Chapter Text
Halloween had notoriously been a Downworlder tradition. The only way Shadowhunters had taken part for centuries had been hunting for demons the night of. The culture in Idris had changed though and with Magnus as the High Warlock, his brother as the Counsel and more downworlders living in their walls than ever before, Halloween was a holiday that the city had decided to celebrate, much to the disapproval of all the older Clave members.
The cobble lined streets had been decorated with orange lights, pumpkins and skeletons. Even the infamous statue of the angel Raziel had been adorned with pumpkins around the base and a huge almost demonic sized spider who sat in a web that stretched off one of the wings and onto a lamp pole across the street.
The older members of the city shook their heads and murmured about how their city was falling apart but everyone else seemed just as excited to join in the holiday as the Downworld was to share it with them.
Alec and Magnus were throwing a Halloween party that was sure to put every other Halloween party across the world to shame. Magnus had been talking about it for weeks. It wasn’t often he got to throw parties now, not with he and Alec both holding such demanding jobs in a time when their positions were as important as ever.
Their house, located close to the center of town, had been decorated enough that it was hardly recognizable. The traditional, modest style that seemed to encompass all of the buildings in Idris turned out to be perfect for Halloween, as long as Magnus used a glamour or two to make the windows of their home look broken and to make the exterior look like it was crumbling. There were even ghosts that swarmed above the house, circling, moaning and darting down close to anyone who dared to walk up to the door.
Max walked up the pathway to his brother’s house, shooing the fake ghosts away as he quietly pulled the front door open. It was always a gamble walking into their house unannounced. Normally, Magnus could tell someone was there instantly but there had been quite a few times he’d been distracted and Max had walked in to see something he wished he hadn’t.
Today though, Max was hoping he could slip in and out without either of them noticing he’d been there. See, he and his friends had a plan for tonight, something that involved more than just dressing up and eating candy. Tonight, they were going to let the dead fall on this city and Max needed his brother’s stele to do that.
Max paused in the hallway, listening. The house was completely silent. Max had thought they might be out and he was thrilled to see he was right. Them being going was much better than them being distracted. Max had heard his brother moan enough for a lifetime.
Max darted down the hallway, his footsteps loud as he pushed his brother’s study door open and went inside. He pulled his desk drawer open and pushed all the pens and paper aside, searching for what he knew his brother kept in here somewhere. Max found his brother’s extra stele at the bottom of the last drawer, hidden quite well for anyone except Max who knew exactly how his brother liked to hide things.
Max slipped it into his pocket and closed the drawers, practically darting out of the room. He’d told Madzie and Benny that he’d meet them soon and he was going to be late if he didn’t hurry.
Max pushed open the study door once again and almost ran into Magnus’ chest in his haste to get out before anyone noticed him. Magnus blinked, raising an eyebrow as he looked down at him. “Good morning, Max.”
Max stared up at him with wide eyes, taking a step back. “Morning, Magnus.” He said, suddenly deeply aware of his brother’s stele half sticking out of his pant pocket. He’d have pushed it deeper if he’d known anyone was home. His hand twitched to move and grab it but he forced himself not to. Maybe, Magnus wouldn't notice. “Happy Halloween.” He said, trying to appear as casual as he possibly could.
“Happy Halloween.” Magnus echoed, his eyes scanning Max suspiciously. For a moment, Max thought he’d seen the stele and somehow known which one it was but then he met Max’s eyes again. “Not that I’m not thrilled to see you but can I ask what you were looking for in your brother’s study?”
Max shrugged, moving to walk past Magnus into the kitchen. “I was just looking for Alec.” He called behind him, hoping Magnus took his actions as casual and not as him fleeing, like he was.
Magnus hummed behind him. “Oh.”
Max walked into the kitchen and grabbed an apple off the cauldron on the table. Their new cat, Chairman, darted between Max’s feet and down the hallway. He was dressed in a bat costume and he seemed less than thrilled about it.
For a moment, Max thought Magnus actually believed him and then his brother in law kept speaking. “You were looking for him in his drawers?” He asked.
Max sucked in a deep breath. Fuck. He took a bite of the apple, turning to look at Magnus as he chewed. He pulled his shirt down before he did, covering the stele in his pocket. “Yeah.” He said, swallowing. “I was looking for him in his drawer.”
