The Followers of the Guardian was a group made up of Sighted part-Downworlders who did the Guardian's bidding and participated in the Lottery in exchange for power and their desires.
History
Some time between 2007 and 2012, Malcolm Fade formed the Followers to gather thirteen murderers needed for his spell. The members of the "cult" recruited more and more, with the promise of money, fame, power, and whatever their heart may desire in exchange for their loyalty, until their number grew to around three hundred. They appealed specifically to part-Downworlders and even had a booth at the Shadow Market to entice fellow part-supernatural beings who may feel alone.
The Followers participate in the Lottery, and the chosen one would be required to commit murder within days of being picked, or would be killed. Their instructions were that they could kill any mundane—with their murders passable as a mundane serial killer's doing—and faeries, who were not under the protection of the the Clave. Along with this, the Followers also got instructions to kill the fey enemies of Malcolm's ally Iarlath so their murders would be passed off as the group's random work.
A woman who called herself Belinda Belle was among the first members, and was the first murderer. For Malcolm's ritual, he took her right hand—the hand used to kill—and used it to start his collection of Hands of Glory needed for his necromantic spell.
With Johnny Rook's help, he was able to ensure a false sense of fortune for his Followers who successfully kill for him. This convinced more Followers to fully believe in the Guardian's power and ability to give them true happiness, keeping them content and making them more dedicated to performing his commands and killing for him. Also after every Lottery, whenever the chosen one kills their victim, the victim and the killer is taken by Malcolm to the convergence site, after which, through sympathetic magic, the Followers grew stronger.
In August 2012, Ava Leigh was chosen for the Lottery. Desperate, she killed her boyfriend, Stanley Wells. On the 11th, the Followers held their thirteenth and final Lottery at the Midnight Theater; the Shadowhunters Emma Carstairs, Cristina Rosales, Julian and Mark Blackthorn infiltrated the event. Casper Sterling was chosen as the next person in the hunt, and was able to kill one of their new recruits Wren two days after.
A few days later, Malcolm killed all of the Followers, many of them through broken necks, and kept them in the convergence site. Even in death, the Followers were forced to follow their Guardian: when Malcolm's final sacrifice was interrupted by the arrival of the Los Angeles Shadowhunters and their allies, Malcolm awakened his zombified Followers and made them attack the young Shadowhunters. Many of them were killed "again"—by being beheaded or being struck with a seraph blade, but Malcolm was forced by Emma to call them off. With a Greek incantation, the Followers fell dead once again. The corpses of the Followers were still inside the convergence site during its collapse.
Known members
- Malcolm Fade † — leader, "the Guardian"
- Ava Leigh †
- Belinda Belle †
- Casper Sterling †
- Wren †
Symbol
The insignia of the Followers consists of lines of water underneath a flame, referring to the first line ("First the flame and then the flood") of the poem containing the instructions to bring Annabel Blackthorn back from the dead.