Chapter 1
Jace's POV
"SHUT UP!" Isabelle hissed as she peered around the dirty brick corner of an ancient apartment building, "It might hear us."
"Can't we just skip to the slaying?" I asked in an exasperated whisper, "The damn thing is more likely to spot us this way!"
"And you still have no idea what type of demon it is?" Alec asked, one eyebrow raised "You're normally good with demon…"
"Let's go, it's moving," Isabelle interrupted striding into the dark New York Street, her electrum whip leaving trails of gold in the darkness as she unwound it from her wrist. Alec scowled and followed Isabelle and I brought up the rear. We were tracking demonic energy that had been found in New York, a VERY strong reading. Isabelle broke into a silent sprint after the figure as it turned into a deserted street, Alec and I following her; then the figure turned. Isabelle skidded to a stop and stared, Alec and I came to a stop beside her. The figure turned to face us, it was of medium height and skinny, wore black trousers and a dark red coat. In the darkness its features were indistinguishable. My eyes widened as I peeled away the glamour that concealed its true form. A 'girl' of about 15 stood before us, she was undeniably beautiful, with long dark hair, olive skin and wide misty-grey eyes but her full lips were pulled into a knowing smile. The most shocking thing about her appearance was her coat, the glamour had suggested it was red, however it was actually black and stained in fresh, red, blood.
The demon took advantage of our astonishment and turned, sprinting a small alleyway that lead to a busy street. We tore after her, and Alec shot a well-aimed arrow at her leg, causing her to stumble into the wall of the alleyway. She snarled as she wrenched the arrow out of her leg and dropped to the floor as Isabelle's whip came at her head. She rolled and took out Isabelle's legs from under her with a quick kick at her knee, she spun and caught Alec with a punch to the jaw and with unreal speed dodged Isabelle's lunge at her causing Isabelle to fall into Alec, and they both sprawled to the ground. I aimed a punch at the stranger but somehow she caught it and twisted my arm into a lock that would have broken my arm if Isabelle hadn't have lashed upwards at the demon with her whip, causing her to cry out in pain. As she stumbled back I slammed my fist into her stomach and she gasped and slammed into the wall. I ran at her, Nakir already in my grip but she slammed a kick into my side and I heard a rib snap, before I had time to react, a takedown by the 'girl' had thrown me to the floor of the alleyway. Stars spiralled across my vision but I still heard Isabelle's yell and the thud of a body hitting the ground. I lurched to my feet, just in time to see Alec flipped off the demon's hip and slam into the ground. I grabbed Nakir from the ground and I saw the demon's eyes widen and she hauled, with astonishing strength, Alec from the ground. She lifted his limp form above her head and threw him at me, Alec hit me like a truck and I fell, for the second time that evening, to the ground. I hauled Alec off of me and saw Isabelle's whip darting like a golden cobra toward the assailant, but she weaved over and under Isabelle's attacks with ease, flipping and rolling with unnatural grace. But our adversary was moving closer. I staggered to my feet, and I drew Amriel from my belt and hurled it at the stranger… and she caught it.
Isabelle and I stopped and stared at the stranger. I asked the obvious question:
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU!"
The girl frowned and dropped Amriel. She twisted her right hand toward us, and there, on the back of her hand, the Voyance rune gleamed in the dim light.
"You're a Shadowhunter?" Isabelle asked.
"Well, yes" The girl replied, her accent was English, "But not the type you think. Who are you?"
"Hate to break it to you," I said with mock sympathy "But there are three of us and only one of you, you answer our questions first."
"Ask away." The girl replied and sank to the floor, groaning.
"Where do you come from?" Isabelle asked.
"Not here." The stranger said drily as she pulled up the sleeve on the right side of her soiled coat
"What's your name?" I asked as I strode over to Alec and crouched down and began to draw and iratze on him
"Kahea" she replied and then began running her fingers along the bare skin of her arm
"Kay-aa? Not a Shadowhunter name… wait what are you…" Isabelle began then stared at the girl's arm. As she ran her hand along her arm, dark runes spiralled under her fingertips, unfamiliar runes, yet they were good and beautiful, angel's runes.
"What are those for?" I asked
"Healing, I think you have forgotten your friend did shoot me in the leg."
"Sorry, we thought you were a demon." Isabelle said
"You thought I was a demon?" Kahea asked incredulously.
"You did have blood all over your coat, and we had a reading of a demon coming from you" Jace said pointedly
"That was my blood," Kahea said darkly "And the demonic reading was from my SWORD!"
"Why do you have a demonic sword anyway?" Isabelle asked
"I fought a greater demon with it and…" Kahea trailed off
"Where do you come from?" Alec interrupted, he was sitting up and staring at Kahea coldly.
Kahea eyed them all thoughtfully, her grey eyes calculating, "Do you want the truth?" she asked finally, "Because you may not like it."
"We wouldn't have asked the question otherwise." Isabelle said, rolling her eyes
Kahea studied them carefully, then, she said "I'm from a different dimension"
Isabelle's POV
I was so confused, someone from another dimension? Really? Before any of us could react, Jace was speaking: "Why are you lying to us?" he demanded, he had a sword in his hand and it was centimetres away from the girl, Kahea's, throat. "First of all" said Kahea calmly yet firmly "Can we have pointy things away from my throat?" as she said this she pushed the point of the sword slowly away from her "Secondly, I'm not lying. I am actually from another dimension. See my sigils?" she said, gesturing to her arm where the marks seemed to swirl on her skin "Sigils?" I asked curiously. "Do you mean runes?"
"Oh right, runes then, it's just they're called sigils where I come from." Kahea said
"Get up." Jace said rudely "We're taking you to the institute"
"The institute?" Kahea asked curiously as she got slowly to her feet
"You need an iratze" said Alec suddenly to Jace "She hurt you"
"I'm fine" Jace lied, glaring daggers at Kahea.
"I'm sorry," Kahea said "I thought you would have had stronger bones"
Alec's eyes widened and I glanced at Jace, expecting him to be insulted, but instead he started laughing. Alec and I exchanged exasperated looks. Jace… honestly.
Jace's POV
We reached the institute in about 10 minutes and stopped to ask Kahea to remove all her weapons. "All of them?" asked Kahea looking astonished.
"You can't have that many on you" Isabelle said
"You'd be surprised" Kahea said and grudgingly started to remove her weapons and placing them at a pile at her feet, and we were surprised. It took about 5 minutes for Kahea to remove all her weapons, she pulled long swords from holsters on her legs and torso, dozens of knives, one or two axes and spears, a scythe, she somehow pulled a machete out of one of the inner pockets of her coat, and finally pulled two long, thin and wickedly sharp sword from her back, they were both made of a material like steel but was definitely not. One was veined with thick streams of what looked like liquid gold which glowed softly, the other was also veined but with shadows which twisted and writhed as if they had been confined. We all looked at her, astonished.
"Anything else?" Alec asked sarcastically
Kahea rolled her eyes and pulled a small knife from her sleeve and dropped it onto the huge pile of weapons "Happy?"
"I'll take her to mom, you deal with… those" Isabelle said to Alec and I, then sidestepped the pile and darted up the steps, Kahea on her heels.
"It was like she pulled an armoury from her pocket" I said as we gathered up the weapons, carefully avoiding the black shadowy sword.
"You can take that" said Alec nodding at the blade we both had avoided "I haven't got enough hands" then he went up the stairs, kicked the door open with his foot and disappeared inside. I sighed and stooped to pick up the sword, I almost dropped it in surprise, it was as cold as ice and I felt like the shadows confined in it were seeping into me. I darted up the steps of the institute, shutting the door, firmly behind me.