Fan Fiction- The Mortal Instruments
Warning: Spoilers for CP2 in this chapter.
Chapter 8- Drawing you closer...
How romantic sounding...
I was wandering idly through a silver and black forest, illuminated by a suspiciously bright moon. Little silver bluebells blossomed on my path, growing in pretty metallic clusters. I was wearing a short silver dress, and I laughed as it swirled around me. It was like a multi-tiered waterfall, and even as I thought it, a fine spray of mercurial liquid coated my arm. I glanced up to look at the now roaring waterfall. How magical, I thought dazedly. I felt as high as I had after tasting the faerie drugs at the club with Jace.
Footsteps pounded the soft earth, and I turned to see a Silver Prince, looking slightly out of breath, but composed all the same. He cocked his head to the side as he looked at me inquisitively.
"Clarissa Fairchild. You are especially reminiscent of your ancestors, aren't you?"
"What do you mean, Silver Prince?"
He smiled at that. "Never mind that now Clary. What is more important now is that you use your gift in the way it was foreseen by the angels."
I looked at him and laughed like a hysterical child. "You're very strange, Silver Prince."
He frowned now. "Concentrate Clary. You need to remember-"
My Silver Prince was cut off by a different voice, a soft, musical voice, "No, Clary darling, don't listen to him. Your true purpose lies elsewhere, written by the Servants of the Morning Star."
"Mmmmm.. Morning Star... pretty, like a shooting star?"
The second speaker chuckled. "Exactly, sweetheart."
"Clary, no! Don't listen, you can't forget! Clary! CLARY!"
"Claaaaaarrryy..."
"Claaary..."
"Izzy, just wake her up."
"CLARY! GET UP!"
I bolted awake, almost hitting into a face with two very smug black eyes.
"Sleeping beauty hath awoken from her deep sleep. Let all her servants and peasants celebrate and be joyous."
I looked blearily from her to a smiling Alec, who was waiting by the door. Hopefully I would get more sense out of him. "What are you doing here?" I asked him with a yawn.
Pity now lit his blue eyes. "We're here to train you, Clary. Well, to bring you to the Institute for training."
Izzy's smirk grew even larger as horror dawned on my face. "But I've only been asleep for a couple of hours. That's cruel, even by your standards, Izzy."
"Clary, its almost four in the afternoon," Alec said, not without kindness. "Maryse wanted you there for seven. In the morning."
"How did you get her to let me lie in?" I enquired curiously. Maryse Lightwood had never come across as an overly sympathetic woman.
"We told her about last night." Isabelle said simply, with a shrug.
"And she's cool with it?" I really didn't believe that.
"Not exactly. She said she will be telling Jocelyn as soon as she gets back. She also told us if you weren't ready for training by seven tomorrow, she'd call upon a Clave member to train you."
I was going to be in serious trouble. Especially when Mom finds out just how much time I spent with Jace. Who I was now officially forbidden from seeing.
"Where is Jace anyway?" I wondered aloud.
"Your mom already ranted about how Jace is the worst thing that ever happened to you. Alec and I heard most of it, and we weren't even in the room. Maryse has taken him with her to 'introduce him to how Clave meetings work', since it won't be that long until he gets to participate."
"So he doesn't know anything yet." I could already feel the echo of last night's headache.
"Good luck to whoever has to explain this to him," Isabelle said, agreeing with my tone.
I groaned and rose out of bed. I felt like I hadn't slept in a day. But, on the other hand, I'd told Jace I was serious about becoming a Shadowhunter, therefore complaining would obviously be incredibly hypocritical. It was a lose-lose situation.
"I thought my mom said Maryse had to present during all of my training?" I asked, deciding they probably didn't hear the hopeful note in my voice.
Izzy grinned. "She said she found a suitable replacement."
"Meaning?"
"Yours truly," came a lofty voice from the door.
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Her eyes are glassy and unseeing now. Useless. A vague kind of anger swells within me; I'd needed this, and now I'd have to find another source. My gaze rested on the rising flames, each the colour of a lion or a red wolf, battling for dominance.
I knew what I needed to do now, who I needed to find. My fingers brush over dark metal, and for the first time today I feel satisfied.
Guessed who yet?
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Suffice to say, Magnus Bane wasn't exactly who I'd had in mind when Isabelle had said there would be a replacement. He was, of course, back to his glittery, colourful self.
"Do you even know anything about Shadowhunting?" I asked.
"I've worked with many Shadowhunters over the years. Besides, its Isabelle and Alec who will be training you, not me. My job is to make sure you don't sneak off to find Jace."
"Jace is with Maryse," I pointed out.
He shrugged. I wondered if he would start to mumble about being the Shadowhunters' pet again.
Up ahead, I heard Izzy laugh at something Alec had said. She then shot me a grin over her shoulder. I frowned. Was Alec saying I wouldn't be able to make it through training? A sudden determination rose within me. Well, I would just have to prove him wrong, I thought angrily.
