Deranged

Chapter X: The Search Party

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This chapter is written by Maheen.

Maheen yawned. It was way too early for this. A handful of Shadowhunters and many Downworlders were crowded along a long, mahogany table. At the head of the table, Maryam sat in a chair facing the confused group of Downworlders and Shadowhunters. She thought it was a bit odd that Maryam called for Hana to join, what with all the hatred that was so obviously spurring between them. They were in a private meeting room at the hotel they were staying in. Of course, Max had once again generously used his Shadowhunter persuasion runes and charmed the lady at the front desk to allow them to occupy the most secluded and quiet room they had.

Saher was the first to break the tense silence, "Is someone going to explain why we're all here?"

All eyes turned towards the Head of the Institute. Maryam quietly cleared her throat and went straight to the point, talking authoritatively, "As most of you may have noticed, one of our most highly-known and skilled Shadowhunter has been missing for a few days, Husni Morgenchild. The last time he was seen was before he left for a supposed hunting trip here in Illinois." she turned towards Ahmad and said, "If I am not mistaken, he was sent to Springfield when a report of Behemoth demons surfaced, correct?" 

Ahmad nodded, "Yes, Ma'am."

Maryam steepled her fingers together and rested her arms on the table, "Well, we have attempted to contact him many times but we cannot seem to get ahold of him. His sensor's tracking device is not responding and the other Shadowhunters in the area have not received word from him."

She sighed and rubbed a hand over her face, suddenly looking wary. Letting out a deep breath, she said, "We believe he may have been captured. We do not know by whom, but the signs indicate he has been detained by a means of force."

A moment of surprised silence followed her speculation and all at once, everyone started uttering and stating their opinions and theories regarding Husni and his disappearance. Maheen scanned the room and her eyes landed on Max. His eyebrows were furrowed in deep thought and he seemed as if he was concentrating real hard on something important. Trying to remember some small, significant detail.

Maheen felt something tap her shoulder and she twisted in her seat to face Mason. He frowned slightly as he asked her, "Who do you think Maryam believes is behind this?"

Maheen shrugged, looking at Maryam. She was talking quietly to Ahmad in hushed tones. "I don't know, Mason. What if it was just another Downworlder who had a grudge against Husni? You know how his personality is. People tend to easily develop a..." she waved a hand around, trying to find a suitable word, "erm, resentment against that guy." 

Mason laughed without a trace of humor as he said, "No, it's not like that. We would know if this was something purely out of hatred or revenge against him." he sighed, "This is more of a serious problem; the Head of the Chicago Institute wouldn't bother calling a meeting at the crack of dawn with Downworlders." He shook his head, lowering his voice, "If this was a minor quarrel between a Shadowhunter and someone else, she wouldn't drag Samrah, Hana, Ahmad, and Maximus out here to meet up with us. She wants something from us."

All at once, those metaphorical gears in Maheen's brain started working again, and one of those bright light bulbs popped out out nowhere, floating above her head. "Or maybe she wants a large amount of people for a task that calls for abilities different from Shadowhunter skills."