Previously on Long Live the Hunt
"I am with child. You wouldn't dare kill your own niece or nephew would you?" the Seelie Queen asked Clary before the creek opened up below her and she disappeared into the water.
"It is a demon in the making! Look at its parents! It must be terminated!"
"All the kids were supposed to be sleeping. When parents went to check up on them, their cots were empty and there was a message on the pillow. 'Children need playmates who lift them up high.' "
Clary's voice came out strangled as she glanced nervously up at Alec. "The Seelie Queen wants playmates for her child."
"You can think of me what you will." the Seelie Queen continued, clearly struggling to keep her voice composed. "But I will slaughter every man, woman and child who tries to harm my child."
She looked up at him blankly, long enough for Jace to sigh and rake his hands through his hair. "We can't bring a child into this world in the middle of a war."
Nostrils flaring, the queen's hand caressed her stomach as her lips pulled back in a scowl. "On multiple accounts, the Nephilim have sought the destruction of my child. It seems only fair that I have the same pleasure of returning the favor. Child for child."
This was the end of the world.
Surely, that's what was happening. A flurry of bodies being thrown against the walls with a sickening crunch. Splatters of blood staining the floors in vibrant shades of red. Garbled screams ringing in her ears as Shadowhunters began toppling like dominos.
Clary's mind was still swimming with stubborn disbelief and an unwillingness to accept this death threat to her child, when another snippet of the Seelie Queen's speech rose to the forefront of her mind.
She could enter Idris because she had Nephilim blood in her body through her child. But she had not interrupted their Gard meeting to propose a deal. The entire thing was a set up.
Seelies were now pouring in through every entrance of the Gard. Pieces clicked in Clary's mind as Jace, Simon and Isabelle encircled her with their bodies as they edged towards an exit.
There were two seelies who had Nephilim blood in their veins; Helen and the Seelie Queen. One through biological inheritance and the other through conception. While the queen distracted the Gard with meaningless peace offers, Helen had lowered the wards completely to allow for this mass infiltration. Although, the queen's sudden labor was probably not part of the plan.
Clary was roughly snapped back to reality as Jace knocked her sideways, his seraph blade plunging into a seelie soldier's chest. A swarm of seelies seemed intent on advancing towards her as Simon and Isabelle brought up the rear in their awkward shuffle. She hacked off a seelie's arm, his spear clattering to the floor noisily as Jace delivered the death blow.
His face was lined with violence as each strike held the promise of murder. Clary was certain that his emotions were in sync with hers. She thirsted for the blood of these soldiers who sought for her child's death.
Clary was slightly bothered that she shared such an intense emotion of fierce protectiveness with the queen. The blurry conversation they'd had in the graveyard sent a lurch of discomfort through her bones, as she too realized that she would slaughter anyone who tried to kill her child. What made her any better than the queen?
The main doors of the Gard were in sight now as Isabelle's whip lashed out around the ankles of at least 6 soldiers and yanked them off their feet. Simon's sword finished off each of the fallen soldiers.
Escape was essential. Under normal circumstances, running would have been cowardly. But now, they were all driven by the same desire to protect this unborn child. Clary's arm pulled back as she sent a dagger cutting across the distance of the hall to hit its mark.
Jace was a machine as he fought off three soldiers at a time. It was mesmerizing to watch him move so gracefully. His blade knocked a spear down as his fist rose to crack against a soldier's face. His knee came up to drive into a seelie's chest, his seraph blade kissing the man's neck with such speed and agility that mundane eyes would have missed it.
The streets were coated in darkness, the only light coming from a faint glimmer of the moon. The clash of swords extended outside of the Gard and it became clear that this was not a mere attack. This was an invasion to overtake the city.
It seemed impossible to evade the line of seelies that were overrunning the streets. Even between the 4 of them, seelies were appearing at an unprecedented rate. Each seelie's intention was obvious as they tried to breach their circular formation. When a seelie did manage to penetrate their defense, they were greeted with the edge of Clary's waiting blade.