The Institute loomed before us. Despite the fact that I'd been here multiple times, and many of the people I loved lived here, it always seemed foreboding. There was no warmth to the Institute, no sense of life from the outside.
We took the elevator into the main part of the building, where the Shadowhunters resided. I screamed.
And then blushed. Waiting for us was a hooded figure. A Silent Brother. He let his hood fall, and I swore there was a brief light of amusement in his eyes, before he began to speak inside my head. Good evening, Clarissa Morgenstern. I was rather expecting you a little earlier.
It was Brother Zachariah. He was instantly distinguishable from the other Silent Brothers, with the scars on his cheekbones, and his eyes remained open, not sown like the others.
"You were silver in my dream," I said, not even realising the words were coming out of my mouth. But it was true. My Silver Prince had in fact been Brother Zachariah. I was once again mortified; first the screaming, and now this. They all must think I'm crazy, I thought.
But his eyes widened. It was barely noticeable, just a few fractions, but it was there. Was there more to the dream than I'd thought?
"Silver," I heard Magnus breathe.
"You know something about this?" Alec asked in disbelief.
The warlock's eyes flickered to Zachariah, looking for permission. He looked down, but gave a sharp nod.
"I knew Brother Zachariah when he was a young Shadowhunter. When he was known as James Carstairs."
Jem to those who loved me, he added in a quiet, reflective voice.
"Jem was silver-haired and silver-eyed because he... developed an addiction to a drug. Not through his own choice may I add. But once you've taken enough of it, it acts as a life-sustaining poison."
"That seems... paradoxical."
"He needed it to survive, but it was slowly killing him. Without it he had no energy, and would cough up blood."
It was a particularly cruel way to die. But I live on now, for Tessa Grey, and always for Will.
"Will?" Alec said, startled. He'd heard the name from Camille, and had always felt jealously when the name came up, for Camille had implied something had taken place between him and Magnus.
Yes. Will Herondale, your own parabatai's ancestor, Alexander. Although you resemble him more than Jonathan does.
Alec stared at Magnus. Magnus smirked slightly, "Young Alexander has rather picked up the wrong end of the stick. How many times have I told you now that Camille is the master of implication and manipulation?"
"Who was he?" Alec said, frustrated at being treated like a child.
He was my parabatai, and Tessa Grey's lover and husband. He was a parent and a grandparent. He was the man who rode from London to Cadair Idris, in Wales, to save Tessa and help save the world from a clockwork army He was the friend who would have sacrificed the world for either Tessa or I. He glanced over at Magnus. The only time your boyfriend was involved with him was when Will was seeking the demon who feigned giving him a curse. Thinking he had that curse gave Will many years of torment,
"Well, I did kiss him once," Magnus admitted, "But he certainly wasn't expecting it. Neither was Camille, to be honest. Good thing he was drunk at the time, otherwise he may have knocked out a few of my teeth, and broken many bones in my beautiful face."
"Why are you here? Is it about Jace? Or Sebastian?" Izzy seemed to be growing tired of stories of the past.
Patience, Isabelle Lightwood. You remind me strongly of Gabriel Lightwood. He never seemed able to understand there is a time for the past either.
"Can you get to the point?" Hearing Brother Zachariah's history had made her more confident towards him.
Do you wish to join us, Jonathan, before we begin discussing your enemy?
Jace stepped out from behind the corner, his golden eyes unrepentant.
I blinked in shock. "Aren't you meant to be with Maryse?"
"You don't think I know about Jocelyn's evil plan?" he said with raised eyebrows. "I escaped when she told me to meet the Consul for a talk about Shadowhunter politics. By the Angel, I didn't know Nephilim could be as boring as mundanes. So I decided to skip that part."
"Mom will be furious," Alec noted, but he seemed to be on the verge of laughter. Jace, it appeared, was never brilliant at following rules.
Jace grinned at his parabatai; sometimes, their connection was almost visible, when both knew what the other was thinking.
"I take it Clary's training session is to be adjourned then?" Magnus enquired.
Yes!, I thought triumphantly.
There is no reason for that to happen. We can discuss it after she trains.
My like for the Silent Brother dropped away; he'd just condemned me to an evening of misery.
I walked sullenly towards the training room, the others trailing behind me.
You seem quite unwilling to become a Shadowhunter. He was gliding beside me, his feet not quite touching the ground beneath the parchment-coloured robes.
I didn't reply, but lifted a seraph blade. The truth was I was afraid. Every other Shadowhunter I'd met had been trained since they were young children. I was starting as a teenager, nearly an adult. My fear was that all my skills would be far inferior to the others'.
Isabelle frowned at me. "Put the blade down, Clary. We have to start with the basics: hand-to-hand combat. If you're ever disarmed, you still need to be able to fight."
"Jace already has been training me. We've already covered that part."
"Jace tends to rush things, and he may have left things out he didn't see as strictly necessary. I'm going to train you as the Clave itself would. For now, you're about... twelve."
