Disclaimer: I am not the owner of The Infernal Devices, Frozen, or Rise of the Guardians.
Jack was backing up, trying to escape the oncoming army of Nightmares. Pippa was still dazed, her gaze constantly glancing towards her fallen friend. "Agatha…" she whispered, tears running down her cheeks. Jack knew that this was not the time for mourning. He blasted another one of the creatures with ice, creating a small pile of sand on the ground. There were still so many more and Jack didn't know if he could take them all down. After all, his magic did use quite a bit of energy and he had wasted so much of it today already. Perhaps he should have conserved it for use in an attack, but he had no reason to believe that one was coming.
"Pippa, we're going to get out of this, I promise." Jack told her, grabbing her arm and pulling her back with him. She wouldn't move willingly, so he had to force her to come. Jack began walking with her towards the hall, before the Nightmares came upon them again. One of them grabbed the back of Jack's shirt, tugging him back into the crowd where the others could kick him with their hooves. He grunted in pain as one of them struck his back, but he was quick to retaliate with his ice. It shot out in an ark, clearing a path in front of him to get away. "Run! Get out of here!" Jack yelled, hoping Pippa would listen.
He turned once more, no longer able to focus on the servant. He swung his staff, choosing to conserve his magic for now and simply smacking the creatures with the wood. It wasn't enough to destroy them, but it did block their attacks and keep them away from Jack. He was quickly surrounded once more, but Jack was not planning on going down without a fight. He coated the ground in ice, deciding that he would benefit from his ability to send his enemies sliding across the floor. This fact was proved when he slammed another attacking horse with his staff, sending it sprawling to the floor as it lost its traction. "Not so tough now, are you?" Jack asked, grinning at them. He was going to have fun with this, now that he was winning.
Jack glanced up once more, noticing that Pippa was still here. He wasn't the only one to notice her, though. One of the creatures was moving closer to her, starting to attack it seemed. Jack tried to fight free to get to her, but there were just too many of them. He was trapped within the swarm of Nightmares, forced to watch as she went unaware of the creature approaching. "Pippa!" he yelled, trying to get her attention. She turned, her eyes widening as she spotted the horse. She pulled her arms over her head, screaming as she tried to duck beneath its attack. Jack stepped forward, only to be forced to block another attack. "No!" Jack yelled, getting angry. Just as he was about to unleash his power, a sword came slashing through the Nightmare in front of Pippa, making it dissipate into a giant cloud of sand.
Holding the sword, was Caleb with Aster standing just behind him. "Pippa, get to the Sanctuary!" he said, helping her up and sending her down the hall. He came forward, slicing through the army Jack was trapped within. Many of the creatures reformed seconds after they were injured, but enough fell for him to make it to the center with Jack. "Jack, I'm going to get you out of here and then we'll follow Pippa." he announced, a determined look on his face.
Jack nodded, swinging his staff around and grinning at the challenge in front of him. "Nice to see we're getting along so well, Caleb. Maybe we can even give each other nicknames tomorrow." he joked, only for his smile to vanish at the sound of another voice echoing inside the room.
"Perhaps, if the boy manages to survive until then. If he wishes to go, then he may, however if he insists on harming my precious Nightmares, I may be forced to take action." it called out, a voice Jack knew from only moments ago. He would never forget that voice, the one that had sent chills through him even when he was trying to be polite.
Jack turned around, facing Pitch Black with a glare on his face. "What are you doing here?" Jack demanded, ready to fight but knowing he would never get past this army in time to get to Pitch.
"I'm coming to claim what is rightfully mine, of course. Oh, and I must admit, I am rather impressed. Here I thought you'd failed me, but you've managed to rise to the occasion and bring me this wonderful day. Thank you for your help, Aster Gray." he responded, making Jack turn around once more towards Aster, who was giving him a wicked grin.
Aster walked forward, stepping past the Nightmares with no issue. Currently, they had all stopped fighting and were observing things carefully, now that they were in the presence of their master. Eventually, Aster arrived by Pitch's side, giving him a small bow. "Glad to be done with this charade, mate. I'm happy to be of service to you, whenever you need me, Magister."
Mrs. Dark was still laughing. Elsa was beginning to have a sinking feeling, realizing that something was wrong. "Wait, what? What do you mean? I guess I get that you think we are fools, that is self-explanatory, but I just don't get why you'd insult your leader…" Anna was rambling, a sign of the fact that she was getting stressed from this job. Elsa could still remember Jack from earlier, the way he had pleaded with her to stay. Part of her wished now that she had listened, but it was too late to think about it. Mrs. Dark was still breaking the Law, practicing necromancy, and it was their job to stop her.
