A/N: So after sooooo long, I'm back! Hope y'all enjoy the update.
*****?????? POV*****
The dark dragon used to be full of vitality. His mind, so full of thoughts before, was practically blocked out from his being. Consciousness swam inside an endless darkness. There was such a thing as the body moving without the mind knowing it. This was what occurred now as the two men situated on the dragon's back urged him onwards. There was a crowd of others trailing them. As to what their purpose was, the dragon held no concern. Perhaps he would have worried if he had been in the right state of mind . . . or any state of mind at all really.
But Alec was not present.
Not in the slightest.
So he led them on without complaint, as the sun sank down and the stars began glittering in the sky.
*****Magnus's POV*****
The last few hours had been a blur.
His hands itched beneath the tightly wound bandages, faint stains of pink peeking through the formerly white binds. Ragnor was the ever present figure right at his side, with Maia on his other side. Understandably, revealing the truth to her had went . . . less than well. For a woman who hated dragons, Magnus supposed he should have expected a rather violent reaction. The scratch on Izzy's face had not been what he imagined. And this was after Maia went for Jace, landing a nasty kick to the blonde's ribs after he tried to "make peace with her" with a poor explanation.
"Dragons are not your enemies" Jace had said.
"Tell that to my slaughtered family" Maia had said with all the menace in her voice.
Isabelle had been the voice of reason, as had a panicked Simon, but the former had not went unscathed.
"I can't reason what happened to your family, but I swear that the dragons of the valley would never harm humans without good reason. They don't attack unless provoked."
"Please listen to her Maia."
Magnus had wanted to help then, but held his tongue. As had Luke and Ragnor, the two remaining stoic as the situation unfolded. Fast forward to now, where all of them were headed back to the valley. Jace had taken the three of them as passengers, her smaller form still managing their weight with ease. Her burning orange scales were so mesmerizing to stare at. Like a vibrant flame, they glowed as the sunlight caught them. But unlike the devastation flames often brought, Clary was ever warm, ever caring. A distant part of him thought his mother would have found Clary's dragon form lovely. The other part of him, the more present one, was still in shock at seeing it.
So much happened in such a short time . . .
"How much farther are we?" Maia asked.
The wind was whistling so loudly, it almost carried her voice away entirely, dwindling the sound to nothingness. Luckily for her, Simon somehow still heard it. Clary had been flying next to Izzy who had him riding astride the back of her neck. The deep red of her was akin to a dark ruby, carved from a deep cave. Simon was a small blob in comparison. And yet the two seemed to form some intangible bond. He wondered exactly how the connection occurred and how deep it ran. Magnus had been so wrapped up in Alec he had not noticed all these changes occurring.
Alexander . . .
Thoughts of the missing dragon prince brought a tidal wave of pain. Moisture gathered up in his eyes.
"Less than an hour I think. Right Izzy?"
"Yes, that's right." Izzy nodded.
Luke glided closer to them, his dark eyes watchful of the horizon. His dragon form had been another shock, bulkier than even Jace's, but his movements were somewhat sloppy from the many years of disuse. "Could be faster if we find the right current. You know the secret entrance yes?"
The question was directed at Isabelle, but Jace was the one who answered. The golden dragon was leading them all, impatient to get home if the quick flapping of his wings was any indication. He kept circling back, at a pace Magnus was not aware the other even had. But then again, he supposed he could hardly blame Jace.
He sensed it. What happened to Alec.
His thoughts kept gravitating back to the prince. The image of awareness leaving his predestined's face, the collar closing in on free skin . . . it would continue to haunt him. Until his mistakes were made right, the wrongness clinging to him would remain.
"Yes, we know them all. And we'll probably use one."
"What? Why?" Clary asked.
Ragnor answered this time. "I assume that the invaders will be using the main one because of the size correct?"
"Yes, I think that's a safe guess." Jace agreed.
Izzy nodded. "And even if it isn't, it's better to be safe than sorry."
"There really is no telling what we might find once we arrive." Clary murmured worriedly, as if the realization was just dawning on her.
But as for Magnus, who knew exactly what his father was capable of, he knew all too well what they would likely find. Alexander, please hold on. We're coming for you.
*****NO POV*****
He sat by the entrance, letting his wings flap open to catch the wind. The broken tail constantly responsible for hindering him was hardly an issue on this pleasant day. Little dragonets ran around together down by the lakeshore. They were a loud group of five, a plethora of greens and blues and yellows. None of them seemed aware of what was coming soon. The mothers of the dragonets also remained unaware. They sat in a little circle in the shade, chatting about whatever rumor had alighted their ears this week. The Queen was sitting at the entrance of the palace cave off in the distance, the tiny blob of the remaining human in the valley was beside her. The duo were also talking, though not even his ears could pick up their conversation.
Not that it matters. I doubt any of them will survive today.
And the thought of that brought him a sinister smile.
*******