Tessa was fairly certain her jaw was left sitting on the floor of the mansion as the Downworlders swarmed in. Some of them carried weapons, knives and clubs and some things Tessa didn't even know the names of, while some of them threw themselves into the fight with nothing but their bare hands—and, in some cases, claws and fangs—to fight with.

Many of the automatons abandoned the Shadowhunters and turned to meet this new threat. The creatures surrounding Tessa, however, were not so easily distracted. They paused only briefly as the Downworlders flooded around them, falling on their comrades, before turning their attention back to Tessa.

"Tessa!" she heard Will howl. "Run!"

But where could she run? She was encircled by tall, immovable clockwork creatures, who knew nothing of pain or compassion, who knew only that they must obey their master's orders and tear her apart.

One automaton broke away from the rest, darting toward Tessa with startling speed. She lifted the knife, wishing she knew how to use it in a way that might actually be useful, and held it awkwardly in front of her. The automaton reached out a hand, either to knock the weapon away or to simply grab her by the neck and squeeze.

Suddenly it crumpled to the ground, falling awkwardly around all of its heavy weight. Tessa stumbled back, gasping as she saw Jem's seraph blade embedded in the creature's leg. Jem pulled himself up, his face creasing into a grimace of pain, wrenched the weapon out of the automaton, and stabbed it into its chest.

"Jem!" Will shouted, and the sight of his parabatai on his feet and fighting must have given him a surge of strength. He kicked out at the automaton that restrained him with such force that it skidded backward across the floor, rolling until two large, hairy beasts fell on it with snarls.

Tessa couldn't tear her eyes away from the two wolves as they tore metal limbs off of the clockwork monster, flinging them away viciously and biting into another appendage. The battle closed over the grisly scene, and Tessa forced herself to turn her face away, her heart thumping wildly.

A hand closed around her arm, and Tessa instinctively twisted away, raising the knife defensively. It was only Will. His deep blue eyes looked almost black as he drew her closer to him, his warm breath stirring her hair as he murmured, "Sneak along the edges of the crowd. Take a horse and get out of here. Go." His eyes were urgent, his hand squeezing Tessa's wrist.

Their eyes locked. For a heartbeat, the roar of the battle seemed to fade into the background, until it was just the two of them. It began to truly dawn on Tessa that he was here, he'd come for her. Suddenly seized with a mad urge, Tessa leaned forward and pressed her mouth hard to his.

Neither of them had been expecting it. Tessa felt Will go rigid with surprise, his hand releasing her arm. Her own eyes flew open to meet his, and she jerked away, feeling her face color with mortification. Had she really just kissed Will in front of all these people?

Then again, "people" was a rather broad term for the creatures filling the room, and it was doubtful that anyone was paying them any attention.

The surprise was melting off of Will's face, replaced with wonder and something else, something Tessa couldn't identify. His hands framed her face, and even though his voice was swept away by the din in the room, she was certain his lips formed her name.

And then the automatons converged on them, one of them seizing Will in a headlock, yanking him away from Tessa. She thought she screamed his name, but she couldn't be sure. She glimpsed Jem struggling toward them, one hand pressed against his bloody side. An automaton grasped him by the hair and threw him to the ground. His cry of pain sent a shiver of horror up Tessa's back.

"Jem!" she cried, hearing Will echo her shout. Cold, metal hands locked around her wrists, dragging them forcefully behind her. She kicked wildly, but her feet hit nothing but artificial skin, doing no damage whatsoever.

She tried to plant her feet, but to no avail. The automaton yanked her practically to the floor, wrestling her away from where Will was fighting to get to Jem's side. Tessa could see flashes of Will's expression, the fear in his eyes as he tried to reach his friend, and her heart constricted. This was her fault. If she hadn't distracted both herself and Will…

Suddenly she was being swung in a tight circle. Before she could make sense of the world whirling past her, she was slammed into a wall; her breath whooshed out of her lungs. A passive-faced automaton stood in front of her, blocking her view of the rest of the battle. All she could hear was the overwhelming mixture of snarls, screams, shouts, and howls. She had lost sight of Will and Jem; the automaton had dragged her out of the thick of the fighting.

The automaton's arm shot out and hit her in the stomach. Her body automatically tried to respond by doubling over, but the monster's hands came down on her shoulders, holding her upright. It swept her feet out from under her with astounding swiftness; Tessa abruptly found herself on the floor, without knowing exactly how she'd gotten there.

