Hey, sorry this is a little late, but I had exams last week and got behind!

Fox Hunt

Since his revelation about their shared experimentation, Jonathan had left Jace and Clary well enough alone. Where he spent his nights, Clary wasn't sure, but he hadn't been to see them in three days. She suspected that something of the demon nature kept him from needing sleep like a normal person might have, and that he was busy, plotting his next move against her and Jace and the Clave.

He still doesn't know the Cup is missing, Clary reminded herself constantly, so he doesn't know the Clave is building an army. He'll be unprepared, he'll think he can just march into Alicante, but they'll be waiting for him.

The thought, though heartening, still raised a small cry of despair. Jonathan was her brother, after all, and he wasn't this way by his own design. If anyone was to blame, it was Valentine; he was the one who had lost his mind over Jocelyn, and he was the one who had poisoned Jonathan. He was the one who deserved to be punished.

Valentine's children, Valentine's experiments…By the Angel, if he were alive today I would drag him before the Angel himself, even if it killed me, and make him answer for his crimes!

Clary had mentioned this to Jace once or twice, and, though disgusted by Jonathan, he had to agree. She suspected that Jace was a little shocked as well at his own discovery about himself, because she would catch him every now and then looking at hands, tracing the veins in his hands and wrists. On their second evening alone, Jace had finally turned to Clary, his eyes wide and unsettled.

"Clary…what am I?"

Startled, Clary had stared a moment before answering simply. "You're Jace Herondale, the man I love."

"But what am I?" Jace pressed urgently. "I'm not a shadowhunter, I'm not even human; what Valentine did to me-what he did to us-what does it mean?"

Clary bit her lip. "I love you, Jace, and that's all that matters. What does it matter if we're not…well, if we're not completely the same as everyone else? You're my husband, and I will love you till the end of my life, and that will never change."

"I knew I shouldn't have asked you," he chuckled. "No matter what I tell you, no matter what I ever do, you'll always love me. You'll always tell me I'm perfect."

"You are," shrugged Clary, and she smiled at him. "Regardless, you and I are the same, we both have the blood of the Angel in us, and we will stay that way."

Jace smirked. "I bet Valentine was bursting at the seams for us to have a child."

"He's gone now," said Clary, "but what I wouldn't give for him to back. Just so he could answer for what he did."

"You mean Jonathan?" said Jace.

Clary nodded her head. "He was so selfish, so…horrible to do what he did. He destroyed his own son just to make his wife prove she loved him. I wish he were alive just so I could kill him."

Jace, who was sitting by the mantle, close enough to the fire to warm his hands, nodded Clary over to his side. She scrambled over and he draped an arm about her. "I think it's better he's dead. If he were alive, he'd be hunting us down still, but with Jonathan, there's still a chance of fixing it."

"You think we can fix it?" Clary asked suddenly.

"Yes," Jace said. "Yes, I think we can, but it's going to be difficult, and I can't say with any certainty that we'll come out unharmed. I think, though, that if we don't, no one else can stop him."

Clary slumped against his side. "When do you think he's coming for us?"

Jace looked about uncomfortably and his eyes found the window. He could see sunlight, but it was frail and dead, and he wondered if he would ever see the light of the sun again. "He said soon, but I suppose that could mean anything to him. At least he's feeding us."

It was true that Aline was still visiting them once a day, always coming with a tray of food. However, what they were more interested in was her recent foray into the religious following the Great Goddess. She had managed to convince the castle preacher that she was seeking salvation, and, as a woman, she quickly admitted to their ranks. So far, she had had to attend lessons, readings from the religious text, but she had not heard yet of the origin of the Great Goddess.

"They say she is the First Mother," Aline has said, seating herself before them, looking slightly ill. "That she sacrificed her first born to God, so that he would give her the strength and the courage to bear the children of the dark, who would come to this world to give us the freedom."

"Freedom?" Clary asked sharply. "What freedom."

"The freedom of choice," Aline whispered like a prayer. "They came to let us choose if we would follow the light or dark. The Light of courage and the Dark of slavery."

