Author's Note: I do not own Magnus Bane, Jace Wayland/Morgenstern, Alec Lightwood, Isabelle Lightwood, Hodge Starkweather, Luke Garroway, or Simon Lewis. I own Kassandrea Ravenway, her parents [Drucilla; Eli Ravenway], Mathew Cooper, and the Halloways [Isaac, Elaine, Celeste, and Matthias].
I was truly exasperated. Here I was, wasting my time with Magnus Bane. About six months ago, Hodge sent me on a mission: to keep an eye on Matthew Cooper. He had a hunch that Matthew was one of us, a Shadowhunter. I, however, wasn't so sure. I hadn't come up with anything remotely useful at all in that amount of time.
I was sick and tired of chasing shadows. Yes, I know that's ironic, but I'm figuratively speaking in this instance. I just want to return to the Institute. I wanted back with my cousins: Isabelle and Alec Lightwood. Also, I consider Jace Wayland to be my adoptive cousin.
Meanwhile, I have had enough with Bane's antics. I grab him by the front of his shirt, bringing my face a couple of inches from his. "Look here, Bane. I'm sick of you sending me in circles, like you did in the last six months. Now, have you heard of Matthias Hallowcross?" I said, my Irish temper rising rather quickly.
"Well... I have heard of him. But they say it is only legends," he says uncertainly. I let go of his shirt, and he relaxes slightly. But then I roughly push him down into a chair. "Everyone knows that all the legends so far are true," I say through gritted teeth. I'm mostly sure he is lying, but there is a small part of me that wonders if he is telling the truth.
My mind goes back to, roughly, a year ago. The warlock had told me that Isaac and Elaine Hallowcross had been here, looking to hide Matthias' memories from himself. But after some research, I found that Elaine Hallowcross was dead, and Isaac Hallowcross was imprisoned in his own way; he was the keeper of the London Institute, just like Hodge was the keeper of the Brooklyn Institute.
"You know the legends are becoming rumors," I say, raising my eyebrows. I know I can't kill him. He's the most skilled warlock in the state of New York! He finally opens his mouth to talk, but I expect it's nothing straighforward.
"Oh really? What have you heard?" he said, eyebrows furrowing, giving me a puzzled look. Of course he would answer a question with a question. It was Magnus Bane's way. But I was willing to go along with his game, as long of I could get some information.
"That Matthew Cooper is the same as Matthias Hallowcross. And I have a hunch you have an idea where he is," I say, hands going to my daggers. I notice Magnus' body going rigid. Of course he's worried that I'll mess up his pretty face.
"Look Kassandrea, I don't know who Matthew Cooper is, whether he and Matthias Hallowcross are the same, but I do know Matthais Hallowcross is alive," he said, letting out a breath.
My anger is beginning to slowly receed. Finally, I was getting somewhere. "Then, Bane, where is the Hallowcross boy?" I ask slowly. I let go of my dagger, letting it slip back into its sheath. I cross my arms, pacing the room. Would this Downworlder actually give me what I needed to know? It seemed so unreal that I was this close to find what I had wanted for so long.
"Unfortunately, that, my dear friend, I do not know," he said nervously. I spin around, about to screm at him out of frustration, when my phone starts to ring. Annoyed, I fish it out of my pocket. It's Jace Wayland. I answer. "Wayland, this is not a good time," I say roughly.
"Nevermind that, Kass. I need you to get back to the Institute right away. A lot has happened while you've been gone," he says, his usual smug tone gone from his voice. I sigh. "Alright, alright. Fine. I'll be there soon," I say.
I turn to the High Warlock of New York, looking at him with disdain. "I'll be back for you, Bane. Don't think I'm done. Not by a long shot," I mutter darkly, walking out of Bane's home, my heels digging into the wood. I decide to use my glamour, walking unseen back to the Institute.
I barge into the Institute, quickly shedding my jacket, revealing my arms and shoulders, covered in various Marks."Jace Wayland! Why, exactly, must I be brought back?" I asked my adoptive cousin. I cross my arms. "Easy, Kass. There's a couple of people I want you to meet," he said. I raise an eyebrow. "And who might that be?" I ask.
I then notice a red-headed girl, and a black-haired boy. "Jace, explain," I say, impatient. "Kassandrea Ravenway, this is Clary Fairchild, my sister. And this is Simon Lewis, her mundane friend. Clary, Simon, this is Alec and Isabelle's cousin, Kassandrea Ravenway," he says.
"You might as well tell them what I am, Wayland," I say, pulling my shirt down of that they could see the base of my collarbone. It was a white birthmark – vaguely the shape of an opened rosebud. "I'm half Downworlder. Faerie, to be exact. Pixie, if you want to be technical. Though my father was a Shadowhunter," I say, letting go of the collar, so that it bounced back.
"You know, I was in the middle of interrogating Magnus Bane. Finally got some worthwhile information for of the warlock. Had to threaten him with my daggers," I said. "Now, where is Hodge?" I say, earning an uneasy look from everyone else.
"This is why I called you back," Jace said. "Hodge is not as you remembered him. Valentine is back. Hodge has fled, leaving us." I look at him. "You're not telling me something, Jace," I warn him. I hate being deceived.
