Messages of Fire

Isabelle's first thought as she stepped nimbly over the threshold of the abandoned warehouse was Mrs. Enright should never have brought Jace here. He deserved better than this. The windows were broken in spider web cracks, the floor was coated in layers of dust, the traces of footsteps preserved in it. Crates were stacked along the walls yards high, and some sort of assembly line machine was molding away in the corner. Even the rafters were out of shape, bent here and there, begrudging the weight they were forced to hold.

"She took Jace here?" Isabelle demanded, waving dust mites out of her eyes. "Wow, she has no sense of decorum."

"Isabelle," Alec sighed, and then turned his eyes on Magnus, who was stepping lightly with his nose scrunched up. "So, what do you think, Magnus?"

"I think Isabelle's got right idea, honestly. This place is a mess." He smiled but Alec just glared. "Okay, well, it's obvious she was keeping Jace over there, where the dust is unsettled. Why don't we search there first?"

"Well alright. Max!" Isabelle called, watching her brother loiter at the doors. "Come here, Max and help me out."

Max came slowly, staring all about the rundown warehouse. It was so disgusting. Just thinking of Jace-his big brother Jace-held captive here turned his stomach. Jace would have gotten away…but he hadn't. Had he been afraid? Max wondered. What had Jace been thinking as he waited here, his death sentence hanging over him.

"Where was Jace?" he asked with a determined frown.

"Over here, by the crates." Isabelle took Max and the two started scouring the area where there had obviously been a struggle. There was nothing but dust and dirt, and it wasn't giving them a thing. Max couldn't stop thinking about Jace lying there, and he wished more than anything that they had gotten there sooner.

Alec and Magnus began to wander about the rest of the warehouse floor. "If we find any blood, could you track them with that?" Alec asked spotting a rust colored stain on the floor. His stomach turned as he thought of where the blood might have come from.

"I wouldn't track them with blood. I'd try and communicate with them." Magnus was now towering above the blood, considering. "I could try to send them a message with it. Like a fire-message, but it could find them even if there was a magical shield around Lyle House."

"So, if this is Jace or Clary's blood…?"

Magnus dug around in his jacket and pulled out a small, glass phial. He bent down and scratched at the stain with his fingernail. A little of the rust came off and he shook it into the phial. He continued to scratch at the spot until the phial had a layer of the red dust coating the bottom. Alec stared at the phial and wondered who had bled for that.

"Alec!" Max cried just then. He sounded tired. "We can't find a thing."

Max cam pelting over and clung onto Alec's pant leg. "It's okay, Max. We might have found something that works a little better. We'll be able to send Jace a message."

"Really?" Max's eyes rounded and he stared at Magnus from his place at Alec's legs. How could Magnus do that? "Isabelle! They found a way to find Jace! Isabelle!"

Isabelle came over, eyeing the phial curiously. "What's that?" she asked sharply. Magnus quickly tucked it away and Alec looked down at Max, not speaking. "Magnus, what's in the phial?"

Magnus cleared his throat. "Someone's blood."

"Someone's, as in Jace or Clary's?" Isabelle's voice was getting shriller and shriller.

"Hopefully," Magnus offered with a quick smile.

"That's blood!" Max piped up, staring at Magnus's empty hands, and then a splatter on the floor.

Alec swung Max up into his arms. "Yes, but you know Jace. He bleeds a lot. He doesn't consider a day well spent when he hasn't lost a little bit of blood."

"What if it's Clary's?" Isabelle asked quickly. She'd never thought of Clary as a shadowhunter, never thought that she could handle being hurt.

"Clary is obviously fine, since they sent us a letter," Magnus said reassuringly. "But whoever this blood belongs to, it'll lead us Lyle House."

"Lead us to Jace and Clary," Alec said firmly, catching his little brother's eye. "Magnus, will you take us to your house? It's starting to get dark."

"Yes, yes. I'll draw up a portal. You three take one more look around this place."

As Magnus began drawing the portal Isabelle and Alec made a slow circuit about the room. It was hard to associate the memory of Jace with this ruin. Just as Magnus was putting the finishing touches on the portal, Alec strolled by a low broken window and paused. He was sure he'd seen a figure approaching.

"Isabelle, come over here." He waved to the window. "Do you see something?"

Isabelle narrowed her eyes as she stared out the window and saw the form of a man passing through shadows. She saw a shock of white blond hair a few angular cheek bones. Alec pushed Isabelle back just as the man stepped into the light. The planes of his face became crystal clear. He had dark eyes, midnight eyes, and a handsome face. He moved gracefully, lithely, almost like Jace. But there was no slinking grace to his stride, just determined, fast steps.

Suddenly, the dark eyes moved up and he was staring at Alec. Alec swallowed back any cries and felt himself go cold. There was no warmth in those eyes. Nothing but cold, calculating disgust. The young man curled his lip back in a snarl, and then started running.

