Chapter 4
To Be Wise and Love
"Forsooth, I no longer toil in vain,
To prove that demon pox warps the brain.
So though 'tis pity, it's not in vain
That the pox-ridden demon was slain:
For to believe in me, you all must design."
"That was the worst thing I have ever heard." Evan laughed, sitting in the attic with Tessa, Jem and Will the next afternoon.
"I agree with Evan!" Jem laughed, looking up at the high windows.
"It was impromptu!" Will defended.
"That doesn't make it any less horrible," Tessa pointed out with a wide grin.
"James, your future wife is insulting me." Will declared childishly.
"Hmm, who's side to choose - my parabatai's or my fiancée?" Jem rolled his head to look over to Evan. "And your opinion is...?"
"Fiancée, duh." Evan grinned back. "My father lived by the motto happy wife; happy life."
"Words to live by," Jem agreed, sending Will a helpless shrug. "Apologies, William, but Tessa may insult you as much as she pleases."
"Don't fret, Will, I shan't be too harsh." Tessa said sweetly.
"Betrayed by my own brother," Will scowled, fighting a smile.
"At least he didn't say that ducks were adorable." Evan said brightly.
"Bloodthirsty little beasts," Will sent her a sly grin. "Never trust a duck."
"Words to live by," Evan smiled.
"Do you know if Charlotte had told Gabriel of my health?" Jem asked once the laughter had calmed down.
"I don't think she has yet," Will commented after a moment's passing. "Why would you want Gabriel to know?"
Jem shrugged lightly and turned the conversation once more to the Worm, which has been a popular topic for the quartet all morning. The conversations were as light as feathers, the laughs were airy and their smiles were weightless.
As lunch neared, Will and Evan found themselves looking at each other and as Tessa and Jem left for yet another visit to Hyde Park, Evan found herself frowning. "It's not going to be like this forever," Evan said a few minutes after they left.
"How soon does it change?" Will asked, enveloping her in a hug.
"I don't know exactly." Evan looked up at him. "I just know what happens."
"We can change it." Will said, strangely optimistic. "We have to."
Which was the start of a new mass-research project. Will and Evan mostly had maps spread out over the floor of Evan's room, hoping to pinpoint exactly where Mortmain's lair was. Of course, Will's knowledge of the Wales' countryside was rusty.... But he knew roughly where it was. Evan didn't want to bring up that Cecily knew exactly where it was... yet. Will and Cecily argued more than conversed civilly, their relationship was strained; and Evan feared that her friendship with Cecily didn't help at all.
But as a devout feminist, Evan firmly believed that Cecily should be able to make a decision and be respected for it.
"You're sure that it's in Wales?" Will asked for the millionth time that afternoon.
"Yes!" Evan groaned, "Cadiar Idris! Big lake, um, elevation of two thousand, nine hundred and thirty feet -"
"You know all that but you don't know where it is?" Will laughed, despite the situation.
"Why don't you know where it is, Mr. Welshman?" Evan said bitterly, flipping a page in a book savagely.
"Gwynedd, Wales." Will said flippantly. "I know exactly where it is. Now, where's your proof?"
Evan groaned again, "You sound like my dad trying to explain algebra."
Will laughed, then said more softly, "We managed to find a cure for Jem in less than a month, proven it, and had it succeed. How is this any different?"
"Because if we'd failed," Evan said slowly, "We at least knew that Jem would have been okay anyway. Hurting, sick, but alive. Will, if we don't time all of this perfectly...."
"I know," Will sighed. "We all die."
"No." Evan said, without looking at him. "No, you don't die, Will, you suffer. The Shadowhunters will cease to exist, demons rule - I think I'm getting my villains confused." Evan sighed helplessly.
"No, no, you're right. Mortmain will win. Shadowhunters will fall. Demons will wreak chaos on the Shadow and Mundane Worlds." Will kissed the top of her head gently, brushing back her bangs and tipping her chin up so their eyes could meet. "But we know everything, Charlotte-Evangeline, we just have to prove it."
Evan studied him for a second before brushing their lips together, pulling back and saying, "The Clave said that there is no sign of Mortmain in Idris, that leaves anyplace in the World with Idris in the name... He targeted your family specifically. We could suggest it?"
"It would be a - what did you call it the other day? - a 'long shot'?" Will asked smoothly. Evan laughed.
"Yeah, it would be a 'Hail Mary'." Evan agreed. "No, I mean, with the right persuasion... it makes sense. Besides, the caves under the mountain go on for miles... under the lake and through the valley, I think. It would be a fairly good place to keep an army of hellish clockwork creatures. I mean, if I were going to take over the world and I wanted to have a certain freaky symbolic thing to target the good guy's homeland... yeah. Cadiar Idris would be the way to go."
Will blinked, "I think you lost me for a second there, actually."
Evan shrugged lightly, tapping her fingers on the edge of the map, "Oh, I'm just admiring his evil master plan." Then she smiled a mockingly-wicked smile, "But it just so happens that I'm better."
"I suppose that does happen when you've read about antagonists from the future," Will agreed, mockingly.
"Voldemort was by far the best." Evan said. "You knew his plans but it wasn't because he spent, like, three pages talking about himself. He basically just wanted Harry dead. Simple - but if it came down to it, I have to say; all it would have taken was a drop-kick out of the nursery window."
"I never thought I would say this," Will said, looking at Evan oddly. "But I think you read a little too much, Evan."
Evan thought for a moment and pouted. "Oh, please don't say that."
"Just a smidge," Will teased, his arm around her shoulders.
"At least all the reading is getting me somewhere. Like, the past."
Will considered this. "Fair enough. I think we've earned ice cream."