Author's Note - Please Read
If you've been with this story from the very start, thank you for your patience, support and investment. This chapter is dedicated to the ones who stayed.
As for a sequel...possibly...maybe...one day in the future… who knows?
This story was meant to be a continuation of the prematurely cancelled show Shadowhunters, always and forever; #SaveShadowhunters
And onwards…
Previously on Long Live the Hunt
"Come." the queen breathed, her eyes wide with earnest. "Meet your nephew. Damon Jonathan Morgenstern."
"Your son is the product of two Nephilim who are both gifted with more angel blood. My son is a unique hybrid of his own. Part faerie and part Nephilim with the gift of demon blood. When Damon takes the throne, the only person who remotely stands a chance to defeat him is Christopher."
"On a single piece of paper, he wrote out the names of two dimensions that the Seelie Queen will use as an escape hatch if things don't go as planned."
"I have overthrown the leaders of the Wild Hunt. I am the new leader and I would like to offer my allegiance in the defeat of the Seelie Queen." said Mark Blackthorn.
"Isabelle will be leading one team to dimension A, Alec will be leading the other team to dimension B. Presumably, the Seelie Queen and her people will flee to either of these places in the event of near defeat. The teams will be waiting there to ambush them upon arrival. We will offer our false allegiance to the queen. If she gives us residence, we will be granted permission to enter the court. We will wait until midnight where Magnus and Simon will stage an attack on the entrance of the Seelie Court. This will distract the majority of seelie soldiers while my team takes them out from the inside."
Suddenly, a hand seized the back of her hood and pulled it down. Her red hair cascaded down onto her shoulders as she spun around.
Helen's fathomless eyes were staring back at her as the alarm bells sounded.
The shrill ring of the alarms pierced through the tense air and echoed noisily in Jace's ears. All their attempts at subterfuge were rendered pointless. Completely futile and pathetic in the face of the half blood Judas.
"Helen." Clary breathed, her muscles coiled to spring.
Jace wished she wouldn't be so sympathetic towards the wicked.
"Don't do this." she continued, her voice pleading as the words bounced off Helen's stony expression.
"It's already done." Helen said evenly, her jaw locking in defiance.
Jace couldn't bear her deluded sense of superior morality any longer.
"Little did you know, that while you damned us to an endless and bloody war, the very brother you betrayed us to save, became the key to saving us." he said coldly, watching the revelation shatter her composed features.
A flash of emotions flickered across her face. "You're lying." she finally hissed.
"Maybe I am." Jace shrugged, tightening his hold on the seraph blade. "But you know I'm not."
The next part surprised him. Helen tore from the room without a single glance backwards.
Clary's arm shot out to stop Jace's pursuit. "Let her go."
Jace was tempted to hunt down the blond haired woman but Clary's warning touch and the rage of the battle beyond the office doors, was enough to hold him in place. A battle that would have resulted in much less death and gore, if the half blood Judas hadn't foiled their stealthy plan and set off a tirade of retaliating seelies.
Like the soldiers who hunted before them in the uprising and the heroes of the Dark War, Jace and Clary stepped through the office doors and into the sea of battle.
The alarms had summoned every uncaptured seelie who resided in the courts. The halls were teeming with members of the Elite guard, wielding weapons of death on their territory. If they hadn't snuck in earlier and reduced their army size, the Shadowhunters would have been out numbered to the verge of defeat.
Jace's blood was thrumming with the rush and high of the fight. His sword came down in a graceful arc and cut neatly through the chest of a squat little seelie.
There seemed to be a never ending supply of food for his blade, as he kicked a long haired seelie squarely in the chest before plunging the sword into his heart.
Shaking off the excess splatter, he shoved several seelies aside in his haste to reach a pair of fighters at the far end of the room. His heart was hammering against his chest as he watched the bulky seelie knock the nephilim soldier onto the ground.
The soldier on the ground wore the youthful and blood streaked face of the boy whom Jace had taken an interest in during his lecture at the Shadowhunter Academy. Too young, Jace's insides screamed as he elbowed a short woman out of his way.
The bulky seelie was hovering over the boy, a triumphant look on his face as he raised his spear. Jace barrelled into the man and they crashed to the floor in a tangle of limbs and weapons.
He felt something sharp strike his jaw and lithely rolled away as the spear came down. The bulky seelie had turned back to finish off the young boy when Jace yanked him back by the collar and brought his blade up to his neck.
This seelie was not inexperienced. He wrenched Jace's wrist back so that the sword clattered to the floor, and punched him hard in the abdomen. A string of colorful words escaped Jace's lips as he rammed his elbow into the seelie's nose and slithered out of his grasp.
Blood spurted from his nose as a savage roar rumbled from the bulky seelie's chest. Jace swiped the blade back up and blocked the spear aimed for his jugular.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the boy stirring from his fetal position and Jace prayed he had the good sense to play dead.
Jace swung his knee into the man's ribs, a loud crack resounding in the air. In the second the seelie staggered back for breath, Jace brought the sword to kiss his neck.
