Chapter Text
"You know what would be great right about now?" Jace shouted, ducking under another tentacle before stabbing upward and dodging out of the way of the spray of venomous blood.
"I'm sure you're going to tell us!" Alec shouted back, drawing another arrow, firing it, and forcing the demon back another two steps.
Jace yanked Clary out of the way of another tentacle that darted forward and shoved her toward Izzy before blocking the one coming for him with a second blade. "Your all-powerful husband to figure out what the fuck was summoning these things so we could stop having to kill them in the middle of New York!"
Alec growled and glared at his parabatai, even as he stepped up and sliced a tentacle in half that was darting forward for Jace's back. "He's trying!"
"Tell him to try faster!" Izzy snapped, her whip darting forward to hit the demon in the eye, making it screech. "We're going to end up with more mundane interference at this rate and we've already lost seven!"
"Speaking of!" Clary shouted, drawing another rune into her palm before firing it at the demon, forcing it back six steps. "Mundane approaching from three o'clock, Izzy, can you-"
"Got it!" Izzy growled, turning her attention to the mundane who had wandered into their perimeter wide-eyed. If it wasn't the sixth of these demons to show up tonight, he never would have gotten close. She forced a smile to her face and waited for him to meet her eyes. "Hey there, you need to-" She blinked when he stepped right past her.
"Hey! You're looking for me, right?"
Izzy turned around to stare at the mundane, wide-eyed, who was waving at the demon. The demon had frozen, and had turned to stare at the mundane who was standing in the middle of their battlefield, his hands tucked into his pockets. "Wait, you can't-"
"Oh I'm perfectly fine," the mundane answered, smiling at her. "Don't worry, we're taking care of the others right now." He stepped in closer to the Nightmare and held out his hand. "There you are, he's been worried, and he's taking care of your siblings right now."
Izzy gave Alec and Jace quick looks, her weapon dropping into her hands again. "You know who has been releasing these into the mundane world?" She paused. "Who the hell are you?"
The mundane sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I probably can't convince you to pretend to just let us go, can you?"
Alec looked at the demon who was surprisingly subdued beside the mundane and scowled. "If you're the one who has been summoning these demons into New York, you're under arrest under the order of the Clave, and you'll be coming with me."
Hob sighed, louder this time, looking back at the Nightmare. "All right, here's the deal. I'll send you back, since he's sending the others, and I'll try to clean things up." A gurgle and worried pop of acidic bubbles had Hob smiling and he reached out to give it a pat, his hand sizzling briefly. "Don't worry, we both know that you didn't mean to hurt anyone."
"There are seven dead mundanes thanks to them!" Clary snapped.
"They're not actually dead, they're paralyzed, and they're going to be fine," Hob corrected, pointing at her. "But I'm not surprised you don't know that. Now, where is-" The sight of a swirling orange portal had his eyes widening and he turned back to the Nightmare. "I'm going to be fine, don't let him worry, got it?" Tugging on the Dreaming's power, he pressed his hands to the Nightmare, and in a swirl of sand, it was gone. He heaved a sigh of relief and turned to face the team of angry college student-aged kids. With tattoos.
"I can explain," Hob said, holding up his hands. He paused and considered that for a moment. "Actually, you're not going to believe any explanation, but if you want me to explain, I can. These aren't your normal demons, which is why you weren't able to stop them."
Magnus stepped forward and drew his magic down the length of the mundane in front of him, and his magic recoiled at the touch of ancient magic sunk so deep into his very being, there would be no removing it. He schooled his face and narrowed his eyes. "What are you? Why did you summon them here?"
Hob rubbed a hand over his face. "So much for a vacation." He pushed his hair out of his face. "You'd better not make me late for my conference tomorrow, and if I don't sleep, my husband will come looking for me and I promise that's something you're all going to want to avoid."
Alec looked at Magnus and then back to the mundane in front of him. "You're going to need to return with us. You need to be questioned."
Hob shrugged. "Sure, no problem kid. Like I said, places to be tomorrow, and if I don't sleep tonight, you're going to have big problems on your hands."
