thirteenth chapter guys. I never thought I'd get this far, let alone have the response I have gotten. It's just... I don't know really, thirteen seems like such a big number. Hope you enjoy :)
*Jace's POV*
I stared after her, my heart beating hard in my chest. What just happened? I fell backwards with a loud bump, spreading my arms and legs out wide, staring at the ceiling in wonder. What just happened?
One minute, we're on the beam, it's cool, I'm showing off, she's showing off. Then, she's jumping, I'm throwing the knife purely on impulse, and I'm on top of her biting her neck? That's not me. Even for me, knowing her this long, without her even giving me one signal that she wants me, I would never even think about it. But she'd been there, looking so...Hot...completely helpless and so confident anyway. I sighed, closing my eyes, remembering the feel of her skin under my lips, the way her body felt against mine. Soft but strong...
I sat up sharply, trying to control my thoughts. Come on, snap out of it. I got to my feet, remembering today was the day that Clary had to go to the Silent city, we would be meeting a brother in the graveyard soon. I made my way out of the Training room and went in search of Clary, only to find Keira on the way looking lost. When she saw me, she looked away, dropping her hand from her neck swiftly.
"You know, girls don't usually run away from me." I said, as always, sarcasm and wit my back up plan. She rolled her eyes, taking a few steps back before meeting my eyes.
"Yeah, I'm sure." She retaliated sarcastically, eyeing me carefully, as if anticipating another attack.
"Clary and I are going to the Silent City, do you want to come?" I asked, sounding uninterested. She seemed to think about it for a few seconds, then nodded.
"Sure." I flashed her a smile, then walked, hearing her almost silent footstep padding after me. I had expected us to walk in silence, and that was fine by me, I didn't need her to ask questions or lecture me. But, of course, it wasn't going to be silent.
"Jace?" she said after awhile, and I rolled my eyes at the floor. The tone of her voice was a little timid, almost hesitant, and I felt the hesitance start to quell the rage that had been tearing through my body. I slowed so she was beside me, and was surprised at her appearance. She looked worn, black smudges under her eyes, her whole body cried out depression. I was stunned, only seconds before she had been fine, in the training room she'd been more than fine. But had all that been a distraction?
"What?" I asked, my voice coming off more sharply than I had intended, and she flinched, biting her lip as it quivered. Her eyes were gleaming, and I realised with a jolt that she was crying. Silently, tears slipped down her cheeks, and she rubbed them away furiously. Despite the fact that I had vowed to be distant, had thought leaving her alone and ignoring her would be best, I couldn't help feeling bad about this. I felt something odd taking hold of me, a weird, sick feeling that started in my stomach and spread to my chest in cold, gripping waves. I had felt it before, much smaller, when I saw Alec or Izzy in danger or hurt. This was different. She didn't answer for a long time, and I wondered if I should try to say something comforting, then thought better of it. After all, what could anything I have to say help her?
"Do you... Do you think their okay?" she whispered, so quietly I barely hear her. I look at her, hiding her face from me, eyes only slightly visible as she stares at the floor, fingers clenched together painfully. She looked so lost, alone, like nothing was ever going to be right again. I bite my lip, the feeling so painfully I considered a healing rune. I didn't know how to answer her question without hurting her. I never told lies. I told terrible truths defiantly, but never lies. When I'd saved Keira, her brothers had been missing, and I knew that the demons had taken them. There had been nothing I could have done. I hadn't really cared if I was honest, just the sight of Keira in a pool of blood, getting paler by the second, had scared the life out of me.
"I don't know. Maybe. Though I should think Valentine took them, to get back at you. Seems quite logical." I said offhandedly, and then regretted it. She sucked in a breath, and I looked at her, realising she had stopped. She braced herself against the wall, her knees looking as if they were about to give out. She looked as if she'd had her heart ripped out, her mouth open in shock, her brow creased, one of her arms wrapped tightly around her stomach. I realised too late that logic and facts weren't exactly the best way to break it to her. She stood completely still, staring at the floor as if it was the reason for all her unhappiness. She seemed unbreakable, unwavering, cold and empty. Then, she just crumbled to the floor.
