Author's Note: Thanks for reading and thank you for the amazing, amazing, amazing, reviews. I love them so much and I am just thrilled to know that this story is being enjoyed, because I am enjoying writing it. The bad news is that someone dies in this chapter. Sorry. Okay. Enjoy.
Chapter 28
"So why Jessamine?" Will asked. "I mean, forgive my skepticism, but she's terrible. She doesn't even want to be here, she doesn't want to be a Shadowhunter…"
"You told me to focus," Gabriel said.
"Between you and I, you look as though you need distracted," Will said. Gabriel shrugged, tripped on something, and grabbed Will's arm. Will helped him right himself before they continued on.
The sewer had begun twenty yards after the entrance from the ossuary annex. They found the sewer pipe containing ten inches of water, rushing down in the direction of the Thames. The water kept away the rats and other vermin seen on their last trip to the sewer, but brought with it a heady smell of refuse. The pipe they were in was at least eight feet tall, bottom to top, and was so wide, they could walk shoulder to shoulder without a problem. The only source of light came from Henry, who held a witch light stone out in front of him. Gabriel and Will were behind him, and each had a witch light stone attached to their armor, however, their stones were dimly lit. They were walking so close together, their arms occasionally touched.
"Michael was the chosen one. Father always believed that if he had to he would sacrifice his first born. Michael was the one who was supposed to almost die in a sewer, not me," Gabriel said. "I tested third best at the Academy for battle skills, and I was awarded a scholarship to continue my education. I was going to learn how to battle and kill Greater Demons."
"But you can't kill Greater Demons," Will said.
"You can. It just takes a lot of work," Gabriel said. "In the time between coming home from Alicante and when I was supposed to go back my father got cold feet. We found out that Ambriel was pregnant and it was decided that I should stay home. Michael could work for the Clave, I could stay safe. My father fully believes that there are demons out there and we were put on this earth to kill them, he just doesn't want me to be the one who dies killing them. I'm not a coward, I was just sheltered."
"Is that why you're a virgin?" Will asked, and Gabriel scowled at him. "Why Jessamine?"
"She sat beside my bed when I was injured," Gabriel said. "We were barely past recognizing we had feelings for each other when I got hurt, but she sat by my bed, and she was there when I woke up. I almost died, Will, and when I lived… it changed my mind about many things." Will nodded and Gabriel continued.
"Jessamine is a whole lot of woman. She's a force, Will. She'll knock you to your knees for the pleasure of watching you cringe in pain. She's frightening but only because she rejects this world. I know she doesn't want to be a Shadowhunter, she wants to be a wife and mother and I can let her do that. By marrying her, I can let her live the life she wants, and she will let me live the life I want. I love her, Will. I can't explain that to you in a way you'll understand, so you will just have to believe that I love her and want to be with her."
"Sometimes that requires no further explanation," Will said.
Ahead of them, Will could hear the sound of something splashing through water and approaching them. The sound was echoing off of the brick walls around them, and Will couldn't tell how close or far who, or what, was from them. Henry closed his fist around the witch light he held and he stopped.
"I would like to see…" Will began. The water they were standing in lapped harder against the sides of the pipe, getting louder as whatever was before them came closer. Will could feel Gabriel's hot breath against his neck, calm and steady, and he smiled a little. He felt something long and slimly curl around his ankle and slither away. Will shivered, and he heard the Sensor Henry was holding begin to vibrate.
"What the fuck was that?" Gabriel whispered, and then he screamed.
Ice cold air rushed past Will's ear. Gabriel splashed into the water, moaning as his bones hit the bricks of the pipe, and then he started to scream again, louder.
Henry lit his witch light and Will saw in the green cast that Gabriel was down in the water, being drug away by a black and slimy demon. Gabriel would get his head above water long enough to cry out before the speed at which the demon was traveling pulled him back under. Will could barely see the demon, but he could see Gabriel's hands reaching up, reaching for something to grab. Gabriel screamed once more, it sounded hysterical and his body flipped over so that he was being drug face down. The last scream echoed down the pipe and stopped suddenly just as the demon pulled Gabriel beyond the cast of the witch light.