I tossed away the knife. Isabelle's many years arguing with her brother had made her proficient in winning discussions with other people.
"Where do we start?" I asked, nervous as everyone had stopped to watch us.
"Basic self-defence and sparring." She pushed back her sleeves, showing her pale arms, lined with scars. She tied her long black hair into a ponytail, and leapt at me.
Needless to say, I hadn't been expecting that. I crashed to the ground, and Isabelle grimaced. "Clary. That was pathetic. Get to your feet."
I clambered awkwardly to my feet, knowing bruises were forming where I'd impacted with the ground. This time I would be ready, I vowed.
She advanced again, her steps light and graceful. I held my hands up to defend myself. I remembered what Jace had said about a low centre of gravity, and quickly changed my stance.
She kicked out at me, deadly and accurate. I took the hit, wincing, surprised she hadn't broken something. Then I quickly retaliated, grabbing her arm and twisting in quickly, then sweeping my leg out, tripping her. And she fell.
"Not bad," she said, and grinned up at me. Apparently, what I'd done had barely affected her. "But you'll need more force in a fight with a demon, or a Shadowhunter like Sebastian or the dark ones. You should be aiming to kill with every strike."
"I don't want to kill you, though," I pointed out.
"I let you win that time. You also need to be faster." I stared at her in disbelief. She merely rolled to her feet and stalked towards me.
By the end, I was exhausted, yet somehow satisfied. Izzy had been harsh, but she'd shown me how I'd really need to fight. She'd given me a glimpse at the real world of fighting, one that involved a high level of technique. In the past I'd only won any fights by the surprise of my attacker, not expecting that I'd actually fight back. That was changing now.
"What are we doing next time?" I asked enthusiastically.
"Shadowhunting's a drug," she said with an understanding smile. "Heck, Jace can't even separate hunting from his normal life. We're going to have to push you though, Clary. We'll work on two attackers next time, and then you'll fight Jace again."
"But I thought you said-"
"Jace was going easy on you before. When you fight him again, he's going to play being Sebastian."
"I always knew I was destined for a career in acting, Izzy," Jace said. "Its great you've seen my outstanding talent too."
Izzy rolled her eyes. "There are galaxies out there smaller than your ego."
"Are you sure? I'm afraid you'd have to supply very convincing evidence to prove that," Magnus said thoughtfully. "Now, I think its time to find out what Jem wanted to tell us."
Indeed. A pattern seems to be emerging from Jonathan Morgenstern's appearances. They always occur after a withdrawal of demonic energy in an area.
"Why, though, is the next question."
Perhaps he is experimenting with the new information he has.
"So we look for an area with low demon activity?" Alec questioned, uncertain.
"Do we want to attack him? We don't even know what we're up against." I spoke with firmness. I was sure we couldn't rush into this blindly.
"Clary's right. For all we know, he could be trying to draw us to him." I looked in surprise at Isabelle. She usually agreed with the most reckless, elaborate plan.
"We observe him then, " Jace stated.
"Who's we? Wouldn't it be better to let the Clave deal with this?" Magnus' eyes flicked worriedly to Alec for half a second. It was difficult, knowing the person you loved may go out to fight and lose their life.
"The Clave can't be trusted any more. They're trapped in the past, and are torn. They'll end up taking risks that'll kill too many of us, and we all know our numbers are low enough as it is." Jace talked with passion in his voice, because as much as he hated sounding like Valentine, he truly believed the Clave could no longer help us.
So it is decided. I will alert you to any changes in demonic levels across the world.
'I thought Silent Brothers had to agree with the Clave. That you are the Clave."
We are each our own person, and this is not the first time the Nephilim have been failed by the Clave. If this is for the greater good, I have no objection.
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I looked forward to being reunited. It would be another piece falling into place, obeying my command without hesitation. Each step I took was languid because of this. My blood has made me sharper than any other being on Earth; infinitely superior, making my end goal within reach. Nothing else could hope to compare to me, and I did not say this in arrogance. I knew my capabilities and faults. I would destroy my weaknesses, and I would become supreme. I could practically reach out and touch success now, and my imaginings grew more realistic with each passing hour.
I allowed myself a brief smile, before I unsheathed my blade, and emerged from the alleyway into the crowded, sunlit street. It was easy to run the lovely blade almost tenderly across their throats, watching the precious liquid spill deftly over them. A thrilling, empowering experience. And of course, the path of blood I'd painted would soon bring all my brothers and sisters running to me.
Okay, I'm assuming you all know who this is by this point. As for the end line, remember that Morgenstern is half-demon, so he would consider them his brothers and sisters, along with Shadowhunters, Jace and Clary.
Thank you for reading, and my target for this chapter is an overly hopeful 35 reviews. If I made my goal I'd be ecstatic, and I am completely open to criticism and will appreciate even a couple of words!
BlackHeartedTigress x.