"Quin was never the Magister! You have no idea who he really is, or what you are even facing. All of you will be dead soon enough, then my sister and I can live our lives in peace." she declared. Elsa was getting impatient, though, knowing that something was wrong now. She needed to deal with this quickly if she wanted to investigate how they had gotten everything so wrong. She moved to fight, lunging towards Mrs. Dark with her seraph blade stretched towards her. The warlock countered with the only weapon available to her—her sister's severed head. Elsa dodged the flying head, but in doing so she left an opening for Mrs. Dark to escape, running through an arched doorway and deeper into the house.
Elsa and Anna knew that they didn't have much time to waste. They glanced down, grimacing at the sight of the severed head on the ground. "Okay, eewww. I can't believe she threw that at you, Els." Anna commented, making sure to avoid stepping on it. Elsa only nodded silently, agreeing but knowing she had to keep everything concealed right now. She could not let things get out of control here, so she had to stay calm. Grabbing Anna's hand, Elsa took off after Mrs. Dark, hoping that they could finish this and get back soon.
Jack's face was grim, realizing that things were bad. He had known something was up with Pitch, but he didn't quite have enough to piece together the truth. However, that was not the worst part. Bunny was still standing by his side, his arms crossed over his chest with a grin on his face. Jack never expected his betrayal and it hurt. "How could you do this to me?" Jack yelled, wanting to send his ice towards his brother. He wanted to attack, but at the same time he could not bring himself to harm his brother. This was not the Bunny he remembered, but it was clear that this Bunny was here to stay.
"Go get him, mates. Don't let him go and bring the Magister his staff." Bunny commanded, glancing towards the nightmares in the room. Two of them began to change shape, shifting until they began to resemble a human form. Jack glared at them, stepping back and preparing to fight. "Oh, I almost forgot! Take a look at the sheila behind you, Frost." Bunny said, making Jack turn his head and see Pippa, held in the hands of two Nightmares, transforming into their human forms. Jack aimed his staff towards them, ready to free his friend from the yellow-eyed monsters.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, mate. One ounce of fight from you and they have orders to kill the sheila." Aster commented, making Jack's eyes grow wide.
He didn't know what to do, not when Pippa's life was on the line. "The staff, Jack! Give it to me, and I'll let her go." Pitch yelled, growing irritated and impatient with the boy.
Jack closed his eyes for just a moment, before holding it out in front of him in surrender. "Now let her go." Jack demanded, glaring at them and waiting for Pippa to be freed.
"Why would we do that, mate? She's our insurance policy." Bunny said, enraging Jack.
"How could you say that? This isn't the Bunny I know, the man who would always fight to protect people like her." Jack argued, glaring at them and preparing to fight back even without his staff.
"The Magister has gifted me with far more than you can imagine, mate. He's the true embodiment of everything I've been looking for, the one who will make all our hopes a reality." he replied, still defending Pitch.
"Doesn't look like it to me. He just walks all over you like-" Jack began, but he was cut off when Bunny gave another command to the Nightmares. One of them grabbed Jack, pulling him towards the two in front of him and slowly began choking him. Jack pulled at the hands on his neck, fighting for freedom but this thing was strong. He did not know how it had gotten so strong, but it was clearly the result of magic.
Pitch was shouting something in the distance and Jack could see the look of satisfaction on Aster's face as he was choked. Black spots were appearing in his vision, and he was growing weaker, less able to fight back. Jack thought that this was going to be the end, but suddenly he heard a strange buzzing noise. Something was vibrating against his neck, making him glance downwards with his eyes and see his angel pendant rising on its own. Jack may have been surprised at one point, but he no longer cared to react to such things. It flew off of him, attacking the creature as if it had a will of its own. The wings were remarkably sharp, even though it was not necessary to slice through the sand that made the creature. With speed and precision, it made hundreds of cuts in the Nightmare, before it finally collapsed in a pile of sand, leaving Jack gasping for air on the ground.
"Jack, get out of here!" he heard, making him glance back at Caleb in surprise. He was fighting back, using his sword to attack the creatures and free Pippa. He ran towards her, no longer caring to grab his staff. He could always go back for it later and he would still live without it. Caleb continued to fight behind them, slashing at any of the creatures that even attempted to get closer to Jack.
"Well, it seems like someone else has joined the game. Let me pick my player, then. You, go take care of the Shadowhunter." Pitch said, pointing at one of his creations with a grin. It moved quickly, rushing towards Caleb who was distracted with another of the creatures already. With a swift motion, it managed to strike down on Caleb's arm, sending his sword flying from his grasp.