There was a worrying amount of truth in that quiet statement and Magnus glanced at Alec and gave him a nod as Jace and Isabelle stood on either side of the mundane and began to escort him to the Institute. He reached out to brush his fingertips against Alec's side as they fell a few steps behind, out of hearing range of the mundane.
"What's with him?" Alec asked, narrowing his eyes. "He's mundane."
"Not entirely," Magnus answered, his eyes on the mundane. "There's very old magic in him. Old as the planet, if not older. I'd almost say we've captured a god of some sort, but he's very... human."
Alec turned his attention fully to the mundane again and the way he walked, taking in his unhurried pace and posture. "He's not afraid of us, and he can see us while glamoured. And he sent that demon... wherever it went." He glanced at Magnus. "Is the portal that they were coming through closed?"
Magnus frowned. "It is." His magic was crawling under his skin uncomfortably. "However, I wasn't the one to close it. Someone else did. And it's a similar type of magic to what's in him." He gestured to the mundane.
"Do you think he's a danger to us?" Alec asked, his attention sharpening. "We can have him-"
"I wouldn't touch him," Magnus said, his voice soft. "He is coming with us because we have asked. I suspect, if we were to take him into any captivity, and do anything he doesn't suggest, the retribution would be severe and immediate." He brushed his fingertips along Alexander's arm. "I have to go see to the mundanes that were injured by the demons with Catarina, but I will come to the Institute afterward."
Alec nodded. "Stay safe, Magnus."
Magnus smiled and winked at Alec. "Only as long as you do the same, Alexander." He gave a bow and stepped through another portal.
Hob glanced behind him as the kid who was clearly the leader stepped up beside him again, all three of them clearly escorting him as they hurried through the streets of New York. He looked up at the stars. Hopefully, Dream was dealing with the Unseelie who had caused this whole mess, but visiting Titania always ended up putting him in a foul mood and the last thing he would want would be to come to rescue Hob from some sort of magical entities that had decided he was a threat.
If push came to shove, he could use the sand to escape, but he didn't particularly want to do that unless he had to. Better to see how they treated him first. Especially since all of them were armed and very clearly able to use the weapons. He glanced back at the kid behind him. "You're a damn good shot with that bow, by the way."
Alec blinked and frowned at the mundane.
"It's probably got a draw weight of what, eighty? Ninety pounds?" Hob looked back at it again, spinning around to face the kid behind him as he continued to walk backward, looking at the bow strung over his shoulder. "That'd be my guess. Probably a bitch to train with though, having to carry one around that size." He shrugged and spun around. "Smaller than a longbow though, so I suppose I shouldn't talk."
"Who the hell are you?" Jace asked, looking over at the mundane. Ahead of them, Clary giggled and Jace did his best not to smile when he heard Alec sigh. "You're a mundane who can see us, see demons, but you're not a warlock?"
Hob blinked and looked at the blond jock in entirely too much leather beside him. "You can call me Hob."
Alec's eyes sharpened and he shared a glance with Izzy. Anyone who knew to answer that question in that precise way had had dealings with the Seelie, or the Unseelie, that much was clear.
Hob grinned and threw him a wink. "I know better than to give my full name when I'm dealing with magical shit I don't understand. Granted, I understand more than I used to since I got married, but there's still plenty I don't. So who are you guys?"
"Answer my questions first," Jace demanded. "You're a mundane who can see us. How? We're glamoured."
Hob tilted his head and looked at him and studied him for a long second. "It doesn't work on me," he said with a shrug. "I can see it, now that you've said that. It's a bit like a camera doesn't want to properly focus on you. But I can still see you. And the thing you're calling a demon wasn't actually a demon."
"Yes, it was," Clary said. "It showed up on our sensors and everything."
Hob looked at the redhead ahead of him and hummed. "Doesn't make it a demon. Poor thing was panicking and you were attacking it, so of course, it fought back. Granted, being poisoned and then let loose in a city is a worst-case scenario for them..." he sighed and shook his head.
Alec stepped up closer, on Jace's other side, and stared at the mundane. "Who poisoned them?"