The battle was only growing more violent and heated, as soldiers trampled over dead bodies and thundered over furniture. Jace was cursing the boy for being so brazen and reckless. Who let him join the battle, anyways? He was just a kid.
But Jace knew the answer. He must have been of age and the Clave wasn't particularly picky with their selection of soldiers at this point in time.
Ducking under a pair of avid fighters, Jace hauled the boy to a half standing position, slinging his arm around his shoulders. He dragged the naive child out of the thick of the battle and searched his pockets for a stele.
A tawny eyed seelie rounded the corner, his eyes blazing with ferocity as he launched his spear at the slumped boy. Jace's blade blocked the spear from making impact as he positioned himself in front of the semi conscious boy.
The tawny eyed seelie was nonplussed by his lack of weapon. He locked his arms around Jace's waist and flung him into the wall. Jace managed to hold onto the seelie so that they both crashed into the hard wall.
Gritting his teeth, Jace grabbed the man's shoulders and held him at arm's length before kicking him sharply in the groin.
Jace slid to the floor, blood trickling from his mouth as he advanced on the slouched seelie. Before he could reach the tawny eyed man, the young boy lurched forwards and drove a dagger into the man's shoulder.
Rearing back like a wounded animal, the seelie hoisted the boy into the air and snapped his neck. Jace cried out as the boy flopped lifelessly to the floor, his limbs thumping against the grass uselessly. The eagerness, excitement and liveliness of the ambitious soldier disappeared from his deadened eyes. No - not disappeared - stolen. Stolen from his eyes.
Anger pulsating in his veins, Jace's sword found its home inside the tawny man's body.
"You moron!" Jace groaned, crouching next to the dead boy and sliding his eyes shut. "Ave atque vale, hail and farewell."
He was overcome with a strange sensation of grief and sadness for the boy he did not know, as he turned back to face the storm.
Clary had somehow managed to wind up in the same cavernous chamber where she'd been held captive by the Seelie Queen.
Jonathan's dead corpse had been rushed out of the room like some precious and worshiped object that was of higher value. It was completely absurd. The living were fighting to save the dead.
As the short seelie bared his teeth at her, struggling to right himself from the injuries she'd inflicted, Clary's seraph blade silenced his feeble cries.
She felt slightly sick as she pulled the blade out, the edges slick with blood and tissue.
Around the room, several pillars had toppled over from the sheer intensity and force of the battle. The ceiling was quaking with the weight of a hundred soldiers and the steps to Jonathan's altar were smashed to smithereens.
She turned in response to the crunch of footsteps and was greeted by Gorman's hungry grin.
Gorman. The same seelie who had assaulted her in the alleyway, so many lifetimes ago. The same seelie who had danced with her at the masquerade ball in the other dimension. The same seelie responsible for the kidnapping, torture and death of her people.
"It's always a pleasure to see you." he said in a clipped voice. "Although, there was no need to break into my home, a bathroom stall in the Hunter's Moon would have sufficed."
Clary's jaw clenched, her sword salivating to hack the seductive look off his face. But she would not waste her time with such trivial forms of torture. She would settle for his payment in blood.
He was quick to measure her movements as his spear blocked her sword. His crooked grin was aggravating as his hand stroked the front of her chest tauntingly.
She swung her leg out behind his ankle, hoping to trip him but he was smart enough to spin and brace himself against the wall. He was deft in his maneuvers, trapping her in between his body and the vined wall.
Gorman's eyes raked down her body callously. "Your head would make for a lovely mount on my bedroom wall."
His breath was hot and uncomfortably sticky against her face as she grabbed a fistful of hair on the back of his head and twisted him away from her. Gripping his head by the roots of his hair, she slammed him face first into the wall.
He screamed in pain, his hand still clamped tightly on her forearm. Without a trace of remorse, Clary's sword separated his hand from his arm.
He fell sideways onto the floor, cradling his stumped arm against his chest. Just as she was about to deliver the death blow, he shouldered into her ankles and knocked her back onto the ground.
The wind rushed out of her lungs as her head cracked painfully against the floor. His hands were crushing her windpipe now as his knees forced her against the ground.
Her vision blinking, Clary managed to land a well aimed blow to his jaw. But it was enough to loosen his hold on her neck. Clary swung the sword tip into his back, and he collapsed against her in a heavy mass of blood and missing limbs.
She shoved his weight off her and kicked him to the ground. As blood pooled around his body, Clary dismembered his other hand, his screams becoming lost in the clash of the battle.
Hands that had inflicted so much pain. So much loss. Hands that could no longer cause any harm.
With a final look at his beady eyes, Clary pierced his heart.
The ceiling overhead was groaning as Clary raised her head to scan the chamber. Most of the outskirts of the room was littered with corpses, a few side battles ongoing, but the golden flash in the center drew her attention.
Jace was a deadly tempest, swarmed by about four seelies who thirsted for his death.