Magnus nodded slowly like he’d actually accepted the ridiculous answer. “I suppose the stele you took was just a bonus?” Magnus asked finally, a small knowing smirk on his lips.
Max could get away with a lot around Alec. Alec still underestimated him, in the way that an older sibling always seemed to when they didn’t want to realize the younger sibling was growing up. Magnus didn’t underestimate him at all.
Max nodded. He took another bite of the apple, chewing because he couldn't think of anything at all to say. Magnus raised an eyebrow but Max took his time, chewing thoroughly before swallowing. It would be a shame if he choked.
“I lost mine.” He said suddenly. “I didn’t want to go ask for another. Madzie and I are supposed to meet soon.”
Magnus nodded slowly but Max could tell Magnus didn’t exactly believe him. Max held his breath. That was the cool thing about having Magnus as a brother, even when he knew Max was lying, he wouldn’t blow his cover unless he thought Max was actually going to do something horrible. Magnus had been a kid once and a mischievous adult for far longer than that.
It was Halloween, he wouldn’t ruin their fun unless he thought he had to. “I suppose you won’t mind if I let your brother know you took it then?” He said eventually.
Max shrugged. “Of course not.” He said easily. “You don’t think I’m lying, do you?”
Magnus pressed his lips together. He moved to pull his coffee cup off the counter where he must have left it to go see what Max was doing. “Don’t cause too much trouble.” Magnus said finally. “It is the first Halloween we’re having here. We wouldn’t want to give the Clave a heart attack just yet.”
Max grinned. “Of course, not too much.” He repeated.
Magnus smiled back for a moment and then Max gave in and darted forward, wrapping his arms around Magnus’ chest to hug him tight for a moment. “Happy Halloween, Magnus.” He murmured into the silk of Magnus’ sleep shirt. Max pulled away after a moment and darted towards the front door. “Bye!” He called over his shoulder, the door slamming behind him as he ran down the steps. A ghost moved above his head but Max ran out the gate and down the street before it could move down to chase him.
They were going to do something so much cooler than that.
Max took Alec’s stele out of his pocket and lit the agility rune on his arm before jumping to grab the frame of the window before him to pull himself up. Alec’s stele didn’t do anything different than his when it came to lighting runes but the superiority of Alec’s felt better in his hand. Max was only fourteen. His stele was a normal beginner's stele. It could light runes, unlock average doors and that was about it. Alec’s stele could do just about anything.
Max wanted one of his own someday, one that he’d been given rather than one he’d stolen. Alec said if he really wanted to have one, he’d have to start following the rules. Max reminded Alec that he kissed a warlock at his wedding, in front of the entire Clave. He couldn’t really talk, could he?
Besides, Max was fourteen. He could have some fun stealing before he grew up.
Max scaled the side of the building and pulled him over the edge onto the roof. Madzie sat waiting for him, Benny sitting next to her side. “You’re late.” She called over, turning to look at him with a half disapproving gaze. Behind it, she couldn’t quite hide her excitement.
Max grinned and stood up, brushing the dirt off his arms. “Magnus caught me taking Alec’s stele.” He explained, moving forward to peer down at the book both of his friends were staring at.
Benny was a werewolf that had moved here recently with his mom. They’d become fast friends after Max pushed Jamie, the worst kid in their town, into a fountain for making fun of him.
He was a nervous kid. He wasn’t quite as mischievous as Max and Madzie were, nor was he as fearless in the face of trouble but he was nice and peer pressure or not, he was willing to help with their insane plans.
“Did he get mad?” Benny asked, wringing his hands in his lap. He had only met Magnus twice and he hadn’t quite seen past Magnus’ intimidating exterior yet.
“No.” Max sat on the roof, not caring that black soot was smudging across his hands and now, his pants. “He said not to cause too much trouble.”
Madzie hummed. “I don’t think this is too much trouble.” She said, her eyes still scanning the book in her lap (it was also stolen but it really wasn’t their fault that they had to steal everything. If the adults would just let them use what they wanted, they wouldn’t have to steal it).
“Me either,” Max said, shrugging. “It’s Halloween after all.”