"Magnus!" Alec cried, falling back. "Magnus, someone's coming. We have to get out of here!"

Magnus glanced up and with a flourish of his hand, stood aside from the portal. "Being tracked are we? Once we step through the portal they'll lose the tracking signal long enough for me to cast a spell to disrupt it." They were on the far side of the warehouse, so when they heard the creaking sound of the door being opened, they knew they didn't have much time. "Quickly now."

Isabelle had her whip out, but she was holding Max on her hip as well. In the fading light she saw a handsome man, face contorted in fury. "Run!" she cried, and dove through the portal.

Magnus shoved Alec through the portal and swept his hand in an arch. A few crates went hurtling through the air, but the man dodged them. Magnus shook his head at a loss and tumbled back through the portal. The last thing he saw was the young man shooting at him like a bullet. His eyes flashing like coal. His teeth bared.

"Bane!" the man yelled, but Magnus was already gone, falling back through the portal.

Jace and Clary were seated together, their desks pushed side by side. Dr. Davidoff had agreed that they could write another letter to their friends. He'd told them that it was a wonderful idea, and that he was sorry this was the only way they had to communicate. He even went as far as to assure Jace that once they were at the Edison Group compound, he might be allowed to call them. Davidoff had beamed at that, and Jace, forcing a smile on his face, said he'd like that.

Now, sitting in the classroom, Jace tried to figure out how to write a letter that sounded sincere. Clary was scribbling away on a piece of paper, trying to design a new rune that might let her hide a real message.

"Students," Dr. Davidoff said briskly, I have to leave for a few minutes to deal with a matter over the phone. Please continue working."

He left them and they all sat silent for a moment, then, with a scratching of chairs and muffled voices, the children crowded around the two desks.

"How's it going?" Simon asked at once, staring at the letter Jace had written and the crossed out runes on Clary's paper.

"I've got the letter written, but Clary needs to design the rune before I can write the real message. Plus, we don't know where they're taking us for our trip." Jace worried his lip. "Derek, can you ask Davidoff what the plans are. It might sound bad if I asked, since I was the one who suggested the trip in the first place."

"Yeah, I can do that," he said. His eyes were on Clary's work. The sweeping black lines, the strange twisting runes. "How do you do it?"

"I'm working on something, a rune that stems from the original invisibility rune." Her eyes darted to Jace, who nodded proudly. "See this one here?" Clary pointed to one that wrapped all about itself. "This one makes a shadowhunter invisible. I'm not trying to make a person invisible to humans, but words. It's almost the same concept."

Derek scrunched up his nose. "Don't mind Derek," Simon laughed. "Anything that he can't work out with a complex equation or a table of elements doesn't make sense to him."

Clary smiled weakly. It was typical of anyone who had never seen the complexity of art to act like Derek. Simon was an artist just like her, Chloe adored film, Tori could make magic happen on a computer, and Jace was a pianist. "Just wait, Derek. When I've finished this, you'll never doubt the power of art again."

"I never did," Derek grunted, and then winked at Chloe, who was trying to give him a severe look.

Clary screwed her face up in concentration and began to twist the rune she had about on paper. She gave a gasp of delight and waved the paper around. Jace caught it and smiled at her over the top of paper.

"It's perfect," Jace breathed. "Draw it on the back of the note."

Clary made a flourishing movement and the rune was on the bottom of the paper. Chloe gave a squeal just as the door was opened again and Dr. Davidoff came in. He ran his hand through his hair and saw all the children crowded together.

"What is it, children?" he asked sharply.

Jace stuttered, but Simon was quick on his feet. "We were all talking about our fieldtrip. Do you know where we're going?"

Davidoff relaxed into an indulgent smile. "I believe you're going to the community swimming pool."

They all forced happy smiles onto their faces and then dispersed. For the rest of class, Jace scribbled a fake note that sounded ridiculously upbeat. He had a hard time swallowing the fact that he was telling Isabelle he and Clary didn't have any obligations at Lyle House. He thought of the hours he worked on weekends, of the cages, and of the locked rooms. When Davidoff excused them, Jace and Clary headed up to his room.

"Let's finish the letter in my room," Jace whispered in Clary's ear. She shivered with him so near.

"They'll be getting ideas," Clary answered. "If we're alone together."

"I'm sure they'll approve," Jace laughed humorlessly.

He threw open his door and Clary flopped down on his bed. As always, Jace went to the window and looked out it, at the freedom that was so close but so far away. Clary glanced at Jace's room, at the bed ready made and the closet that was full of clothes he'd never wear but organized all the same.

"You keep a clean room," Clary said absently.

"You don't?"