He was not unnerved by their upper hand, or even remotely concerned by their large offensive. His sword was unforgiving and his strikes were merciless. In the haze of the terrible battle, Clary saw beauty.
Breaking out of her admiration, she broke out into a run and her heart seemed to match her feet in an anxious sprint. She clambered up the back of the tallest seelie and snapped his neck in one fluid motion.
A second seelie turned to face her as she landed on her feet beside the crumpled soldier. The other two seelies were engaged in a deadly dance with Jace.
Clary welcomed his approach with newfound rage and adrenaline as she easily side stepped his heavy blow, seizing his neck and ramming her knee against his face.
Stumbling back with a shout of surprise, Clary kicked the spear out of his hand and drove the sword into his chest.
She wheeled around to see that Jace had successfully killed one of his opponents and was in the midst of dodging the last seelie's wildy wielded spear.
It was almost too natural. Clary's sword cut through the sinews of the seelie's shoulder, sending him off balance and dazed with agony. Jace knocked the spear out of his hand and jumped into the air, falling like an angel of war, his booted feet ramming into the man's chest. As the seelie fell, Clary's blade cut through his neck.
She met Jace's blazing eyes, alight with fire and fervor that could not be tempered. Her heart was soaring in time with his as the ascending rush of the hunt crashed in tidal waves around them.
The spellbinding moment was shattered by the audible snap of the ceiling above. Chunks of moss covered blocks rained down around them, landing on top of corpses and holding them hostage to the ground.
Jace grappled for Clary's hand as they darted around the shower of moss boulders and leaped over the corpses of friend and foe alike. The room was caving in, making its downfall clear to the occupants of the chamber with deafening smashes.
The ground beneath them trembled with fright as Jace half lifted her over a large slab of marble pillar. Clary blinked against the splinters of dust, ash and earth that clouded her vision, gripping Jace's hand like a vise.
They were nearly at the door when an imminently clear crack echoed in the space above them. A massive heap of jagged boulder and moss was torpedoing towards them. Clary wrapped her body around Jace and threw her weight against him, sending them spiraling to the floor just outside the chamber. She clutched him to her, trying to shield his towering frame with her body.
Pellets of rock and dirt cut into her skin, leaving angry red marks in their wake. The impact of her body against Jace, against the floor was enough to leave her winded.
Jace appeared to be struggling beneath her, contorting his body awkwardly to push her under his arms, when the pillar at the far end of the hall capsized. Like dominos, the pillars lining the hall fell one after the other.
Jace scrambled for purchase, tugging them out of the way, as the final pillar thudded to the floor.
For the first time in hours, there was silence. The contrast was soothing in comparison to the ferocious roar of swords clashing. It was oddly peaceful and Jace longed to close his eyes…
The last thing he remembered was the surrender of the ceiling to the force of their battle and tiny, foolish Clary trying to shield him from the onslaught.
The lull of the silence was coaxing him to close his eyes and never wake up. Such a tempting offer, he very much wanted to accept but there was this faint background noise that was holding him back.
"Jace! Oh my God! Jace!"
Yes, that was his name - Jace. And Jace wanted to sleep so badly, it was like a heavy cover over his lids dragging his consciousness down under to a pitless, inescapable depth. What he would give for just a moment of escape -
"Jace!"
And then, very abruptly, he was yanked back into reality. His eyes flickered sluggishly against his lids and Clary was there, teary eyed and achingly beautiful.
"Oh my God, where the hell did everyone go?" she screamed in frustration, her brows furrowing endearingly, the way they did when she was stressed. But why was his Clary stressed?
He tried to move his parched lips but they scratched together dryly. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the smoke filled air from the grinding of the pillar against the ground. Not a living soul was in sight, the hall was devoid of its prior lustrous green and replaced with a weathered coat of blood, ash and dust.
He refocused his droopy gaze on Clary, watching her eyes widen when they met his. Such a pretty green color, had he ever told her that before?
"Jace? Can you feel anything? I've given you an iratze but I just - I'm not strong enough - I can't - " she sobbed, her words coming out jumbled.
And that's when he saw it. The last pillar was draped across his lower abdomen, hips and legs, holding him prisoner to the ground. There was no pain. Either he was paralyzed or the pain had reached the gray area where it no longer felt like pain. The temporary interphase between life and death. Exhaustion was the only reminder that anything had happened at all.
A thousand iratzes couldn't revive him. The rune couldn't beat the weight of the pillar.
"It's okay." he managed to whisper, his voice sounding hoarse and lifeless. She only seemed to cry harder at his words.
It was strange to raise his arm, it felt like he hadn't used it before. He fumbled around the ground before grasping her small hand in his and pressed the back of her hand to his lips.
"I don't feel any pain." he assured her, finding comfort in speaking the truth.
She shook her head miserably and struggled to hold his gaze for long. But he wanted to keep looking at her lovely green eyes…
"Someone please! Is anyone there?" she yelled again, her voice raw with emotion and the strain of her screams.
