Magnus looked startled. Then, without argument, he started running around collecting ingredients. I wanted to laugh at the deja vu, until I realised that that had been the night that Alec had kissed me for the first time and I felt my gut wrench at the thought.
Magnus poured his concoction into a small cup and muttered, "This better work," Before downing it.
"What does that do?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
Magnus grimaced, "Hopefully kick-start my magic." I looked at him expectantly but he held up a hand and shrugged, "Give it a minute?" I picked up an ancient looking, encyclopedia worthy book, and flicked through the pages. It had a beautiful red and gold bookmark that looked like it, and the ornate book, had no place in a twenty-first century apartment. I could physically feel the magic radiating from the object and frowned as the electric feeling shot up my arms. Magnus looked at the book I was flicking through and set down his cup. "That book is very precious. Warlock spells preserved in all their grandeur." He looked down at his hand for a moment then sighed, "This isn't working." I put the book down and took a step closer to him.
"Why don't you just try something simple?" I suggested. Pointing to a small object on his table I tried, "Move that." He squinted hard at the ornament but nothing happened. "Uh, usually, you have a little bit more of a-" I waved my hands about dramatically, "-flourish to it."
"I do not look like that," Magnus replied incredulously.
I pulled a face that said you kind of do and he scowled at me. "Maybe we try something different," I suggested, taking the crystal out of my necklace, "I don't know how this came into this dimension with me-"
Magnus' eyes grew wide at the gem in my hand, "Because it's of this dimension. It belongs here." He reached out to touch it and as soon as his fingers made contact, a jolt of electricity shot through us both. "Oh now that's what I'm talking about. We have lift off." Magnus closed his eyes and inhaled, "The energy is very faint. It's been dormant for a long time - like me." He chuckled, "Let's see if we can wake it up." He curled his fingers around the whole stone and took another deep breath.
"Can you see it?" I asked.
A grin split his face, "Yes," His happiness faltered slightly, "It's in a subbasement of Fort Knox."
My jaw dropped, "Like, literally Fort-"
"No," Magnus shook his head, "but it might as well be." He looked at me, breaking his faraway spell, "The Institute."
"Why is that a problem?" I asked, frowning.
"High tech, high security," He waved his hand, "Impossible to get into."
A light bulb went off in my head, "And hosting an anniversary party tonight that I have the hookup to." My phone chimed with a message from Isabelle asking for help and I sighed, "Damn." I looked back up at the warlock, "Meet me tonight at 7:00 pm at the Institute - dress to impress." I winked before hurriedly making my way to Isabelle's house - which I had no idea I even knew how to get to.
I burst through her door, "What's the emergency?"
She turned around and I gasped. She had a black eye. The area of skin under her thick-rimmed glasses was a ghastly shade of bluish purple. "Oh, my God Izzy, what happened?"
"Kickboxing class," She looked close to tears. "I thought, why not? Quick class after work and, boom! Home in time to see you."
"Well, you got the boom part right," I muttered.
Isabelle was hysterical, "Andrea's foot - right into my face. She has to pick today to finally land her roundhouse?"
"It's okay. I can fix it-"
She started pacing, "Oh, my God. What are people gonna think? And then Alec worked so hard to plan this. I can't just not go to the party and what am I supposed to do?"
I cut off her rambling, "Hey, hey, I'm gonna fix it," I caught her arms and sat her down on the bed.
"Okay," She nodded, "But then we have to fix you and Alec, because the two of you not talking really messes with my chi." I had an incredulous look, crossed with confusion written all over my face, I could tell. Luckily my back was to Isabelle and I pulled out some make up, fixing my confused state before turning back to her. "Are you sure those are the colours?"
I wasn't, to be truthful but nevertheless I said, "We'll uh, we'll make it work."
"Okay, because if I don't show up to the party, your dad and Simon are so gonna kill me," She was still hyperventilating. I started applying the make up around her eye and could see it working.
