at Isabelle. Her eyes were focused and Alec’s sleeping form. Alec’s chest was moving at twice the speed that it normally would. Magnus remembered the nights where he would just lay awake listening to Alec breathe. This was not normal. Magnus quickly scrambled to where Alec was laying on the padded carpet. His muscled arm was draped over his gorgeous blue eyes. However, Alec was not the image of beauty that he used to be. Is black hair was stringy and plastered to his forehead while his skin had lost all color. He was visibly shaking from the cold. It was hard to watch because there was nothing that Magnus could do to help him. Nothing at all. For the first time in his life Magnus was powerless, and could not help the person he loved most in the world.