ᴜɴʀᴀᴠᴇʟᴇᴅ |ᴀ.ʟ| ꜱʜᴀᴅᴏᴡʜᴜɴᴛᴇʀꜱ ꜰᴀɴꜰɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ {ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀᴍɪʟʟᴇ ꜰᴀɪʀᴄʜɪʟᴅ ᴛʀɪʟᴏɢʏ #2}

{𝕸𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖆𝖑 𝕸𝖎𝖗𝖗𝖔𝖗}

Sitting by Alec's side, his hand in mine while we wait for news, wait for Max to die or get better or to find another solution was excruciating. Not just feeling my own pain but seeing the others - siblings terrified to lose their youngest brother, parents their youngest son, someone so young, so strong and brave yet so fragile and broken.

I couldn't even begin to fathom how horrible, how drained I'd feel if it were my son in there, his life leaching away-

The door opening pulls me from my dark thoughts with perfect timing and Magnus and Brother Enoch emerged, but from the bow of Magnus' head, I know the news isn't good.

"His injuries are too severe" Magnus informs us regretfully, "Max's only hope for recovery, now lies with Brother Enoch."

"There's gotta be something, anything" Alec urges

"Brother Enoch" Maryse instructs and Alec raises his arm to stop the Brother from entering the room.

"No!"

"Alec" I whisper, taking his outreached hand in mine, bringing it back down to his side, "It's okay."

"Alec, I know you're scared" Maryse hushes, "We all are. But if Max is going to have any chance, we need to let Brother Enoch do this. Now."

Alec remains silent and Maryse turns to Brother Enoch, allowing him into the room, the door closing with a soft snap of finality.

While the others take their seats again, I remain standing, reaching a tentative hand out to Magnus. I withhold my sigh of relief as he takes my hand.

"Thank you, Magnus"

"I did this for Max. Not for you," Magnus rebukes, giving my a hand a soft but firm squeeze before releasing it, "And as far as I'm concerned...we are done here,"

With that, he turns and leaves as quickly as he'd arrived, leaving me to stew over his words.

'As far as I'm concerned...we are done here.'

Magnus, my first friend in the entire Shadow World, the only person willing and able to give me answers about my past...he was finished with me. I feel the pang in my heart, zapping me like an electric-

Electrum.

All thoughts of my pain and Magnus momentarily slip from my mind as I turn back to the other, eyes alive with excitement as something from my father's journals comes back to me - a way to make sure Jonathan does not get away with this.

"Izzy" I address her and her head snaps up, eyes red-rimmed, "I need your whip. I have a plan."

***

My plan had turned out to be a roaring success thus far.

"Has the lockdown been called off?" Sebastian inquires, sidling up to me.

"If you can prove you're not Jonathan" I smirk smugly - I had to admit, my stroke of genius was...well, genius.

"Sorry, what?" Sebastian chuckles, confused.

"I figured out a way to blow his cover" I explain, "I've been poring over Valentine's journals for days and I remembered...Jonathan can't tolerate electrum."

"Right, because of the demon blood"

"Mm-hmm. Valentine wrote that he'd scream in pain the second it touched his skin. It'd burn straight through to the bone."

I'd also vehemently tried to ignore the amount of times it had been mentioned, how many times Valentine's notes alluded to his testing - no, torturing it with his son as the guinea pig.