As the team of Shadowhunters entered an abandoned factory, Alec couldn't help but notice the burn on Echo's arm.
"What happened?"
Echo glanced down at her arm, "Your arrow grazed me." Echo's voice was low.
The conversation was cut short as Jace spoke.
"Magnus's lair is right behind that fence."
Clary stepped forward, "Magnus lives in a warehouse?"
"Not exactly."
Isabelle held up a hand and looked around, "Something's wrong. It's far to easy to get this close."
Alec looked down at Clary, "Don't get in the way," Then he looked at Echo, "Either of you."
Clary narrowed her eyes at him, but Echo could hear the slight seriousness of safety in his voice. Echo gave a nod and Clary just looked away with attitude.
Movement caught Echo's eye and she saw two men fighting, until one man cut the other with a blade.
"Valentine found Magnus!" Clary shouted as she ran toward the two men.
Alec and Echo ran in one direction while Clary, Isabelle and Jace ran in the other.
The weight of the Seraph blade was heavy in Echo's hand and when she looked up from the blade, Alec was gone.
"Alec." She kept her voice low.
Echo turned to a noise and expected to see Alec, but a man dressed in a black suit and a Circle rune on his neck stood with a blade in his hand.
"Echo Fairchild. Valentine would be so please to know that you are alive."
Echo held out the dim Seraph blade, and the Shadowhunter gave a chuckle, "Is that it? That blade doesn't even respond to you."
Echo felt a sudden familiarity and she swung the blade toward the man. He blocked her swing and was on sudden alert. He swung his blade toward her and was satisfied when the blade made contact with her skin. Echo's arm bleed where she was sliced, but she hardly felt anything.
She used that moment of weakness in the Shadowhunter's attention and plunged the dim blade into his chest. Alec chose that moment to rush into the area Echo was at. He was shocked at the way she was looking at the Circle member as she killed him.
"Echo."
Echo turned her attention to Alec and pulled the Seraph blade out. The man fell to the ground and Echo retracted the blade into the handle. She was suddenly aware of what she did and looked down at the man. Her headache was seriously catching up to her and she stumbled slightly.
"He's dead."
Alec lowered his bow, "He is. We have to go." His voice was tender but urgent.
Echo nodded and followed Alec. Alec had noticed the cut on Echo's arm, but he didn't have time to put a rune on her, and she didn't seem to mind it at the moment.
Alec drew his bow back as they entered a decorated area and shot at a Circle member who was tormenting Magnus. Magnus then used his power to push the man back.
Alec dropped the bow, "Well done."
Magnus turned and his expression changed when he looked at Alec, "I'm Magnus Bane. I don't think we've been formally introduced."
Echo gave a small smile as she realized that Magnus was flirting. Alec adjusted his bow, "Alec. We, uh, should really be--" Alec stumbled over his words.
Magnus smiled, "Right, we should be joining the party."
Alec gave a soft reply and stalked out of the room with Magnus and Echo following.
They all entered a destroyed living room with wounded Downworlders littering the area.
Jace was trying to heal some of them and Isabelle was putting new runes on her skin. Alec had sat Echo down and redrew the healing rune onto her skin. Alec had noticed that Echo's eye colour was slightly darker than when he'd last seen them, but he didn't say anything.
Magnus had moved the lair so that they had the view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the move did nothing to better Echo's pulsing headache. Magnus had had Clary led into a room and asked her to draw an intricate symbol in order to summon the memory demon.
Echo sat on the sofa and waited for her sister to draw; Magnus had suggested that Echo draw the design, but Echo didn't have the patients or the will, so Magnus had Clary draw it instead. It had been an hour and Clary wasn't finished with the pentagram and Echo was starting to get antsy.
Alec had suggested she rest, but Echo was getting twitchy.
"How much longer?"
Magnus gave a wave of his hand, "However long it takes."
Echo scrunched her nose and put a hand through her hair. She sighed as she paced around the room.
"You're very vague with your answers. You know that?"
Magnus just gave a sweet smile, "I am a man with many centuries behind him. Conversations get boring after the years, and I enjoy watching people squirm at unanswered questions."
Echo flared her nose, "You're impossible."
"Thank you dear."
Echo gave a frustrated shout and Magnus chuckled, "You've changed over the years. You used to be so buoyant and sweet. What happened?"
Alec sucked in a breath as he waited for Echo to shout.