The dark shroud of the night was their only ally as they used it's cover to escape into a side street. Isabelle and Simon were flanking them as Jace and Clary raced down the alley. The physical exertion of the past hour was ten times worse than the hike up the hill.
She was wheezing for air as they ran, witch lights raised and ears trained for sounds of pursuers.
Jace snorted suddenly, and the three of them shot him an incredulous look.
"I told you we shouldn't have gone to the Gard." he muttered dryly to Clary.
Clary scoffed. "This was a planned ambush. The seelies would have found us eventually and we probably would've been sleeping targets."
"How do we know they're not waiting for us at Herondale manor?" Simon asked, tracing over his arm with a stele. It was still a strange sight to see him inked in runes and wielding a stele.
"We only moved into Herondale manor recently. My bet is they'll be after Lightwood manor first." Jace said darkly, his eyes darting around the alley. "We're not lingering. Just grab a few weapons and necessities and then we run."
"Where?" Isabelle said skeptically. "They're taking over Idris."
"Alec will know." Jace replied uneasily, as they turned the corner onto a quiet street leading up the slope to the older manors.
"You don't think Magnus and Alec will go to the Lightwood manor, do you?" she asked worriedly, her head craning to see the outline of the house in the distance.
Jace shook his head once. "Alec is smarter than that. I have a feeling he'll meet us soon."
Clary and Isabelle waited outside Herondale manor, in the thicket of towering trees as Jace and Simon did a quick sweep for hidden intruders. The house was apparently empty, so they filed in and began grabbing things at random.
Simon drew the curtains shut, waiting on guard by the door as the others began shoving clothes, food and weapons into bags. They kept the lights off as Clary fell onto the couch. Isabelle was raiding the kitchen and closet as Jace tore up the stairs to the weapons room.
Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest as she caught the steles Isabelle tossed her and packed them into several overflowing duffel bags. Simon was pacing with worry as he held a seraph blade in each hand, eyes occasionally flickering to the door. When the knock came, they all froze with alarm. Jace bounded down the stairs silently, as he nodded for Simon to open the door.
"It's Alec and Magnus. I got their fire message upstairs." he said hurriedly, ducking down towards Clary. "I grabbed your letters. I figured… we might need them."
She nodded and kissed him quickly before shoving the letters into the side of a duffel. In the split second their eyes met, Clary was overwhelmed by the weight of their communication. Their son would be saved. And when all was said and done, and the war was either lost or won, his parents would be his last protectors.
"The seelies have altered the wards so no one can get in or out. There's no escape." Magnus said urgently, flicking his wrist so that the door locked behind them.
"Alec." Jace said quietly, his voice edged with desperation.
Alec looked once at him and instantly knew what he was asking. "The Clave has made the decision to evacuate all children, elderly and expecting mothers to Brocelind Forest - "
"You can't be serious." Isabelle said dispassionately as she moved to sit beside Clary. "You want to hide in a forest? The territory most manipulable and powerful for the seelies?"
"It's one of the only areas they haven't reached yet and it's large enough to hold all our people." Alec replied tiredly. "We're coming with you." he said, turning his attention to Jace.
Jace nodded. "There's a good strategic advantage in the forest. And I'm sure Magnus can put up some wards to keep seelies out for a while."
"Is there no hope then?" Simon asked, speaking for the first time as he leaned against the window frame. "It's just flee or die?"
"There are many Shadowhunters still fighting the seelies in the city but they took us by surprise, it's not going that well." Alec said, running his hand over his stubble. "We need to go now. Magnus and I just barely managed to get here without being followed. But we're sure they've raided Lightwood manor by now."
"Max?" Isabelle gasped with terror.
"He's safe with the other children Iz. I made sure of it." Alec said, leading the way towards the back door.
Jace grasped Clary's hand and helped her up from the couch. He easily picked up two duffels, held a sword in one hand and wrapped his other arm securely around her.
This was the second worst feeling. Feeling trapped. It was infuriating to be imprisoned in their own city, where they would likely be killed. It would be degrading and somehow more tragic, to face defeat in their homeland. But Jace was positive that this was the Seelie Queen's intention.
