The Angel-Blooded One (Shadowhunters ff)

10 - The Hunt

Izzy

Izzy paced back and forth across the polished floor of the Institute's operations center, the rhythmic click of her high heels a frantic counterpoint to the tense silence. Alec, Jace, and Magnus huddled around holographic table with shimmering blue world map, brows furrowed in frustration. After yet another week, their search for Clary had yielded nothing. She had vanished without a trace.

Jace, a restless storm of worry, tapped a furious rhythm on the table with his fingers. Every avenue they explored had led to a frustrating dead end. Magnus had combed his warlock contacts for any who might have portaled Clary out of New York. But whispers traveled swiftly in the Shadow World, and no one, not even the most disreputable warlocks he knew, had heard a peep. The NYPD had no record of a missing woman with fiery red hair, let alone one accompanied by a cryptic, tattooed old man. Even Jace and Alec's parabatai bond enhanced tracking had failed to pick up a single trace.

The memory of that night was burned into her mind – the sickening lurch in her gut, the sudden severing of their connection – it had been like Clary was ripped from the world, leaving behind only an unsettling silence.

"Wards," Magnus muttered as he ran a hand through his already-tousled hair. "Powerful wards must be shielding her. And whoever took her knew what they were doing."

They'd contacted Institutes around the world, hoping for a stray clue, but all inquiries had come back fruitless. Their only lead, the ravener demons in Vienna, had turned into another dead end after Jace and Alec scoured the city.

But Izzy refused to give up. She'd swallowed her pride and reached out to Aria, hoping to glean any information about Oskar. Aria, eager to help, had revealed more about their quest for the mysterious man. While her parents remained tight-lipped about Oskar's whereabouts, Aria swore she'd seen someone with immense antlers leaving Clary's apartment on the day of her disappearance.

"I know you checked Vienna," Isabelle insisted, gesturing towards the map displayed on the screen. "But I just have this... feeling that Clary is in Austria. Just maybe not in Vienna. I've been researching remote areas around here." Her finger traced a path across the map, leading towards the majestic peaks of the Alps. "There are old hunting lodges scattered throughout these regions. Someone could easily disappear amidst those."

A flicker of realization crossed Magnus's face. "Wandering Hunter," he said, a thoughtful note in his voice. He met their curious gazes. "I have been thinking about the warlock with antlers – I have always dismissed him as a mere myth. Perhaps I was mistaken."

"Isaac Laquedem," Magnus continued. "One of the oldest warlocks alive, rumored to be older than even Jonathan Shadowhunter himself. Legend has it he retreated to a secluded estate in Austria over a century ago."

"Austria," Izzy breathed, the word a spark igniting a renewed fire in her determined gaze. "Then what are we waiting for?" she demanded, her voice sharp with urgency. "Magnus, portal me there."

"Izzy, we don't know if this means anything," Alec said. "We were just there, remember? No one in the Vienna Institute knew anything."

"What else can we do?" Izzy shot back, frustration creeping into her tone. "Trust me. I know she's there." She turned to Jace, searching his face for support.

Jace hesitated, the lines of exhaustion etched deep on his face. The past weeks of searching had taken their toll, leaving him weary and on edge. "Alec," he finally said, his voice gruff, "this is the only lead we've got. Maybe there's something we missed in Vienna."

"Fine," Alec said, his voice tight. "But we're going with you. All of us."

Alec met Magnus' gaze. "Let's go then," Magnus said and with a flourish of his hand, a swirling portal shimmered into existence before them.