Jace knew her attempts were in vain. There was nothing but silence to answer their pleas. And even if someone was there, even if ten someones was there, there was not enough herculean strength to save him.
"Can you look at me, please?" he asked faintly, his breathing becoming ragged. Clary unwillingly brought her eyes to meet his and he was peaceful again. Not even her tears could completely blur out the beauty in her eyes.
"Clary? Jace?" Aline shouted, clambering in between broken chairs and fallen pillars to reach them. "Is that you?"
No go away, Jace thought vehemently. He didn't want an audience for this, not even Clary. He wasn't selfish enough for that.
Her eyes widened with horror when she drank in the sight of them. Jace tore his eyes reluctantly from Clary to give Aline a meaningful look. He silently begged her to take Clary. What if there were lingering seelies waiting to attack? Jace couldn't protect her now. But most of all, she shouldn't have to see this, she shouldn't have to live with this dreadful memory.
Aline's eyes also filled with tears as she crouched beside Clary, grasping her forearms gently.
"Clary…" Aline said softly, her voice breaking as she averted looking at Jace's mangled body.
He wasn't offended. He only wanted to see Clary a little longer.
"No." Clary said. Her voice was steel as she tightened her hold on his hand.
"Clary." Aline said again, more firmly. She had sad, kind eyes as she tried to comfort Clary. "We have to go - "
"No." Clary said forcefully, shaking off Aline's hold. "Go away."
Aline looked disgusted with herself as she rested a hand on Clary's shoulder.
"Don't." Clary snapped, her eyes boring into Jace, holding him in the present with her. I want to stay with you too, he thought numbly.
"I know this is hard Clary, but we have to go - " Aline said weakly, tugging lightly on Clary's arm.
Her temper seemed to have exceeded her patience. Clary wrenched her arm from Aline's grasp and turned to give her a dangerous look. "Touch me again and I'll cut your throat."
He'd always loved her feisty little temper. Hell, he'd been on the receiving end of it and the cause of it on many occasions.
Another figure, staggered towards them, glasses askew on his face.
"Simon! Thank the angel!" Aline said, waving him over.
Perfect. Another member of the audience. Aline was whispering quickly and hurriedly in Simon's ear. Jace had an inkling that she was convincing him to help move Clary, but Jace couldn't be bothered to look. Clary's eyes were entrancing.
Simon's face was unreadable, although there was a faint trace of sorrow in his eyes. He kneeled beside Jace, his voice coming out rough.
"I'm sorry. If I was still a vampire, I could have saved you."
Jace's lips twitched into a smile. "Save her."
Simon nodded wordlessly. His arms surrounded Clary in an iron grip, pulling her off the ground, her hand slipping out of Jace's grasp.
Jace's eyes followed after her, watching her curse and struggle in Simon's arms.
But he was stronger. And Jace was thankful for him - his brother.
Clary was inconsolable and could not be reasoned with as she elbowed Simon in the nose and shook his arms off.
Ragged and raw sobs were coming out of her tiny frame, her body shaking as she wrapped her arms around herself. Like she was trying to hold the pieces of herself together, an act of self preservation. She fell to her knees, hunching over in pain as her face contorted with grief and adamant disbelief.
Simon's arms locked around her again, pulling gently, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to drag her away. Not when she was so defeated, this way.
"No no NO!" she screamed, gripping the sides of her head, like she couldn't comprehend what was happening. Her face was reddened with anger and distress, Jace longed to comfort her in his arms. But he was trapped here, beneath these marble chains that would become his grave.
She was rocking back and forth, shaking her head with a frenzied look in her eyes. Simon might as well have been coercing a brick wall for all the good he was doing.
Jace could feel his breaths come in short bursts now, his eyes growing heavier with the pull of sleep.
Clary seemed to see this too. She shouldered Simon out of the way and pulled herself to a half standing position, shaking her head at him, the tears flowing faster. Her hand was in a tight fist that dug into the junction between her neck and chest. Her shoulders caved inwards, like she was bracing herself for impact. It was a tragic sight to see.
"Clary, we have to go." Aline cried, tears trickling down her bruised cheeks. There was no conviction in her voice.
Clary was shaking her head again. "Make it stop." she begged, fists clenching tightly. He could see the veins on her neck bulging with the strain of her desperation. Her body seemed to be wholly and thoroughly rejecting this moment.
"There's nothing we can do." Simon whispered gently.
"Stop saying that!" Clary screeched, arms locking around herself even tighter. Strangled groans and sobs were escaping her chafed lips as her shoulders shook and body trembled.
She suddenly collapsed against the pillar, throwing her body repeatedly against the pillar. Her furious fists punched the marble and Jace could see the blood trickling down from her knuckles. Simon and Aline tried to pull her away but Clary was unstoppable. He was sure he heard the crack of bone as she continued to launch herself against the pillar, unparalleled anger and despair apparent on her tear stained face.
If determination alone were enough, she would have saved him.
"Clary," Jace breathed. "Stop."