"Someone who is being taken care of," Hob said confidently, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Took me too long to get all of them sent back home, but we had to divide and conquer." He shrugged. "My husband will make sure they don't come through to your part of the world again."
"And I repeat," Jace said, scowling. "Who the hell are you?"
Hob laughed, his head falling back. "Kid, you wouldn't believe me if I told you, so I'm not going to bother." He looked around and shivered, pushing his hands deeper into his pockets. "You going to have coffee wherever we're going or do I need to bribe you to stop so I can get some?"
Izzy looked at him with a frown. "You drink coffee?"
"Of course, I bloody drink coffee, what do you think I am, an alien?" Hob shot back, whistling as he kept walking. "Now how far are we from this place of yours?" He turned his attention back to the tallest kid among them and found himself being studied. "And where did your husband pop off to?"
"He's helping the mundanes who were attacked," Alec said.
"Ah," Hob nodded. "He'll be able to undo the paralysis. If he can't, for whatever reason, let me know. I'll talk to my husband, if yours can't, mine certainly can."
Alec narrowed his eyes. "Magnus is one of the most powerful warlocks alive."
Hob raised his eyebrows and smiled. "And my statement still holds true." He stepped forward at the urging of the blonde and shuddered under the weight of magic that abruptly settled around him. "Christ, what the fuck is that?"
Isabelle stopped and turned to look at the mundane who had paused just inside their wards. "What?"
Hob grunted and reached up to poke at the magic he could feel trying to wrap around him and contain him. "Call off the magical guard dogs or I'll push back." When all of them gave blank looks, Hob sighed and reached out to his connection with Dream, breathing in deep, reaching for the part of him that he rarely touched, but was useful when he needed it. Power draped around him, his crown shimmering to bright life in his hair, and his robe, a mirror image of Dream's, but in silver, fell around him.
An instant later, the weight was gone and he sighed in relief, putting his hands into his pockets again. He turned to look at the kids staring at him in shock now. Hob shrugged. "Your magical borders are heavy and I don't feel like getting the headache that will come with them." Now, if he wanted to, stepping into the Dreaming would be a matter of seconds, and they would have no way to easily hold him. He grinned and gestured to the cathedral in front of them. "Shall we go inside? You mentioned bringing me in for questions."
Alec shared a glance with his siblings and nodded to Clary. An uncomfortable feeling turned over in his chest and he pulled out his phone, texting Magnus to rejoin them soon. Whoever they were walking beside, wearing a crown and a robe made of silver and stars was not someone that he wanted to get on the wrong side of, Magnus had been right.
"This way," Alec said, stepping in front. "We want to understand what it was that attacked our city and how to prevent it from happening again in the future."
Hob hummed and followed the kid into the cathedral, letting out another low whistle. Behind him, he caught sight of Matthew slipping through the door and up into the rafters, grinning. Of course Dream would send him to keep an eye on things, because his husband was first and foremost a worrier when it came to anything. "I can tell you who opened the portal, and we're dealing with it, but you might want to keep an eye out for them in the future."
Alec led the way into one of the conferences, glad that Operations, for the most part, openly gaped for a few seconds at the mundane with a crown, and what mimicked a robe of spun silver walked with them. He opened the door and held it open and gave Izzy and Clary a nod and relaxed when Jace stepped in with him and shut the door behind him.
Hob raised his eyebrows and sank into one of the seats around the table, leaning back against it. "I was impressed that you were holding your own against what you were fighting. Glad I got there when I did."
"Thank you for your assistance," Alec said, sitting down across from him. "But you said they weren't demons?"
"No," Hob said with a shake of his head. "They look like some I have seen, so I have no doubt that is the reason they tripped your sensors, but they are not creatures of Hell. Far from it, in fact." He leaned back in his chair. "I suspect that's also why you couldn't find the source of them easily."
"If they weren't demons, then what were they?" Jace asked, leaning back against the wall of the conference room. "And why the hell are you wearing a crown?"