"So, uh do you think you could get a friend of mine on the guest list for tonight?" I asked, trying to be nonchalant.
Isabelle nodded quickly, "If you make this work, I'll do anything for you."
I successfully covered the blemish without a trace and Isabelle squealed happily, asking for the name of my friend. I told her it was Magnus Bane and she didn't even question my choice in friends, promising she'd have him on the list.
My other self had apparently already brought my dress for the party over to Isabelle's house previous to my arrival here and I was thankful that we could just get dressed and go. Isabelle tugged my hand happily through the door of the Institute but I soon lost her to Simon, who I'd gathered was her boyfriend here. I dodged around people to avoid Alec as much as possible until I could find Magnus, knowing that if I saw him, I'd let myself be consumed for my want of what I couldn't have. I made sure that Isabelle had told him I was here and had waved to him before letting Clary whisk me away, so that he knew I was here and I didn't mess anything up for this dimension's me after I left.
I located Magnus and after looking around for a moment to make sure Alec couldn't see me sneaking off with another man, we disappeared down into the basement.
"What are we even looking for?" The only things I could see were objects and ornaments, statues, and shelves with dusty books.
"I'll know it when I see it," Magnus said.
"What if this doesn't work?" I was starting to worry.
"It will, I can feel it," He assured me.
I started to feel a pull towards one of the walls, as though the hot magic of the portal was calling to me when suddenly I felt excruciating pain flood my body. I fell to the ground, writhing. Magnus rushed over to me, "What? What is it?"
I couldn't form any words but one, "Alec!" Something was wrong with the boy from my dimension but I didn't know what, all I felt was my body on fire.
Just when I'd thought this couldn't get any worse, a demon from my world, burst through a portal, charging straight at us. As a result of the debilitating pain I was experiencing second hand through Alec, I couldn't move. I couldn't get out of the way. The thing descended on me, stabbing me in the neck with its tail. Magnus managed to blast it away with his magic, but it only held it off for a few seconds. Fortunately, a few seconds was all we needed.
Jace came running down the stairs. "Samara!"
I knew straight away it was the Jace from my world; he'd come through after me. He laid eyes on the demon and reached for a broom, snapping it in half with his foot and impaling the being. It fell to the ground, dead.
Jace dropped to his knees next to me. "What happened?"
I pulled my dress away from my neck, revealing the gaping wound the demon left. Before Jace could say anything, I managed to choke out, "Alec- What happened to Alec?"
"You felt it too?" He asked surprised. I nodded and Jace replied, "I don't know, but right now we need to get you help," He looked up at Magnus, "Will portaling her back to her own body cure her?"
Magnus shook his head, "No. Blood travels with you. It's why your angelic powers still work here - the demon venom is in her blood."
"Then we have to get her back to the Institute in our dimension," Jace went to help me up but I shook my head fiercely.
"No, we've gotta find Valentine," I grunted through my ragged breathing.
"Samara, you're in no condition to fight," He argued.
"We might not get another chance, Jace. This is too important," I refused.
Suddenly Magnus shouted, "I found it!"
Jace lifted me up with his hold on my biceps, "Come on." I groaned in protest at the movement but let him drag me over to Magnus. He took the crystal from my pocket and placed the shard into the wall, successfully opening the portal.
Jace looked at Magnus, still supporting me, "You'll have to destroy the portal after we go through."
"Why?" Magnus asked.
"To secure your dimension from all sides. Otherwise, if it stays open, you'll be vulnerable to demon attacks again."
The warlock nodded, "I'll take care of it and the malodorous monstrosity on the floor over there," He then looked at me, "Thank you, you gave me back a life. I won't forget it." I smiled meekly. "Now, go. Think of your father," He instructed.
With that, Jace pulled us both through the portal.
-
Poor Samara, why is it always her that gets hurt? And she could feel Alec's pain when he was tracking Jace???
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NOS x