Benny stayed silent but Max chose to assume he agreed.
There wasn’t anything about conjuring spirits in the book Madzie had taken. That was probably why no one had noticed they’d taken it. It was a simple book with nothing that harmful in it but Magnus had told them all about how even the most simple spells could be used for almost anything if you knew how to use them right. If you had a spell for conjuring energy, you could use it to draw in just about any kind of energy you wanted, into anything you wanted. If you had a spell for opening doors, you could use it to open portals into different dimensions.
If you had, for example, a spell on conjuring magical creatures, you could use it to conjure spirits if you knew how to shift the intent towards the dead. Just for example's sake, of course.
“What else do we need?” Max asked, peering over Madzie’s shoulder. She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket, one she’d used to scribble down the ingredients to summon spirits. They couldn’t have taken the Book of the Dead out of Magnus’ office. He’d have noticed right away and that he would have put a stop to but that didn’t mean they couldn’t look and write something down.
“Vampire venom-” Madzie read off the list, “Dried Hemp Leaves, Vampire Dust-”
“Lots of vampire ingredients,” Benny commented quietly. He was scared of vampires.
“They’re dead. Makes sense.” Max said, shrugging.
Madzie kept reading without looking at them, “Blood of a child-”
“Not it.” Max called instantly. Benny glared over at him, murmuring about how maybe werewolf blood wouldn’t work. “Maybe, Shadowhunter blood won’t work either.” Max spat back. It would have been nice if they could have asked Magnus if it mattered but it wasn’t like they could just run it by him.
Madzie kept reading the rest of the list without reading it out loud to them. “We have most of these. We just need blood, vampire venom and northwind root.”
“Awesome,” Max said, pulling himself to his feet. “We can get most of that at the apothecary in town. Alec’s stele will let us in.”
“What if she’s still there?” Benny asked nervously. Max didn’t have to ask him who he was talking about. The warlock that ran the Idris apothecary was notoriously grumpy and she did not like them at all. She refused to sell to them unless they came in with an adult. It wasn’t a law or a rule: It was simply something she decided to put a halt on almost every single plan they had.
“The shop is closed today,” Max said. Madzie closed the book and pushed it into her bag, rising to her feet as well. “Hopefully, she’ll be gone.” Max said shrugging, reaching out to help Benny to his feet. Luck should be on their side. There was no reason she’d still be there today.
When they actually got there, they realized that luck was not on their side.
“What do we do now?” Benny hissed, his back pressed against the brick wall to stop Cydney, the warlock, from looking out the window and seeing him.
“Shush.” Max hissed, though it was more to give him a moment to think than actually thinking Benny was going to get them caught. “Uh-” Max met Madzie’s eyes, both of them scrambling to try and think of a plan. It was a stupid way for this all to end but if they couldn’t get in there and get the rest of the ingredients, their plan was over. “Knock on the door.” Max said suddenly, spinning to look at Benny.
“What?” He snapped, his eyes wide and panicked.
Max nodded. “Yeah, it will be fine. Just knock on the door and make something up. Say you need help. Madzie and I will sneak in the back, grab the supplies and sneak out.”
Benny shook his head no instantly, “Max, I can’t. I don’t know what to say, I can’t-”
Max nodded. “It’s easy.” He insisted, ignoring Benny’s clear panic. “Magnus always says sometimes you have to do things that scare you.” Max darted forward, knocking sharply on the door to the shop. “You’ll be fine, give us two minutes inside and we’ll meet you right here again.”
Max grabbed Madzie’s arm and pulled her around the corner of the building, leaving Benny alone as they heard the front door open. “What do you want?” They heard Cydney snap before they rounded the building again and were out of earshot.
Max scrawled an unlock rune on the door and pulled Madzie inside the back room of the shop. Inside, they could hear Benny rambling something about his mother needing supplies. “You find the root, I’ll find the venom.” Max whispered, turning to scan the shelves.
Madzie closed her eyes for a moment and her hands glowed briefly. The gills on her neck flared and when she opened her eyes, she darted across the room out of sight. Max wanted to ask when she’d learned to do that but it wasn’t really the best time.
“I know but she told me to come and-“ They needed to hurry. Cydney was growing more and more frustrated as Benny repeated himself yet again.
