****Magnus's POV****

Even he felt sick as he stared at the gruesome scene. The bodies of the dragons were cut clean open, revealing innards and an outburst of dark blue blood that made him gag internally. Alec hadn't seemed to notice him creeping closer although he did give a nod to Magnus at some point, allowing the Hunter access to the bodies.

"Just look what they've done!" Jace said with despair. Clary still clung to him, eyes wide with what he could only assume was horror. The redhead talked a big game but hardly ever saw death. Alicante was amidst a war and yet the city itself remained a sanctuary. A place where people like Magnus and Maia who hated dragons and those who loved dragons like Clary and Simon could live in tandem.

"The humans are such monsters!" One of the guards snarled. Any fear towards Magnus earlier was replaced by downright fury.

"Just look at them, they didn't even stand a chance." One of them quietly moaned, tears glistening.

But there was one dragon who kept quiet during it all. Magnus was startled by the mismatched scales of red, blue, green and yellow. This dragon reminded him more of the blocks children played with then a flying reptile. There was a drip like pattern of white scales down his face seeming to denote his old age.

Alec addressed this dragon quietly, his voice as tense as his body felt. Magnus was off of those warm, dark scales though he kept in close contact. Skin brushed the darkness, feeling the warmth underneath and the faint thud of a heartbeat. "Plethora, please don't tell me this is what I think it is?"

The rainbow dragon —Plethora— let out a somber sigh. "These dragons were slaughtered yes. However . . ." His voice caught, a small cough sputtering from him.

Jace's eyes widened. "Guards, her him something to drink!"

The guards bustled off, returning less than a minute later with a big leaf drenched in water. He had no idea where it came from. The liquid was a pristine color as the elderly dragon glugged down the drink. Water dribbled into an open mouth and down multi-colored scales. A small puddle ended up on the ground that was studiously ignored but the other dragons present. Alec reached out to rub Plethora's back with his claws as if trying to rid the insufferable tension there.

"Are you okay Plethora?"

"Yes Alexander, I'm just fine." The old dragon heaved. Another gulp of water was taken before Plethora spoke again, this time with a clear voice without any of the coughing from before. "As I was saying, these dragons were killed horribly. However, it wasn't because of humans."

There was a gasp, Magnus wasn't sure from who, though he knew it wasn't from Alec. The prince stood erect, blue eyes intense with an emotion he could not name. "You can't be saying what I think you're saying."

Plethora dipped his head. An old claw reached out to grab one of the corpses. Magnus internally gagged as the smell of rotting flesh was dragged closer to him. For dragons, who were meant to have an even stronger sense of smell, it was surprising none of them were reacting with disgust. Perhaps the gravity of the situation had them so unnerved. Clary hid her disgust terribly. Jace curved his wing around the petite redhead protectively, like he could protect her from the grotesque scene.

"Try as they might, those responsible could not hide who they are. You see the problems with these wounds right? Why they can't have been made by humans?"

Alec peered closely at the neck presented to him. Nostrils twitched as the prince scented the fleshy corpse. Magnus tried to see what Plethora was getting at, but he found himself unable to see beyond the mound of blood and scales. Hardly ever did he stay around long enough to watch a dragon's body as it decomposed. These corpses clearly deserved better than being left out in the open to rot away, even if his opinions on dragons was rather uncertain. It shouldn't be. Why is it? Maybe it had to do with a certain blue eyed dragon, not that he would dare admit it aloud.

"I don't see anything." Jace grumbled.

Plethora rolled his eyes in a very familiar gesture Magnus was used to seeing from Alec. He wondered if that was where the Prince got it from. There was still so much he didn't know about him. And so much he doesn't know about me. He doesn't understand how deep my conviction runs.

"Of course not. You're looking at it wrong. Alexander, care to explain to your platonic?"

Platonic? A new word tasted strange at the back of his throat. So many terms, with no follow up definitions. It didn't seem overly serious, so perhaps Alec would inform him of the meaning later. If he was nice enough, that was.

Alec blinked once, then twice. "See the markings on the throats, they're deep."

"So what?" Jace remained puzzled.

Magnus however was beginning to put the pieces together. "No human weapons could have caused those wounds . . . Or any weapons for that matter."

Alec nodded at Magnus, a small quirk to his lips. "Yes, and that's because these dragons were killed by other dragons. Or, maybe it was just one dragon."

And that was when another clue became apparent, striking out to connect dots Magnus had never seen before. Amidst the dark blue pools of blood on the corpses was the sheen of another color. It could not have come from the bodies, the scale color was wrong.

Gleaming white scales poked out of the wound after some impromptu digging. They were round like solid pebbles, the kind you might throw across a pond to watch how long they would skip and the ripples the gesture would make. Eventually, they would descend into the depths of murky water, never to be seen again.

Jace's expression did a complete one eighty. From confusion to stone cold horror, a million thoughts seemed to pass through his head. "N-no. That can't be true. It-It can't be true." He was backing away, without Clary no less. The redhead was staring at him worriedly, probably wondering what was wrong.

"Jace? Are you okay?"

The golden dragon shook his head, wings shaking. "No. Not at all."

"That's just as well, considering who these belong to," Plethora said.

Alec sighed. "Are you completely certain about this? There's no going back once an accusation is thrown. And, well, we haven't seen him anywhere near the kingdom in years."

Plethora nodded, expression grave. "I am certain. The killer is Valentine Morgenstern. King Robert must be informed immediately."

"Okay. I'll notify him at once."

The tense atmosphere seemed to sharpen even more. Alec spread his wings out, stripes lighting up at once. Once again, Magnus found himself mesmerized by the shining gleam of blue. It was so vivid and he lovely way it matched Alec's eyes . . .

Stop it Magnus! Just stop it! Remember why you're here.

The machinations of his mind would not be silenced. Instead of thoughts of destruction for dragons, Magnus found himself wanting to help for once. He tried to reason this strange feeling as originating from his need to get close to the dragons before stabbing them in the back.

But why does it feel so wrong to think that now?

For that, he had no answer.