Clary and Jace shared a quick glance. The Dark of slavery?

"What else did they say?" Jace pressed gently.

A shiver passed through Aline, and she looked like she was going to be ill. "She wants to give freedom to the babies of Men, and she says that if we sacrifice our children, she will raise them back up, more powerful than ever before. She commands that a woman's first duty should be to bear children and to pass them to her."

"A demon who wants children?" Clary mused, thinking it over while Aline watched her carefully.

"What does it mean, miss?" Aline asked. "What are we going to do?"

Clary shook her head. "Jace and I have to figure out who she is first, but you're doing wonderful, Aline, absolutely, wonderful."

Aline brightened markedly at this, she twitched and a small smile turned her lips up. "You're gracious, miss."

Clary took Aline's hand in her and squeezed tightly. "You're fantastic, Aline, the bravest woman I know."

Jace winked at Aline. "That's high praise, Aline."

"Thank you, miss," she said, and then glanced over her shoulder. "When will the King return?"

Clary glanced to the door and back. "I haven't the faintest clue. He's been away for the last few days, but he said he'd come back. He said…" Clary didn't want to remember what he had said. We have plans in a few day, and you'll want to be on your feet. "He said we're to have entertainment."

Jace shot her a look, knowing that when she said they were to have entertainment, she meant they were going to be the entertainment. Aline, however, was either unaware, or she chose not to understand, because she just looked between them, looking solemn. After a few more minutes, Aline noticed how the light had shifted outside, and she jumped to her feet.

"I have a reading to attend," she said suddenly, looking slightly ill. "I-I have to go take a lesson about the Great Goddess."

Clary smiled wanly at her and nodded. "You're doing wonderful, Aline. Thank you."

Aline bowed, but her eyes were looking shadowed. She left quietly, a little forlorn, but very determined not to let them down. Clary watched her go and then turned to Jace, who was still a little unsettled about forcing Aline to join the religious following of a demon. He caught Clary's eye, but Clary gave him a look.

"There's no other way," said Clary before Jace could speak. "You know that if anyone has a chance of figuring out who the demon is, Jace , it's going to be Aline."

"I know it," Jace said uncertainly, "but I just don't want to hurt her anymore than she already is. She needs help, Clary, you must see that?"

"We'll get her all the help she needs when this war is over," said Clary stoutly, and her voice told Jace she didn't want to speak of it anymore.

They sat a bit more, watching the light change a bit, shifting past noon. They had just settled down to sit and sleep when Jace heard the distinct sound of footsteps. He sat up straighter, pushed Clary behind him, and watched the door. Clary thought he looked like a hunting hound on point, but when the door opened, he didn't lunge forward.

"Hello, pet," Jonathan said sweetly to Clary, appropriating the endearment rather cruelly. Clary glared at him from her place on the floor, but Jonathan hooked his foot through the chain and jerked it. Clary was thrown to the floor with a sharp cry of anger. "How have you been these last few days we've been apart? Has your arm gone to rights?"

Clary, who had landed on her arm, sat up. "Why are you here?"

"I told you I'd come back," Jonathan said, and then he noticed Jace, who was looking ready to pounce. "How now, little brother?"

"Never better," he said through his gritted teeth. "You finally decided to show your face?"

Jonathan's smile slipped a bit. "I knew you'd miss me. So, have you two recovered yourselves enough to make your way back to the court?"

Clary most defiantly wanted to say no, but she knew Jonathan wasn't really asking. "What do they want with us?"

"I told you, there would be entertainments," Jonathan said simply, he reached down and undid the chair that bound Clary to the wall. "You two will certainly be the center of attention." He unlinked Jace's chains and then pulled them roughly to their feet.

"Right now?" Clary asked suspiciously. "Last time it was quite a production."

Jonathan laughed darkly. "Oh now, trust me, you won't want to be running around in costumes today. It will quite ruin it all."

"Ruin what?" Jace asked carefully as Jonathan pushed them from the room and out toward the hall and the castle proper.

"Just wait and see, little brother, wait and see."