Feeling trapped was only second worst to experiencing this crushing fear for his unborn child. A part of him saw the justice in the Seelie Queen's quest for vengeance. For months, the Shadowhunters had been craving for the assassination of the queen's child. This new vow to kill his son was just a poorly timed and cruel twist, fueled by her own pain and anger.
On the 3rd day, Jace felt trapped in a completely different way. Magnus had combined forces with all the warlocks in Alicante and they managed to form a strong ward around the forest. But now, they were stuck inside this protective prison. He knew it would not hold indefinitely. And when the ward broke, they would be cornered in the forest and escape would certainly be futile.
After 5 days of fighting, the seelies unleashed the poisonous gas they used in the Institutes and it wiped out hundreds of their soldiers.
On the 6th day, all the Shadowhunters retreated to Brocelind Forest. In Jace's book, retreating was only slightly less humiliating than surrendering entirely.
On the 75th day, Jace was going mad. Clary's due date was fast approaching and they were still enclosed in this damned forest. He both longed for and dreaded the birth of his son. The undeniable love and excitement of finally meeting his own child was blinding. But upon entering this world, how long would he have before leaving it? Jace shuddered at the horrible prospect of this future he would not allow his son to have.
With Christopher's life tied to Clary's, there was a terrifying and unspeakable thought, he refused to entertain for long. The thought of losing them both at once was too painful to bear, he immediately forced himself to focus on the task at hand.
He and Alec were supposed to be finishing their lap around the perimeter. So far, the seelies seemed content with having the city to themselves and hadn't bothered trying to follow the Shadowhunters into the woods. They carried themselves with such confidence, Jace itched to smack the haughty looks off their faces.
"Do you ever think about whether the newborn Seelie Prince is a child or a weapon?" Alec asked, ducking his tall frame below an overhanging branch.
Seelie Prince was the new nickname Shadowhunters had adopted for the child, after the Seelie Queen went into labor at the Gard. Along with demon child, abomination and devil spawn among other vile names.
"Child." Jace said immediately. "Now that I sort of understand what it means to be a parent, I can't imagine thinking of my own son as a weapon. Old Jace might have answered differently."
Alec frowned as they trudged down the moss covered path. "But your child will be Nephilim with even more angel's blood because you and Clary have more angel's blood. As much as we try to preserve the innocence of the Seelie Prince, we can't deny he's got seelie and Jonathan's demon blood."
Alec seemed to be considering him with curiosity as they made their way back towards the main camp. A curly haired boy with dark hair, sprinted past them, the most pure laughter coming from his lips as a blond girl chased after him with a wooden sword. Jace looked wistfully after them as he turned to look at his parabatai.
"Clary said it to me once, and I think I was too absorbed in the logical warrior perspective of it, I didn't truly appreciate her answer until now. I really believe that our character comes from the way we're raised. Even with angel blood in me and demon blood in Jonathan, we were raised completely differently from each other and the results were conclusive. If we can save the Seelie Prince, then I think we've got a fair chance at saving his soul from corruption."
Alec nodded his head almost subconsciously. "That Clary's a smart girl."
Jace laughed. "I promise not to tell her you admitted to that."
Alec snorted, as the main camp became visible between the trees. There was a low burning bonfire in the centre, with tents branching out all around it. Young Shadowhunter families were closest to the fire, while soldiers had tents closer to the outskirts - closer to danger.
Clary had argued they should be with the latter because of their training but Jace insisted they stay near the centre. Eventually, they'd compromised on a nice tent in the middle.
"Are you excited then?" Alec asked, poking his stomach playfully with his crossbow. Jace's eyes followed Alec's line of sight till they settled on Clary. She was sitting close to the fire, bundled in layers of sweaters as she accepted a bowl of broth from Isabelle who moved to perch beside her on the log bench.
"I'm nervous." Jace responded honestly. "He's safer inside Clary than he is out."
"He'll be fine." Alec assured him. "I can already see him strutting around the forest and mocking people for their mediocre fighting skills."
Jace barked out a surprised laugh and shook his head before turning serious. "You'll look out for him won't you?"
"Of course I will." Alec said indignantly. "You think we'd just let him starve?"
