Chapter 4
Parts in Our Play
A week later, with Will flipping through books every now and again to feign that he was looking for a cure, Evan suggested that they wrote to Magnus again - it was time to talk to Charlotte about the cure. Of course, Jem should have been notified first but Will thought that perhaps Magnus and Charlotte should speak... and Tessa, for that matter. Magnus knew exactly what he was to say to them, Will knew that he was to speak to Tessa privately, telling her of a very-likely fix to Jem's illness. From there, should Charlotte agree, the rest of the the Institute would be notified.
Will and Evan were lounging in the attic, taking a short break from everything, reading their seperate Harry Potter books - Will was on the fourth now, while Evan was rereading the first. The Institute's doorbell echoed and Will looked up from his book. "Who could that be?" He asked with an excited gleam in his eyes.
Evan met his eyes and smiled wickedly back, "Just a glittery, free-wheeling warlock. Come on!" They jumped up, their books abandoned. As soon as they were in the hallway, they slowed to a walk making their way around the Institute.
Cecily found them, wearing her gear, "Magnus Bane is here!" She grinned. "It's today?"
"Yes," Will nodded. He bent to kiss Evan lightly before he made his way to find Tessa, knowing she'd be in the library, waiting for Jem to finish training with Gideon. Cecily and Evan made their way to the music room to talk.
"Miss Evan," Sophie said coming to the music room door twenty minutes later. "Mrs. Branwell requests that you meet her in the Sanctuary."
"All right," Evan stood, pulling her sweater sleeves over her hands as she folded her arms over her chest, listening to Sophie's quick directions before glancing back to Cecily, who secretly gave her a thumbs up.
Halfway there, Will and Tessa met her, Tessa asked breathlessly, "You've found a cure?"
Evan nodded smalley. "Yeah, Magnus agreed to help us."
"For free," Will added, his hand going to automatically clasp Evan's, "No less. Quite helpful, I think."
"You can't be a little excited?" Tessa snapped at him.
"I am excited." Will said with earnest. "I also happen to know that this will work."
Tessa seemed surprised, and her eyes slid to Evan, "Will it?"
"Of course," Evan smiled. "Jem's going to be okay."
"Will!" Charlotte exclaimed as the three entered. "Will, I do not understand - Jem said specifically that he wished that we stopped looking -"
"Jem allowed Evan and I to search." Will said. "Since last week, or so."
"And you found one?" Charlotte said, trying to remain neutral. "After such little time?"
"There is a time restraint," Magnus reminded politely. "Do you mind, Mrs. Branwell, if I continue now?" Charlotte looked back to Will and Evan, although all three young adults were silently pleading for her to accept.
"Yes, Mr. Bane," Charlotte said at last. "Please continue."
"Wonderful," Magnus said. "The research Evan and Will had presented to me showed that Heavenly Fire would cancel out the demonic drugs...." And Magnus went on from explaining from there. It took roughly half an hour to explain everything and Magnus ended with; "The spell is in the Book of the White, which - as we all know - cannot be in the possession of a warlock."
Charlotte worried her bottom lip with her teeth. "I-I'm sure the the Council would understand -"
"I offer another solution," Magnus said easily. "I know enough about the Book of the White to know which spell I will need. Tenebrosi Delicata Donabit Magia. If you were to open the book for me to that page, I can look at the spell without touching the book - we would not be breaking any of the Accords and Mr. Carstairs is cured."
Charlotte sighed, a small smiled fluttering on her face. "Very well. Mr. Bane, how much time will you need?"
"Time is hardly the problem," Magnus said. "Space is. It will requires much space...." Magnus stood, going into the large hall-like chamber. The ceiling was easily thirty feet, with enough space to do as needed. "This will do perfectly." Magnus said, turning back to the people who followed.
Just as Magnus was told, his eyes trained on the clockwork angel necklace Tessa wore. He mastered the confused-but-happy look, displaying it perfectly.
"What is it?" Charlotte demanded, just as they hoped.
"That necklace...." Magnus said. "It emits a strange magic. Not anything I've encountered. Do you mind, Miss Gray, if I see it for a moment?"
Tessa hesitated, looking to, surprisingly, Evan. Evan nodded slightly, motioning with her head to Magnus. Tessa unclasped it, handing it to Magnus tentatively.
Magnus studied it for a quick minute before smiling broadly. "Perfect. Mrs. Branwell, we will not need to summon an angel at all. We merely have to free one."
Charlotte blinked. "Excuse me?"
"This clockwork is a prison," Magnus explained. "A prison for a Heavenly host. I suppose that Mortmain somehow passed it to Tessa in order to protect her while he could not....."
"It was my mother's." Tessa said. "According to my brother, my parents knew Mortmain before I was born."
Magnus looked to her triumphantly, "Which proves my point exactly. Has it ever moved on it's own accord, perhaps? Done anything out of the ordinary?"
Slowly, Tessa nodded.
"Wonderful!" Magnus grinned.
"Will," Charlotte hasn't stopped smiling all day - no one who knew what the next day would bring could stop smiling. "Do you suppose that you should tell everyone what you and Evan found?"
Will grinned, looking to Jem. Confusedly, Jem stared back. Even Henry looked up from his food. "Go on then," Jem prompted.
"We found the cure." Will said.
Jem's silver eyes almost bugged out of his head. "You what?"
"We found the cure for the yin fen drug." Will repeated. "It involves an angel - Magnus can explain it better but he's willing to do the spell tomorrow if you'd like."
"H-h-how did you find it so quickly?" Jem stuttered. "I've only just -"
"A week," Will agreed. "I know."
"How?" Jem demanded with a growing smile.
"We were looking through the wrong books." Will shrugged, matching Jem's grin. "Oddly enough."
"And," Charlotte added, "Magnus Bane swears it will work. Are you willing to try, Jem?"
Jem's gaze slid to Tessa, who was smiling hopefully. "Tomorrow then," Jem nodded. "I am willing."