Echo clenched her jaw and looked over at Magnus, "You happened."
Magnus made a look of faux hurt, "Me? What did I do?"
Echo just shrugged and looked down at her hands.
"Ah, using my methods against me, I see. Fair enough."
Echo swallowed and used the hair tie, that was around her wrist, to pull up her darkening hair. She secured the elastic and she heard Alec swear under his breath. Echo turned to see him standing, "Turn around."
Alec pushed Echo's hair to the side, "The runes gone."
Echo felt the pressure of the Stele, "Again?"
Magnus stood up, "What do you mean gone?"
Echo turned her head slightly, "Some of the runes won't keep. We've had to do most of them twice."
Magnus looked at the rune that Alec was burning, "And this rune doesn't hurt you?"
Echo shook her head, "No, is this the same one that Jace did on Clary?"
Jace looked up, "The Greater Demon rune?"
Alec nodded and eyed the rune. The finished product looked angry on Echo's pale skin, "Okay, it's done."
Alec moved away from Echo and Magnus replaced him tracing the rune.
"Did you feel anything?"
Echo turned to look at the Warlock, "No, just the pressure of the Stele."
"No pain?"
Echo narrowed her eyes, "I just said that."
Magnus backed away, "It's just, every Shadowhunter than has ever had the pleasure of baring a Greater Demon rune has usually felt immense pain. Yet, you seem to feel nothing."
Echo shrugged her shoulders, "So?"
Magnus sat on his chair, "So, it's unusual."
Echo pinched the bridge of her nose, "None of this is usual."
Alec leaned against the window and watched Echo. She brushed her hair from her face and walked to the door where Clary was.
"Hey, how is it going?"
Clary didn't look up, "It's harder than I thought. Magnus says it has to be exact."
Echo leaned against the doorframe for support, "You can do it."
Clary noticed that Echo's voice sounded weak and she looked up, "Are you okay? You don't look so good."
Echo waved her hand, "Don't worry about me. Worry about getting this right so we can have our memories back."
Clary hesitantly went back to drawing the pentagram, "I'm sorry that I was harsh to you."
Echo shook her head, "No, I'm sorry."
Clary gave a short laugh, "I guess this was going to catch up with us a some point."
Echo crossed her arms, "I guess so." Echo paused, "Just take your time, if you need a break, take one."
Clary looked up momentarily at Echo and smiled, before going back to the drawing.
Echo gave a sigh and pushed herself away from the doorframe. But the action made her dizzy and she had to use the wall to keep herself up right. She pushed herself to the couch and Alec looked up.
"Whoa, are you all right?"
Echo nodded waving her hand, "Yeah, just kinda dizzy."
Alec slowly stood up, "Come and sit down."
Echo closed her eyes trying to make the dizziness wash away; when she opened them she expected to see the ground level, but she opened her eyes to a blur of colour.
She shook her head, but that only made the matter worse.
"Echo, come sit down." Echo felt Alec's hands on her shoulders and she nodded.
But as soon as she lifted her hands off of the couch, she was suddenly falling. Alec acted quick and caught her weight into his arms.
Echo saw the room spin and she felt herself being lifted into strong arms, and then laid down on the soft sofa.
"Echo, can you hear me?"
Echo tried to put a hand to her head, but the action was lost in the air.
"Echo."
Isabelle, Jace and Magnus had all taken a leap and were hovering over Echo as she slowly turned her head from side to side. Echo opened and closed her eyes slowly, trying to make the colours and sounds sharp again. Alec put a hand to her forehead, "She's burning up."
"Is this the rune? Is that what's happening?"
Magnus looked at Jace, "It shouldn't, but with her, I don't know."
Alec shook his head, "She didn't sleep last night, and I don't think she ate anything yesterday either."
Echo opened her eyes for a brief moment, before her entire body fell slack against the sofa as she lost consciousness.
"Damn it!"
Alec put a hand to her throat just to make sure she was still alive. When he felt her pulse under his fingers he sighed with relief. Clary bounded out of the room when she heard Alec swear.
"What?" Clary noticed Echo on the sofa, "Echo! What happened?"
Alec put a hand in his hair, "She passed out."
Magnus looked at Clary, "We will take care of her, are you finished with the Pentagram?"
Clary glanced at her sister, "Almost."
Magnus waved over at the door, "Go, she will be fine."
Clary gave a hesitant look at her sister thenwent back to the drawing.