Alec had moved to lean against a wall, praying for someone to come home soon.

"Alexander?" someone called from upstairs.

"I'm, uh, downstairs!" he called. He watched as Magnus appeared at the top of the stairs and saw Alec.

He appeared in front of Alec, crouched, awkwardly hugging him.

"Oh, Alexander," Magnus sighed. Alec closed his eyes in content. They were both safe again.

When he opened his eyes, they were back in Alec's room, on the middle of the comfortable bed.

Magnus was playing with Alec's hair.

"You're beautiful, Alexander," Magnus said. 

"What happened?" Alec asked, trying to resist Magnus' charm.

"You don't want to know," Magnus said. Magnus' cat eyes looked sad. He knew that look.

"Who's dead?" Alec asked. 

Magnus shook his head as if he couldn't find the words.

"Magnus!" Alec grabbed the front of Magnus' blue suit. It was sparkling slightly in the witchlight. 

Tears were filling both of their eyes.

Alec's head hit Magnus' chest, shaking back and forth against the suit.

"Don't say Jace," Alec said. "Or Izzy, please, please, Magnus."

"Jace is fine," Magnus said. He wrapped his arms around Alec.

It was Izzy.

That was all that gesture could mean.

The tears that had formed began falling.

"She's not gone yet, Alec, but I don't know," Magnus stuttered.

"Where was I?" Alec mumbled. His words were choked. "Magnus, I failed her. Oh God, we were fighting. It was stupid and--"

"There was absolutely nothing you could have done," Magnus said. "It wasn't in battle."

"What was it?" Alec's voice was still muffled against Magnus' suit.

"It's complicated. And you need to rest. I need to help Isabelle. However I can," Magnus said.

"You can't go," Alec said, grabbing onto Magnus again. "You guys can't leave again."

"Jace should be back soon-- Alec, you have to let me try and help Isabelle."

"I don't want to lose you too," Alec said. His world was falling to little, bitty pieces.

Max.

His parent's divorce.

Losing Jace's attention to Clary.

Now Isabelle?

Magnus let Alec cry in his arms for a few minutes.

Alec could feel a few of Magnus' own tears fall into his hair, seeping through his thick, black, messy hair. 

There was a knock at the door and Magnus disappeared in an instantly, causing Alec to fall back on the pillows.

He stared up at the ceiling, alone.

...........

Magnus appeared outside Alec's room just after Clary knocked. 

His eyes were an unusual red. 

"She's downstairs?"

Clary nodded. Isabelle was still in the back of the van but she didn't have much of a choice.

The two descended the stairs together. Once they were outside, Magnus surveyed the situation.

"Meet me upstairs," was all he said. Then he and Isabelle disappeared. Clary shut and locked the van, reentering the Institute. She heard a crack of thunder in the distance.

She should probably go and find Jace. . . 

But Isabelle needed her more than Jace.

Clary climbed the old creaking stairs and entered Isabelle's room.

Magnus rattled off a list of runes then told Clary to Mark Isabelle. She found a stele left on Isabelle's nightstand.

Magnus was flipping furiously through the Book of the White, trying to find some sort of spell to reverse everything, all while cursing under his breath.

The door to Isabelle's room opened slowly. James stood there, eyes and face blank.

"What can I do?" he asked, no emotion to his voice; no sense of urgency.

"Do you know of anything that could reverse this?" Magnus asked, whirling around. His eyes were almost flashing.

"Might it be possible to transfer the power to someone stronger?" James asked.

"Who is stronger than a Shadowhunter?" Magnus asked. He spoke quickly as if the conversation was just a nuisance. 

"Someone with Lillith's blood running through them-- Magnus, we have no other choice. Isabelle has to be rid of the Labyrinth's power. Which mean someone is going have to take that power."

"I do hope you're not suggesting yourself," Magnus said, disapprovingly. 

"I have no one, Magnus Bane," James said. "Ragnor Fell took the only person I've ever loved. How do you expect me to run to him?"

"I trust no one, not even Isabelle, with the power of the Labyrinth," Magnus said. "It belongs there."

