Disclaimer: The Mortal Instruments are property of the Angel Raziel, I mean, of Cassandra Clare. I would not try to use them for my own pourposes. After reading those books, it seems a Very Bad Idea.
His hair was getting long again, Clary thought, while Jace took of his black helmet and got away from the demon-power motorcycle. The golden locks fell around his face very much like they would if they were in a Calvin Klein ad, but that kind of impression was the first thing Clary got used about Jace, no doubt. Things like the fact they could leave their helmets over a bike parked beside the Pandemonium and trust they would not be robbed because of the this-is-an-hydrometer glamour she had put on it was a little harder to treat as normalcy.
Well, if she hadn't insisted that they should use helmets, they wouldn't have to glamour it, but, really, as much as she trusted Jace's driving skills, she hadn't enough angel blood to be able to survive a crash or something. And her mother would kill her, or worse, make Magnus erase her Shadowhunter memories again if she knew her only daughter was moving around in a bike. With her boyfriend. Yes, Jocelyn would freak out. The helmets made Clary's guilt subside a little.
Trying not to think about the things that could make her mother mad – and she had been doing those things a lot, lately – Clary looked around, accessing the place and the people. As usual, there were many teenagers with some Goth tendencies, just like it had been two years before when she used to drag Simon over there. Now, though, she could see beyond the mundane, like the fairy with hair of grape vine and the three vampires mingling with the mundanes dressed just like them.
"This place never changes, huh?", Jace commented, stopping beside her and mimicking her watching stance. She saw the glint in his eyes. He was satisfied, probably because this was a hunting night, and Jace was always eager to hunt. It was what he was the best at, after all, and Clary could emphasize. "It brings back memories", he grinned.
She smiled back secretively, remembering the first night she broke through Magnus spell and saw beyond the clever curtain that divided her world from his. Now, it was their world, and she felt a little embarrassed for yelling at Jace and his brothers for trying to kill a demon. She wasn't exactly used to the blood and gore part of her work (and probably never would, thanks to her very uneventful life until fifteen) but she did not pity demons anymore, even the ones that dressed human skin. Seeing them walking around Alicante in a killing spree had done the trick.
"Alec and Isabelle are waiting for us inside", Jace nudged her back. Clary started to walk to the front, where a somewhat familiar guard was inspecting the people entering, but Jace took her hand and started pulling her to the alley beside Pandamonium. "No, that's the mundane entrance. The guy who owns this place is a warlock; we can walk in freely as long as we take care of the nuisances that eat his clients". Jace smiled his crooked smile and pointed a door in the end of the alley. Clary bet it was glamoured, and there was a symbol painted on it. She recognized immediately, since she was the person who created it: the New Council mark.
"That painting is new, though", he snorted, getting closed and touching the mark with his open left palm. Clary could feel it vibrating before the door opened with a quiet click.
"I really didn't know this symbol would have some kind of power after I created it", she answered, thoughtful.
"You should have. Everything you create seems to gain life", he retorted, grinning, before they both entered in a vast room full of boxes. She recognized the place they met, where Isabelle had lured the blue haired demon, two years before. The couple turned around a precarious tower of Tru Blood boxes before finding two other people in the middle of the room. Isabelle sat on a broken chair, dressed in a long sleeved gray blouse and a mini-mini-skirt of shiny leather, her marks hidden behind the sleeves and the long boots she wore. She was stunningly beautiful, as usual.
Beside her, Alec was dressed, like always, as someone who should have stayed at home, watching movies in the couch. He looked annoyed, which was no big deal, and sighed heavily after seeing Jace.
"You're late", he accused, and then turned to stare at Clary with the same irritation. That used to make her uneasy when they were younger and he thought he was in love with her boyfriend, but it got old really fast after some life threatening experiences.
"Blame her", Jace grinned, ignoring Clary's offended gasp. "If she lived with us in the Institute, I wouldn't have to get her at home every time". Isabelle giggled and waved a greeting at them
"You could always say that to my mother. And I would have come by myself, if you asked", she stated, annoyed, and waved back at Isabelle.
"Not a chance", Jace retorted, not even looking at her. She didn't have to look at his face to know he was with that infuriating arrogant smile of his. Rolling her eyes in exasperation, Clary squeezed his hand before letting go, and walked towards Isabelle, who got up and took something of her back pocket. Which was amazing, since her skirt didn't look like something that could have a back pocket, especially one that worked to keep something that size.
"Throwing seraph blade, since you're so good at it. The name is Castiel. I still don't understand why you gave up learning to use the butterfly knife", Isabelle gave her the blade, smiling, and Clary wondered where she was keeping her gold whip.
