Assassin, until the first moment (🇬🇧)

Is everything alright?

Alec balled his hands into fists, clenching and unclenching, again and again, digging his fingernails into his skin, it took all his effort to keep his raging emotions under control. Anger and sadness pulsated through his body like hot and equally cold liquid fire, Alec didn't know how long he could keep listening to the report the Police Chief of Alicante was giving them. For the last twenty minutes, Luke Garroway had been propounding the latest results from the previous investigation that took place including the status of the Full Moon Murders, just as before, he wasn't leaving out any details. Fortunately, this time he hadn't shown them any photos.

Alec let his gaze drift across the room, noticing that the other council members were struggling with the chief's elaborate report just as much as he was. Lydia, the King's most trusted advisor, had trouble keeping her feeling and thoughts behind an expressionless mask. Alec could see the welling of tears in her eyes, which she was trying to hold back. Normally, she wouldn't have been present at this meeting today, but the King had stayed away from the council meeting, saying that he was too unwell following the early morning.

Will Herondale, the Duke of Brocelind and Jace’s older brother, sat next to Alec, facing away from him and although Alec couldn't see the other man's face, he could tell from the duke's posture that he was finding it hard to maintain his self-control, clenching his hands to fists just like Alec was doing.

Opposite to Jace's brother sat Valentine Morgenstern, a serious expression on his face. The Duke of Renwick tried to appear as if the murders didn't affect him at all, but the deep frown between his brows apprised Alec that the elderly Duke wasn't as cold-blooded and detached as he pretended to be.

And then there was Magnus, sitting directly opposite Alec on the other side of the table, listening intently to Luke's report with an emotionless expression on his face. Normally, the Duke of Edom would usually be represented by the family lawyer in this setting, but Magnus had made a request for his father to allow him to attend the meeting in Ragnor Fell’s stead. Alec knew that it had been easy for Magnus to convince his father, doing it this way the younger assassin wouldn't need to reveal his identity as a member of the Bayang Hitam and could protect Alec and fulfil his oath. The head of the assassins still didn't know that Alec was aware of the secret that the Bane family held, and if Asmodeus were to ever find out that his son had broken the most critical rule of the order, Alec would immediately be put to death at the hands of the assassins.

Magnus must have felt Alec’s gaze on him because seconds later their eyes met and it felt like he was being seared by the dangerous blaze that flared in the other man's eyes, revealing to him that the assassin was as furious as hell, all but betraying the emotionless expression on his face.

Alec nodded towards him, his movement so slight that the other Dukes wouldn't notice, showing Magnus that he knew what he was thinking and that he was feeling the same way. They held each other’s gaze for a few seconds and Alec was beginning to wonder if Magnus had even noticed his acknowledgement, but then it was reciprocated, telling him that the assassin agreed on doing whatever it cost to find the murderer and that they would both make sure that the culprit would get their due and righteous punishment.

Alec returned his attention back to Luke as the chief started to describe the victim's injuries. Although all victims had been raped before they died, the five men were almost free of any other injuries much to the dukes’ surprise, but according to the police, all five victims had been drugged, leaving the hypothesis that none of them had put up a fight.

Luke told them that the drugs used by the Full Moon Murderer were known as, "The Devil's Breath" and anyone who inhaled even a minimal amount of the powder would be turned compliant to any activity. Devil’s Breath leads to a total loss of inhibition, meaning that a person could persuade someone under the influence to give away all their belongings or to perform sexual acts and the like.