After he was disarmed, the creature still didn't stop. "Yes, that is it. Make his fear grow, feed on it and become stronger." Pitch said gleefully, watching as it moved to strike Caleb down once more. Jack had seen enough however, and he was done letting these things hurt his friend. Glancing around, Jack struggled to find a weapon to use. All he could see were more of these creatures and more sand. He frowned, remembering what Sandy had said about the sand. It absorbed the thoughts of whoever touched it, so theoretically, he could change it, right? Kneeling down, he tried to do just that, pressing a hand against the remains of a creature. It sparkled slightly, but in the end nothing happened.
Jack quickly looked around for something else, before finding Caleb's sword. He dove for it, grabbing it and slashing at the Nightmare that was tormenting Caleb. "Come on, let's get out of here!" Jack yelled, grabbing his hand and running down the hall. Pippa followed closely behind, none of them bothering to look back as a blast of red fire shot out towards them. They ran, ignoring the smell of smoke and death now permeating the entire building.
Elsa was frowning, trying to figure out where the warlock had gone. They had arrived in a room with no exits, outside of where they had just come from. They appeared to be in what was once a dining room, though the paintings were wrecked with rips and slashes covering them. Glancing down, Elsa could see a pentagram, surrounding a stone statue of some demon with twisted limbs, claws, and horns. Elsewhere, there were portions of ingredients used for spells, varying from feathers to pools of blood.
"Oh, it looks like she is trying to bring back her sister, don't you think Els?" Anna commented, crouching down by the pentagram as she studied it. Her gaze lifted slightly after a moment, staring at something on the other side of the room while Elsa responded.
"Indeed she was. Let us get this over with and get back." Anna's eyes were wide though, pointing at one of many cages along the wall. Squinting slightly, Elsa could see a fleck of color inside. It was too far away for her to pick out too many details, outside of the fact that it was mostly green.
"I think there's something in there. Something alive." Anna whispered. In response to her words, the thing seemed to move, making chirping noises like a bird would.
Elsa watched it when it suddenly backed away, trying to hide away from the object in the pentagram. Elsa switched her attention to the center of it, watching the creature that was now moving. It stood tall in the pentagram, its eyes glowing and revealing rows of gleaming teeth in its mouth. "Anna, stand back." Elsa said, holding Israfel ready to fight.
The demon was clearly alive, and not just some statue collected by the Dark Sisters. It saw Elsa's movement and it was clearly amused. "You dare to attack me in here? No angelic power can breach this circle!" she declared, but Elsa already knew who it was inside the pentagram. Only one other person had been seen in the house.
"Mrs. Dark." she said, watching Anna's eyes widen in surprise. "That's Mrs. Dark? She looks….different, not a bad different! Just, well, you know what I mean." Anna rambled, hesitating when she saw its glare and changing her words at the end.
"This is my true form." she claimed, watching them as they stood outside the pentagram.
"So, you are truly a demon then?" Elsa inquired, still prepared to fight if she made any move to attack. The demon grinned, giving them an even wider display of its rotting teeth, though still sharp enough to kill in seconds.
"Indeed, I am an Eidolon, a shape-changer just like your precious Jackson. However, I cannot become what I transform into, so the Magister needed another. I was chosen to train him, alongside my sister, though he never showed us any gratitude for our efforts." Mrs. Dark hissed.
Anna stepped forward, trying to sympathize with her. "No way! How rude of him? He's just a big meanie, getting everything you deserved and not even appreciating it." Anna declared, making Elsa glance at her in surprise. She wasn't normally clever enough for plans of deceit, but she had pulled that one off rather well.
"Yes, and when he fled the Magister swore out a bounty on me." she added, her eyes burning with hurt.
"Wait, Quin wanted you dead?" Anna asked, irritating the demon for a moment.
"I told you that the vampire isn't the Magister! The Magister is-" she began, only to break off when she discovered the trick. "Your trick will not work on me, little Shadowhunter." she said swiftly, growling at Anna.
"Dang, that was all I had. What do you think we should do now, Elsa?" Anna said softly, staring at the creature.
It was clear that something was off. The demon knew that the Clave was after her, for breaking the Law, yet she stood there unafraid of them. She was ready to face her punishment, rather than turn over her master. After everything she had seen, what she had heard, Elsa knew that there was only one possible answer. The thought alone was almost enough to make her lose control, but she calmed herself at the last moment before asking her question. "Tell me one thing, demon. Is Pitch Black the Magister?" she requested, watching it wail and sink to the ground in despair.
