Risk It All [Alec Lightwood]

Chapter Forty Two

Jace Wayland

I enter the small training room where Magnus was sitting in already. Clary enters and I tense up a little.

"Morning," She greeted.

"Morning. You just come from training," I asked.

"Yeah, I'm uh, working on my right hook," Clary said.

I look around for the one person who can probably get us out of this situation but she isn't anywhere to be found. Magnus looks at Clary and I and narrows his eyes. Where are you Kiana?

"Good, that's a good punch," I said.

"Yeah, I'm uh, I'm working on it, if only I could find my sister and ask her to train me with knives and stuff but I haven't seen her since yesterday," Clary said.

Maybe she crashed at Luke's place again.

"While this conversation is no doubt scintillating, did Kiana not come back yesterday? And please, remind me why we couldn't do this at my place? At least there we'd have cocktails," Magnus said.

"It's nine in the morning and She went to your place? She hasn't come back and Luke hasn't seen her nor has Simon or Raphael," Clary said.

"Oh, it's happy hour somewhere, my dear. And yes, she was upset yesterday," Magnus said.

Probably because of this ludicrous wedding.

"We invited you here Magnus because Hodge can't leave the Institute, and someone call her," I sighed. "Hodge is an important part of this mission."

"I'll call her," Clary said.

Clary pulls out her phone and calls her sister. Her eyebrows furrow and she sighs before slipping her phone into her pocket.

"She isn't answering," Clary said.

"She can handle herself," I sigh.

"Well, then, where is our tardy little tutor," Magnus asks. "There is certain individuals that I'd like to avoid, so let's make this quick."

I bet it's Alec and Lydia. Kiana is someone Magnus is obviously find of and he hates seeing her so sad like we all do. But he'd rather avoid the people for her unhappiness.

"Pardon the delay, Magnus," Hodge said entering. "I was following up on a lead."

Well, one more person to make this less awkward.

"Now, we've narrowed down our list of Warlock's to these three," Hodge said.

"Why is Ragnor Fell up there? He's not more powerful then I am," Magnus said.

"Well some would disagree, he's older than you," Hodge said.

"Certainly not wiser," Magnus said.

"Who's Ragnor Fell," Clary asked.

"The former High Warlock of London," I answer.

"And one of my oldest friends," Magnus said. "Very prickly. Likes to keep to himself."

"Ok, look. We just need to figure out which one of these Warlocks had enough access to Jocelyn that they could create the potion for her without anyone discovering what they'd done," Hodge said.

"By the early '90s, Ragnor was a professor at the ShadowHunter Academy in Idris," Magnus said.

"Isn't that when my mother lived there," Clary asks. "Could he have made the potion for her?"

"The little bugger! That's why he hasn't responded to my fire message," Magnus said. "Every since Valentine began hunting Warlocks, Ragnor's been holed up in his secret country house just outside of London. For all I know Ragnor suspected my fire message was a plot by Valentine to lure him out of hiding. We'll have to confront him face-to-face."

"You're going on this mission," Hodge asks.

"Of course, I'm the only one Ragnor trusts," Magnus said. "Besides I've played my last hand here. Even I know when to fold."

Magnus rose from his seat and was greeted by Lydia and Alec.

"Magnus, I didn't know you were here," Lydia said.

"You didn't? Even I did."

We all turn around and find Kiana with bruises on her face and scratches on her arms.

"That was the point," Magnus said.

"We're just on our way to greet a few representatives of the Clave," Lydia said. "Who arrived early for tomorrow's wedding. How long are you staying?"

"Congratu-fucking-lations," Kiana said sarcastically.

"What's going on here? Nobody told me about a meeting," Alec asks.

"Alec this is a meeting you weren't invited to. Only people trying to wake me and Clary's mom and actually really care about my family is allowed, feel free to shove your questions up your ass," she kind of slurred.

I rise from my seat as she stumbles a little.

"Are you drunk," Clary sighs.

"Found where Luke hid the beer at the house may have cleaned out his stash, oh well," Kiana shrugged.

"You need to not look like that or act like that tomorrow," Lydia said. "You're my maid of Honor."

"Honor? What would you know about Honor? You know what, I'm not going to be your damn maid of honor. Hell, maybe I won't show up. We need to focus on this mission and on Valentine not some ludicrous wedding," Kiana spat.

"Magnus figured out that Ragnor Fell is the Warlock who can wake our mom we're just bringing him back to the Institute," Clary said.

"Are you are you serious," Kiana asks.

Magnus nods.

"Well, I'm following," she said.

No one dared to protest seeing as she's snappy today.

"How can I help," Alec asks.

Wrong move...

"You really want to know how you can help! Oh I have a few things in mind first you can," Kiana began.

Magnus snapped his fingers and Kiana was sober and cleaned up. A gag over her mouth so she didn't say any profanities.

"We're just recovering a warlock, Alec. We got this covered," I said.

"Besides don't you and Lydia have emissaries from the Clave to meet," Magnus sassed. "You don't want to tarnish your family's perfectly-crafted image now, do you?"

See protective over Kiana.

"Again, lovely seeing you, Magnus and Kiana no more drinking," Lydia said. "I will see you for your dress and makeup."

"No, you won't. I will not be attending your wedding. Find someone else, it's what you're both good at doing," Kiana spat.

The four all walk away from one another, leaving Hodge, Clary and I.

"Get ready. We leave in an hour," I said.