Then Will and Henry were running after the demon, slipping on the bricks, and slamming into each other. Henry shoved Will ahead of him, and they finally caught up to the demon. Will leapt into the air and waited to fall onto the floor of the pipe, but he felt skin and bones crush beneath his chest. He swallowed a mouthful of sewage and he choked. Will slammed his fingers off of the bottom of the pipe as he wrapped his arms around Gabriel's waist.
Henry leapt over Will and sunk a seraph blade into the demon, which shrieked and dissolved. Will climbed to his feet and pulled Gabriel from the water by the back of his armor. Gabriel was coughing and gagging. Will hit him on the back and Gabriel choked out a torrent of grey colored water. His upper lip was split open and bleeding, as was his nose. The dark red blood dripped into the water and spread as it flowed away from them, and Will did not want to think about what that blood could attract. Henry put his hand over Gabriel's mouth and nose, and they managed to get to a ledge set above the water.
They sat there for a few minutes, coughing, gasping, and vomiting up the cast off of all of London. Henry drew a rune to get Gabriel's bleeding to stop, but in the time it took the rune to work, Gabriel ended up with handful after handful of blood, and Will had to turn away, lest he remember Jem for more than a moment.
Gabriel was still breathing hard and was clearly in pain. He finally sat back against the wall and Will saw that several lines of bright red blood had appeared on the bottom of Gabriel's shirt and were spreading rapidly. Henry looked at Gabriel, who nodded, before he gently pulled up Gabriel's shirt. Bits of Gabriel's skin had been tore away, and those places began to drip blood. Henry drew a healing rune and the cuts faded, and then the three of them were silent as they caught their collective breath.
"What was that?" Will asked.
"It was a Kuri Demon. They aren't deadly, they only wish to drag someone off to their lair for play," Henry said, and Gabriel vomited off the side of the ledge again. Henry jumped back and looked ill, briefly.
"Some of us just can't hold our sewage," Will said, and Gabriel moaned.
"We shouldn't stay idle. Come on," Henry said.
"Gabriel, it smells as though you have wet yourself," Will said. "Have you?"
"I have not," Gabriel snapped. "You try being drug through sewage. That was terrifying. I saw my life flash before my eyes."
"What a bore," Will said. He climbed off of the ledge but Gabriel remained. "Do you wish to go back? Maybe you could tell your father over lunch that he was right to keep you close to your mother's bosom."
"My father can go fuck himself," Gabriel said.
"My, would I like to see that," Will said. "Just... strictly to see what sort of technique he would use." Gabriel shook his head. He climbed off of the ledge, tripped in the water, and fell against Will. "Not here, Gabriel. Later." Gabriel stomped after Henry, who was already a few paces ahead of them. Gabriel reached into his pocket and cursed under his breath. "That's what happens when it's cold."
"It seems as though I have lost my stele," Gabriel said.
"Damnit, Gabriel! I can't take you anywhere!" Will exclaimed. He reached into his pocket and got his stele which he handed to Gabriel. "Here. Why don't you just Portal back to your mother's arms? You know, this is what you get for playing with demons. Has your father taught you anything?"
"I am going to strike you," Gabriel said, a hysterical edge to his voice. He had tears in his eyes and his chin was quivering.
"Don't drop the stele," Will said. Gabriel stomped towards Will and weakly made a fist with the hand not clutching the stele.
"That's enough," Henry said.
"Can I get the last word in?" Will asked. Henry shot him a disapproving look and Will sighed and rolled his eyes. They walked in silence for a few minutes. Gabriel walked beside Will, back to being so close that their arms were occasionally touching once more, but Will didn't mind. He opened his palm a little, and in the next few steps Gabriel took, his palm hit Will's, and Will gripped Gabriel's fingers with his. "We're all in this together." Gabriel nodded and he walked another step, holding Will's hand, before he let go quickly and wiped his palm down the side of his pants. Will smiled bashfully, and batted his eyes. Gabriel scowled and then let his face soften.
