Clary choked back sobs as she tried to plead with the demon.

"Please," she said. "Please. Don't hurt him." She was weaponless and alone. "Take me instead!"

The others would never find them down here. The Iblis demon didn't reply. It only stared at her, its cold dead eyes burning yellow as its claws closed around an unconscious Jace's throat. The demon tightened its grip, and Clary let out a shrill scream.

"Give that back. Now!"

Clary tried to reach across the kitchen table but fell a few inches short. She was trying to wrestle her sketchbook out of Alec's hands but was failing miserably.

"Ooh, let's see what we have here," said Alec teasingly, a wry smile on his face. "Been drawing a lot of boys have you? Blonde boys, with wings." Clary blushed. "Now, I wonder who that could be?" Clary was grateful that Jace wasn't in the kitchen of the Institute, having gone with Maryse to answer a call from the Clave. It had sounded important, but Maryse told her and Alec to stay put

"Stop it, Alec."

"Hey, no need to get touchy," said Alec, still smiling as he slid the sketchbook back across the counter. "Glad to see you're no longer mad at golden boy," he winked. Clary and Jace had fallen out earlier that week about who would get to use the training room. Clary said she needed it more, because she was still a rookie Shadowhunter. Jace said that her training could wait, and besides all of the weapons in there were dangerous for a novice like her. Then she called him some unpleasant names and he'd been ignoring her for days. Today he seemed slightly more civil

"I wasn't mad. He's just so stubborn sometimes."

"Well he's nothing if not stubborn," said Alec, taking a swig of his glass of milk.
Footsteps approached the kitchen. Clary whirled around. It was Isabelle.

"Mom says she wants us in the library," she said.

"Ok," said Alec.

"Now," she replied.

Alec got up. Isabelle looked at Clary.

"You too."

"Me?"

"Is there anyone else in the room?" said Isabelle. Clary was confused; Maryse Lightwood wasn't exactly as welcoming on the information front as the others when it came to Shadowhunter business. She still thought of Clary as just Jocelyn's kid. Just a kid. That made Clary angry. Maybe now she'd have a chance to prove herself.

Alec, Isabelle, and Clary made their way to the library, followed on their heels by Church, who was meowing malcontentedly and getting in everyone's feet. Alec accidentally trod on Church's tail, and the cat gave out a deafening yowl. Alec said soemthing incomprehensible, and Clary couldn't help but laugh.

Jace and Maryse were waiting for them in the library. Maryse was sitting at the desk, writing a letter, her face taut and thin. Jace was curled up in one of the armchairs reading a book. His gold flax hair hung in curtains over his face. He needed a haircut, thought Clary, again.

Maryse looked up as they came in. "Finally," she said impatiently.

"What is it?" asked Alec. "Did you hear from the Clave?"

"No, we were just having a friendly chat with the Silent Brothers about where the best Steakhouse in New York is," said Jace, his tone full of sarcasm. Alec threw a dirty look his way.

"Yes," said Maryse, ignoring Jace. "We have a problem."

"What is it?" Clary asked. She felt almost like an intruder, standing here amongst them all, but curiosity got the better of her.

"It's The Mortal Instruments."

"What about them?" asked Isabelle.

"It's Valentine," said Maryse, her voice grave and gravelly, uttering the word Valentine with clear disgust. "He's after one of them."

"You mean he's looking for the mirror?" asked Alec. "But...we knew that already."

"Of course know that, you dimwit," smiled Jace.

"Jace!" Maryse cut in. "This is clearly not the time to make jokes."

"Sorry, Mom," said Jace, intoning the heavy sarcasm on the word Mom, but his smile died as soon as he saw the look on Maryse's face.

"There's another one," said Maryse.

"Another Mortal Instrument?" asked Clary. "Besides the Cup, the Sword, and the Mirror?"

"Yes," sighed Maryse wearily, as if this whole goose chase was becoming too much for her. "And the Clave thinks Valentine knows where it is, and is going to attempt to retreive it tonight."

Author's Note: This is the first chapter! Please let me know what you think! Lots more to come!