War of Hearts

Chapter 6: Teared up Souls

Alec didn't want to split up his team of shadowhunters to evaluate the three warlock lairs. He wanted to see all the damage by himself. Just like the others, this whole place was a mess, indicating that there had been a fight. They were looking for signs of demonic activity, because that's something that could have helped Valentine break in their homes. And they did find traces of it. Valentine was teaming up with demons to win this war.

Things are not looking good here. Alec thought as he walked from the entrance to the living room where the origin of demonic activity was. There was a large hole on the ceiling and another one right beneath it on the floor; Alec imagined the demon had burst through a portal to get there after locating the lair. It was very alarming. Maybe staying in his lair wasn't the safest option for Magnus.

Alec grabbed his phone to call Magnus, but stopped just when he was about to dial. He stared at Magnus's name on his contact list, thinking about how much he missed him and that he could use his help to find out what kind of demon killed these warlocks. That was actually a good excuse to call him. But Alec knew it wouldn't be a smart move, he had to keep his distance from Magnus for their own good. But it would be so nice just to hear his voice...

Alec didn't realize that he was holding his breath as this struggle was going on in his head. He was still staring at Magnus's name when he got a text message from an unknown number. He opened it and froze as he read it.

Alec, it's Jace. Just got away from Valentine. They're coming after me. Help me!

"Jace..." Alec let out all the air he was holding and stared at the text with his hand shaking. Could this be true? Did Jace really get away from Valentine?

There was a small voice in Alec's head telling him this was too good to be true. He couldn't imagine Valentine so careless to let Jace escape from him just three days after capturing him. He got a second message.

Alec! I need you!

Alec felt a knot in his throat. He couldn't breathe. What if it was true? He couldn't just ignore him.

He tried to call the number he got the messages from but the call didn't go through. Then he tried calling Izzy, but his phone was out of service.

"Dammit!" he cursed to himself and started walking up and down nervously.

Alec knew a trap when he saw one and these texts smelled and tasted like a trap for sure. But what if it really was Jace? There was an odd chance it could be him. He couldn't let his parabatai down. Besides, why would Valentine even want him? It didn't make any sense to Alec.

He wanted to believe it was true. Just thinking about seeing Jace made him excited. There was nothing he wanted more right now.

Alec decided to ignore the insistent little voice. He sighed and, fully aware that he was probably walking into a trap, texted back.

Where are you?

"Hi, Magnus!" Isabelle greeted the warlock with a small smile. She didn't feel very happy after her fight with Alec, but she didn't want to let it show.
"Isabelle! What brings you here?" Magnus wasn't that excited to see her. If she wasn't Alec's sister, he probably would have shut the door in her face. He wasn't in a mood to see people.

Isabelle walked in Magnus's place gracefully. She was dressed up for a long night of demon hunting. Magnus admired her whip rolled up on her arm up to her wrist when he saw that she was holding something white.

"What can I do for you?" he asked her with drawn eyes.

"Jocelyn sent me. She wants to ask you to help her find Jace," Isabelle said and handed him the white thing. It was a t-shirt.

"This belongs to Jace, I assume." Magnus knew what she wanted him to do.

Isabelle nodded. "Actually, I don't know why we haven't thought of this before." She looked at him with hope.

Magnus let out a sigh. "Very well. "

He pressed the t-shirt between his two hands and closed his eyes. He focused on Jace and seeked him out in his mind. His body tensed and he knew something was wrong. Instead of finding Jace, he saw an endless black wall. He pulled more magic into the search and the wall approached him fast until it hit him and pushed him away. Magnus took a step back and opened his eyes. Isabelle was watching him with concern.

"Well... That was certainly not expected," Magnus said in disbelief.

"What? What happened?" Isabelle couldn't hide the panic in her voice.

"I can't see him. Something's blocking me." Magnus shook his head and gave the t-shirt back to Isabelle.

"How can that happen?" Isabelle was confused.

"Well, it could be another warlock. Or a demon - a pretty powerful one."

"My bet is on demon. There can hardly be any warlocks working with him since..." she interrupted herself in time.

"Since he's killing them?" Magnus finished her sentence with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry," she said awkwardly.

"Don't worry about it. We have to face the truth." He smiled at her. He turned away to pull himself and Isabelle a drink. "Have you heard from Alexander yet?" he asked.

"No. But it's only been 12 hours. He had a long ride. I'm sure he'll contact us as soon as he finds something useful."

Magnus wasn't convinced of that. He handed Isabelle her drink with a doubtful look.
"Don't worry, he'll be fine." Isabelle assured him.

"I offered him my help, you know. And he refused it." His voice revealed he was heartbroken by how things ended between him and Alec in the Institute.

"Magnus... he cares about you, that's why he refused it. He wants to protect you." Isabelle was doing her best to make him feel better.

"I can protect myself. I wish he would trust me more," Magnus said all melancholic.

"He does. He doesn't let his emotions show, but I know my brother. He thinks this is the best way to protect you. And you're just gonna have to be patient, because he's as stubborn as a thick wall." Isabelle rolled her eyes at that. "Give him time. He will come to his senses." Magnus admired her for trying so hard to help him. But she couldn't ease his pain.

Magnus took a sip of his drink and crossed his arms. He enjoyed the challenge getting Alec's attention had been. But it wasn't about the chase anymore. Magnus wanted Alec to know how much he meant to him. It still surprised him that he was so attached to the boy. The idea of Alec constantly fighting himself and his feelings ate up Magnus's soul. And yet, he had to believe in him to overcome his inner battles. He needed to believe that soon Alec would come back to him. Otherwise, Magnus would go insane.

My fate is in your hands, Alexander Lightwood.