Max scanned the shelves quicker but half of them were unlabeled and of the ones that were labeled, half of them seemed to be in another language that Max didn’t recognize.
Madzie appeared at Max’s side a moment later, three tangles of roots held in her hands. “Do the thing-“ Max hissed quickly, looking back to make sure Cydney was still standing outside of the store. “They’re not labeled. What does vampire venom even look like?”
“Like venom!” Madzie snapped helpfully. She shoved the root into Max’s hands and closed her eyes again, doing the same thing she’d done moments before to find the root.
When she opened her eyes though, she didn’t look relieved, she looked panicked. “It’s not working right, it’s saying it’s-“
Max hadn’t been sure what she was going to say but as the voice spoke from the open doorway, the same one they’d slipped through behind the shop, he put it together.
The spell wasn’t working because it was saying there was venom was outside. “Hey, kids. Stealing on Halloween?” Lily Chen, leader of the New York Vampire Clan stood in the doorway, smirking like she’d caught them doing something they weren’t supposed to. Which, she had.
Max’s eyes flashed to the front door again. Cydney still hadn’t looked back but she looked like she was about to slam the door in Benny’s face. Max darted towards Lily and half pulled, half pushed her out the door. “Come on.” He hissed towards Madzie. Max saw her look towards the shelves again, her hand snapping out at the last second to pull a small bottle off the shelf and shove it into her pocket.
Max wouldn’t have been able to push Lily out the door if she hadn’t wanted to move but luckily, she stepped outside and watched calmly as Madzie slipped the door closed behind them.
“Did I hear you asking what vampire venom looks like?” Lily asked finally. “Shouldn’t they teach you that in all your Shadowhunter classes?”
“They- I haven’t taken Downworlder Studies yet,” Max admitted. “Please don’t tell Magnus.” He spit out. He wasn’t going to beg her but he was sure she could hear how desperate he was in his voice.
Lily blinked slowly. “I’m not going to tell him.” She said easily. “It’s not my job to babysit for Magnus.” Max breathed out a sigh of relief. “I would, however-“ Lily continued. “-be inclined to tell Alec what you were doing. I owe him and this would make us even.” The relief on Max’s face disappeared so quickly that it almost looked like Lily has slapped him. “So, what is it that you’re doing?” She asked chipperly.
Madzie and Max both fell silent for a moment.
“Group project?” Madzie offered almost at the same time that Max said, “We’re conjuring spirits.” Madzie turned and gave him a disbelieving look. Clearly, they hadn’t been on the same page.
“And… you’re trying to conjure spirits why?” Lily asked.
Max shrugged. “Harmless Halloween fun?” He offered.
“Life experience?” Madzie chimed in.
“The thrill of accomplishing something?”
They probably would have gone on but at that moment, Benny came running around the corner of the building. His face was flushed and panicked. “Why would you do that?” He snapped, his voice coming out through harsh breath. “I had no clue what to say, I just told her that my mom-” Benny cut himself off as he noticed Lily for the first time. He stumbled backward a step or two. “Is that a vampire?”
It was kind of cute how new to all of this he was. He’d been bitten by a young werewolf in some small town in Kansas and now, he was here way out of his depth.
“This is Lily Chen,” Madzie told him. “She runs the New York Vampire Clan and she just caught us stealing.” That didn’t seem to make Benny feel better.
“She might tell Alec on us.” Max said for the sake of being completely honest. That didn’t seem to make him feel better either.
Lily looked at Benny and then sighed, looking back towards Madzie and Max again. “I won’t tell on you.” She said finally. “Only spirits, right? If you end up raising the dead and killing half the town, Alec is going to be so pissed at me.”
Madzie nodded. “Only spirits.” She confirmed. Everyone knew spirits were harmless. They were even more harmless than ghosts.
Lily watched them for a moment and then finally, she laughed. “Alright, have fun kids.” She turned like she was about to walk away before she hesitated for a moment. She turned back to look at all three of them in turn before speaking, her voice low and serious, “If this goes terribly wrong, I never saw you. Got it?”
They all nodded and then she was gone.
Magnus was standing in his kitchen, stringing up some last-minute decorations when he heard his phone go off. He sighed and with a snap of his fingers, it appeared in front of him so he could read it. It was text from a particularly grumpy warlock he knew lived in town.