Clary laughed sweetly. "I've got bras hanging off my headboard, piles of pants on my chair, and a drawer overflowing with underwear."

"Sounds like you." Jace settled at his desk and turned the letter over. He began writing, as quick as he could, worried someone might walk in on him sending for help. Not that he wanted to sound desperate, but the situation called for it, so Jace tossed his dignity out the window. When he was finished, he turned to wave it at Clary, and found her right beside him, face just inches from his.

"Done?" Clary asked sweetly.

Jace's breathing caught, and he placed the letter down slowly. "All set," he murmured.

Clary very suddenly pressed her lips to his. The kiss lasted for a moment, and then she pulled back. "Not that I was bored, I know it's important, but I figured I'd make the time I had with you last."

"I like when you make things last," Jace answered with a lazy smile.

Clary settled herself onto his lap-a little clumsily. She didn't really know where she was going with this. But Jace didn't seem to care, he growled deep in is throat and pressed her against him. Kissing Jace was always a surprise because it seemed to Clary that she was never ready for it. But she settled into it, feeling the beat of his heart, basking in the warmth coming off his body, shaking excitedly with the knowledge that she could have Jace. He was hers.

Jace was perfectly comfortable with Clary. Yes, his heart was beating double its normal tempo, he was trying to crush her against him, and he felt like he was falling…but he felt great. He knew now that he could have Clary, she wasn't his sister, she was his girlfriend. Just the idea made him smile against her lips.

"Jace-"

"Hmm?"

"No, Jace!"

"What?" he pulled back, startled, checking her lips and neck for something. Had he hurt her? "What's wrong?"

"There's something at your window," Clary whispered, staring.

"What?" Jace shifted Clary so he could see the window, and sure enough, there was a bird sitting on the windowsill. Its feathers were made of little red flames, licking their way along its body. It was a bird made of fire.

"What is it?" Clary said, staring at it, and clinging to Jace tighter.

"A bird," Jace answered. The bird fluffed its feathers and pecked at the window pane. When Jace continued to stare, it pushed off the windowsill, hovered in air, and scratched at the window.

"Let it in," Clary said, standing up and going to the window.

"Clary, get away from it." Jace pushed her back and approached the window cautiously. The bird hummed, pleased to see Jace moving forward, and landed again. "Stay by the door."

Jace loosed the window, and it moved an inch, as much as the bars let it go. The bird hopped closer, studied the space it had to work with, then burst into fire. The flames danced on the sill, slipped through the space like wind, and then reformed in the shape of a bird before Jace.

The bird looked around the room, glanced at Clary, then fluttered to the desk where it upset a jar of pens.

"What the hell is it?" Clary rasped.

"A bird?"

"I know that, but what-"

"Jace." Clary and Jace jumped as the bird spoke with Magnus's voice. It had opened its beak and the sound was pouring out. Clary shut the door firmly. "Jace, I can't send a long message. Me, Alec, Isabelle, and Max have been looking for you and Clary since the day she left, but we can't trace you. We found some of your blood at the warehouse Clary met Enright at, but I can't track you with it. If you can, send a letter back with this bird."

"Is that Magnus?" Clary asked loudly.

"He sent me a message with the bird," Jace said, going for the desk. He picked up the letter he'd written, and held it out to the bird. The little bird tilted its head, studying the note, then plucked it up in its beak. "Take it to Magnus Bane."

As if the bird was annoyed by Jace's request, the bird jumped at him, and then shot for the window. It burst into flame again, drifted through the window, the note with it, and was gone. Clary and Jace stared after it in complete shock.

Magnus's country house was almost as lavish as his flat in New York. Isabelle sat in the library, Max besides her, reading over a text in Latin. She couldn't make out much of it, but it wasted her time in way that pacing the room couldn't. Alec was making dinner in the kitchen, so he wasn't going to help her anxiety. Magnus had locked himself in the private study off the library and wasn't coming out.

"How long before we go get Jace?" Max pressed.

"I don't know, Max. He has to answer Magnus's message first. We don't even know where he is." Isabelle watched him closely, looking for any sign of despair. "Maybe you can help Alec with dinner?"

"Dinner?" sneered Max. "Don't we have more important things to do?"

"We can't do a thing till we know-"

"But Jace!"

"-where he is."

Max glared at Isabelle mutinously, and she turned away delicately, not wanting to see the hurt in his eyes. He fidgeted on his seat and jumped up, and then wandered off through the library. Isabelle knew it wasn't fair, but now that they were being tracked they couldn't afford to run around. It was too dangerous.

There was a tap by the window and Isabelle jumped, her mind still on the strange man chasing after them. She turned about, blade already in hand, but there was just a bird before her, its wings made of flames.

She peered closer, saw the note clamped in its beak and pressed her lips together in thought before turning and running full out, calling: "Magnus!"