The Silent Brothers
CLARY
"Why didn't Hodge come with us?" I asked as Stella and I followed Jace along a leaf-strewn path in the cemetery a few miles from the Institute.
"He hasn't left the Institute in years" Jace replied kicking at the leaves "some say it's a spell".
"He's agoraphobic" I said turning to Stella.
"Or maybe he just like the smell of old books so much he doesn't want to leave?" Stella said with a smile.
"Maybe" Jace replied a small smile on his face.
"Is that him?" I asked indicating an old man raking leaves.
"No, that's Harold, the ground's keeper" Jace replied.
"Is that him?" Stella asked pointing to a tall figure draped in black robes striding purposefully in our direction.
"That's him" Jace replied nodding his head.
We stood next to a mausoleum and waited for the figure to reach us. As he got closer I was horrified to see his lips were sewn together and where his eyes should be, black holes took their place. I took an involuntary step backwards as he leant close to me.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" a voice said in my head.
I nodded and let out the breath I didn't know I was holding.
"We will help you to remember" Brother Jeremiah stepped away and opened the gate of the mausoleum.
…
STELLA
I shivered as I stepped through the gateway. I didn't like small spaces much; I preferred to be in the open air with my dad. I fell in behind Clary and Jace as Brother Jeremiah led the way down a winding stone staircase. Some ways down I tripped and put my hand on the wall to steady myself, I found the wall to be covered in slime which I quickly rubbed off.
"Sh, you'll wake the dead" Jace said grinning in the dim light.
I shivered again and focused on were I placed my feet.
"I can't believe this place is just outside the city" Clary said as we came across a large chasm, with the staircase wrapping around the outside.
"Welcome to the City of Bones" Jace said as we looked down the gaping hole. "This is where the Silent Brothers draw their power…from the bones and ashes of Shadowhunters".
We had emerged in a tight corridor with crypts lining the walls and random skeletons draped here and there. I shuddered at how close the walls seemed and tried not to panic.
"All of them are buried here?" Clary asked as we made our way along the corridor.
"Yes" Jace replied "one day, that's going to be me" he tapped the front of one of the crypts.
"What a morbid thing to look forward to" I said.
"This is as far as I go" Jace said stopping in an archway that was one of many surrounding a cavernous room "you'll be fine".
I could see more Silent Brothers taking up positions around the edge of the room as Brother Jeremiah closed a gate behind us.
I looked at Clary nervously "I suddenly don't want to do this".
"There's nothing to be afraid of" Jace said as Brother Jeremiah came towards me "they're just going to see if what you told us is true".
"It won't harm you" Brother Jeremiah said as he led me towards the middle of the room before taking up his place in the circle.
In a flash of light I suddenly found myself in a small room. There was a crib in the middle of the room and two people with runes covering their arms were standing over it. I moved around them to look at their faces and realised they were my birth parents. They were looking down at a wriggling baby with orange hair..ME!
Another flash of light and I was standing in a large room with furniture strewn around then I noticed three people near one of the two doors. I moved towards them and saw the woman was holding something in her arms.
"Is this a good idea? I barely know her" one of the men said.
"Please take her, we don't have much time until Valentine finds us" my mother pleaded as heavy steps sounded in the hallway.
"Please! She'll be safer with you" my father said as he braced himself against the door.
My mother kissed the bundle on the top of the head and placed me into Dad's arms.
"Fiona, I…" Dad looked helplessly at his friends and suddenly the door flew inwards, knocking my father to the ground.
"Go!" my mother yelled taking out her sword.
Dad nodded and headed out the door on the other side of the room. He looked back and saw my mother and father struggling with Valentine's men. Holding me close to his chest Dad ran out into the night and disappeared into the fog.
I felt the tears start spill over my cheeks as another flash of light brought me back to the present. My shoulders shook violently with my sobs as I thought of the last moments of my parents. Clary appeared in front of me and she wrapped her arms around me.
"Hey, it's alright" she whispered in my ear as she rubbed my back.
I sniffed and wiped my eyes "sorry, I'm taking up all of your time". I smiled weakly at Clary and went back and stood next to Jace.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Jace asked looking a little concerned.
"I'm fine, I mean I knew what happened to my parents but seeing it happen was a bit much to take in" I replied wiping my eyes on my sleeve.
Clary ended up standing motionless for a while before she suddenly collapsed to the ground. Jace and I ran over and I hoped she was okay.
"Clary! Clary are you okay?" Jace asked shaking Clary slightly.
Clary opened her eyes and sat up.
"The block is stronger than anticipated" Jace said looking intently at the random smudges in the dust on the floor "it can only be undone by the one who put it there".
"I have no idea who put it there" Clary replied.
"You wrote it" Jace said drawing a few lines in the dust "your mind remembers the inverted image; you just have to look at it differently".
Clary and I watched as Jace's lines formed a word.
"Bane" Jace said as though he'd thought that the whole time.
"Who?" Clary asked.
"Magnus Bane, he's a Warlock" Jace replied.
"Well, let's go talk to him" Clary said getting up.
Jace quickly looked her up and down before doing the same to me "not like that, you need some help from Isabelle".
-x-
A/N: I am so sorry it has taken me this long to update. I am making a concerted effort to update my stories on a weekly basis, so with luck you'll hear from me every Saturday. If not I apologise most profusely.
May the Angel watch over you.