Sugar and Spice

Fourteen

Fourteen

*~*~*~*

"We need to make sure no magic was used to make this. I'm calling the nearest High Warlock to come in to consult." Lydia told Alec and I as we all looked over the Forsaken's body once we'd gotten it back to the Institute.

"Magnus Bane?" I smiled slightly at the mention of my friend, earning glances from both of them.

"To come here to the Institute?" Alec asked, not sounding nearly as excited about the idea as I did.

"Yes, is that a problem?" Lydia asked, glancing between us.

"No. Not at all." I shook my head, Alec remaining silent. "Magnus is quite magical."

"Do you know him well?" Lydia raised a brow at me, clearly digging for information.

"He's a friend." I shrugged.

"I actually can't wait to meet him." She admitted with a small chuckle. "Did you know that my great ancestor, Henry Branwell, who was the last of the Branwells to run an Institute, and Magnus Bane invented the Portal?"

"No." Alec shook his head. "Just add that to the list of things I didn't know."

"Alec." Lydia stopped him before he could leave. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have had to find out your parents were ex-Circle members. Not like that."

"You mean from you?" Alec crossed his arms. "You shouldn't have been the one I found out from."

"You know there's been a ban about talking about the Circle till now." Lydia reminded him while I just watched the two. I wanted nothing more than to be able to comfort Alec at that moment, but I knew him too well. I knew that he needed his own space right now, and time to process this new information.

"Yeah, how convenient for my parents." He scoffed.

"This doesn't change how I feel about the Lightwoods." Lydia assured him. "Your family has always had a strong alliance with mine. They've been a powerful force in the Shadow World, and praised for their devotion."

"Devotion?" Alec frowned at her word choice. "My parents were in league with Valentine."

"People make mistakes." Lydia shook her head.

"Yeah, but this one... it's unforgivable." Alec said before he walked away, leaving Lydia and I alone. A sigh escaped the envoy as she turned to look at me.

"I truly am sorry." She told me.

"I know," I nodded. As much as I didn't like or trust her, I couldn't blame her for this. There was no way she could have known that Robert and Maryse had hidden this away from everyone, trying to let it stay in the past, forgotten. "It's not your fault."

"So, can you tell me anything about Magnus Bane?" She asked, trying to change the subject. "Anything I should know before he gets here?"

"Don't be offended if he criticizes your clothes." I eyes her brown pantsuit. A frown filled her lips as she looked down at her own clothes, obviously finding nothing wrong with them. "It's nothing against you, it's just how he is. Trust me, I've been dealing with it for awhile now."

*~*~*~*

"You almost done?" Izzy asked Magnus as she and I walked into the lab, finding Magnus still working with the Forsaken body.

"Patience is a virtue, my dear." Magnus told her.

"Come on," Izzy smiled. "I want to get my hands on that thing."