"I shall return to the Labyrinth then," James said.

"Why not just bring Izzy to the Labyrinth?" Clary asked.

"Because humans can't jump from dimension to dimension, Clary," Magnus said. "Not even the strongest of Shadowhunters. Only warlocks can enter the Labyrinth. Isabelle went there mentally never physically."

"So it's settle then," James said.

"Tyrannus--"

"Magnus," James said, finality in his tone. "This conversation is over. I shall take the Labyrinth's power and return to our home dimension."

"How can I trust you?"

"I'll swear on whatever you'd like me to," James said. Magnus just shook his head.

"So how do we transfer the power?" Clary asked.

"That's the other problem," Magnus said. Everyone stood around thinking. 

"I could create a rune," Clary said.

"Obviously, we don't have time to call on your creative muses," Magnus said. "She has hours, if that. If you haven't seen something by now-- Anyways, we can't Mark a warlock."

Clary wanted to pull her hair out in frustration. There was too much going on. At least the Mortal War had been somewhat gradual but this-- this was instant chaos.

Where was Jace?

Alec?

Robert and Maryse?

Luke and Jocelyn?

"I may have an idea," Magnus said.

Clary and James looked at him. He had a calculating look on his face as if he was rapidly solving a complex equation.

"What if we give James some Shadowhunter blood--"

"It'd neutralize the demon in him," Clary said. "Even I know that."

"But what if we neutralized it just enough that a bond rune would work?"

"He'd need more than just a little bit of Shadowhunter blood," Clary pointed out. "You'd have to train an entire Shadowhunter."

Magnus was only silenced for a second.

"Sienna--"

"Magnus, no," James said.

"This is the only way we could possibly save Isabelle!" Magnus yelled. "Or do none of you seem to care?"

"She was left with the Clave," James said, miserably.

"Sienna's dead?" Clary asked, voice choking. She had barely spoken two words to the girl. 

"Yes," Magnus said. There was no sympathy in his voice. "I'll go."

He disappeared leaving Clary with a silently crying warlock.

.........

"This is the Labyrinth?" Isabelle asked to herself.

She had been walking for what seemed like days on end. She'd only woken up once and she didn't even remember what she had said before passing out again. But her old life didn't seem to matter.

What she had here-- in the Labyrinth-- was far greater than anything the Shadowhunter world had to offer.

"This is a compilation of everything warlocks know," said a voice from behind her. She turned around. A warlock with green skin stood there. He looked like he had just stepped out of the New York Stock Exchange during the 20's; look complete with news boy cap and a dapper vest. He nodded approvingly at the magnificent city before them.

"This is nowhere close to Alicante," Isabelle mused. "And Alicante is--"

"--truly a city of wonder, in your dimension of course," the warlock finished. "My name's Ragnor Fell."

"And how am I here, Ragnor Fell?" she asked. She easily flirted with him. He was cute for a warlock, but then again she only really spent time with Magnus. "How are you here?"

"Magic. I'm actually standing in the middle of a sort of pentagram in your dimension. This is sort of like a dream," Ragnor said. His voice was soft. "I wanted to see it for myself. I haven't been here in forever."

"But what am I doing here?"

"You're here against your will," Ragnor said.

"Why would this be against anyone's will?"

Her surroundings were indescribable.

"They say the Labyrinth bends to the occupant's will. We're not seeing the same thing."

Izzy turned to look at him, as if he was crazy.

"It appeals to the occupant," Ragnor said with a shoulder shrug.

"I still don't understand why I'm here against my will."

"You have family outside of here," Ragnor said. 

"I wish they could see this," she said. 

"Isabelle," Ragnor said, capturing her attention again. "You are the Labyrinth now. It's power courses through your veins."

"That's ridiculous," she said.

"The Labyrinth exists inside you. You're the most powerful person in your dimension. You need to keep that power safe."

She turned her head to the side.

"Someone's going to try and steal the Labyrinth from you," Ragnor said, his voice now harsh and brutally honest. "I'd recommend stopping them."