‘Your children just stole from me.’ It read, ‘Again.’
Magnus took a deep breath.
‘I’ll pay for it.’ He wrote back quickly. ‘-but they’re not my children.’ He added as an afterthought. He had the feeling he didn’t want to be connected to whatever they were doing tonight.
“Alexander?” Magnus called over his shoulder. He could hear his husband wrestling with some plastic cobwebs behind him. “Did I mention that I saw your brother this morning?”
Alec hummed curiously. “No, did he need something?”
Magnus slowly dropped the decorations he was holding to the ground. He spun on his heel and pursed his lips for a moment. “Well-” Magnus clasped his hands in front of him. “He did happen to take the stele from your desk.”
Alec looked up at him, his hands a mess of plastic. It almost looked like he was tangling them more than managing to stretch them out. “Oh?” He asked slowly.
“Yeah-” Magnus smiled, trying to be reassuring. “-and I’m sure it’s nothing but Cydney did just text me that they took a few things without permission.”
For a moment, it almost looked like Alec was going to throw up. “Oh, god.” He choked out.
Magnus darted forward, his hands coming to rest on his husband’s comfortingly. The sentiment was a little useless because Alec’s hands were covered in a thick layer of web but Magnus hoped Alec was comforted regardless. “They took Catarina’s spellbook. There’s nothing bad in there. I’m sure they’re just-” Magnus shrugged. “-having some Halloween fun. There’s no reason to panic.”
“They’re going to derune him.” Alec moaned, leaning forward to curl into his husband’s neck.
Magnus sighed. “Come on,” He murmured. “If the Clave could deal with Jace and you, I’m sure they can deal with Max too. They’re used to you Lightwoods.”
“Jace and I didn’t steal from the City of the Dead.” Alec rushed out. “We didn’t sneak into Clave meetings. We didn’t skip our classes to summon demons-”
Their little group was making quite a name for themselves. Magnus purses his lips for a moment, choosing a different route. “Exactly-” He stated, tipping his husband’s worried face up to meet his. “They’ve done a lot already. This is Halloween. This is probably going to be the most harmless thing they’ve ever done.”
Alec didn’t look too sure.
“Come on.” Magnus gently pulled the webs from his husband’s hands. “Let’s give these a break. Come help me hang some lights. What do you think would look better, purple or orange?”
Alec followed Magnus slowly over to the counter where he had the lights stretched out. “Purple?” He said softly.
Magnus had been thinking orange but he didn’t say so. “Purple would look lovely. Though, where should we put the orange lights?” Magnus pondered for a moment, watching his husband's eyes look around the space.
“Maybe-”
Magnus snapped his fingers before Alec could finish speaking. The orange lights disappeared and then found their way around his husband’s shoulders, wrapping around his biceps and glimmering in his hair. Magnus smiled. “Perfect.”
Magnus turned away to grab the plastic spider’s he’d put down and behind him, Alec burst out laughing as he struggled to move towards him.
“Magnus!”
Magnus smiled and spun around, humming contemplatively as he placed a plastic spider across Alec’s hairline. “Now, it’s really perfect.” He murmured, leaning in to kiss his husband’s soft, smiling lips.
Max darted in front of Benny and Madzie to perch himself on a rock and peer out at the dark path in front of them. The witchlight glowed in his hand, lightly the pathway in pale hues of white. Benny’s flashlight flashed forward, lighting the path for at least another ten feet. “Why do you use that rock when it hardly even works?”
Max dropped to the ground. “Electronics won’t work as we get closer to the wards.”
“But they work now.” Benny pointed out. Max stayed silent for a moment before he dropped the witchlight into his pocket. After a few steps, Benny handed over the flashlight and let Max hold it for the rest of the walk.
They were walking to the outskirts of the city, where hopefully no one would interrupt them. Everyone was excited to take part in the history that was happening tonight, except those who were distinctly not. As the sky grew darker, the elders went inside and the new generation of the world came out to play.
It was surprisingly hard to find some privacy in all the excitement, especially enough so to try and raise some spirits.
They were almost to the clearing they were heading to when Benny spoke again. “Guys, what if we get into trouble?” Behind him, Madzie sighed.
