Crowns ~ Alec Lightwood

The Heart Burns

"Can someone please shut that damn alarm off?" Rory yelled.

She brushed past all the shadowhunters that ran by. Every screen displayed a warning that something had breached the wards. She met up with Aldertree and Alec in the middle of the ops center.

"I thought these wards were airtight!" Aldertree shouted over the noise.

"Apparently not," Rory snapped, swiping at the hologram table to fix some of the chaos.

"How many soldiers are here?" Alec asked.

"Only two dozen. Everyone else is out dealing with the downworld attacks," she informed.

"Rory and I will take the entry with Longford's team. You cover the weapons room," Alec ordered.

Aldertree nodded and walked off to his post. Alec handed Rory her blade and they marched to the entrance with a few shadowhunters trailing behind them.

"Valentine is really getting on my nerves," she grumbled.

They pulled out their weapons as the entrance door opened. Rory relaxed slightly when she saw who was standing in the middle.

"Madzie?"

Alec told the soldiers to hold their fire. They slowed down and Rory cautiously walked forward.

"What's a little girl doing down here alone?" Longford whispered.

"She's a warlock," Alec answered.

Rory squatted down to her height, "Madzie, did you do this?"

She looked behind at the bodies that laid on the ground. Madzie looked sadly at her before she swiped her hand, tossing both Alec and Rory into the elevator.

The latter grunted as she hit the wall. Her eyes widened as the doors slid shut. She caught a glimpse of Longford moving forward but she stopped him, shouting through the wall, "Hold your fire! She's just a kid."

Alec stood up and tried to pry the doors open. They could hear the screams and gasps for help a few seconds later.

"Madzie, open the door!" Rory shouted.

Alec kept trying to open it but it wouldn't budge. The sounds outside stopped and a deadly silence replaced the them.

"Move!" Rory said, pulling him away.

She concentrated shortly and a burst of purple energy shot from her hand. The doors were blown back and the metal smoked near the edges. They grabbed their gear off the floor and began walking briskly, following the trail of bodies. Alec answered his phone since he got a call from Jace and put it on speakerphone.

"We're under attack. Major casualties," Alec told him, "Valentine used Madzie to take down the wards. She suffocated everyone."

They passed by all the shadowhunters on the ground, attempting to check for pulses.

"Where's Izzy?" Jace asked.

"She wasn't here."

Jace sighed in relief before becoming serious again, "Alec, he's there to use the power core instead of lightening. He's got Simon and he's threatening to kill him if Clary doesn't come and activate the sword."

They stopped in a doorway and looked around to check for any hostiles. Rory twirled her blade, "We need to keep Clary away from here."

"Don't worry. She's with Magnus," he assured, "Luke and I are coming for it now. Just get to the power core and shut it down. That way, no matter who touches the sword, it won't turn on."