PROLOGUE
May 27th, 2007
Elaine Penhallow knew that she was going to die.
Her hand shook as she tried to trace an iratze onto her leg, where the blood was the thickest, but the rune faded almost instantly. Biting her lip so as not to cry out in pain, Elaine attempted to trace another healing rune onto her leg. Her fingers trembled violently and the stele clattered to the ground. Elaine slumped to the side, weak from the blood loss.
"Help," she called weakly. She knew that there was no one here, no one to save her.
Not even Aline Penhallow, her sister, who had promised her that she would always be there if Elaine needed her….
Elaine's body racked with violent coughs and she spasmed forwards, blood splattering the ground as she coughed. The night air was cold and harsh. She was far away from the Institute, far away from where anyone could help her.
Despair crashed over Elaine in a wave and her head fell to the ground, too heavy to
support anymore. Agony washed up her leg and throbbed at her throat, like a white-hot wire jabbing its way from her thigh, up her hip, to her head. Her dark gear was soaked in blood, her dagger rusting with it. Elaine tried desperately to hold onto something. What had happened?
The fairy had happened. With the fine features and slightly pointed ears and curled, delicate hair, Elaine could spot a fairy. Aline's girlfriend, Helen, was half-fairy, after all, and she had the same features, but none of the same cruelty of the fairies. This fairy had been dark-haired and beautiful. Like someone she vaguely knew…
Elaine tried to grasp at the knowledge, but it was too distant for her weary mind. She
reached out to touch her stele. It burned white. A comforting color- like witchlight. Elaine grasped it tightly in her hand, like it was her lifeline. The rotting debris of leaves and dirt scraped her cheek and she let her eyelashes slide down.
Just sleep, Elaine told herself. I'll just sleep… Exhaustion and pain washed over her.
An alarmed yell cut through the stillness of the night. Elaine forced her eyes to jerk open. "Who is it?" She tried to sound threatening, but her voice was faint, breaking off. Elaine hated herself for being so weak at that moment, so… not like a Shadowhunter.
Thorns separated and two dark figures crashed through, followed by more, winding around Elaine. Witchlight illuminated faces. Dimly, Elaine saw fine, silky golden hair and irises like gold, washed in the silvery light of the witchlight.
"Elaine Penhallow?" The shocked words made their way to Elaine's side. A confused expression illuminated Jace Herondale's face.
Beside him, Clary Fray gasped and rushed to Elaine's side. Her dark red hair was pulled back, her eyes wide. "Someone- I need a stele!" She shouted, desperation in her voice.
Elaine tried to force words out of her mouth- something that would tell the Shadowhunters that it wouldn't work, that the wounds were too great, but all that came out was a moan. Clary's face was white in the witchlight, starkly pale against the blood- Elaine's blood- staining her gear. She set the tip of the stele to Elaine's ankle, and her hand was surprisingly steady as she traced an iratze.
Like Elaine had suspected, it faded quickly. Clary's hand quickly drew another healing rune.
Someone stepped forwards- a woman, with sleek black hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, a golden ladder curling up her wrist. Isabelle Lightwood. Elaine struggled to sit up, to tell them that it wouldn't work, but Isabelle spoke for her. She laid a hand on Clary's wrist. "Clary. It won't work."
Clary's eyes were fierce- dimly, Elaine could appreciate the younger girl's strength. "I'm not giving up," she ground out.
Isabelle's eyes darkened. "Clary-"
Jace lowered his witchlight- it cast sharp shadows across his face, making his eyes look black. Pain throbbed up Elaine's leg and she groaned through gritted teeth. Hurry up, she thought, desperate. Hurry up…
"We'll bring her to the Institute." Jace's eyes flashed darkly- his eyes locked onto Elaine's. She couldn't move her head. She stared into his golden irises, determined not to let another sound of pain escape her lips.
Clary pressed her lips together. "Fine."
The group of Shadowhunters carefully closed in on Elaine, lifting her. With each movement, agony burst in Elaine's head, a supernova of color. She was being carried to… a car. Elaine let herself be laid down across a seat, and the last thing she saw before she gave herself over to unconsciousness was Clary's green eyes, flashing with worry and fear and strength.
CHAPTER ONE
Two weeks later
The lingering warmth of summer had ended, and fall had crept in steadily. Nora Lewis shivered, drawing her windbreaker tighter around her shoulders. Central Park smelled clean and flat, like autumn. Nora leaned against the trunk of a thick tree. She narrowed her hazel eyes, scanning the park to make sure that no mundanes were in sight.
