Chapter 2:
"Hello?" I said walking into the manor. Jace was at my side, his muscles tensed.
"We aren't going to hurt you, we just need to talk" he said walking around the bottom floor, me close to his side. We made our way to the stairs to head up to the second floor. When we were on the third step, I heard it, crying. I jogged up the rest of the stairs and into the hallway. Where is she? The crying was muffled, so she must be in one of the rooms.
"Check the rooms." I said to Jace then started checking some myself. After a minute I opened the closet, and the little girl was there. Her blond hair was plastered to her face with blood and she had tons of small cuts all over her. "Come on sweetie." I said taking her hand and pulling her up. "Let's get you cleaned up."
Jace moved out of our way when we passed him in the hallway, then followed us to one of the spare bedrooms.
She sat on the bed and I took Jace aside, "no questions about the demons till we get all that blood off her. Okay?"
Jace nodded then said, "I will go get some water and bandages."
He turns to leave but I caught his am, pulled him towards me, kissed him lightly, then said "thank you." Jace smiled then left the room.
I turned back to the girl and asked, "are you hurt?" She whimpered, then nodded as she pulled up her pant leg. Her leg had a long gash down it.
I came towards her and when I was kneeling in front of her she said, "here too." And she pulled her hair to one side. Half of her check was bloody, and I was unable to asses her wounds.
I nod, then ask "how old are you?"
She coughed then said "ten." I was right.
I nod then ask "are you a shadowhunter?" She nodded. I looked at her questionably. If she were a shadowhunter she would have runes on her skin, but her skin was clear of symbols.
"No runes?" I asked. She just looked away when I asked, not bothering to explain herself. I need to know for sure that she is a shadowhunter because her wounds would need an iratze, but if she is not nephilim a rune could be dangerous, even fatal. Jace came back with a small bucket of water and some bandages.
"Clary-" Jace started, I looked to him and he saw the confusion on my face. "Can I talk to you in the hallway."
I nod and get up. "We will be right back." I said to the girl, and followed Jace out the door, shutting it behind me.
"What's wring?" He asked.
"I can't do an iratze on her." I said.
Jace shook his head. "She's not nephilim?" He asked.I nodded. "I guess we just need to bandage her up and send her on her way." He said.
"We can't just— Leave her." I said.
Jace retorted, "Actually we can. I don't know what she is. She could be a downworlder, and if she is, I don't want to deal with all her downworlder friends."
"But she was—" I start but Jace interrupts, "being chased by demons? For all we know that could of been a setup." I thought about it. Jace does have a point. Nephilim at the age of ten usually have runes already, even if it is just a voyance rune. This girl had none. Plus nobody ever comes out this far from Allicante, the Herondale manor was in the middle of nowhere. Where did the girl come from?
"Okay. Let's clean her up, ask questions, then send her off." I said.
Jace smiled then opened the bedroom door again.
The girl was gone.