"No." Jace said, dropping down onto an empty log bench. "I mean you'll really look out for him? Make sure he doesn't grow up to be a dictator or evil conqueror? If Clary and I aren't here, you need to make sure he's a good person. And that he knows what love is."
Alec narrowed his eyes at Jace as he lowered himself beside him. "Planning on dying soon?"
Jace smirked. "You got me."
"You know I'll look after him as if he were my own kid." Alec amended, turning his gaze back to the fire.
"Good." Jace said, feeling much more comforted. "Because you'll need to fulfill your role as godfather with dignity."
Alec choked on his soup as his eyes bulged almost comically. Jace returned his startled expression teasingly. "I'm godfather?"
"Don't expect a formal 'thank you' card, we are in the middle of a war you know - "
But Alec cut him off abruptly by throwing an arm around his shoulders and clapping him hard on the back.
"And then, daddy jumped on the demon bad guy and drove his sword into its skull - "
"Maybe a less gruesome bedtime story?" Clary laughed, feeling the baby kick sharply on her side. Jace's head was bowed over her stomach, so his lips brushed against it when he spoke.
"No no no." Jace said offhandedly. "He's just practicing his roundhouse kick."
Jace rubbed the spot where the baby kicked gently before continuing his story. "And then, mommy came out of the shadows and threw her dagger at the other demon! It exploded in ichor and guts that splattered daddy on the face and so daddy had to hug mommy so they could both be covered in gore together - "
"And he ruined my favorite shirt." she added pointedly.
He laughed fondly at the memory, shooting her a brilliant smile before ducking around her to grab a battered copy of a Tale of Two Cities. "If Christopher doesn't love this book, I'm disowning him from the grave."
Clary's jaw clenched as he began flipping through the pages of the book till he reached the chapter he'd left off on the last time he'd read to the baby. "You always speak like a man waiting at the door for death."
"Aren't all men just sitting ducks waiting for death?" he said idly, licking his finger to turn the page.
"You know what I mean." she said, feeling her teeth grind together with frustration. "You don't know what's going to happen."
Jace raised his head from the book and gave her a wary look. "Can we not fight about this again?"
"It's not a fight." Clary said defensively. "It's a heated conversation in which we disagree."
Jace sighed and propped himself up on his elbow. "I don't know what's going to happen. But I'd be stupid and naive to believe that there's not a high probability of one of us dying in the war. Angel forbid that happens, but if I do die, I've left a copy of my will in the dresser at Herondale manor. The house and all the Herondale inheritance belongs to you and Christopher. And if… that doesn't work out… I left it all to Isabelle and Simon. I figured they'd need a home when they break off from Magnus and Alec at Lightwood manor."
Clary could only gape at him as each word sunk in deeper. She resented the tears that pricked her eyes as she turned away with annoyance. "You didn't tell me you were writing a will."
"Clary, all Shadowhunters have a will by the time they're 16." Jace said lightly, draping an arm around her waist and resting his head beside her stomach. "Don't be upset."
She breathed out sharply. "I just don't understand how you can live like this. How you can live like you're going to die. That's not really living at all."
"I'm just preparing for the worst." Jace said softly, his hand tracing the skin of her stomach.
Clary huffed, trying to blink back the stupid hormones as she crossed her arms across her chest.
"It's just a precautionary detail. And it's not like a part of you doesn't feel the same way. That's what the letters are for aren't they?" he added, shocking her into silence. "To write down our story for him in case we aren't there to tell it?"
Sensing he'd more or less settled the debate, Jace flipped the book open again and began reading aloud.
Clary hated when he was right. But he wasn't completely right. He woke up each day with the weighted knowledge of knowing he may not come home. That was not any way to live. Too tired to argue further, she let herself be lulled to sleep by the soothing trills of his voice and the melodic writing of Dickens.
The weeks were inching by much faster now, making everyone in the camp on edge. It was most uncharacteristic for the seelies to not attack them. Perhaps they were relishing in their rule of the Shadowhunter city, or they were entertained with their enemies entrapped in their own land. But it'd been weeks of stony silence on the other side and that was cause for concern.