"So you really can't tell me anything about what transpired… earlier?" Gabriel asked.
"I can tell you but if you tell anyone else the Angel will kill you," Will said. "You might as well remain in the dark about it. I would hate you for you to die because you can't keep your mouth shut as usual."
"You were very brave to have done that," Gabriel said. "Carstairs doesn't know how
lucky he is."
"Jem," Will said, "And Jem knows how lucky he is. I'm the one who didn't know how lucky I am to have him." Will pulled up his shirt sleeve and glanced at the rune that bound him to Jem, and then lapsed into silence.
They were more prepared the second time around, when a Shax demon appeared out of the dark abyss in front of them. Gabriel hung back, guarding, while Henry and Will made quick work of it. Still, the demon sliced Henry across his face with a pincer, and they had to stop and heal him, lest the scent of blood attract anything else.
While they were stopped, they heard a loud scream, and upon walking another fifty paces, they found Oliver Penhallow, dead, against the wall of the sewer. He had a look of abject fear on his face, and his mouth was open as he stared, unseeing, at the roof of the tunnel.
"Oliver," Henry said, and he hit his knees beside him. "Oh, no, Oliver."
"He and Cain were together, right?" Will asked. "Where is Cain?"
"He could have run," Henry said, looking down the tunnel, beyond the dim cast of witch light.
"I wouldn't have," Will scoffed.
"Yes you would," Henry said. "If you ever get the chance to run, take it."
Henry managed to get Oliver's body further away from the flowing water, and then close his eyes and mouth. When Henry turned around, Will saw tears in his eyes, and Gabriel was kicking the water a little as he watched it flow past them. Will had long gotten used to his boots being soaked, but Gabriel was drenched and shivering so hard that his lips were blue. His shirt still clung tightly to his chest, and Will could see the outline of an undershirt beneath it, soaked clean through as well and stained with blood. There was a damp, cold air coming up from the direction they were headed, and sometimes, when Will exhaled, he could see a cloud of condensation.
"I'm going to go on ahead," Will said. "You both can turn back. Take Oliver's body to the Sanctuary. You've done enough." Will turned around and looked into the long, dark tunnel in front of him, and then he began walking. After a minute, he felt a hand on his shoulder and then Gabriel appeared beside him.
"My father said I would go back," he said. "I would like to continue defying him a little longer."
"I don't give my heart away on a whim," Will said, "but I'm starting to fall in love with you." Gabriel laughed softly. Will heard the water being disrupted behind them and he turned to see Henry following as well, drying his tears as he went.
"So what's the plan when you find Jem?" Gabriel asked.
"Depends on what state I find him in," Will replied, "depends on who, or what, I find with him."
"I'll handle Gray," Gabriel said, "you take care of Jem."
Then Will took a step and tripped on something in the water, and when he righted himself, he turned down to see Jem floating face up in the water. His white silk pajamas were soaked through with blood. His eyes were open, as was his mouth. There wasn't a rune left on his body. He was dead.
"NO!" Will cried, and he took a step towards him. Gabriel grabbed Will around the throat with one arm and with the other hand whipped a battle ax directly at Jem. Will screamed and kicked at Gabriel but then Henry was beside them with a sword, and he stabbed Jem, and Will screamed at him as well. He started to cry and thought he might be going mad. He considered his insanity was at its apex when he saw Jem's bleeding body spasm twice and then melt into a formless black cloud which lifted from the floor, flew directly at Will's face, and then, with a shriek, disappear into the darkness in front of them.
Will shivered and fell to the floor, not even considering the water rushing past. Gabriel kept his arms around him and guided him down, until Will was on his hands and knees and Gabriel was enveloped around him.