Tessa tried to gasp air into her aching lungs, but the automaton didn't give her a chance. Its kick sent her rolling across the floor. Rather than allowing her body to stop, Tessa used the momentum to put distance between herself and her attacker, knocking against legs and even tripping one or two individuals.

Hands reached down and grabbed her by the hair, lifting her agonizingly upward so that the attacker could look into her face.

"Do not attempt to escape," said another automaton in its flat, inflectionless voice.

Tessa felt hatred boil under her skin and wanted to spit in its face, even though it surely would not understand the action of disrespect.

A hand, hard as rock, slapped her across the cheek. Tessa gasped as hot fire spread through the side of her face, mingling with the pain in her scalp as the automaton's other hand continued to pull her hair. Tessa flailed blindly with her hands, hitting at every surface of the creature that she could reach, but without a weapon to break the skin, she was useless. The knife she had been clutching had been lost to her when the first automaton had attacked.

The automaton stepped down on her leg, and she let out a strangled scream as terrible pressure was applied to her burn. Her hands flew to her ankle, wanting to put out the fire of agony, but the clockwork creature released her hair and placed its other foot on her chest, forcing her flat to the ground.

Another automaton materialized out of the raging crowd and took hold of her fingers. Tessa could only watch, dazed and on fire with pain, too confused to understand.

She didn't even register what was happening when the automaton contracted its hands, squeezing, bending. She didn't know until she heard the snap, and felt the agony that came a moment later.

Her shriek was cut off by a hand smacking her mouth. Tessa tasted blood, but it didn't matter to her. All she could concentrate on was the pain in her broken fingers, so sharp and intense that the world started to blur and darken and threaten to vanish.

She watched through the haze as one of the automatons raised a hand to hit her again. Something darted out of the crowd and slammed into it, throwing it sideways and away from her. The other clockwork creature was wrestled away as well by a tall, swift, pale thing—a vampire, Tessa realized distantly. Magnus had even managed to persuade the vampires to join them.

Her foggy brain summoned up a picture of Camille, wearing her pale hair immaculately pinned and her long, elegant black dress, fighting as viciously as the rest of them, and the absurd urge to laugh bubbled up inside of her. Instead of laughing however, she spit out blood, rolling onto her side and trying to breathe deeply through the agony, cradling her hurt hand.

Automatons were everywhere, searching for her. It was only a matter of time before another found her. And then it would be over.

Will fell to his knees beside Jem, relief rushing through him when he saw his friend already trying to struggle back to his feet.

"I'm fine," Jem puffed, one hand pressed to the bleeding gash in his side. There was cold fire in his silver eyes.

Will put his hand on Jem's elbow and hauled him to his feet. His eyes darted between the automatons moving toward them with quick, purposeful steps. As he watched, Downworlders engaged several of them in battle, dragging them away from Will and Jem, but more took their places. How many clockwork abominations had Mortmain created? Would they ever manage to destroy them all?

There wasn't time to experiment. The automatons were expendable; the Downworlders and Shadowhunters fighting them were not.

"We have to find Mortmain," Will said in Jem's ear, trying to make himself heard over the deafening noise in the room without shouting. "If we kill him, maybe the automatons won't be able to function."

Jem nodded once, his jaw clenched with pain and determination. Suddenly his eyes widened and he looked sharply at Will. "Where's Tessa?"

Will's head snapped up. He could spot no flash of long brown hair or charred gray dress among the snarling creatures around him; she had vanished. He cursed himself for taking his eyes off her. How could he have been so stupid?

"Come on," he muttered, pulling Jem by the arm as he backed away from the advancing automatons. One of them lurched forward, hands flailing, and Will passed his seraph blade cleanly through its chest. The oil stained the weapon and the automaton collapsed awkwardly to the floor. One of its comrades stepped on its arm as it mechanically moved past it, toward the two Shadowhunters.

Will wanted to shout Tessa's name, but he knew it would do no good. She wouldn't be able to hear him. Fear started to seep through his veins. What if Mortmain had her again? What if he was bringing her back to that ruined basement? What if he was putting his knife through her heart at that very moment?

Will longed to throw himself into the battle and fight his way through until he found her. But he could not leave Jem here, injured as he was, to fend for himself.

As if he could read Will's thoughts, Jem growled, "Go, Will. I'll be fine here. You need to find Tessa."

"I won't leave you," Will said, the steel in his voice leaving no room for debate.

Jem lifted a seraph blade with the hand that wasn't pressed to his wound. "Let's make quick work of them, then," he said grimly, and with a speed and grace that shouldn't have been possible with his current condition, he sliced the hand off of a reaching automaton, sending it reeling back.

