METANOIA ... a.lightwood [1]

↣ Chapter Eighteen ↣

Alec sighed, and Chris turned away from him. If he was going to have to talk to Alec, then he at least needed a drink. Maybe Alec thought he was an alcoholic. Sometimes, Chris felt like he was.

"It's not about me or...any of that." Chris scoffed. "It's about my sister."

"Well, I just got my sister back, so."

"Wait, Carrie's back-"

"Don't call her that!" Alec flinched at the harshness in Chris' voice. The warlock's glare did not warm up. Instead it became icier.

"Christopher!" Alec's head snapped over to where Catarina and Magnus were standing in the doorway. Between them was the very tiny Caroline. She looked mad at Chris.

"Carrie, you need to be in bed."

"Is this Alexander?"

"Um, it's Alec..." The Shadowhunter nervously rubbed the back of his neck as four sets of warlock eyes settled on him. He couldn't help but notice Catarina's blue skin, and Caroline's cat whiskers. Warlock marks. He supposed they used magic to cover it up when they were with mundanes. He wondered what Chris' was.

"You should help him."

"You should be in bed."

"Chris-"

"Car-"

"Enough!" Catarina sighed, throwing her hands up in the air. Bronze magic shout of her hands causing Christopher to be sat down in his chair while Caroline was thrown back into bed. Alec's eyes widened. He didn't want to see how their family arguments ended.

"Fine, continue Alec." Alec sent Catarina a nod of thanking and she nodded back, before going to pull Magnus back into Caroline's bedroom so that she could close the door and give them privacy, but Alec stopped her. "Actually, I kinda need Magnus too." Chris and Magnus shared a look, but Catarina merely shrugged, slamming the door shut and leaving Magnus to cross the silent room to sit beside his friend.

"Izzy's on trial for treason."

"Ah, Lydia wants to get her out of the way I see, Christmas dinner should be awkward." Chris' comment made Alec frown more, and so Magnus nudged his blonde friend in the ribs. He rolled his eyes but did not apologise. He wasn't going to apologise. He shouldn't be expected to.

"What can we do for you, Alec?" Magnus asked, snapping his fingers so that a martini glass appeared in his hands.

"My sister wants you, Magnus, to be her defense attorney, and she wants you, Chris, to be there, at the trial." The two warlocks looked at each other and back at Magnus. "I said I would ask."

They both wished they could go to the trial. But they knew that they weren't allowed. It was a Shadowhunter only sort of thing, and so they would not be allowed entry. They both liked the female Shadowhunter, she was kind and funny and a little mischievous. Chris texted Isabelle a lot, and he had missed talking to her since he got out of the Alternative Universe, he couldn't wait to tell her about it.

"I'm sorry for wasting your time, I know a Downworlder can't defend a Shadowhunter in court." Alec turned away from them, ready to leave the apartment, but Magnus stopped him.

"But a Shadowhunter accused of a crime can choose any advocate." Alec turned to them, his eyebrows furrowed.

"That can't mean a Downworlder." Chris shrugged, swirling his drink in his hands. God, Alec was so pretty, it hurt.

"That Clave was so rigid and prejudiced-" Chris cut Magnus off to say 'still are' causing them both to smile slightly. "-back in what they call the Time of Angels that they didn't dream of a Shadowhunter asking a Downworlder for help, they didn't even bother to exclude us."