"It was Agramon, the Greater Demon of fear," Gabriel said. "He shape shifts into your biggest fear. I bet I know what you saw." Will nodded and lay his head against Gabriel's shoulder.
"What did you see?" Will asked.
"I saw my sister raising a baby on her own because I couldn't save you," Gabriel said. "I didn't think for an instant that my sister would be down in the sewer with us, nor that she had the baby and began to raise it in the time we've been down here." Will looked up at Gabriel, and then at Henry, who had knelt beside them.
"And what did you see?" Will asked.
"Charlotte crying as my body burned," Henry said. "Let's keep going." Gabriel helped Will to his feet and they continued on.
They walked for ten nearly silent minutes before a scream broke through the air, and this time they saw fire lighting up the tunnel in front of them. In the light they saw that they were nearing the entrances of two other tunnels, going off in different directions. They were now getting into the heart of the sewer system.
"Get behind me," Henry said, and Gabriel got behind Henry. Will remained in front until Gabriel grabbed him by the arm and hauled him behind Henry.
"I'll die for you if I must," Gabriel said.
"That would just kill your father," Will muttered.
"No matter what, keep going," Henry said. "Find Jem, get back to the surface, and let the others fight Nate. There are others behind us; it's best that you stay out of the way."
"Sounds good to me," Gabriel said.
"Likewise," Will said.
They heard another scream, so Henry began to run, and Will and Gabriel followed. At the intersection of the tunnels Will looked right and saw Cain Leviathan and two others battling, and losing, to the Greater Demon Inferion. When Inferion saw the three of them he threw a ball of fire in their direction. Will remembered the stone room, the huge monster, and the fire coming at his face.
Then Gabriel slammed into Will's chest and they fell, together, into the rush of water. Will had only an instant to take a breath before he was under the water and on his back. He looked over to see Gabriel's cheeks puffed out and his eyes open as he pinned Will against the bottom of the pipe. Above them, Will could see flames licking at the water's surface, and he looked back at Gabriel just as Gabriel's mouth opened. His eyes went red and bubbles poured from his mouth as he screamed.
A ball of orange exploded over Gabriel's body, and then there was the black and red blur that was Henry leaping over them and stabbing at the demon with his sword. Will came up from the water. He reached down to pull Gabriel up, and out of the corner of his eye, Will saw Henry burst into flames. Henry screamed but continued to stab at the demon, forcing it back into the pipe it had come from, even as his body writhed and the flames ate each and every part of him. Henry's scream settled into one last, frantic instruction.
"RUN!"
"NO!" Will cried.
"Will, now!" Gabriel screamed, and he grabbed Will by the arm and hauled him down the tunnel. Will ran, knowing this is what Henry wanted him to do. Will did not consider all that Henry was leaving behind as Will left him behind, he did not think that at this moment, Charlotte was losing her husband, no, Will just ran. He did not stop until Gabriel was panting beside him, the air in the tunnel was cold and damp once more, and his back no longer felt on fire.
Will fell against the side of the pipe and put his fingers to his forehead and gasped out loud. Gabriel fell beside him, shivering, crying, and finally, tearing his hair out with pain. He dropped into the water, which was rushing past harder and faster now, and Will grabbed him so he didn't get drug away, recoiling when he felt the raw, blistered, and burning hot skin on Gabriel's back.
"Not… again," Gabriel said.
"It's not so bad," Will said, "Can you walk?" Gabriel shook his head, so Will pulled him to a dry spot and then turned him over. "It's just a flesh wound." The wound was anything but minor; Will could see bone among the burned flesh. Gabriel's eyes were clouded with pain as he shook and struggled to breathe.
"Well then, this is how it's going to end," Gabriel managed.
"It's not going to end," Will said, and he removed the opium bottle of his belt, took off the lid, and poured some of Raziel's blood into Gabriel's mouth. When he pulled the bottle away, the bottle refilled as though Gabriel had never been dosed in the first place. Will closed the bottle and put it back on his belt.
