Galaxies (Alec Lightwood)

Chapter 31

Me, Magnus, and Luke are having a meeting at Magnus' apartment.

"After the night is through you're gonna wish you had these." Magnus says handing us drinks. Then Magnus sits down.

"Look, just because Desiree's not willing to face Alec sober, doesn't mean the rest of us shouldn't walk into this emergency council meeting levelheaded." Luke says.

"No need to be hurtful." I say.

"You're right. I'm sorry. It was a long night with the cubs." Luke apologizes.

"Where's Meliorn?" I ask.

Magnus holds up his hand for a second.

"The Queen will be attending this very special meeting in his place." Magnus says.

"And exactly how do you know that?" Luke asks.

"She told me. And I'd suggest you both cozy up to her, sooner rather than later." He says.

"She's a fanatic." Luke says.

"Valentine is a fanatic. The Clave is filled to the gills with fanatics. The Queen is simply a woman with a strong point of view." He says.

"Does that strong point of view differ from breaking the Accords? Because last time I checked, war with the Clave is the order of the day." Luke says.

"Unless Valentine succeeds in raising Raziel. Kills everyone with demon blood first." I say.

"In which case, she'd like to offer the entire Downworld protection in the Seelie Realm. She insists the Court has been beyond the reach of the Angels and their power for quite some time." Magnus says.

"So we live in safety as, what, her subjects?" Luke asks.

""Loyal guests" is how she worded it when I brought up the same concern." He says.

"Oh. Hmm-mmm." Luke says.

"And you believed her?" I ask.

"I believe that Seelies cannot lie. Look... No pressure, but I have already accepted her offer on behalf of the warlock community in Brooklyn." Magnus says.

"What's the catch?" Luke asks.

"You're gonna want that drink now." Magnus says.
———————————————————————————————————-
The Queen is sitting at the head of the table. I'm sitting next to her. Magnus and Luke are standing behind her. Izzy, Jace, Clary, and Alec enter.

"Where, oh, where is Simon?" The queen asks.

"Your Highness, what an unpleasant surprise." Clary says.

"Well, I'm sure she didn't mean to–" Alec starts.

"No offense, Alec, but I agree with Clary. Your Majesty, is this another one of your little games?" Jace asks.

"The Institute called an emergency meeting of the Downworld Council. I speak on behalf of the Downworld." She says.

"Desiree, is this true?" Alec asks me.