When Clary awoke, her head was pounding. She found herself lying near the edge of a circular chamber with huge stalactites hanging down from a ridged, stony ceiling high above. The floor was as smooth as if it had been polished, a series of rough stalagmites circling the chamber. High above, light filtered down from a circular hole in the stone, a natural skylight. The chamber had certainly been a product of design, rather than accident – the intricate patterns tracing the floor made that much obvious – but why would Sebastian have hollowed out such an enormous underground chamber? Why would he knock her out, just to bring her here?
Suddenly two figures emerged from the shadows at the far end of the room, moving towards her, their heads bent together in conversation. Clary hurriedly closed her eyes, before they could notice she was awake. It was only when they neared her that she recognised the sound of their voices.
It was Sebastian, and her father – Valentine.
A million questions flooded her mind. Why was Sebastian in league with Valentine? Did Valentine send Sebastian to get her? What did they want with her? However, she had to use all of her focus to stay still, praying not to let them notice she wasn't drugged anymore, and was in fact listening in on their conversation, hoping to hear even the smallest whisper of an answer to her thousands of questions.
"They still have no idea that I'm working against them ," said Sebastian.
"Good. Keep it that way," Valentine replied.
"But that might be a bit difficult, since Clary literally just disappeared on my watch, and - "
"Sebastian," Valentine interrupted, frustrated. "I need more time, okay! Jace and his friends ," he hissed the word, "cannot know what we are planning."
The mention of Jace's name made Clary's heart skip a sudden, painful beat. But despite this, she leaned closer, yearning to learn more about their 'plan'. This slight movement caused both heads to turn in her direction. She froze, still with her eyes shut, her heart beating out of her chest.
"Go check on her," Valentine told Sebastian. "I'll talk to you later." Clary heard the echo of his footsteps as he left, leaving her alone in the room with Sebastian.
She kept as still as she could, but when she could sense him hovering over her, she could stand it no longer. She opened her eyes to see his deathly pale face looming over her. On a whim, she threw her head up, bashing against his nose. Sebastian stumbled backwards, taken by surprise. He wiped his nose with his hand, and it came away bright red. Clary frantically scanned her surroundings, searching for an exit, some kind of escape route. A vicious sneer came across Sebastian's face. There! She spotted an opening in the stone wall, leading out to a pitch black tunnel.
She ran towards it as fast as she could, but Sebastian had recovered his wits and was too fast for her. All Clary saw was a blur, and then Sebastian was blocking her way, blood gushing from his nose.
"You little bitch!" He seized a fistful of her hair and slammed her head into the rock of a nearby stalactite. Pain bloomed before Clary's eyes, and she crumpled to her knees, unconscious.
A/N: Cave description belongs to Cassandra Clare. Please let me know your thoughts on this fanfiction by reviewing, and send me your improvements too! I'm very open to suggestion. Thanks again for reading guys! xx
