Brothers by Blood (Alec Lightwood twin)

Chapter 93

BEN'S POV

I knocked on Magnus' door, and a few moments later said Warlock opened it.
"Magnus." I greeted him.
"What do you want, Shadowhunter? Is it about the demons?" Magnus asked in a bored tone.
"There's something you need to know - about the Queen." I said.
"Well, if you've come to tell me that she made a deal with Valentine, I already know." He said.
"Wait! Izzy and Alec located the rift that the demons are coming from." I told him.
"Oh, and you want me to seal it. What a surprise." He completed my sentence.
"We need a warlock to seal one this severe." I said.
"Duh." He muttered, rolling his eyes and looking away from me. Annoyance flared in my eyes.
"Don't take your misplaced frustrations at my brother out on me. The demons don't discriminate between Downworlder, Shadowhunter, mundane. They kill them all." I snapped.
"I'll seal the rift. But not because of you, or the Shadowhunters. Because it'll save lives." He said. Then he closed the door on me. I sighed and rolled my eyes. This is so childish!

*In Idris*

CLARY'S POV

Jace and I came up to what looked like a camp close to Lake Lyn. We looked around and saw Consul Malachi. We walked over to him to introduce ourselves.
"Consul Malachi. Jace Herondale of the New York Institute." Jace introduced himself.
"Clary Fairchild." I added.
"I know who you are." He said. For some reason, he looked like he didn't want us here. As I looked at his face, I could tell that he was hiding something.
"Valentine is on his way to Lake Lyn. He has the sword and the cup." I said.
"Yes, I'm quite aware of Valentine's progress." Consul Malachi replied.
"We need to get to the water. Now." Jace urged.
"I'm afraid that's not gonna happen." Consul Malachi said. He turned his head to the side to expose his neck. Prominently displayed on his neck was a Circle rune.
"You're a Circle member!" Jace snarled. Suddenly, we were grabbed by some of the guards, who dragged us into the tent Consul Malachi had just come from, despite our protests. We were forced to sit down and tied to a post.
"Do you have any idea how many speeches I've heard Malachi give? How many times I've heard him preach loyalty to Clave above all else under the Angel?" Jace asked. I could hear the disgust and contempt in his voice eventhough I couldn't see his face. "And all along he's...he's been working with our greatest enemy." He said in disbelief.
"How does the Consul, the leader of the entire Clave, end up a Circle member?" I asked.
"Valentine threatened to wipe out any Shadowhunters who opposed him. Malachi's just trying to save his own ass." Jace replied.
"And sit back while everything around him is destroyed." I finished his statement. Consul Malachi then walked back into the tent. I glared at him as he walked past him and around
"How could you side with him?" Jace snarled.
"There is only one side. The side of the angels. Valentine is only doing what the Clave has been trying to accomplish for centuries: eradicate demons." Consul Malachi replied.
"No. No! The angels would never be in favor of killing millions of innocent." Downworlders along with demons." I protested. He knelt down so he was face to face with me.
"When Raziel created the first Shadowhunter, there was no such thing as Downworlders. But over the centuries, disgusting half-breeds emerged; warlocks, vampires, Seelies, werewolves. They banded together, grew more powerful. Finally they will be destroyed. And so will you." He said before standing and indicating something to his minions. They the walked over, forced us to our feet and escorted us out of the tent and forced us to follow Consul Malachi further into the woods.

BEN'S POV

"I just spoke with Imogen. Despite her requests, there have been no troop movements in and out of Alicante since. When she went to Malachi to see what the holdup was, she was told he'd left suddenly." Izzy said, Magnus, Alec and I following her into the Ops Centre.
"So she believes Consul Malachi is actually a spy for Valentine?" Magnus asked, more for confirmation than anything else.
"There is no other explanation." Izzy replied.
"Jace and Clary are in Lake Lyn with Valentine, who knows how many Circle Members and no military support." Alec said. I could tell he was worried. His parabatai and, dare I say it, one of his friends may be in trouble with no one able to help them. We gathered around one of the holographic tables.
"We need to go help them." Izzy said, agreeing with him.
"I can't leave when the city is under assault." Alec said dejectedly, leaning on the table. Izzy and I looked at him and then Magnus sadly.
"What have you got?" Manus asked, trying to change the subject slightly. I pulled up a chart showing what I had found on the demon. Izzy had described to me what the demon looked like and what it had done, so I had been looking whilst they were out and she had joined me once she and Alec got back.
"We've identified the demons as a rare sub-species of Edomei." I said.
"Edomei?" Magnus asked.
"You're familiar with them?" Alec asked Magnus.
"They're from Edom." Magnus replied. "Tenacious little devils." He added.
"So we've noticed." Izzy said.
"And remarkably intelligent, capable of creating carnage in any number of ways." Magnus added.
"Yet they haven't attacked once. What are they waiting for?" Alec asked. I could tell he was trying to hide it, but I could hear the nervousness in his voice.
"They work in hordes. Perhaps they're increasing their numbers to reach a critical mass." Magnus suggested.
"All the more reason to get this rift closed as soon as possible." Izzy said. "Their entry-point appears to be here, near Croton Point." She added, pointing to said location on the holographic map that we had just pulled up.
"How long will this take? Jace and Clary are alone in enemy territory." Alec asked. I could hear the anxiousness in his voice. I knew that he was worried about his parabatai, as we all were, but Alec more so than anyone.
"Not long." Magnus said.
"We need to move." Izzy said, turning to us.
"Can I come with you? Please?" I begged. Alec and Izzy looked at each other, as if they were having a silent conversation.
"Alright. We need all the help we can get." Alec said. I could tell that there was some reluctance in his voice, but we both knew that they needed me. All of us went to gear up. Once we had done so, Magnus made a portal to Croton Point and we all went through.