"Well, my mother stopped teaching me after I almost cut my hand of with it, and we all know I'm not exactly a proficient fighter", she shrugged, and ignored when Jace snickered.
Alec frowned. "You move really fast, Clary. That's all you need to do, if you have a stele."
Clary shrugged again, and thought of the stele hidden inside her sleeve. She had asked Luke to put a chain around it, linked to a bracelet, so she would not lose it. She lost count of the number of steles she had had during her short life as a Shadowhunter, and this one had been a gift from Amatis, who was quite good at making them. The Sight mark was burning a lot in her temple, hidden by her flaming hair, but she endured it because that was the first thing a Shadowhunter learn, and because she could see demon energy clearly with it. Jace's senses were quite handy to pinpoint demons, but she was not trained enough to do the same.
They started walking toward the door in the opposite side of the room, Clary hastening to hide her weapon in her belt. Under the loose long-sleeved sweater she was in, she wore her Shadowhunter gear. The orange sneakers were there to make her look like a normal teenager, though. She would like to wear normal clothes like the others, but Jace, Luke and her mother were very adamant about that. Which made her feel weak, but she had conscience she was not skilled enough to fight demons without some protection. She had more wards marked on her body because of that, too, and was embarrassed after Maryse told her some of them were usually used only for children who have just started real shadowhunting.
She had entered a hotel full of vampires, had wrecked a ship with some words, had summoned an Angel of the Lord, and still was treated like a defenseless child among her peers. Well, c'est la vie.
Pandemonium was full, music blaring through the mass of boys and girls in the large dance floor. The smell of dry-ice smoke was nostalgic, as were the colored lights. "Parabatai", Isabelle singsonged, and pulled Clary to her. The boots made her taller than she already was, and Clary's head bumped into her shoulder. "You know, there are few female parabatai in the Clave; and, in our age, people are usually getting married or engaged, and only sisters remain in the bond."
She seemed happy, and Clary gave her a small smile, thinking they were sort of like sisters, nowadays. Her parents and Maryse had suggested that Clary became parabatai with Jace, but she thought that it was unfair with Alec. At least until they got married or something. She blushed at the thought, and Jace lift one eyebrow, watching her.
She hated when he did that, because she couldn't. "Divide and conquer?", Clary asked, her eyes avoiding his and scanning the crowd. Alec was doing the same.
"Need a bait?", Isabelle asked, wiggling her eyebrows. She was kind if excited, and Clary thought it was because of her. They had been training together for years, and that was only the tenth time both of them had gone hunting as parabatai. This was funny since, if someone had said to both of them, two years ago, that they would be as close as they were now, they wouldn't even laugh at the joke.
It made things easier for everyone that they became friends. Especially Simon. And combat training with her was actually fun, differently from training with Jace (who teased her all the time), or Alec (who had no pity and beat the crap of her every time). Isabelle showed no mercy, but also showed the ways she could move better, the timing for the use of weapons and stele, to use speed instead of force. And how to run really fast without hitching up your skirt.
Alec sighed. "Okay, but one at time, please", he ordered, giving her a pointed look. Being the oldest, Alec was the leader of the group , but everyone knew he couldn't really tame his sister. Or Jace. Or Clary, if she wanted to do something reeeeaally bad.
They started split up, Jace pausing for a brief moment to caress Clary's cheek before vanishing in the crowd. Isabelle grinned at Clary, and they both walked to the middle. Usually, Clary wouldn't do that – she hated the push and pull of bodies in crowded places – but she had learned how to ignore the discomfort and look around without being swayed away. They had walked few meters before Isabelle stopped and started to play with her blood-red stone, hung around her neck; that meant demon nearby. Clary closed on her and looked around.
The Sight rune did many things, like sharpening her normal vision and highlighting Downworlders, Shadownhunters and demons. She could see past the strongest glamours, and easily tell apart who was human from who was not human or a demon pretending to be whatever. Mundanes where like solid colored shadows, like the furniture of the place you live in – the vision caught them, but the mind did not pay attention. Shadownhunters were more focused, with sharp edges and bright marks and scars shining like seraph blades, even behind cloth; Jace shone a little more than the others, and she could guess why. Downworlders were just like Shadownhunters, but lacked any mark and the light was a little different.
Demons, though. Demons were easily told apart.