His voice seemed to penetrate through her walls of defense and she stared blankly at the pillar. A new wave of tears cascaded down her cheeks as she flung herself on top of him. Her hair brushed against his face and he could feel the race of her heart against his chest.
This must be as good as dying gets.
Simon and Aline appeared to have given up, both silent mourners at his funeral. Jace appreciated the moment with Clary, holding her close.
It was Aline that broke the quiet.
"What are you doing here?" she stammered, falling back behind Simon, like she was afraid but relieved.
Through the tresses of Clary's hair, Jace saw the face of the half blood Judas.
Clary couldn't remember deciding to move. But somewhere in between her excruciatingly painful attempts to grapple with the concept that Jace was truly dying, and seeing Helen's face, her muscles had moved of their own volition.
Her knuckles were already bleeding, so she felt little regret in ripping the skin further apart as she punched Helen sharply in the jaw. She forgot entirely about her sword, or her daggers or her seraph blades and found extreme satisfaction in battering up her face as she slammed the girl to the ground.
Simon's arms were once again dragging her away from a body, as Clary thrashed violently.
"Fight back you coward! How dare you show your face here!" Clary shrieked, grappling for a dagger to strike the girl with. Simon's hand clamped tightly over her own, halting her search.
With a final loathing look, she wrenched out of Simon's grip, and fell back into Jace's arms. How dare she intrude on this moment. The audacity was astounding, and Clary could not allow herself be ruled by her fury, or she'd lose what little time she had left with Jace. How could this be happening? Her body was protesting, refusing to accept this.
Aline's expression was guarded. She seemed to be holding back a floodgate of emotions. Like she had too much to say but didn't know how to say it.
Helen was on her feet, wiping the blood from her mouth. Simon moved to block her sightline to Clary and Jace.
"Stay back." he warned.
Helen's face was solemn and hard. "I can save him."
Clary pressed her forehead harder against Jace's, trying to drown out the lies spouting out of the blond haired girl.
"You killed him." Simon spat, true anger seeping through his even voice.
Helen took a deep breath, as if willing herself to continue. "I can - "
"What, are you strong enough to lift this pillar?" Simon asked harshly, his sword trained in front of him.
"No." Helen said, her voice rising a pitch. "But I can save him, by taking his place."
Once again, silence permeated the air as the words registered in Clary's mind. In her melt down, she hadn't noticed the slit of space on either side of Jace's body beneath the pillar. Small enough for another body to slip in.
"I won't ask you to do that." Jace breathed raggedly, squeezing Clary's hand lightly.
"I'm insisting." Helen replied. She seemed to be locked in a tense eye conversation with Aline. Neither of them moving, neither of them speaking.
"No." Jace whispered more firmly.
"It would work." Helen said with a deadpan expression. "I'm small enough to wedge in the space beside you, it should alleviate enough pressure for the others to pull you out. Like a lever."
Clary heard what they were saying, but her mind couldn't link the meaning together. It was too dangerous to hope.
"I won't ask you to do that." Jace repeated, his words coming out strangled and breathless from the exertion.
And then, Helen's offer triggered a rush of understanding and self despise. It was too good an offer to be true, yet it was too tempting an offer for Clary to refuse. Was she a terrible person for this? Probably. Was she unbelievably selfish? Definitely. As much as she wished for Helen to pay for her betrayal, was her life wager enough? For Jace's life, it was.
"But I will." Clary said cutting across Helen's retort. She looked desperately into Jace's eyes, willing for him to understand her selfishness. To forgive her unspeakable actions. Then she turned to look at Helen.
And she no longer saw a traitor, but a broken and naive girl who had been blinded by her love for her brother to the extent of destructiveness. And Clary felt even more terrible.
Helen nodded once and moved forwards, when Aline closed the distance and seized her arms tightly.
"Wait." she said with panic, her eyes flashing with fear as she looked at Helen with alarm.
"No." Clary said, pulling out of Jace's grasp. "Don't bother. I'm just as small as Helen, I can fit - "
"No." Jace said sharply. Even in his condition, he managed to say the word with forceful finality.
"No." Helen said, tears leaking out now. "I made this mess, I'm the one who should clean it up. I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you, all of you." she said crying now, and looking most determinedly at Aline.
"Wait, Helen no - " Aline said, distraught with the confusion of her own feelings and the undeniable love for Helen that was evident in her eyes.
"It's okay. Somebody has to die under that pillar and it shouldn't be Jace." Helen half laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind Aline's ear. "Nobody needs me. Jace," she said, turning to address him. "You have a son. A wife. A family, who needs you. My siblings have each other and they have Mark now. I found him after I talked to the two of you in the office. Seeing him, seeing his true honorability and goodness, I realized what I had done. And I know what I have to do now."
Aline was shaking her head slowly, like a confused and torn person.
Helen kissed her cheek softly. "Please let me do this. I have to. For my soul."
She pulled out of Aline's grasp and moved past Simon, who stood rigid with shock. Clary grasped Helen's hands in her own and looked at her sincerely.