“You didn’t have to come.” Max chimed in, look back at Benny’s nervous stance behind him. “We told you you could have just gone home.”
Benny swallowed. “No.” He insisted quickly. “I wanted to come.”
He didn’t want to come. Max knew he wanted to stay home. He came because he didn’t want to be left out. He came because he didn’t want them to exclude him, next time.
Max shrugged. “Alright.” He said easily, turning back to look at the path. “Then if we get in trouble, remember it was your choice.” Max looked back one more time and winked.
Benny didn’t answer but when Madzie laughed, he smiled half sincere, half nervous all at once. Max wondered briefly if he regretted becoming friends with them and then he pushed that thought away. Of course, he didn’t. They were awesome.
When they reached the clearing, Madzie pulled out the spellbook and started to arrange the ingredients they'd collected. This was going to be the easy part. The spell wasn’t hard. They’d gotten all the ingredients and made it here. They were, for all intents and purposes, in the clear. Until after of course. If no one had a sense of humor, they could be grounded for the rest of the month but tonight, there was nothing that could possibly go wrong.
After this, it was smooth sailing and nothing but Halloween fun. If Max was being honest though, he’d been having fun the whole time. He loved sneaking around. He loved stealing. He loved knowing no one else knew what they were up to. He loved being with his friends while he did it.
Max laid sprawled in the grass with his head pillowed on Benny’s lap, watching Madzie fiddle with all the ingredients. Max was a little tired but more than that, he was content. The stars were bright in the sky. Benny’s legs were soft under his head and his hands were warm where they rested almost in his hair.
He listened to the sound of the werewolves far off in the forest, Benny’s soft breathing, the smell of the vampire venom singeing the air as Madzie opened the bottle and he wanted more than anything to stay in this moment forever.
Next month, he was going to the Academy. He’d finished all his training here and he had no choice but to go. He wouldn’t be back for almost a full year, unless Alec brought him home for a weekend or two. People normally didn’t leave the Academy though. You stayed and you studied and you missed your friends and family until you were done.
Madzie and Benny would stay here and Max would be all alone, surrounded by Shadowhunters his age who’d probably love nothing more than to kick his friends out of their country.
Alec said he’d make new friends there and that Madzie and Benny would still be here when he came back but the truth was, Max didn’t want to make new friends. He didn’t want to leave. He didn’t want Madzie and Benny to have fun without him. He didn’t want them to forget him.
Maybe, that’s why he’d wanted to do this so bad. It was one last big thing they could do together so that maybe they wouldn’t forget him while he was gone.
Max opened his eyes, startled when Madzie threw a rock near his face. “You’re not going to fall asleep, are you? After this, we still have all night.”
“Of course not! I was just-” Max shook his head and sat up. He knew he’d have to tell them he was leaving at some point but why would he ruin the rest of tonight by bringing it up? He’d tell them tomorrow or... maybe the day after, if they weren’t all locked inside. “Are you ready?” He asked instead.
Madzie nodded. “Yeah.” She said, looking up between both of them. “The only thing we need is blood.”
“I did call not it.” Max said, glancing over at Benny.
Benny took in a slow, deep breath. Quietly, he said, “I am not giving you my blood for this. I don’t like blood. I don’t like seeing it. I don’t like being hurt. This wasn’t even my idea!” He insisted, his voice rising as he spoke. “There is absolutely no way I’m doing. I’m not.”
Max nodded slowly. “Okay. Let’s just talk about this. There has to be a fair way to do this.” The talk was a short one.
Benny finched as Madzie drew the knife across his palm. His free hand tensed in Max’s, clutching it like he thought if he let go Madzie was going to slip and cut his arm off. “I can’t believe you talked me into this.” He whispered, his voice hushed and panicked.
“You’re doing great.” Max said back, trying to be encouraging.
Madzie dropped his hand and when Benny looked over, he gasped and paled at the sight of the blood. For a moment, Max almost thought he was going to pass out. “Look.” He said, tightening his hand on Benny’s uninjured one. “Look at it- watch.”
Benny looked hesitantly, his face scrunched up in disgust. The wound was deep across his hand, dripping slowly into the grass. They all stared and after a moment, the wound came back together and healed itself as if it had never even been cut open.