Jonathan led Jace and Clary back down toward the main hall, but instead of entering, he took them around to the doors. The moment they opened, Clary drew back a little as the light poured in. She glanced over and saw that Jace, in the light of the dying sun, was drained of color, paler than snow. He seemed almost ill.

"Come along, now," Jonathan said cheerily. "Out into the open air for a little stroll through the park."

Not speaking, Jace and Clary followed Jonathan down the steps and out of the castle and into the gardens, still trapped in the grasp of winter. A few of the flowers that might have bloomed were frozen solid, the tree bark sparkling, and the ground frozen solid. Across from them, near the edge of the open ground where the tree line loomed up, was the court. Clary was disconcerted to see that many of them had horses, and the three headed hound Jonathan kept at his side was prowling about.

As they approached, Jonathan spoke. "Hello, again, my lord and ladies!" They hissed and snarled, cheering and pounding their feet. "I hope you're all up for a bit of fun. I trust you all remember my honored guests?"

A few of the demons drew nearer at the scent of fresh blood, and the one who had pinned Jace down stepped up, smiling so that her tongue fell out. Jace frowned in return and drew closer to Clary. Jonathan, though, pushed them forward and the demons howled with pleasure.

"I thought this evening we might have a game of rousing sport," Jonathan continued, and his hands crept up Jace and Clary's neck, holding them stiffly. "I'm sure you've heard of a fox hunt, but where's the sport in that? A fox is just a dumb animal."

Oh, no, thought Clary, her stomach doing small flips. This isn't good.

"So I thought: what if we give the fox a brain and an hour's head start?" Jonathan proclaimed, and the court cheered. "Now that Clary and Jace have so graciously agreed to be our foxes, I dare say we can have an entertaining evening."

"You can't do this," said Jace under his breath, watching the demons carefully. "If they catch us, they'll kill us. Then where will you be?"

Jonathan pretended not to hear him, but said: "Now, I know you're all a little anxious for a taste of fresh meat, but I must impress upon all of you that our foxes are just for show. There will be no killing them." A few the demons scowled, but they said nothing more to it. "However, I promise to reward whichever of you catches them with something just as good. But, if after a day, none of us have caught the blighters, we'll reward them instead. That's fair, right?"

"Jonathan-" began Clary, but he ignored her.

"So, I think we'll give Clary and Jace an hour's head start, enough time to vanish into the forest before me make our move. That's fair, isn't it?"

Clary, shaking terribly, didn't hear the agreements the demons cried back, she didn't feel the pressure of Jonathan hand leave her neck, and she didn't hear Jace telling her to run, grabbing her hand, and pulling her away. All she could feel was the pounding of blood in her veins, the mounting terror that they would be caught, and the horrible thought of what would happen when they were.

Jace, tugging Clary along, was thinking in a panicked state about where they were supposed to hide. The park is large, but not enough that we could find a place to stay for a night. The sun was setting fast now, and Jace cursed Jonathan for choosing now for his game. Soon the forest would be in shadow, and though he and Clary could both see well in the dark, the demons were going to be in their element. He veered into a thicket, trying to collect his thoughts and make a plan. At his side, Clary was looking lost.

"Clary, how well do you know the park?"Jace asked, giving her a small shake. She stared at him blankly, watching the last rays of sunlight fade away, leaving them in the semi-darkness of evening. "Clary?"

"I-I don't," she said, stuttering terribly. "I was never allowed to go out on the fox hunts without Jonathan, and he never let me wander that far."

"But is there a place that's more protected than the others? A cave or an alcove that might offer us a bit of protection?"

"By the river…" Clary mumbled, thinking hard. "By the river there's a cave, but we'll have to double back toward the demons."

Jace looked thoughtful, biting his lip. "If we move fast, there's a bit of daylight still life. We could reach the river, use the water to cover our scent…"

It was the best plan they had, so Jace took Clary's hand again, leading her with a strong grip, back the way they had come. A small part of him was worried that taking Clary back toward her brother was asking for trouble, but he needed to get her away. He needed to get her somewhere safe and hunker down for the evening. Around him, the sounds of birds were fading away, their voices drifting into evening.