Hob fought down the urge to laugh at the grumpy blonde and winked at him. "I'm wearing a crown because it's mine as King Consort. I don't like it, but it's a power thing. When I use it here, it shows up." He reached up and tapped at the shimmering starlight in his hair and smiled at it. He shrugged.
Alec narrowed his eyes. "You aren't answering the question."
Hob looked at the kid in front of him and let out a quiet hum. "Quite right," he agreed. "I could tell you what they are, but it's better that I don't. Know that they were taken from their home, given something that would drive them mad, and then released into your world. My husband came to get them back, and I happened to be in the same city, so I came to help. He doesn't like being in more than one place at once."
"Who is your husband?" Alec asked, narrowing his eyes. "The kind of power you're talking about..."
Hob laughed and shook his head. "No comment and no answer. Your city is safe from what happened, and it won't happen again, unless one of the Fae decides that they have a vendetta against you. But even then my husband's wrath should be enough to keep them away." He shrugged. "It's a violation of their treaty, so the punishment will be severe."
Jace rubbed his forehead. "Do you always talk in fucking riddles?"
"No, actually," Hob admitted. "But there are few things I would keep as safe as I do my husband's secrets, and that will never change." He shrugged and settled back in the chair, yawning. "He's keeping an eye on me though, so it looks like I won't get a visit from him as long as I sleep tonight."
"You understand," Alec started. "You have given us no proof that you are not the one who summoned those creatures, and that you will not do so the second you are out of here. You have told us nothing." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Explain why I should trust you, or anything that you say."
Hob tapped his fingers on the edge of the table. "I did send the creature back to its home and kept it from attacking all of you." He held up his hands which were still healing from the acid burn. "Hurting myself in the process, mind you, but you were doing more damage, and I couldn't let you keep hurting it."
"So it is yours," Alec said, narrowing his eyes. "Why did you summon them here?"
"I just told you I didn't," Hob said. "One of the Fae did, and we're handling that."
"By 'we', I'm assuming you mean your husband?" Alec challenged. "Who we have seen no proof of, and there is no guarantee that he exists or will do anything to prevent this from happening again."
"Christ if I realized it was going to be this big of an issue I wouldn't have bothered coming with you," Hob muttered, rubbing a hand over his face. "Okay, kid, look."
"My name is Alec Lightwood-Bane," Alec snapped.
Hob snorted and smiled. "All right, Mister Lightwood-Bane. I'm not a danger to you. The creatures are no longer at large in your city. The humans they tried to hurt are all going to be perfectly fine. They aren't going to come through again, and the person who brought them through is going to be stopped and punished. What other answers do you need?"
"How about proof, for any of that," Jace said, his tone mild. "Because right now, you've given us none of it, like Alec said."
Hob stared at the both of them for several long moments and looked up at the corner of the room where Matthew was blending into the shadows. "Oi, Matthew." He could feel both of them were surprised when the raven landed on the table beside him. "I'm going to tell them what's going on once the other one is back. Alec's husband here. He'll know to keep his mouth shut. Can you let him know?"
"He's not going to like that," Matthew answered.
Alec's eyes slammed wide. "What the..."
"Did that bird just fucking-"
"He'll survive," Hob said, pointing a finger at Matthew. "We're not going to cause another political incident and I know that he has his hands full with Titania right now, so he can deal with her and I can deal with this." He paused and grinned. "Besides, you know the drill. I'll be fine, and you can tell him I'm in full King Consort mode. That always makes him happy."
Matthew scowled and spread his wings. "He's going to make it rain."
"It will be fine," Hob reiterated, holding out his hand before tossing Matthew into the air. In seconds, he had disappeared into the shadows of the room and he turned back to the shocked two kids in the room with them. "All right, as long as my husband doesn't come in here to yell at me, I'll explain what happened once your husband comes back."
Alec frowned. "Why do we have to wait for Magnus?"
"I suspect," Hob started. "That he is going to understand much more of what I have to say than the two of you will. I also think that he will be able to tell you I speak the truth." He glanced toward the door and saw the very man he was speaking of approaching, and the power curling around him was unmistakable, and Hob stood up when he opened the door.