"Thank you." Clary murmured, feeling an even deeper shame as the girl smiled weakly and slipped underneath the pillar.
"This never would have happened if I hadn't done what I did." she said sadly. "I hope you can forgive me."
She turned back once more. "Damon and Jonathan's body are with the queen, wherever she is."
And then she too, was beneath the crushing weight of the pillar. Simon was beside Clary then, and they grabbed Jace beneath the arms and pulled him out.
Clary had no right to cry, but she did. Uncontrollably and haggardly, as she traced over his iratze, cradling his head in her lap.
It's effects were instantaneous. She could see the steadiness to his breaths, his foot twitching in response to the mending of bone.
Aline seemed to register what had happened and turned around with anguish, rushing to the pillar where Helen was pinned. In a cruel and parallel way, Aline and Helen were now in the place Jace and Clary had been, only moments ago.
The sound of Aline's cries were even more terrible than Clary could have imagined. Another wave of shame and self disgust washed over her as Jace propped himself to a sitting position. His eyes seared into hers and she nodded once as he moved towards the crying couple.
"Thank you, is not sufficient enough for this." Jace said quietly, as he crouched beside Helen.
Helen cracked a wry smile. "Forgiveness is the best gift you could give me. The guilt would have killed me anyways if you hadn't let me do this." she laughed humorlessly. "This is actually a much kinder death than I deserve. Not many traitors and murderers get to right some of their wrongs before they go."
Clary rested her hand on Jace's shoulder and nodded at the fair haired girl.
"We forgive you." Jace murmured.
A peaceful smile graced Helen's features as Jace pulled Clary away.
"We can't leave her." Clary whispered, clinging to Jace. She supposed she'd never let go. Not after this.
"I'll stay." Simon said, rubbing his face with a hard look in his eyes. Jace nodded and clapped a hand on his shoulder.
Then he took her hand and they walked away from the wreckage. Away from the loss.
Nothing he'd ever done in his life, could possibly have made him worthy of that. In a world that was governed by injustice and broken faith, he should have died. That's what should have happened.
Yet, he had managed to evade death once more. And he did not deserve it.
Jace held Clary close to him, pulling them to a stop once they neared the ravaged front entrance of the courts. He cradled her face in his hands, tracing his nose along hers, down her cheekbones, to her jaw.
He did not deserve any of this. Surely, they'd thrown the balance in the world completely off kilter. Was his number up the day he died on Lake Lynn, and they would continue to find themselves in this position, until one day death finally got its way?
Overcome with relief, and overwhelming sadness for the girl who'd sacrificed his life for him, Jace crashed his lips against Clary's. He would never take this for granted.
When they broke apart, Jace caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. He spun around, his seraph blade raised and came face to face with Raj.
"Where is everyone?" he asked, lowering his blade with a growing sense of deja vu.
Raj eyed the blade with irritation and looked back at Jace with equal annoyance. "Once the seelies realized they were way out numbered, they fled like we predicted, to the other dimensions. Isabelle's team already captured or killed all of the seelies in their dimension. Alec's team is nearly finished."
"Where's the Seelie Queen?" Clary asked briskly.
"She ran off into the seelie woods with the baby. Some of us are out hunting for her. There's no escape now, the only exit and entrance is right here." Raj shrugged nonchalantly. "Have you guys seen my kindjal - "
Jace and Clary weren't listening. They had already turned in the direction of the woods, hands locked and faces set.
"Promise me something?" Clary asked, as they ran through the trees and ducked under low hanging branches.
"Anything." he agreed, his legs surging forward with certainty and strength. Legs that should have been permanently paralyzed.
"Neither of us leaves these woods, until the Seelie Queen is dead." Clary said, her voice like ice as she cut a branch out of her way.
"I can live with that." Jace said airily, scanning the dark forest for signs of movement.
"We have to." Clary said more to herself. "For Helen."
In truth, Helen was wrong. No one should have died under that pillar. Except for perhaps, the Seelie Queen herself.
They didn't speak until they reached the center of the woods, and Jace saw a flicker of movement ahead. They slowed to a walk, their tread masked by the whipping of the wind as they inched closer.
There, beside a flowing stream, the Seelie Queen stood with one arm holding a bundle. Her other hand was poised in front of her, ready to fend off an attack. Her back was facing them.
Jace watched as Clary pulled out a dagger, bringing her arm back and then swinging it forward neatly and powerfully. Instead of aiming for her head, Clary sent the dagger for the queen's outstretched hand.
In a swift motion, the hand was 5 feet away from the body. 5 feet away, where it could no longer abuse nature and serve as a weapon. If the dagger had missed her head, the queen would still have 2 offensive weapons.
The queen screeched with rage, turning around with disbelief. She looked like a cornered animal as she switched the baby to her stump arm and flung her other hand out.
Thorns jutted out from the earth, upheaving the roots as they formed a line of protection between them.