The demons, the birds can sense the demons, thought Jace as he ran.

It must have been true, because, almost as soon as Jace and Clary reached the gorge where the river cut through the park, a horn sounded in the dark. "They're coming!" Clary cried, and then she tugged free of Jace and began scrambling down the gorge toward the river.

"Clary!" Jace rasped, wondering if the demon were already searching for sign of them. "Clary, be careful."

"Get down here!" Clary snapped, her eyes wide and dilated. "Get down here before the demons find us."

Jace watched, rather impressed while a terrified Clary maneuvered the steep, rock ledge with remarkable dexterity. She hit the rocky bank with a light thump and cast herself into the river, effectively dousing her scent. Jace was a few steps behind her, but he quickly followed her into the icy stream. Clary's eyes were scanning the bank frantically, searching for the cave, but as the night fell deeper and deeper, it became harder to see. It was as if the demon in Jonathan was stretching out its hand and covering the land in darkness. Not even the light of stars or moon shone through the dark.

"I can't see," Clary hissed over the sloshing of the river. "I can't see a thing."

Jace cursed. "We have to find a place to hide. Is there anywhere else-"

Jace's words were cut off by a horrible sound, a sound that made the blood in both Clary and Jace freeze. It was a howling, cawing, cacophonous racket, and it echoed through the trees, coming nearer and nearer. Then, like the sound the thunder, the hooves of horses pounding the earth.

"They're on us!" Clary rasped.

"Get into the shadows of the wall," Jace ordered, and the two left the river and clambered over the back and into the shadows of the gorge wall. Jace pressed Clary against it and then covered her with himself. "Don't make a sound," he whispered, and then ducked his face against her neck.

It was a few minutes before the sound of the hooves drew near enough for the feelings of sickness and cold to reach them. When they did, though, Clary thought she might be physically ill. A few loose stones fells down the gorge when the demons' hoses drew up to the ridge. Clary felt her heart stopping, and against her, Jace's breath hissed.

"You sure you scented them this way?" asked a voice like ice. Below them, Clary was suppressing the urge to run, helped along by Jace's very heavy body. "I don't see anything but a river."

"I'm not confused," said the other voice, and then there was the sound of heavy snuffling, like a person was trying to breathe through a very a stuffed up nose. "It's this ruddy human nose, it hardly works."

"Well, get rid of it," answered the other demon as if this were the obvious answer. "It's not like it matters to you. Soon enough, we won't have to hide ourselves in these disgusting bodies. Once Jonathan and the Mother tear those pathetic shadowhunters apart, we will be free to do as we please. No one will stand in our way."

Mother…the demons even call her mother, Jace wondered but there was more.

"What I don't understand," said the other demon with the bad nose, "is why the master keeps those Angel get around. I smell them all over the palace, in the garden, in the halls, in the bedrooms and libraries…it makes me sick. I just want to sink my teeth into that Angel boy."

Jace's eyes widened.

"I saw you at the masquerade," laughed the other.

"It's his blood," panted the demon, and his voice was oddly muffled. "It the sweetest thing I've ever smelled, like a real angel."

"I know what you mean," said the other, and the horses drew closer to their spot. "I don't understand why Jonathan won't let us have a taste of them."

"You know he fancies them, though why, I'll never know," answered its companion. "He keeps them in his room, playing with them. But still…the girl I get, she's a pretty thing. But the boy, why keep the boy to himself?"

The demons laughed and the one who had first mentioned Jace spoke again. "If you ask me, I don't think he's very interested in them for the conversation. I think he just wants to have some toys for afters. You know, once we finish off the Angel's people, it'll be just those two. He'll need someone to keep him company when it's all over."

"But why keep the boy?" the demon demanded. "Why can't we have him? I understand that he wants to the girl for his own uses, you know how he looks at her, but that boy could be fun. We could play with him since we can't have the girl."

"You think he wants him for that too?" asked the demon.

"For what?"

"For…well, for why he wants the girl."

"No," chuckled the other. "No, he just wants someone to keep him busy during the day. The girl is for the night."