Will moved with Jem, refusing to be separated from them. The faster they got rid of these clockwork monsters, the faster he could get to Tessa.

He gripped his seraph blade tighter and struck.

Tessa gasped as the automaton's fingers embedded themselves in her hair again, its other hand clamping around her arm. It dragged her across the floor, paying no mind to the fighting creatures around it. A green-skinned warlock stumbled over her and sprawled on the ground. An automaton brought the sword welded to its hand down on the Downworlder, and Tessa shut her eyes against the horrific sight.

Her hands scratched at the fingers in her hair, but beneath the flimsy, artificial skin was nothing but cold, hard metal, no nerves to feel the pain of her efforts. Panic was blooming inside of her, chasing away the haze of pain and dizziness. Where were Will and Jem? Were they nearby? Were they searching for her? Or had they been killed already?

No. She would not believe that. They were strong; they were trained for this. They knew what to do. They would be fine, even if she didn't come out of this in one piece.

Tessa lifted her eyes; she could see nothing but the constantly moving bodies of Downworlders, Shadowhunters, and automatons, towering over her as she was pulled unceremoniously across the ground. She was terrified that any one of them would be Mortmain, looming over her with a knife. He would not be stupid enough to hesitate this time. The second he saw her, he would kill her, and Cruor would be free. She thought she could feel the occasional rumble beneath her, as if the demon still fought against its supernatural bindings.

The realization that her death would not affect her alone made Tessa's chest constrict. If Mortmain sacrificed her now, Cruor would kill every living being in this building. All of the Shadowhunters, the Downworlders that had come so valiantly to fight, would be slaughtered. Charlotte and Robert, Magnus, Gideon. Jem. Will. Her fingers scrabbled more frantically still on the dead hand that held her, but it did no good.

"Ahem," said a voice over her head, sounding so absurdly polite amidst the violence around them that Tessa for a moment stopped clawing at the metal hands restraining her.

The automaton stopped. Tessa twisted her head and almost cried with relief and joy. Standing in the automaton's path, hands folded calmly over his chest, was Magnus Bane.

"Is that any way to treat a lady?" he protested, gesturing somewhat lazily toward Tessa's form, half sprawled on the ground. "Mortmain really must work on his abominations' manners. I would have hoped that he would raise you better than this." He shook his head ruefully. "I'm afraid I can't let you continue this appalling display."

"Get out of the way," was the clockwork creature's inflectionless reply.

"I don't think so," said Magnus, and suddenly he held a ball of reddish orange flame in his hand, dazzling Tessa's eyes. With astonishing speed and accuracy, he hurled the flame at the automaton. Tessa turned her face away from the shock of heat. Abruptly, the fingers squeezing her arm and pulling her hair vanished. She felt something fine and powdery tumbling down her head, and when she opened her eyes and looked dazedly down at her lap, she discovered that it was ash.

Magnus had incinerated the creature on the spot.

"There, now," said Magnus brightly, offering her a hand and helping her to her feet, trying to conceal the fact that he was winded from the strength of his spell. "Isn't walking with your own two feet more preferable than being dragged like a common dog?"

"Thank you," Tessa whispered with deep, sincere gratitude. Her voice was covered by the screams of the battle, but Magnus nodded once, understanding her meaning.

"I shall be expecting repayment, of course," he said. "But for now, let's concentrate on this little war, shall we?"

Will was looking everywhere at once. He had to focus on the monsters pressing in on him from all sides, on Jem, fighting bravely beside him, while trying to search for Tessa and Mortmain. His fear was growing with each passing second, his imagination painting horrific, wild paintings for his mind: pictures of Tessa with Mortmain's knife in her heart, bleeding out her life. If they had come this far only to have her killed in the end, he would not be able to bear it.

His eyes glanced up and then did a double take. A long staircase stretched to a second floor, ringed by a banister, and leaning over that banister was Mortmain himself. The foot of the stairs was clogged with automatons blocking the way, keeping werewolves, vampires, Shadowhunters, warlocks, and creatures Will couldn't even comprehend at a glance from reaching their master. Automatons flanked Mortmain as well, prepared to take down any stragglers that snuck past the primary defense.

Mortmain's eyes were raking the crowd, searching, no doubt, for Tessa. Will felt dizzying relief hit him as he realized that Mortmain didn't have her, at least not yet. But he was looking, and he would have her soon.