This one was humanoid. If he wasn't, he wouldn't appear so in her mark enhanced vision. He was also out worldly pretty, like Fair Folk pretty, but she could see the big, spiraled horns and the dark-red tail whipping around his body. The air around it looked twisted, polluted, like the vapor coming from toxic liquids. Its eyes were pit black, with no iris, no pupils, nothing.
"Ooh lala, an Incubus!", Isabelle smiled wildly.
Clary had read about them. Actually, she knew Incubi from the time Simon started playing Ragnarök On Line, and then from some manga she had read before, but the library at the Institute had some real, useful information about them. Incubus, from the Latin incubo, nightmare. Beautiful, charming, show little respect for holy things and thus are harder to kill. The prime source of the warlocks walking around – their children even had the specific name of cambion. Magnus said that he was probably the offspring of an Incubus.
"Strange. They usually attack sleeping women, right?", Clary asked, frowning and looking away so she wouldn't stare too much.
"Usually, but they can also drink some sexual tension in places like this. You know, teenagers, hormones. It is easier to choose prey, too, and follow them home to make little warlocks". Clary scrunched her nose a little, remembering Magnus story. " Anyway, I'll get him. Do you see anything else?"
"There is a fairy boy over the bar giving people something that look like ecstasy and probably isn't, but I don't see any other demon around." She frowned. "This one is pretty strong, though."
"Yes, but I am immune to him and he'll certainly want to make babies if I show I'm willing to make them right now. It must be boring to do it with the other sleeping all the time." She winked. "So, don't worry."
Isabelle turned and walked with purpose. Many girls were eyeing the Incubus like bees surrounding honey, but only Isabelle seemed to have enough courage to try to catch his attention. Clary sighed, turned around and went back to the back room, almost laughing at the NO ADMITTANCE – STORAGE sign at the door.
Once inside, she moved her right arm down to get a hold of the stele, and walked until she was under the lighting bulb in the middle of the room. Crouching, she started to write with the stele, fully concentrating in the task.
The first was the rune for concealment. It would not notice the trap; it would not see the marks in the floor until walking over them. The second was the binding rune, because it would try to flee – she had seen wings, too. Its feet would stay on the ground. Then a sequence, one she knew very well – mene mene tekel upharsin, because he had to be destroyed quickly, so nobody would have to fight and get hurt. Following the phrase, the runes to show that trap was a curse for demons, and only demons. She could not risk hurting anyone else.
She finished with the circle around the runes, and the Star of David with its pointed edges separating each mark, because she had to mark a place for them and because that star was really useful against demons. She still hadn't read why in the books about advanced demonology she was reading, but she knew it like she randomly knew the biding rune she wrote was specifically made for winged creatures.
She heard a click, and scrambled to reach a hiding place. And, crap. She had forgotten to warn Isabelle where she would write the trap rune. Looking carefully over the lowed box of her hiding place, Clary saw Isabelle taking the Incubus by his hand, smiling deviously. The Incubus had a matching smile, and was quick to reach out to her and secure her slim waist, trying to embrace her. Isabelle kept walking, pulling him with her.
They were almost reaching the mark when the door opened again, and Alec entered with Jace. Clary almost slapped herself at the sigh.
Everything happened quickly and at the same time: the Incubus looked behind him, frowned, and let go of Isabelle; Alec took a bow out of nowhere and Jace darted forward in that inhuman speed of his; and Clary act on parabatai instinct. She walked from her hiding spot and pointed out loud.
"It's right behind you, Isabelle", she pointed with her stele at the spot under the light. Isabelle looked at her briefly and, before the Incubus could flee – or before Jace could get him – she pulled her gold whip from… Somewhere (maybe hiding weapons was a family gift) and wiggled it around the demon's throat, pulling his body. It lost its balance and was forced to step forward. When it finally tried to use his wings, his body was already inside of the circle.
Clary didn't like to watch it, but she had accepted what she was and what she did – close her eyes would not change any of it. The marks were incandescent, and the demon started to burn from inside out right away. His wings flapped in useless flight attempts, and its screams were a high pitched noise, like heavy metal music. He crumbled in ashes soon enough. Clary felt the strength of the spell the second it was over, putting a hand over her racing heart and losing her breath. It felt like she had just fought him not with her marks, but hand to hand.
Jace was beside her in an instant, his face a mixture of irritation, exasperation and some sort of pride. "If you keep stealing all the fun, we will not invite you to play, anymore."
Isabelle laugher cut through Clary's gasp. "This is great! We killed an Incubus without any help of the adults, and that means—"
"You're really reckless", Alec completed, closing to them. Isabelle rolled her eyes.