Jace's theory was so disturbing, he'd only shared it with Alec, Magnus, Isabelle and Simon. If Clary heard his real opinion on the seelies' strange behaviour, she'd surely go into labour.
The obvious smart and strategic move was for the seelies to break the wards and attack. But they had chosen not to. And that gave the distinct impression that they were waiting. And Jace was eerily and nauseatingly certain that they were waiting for his son to be born.
The only reasoning Jace could come up with was that the queen wanted his child's death at her hands. Because if their roles were reversed (although he could never imagine a world in which they were), then Jace would have waited for the child to be separated from the mother. The child was relatively safe and protected inside the womb. Outside, it would be much easier and cleaner to separate the child and mother.
There was little room for doubt with his dark and neat theory, Alec had begun organizing a more detailed plan of escape from the forest. Clary was to be kept blissfully unaware until the last moment, as they all agreed it was for the greater good of her and the baby. Not that she wouldn't beat them to pulp when she found out. Her pregnancy hormones did not help with her temper.
With this in mind, Jace braced himself for her explosion. "So Clary…"
"Yeah." she said, leaning back on the small bed in their tent. She was cleaning out some of the stains on her daggers, using a weapons belt for a lower back pillow. Maybe it was smarter to wait to tell her when she wasn't handling deadly weapons…
He cleared his throat awkwardly, as he lingered by the doorway of the tent. "Alec and I were talking during our er, patrols, and we agreed it was time to act before the seelies do."
"What's the plan?" she asked, tossing several daggers with alarming accuracy into their holders across the room. Oh dear.
"Why don't you come with me to the meeting tonight? We're revising the details of the plan...for tomorrow." he finished, watching as her hands stilled over the daggers.
"Tomorrow." she repeated, her eyes narrowing in his direction.
"Mhm." he said as casually as he could manage. He cringed internally at his evasive tone.
"And when was this mastermind plan devised?" Clary pressed, looking accusingly at him.
She seemed to be taking it well? Better to push his luck with more casual responses. "It's been in the works for a while."
"Meaning?" she demanded, her voice rising at the end. Okay, maybe it would be better to skip the theatrics.
"Meaning we've been planning our escape for the past 10 days." he said, suddenly finding the stitching on the tent very fascinating.
"10 days." she said through grit teeth. Jace nodded uncomfortably, as he continued to follow the tent stitches with his eyes. "Well then we better go to this meeting before I fall asleep and you sneak off without me."
Jace winced at her iciness as he offered her a hand to help her up. She knocked it aside with her shoulder and stalked past him. Well that still went better than he'd anticipated. He should really be grateful he still had his limbs intact. When she got all riled up on hormones and emotions like this, it was better to let her ride it out. Jace knew this from experience.
He followed her out of the tent, a step behind her pace as she led the way to Alec and Magnus' tent. He had to give her credit for piecing together everything so quickly. If he thought she would appreciate the compliment right now, he would have said it out loud.
She was a red, fiery force to be reckoned with as she wrenched the tent flap open and marched in without so much as a glance behind her. Jace felt his lips twitch with amusement as he ducked in after her.
"So, what's the secret plan?" she said loudly, causing Alec to jump with alarm as she strode past him and fell onto the love seat.
"The - the plan?" Alec stuttered, clearly dumbfounded by her directness. Oh sweet Alec, he was not making this easier on any of them.
"Yes." Clary said curtly. "I was under the impression you came up with a plan behind my back?"
Alec had reeled in some of his composure so that a red blush graced his cheeks. He shuffled his stack of papers together stiffly and avoided her piercing gaze. "Right, the er...plan."
Clary looked around the room at Alec, Magnus, Simon, Isabelle, Aline and Jace with an expectant and irritated expression. "Well is someone going to tell me? Or do I have to pretend to sleep so you can all regain the ability to speak like I'm not here?"
"Biscuit, it's not like that." Magnus said gently, trying to sit on the love seat beside her but she wouldn't move over. "Jace why don't you explain?"