Gabriel lay his head against Will's chest and took a few breathes. Will could just barely hear his breathing, strained and shallow, over the rush of the water. There may have been more Shadowhunters behind them, but as for right now, it felt as though it was only the two of them in the cold, slimy pipe beneath the ground.
"Please take care of Ambriel," Gabriel said, his voice pained. "She needs you, Will, and maybe you need her as well."
"It's not going to end," Will repeated, and Gabriel sobbed a little and clutched Will's shirt in his fist. Will looked at Gabriel's back to see that it was still as burned as ever. The Angel's blood should have healed him by now, but it had not.
"Tell me what it was like," Gabriel said, and he moaned and held Will's shirt tighter.
"Oh, Gabriel, it was amazing. It was this big room and Michael, Gabriel, and Raziel were there. The whole place was all white, and gold, and Raziel… he had these wings with eyes on them. They must see everything. I've never seen something that beautiful before," Will said. "You can't tell anyone, I'm serious."
"I'll never tell anyone," Gabriel said, and his grip on Will's shirt relaxed and he managed a few calming breathes. He looked up at Will, and Will saw that Gabriel's eyes were back to green, but they stood out from his face, which was white with fear. His lips were an eerie shade of blue. Gabriel shivered again, harder this time, and then his arms wrapped around Will's waist. "Don't tell anyone I did this."
"There's nothing wrong with it," Will said, and he gently put his arms around Gabriel and rested his cheek against Gabriel's head.
An undetermined amount of time past. Will had his witch light stone lit, however, the light coming from it was very dim. Will could barely see Gabriel, but he could feel his body in his arms, shivering. Will slid his arm down Gabriel's bicep. He was wearing a long sleeved shirt that was soaked and stuck to his body, but Will began to rub, hard, trying to give Gabriel some sort of warmth.
Gabriel pressed his chest tighter against Will's and Will held him closer. The water was still flowing past, loudly bubbling and gurgling, and bringing with it a constantly cold breeze, but Will could feel Gabriel's warm exhales against the base of his throat. Will felt as though he could have fallen asleep this way, with Gabriel in his arms, but then Gabriel stopped shivering and after another moment, he sat up and moved only to Will's immediate left, so that their shoulders were touching, and he mumbled a soft "thank you."
Will reached up, and after pausing briefly, dropped his hand onto Gabriel's back, which was completely healed. Gabriel turned his head towards Will. Their faces were less than six inches apart, and Will could have lay his head on Gabriel's shoulder if he really wanted to.
Gabriel's lips parted a little and he exhaled softly. He turned his head and leaned closer to Will, and Will saw that Gabriel's lips retained their subtle blue tone. They were still cracked and stained with blood but they were no longer trembling. Gabriel dropped his right hand to the floor behind Will, and Will's fingers gripped Gabriel's shoulder just a little. Gabriel looked away, into the darkness behind Will. He looked back into Will's eyes, perhaps resigning himself to something, and Will turned his head and moved closer.
There was barely three inches between their faces now, and Will heard Gabriel take another breath and he felt the heat of the exhale hit his lips, and Will breathed it in. Gabriel took another breath and then whispered,
"I'm really sorry about Henry. I have to assume that you were close."
"Close enough," Will said, sitting back. "I don't really want to talk about him right now, Gabriel."
"Okay. Let me know if you do," Gabriel said, and he sighed and looked across the sewer to the curved brick wall they were facing. After another minute, Gabriel stood up. "Will, we have to keep going."
"I know," Will said, and he looked down the tunnel to where Henry's body had to have remained. His eyes filled with hot tears, but then he felt Gabriel's hand on his, pulling him to his feet.
"We need to keep moving," Gabriel said. "Herondale! Let's go! We'll deal with it later, right now we have to find Jem." Will pulled the sword from the holder across his back. The hot metal burned his fingers but he didn't feel it. He did feel Gabriel's fingers linger against his hand before he pulled them away and they began walking towards the unknown.