They both shared a laugh and a small whine escaped Clary's mouth. Luckily, the horses had spooked at the sound of the laughter and they had panicked, sending a small cascade of stones down into the gorge. Jace clapped a hand over Clary's mouth, giving her a very hard look. After a moment where the demon calmed the horses, the one with the nose snorted.

"Ah well, we won't get anywhere if we can't find those little Angel children. Let's see what I can do with this…" There was a horrible sound, like nothing Clary had every really heard before, and then something flew over the edge of the gorge. "That's better. Alright, let's go this way."

Clary and Jace remained pressed against the wall, their hearts beating erratically and their minds buzzing with what they had just heard. After some time, Clary moved a little, letting Jace know she had recovered a bit of her strength.

We could play with him…Clary shuddered against Jace and realized that in her terror, she had forgotten Jace was far more vulnerable than she was. Jonathan wanted her for himself, but Jace was just there as an addition. I need to get him safe, safe for the rest of the night. I just need to get him safe.

Clary pushed him gently and he took a step back into the light. His face did indeed look paler than usual, and his eyes seemed more motile than usual, but his face was very even. "We'll go into the woods," Clary said firmly. "We'll climb up a tree and hide there for the night. They won't be expecting us to go up a tree in the condition we're in."

"We'll travel by the river," agreed Jace, but he was watching Clary closely, knowing what she had heard. "Take my hand and don't let go."

Jace tucked Clary against his side, but when she stepped out into the light, she saw, bloody and torn, the nose of the person the demon had torn off. She stared in horror for a moment, and then doubled up and vomited. Jace rubbed her back, telling her it was going to be okay and they had to move, but Clary shivered and retched a bit more before finally drawing herself up. After, they slipped away, using the river to mask their scent and vanished into the forest.


"Simon?" Isabelle asked softly, glancing about uncertainly as she entered the kitchen. There was the sound of a chain moving, but Isabelle was much faster. "Simon, you can't run from me now. I'm a shadowhunter."

A curse under someone's breath and then Simon moved into the light. He was looking faintly ill to see her, but there was some small light in his eyes, almost like hope. "Isabelle?"

"Who else would it be?" she asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

Simon looked in a right state, especially for a vampire. His hair hung lankly into his dull eyes, he looked like he hadn't fed in many days, and his face was sallow, not its usual snowy white. "Are you alright?" Isabelle asked in shock, drawing nearer.

Simon staggered back. "No, Isabelle, not right now. I-I haven't eaten in many days and I'm not sure I can trust myself around you. Please, just stay on the other side of the table."

Isabelle blinked, wondering if Simon could really be taken serious when he was just standing there looking ready to collapse. "Okay, Simon, but-but you've to listen to me. I've got something important to say and-"

"I know what you want to say, but please, hear me out," Simon began. "I know how you must feel since…well, since I did what I did, but I'm begging you to understand why. So-so, I want you to know that I think you're the most amazing person I've ever met, and the most stunning woman I've ever seen. I think I love you, but I know that if I did, I would want to spend every waking moment around you, and that's not possible because of what I am."

What Isabelle had expected Simon to say, that wasn't it, so she just stared at him. "You love me?"

Simon fidgeted. "Well, I…well, yes, yes I do." He saw the look on her face and looked down. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Isabelle asked sharply. "What are you sorry about?"

"That I love you," Simon murmured.

For a moment, there was silence between them, then Isabelle darted around the table, grabbed Simon's hands and pulled him against her. Before Simon could protest, he found her lips pressed against his in a passionate kiss. Carefully, aware that Isabelle was within his grasp, he took her arms and held them at arm's length. "Isabelle, we can't do this."

"We are doing this, and we're going to continue doing this," Isabelle said firmly. "And I don't care that you're a vampire, and I don't care that you might be dangerous, and I don't care that you drink blood. You're the sweetest man I've ever met, and I'm not leaving you for all this nonsense about you being dangerous."

Simon was still holding her away, but his will was wavering. "I could attack you."

"And I could attack you," said Isabelle with a pleased look. "That's the good thing about being a shadowhunter. I can handle myself around a vampire with designs on me."