"Quit stalling and get on with it!" The shout reached Nora's ears from the top of a jagged rock, protruding from the ground. Perched on top stood Benjamin Herondale and Lucy Roberts, both wearing dark gear, arms bare despite the cold weather.
"Will you really attack me?" Nora yelled back.
Benjamin shrugged, green eyes flashing mischievously. "Maybe."
Nora bit back a response- she didn't want Benjamin or Lucy thinking that she was nervous. This was her so-called "coming-of-age" trial that Benjamin and Lucy had created a week before. It involved knives, flipping from a rock, daggers, and some other possibly deathly things that Benjamin, a Shadowhunter through and through, loved.
"Fine." Nora tightened her fists around the cold sleeves of her jacket, touching the stele tucked into her jeans' pocket. I am ready.
She had just thought these words when a blur spiraled in front of her eyes, too quickly to even see, and landed in front of her, claws snapping out.
Lucy Roberts. Like her mother, Lucy was a werewolf. Now, she grinned, sporting canine like teeth, and lunged at Nora. Nora flinched, hands flinging up to protect her face.
"Grab the dagger! Duck!" Benjamin shouted from his rock. Nora gritted her teeth and unsheathed her dagger. It caught the filtered sunlight for just a moment, reflecting off of the newly polished blade, as Nora swung the sword down. Nora darted to the side and scraped her claws down Nora's shoulder- the pain was so intense that Nora's eyes watered. She gasped and whirled her blade around, the tip dragging against Lucy's wrist. The fire of battle was in her veins- it didn't matter that Lucy was one of her best friends. All that mattered was the fight.
Lucy peeled back her lips in a snarl and sprang forwards, claws digging into Nora's back. "FIGHT BACK!" Benjamin bellowed- he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. "STOP BEING GIRLS!"
"I am a girl," Nora muttered, ducking and twisting away from Lucy. She jabbed wildly with her dagger, but Lucy was already darting around her to rake her claws against Nora's thigh. Nora clenched her jaw,gripping her sword tightly. Lucy lunged, arms outstretched, and Nora saw the opening. She ducked under Lucy's claws and brought her sword tip up in a whirling arc, the point hovering just above Lucy's collarbone.
Nora was breathing heavily, sweat rolling down her face. She wiped it off with one bloody hand, leaving a smear of crimson across her cheek, and inspected her arms. "I'll need some iratzes for that," she remarked.
"Sorry." Lucy was also panting- she wiped her dark hair from where it stuck to her forehead.
"Sorry? Sorry?" Benjamin leapt down from the rock, landing easily and gracefully, as if he were a cat. "You never apologize to your opponent."
Nora rolled her eyes. "Please. When you were sparring with Bailey-"
"That was different," Benjamin interrupted. "I sliced her arm open."
"True," Nora admitted. She untucked her stele from her pocket and carefully traced an iratze onto her forearm. The torn skin was already starting to knit together, the blood drying up. "Can we go get lunch at Taki's? Or is there more of this 'coming-of-age' ritual that I have to endure?"
Benjamin glanced down at his watch, hesitating. "Magnus is opening the Portal to Idris in three hours."
Nora instinctively glanced over at Lucy- a suddenly bitter look passed darkly over the other girl's face, and Nora immediately felt guilty. She knew that Lucy had wanted to come to Idris with the other Shadowhunters at the New York Institute, but she was needed here for her pack.
"That's a long time from now," Lucy interrupted, hazel eyes touching Nora's for just a second. Nora started to protest, but Lucy shook her head, cutting her off. "Plus, Nora could probably use some energy."
"Okay." Benjamin's green eyes, so much like his mother, Clary's, flickered uneasily from Nora to Lucy. Though his delicate facial features and spring-green eyes spoke strongly of Clary, his strong build and his fine, silky golden hair also told that he was Jace Herondale's son. "Let's go."
The rune stood starkly in Bailey's mind, glowing behind her eyelids, so close that she could almost reach out and touch it, but it was fading, slowly leaving-
Bailey Ravenmark jolted up in bed, mind burning, sheets twisted around her, filmed with cold sweat. She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes, trying to grasp at the rune that had once filled her mind- but it was slipping away, like water trickling through her fingers. She let out a groan of frustration.
This had happened every day since two weeks ago. A rune had appeared in Bailey's mind, nearly glowing, and then, upon waking, it was gone. Vanished.
"Bailey?" The call drifted in from outside, in the hallway.
