Chapter 10

Kierstyn's P.O.V

Metal screeching, the sound of glass shattering and people yelling at each other was what drove Kierstyn from her dark den. Grabbing the Seraph blade that Senia left on her dresser, she ran towards the closes sound of fighting. Diving around the corner Kierstyn leaped into the heap of automaton that where enclosed around something in the middle.

She swept the blade down in an elegant curve that would have sliced the automaton in half; if the blade hadn't dissolved when it touched it's metal shoulder. Cursing at herself, she grabbed her hand held knifes that she always had tucked in her belt.

Tired, she fought until the last one was decapitated by none other then the little red head. Senia was behind her, wiping oil off her face onto her shirt.

"Nice of you to finally join us." Clary spat, cleaning off a broad double bladed sword that she must have grabbed from off the wall.

"Good to see that you can at least hit something." Kierstyn resorted, "I thought you spent all your time kissing Jace's ass."

Clary opened her mouth to say something back but Senia beat her to it, "looking at how many automatons where here, I'd say that there are a lot more running around. We need to find everyone and get out as fast as we can." She locked eyes with Kierstyn and continued, "I'll go down this hallway you two head down to the library and infirmary to see if there is anyone else there. See you soon." Before either Clary or Kierstyn could objected, she was gone, red hair flying out behind her.

"Great, now I'm stuck with the psychopath." Clary snorted, playing with the sword that laid in her hands.

"Shut up," Kierstyn whispered as she concentrated; dropping her mental blocks, she opened her mind until Senia's presence filled it. Eyes closed, Senia filled her in on what she was doing and if she found anything yet. They couldn't really talk telepathically, well Senia could, but they could show each other what's going on. After they discovered the mental connection, they practised ever since, it took Kierstyn a long time to get the connecting and keep it; it's still really hard to.

Sweat started to collect on her forehead as Kierstyn opened her eyes to find Clary staring at her. "What?" She asked.

"What where you doing? I was calling your name for like five minutes and you didn't answer, at first I though that you where going to faint so I grabbed your medicine but then you mumbled something and I knew that that wasn't it so..." Clary opened her hand to reveal the small vile of medication that Kierstyn normally kept tucked in her right boot. For once, they weren't snapping at each other and Kierstyn didn't want to ruin it so she tentatively took the vile from Clary's hand and gave her a small smile before she tucked the vile back into her boot.

"Thank you," Kierstyn's eye brows drew together as she tried to think of a way to phrase her sentence. "Like for caring, it's nice." Kierstyn started walking again and Clary followed, "and what I was doing was talking to Senia, well sort of." Clary's eyes grew wide as an excited child's would and her fingers curled and uncurled unconsciously. Kierstyn sighed as she tried to explain, "I can't telepathically speak to her but she can to me. What I can do is show her what's going on. So it's like she can see through my eyes, when I let her, and I can see through hers. But It's really hard to keep the connection going; it feels like it is draining my mental and physical energy. Before we came here, we were practising but not for very long periods of times so I don't know how long I will be able to hold it."

"That's so cool!" Clary exclaimed, her smile cracking a line across her face.

"Ya, I guess it is." Kierstyn smiled at Clary when a commotion sounded through the hallway ahead of them. After quickly sending each other a look of dismay, and showing Senia what's going on, they ran forward and turned the corner to get covered in oil.

"Oops sorry," a masculine voice mumbled as Kierstyn and Clary wiped the oil from their eyes. Alec and Jace stood in front of them, Alec with an apologetic look and Jace with a smirk.

"It's ok," Kierstyn mumbled, purposely avoiding Jace's hard stare. "We need to get out of here, as you can tell, we're being invaded." Kierstyn gestured to the fallen automaton.

Jace's eyes darkened as he comprehended what she was saying, "who made you the boss?"

"Jace!" Clary exclaimed but Kierstyn waved her hand, telling Clary that it's alright.

"Do you see Mayrse around here? Or have you seen her these past few days? Because I haven't. If you want to stay here and be the stupid hero that jumps into things without thinking then fine, whatever, but I won't be here to save your ass. Oh and another thing, what happened this afternoon doesn't mean I forgive you and-" Kierstyn gasped as the whole scene in front of her busted with fire, everything was burning. A hand reached through the flames and grasped a charred, blacken one.

The scene disappeared and Kierstyn was aware that everyone was looking at her funny. Kierstyn instantly understood what happened, "the institute is on fire, Senia has Isabelle and they're leaving." She looked at each one in the eye as the air around them began to become laced with smoke. "If you're coming great," she locked eyes with Jace. "If not, I wish you the best of luck." Then she turned and ran down the hallway, listening to the pound of footsteps behind her. To her relief, everyone was following.

The front doors are barricaded with smoke and fire, another image Senia happily sent to her, so they where flying though the dungeons, or the underground half of the institute, with the fire right on their tails.