Jace gave Magnus a furious look while Clary was still fuming in her seat. Drat Magnus for making him the bad guy. The relieved faces of everyone else only aggravated him further.
"Well. It's not a complicated plan. Magnus, Simon and Aline are leading a team of Shadowhunters outside the forest. They're going to sneak into our demon towers and disable all the wards. This means anybody, reinforcements can get in but we can also get out. It's a risk for a reward." he explained, shifting his weight uneasily.
"And what are the rest of us going to do?" Clary finally said, her hand drifting to her stomach. His eyes unconsciously followed her hand.
"We're going to position the kids, older Shadowhunters, injured and expectant mothers by the edge of the forest. Once the wards are down, other warlocks here with us will make portals and we'll escape. Alec is going to lead another team to hold off the seelies before joining us. The portals are going back to a few select Institutes where we'll take refuge until we can get Alicante back."
"When do you leave?" she asked, turning her attention to Simon.
"We're leaving the forest around dawn but attacking the demon towers around dusk." Simon replied, his eyes boring into Clary like they were sharing some private argument. Jace's eyes were still trained on the hand over her stomach when she spoke again.
"It's a good plan." Clary said calmly, before turning her steely gaze to him. "Next time, make sure I'm in on it."
Jace nodded minutely, wondering if there would be a next time.
Braxton hicks were a real bitch.
Clary ground her teeth together as she swatted a tree branch out of her way. The forest was not the ideal place to be while 9 months pregnant. Magnus, Simon and Aline had left from their little campsite hours ago and the others were already packed. All that was left, was the bloody hike to the edge of the forest.
Magnus had warned them they would see spirals of smoke rising from the demon towers when the wards were lowered. That's when the other warlocks would make the portals for escape.
Her lower back was screaming with agony as she scowled at the rocky incline. Jace had offered multiple times to help her up but she was stubbornly set on doing it herself. As irrational as it was, she blamed him for the wicked back pains that kick started yesterday, after hearing their stupid plan.
She hissed as her pelvis protested against her movements up the forest. Isabelle gave her a furtive glance before quickly looking ahead again. Sympathy from the accompanying Shadowhunters was irritating. Nothing they could say and no amount of pitying stares could make her feel better.
"Did you at least get some sleep in last night?" Isabelle asked, almost timidly as she cut away at some overhanging leaves to clear the path.
Clary gave her a dirty look as she swallowed her gasp. Her lower abdomen was not appreciating this nature walk. "I dozed in and out of sleep. My back's been killing me."
"We're almost there." Isabelle stated reassuringly, searching through the trees for the first signs of the mountain background. "It'll be dusk in a few hours."
Before she could respond, it was as if a fist with claws shoved up the inside of her vagina and squeezed. Clary cried out and threw her hand out to grip the length of a branch. Nausea hit her like a tidal wave, intensifying the dull ache in her pelvis and back.
"Clary?" Isabelle said anxiously, as she reached out an arm to touch her shoulder. "Are you alright?"
This could not be happening. Not right now. Out of all the days, of all the hours they'd spent whiling away in the campsite, it had to be today?
When her mind became more coherent, she traced back the last 10 hours. From the time she'd entered Magnus and Alec's tent, her back had begun a new kind of throbbing. Overnight the aching was a dull throb at the back of her mind, becoming increasingly strong during the hike. She'd dismissed it as a side effect of the demanding climb but now, it was evident that she was wrong.
"The baby…" Clary breathed, trying to blink away the nausea. "Is coming."
She didn't look up to know Isabelle's eyes widened as her whip hung limply at her side. She only gaped at Clary for less than a minute before shouting something loud and urgent. Clary had shut her eyes and leaned back against the tree, breathing deeply as sweat trickled down her spine.
This was the absolute worst moment to go into labor, the worst most inappropriate time to be in this position. And yet, some cackling fate up there was not the accommodating type.
"Well what do we do?" Jace's voice rang out in her ears, with clear panic and distress. What was he freaking out about? Was he going to be pushing a mini cantaloupe out of his vagina in the middle of a grand escape?