I was by her instantly, my hands on her shoulders, trying to get her up. My mind was racing with possibilities, had she passed out? Her shoulders shook under my hands, and I wondered if she was having some sort of fit. What should I do, Rune her? Oh yeah, because that went so well before. She sobbed, and I patted her shoulders awkwardly, not really knowing what to do. She'd lost the last family she had, I could understand, relate even. But I couldn't help. She stopped crying abruptly, and stood, ridged and stiff.
"Okay, let's go and find Clary." Her voice was flat, emotionless, and I stared at her in confusion. What was happening? She was happy, then she was crying, and now she's depressed? Talk about an emotional rollercoaster. I walked swiftly to Clary's room, where Simon and her were sitting together, laughing and talking about some magazine. When Simon looked up, his eyes went wide, his lips parting. He looked at Keira like she was the most beautiful, unreal thing he'd ever seen, which she probably was. Clary took in Simons face, then followed his eyes. Her face fell, and I saw a hint jealously in her eyes.
"Are you ready?" I asked, and Clary nodded, pulling on her shoes and standing up. Keira met Simon's eyes and smiled, Simon's cheeks turning red from embarrassment. He smiles back, and he opens his mouth to say something, but I grab Keira's arm angrily and pull her out of the room. She pushes me away, straightening her hair before walking next to Clary. I rolled my eyes, this was not going to be fun.
*Keira's POV*
We waited in the graveyard, and I regretted leaving Jace's jacket behind. I rubbed my arms, shivering against the wind, as Clary talked to Jace, asking if every person that walked through the graves was the Silent Brother. I huffed, bored of the childlike 'are we there yet' type of voice Clary was using. She was infuriating, and I wanted to hit her so bad. My legs ached, goose bumps raising on my skin, and I slumped against the nearest grave stone, the ache in my chest consuming me.
I'd been so selfish, enjoying my time with Jace when my brothers were missing. I was so stupid, fighting the demons just to prove myself to Jace. I should have gone straight to my brothers and got them out of there. Now they were probably with Valentine, being tortured, maybe even dead. My eyes began to sting, but I dug my nails into my sides, using pain to distract myself. I watched Jace pointing across the graves, his eyes half on Clary, half on me. I turned away from him, watching as the last person left the cemetery. I leaned my head back, looking up at the misty grey sky. The sun was hidden behind the clouds, and the chill was increasing, until my teeth chattered uncontrollably.
"Aren't silent brothers supposed to be punctual?" I snapped irritably, clicking my fingers, examining the dirty grass bed, littered with half dead flowers and bits of trash. I picked a crumbling rose with brown petals and started to pull the crispy leaves away from the stem. I twirled the leaf between my fingers like I twirled a knife, and looked up through my lashes at Jace, who looked equally irritable.
"Shut up and keep quite. You'll get us into trouble." He hissed, cutting me a narrowed glance. I shot one right back at him, filled with an anger that didn't really make sense. All I knew was that I had a desperate urge to pound the living daylights out of him, and Clary. He folded his arms over his chest in anger, and Clary stared between us.
"Why don't you shut up for once." I said through gritted teeth. Jace picked up a stone, throwing it up experimentally a few times, before hurling it at me. It bounced off the head stone, leaving a crack the size of my forearm. He'd thrown it to scare me; of course he wasn't trying to hit me. I rolled my eyes, picking up the rock and throwing it back. He dodged it easily, and it hit the ground lamely about a foot behind him. I went back to ripping apart the rose, until I heard Clary gasping. I shot to my feet, looking around the grave yard.
I spotted the silent brother, clad in dark, floating robes. There was no sound as he crossed the gravel path, everything about him was oddly silent. He reached Clary, and pulled back his hood. He had no eyes, but indents where they had once been, dark and hollow. His lips are sown shut with a pattern of dark lines that resemble surgical stitches. Most of his exposed skin is covered with runes, and I fight the repulsion that rose in my throat.