"No way, Alec. We killed a Named Demon, well, Clary did the killing, but, anyway, we did it without you guys and that qualifies the two of us as full-fledged Shadowhunters. And I know you'll have to report this to father and we can get away from this limbo to hunt in more interesting places. Like Hell's Kitchen!"
"No, we won't. You and Clary are not adults yet." Alec towered over his sister. She only smirked.
"Shadowhunters capable of killing Named Demons are given free hunting status and, with four of us, we make a squad, and then we can stop being so bored with this kind of patrol." Alec opened his mouth to say something else, but Isabelle was on a row. "Come on, Alec, the three of us used to go into the sewers and look for demons to hunt there, and that's almost the worst thing minors could do. We even fought a Draconidae back then, remember?"
"Yes, I do," he shot a menacing glare to Jace, who was trying really hard not to laugh, Clary saw (wondering what that was about), "but now we have an untrained Shadowhunter with us."
"Clarie here has been hunting with us for months, Alec. She is not untrained, just inexperienced. And she has me". Clary knew Isabelle was just trying to worm her way into her brother's stubborn head, but the affirmation left her kind of touched. "And with the Mark Maker gift, we're probably one of the best Shadowhunter squads."
Alec gave an exasperated sigh, while Clary exchanged a smile with her parabatai. She wasn't that eager to change her pace yet – after a lot of strange phenomena happening around her, Jocelyn, Luke and the Lightwoods, hunting in places like Pandemonium and abandoned warehouses was a nice opportunity to absolve the training without the shadow of the life threats. Before, everyday was like "learn or die", and now was more like her aquarelle class exercises.
"I know you are having a lovely display of brotherly bickering here, and I hate to interrupt you," Jace cut in, his voice obviously amused, "but the bloodsucker boyfriend has arrived."
And that was Simon's cue to appear, wearing black from head to toe and with his hair styled in a way to hide the Cain Mark and still look less than emocore. Beside Clary, Isabelle smiled broadly and walked in his direction, full of purpose. Alec, of course, frowned.
"I heard some talk about Hell's Kitchen and, are you guys seriously thinking about walking around there?", were Simon's first words, all said while Isabelle sneaked her arms around his neck and stood on her tip toes to peck on his jaw. He easily embraced her waist, still looking at the other people in the room. "That's a bad idea. But you guys are always having the worst ideas, so, why stop now?"
Jace and Isabelle snickered at the same time, but Clary thought he was not entirely wrong, saying that. The group did have the worst plans in face of danger. She could mention Simon's own absurdly stupid request to have the Mark of Cain in his forehead, two years ago, but maybe she should leave it alone. He was just concerned about them, anyway.
"Oh, come on, Sy. We will have the Angel Combo with us. You could even tag alone and we would make an Alliance, to make things easier", Isabelle laughed, twisting her fingers around hair strands in the nape of Simon's neck. Clary never thought she would see the day when Isabelle would look at someone like that – like she was seeing a shooting star for the first time. But those dark, shining eyes were really filled with care for the vampire. Of course, Maryse Lightwood was not thrilled. "And we can also call Magnus to pair up with Alec. What's more, we should call Magnus right now, because I bet is the sole reason for Alec's moodiness today. They have not see each other for days, now, and bro is really insecure when it comes to—"
"Shut up, Isabelle", Alec growled. Magnus would always be a sore subject among the two siblings. Isabelle had the tendency to join Magnus when the warlock wanted to play dress up with his boyfriend by giving him a new wardrobe. "Why are you here, Simon?"
Simon waved to Jace and reached to squeeze Clary's shoulder before answering; Isabelle never left his side, occupied trying to nip his neck.
"Isabelle texted me saying you would come here, so I dropped by?", Simon smirked. "But are you guys seriously thinking of going to Hell's Kitchen?"
Alec groaned. Isabelle beamed. Jace smirked. And Clary wondered when she started to consider seriously about things like "go hunt demons in the Hell's Kitchen", without feeling stupid or needing to pinch herself to wake up from the dream. Sometimes, she felt like Alice going down the hole.
(And that would make Jace the White Rabbit, right?)
Hunting demons, fighting rabid werewolves, drawing symbols that destroyed or protected things: that was her life, now. It was all routine. Luke always said normal is overrated, but that was before Clary changed her opinion of what was normal.
Smiling broad, she stood in the center of their little, familiar group and said something she never thought she would:
"Well, why don't we go? I'm sure we've had worse."
A/N: I wrote this before the fourth book, so I made it kind of general and had to change the ending. But the story was dusting in my HD since forever, and I thought it was a a pity not to share.