"No! He will think I told you, I will never earn his forgiveness." she cried, while Anna looked shocked at what she had guessed.
"Pitch? But he was just….oh." she said, her face going pale as she figured it out as well. Elsa was still thinking of something else, though, someone else who had deceived them as well. Poor Jack. she thought, unable to hide her opinion after what she just realized.
"Aster Gray, he also agreed that Quin was the Magister." she commented, narrowing her eyes at the demon. Pitch had started the chase after the vampire, but it was Aster that had furthered it, telling them where to find him after he had gone into hiding.
"The Magister's human lapdog. He sold his brother to Mortmain, for a handful of empty promises. I would never have done the same to my sister, and yet you claim it is us demons that are evil!" she cried out, laughing at the two Shadowhunters in front of her. Elsa was beginning to realize just how much of a mistake this had been. Aster had betrayed them all, working with Pitch from the very start. He had forced Tooth and North to leave, trying to empty the Institute. When that had failed, Pitch had come to get them to leave himself.
Her mind jumped back to Jack's face when he had come into the weapons' room, begging her to stay. She hadn't even listened to what he had to stay. He had been alone with Pitch for just a moment, but clearly it had been enough for him to know something was off. It might be enough to save him, but right now she knew she had to get there and help. Pitch was there, with Jack, and she could not let him take Jack away. The temperature dropped dramatically, making Elsa chant the mantra she had for years. Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel. After a few moments, things were back to normal but she knew it would not last long. She needed to release some of it soon, or it would overwhelm her.
"They can't get inside. They do not have Nephilim blood." she whispered, using that fact to calm herself. Mrs. Dark only laughed louder, glaring at them.
"Oh really? The Magister once spoke to me of his plans, the plans to obtain the blood of a Shadowhunter and use it to gain entry to your precious Institute." she declared, making Elsa frown. It would be hard to accomplish such a feat, but Anna's face looked filled with horror.
"Elsa, they have it. They have my blood." she said, watching Elsa stiffen and freeze, her face going blank.
In that instant, Elsa no longer cared about anything in that house. She had to get out, get back to Jack and make sure he was alive. She tore through the house, trying to get to the exit but the door slammed shut in her face, trapping her inside. Anna had caught up with her, now carrying the cage that held the animal from before. It looked like a small hummingbird, with a strangely human-like face. It's violet eyes reminded Elsa of Tooth, but now was not the time to focus on that.
Fire began to spread across the walls, destroying the curtains and covering the windows. They were a strange green-blue color, smelling of something demonic. It was obvious that the demon had created them, but within the pentagram she could not be killed. "Elsa, we've gotta think of something now!" Anna yelled, trying to avoid the flames. The demon was only laughing, amused at their attempts to escape. After a moment, Elsa had her idea. She was staring at the chandelier on the ceiling, before she figured out how to end this. She threw her blade at the chain holding it up, slicing through it and sending it crashing towards the ground below, where the demon was standing. The glass began to shatter, flying across the room as the metal twisted from the impact.
Eventually, the noise died down and Elsa glanced up at what remained of the chandelier. There was dust underneath it, a result of the collision with the aged stone floor, and she could see blood spreading across the floor. Now that the creature was dead, the flames were gone as well. "Wow, that was amazing Els! Let's get going and figure out what kind of a mess we have to deal with at home." Anna said, her voice cheerful, but her eyes said something else. Elsa couldn't reply, not when she was so rushed for time. She simply threw the doors open and ran out of the room, desperate to get back to Jack.
Eventually, Jack was led through the halls and to a large door, locked shut with a bolt. "Damm it, I forgot the key! Pippa, stay with me while I go get it." Caleb said, turning around.
"Wait! What should I do?" Jack asked, watching them get ready to leave.
"Stay here and don't mess with anything!" he called back, already running down the stairs again. Jack sighed, deciding to use this chance to take a break from the fight. He leaned against the door, pulling his hood over his head as he thought about what a mess this was. None of this would be happening if he wasn't here. Pitch was coming for him, for his power and nothing else. His mind went back to the fallen servant, the girl that would still be alive if he wasn't here. How many more people would have to die to keep him safe? Jack didn't want to know.
Jack was still leaning against the door when he saw Bunny, grinning with a knife in his hand. "Hello, Frost. Hasn't anyone told you never to race a Bunny? You might be fast, but I have been gifted with certain powers from my master. You'll never get away from me now, mate." he taunted, but Jack was desperate to find his old brother still.