Clarissa Fairchild, Jonathan Wayland and... Who have you brought with you? a voice echoed in my head, and I was startled, looking at Clary, whose face had gone completely white. Obviously the brother had talked into all of our minds. I looked at Jace, who was looking nervously between me and the brother.
"My name is Keira Longthorne. I'm a Shadowhunter." I add the last bit as an afterthought, thinking he wouldn't realise what I was. He nodded, turning his face back to Jace, who was staring at me.
I see. I am Brother Jeremiah. I shall escort you into the Silent City. Follow me. He glided up the steps of a tomb, opened the rough iron gate, and disappeared down the dark stairs. I unfroze first, walking towards the gate, peering down the steps. It was dark, too dark to see, and Brother Jeremiah had simply just disappeared. I felt Jace and Clary behind me, and I looked back at him. Jace pulled out a white stone, clasped it between his fingers, then a brilliant white light exploded through his hand, lighting the first few steps.
"Come on." He urged, letting Clary go first. She hesitantly started to walk down the steps, and I followed close behind, squinting against the dark. The witch light was bright, but didn't show anything further than a couple of feet. Clary slipped on a step, squealing loudly. I grabbed her elbow, steadying her.
"You'll wake the dead." Jace warned, and as we passed a wall made completely out of skulls, the warning seemed completely possible. My fingers traced the outline of bones, while Clary walked on. Jace stopped behind me as we reached the bottom of the steps, and we looked down the spiralling halls. It was impressive; the cavern went far down, rooms and arches carved here and there.
"All our dead are buried here, they work even after death. One day, that will be me." He gestured to the wall, and I felt a shiver run up my spine. I looked back down the drop, the bones that decorated every surface seeming more grim than protecting.
"Not today." I whisper, and Jace gives me a confused look. I brush him off, following Clary towards a large room. There was a large eye painted in the centre of the floor, and a stone sword hung from the ceiling. Silent brothers stood in stone arches, holding nearly identical swords. I was about to join Clary on the speaking stars, when Jace pulled me against him, my arm hitting a bone. I turned and looked at him, but his witch light was gone and the light was hardly bright.
"We can't go any further." He explained, and I nodded. I turned and looked at Clary, who was frozen in place. Her eyes glazed over, and the stone sword started to shine. A light glow surrounded her, and I watched, completely intrigued. I had never seen anything like this. I was just getting used to the whole ordeal when Clary fell to the floor, her fingers twitching across the floor. Without thinking, I rushed forward, falling to my knees at her side. Her hand came to a stop, and her eyes flittered open. She looked up in confusion, then looked at Jace, who was staring at the lines.
It seems you have a block on your mind, only the person who put it there can remove it. Brother Jeremiah's voice echoed through the room. Clary huffed, sitting up and looking at the lines.
"But I don't know who put it there." She whined, and I regretted coming to her aid so quickly.
"Yes you do, you wrote it." He said, drawing lines around the splodges she had made.
"No I didn't." She said defensively, watching over Jace's shoulder.
"It's all a matter of perception." He whispered, finishing the lines. I read the name.
"Bane. Magnus Bane, high warlock of Brooklyn." I said, remembering the name. He'd put the enchantment on my house, keeping those uninvited out. But it had failed. How else would the Forsaken have gotten into my house?
"Isabelle said there was a party tonight. Looks like we are going to gate crash." Jace smirked, and I couldn't help smiling. I loved Warlock parties, they were unbeatable. Last time I'd gone to one, I'd ended up running through an estate completely covered in glitter, wearing a feather boa and nothing more. The smirk on Jace's face made it clear he'd had a similar experience.
"Time to get pretty." I joked.
So how did you like this chapter? Jaces POV okay? So now Keira is showing cracks, and her and Jace are not getting on too well anymore. Tell me what you think xx