Jace kneeled so that Clary could spring off his knee and she landed gracefully on her feet on the other side. All the years, Alec had scoffed at Jace's arrogant flipping skills would serve him well today. He took a few strides back before sprinting forward and launching himself over the thorn wall.
A dagger was protruding from the queen's shoulder and Clary was wrestling for the baby. The queen's hand shot out and the branches of the nearest tree tore Clary away and she slammed against the bark.
Jace had his sword balanced carefully in his hand, close enough to strike, but he couldn't risk harming the baby.
A callous and cold laugh fell from the queen's lips. "I'm impressed. I thought you were bluffing about wanting to save my child. Too bad I wasn't."
And then he saw it. And his blood ran cold. Nestled in the queen's arms, was Christopher.
"No." Jace said furiously, flickering between the child and the queen's victorious face.
"Yes." she smiled serenely. "I had Helen sneak him out from under Maryse's nose. Her Nephilim blood is invaluable. The Shadowhunters all assumed he was mine. If they wanted to kill my child, they would be shockingly mistaken when it turned out to be your son that they murdered."
Clary flew past Jace and lunged for the queen's throat. He made the snap decision to seize her around the waist and hold her back. He was right to do so. The queen had a blade up to Christopher's neck.
His blood boiled with anger at the thought of the queen using his son as a shield. As a decoy. But he shouldn't have been so shocked at her ruthlessness. Hadn't he learned about her games by now?
"Feels wretched doesn't it?" the queen sneered, tracing the knife point lightly across the swaddle of blankets. "Having your son hunted?"
"Hand him over." Jace said loudly, trying to keep his voice calm and his grip on Clary firm. He couldn't lose his composure now.
Then he recalled a fragment of Helen's last few words, when life had been slipping away from him. Damon and Jonathan's body are with the queen, wherever she is.
His eyes quickly flitted around the woods, his heart racing for leverage, racing to save his son, when he settled on the stream behind the queen. Beneath the ebb and flow of the water, Jonathan's pale face was gleaming below the surface. There seemed to be a protective net of reeds around him, preventing the water from degenerating his corpse. And beside him was a swathed child.
He released Clary and dove into the stream. He heard shouts of surprise and despair behind him, but he already had the child grasped in his arms.
He surfaced from the water and the child began to wail in his arms. The Seelie Queen's face became pale as she ground her teeth together with hatred.
"You wouldn't. You're too noble." she said finally, her expression becoming smooth.
Jace was bluffing but he prayed she wouldn't see through it. Not with her son on the line. "Are you willing to test that?" He raised his own dagger to the child's neck.
The queen's fear was clear on her face. Jace locked eyes with Clary and nodded infinitesimally.
In the brief second the queen's eyes were scrutinizing his bluff, Clary barreled into her, knocking the dagger from her hand. They tumbled onto the grass, Clary not even daring to use her blades so close to Christopher.
Jace climbed out of the stream, holding the child carefully in his arms and ran over to the women clawing each other on the floor. It was mother against mother.
He managed to tear Christopher from the queen's grasp and bolted away from the scene, both babies crying in his arms.
"Run!" Clary screamed, unsheathing her blade and slashing at the queen's throat. It nicked the flesh as she just managed to avoid a more detrimental wound.
The queen's shrill cries trailed after him as he ran. He slowed to a walk once they were hidden from view and calmed the children down. He found a thick oak, to hide the babies behind and draped some fern leaves over them.
It would be just their luck for a wild bear to come in search of a snack.
One last look at Christopher was all he afforded himself, before he tore back towards Clary.
Both parties were heavily bleeding as they came into view. Neither were armed, the queen wasn't even bothering with magic. It was more feral and animalistic. Something rooted deeper than the trivial weapon.
Clary dodged a blow to the chest, and leaped forwards, grabbing the queen by the neck. They fell to the ground, Clary's hair falling in a wild frame around her shoulders as she pressed the queen harder into the earth.
As Jace was close enough to hear their conversation, the queen jerked her knee into Clary's chin and their positions became reversed. The Seelie Queen's face was murderous as she clenched Clary's neck in between her hand and stump, raising her off the ground and slamming her into the earth repeatedly.
Too terrified for Clary's life to merely run, Jace bounded off a large rock and flew across the short distance, landing on the queen's back. Her crown slipped from her head and sunk to the bottom of the stream.
Jace braced his foot against her back, pulling her arms backwards so that her chest and neck were forced upwards.
Clary was deliberate and careful as she retrieved her fallen seraph blade, before turning to face the queen. Jace's eyes burned into Clary's and he nodded.
"Checkmate." she whispered, before thrusting the sword into the queen's chest.
6 months later.
"Who knew I'd enjoy managing a construction site so much more than hunting?" Isabelle said mildly, as she flipped through sheafs of paper attached to her clipboard.
Clary laughed as she lounged on the picnic blanket beside Jace and Christopher. He was shoveling fistfuls of mashed strawberries into his tiny mouth, looking simply delighted with his day.