"Aster, this isn't you. You can still go back…we both can. Live the life we have before." Jack offered, glancing up at his brother with sadness in his eyes. He could see that Bunny had changed, but this didn't have to last. Right now, he held Jack's staff in his hands, probably a gift from Pitch for doing such a good job betraying all of his friends.
"I am many things, Jack, but I am not a fool. I have become far more powerful than anyone in London. One day, this city will belong to us and everyone will be safe from these villainous Shadowhunters. I'm sorry you can't see it yet, mate, but these people are the real enemy." he commented, but Jack was not going to let him insult his friends.
"They saved me, Bunny! From the people you sent to kidnap me! How could I possibly hate them?" he asked, wishing he had his staff. He might not fight against Aster with it, but it always made him feel more comfortable.
"It really is a shame that you're not a girl, mate. Pitch would be much more pleased, but he's found a way to make do. Eventually, he will teach you the truth." Bunny said, looking confident in his words.
Jack could see that he truly believed in what he was saying, that somehow Pitch had made him see this perfect world with the two of them on top. "No…you have to listen. Please, Aster, I am just trying to help! All we've ever done is try and help you, both Aunt Harriet and me." Jack whispered, still trying to get Bunny to understand. He couldn't get angry, not if he wanted to keep Bunny calm.
His eyes sparkled a bit at the mention of Aunt Harriet, making Jack wonder what he knew. "Right, that old sheila. Such a sad way to die. I'm surprised you didn't figure it out, mate. I mean, I sent you a box of chocolates, something everyone in New York knows you hate." he commented, his words hitting Jack like a knife to his heart. He had killed their Aunt, over absolutely nothing. His life had ended, all because of his brother. Regardless of if there was a shred of him left deep inside, Jack knew that he could never go back to the way things used to be. Bunny would never be able to forgive himself, even if he went back to how he was before.
"I'm can't believe that you are my brother! He would never-" Jack began, only to be interrupted by Bunny's harsh laugh.
"Brother? You are nothing like me, mate. You aren't even human, just some kind of monster. I've known from the moment I learned the truth that I have no brother." he said, making Jack's face fall. He closed his eyes, not wanting to hear much more.
"You are my brother. That will never change, not to me." Jack replied, his voice low while his hands shook by his sides. Bunny only frowned at him, annoyed with the comment but not bothering to reply.
Jack could see the hint of a figure behind Bunny, but he knew he had to keep his head down or else he would figure out someone was there. "Alright, Frost, let's get going. The Magister is waiting, after all." he said, getting ready to leave.
Just at that moment, Caleb appeared behind him and slammed a lamp into his head. "Well, that wasn't his brightest moment, now was it?" Jack commented, grinning at his joke while Caleb only rolled his eyes.
"What's with the hood?" he asked, but Jack only shook his head, wanting it on to conceal his face. He wanted to be left alone, and this was the closest he could get right now.
"We have the key!" Pippa announced cheerfully, holding it up for him to see. Jack nodded, crouching down and grabbing his staff as she opened the door.
"Such a shame that he had to be a liar. We could have been friends." Caleb commented, shaking his head in disgust at the man on the floor. Jack would have glared at him for the insult to his brother, but right now he couldn't blame Caleb for his beliefs. Aster was no longer the man Jack once knew and it was time to accept that fact.
It was a relief to see that the horses were still outside. With all of the noise, they easily could have been spooked. "Elsa, we really need to get going. We have to get back to the Institute." Anna said, out of breath from the run outside. Elsa nodded silently, watching Anna get inside the carriage. She was looking feverish after the fight, making Elsa wonder if she had enough of the drug. Right now, though, she had bigger concerns to focus on. Any other night she would have inquired about Anna's health, but right now she was thinking about how to get back as quickly as possible.
"Are you coming, Els?" Anna asked, watching Elsa walk over to the horses. She pulled a knife out from he belt, knowing what had to be done.
"No, I do believe that a single horse will be much faster than a carriage." she replied, making Anna groan.
"Please don't do that! I'll have to ride back all alone with this bird-thing!" she complained, making Elsa smile.
"You were the one that grabbed it. Doesn't it remind you of Tooth?" she commented, climbing on the horse and cutting the harness off. Anna made no move to stop her, but she did sigh and begin playing with the animal.
"Yeah, a little baby Tooth…." she commented, her eyes softening at the sight of the creature. Elsa nodded, finishing her work on the harness and taking off without another word. She could not waste any more time talking with Anna. Jack was in trouble and she had to save him. Thinking of him, she began to smile softly, knowing he would want her to have fun on her race back home.
So, I'm trying to real quick finish this story up so I can focus more on my other projects at the moment. Please review and tell me what you think!