Max clapped the back of Benny’s shoulder. “See? It’s cool, huh?”
Benny went silent for a moment, his eyes wide with fascination. “I didn’t know that could happen.” He whispered.
Max laughed. “Perks of being a Downworlder. I have to use a stupid rune.” Max took Benny’s other hand and wiped the excess blood against the fabric of his pants. There was no more putting it off. They were ready and the moment Benny seemed to realize this, the fascination faded off his face and he looked worried once again.
Max didn’t let go of his hand. “Come on, let’s do this.” He said, pulling Benny to his feet. It was cold and Benny’s hand was warm in his. Werewolves ran hot and Max had never appreciated that fact more. Of course, he could have put a rune on that would have warmed him far more efficiently than Benny’s small hand would but Max didn’t. He wasn’t quite sure why.
The thing about spells is that the build-up is always ten times longer than the actual spell itself. The spell was easy and quick. It was the preparation that took forever. They’d been planning this for weeks but in the end, it took about a minute for Madzie to do the spell.
Benny and Max stood behind her, squirming with separate parts anxiety and excitement. As Madzie read the spell off, her hands glowing, Max felt Benny tighten in his. Max wondered if he was excited, even a little bit. He wondered if he was a little more thrilled about doing this than he let on. He had to be, right? Or he wouldn’t be here.
Madzie spoke the last words of the spell and for a few short moments, everything was silent. Max could still hear the werewolves far off in the woods. He could hear the trees swaying around them. He thought he could almost hear the noise of the city, as faint as the wind.
He didn’t hear any spirits. Benny’s hand loosened in his. Max wondered if he was relieved or disappointed. Max had just opened his mouth to ask aloud if they’d done it wrong when he felt it.
For a second, Max thought the wind had simply swept through the field they were in but as the hairs on the back of his arms stood up and his skin tingled, Max realized that it wasn’t the wind he was feeling, it was magic.
An excited grin stretched across Max’s face. Madzie pulled herself to her feet are looking around them, waiting for the spirits they’d called to this place to burst into the air. That second went on though and as nothing happened, the grin slowly faded from Max’s face.
“Is that-” Max wasn’t sure what Benny had been about to say. Maybe, he’d seen something Max hadn’t. Maybe, he’d been about to ask what exactly a spirit would look like. Before he could finish his sentence, the ground under them exploded and they were all thrown back in a mess of dirt.
Max landed hard on the ground, his head cracking against the cold earth beneath him. The stele in his pocket stabbed deep into his side as he landed. Cold pain blossomed across his chest. Benny’s hand was gone from his.
Max tried to force himself sit up but everything hurt and the world was spinning so much that he could hardly see. Dirt fell onto his face as softly as rain. Max found himself flat on his back, staring up at the stars. Blood trickled from his side and his head but Max didn’t even notice.
Someone was screaming so faintly that Max couldn’t even make out the words. His ears were ringing loud. Something was wrong. Something was terribly, terribly wrong but Max found it very hard to try to concentrate. It was Halloween. A field. A spell. They’d been doing something fun but Max couldn’t remember what it had been.
The thought was fleeting and Max found it very hard to cling to it. It was Halloween, Madzie holding a book, Benny’s hand-
Max remembered sitting on the roof of the Institute with Alec when he’d been little. He couldn’t have been more than six. He and Alec were supposed to be in bed but whenever he couldn’t sleep, Alec would take him onto the roof and they’d lay down at watch the stars together until they got tired.
Max remembered falling asleep on the roof and waking up in his bed more times than he could count. Their mother would have been furious. They were too young to be out of bed. They were too young to be on the roof alone. They were too young to be up so late.
Staring up at the sky, Max wondered if she ever knew that they did that. For a moment, Max felt like he was six again. He could feel the groves of the shingles digging into his back. He could see the dart soot on his hands. He could hear Alec’s breath next to him. He could feel his brother’s big warm arm around him and he could see the stars, shining so bright that he thought they might blind him.
Max closed his eyes and he knew that when he woke up, the soot would be washed from his hands and he would be in his bed, tucked in the way only Alec ever did.
Someone was screaming but Max couldn’t hear them.