"We can't travel with her through the portal." Alec said, sounding equally as anxious. "What if she has a contraction in the middle of it and winds up thinking of somewhere else and gets separated? We're going to have to set up a tent - Isabelle - do you think you can deliver it?"
"We can't do it now!" Isabelle cried out in alarm. "As soon as the wards are down, the seelies will be onto us! We need to get Clary out of here."
Clary drowned out the rest of their bickering, breaking off a piece of bark and clenching it in her fist as she sucked in large gulps of air. She threw her weapons belt and swords to the floor with a sudden, desperate need to get their weight off of her. The world was going to pieces and this was the moment she had to go into labor?
"Clary, can you hear me?" Jace asked in a low voice. Clary opened her eyes, her fist tightening on the piece of bark hard enough to draw blood. In between her swimming head and pounding back, everything seemed to be viewed through a dirty filter.
"I'm in labor, I'm not deaf." she panted, giving him a wry look. He smiled weakly, as his hands reached down for hers and pulled the bloody bark out of her grasp. She let him.
"Alec is setting up the tent. It's not safe to travel like this." he said gently, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "We're almost at the edge of the forest. The warlocks are going to hold the portal so we can go through as soon as the baby is born."
A new wave of panic rose in her chest as she grasped his hand tightly. "What if I'm still in labor when the seelies come through the forest?"
His face became hard as he looked at her intensely. "We'll figure it out. There's still a few more hours till dusk."
Something in his face was wrong. It was prepared and unsurprised. "Did you figure something like this would happen?" she whispered, her voice rising with hysteria. And then she was seized with another painful contraction that stabbed each nerve in her body, moaning slightly, she leaned into Jace.
Waiting until after the contraction passed, Jace spoke again. "I didn't know this would happen." he said with dry humor.
"But you suspected something like this?" she prodded, gripping his shirt in her fists.
"Not exactly." he said, looking upset at her question. He paused for a few seconds, appearing to be collecting his thoughts into words. "I suspected the seelies would jump at the chance to attack once the baby was born."
Clary stared blankly at him, trying to register his words. Wait for the baby to be born? Then, realization sunk in like a terrible cold, and she looked miserably up at him. He returned her fearful look with such sadness and determination in his eyes, Clary's body ached in another kind of way.
It was not a pleasant experience, as Jace and Isabelle guided her into the tent where there was a lone examination table set up. Jace helped her up onto it as Isabelle began draping blankets and tugging off clothes. Isabelle met Clary's eyes over her knees and they shared a brief nod before she ducked down behind the blanket.
Clary groaned into her arm as she reached behind her to crush the pillow in her hand. The air was muggy and hot, making her even more uncomfortable in the confines of the tent as periodic spasms of pain rippled throughout her body.
"I think you're about 4 cm dilated." Isabelle said slowly, her dark head becoming visible again.
"You think?" Jace asked with a hard voice, bouncing his seraph blade between his hands.
"I'm not a trained medic Jace." Isabelle snapped, lowering her voice when she saw Clary's labored breathing. "Helen - "
Jace must have made a disgusted or poignant face because Isabelle quickly backtracked.
"I just meant she was much better trained in human health. I have only a little more knowledge than you, Jace." she said, pulling off her gloves. "It'll probably be a few more hours before the baby's born."
Clary looked frantically at Jace, grappling for his hand as her eyes darted to Isabelle. "It'll be dusk in a few hours." she half whispered, trying not to show the despair she was feeling on the inside.
A terrible vision of Isabelle holding up a blond little baby flashed in her mind, before seelie guards stormed into the tent and snatched the child. Jace and Clary slain before they could even scream or react.
"It'll be fine." Jace insisted, giving her and Isabelle firm looks. "Check on the warlocks please Iz? We need to be ready to leave as soon as Christopher is out."
In between mind debilitating contractions, Clary had come to a conclusion. In this moment, when the birth of her son was threatened by the greedy hands of death, sacrifices would have to be made.
There was no acceptable outcome of this night, in which Christopher would die so soon after finding life. Clary would not allow it. If all else failed, she would make sure her son had a life. With this wrought, iron set determination rooted in her mind, Clary waited for the last few hours to pass by.
