Chapter Five
Clary
" What? Are you serious Magnes? Because if you aren't,
this is soooo not funny," I said.
" No, I'm quite sure. In fact, I'd put money on it that I'm right," he replied," And I'm not a gambling person."
I sighed. Ever since I had found his name my brain, Magnes had told me that he couldn't unravel the lock he had put on my brain. This was amazing! Did he find a spell from the White Book?
" Is it a spell from the White Book?" Jace asked as if he had read my mind.
" No, Nephillim it isn't. It is a city actually. A city in which you have to travel by portal to. It's the only way," Magnes said.
" What is it called? Perhaps I have heard of it before," Jace asked.
"Well, to Downworlders, it is called the... Night World. That is the best translation I can give you. But to you Nephillim, it is called the City of Memories."
Chapter Six
Jace
" There is no way in the named the Angel I will let Clary go there. The Night World? What are you thinking?" I demanded of the Warlock.
" I'm thinking," Magnes replied," what you Nephillim refused to think. She must visit the City of Memories."
Obviously, Clary had been listening.
" Jace, what's there? In the Night World, I mean." she said quietly.
" Darkness. That's what's there. Darkness. It's so dark not the light of your witchlight stone, or even the light of your sephral blade can penetrate it," Magnes responded, picking back up his fork and shoving a mother piece of French Toast in his mouth.
" Okay,"Clary said suddenly," I'll go." she looked over at me like she knew I would explode. She was right.
" Clarissa Morgenstern! I will never let you go there. It's too dangerous. Tell her Magnes." I looked at Magnes expectantly.
"Well, there are side effects, you see. Some include weakness, dizzy spells, exaustion in your limbs, and craziness. But you," he looked at Clary," are strong. You probably couldn't be effected by the side effects, well not by much." he finished.
Now I was angry. How could he defend her? He was supposed to defend me. That was the deal. Well that's what I get for making a deal with a warlock.
" Okay, so it's settled. I'll go to the City of Memories. How's today work for you,Magnes?"Clary asked, turning the traitor warlock.
" Well, it's not that simple, Clary. The Night World is a realm of the mind only. Your body will remain here," I said in a whisper.
" But you said that I had to get there through portal..." she said in return, a quizzacal look on her face.
" It isn't a normal portal, like the one you created. It's more of a spell," Mangnes answered her unsaid question. Ugh. I was getting a major headache. Why did Clary have to think this was a good idea?
" All right. You can go. I just want to he there to say I told you so." and then I walked out the door.
•••
I didn't really know where I was going. I just started walking away from Luke's house. I wanted to get away from what was said there.
In the subway station, I decided to go to the institute.
The Lightwoods had bought a house near Luke's. It was an old two story farmhouse style. The outside was a cheerful yellow, but inside, there was a ton of secret rooms, which was just plain convient for a family of Shadowhunters.
I was thinking of all of this when I walked up the steps of the Institute. I hadn't been here since the day we attempted to go through a portal to Idris in the side wall. As far as I knew, no one else had been here either. I clutched my witchlight rune stone and light exploded from my palm. I switched it to my non-fighting hand. I then reached into my jacket, where I kept my sephral blade. This one was named Baabiel. At the thought of the name, the blade's hilt glowed a bit. I smiled. It was amazing, the things a Shadowhunter could do. I almost forgot to mark myself. I set my blade and runestone down on a nearby table and snatched my stele from my pocket.
I quickly marked my arm with a series of ink black runes.
Strength. Speed. Stealth. Protection.
They all came naturally to me. Of course, I wasn't as attuned to runes as Clary, I just had grown up around them.
Once I was done, I slipped my stele back into the pocket and snatched up my runestone- it's light was just beginning to falter- and sephral blade. I took quick, sure steps to the elevator and pressed the button.
Nothing happened.
I waited a few more seconds, then pressed it again. Still nothing. Huh. Weird. The elevator has been working for at least one hundred years- and then I smelled it.
The sent of demon stood heavy in the air. It smell like the inside of a landfill. It was also eerily silent in the hall, which was weird, considering there was usually the sound of New York traffic filling the downstairs area.
I was getting increasingly curious as I walked up the ancient stairs on the left of the elevator. Something felt weird here. The Institute used to be like a home. Now it felt like a foreign land. It was too dark. It was the kind of dark that leaves some people claustrophobic. It was the kind of dark that if I didn't have a witch light, I would be out of there.
However, some instinct made me go forward.
I heard it when I reached the second floor. There was hissing and yelling of demons came from behind the door. A yowling of a cat came from somewhere nearby. Well, at least the Persian was safe. Just then, the door handle moved. I quickly grabbed my stele and drew a holding rune upon the door. It wouldn't last long, but it would have to do.
I had to hide.
I ran down the stairs just as the door flew open.