"When can we move in? My back isn't as young as it used to be." Jace said seriously, propping himself up on one elbow.
Isabelle gave him a cold look as she turned to look up at the framework of the Institute.
"It could still be a few weeks. I was rather occupied with funerals, injuries and other work, you know." she said in a clipped voice.
Clary looked up too. The burned Institute had been completely demolished and torn down before they had set to work to rebuild it. The grass outside the Institute had grown back to its healthy green color and texture. The only scar left on the building was in their memories.
Jace tilted his head up to drink in the sun rays, and they reflected off of his golden hair and face magnificently. She was momentarily distracted by this when Christopher gave a loud gurgle. He was straining to reach for some of the mashed blueberries that sat in a bowl on top of Jace's flat chest.
She turned to smile down at her baby boy, swiping the bowl from his chest. "You're a hungry little man aren't you?"
"That's my boy!" Jace crowed proudly, ruffling the strawberry blond locks on Christopher's head.
Isabelle crouched down beside the baby, her face illuminated with adoration. "You'll thank me in a few years when the Institute has larger rooms, training centers and a pool - "
"Did you order the list of weapons I gave you?" Jace asked abruptly.
Without turning from her crooning and cooing at Christopher, she slapped the clipboard down on Jace's chest.
"First checkmark on the list."
He cussed loudly, earning a pointed look from Clary before her phone sounded with an alert for the time. She tried to mask her nerves as she stood up from the blanket.
"I'll be back in an hour."
"Are you sure you don't want me to come?" Jace asked, a worried look overtaking his breathtaking features.
She tried to smile. "I'm sure."
Clary pecked Jace and Christopher each once on the forehead before crossing the grass lawn and into the mundane world.
The past few months had been a pleasant retreat from the chaos and heat of the war. With the death of the Seelie Queen, new order had to be reinstated over the fair folk.
War criminals were brought to justice under the Clave's law and Mark Blackthorn was universally nominated to be the new Seelie King. The Wild Hunt was passed down to Mark's trusted companion.
The New York Institute was not the only one that needed rebuilding. The city of Iris and most of the other institutes were subjected to months of renovations and ward applications.
Then there was, of course, the matter of the dead. With so many bodies, the Silent Brothers had been performing funerals and cremations consistently for the past few months.
Clary had had a private cremation for Jonathan, scattering his ashes in the mundane graveyard with all his original belongings. She, Jace, Aline and Simon had pushed for Helen to be buried in the Silent City. In the end, she had proved worthy.
Clary had also been given responsibility for Damon. She and Jace had fought for his survival, pushing back against the Clave for mercy. Ultimately, they agreed to let the child live.
It had been a tough and morally gruelling decision, and she had deliberated for weeks, growing more closely attached to her nephew.
In the end, she decided to leave him outside a mundane fire station.
Though, it may have seemed uncaring and unkind, Clary did not want Damon to grow up with the same temptations as his parents. Being raised in the Shadow world would make him an outcast amongst his peers and scorned by those who held grudges.
At the same time, Clary knew what it was like to grow up and feel like there was constantly a piece missing from her life. To have her sight stripped away, each time it returned.
It was not her place to make that decision for Damon.
She and Jace decided that when Damon turned 18, the legal adult age for mundanes, they would introduce him to the Shadow world. If he wanted to join, they would teach him. If he decided he wanted to remain oblivious, Magnus would help them with that.
Now, she was strolling down a residential street, anxious and hopeful to see Damon with his new family. A mundane couple who owned a sushi restaurant, had finalized their adoption last week. Clary had personally revised their history and credibility and deemed them fit parents.
She would do right by Amara and Jonathan. She would not abandon their son. Clary would be the aunt that visited frequently, until she could open his eyes to the real world.
Inhaling sharply, Clary was glamoured as she peeped into the window of a grand townhouse. There, in the living room were three people. The father was making funny faces as the mother laughed and held Damon in her lap.
Damon squealed with joy as he clapped his pudgy hands together. He suddenly turned and looked out the window, his green eyes reflecting back in hers.
She stilled, as Damon blinked and smiled up at her. He seemed to already have some semblance of the sight. She smiled back.
Maybe, there was hope.
Exactly an hour later, she flopped back down on the picnic blanket and nuzzled her nose into Christopher's cheek.
Jace wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. "Everything okay?"
She turned and smiled at him, laughing as she craned her neck around so she could lick a smudge of mashed blueberry from his cheek.
"Everything's perfect."
And it was. One day they would meet Damon again, and they would have to tell him the truth about his family and his identity. One day they would have to face Christopher, and tell him their long and complicated story, teaching him to be better. Stronger.
One day, inevitably, another monster would lurk in the shadows, threatening to snatch their happiness away. The only thing for certain, was that the hunt would live on. The hunt was immortal.
But today, Clary was satisfied in leaning back against Jace as they watched the sun set behind the towering frame of the Institute.
There was only the soft peals of Christopher's laughter and the rhythmic thudding of their hearts, as the rest faded into the distance.
The End.