"Hodge had been part of the Circle. And now, since Valentine's back, Hodge is with him again. Or rather, following his orders. Valentine is also the father of Clary and myself," he said, the last part bitterly.
"Should I be calling you Morgenstern, then?" I ask him. I am then put on my guard when Jace growls, fists clenched. I hold up my hands. "I only asked a simple question, on what to address you as," I say. I hide my fear of this new Jace. He only stops when Clary places a hand on his elbow. "Jace. Stop," she says.
Jace sighs. "Sorry, Kass. I'm still going by Jace Wayland," he muttered. I touch his shoulder. "It's fine. You're tired, upset. I'm the same. I finally got a lead on Matthias Hallowcross," I say.
"That's impossible," Alec says. "The Hallowcross children are dead." He folds his arms across his chest. I shake my head. "Not quite, cousin," I tell him.
"I interrogated Magnus Bane. What I got our of him before Jace so rudely interrupted," I shoot a half-hearted glare at him, "was that Celeste is dead, died with her mother. Isaac Hallowcross is imprisoned at the London Institute. But Matthias is still alive. He didn't confirm the rumors that Matthias Hallowcross and Matthew Cooper are one in the same, or where Matthew Cooper is," I reveal. "I pretty much wasted six months for a half-hour conversation."
"That's nothing," snorted Isabelle. I narrowed my eyes. I was stopped by Clary, however. "Hey, hey, hey. Isabelle, Kassandrea. I may be of help to find this kid, if I knew exactly why we're looking for Matthew Cooper and/or Matthais Hallowcross."
Alec decides to take up the talking for me. "Elaine and Isaac were part of Valentine's Circle. The Hallowcrosses seen how their leader had changed, and wanted to leave. Valentine didn't like that. So, to make Isaac suffer, murdered his wife and daughter. Once the Clave caught up with them, Isaac was forced to take charge of the London Institute, and, if the rumors were true, Matthias was sent to Brooklyn. Someone intercepted, and no one has seen of head of the boy ever since."
"And Hodge suspected that Matthew Cooper is Matthias Hallowcross," Isabelle adds. I see that the mundie boy called Simon was watching me. I give him a little wink. No harm in having a little fun. He looked startled. I chuckled, walking off to the kitchens. Before though, I call out to the others. "How have you been faring while I was gone? Isabelle poison you with her cooking?" I say, smirking.
Alec and Jace laugh. "Yes, we missed you for your cooking, Kass," they say. I laugh, heading to the kitchen. I grab a granola bar and a can of diet Coke. When I return, Isabelle looks at me oddly. "What? It's my stomach it ends up in, not yours," I say, leaning against a wall. I upwrap the granola bar, slide down slowly until I'm sitting, and take a bite.
I'm not very surprised when Simon comes to sit on my right. "Where's your dad? I mean, I get that your mom can't be here. She's a Downworlder," he says. I smile. This mundane already knew a lot about our world. Clary probably told him, I guessed. "Imprisoned in Alicante," I say simply, taking another bite of my granola bar.
"Why? What did he do that was so horrible?" Simon chimes in. Jace and Clary get a little curious, inching closer to Simon and I. I chuckle darkly. "You would be imprisoned too if you tried to inject your daughter with demon blood when she was just a toddler." Jace sucks in a breath, stiffening.
"Why would someone do that?" Clary asked. "He wanted to make me stronger. He was obsessed with the faeries, the fey, whatever you want to call them. He wanted a hybrid child, but I was, in his eyes, merely a Shadowhunter when I was born. Since I already had miniscule amounts of fey blood in my veins, he thought injecting me with demon blood would give me my mother's magic."
"I'm guessing it didn't?" asked Simon, looking at me. I shake my head. "No. It only made me stronger as a Shadowhunter for a short amount of time. He even went as far as asking my mother to inject me with some of her blood. He theorized that an amount of fey blood would make me a faerie-Shadowhunter hybrid temporarily. The Clave discovered what he was doing, and he was imprisoned."
Simon looked shocked. "How horrible. Was he in league with Valentine?" he asked. I shrug. "He was at first. Then he realized Valentine wanted to destroy Downworlders, especially my mother. So he turned against him, basically doing the opposite. He wanted to create a faerie-Shadowhunter hybrid race."
Jace however, turns to Isabelle and Alec. "How come you two never told me?" he asked quietly. Isabelle shook her head. "It wasn't our story to tell," Jace looked angry. His fists clenched together and apart. I clear my throat, getting Jace's attention.
"I asked them not to tell you," I said. "And Simon, my mother isn't in Faerie. She's here in New York, Brooklyn, in fact," I say, crumpling the wrapper. Jace looked at me, wide-eyed. "What do you mean?" he asks, confused. I relish in the fact that I can make Jace Wayland forget his wit and sarcasm.
"Do you forget that fey can use glamours too, Jace? And some, depending on the age and skill, can fool even Shadowhunters," I smirk, opening my can of soda. Simon looks at me. "You mean I could have seen a faerie and wouldn't have known it?" he asks me.
"Of course. You probably have," I say. "She works for Lucian Graymark. Currently, he goes by Luke Garroway, alpha of the New York wolf pack."
A/N: Feel free to leave reviews! I'd like to know what the readers think.