"Jem!" Will bellowed, and Jem whipped around, his eyes instantly following Will's to where Mortmain stood. No other words passed between them. They spun as one and quickly dispatched the automatons that stood between them and the stairs. Will forced himself not to sprint; he would leave Jem behind if he did. Jem lurched forward as fast as he could, his breath coming in harsh, labored rasps.

The wall of automatons was thick. Will couldn't imagine fighting his way past them. As he watched, another Shadowhunter ran at the cluster with a yell, only to be picked up and thrown viciously back. He skidded along the ground and disappeared beneath the feet of a dozen more creatures. Will's heart twisted in his chest.

"Will," Jem wheezed, his voice barely discernible. "You can…make it over. I'll stay."

"No," Will said fiercely, even before Jem had finished speaking.

"Will," Jem said, more urgently. "Go. You kill Mortmain, you end it all. Don't you understand that?"

Will hesitated another moment, searching his parabatai's eyes. But there was nothing in them but grim determination.

If Jem died now, Will would die with him. It would be his fault. And yet he was right; if Mortmain continued living, this battle would only grow longer and bloodier. Who knew when it would end? Never, perhaps, until the last living creature had died.

Will turned to face the crowd of automatons, bracing himself in a crouch. He took one deep breath and then shot forward, shooting past the other creatures. He reached the edge of the wall of clockwork creatures and launched himself over them, his feet pushing against heads to propel himself farther. He landed painfully on the stairs, leaping instantly to his feet and thundering up the steps before a metal hand could reach out and grasp his ankle.

Will reached the top of the stairs and found the rest of Mortmain's defenses already waiting for him, various sharp-edged weapons pointed at him, with Mortmain cowering behind them.

"Why don't you fight me yourself, Mortmain?" Will said, raising his voice to be heard. It was only slightly quieter here, the battle still raging below them. "Or do you plan on hiding behind these creatures for the rest of your miserable life, like the coward you are?"

"I'm no coward," said Mortmain coldly. "And I'm no fool, either. I know I'm not a fighter, Shadowhunter. I'm not one of you." His lip curled as if the thought repelled him. "If it were just the two of us, you would not hesitate to cut out my heart. I cannot afford to give you the opportunity. I do apologize if you were looking forward to a dramatic fight to the death, with just the two of us." He nodded at Will. "Kill him."

The automatons started forward as one, a strange whirring coming from their ranks. Will tensed, his eyes sweeping the line, trying to calculate how to best take them out. He attacked first, slicing and stabbing, maneuvering his way slowly but surely toward Mortmain—or, at least, where he had last seen Mortmain to be.

He did not see Mortmain slipping around the side of his mass of automatons. He did not see the gleaming dagger in his enemy's hands, or the wicked smile curving his lips.

He did not see any of it, until it was too late.

Tessa stayed close behind Magnus, her hands brushing his back, flinching away from the claws and teeth and weapons that slashed at the air so close to her. Magnus was trying to seem as if the battle was not a big deal, but his walk was a little too fast, his muscles a little too tense. He sent balls of fire at any automaton they passed, though they were not as strong as the first had been; he did not have the strength to make ashes of them all.

There was a huge commotion at the base of one of the grand staircases. She glimpsed a flash of silver hair and her eyes widened. Jem? He was still fighting? She took one step toward him, but Magnus hissed over his shoulder, "Stay near me!"

Movement caught her eye and she automatically looked up. Her involuntary gasp caused Magnus to glance up as well. Will was flying up the stairs, seraph blade glowing, his eyes fixed on the man who stood waiting for him.

Tessa watched as Mortmain's mouth moved, saying words she desperately wished she could hear. Her body was so tense it hurt as she watched the automatons attack Will. He moved with such confidence and fluidity, so sure that he could cut down every last one of his enemies. Tessa's heart filled with hope. He could do this. He was the best Shadowhunter she knew. And when he killed Mortmain, maybe this would all end.

And then she saw Mortmain slinking around the back of Will, the knife in his hand. She started running without knowing where she was going, or what she could do to stop it. Hands grabbed her arms, holding her back, and she was vaguely aware of Magnus growling in her ear. She couldn't hear the words he spoke. She could only stare in utter horror as Mortmain took the dagger and edged in behind Will.

Her scream was swallowed by the noise of the battle, just like every other scream that might have been uttered on Will's behalf, as the knife hit its target.

Sorry I haven't updated in a while! I'm having a bad case of writer's block lately. And I'm also sorry for this horrendous cliffhanger... And for this really long battle scene...I just really like writing battle scenes. I'm sorry for a lot of things lately, huh? Anyway, I'll update as fast as I can! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!