They where lucky, only fighting a few automatons here and there. Coming to a stop in front of a door that was supposedly going to lead them outside, they pushed and pulled, but it was bolted shut. The smoke was filling the air and each of them were coughing and spiting black soot onto the ground. Giving up, Kierstyn sank to the ground, shirt covering her mouth and she breathed fast and heavy. Because of her illness, the smoke was worse for her, she felt as if she was going to pass out at any second and the connection kept fading in and out as she fought to hold onto it.

"It's no use," Kierstyn yelled over the roar of the fire, "save your breath and say your goodbyes we aren't going to make it." Everyone at the door stop pushing and pulling when they heard her voice. She was barely breathing now and she couldn't see the people in front of her because her eyes were watering so bad.

The sound of people sliding down the walls was what made Kierstyn believe that they all listened to her. Someone sat beside her and wrapped her in a tight hug.

"Goodbye," the person whispered.

"Goodbye."

The motion of swinging back and forth brought vomit up and into her throat. Swallowing it down, Kierstyn groaned and peeled opened her eyes, she coughed, gaged, then tilted her head to the side to spit.

"Hey, careful, those are new shoes." A voice rumbled from behind her. Her eyes wouldn't focus clearly, they kept watering. Nothing came out of her parched mouth besides what sounded like a dying whale. Kierstyn clucked her dry tongue in irritation; her throat was so dry, it felt liked a baked potato.

"There you go." The man set her down on what felt like pavement and put something cold and wet on her lips.

"Drink," the man commanded softly. Usually Kierstyn would never touch, much less drink, anything that she couldn't see but at this moment she didn't care. She greedily drank the cool liquid until the man pried it from her lips. A strangled cry erupted from her as she reached blindly for the paradise that helped her sore, parched throat.

"Now now, you can't drink it all or you'll get sick. Let's clear up that sight for you." A burning sensation started behind her eyes as she closed them and bit her lips shut; keeping another cry in. "All done."

Slowly opening her eyes, she looked up at Magnus, or someone that sounded and had the right facial features as him; but this Magnus clothes where ripped to shreds with black holes that shows his honey colored skin. His black hair was long and flat on either side of his face and there wasn't a sparkle in sight. Mouth dropped open, she tried to find some words to ask what happened but Magnus put up a hand to stop her.

"Don't ask."

"Alright so I won't," Her voice was scratchy and horse but it was better then weird, dying whale sounds. "Thank you Magnus for saving me and the others." His face made Kierstyn's smile slip from her lips. "They didn't make it?"

"Yes, the ones with you did and Isabelle came back but she said Senia was still in the institute so Jace ran in there without a second thought and they haven't come out. I'm so sorry," Magnus pointed behind him and Kierstyn scrambled around his long legs to see what he meant.

The institute laid in blackened chucks and heaps. Smoke raised in columns, forming dark, dreary clouds that loomed above them. A strangled choke escaped from Kierstyn's lips as she scrambled forward. She was tripping, awkwardly running towards the building until she found her footing and ran, only to trip on a bent and warped piece of metal.

She landed on her hands and knees, heart breaking at the thought of losing yet another person she loved. Kierstyn curled into a ball and wrapped her arms around herself as silent tears pushed their way down her face. She remembered all the things Senia did for her. Someone who showed her kindness even when she snapped at everyone to go away and threw things at their heads. Kierstyn thought of Senia's mother. Alone. In England; Waiting. Waiting for her daughter to come home. She thought about what she heard before they left for this death trap. About what Dawn had said to Senia, about how she needed Senia to come home because she was the only thing left.

Kierstyn bowed right there to never let anyone get close to her, never let herself love anyone again, that way, she could never have to feel the black, empty hole grow wider and stronger, threatening to consume everything she is.

Someone touched her shoulder and Kierstyn's head snapped up to see Simon, soot, oil and blood covered him from head to toe but clear, clean tracks where the only that showed that he had been crying. Behind him was Clary, fat tears ran down her face and jumped off her chin. Clary tried to smile, tried to smile for Kierstyn's sake and she respected that but couldn't return the smile.

Kierstyn felt broken, there was nothing left, nothing left except her mission and her name. She would finish her mission, she knew that, she would finish it for Senia. She sat up slowly, clenching the thing that she tripped over, a melted Seraph blade.

Simon pointed behind him as Kierstyn saw a huge pack of automaton running towards them. Bruised, burnt and empty, Kierstyn got up and walked towards the portal that Magnus made. Alec was just stepping through, Clary and Simon had started walking first so they stepped through next, when it was Kierstyn's turn, she turned and faced the fallen institute and rushing automaton.

"Ave Atque Vale, hail and farewell; my partner, my friend." Kierstyn dropped the Seraph blade, stepped through the portal and didn't look back again.