Chapter 37

"Riddles?" Jace retorted, his eyebrows raised at the Faerie explaining the round. "So, first we had the badass obstacle course and then my sister got baking and my brother got archery and we have to work out riddles? It doesn't seem as... fun."

Jace had been chosen for the next round, a few days after the visits. He was sat in a small room with the other contestants and a faerie who was supposed to be conducting the round. Despite his protests he felt confident about the riddles, though he knew Alec would have done exceptionally well, he was smart - despite his foolish and daring demeanor- and had spent a lot of time reading amongst working. It was a reason he was such an incredible Shadowhunter.

"It may not be as dangerous," the faerie girl corrected his use of fun with her own opinion on the other events, "but it is just as important." Her hair was a bright cotton candy pink and she had flowers woven into it, her eyes were bright yellow and her skin was so pale you could almost see the veins through it. Her actual face was pretty in a babyish cutesy way due to her rosebud lips and round cheeks.

"Even the other mini-round was more kickass, with the paintball." Aline muttered, picking her nails.

"It's quite lame." Sebastian added.

"Well, I didn't design the course. I'm purely telling you about it." The farie replied, her cheeks blushing slightly.

"But, still, you have to admit the other rounds were better suited for Shadowhunters. We're fighters, at the end of it." Aline protested, pursing her lips slightly, her deep brown eyes were lit by an anger within. "Not servants or scholars." Jace thought she was remarkably brave for openly complaining about their jobs.

"Yes, but Shadowhunters must read and be educated too. It is a basic quality." The Faerie snapped back. "These should be easy for you to do."

"But, even easier for say the vampires, warlocks and faeries because they're immortal and should be educated too." Sebastian added. "We'd just like something that's more energetic and had action, since that's what we were created to do, instead of serve or study."

"And, working for Camille and her clan, all vampires may I add, had my hours all mixed up so I didn't have time for reading. Especially as there were a lot of them." Aline argued. "You could have at least picked a round all of us had a chance in, because we all know know Mark will win and then Sebastian then Jace and then me."

The farie's cheeks were now the colour of her hair which made her look like a strawberry, "I didn't pick it for you!" Jace wasn't sure if she meant the round or their lifestyles.

"Sebastian, Aline. Leave her alone, you're Shadowhunters and that means we need accept what we have been given." Mark spoke for he first time, his voice we confident and authoritative. "We will start the round now, if that's okay with you."

"The sooner the better." She replied rudely. "Right, we'll go to the room and you'll b put in separate booths, there is a screen and the riddle will be shown at the top of the screen, then you type the answer and press next were the procedure will repeat until the end. You can take as long as you want. Got it?" She didn't wait for them to reply but got up and opened the door, she gestured for them to follow and they did, reluctantly.

They soon entered a room with four booths - little sound-proof boxes that went from ceiling to floor, each coloured for their team. Jace stepped into the purple one and the door was shut behind him, he looked at the screen as it began counting down:

'One. Give me food and I will live, give me water and I will die. What am I?'

Jace sighed, "It's weak against water but uses food..." he paused in thought, "Not werewolves, that's silver, Fae are iron, it's not a vampire because they're weak against fire not water... Fire!"

He typed on the keypad his answer. The screen changed:

'Two. The man who invented it doesn't want it, the man who bought it doesn't need it, the man who needs it doesn't know it. What is it?'

"Damn riddles. Why would you buy something you don't need? And if you need it then, unless you were unconscious, you wouldn't know it. What does an unconscious person need?" Jace frowned. "Well if they were dead, they'd be burnt. But who invent the incinerator, who wouldn't want that, I bet it's great for killing demons... Unless it's a mundie thing and they're buried in coffins. The guy who made the coffin doesn't want it, the man who bought it is alive doesn't need it but the man is dead so he doesn't know he needs it."

Jace smiled and typed his answer.

'Three. One night a man receives a call from the police. The police tells the man that his wife was murdered and that he should go to the crime scene as soon as possible. The man drops his phone in shock and drives straight to the crime scene, as soon as he gets there he is arrested and convicted with murder. How did the police know he committed the crime?'

Jace frowned, "Because of the guilt on his face? If we were free to do our jobs properly he was a rogue he would have been killed as well. But we'd know it was him because we would have tracked him and he would've killed more than one. But this guy didn't. He ran away after to killing his wife but then he went back. He knew where the crime scene was and the police didn't tell him." Jace typed the answer.

'Four. A beggar's brother died but the man who died had no brother. How could this be?'

"The beggar is a woman." He typed the answer

'Five. I act of veil and shadow; sometimes I shall let you see through me, sometimes I shall not. I hide from day but I still exist. What am I?

"A shadowhunter." Jace furrowed his eyebrows, "I can't see another answer. Maybe a ghost." He typed the answer and the screen displayed a message:

'Finished.'

The door opened behind him and he left the booth.

W/M: The answers to the riddles were correct, apart from the last one. The answer is: darkness.

okay, it's short but I had to update, I've been so busy, I'm sorry. What do you think?

What do you prefer the name for my new fic to be called? I'm ready to upload it, I just need a name.

a) 'Behind These Bars' or b) 'Lights, Curtains, Sabotage'?

Thank you!