Dang it. Bailey jumped out of bed, hurriedly stepping into a dark gray T-shirt and jeans. She combed her fingers through her tangled, dark-blond hair, which didn't make much of a difference, and scrambled clumsily out of the door, nearly tripping over her own feet and almost landing face-first on the floor.
Managing to catch herself, Bailey looked up into the coolly amused, gray-green eyes of Jonah Goldwalker. "Hello, Jonah," she said warily.
Jonah's eyes glittered in his strong-boned, finely crafted face. His white-blond hair fell in delicate ringlets around his face, curling back to show the tips of his slightly pointed ears. His skin was a pale, creamy-white, almost shiny hue, symbolizing his faerie blood. "Where were you?"
"I was napping." Bailey clipped the words out. "What did you call me for?" She had never liked Jonah, or trusted him. He hung around the Institute, occasionally watching their training or dropping in to eat lunch with them, and still, Bailey didn't like him. He was silent, graceful, like a Shadowhunter, and yet… he seemed almost predatory. Like he would kill someone and enjoy it.
"Benjamin texted you." Jonah dug Bailey's phone out of his pocket- she snatched it from him. "Why did you have this?" Bailey couldn't keep the suspicion out of her words.
Jonah laughed, leaning easily against the wall, his hands sliding into his jeans' pockets. He looked so casual that Bailey could almost see why Benjamin was friends with him. "Relax, B. It was lying right in the middle of the library- I didn't want it to get stepped on."
Bailey didn't respond. Jonah could be strange at times. "Thanks." It came out colder than she had intended.
Jonah's mouth curled into a grin, but the warmth didn't touch his eyes. "It was no problem."
Bailey ducked back into her room, scrolling through her messages. There was one new one, from Benjamin.
NORA AND LUCY AND I ARE AT TAKI'S FOR LUNCH BEFORE MAGNUS OPENS THE PORTAL. WANT TO DROP BY?
Bailey's stomach grumbled in response. It had been a while since she had walked to the deli nearby to eat breakfast. Plus, she didn't want to be alone in the Institute with only Jonah… quickly, Bailey texted back a reply, tugged on her jacket, and hurried outside.
The New York air was brisk against her face. Bailey skirted the swarms of mundanes,
racing down the cramped sidewalk to Taki's. The glamor peeled away almost instantly as Bailey looked at it- she had become skilled at stripping away glamours quickly.
The bell above the door chimed as Bailey opened it. Her eyes fell upon Lucy, Nora and Benjamin, sitting at one of the crooked tables in the back. Bailey hung back, behind the man in front of her- his eyes were dark, skin milky-pale, his hair straight and dark, and he was ordering a cup of coffee mixed with blood. Vampire, Bailey knew immediately.
When the vampire had seated himself, Bailey stepped up to the counter, examining the menu behind the faerie waitress, Kaelie. "Just a coffee, please."
Kaelie turned and disappeared behind the counter. Bailey leaned against the counter, waiting, as Kaelie reappeared with a cup of coffee in one hand.
"Here." She slapped it down on the counter, and Bailey paid and made her way to where her friends sat.
"Where were you?" Benjamin scooted over to make room for Bailey- she shrugged her jacket off and slid into the booth beside him. "You missed the first stage of Nora's coming-of-age trial."
"I did?" Bailey couldn't resist a grin at the sour expression on Nora's face. "What did I miss?"
"Not a lot. Only Benjamin screaming at us." Nora glared at Benjamin- he shrugged, smiling easily. "What can I do, as your mentor?"
Nora flicked a wadded-up straw wrapper at Benjamin. "Shut up."
"Ahh… you do not want to face it. You cannot resist my charming charisma!"
"How cute," Lucy broke in sarcastically. "Can you guys stop the flirting? You're making us all sick."
Bailey smiled- and her phone buzzed in her jacket pocket, just as Nora and Benjamin's did. She frowned, prizing it out, and flipping it open.
It was a call from Clary Fray. Bailey frowned down at her phone. What on earth? She quickly slid to accept the call and held the phone to her ear. "Hello, this is Bailey Ravenmark?"
"Bailey?" Clary's voice was crackly with static and tense, almost strained. "Thank God that you're okay. Where are you? Are you with anyone?"
"Yeah- Lucy, Nora, and Benjamin at Taki's." Something in Clary's voice was making panic start to crawl up Bailey's throat. She gripped the edge of the table tightly, her knuckles reddening. "What's wrong? Is everything okay?"
"Bailey-" Clary's voice was choked. "Three Nephilim have been killed. We're at the Silent City with the Silent Brothers. They're examining. Please come over as quickly as you can, and bring everyone else."