One young warlock had been willing to come into the tent and have a portal ready for them to escape at the last moment. Isabelle kept to herself, lost in her own thoughts, only speaking to announce the dilation or time.
Jace was completely consumed in his own head, pacing around the tent with a mad fury as he flexed and unflexed his blade, pausing every now and then when he thought he heard movement outside.
There was something unsettling about laying on the table in anticipation. Her body was making it very clear, it was anticipating a birth with each contraction and excruciating hour. Her instincts were anticipating an attack, with each gust of wind or twig snap.
20 minutes ago, Alec had barged in, flushed with exertion as he babbled a bunch of nonsense, Clary could only make sense of after a contraction momentarily faded away. The wards were down.
Now, Clary was gripping the sheets in one hand, crushing Jace's hand in the other as her head fell back with a dreadful scream. Isabelle was murmuring encouragement and meaningless information that did nothing to ease her pain.
Her throat was raw, as she fell back against the table, relishing in the coolness of it against her burning body.
"Okay Clary, give me another push." Isabelle called, from behind her curtain of gauze.
Clary was shaking her head weakly, the ugliest tears tracking down her worn face. "Don't make me." she moaned.
"Come on Clary, a few more and your baby boy will be here." Isabelle said, peeking up to give her a warm smile that was laced with worry.
Jace's rough hand came up to wipe her face, resting lightly on her head as she bit the inside of her cheek and channeled every ounce of her energy and will into her exhausted body.
A string of filthy words came tumbling out of her mouth in a violent scream and still, Isabelle told her they were almost there. Almost?!
Her head was lolling tiredly to the side, her eyes resting on Jace's face. He suddenly stilled in her grasp, the planes of his shoulders tensing in a familiar way that sent shockwaves of fear throughout her body. And then, amidst the pain and fatigue, she heard it too.
The sound of advancement. Footsteps thundering against the forest floor, not even bothering to mask their presence because they had the comfort of knowing they were in charge. Undefeatable.
There was a flurry of movement and grunts from outside and Clary knew the few Shadowhunters stationed outside were facing the onslaught coming for her son.
"One more Clary." Isabelle called urgently, her eyes flickering to the tent entrance nervously. Jace's sword was held aloft, his other hand still holding onto hers as he looked torn between the tent and her. Sounds of tormented cries and swords glancing off each other reverberated around the room as Clary arched her head back and gave a final, draining push.
Her scream overpowered the shouts and clashes outside, her insides writhing with the overwhelming physical and emotional pressure of it all. She fell back against the cool metal table with a resounding thud, as the pain subsided. A new voice joined the fray. The sweetest, more pure cry pierced the dank air and Clary somehow found the strength to open her tired eyes again.
Jace's sword hung by his side, his eyes mesmerized by the child. Clary pulled herself to a half sitting position as Isabelle's tear stained face reappeared with her child in her arms.
Isabelle gave a strange hiccough as she swaddled the baby and placed him carefully in Jace's arms.
In all the years she'd known him, she'd thought that his arms were perfectly made for love and protection. Strong, sturdy arms both capable of fighting and loving. And now, she could only see the potential for love. His careful and trembling arms brought the baby closer to her. Jace's face was stricken with awe and admiration as he lowered the child into her arms.
And it felt like home.
Seconds were all she had to soak in her son's face. Not enough time to fully appreciate its marvelous beauty but enough to make things clear to Clary.
The footsteps were right outside the tent, the flap tearing open as Clary secured the child in Jace's arms and wrenched herself off the table. She yanked on a pair of training pants as a figure slumped against the tent flap, his blood spattered on the walls outside. The warlock had the portal open, Isabelle darted in first and Clary pushed Jace and her son in after her.
The tent was in shreds as Clary's dagger flung out to hit its mark with a terrible squelch.
The warlock gave a startled cry as Clary shoved him in last and the portal disappeared from sight.
She turned around slowly and found herself surrounded.
Author's Note
CRAZY chapter !
Hope everyone's staying safe. Hope the pregnancy/labor part was realistic enough, did my best to write it without experience
WHAT DO WE THINK?