Sorry this is so so late.
I was debating on whether I should give you one last chapter or two more.
You will be pleased to know that there will be one more chapter after this.
I love you all, so please enjoy and review…
Chapter 50...
{Jace's POV}
That feeling still haunts me to this day.
The day I saw the light in Clary's eyes disappear.
As she collapsed into my arms, the feeling of her body going limp sent violent shivers up my spine.
Falling through ice and not being able to escape the fatal cold is the only way I can think to describe it.
An ominous coldness wrapped around me, and all I could see was Clary. Clary dying in my arms.
As I allowed that thought to sink in, my mindset shifted suddenly ; this was not how Clary would die.
I could not physically lose her, she was too big a part of me now, to lose her would be to lose part of myself.
Gently laying her off me I set my sights on the Mortal Cup and picked up Maellartach on my over to the Mortal Instrument.
A sense of desperation for it to be destroyed washed over me as I swung my arm down through the air - the blade slicing perfectly through the cup, leaving it broken in various pieces.
Smiling at the shattered Cup, my mind darted back to the immediate task - Clary.
Mustering up what strength I had left, I slid one arm under her arms and the other under her knees.
Then I ran, as fast as I could considering I was carrying another person. I knew I would tire eventually, and I was slowing already, but I had to give everything I had for even a slither that she would make it out alive.
Every now and then, chancing a glance down at Clary, the only sign she was still clinging on was the worryingly faint pulse at the base of her throat.
Even so, her stillness in my arms was terrifying - contemplating whether she was dead every second exhausted my mind.
{Alec's POV}
The devastation we had left behind in Alicante burned my skull, all I could picture was the vile, black ichor running through the streets of the place of where I called home. In places mixed with the vibrant red of Nephilim blood where Shadowhunters had fallen or been wounded.
As Nephilim this is what we trained for, the rush and chaos of battle - but never had I anticipated in my wildest dreams that this was the reality of it.
Seeing immeasurable amounts of demons enter the home of Shadowhunters was a sight I will never forget, and I carried the weight of it with me then. As Izzy, Jon and I were running to Brocelind forest.
Clearly, I remember the sudden shock I felt as all the demons around me simply vanished. Only the ones who had been dead already remained, which was a great number in itself considering the shadowhunter to demon ratio.
We had all assumed that Clary and Jace must have succeeded in their task - the Mortal Cup destroyed. But was there a price to our victory?
We had been ordered by Imogen to get to Lake Lyn, as all the other Nephilim were either joyful a fatal battle had ended or mourning those we had lost.
There had been no question that we three would travel to Lake Lyn and find Clary and Jace.
Throughout our journey so far, I had felt an indescribable pain in my chest, one that I could only associate with the parabatai bond. This pain was my driving force to will my legs to keep moving, for every step was one closer to Jace.
We had just reached the treeline of Brocelind Forest when I first heard it.
The unmistakable sound of someone breathing raggedly, my head snapped up, as did Izzy's and Jon's.
We stopped dead in our tracks, the concealing mist that had creeped around us making us vulnerable to attack.
The whip coiled around Izzy's arm began to slither down onto the floor, preparing for a fight.
Abruptly a figure came dashing out of the fog, and at first it was just a black shadow.
But as the figure came closer my Vision rune took effect and I let out a shaky breath I didn't know I was holding.
Immediately after I sucked my breath in again once I looked properly at the figure.
It was Jace.
But he looked like death, and in his arms was Clary crumpled up. Unmoving. Her chest didn't rise up and down.
The ghostly expression playing on his face said it all.
Clary was dead.
{Izzy's POV}
The relief that had flushed through my veins was rapidly replaced with an icy feeling of fear.
Clary lying limp in Jace's arms froze me to the spot, and the mixture of relief and panic on Jace's face told the whole story.
He began to move toward the three of us but stumbled and nearly lost his balance, and I think he would have if Alec had not acted fast and steadied his parabatai.
Almost as an afterthought I looked to my right and saw that all the colour had drained from Jon's face, this was his sister after all.
Gently I caught him by the arm and pulled him out of his trance like state, over to where the boys were with Clary.
Clary was now lying down on the floor, her body all rigid and awkward looking - beside her knelt Alec and Jace.
In any other circumstances the two would have been fiercely embracing, as they had never fought apart before and fighting without your parabatai was said to weaken you.
However, this was not the time for a happy reunion.
It was Alec who spoke first,
"Jace, what happened?"
Carefully Alec used a soft tone, Jace looked horrific enough without being shouted at.
"He… he stabbed her…"
Jace managed to mumble out those few feeble words, leaving the rest of us curious and clueless.
"Who Jace?"
I persisted, and was taken aback when Jace looked up to meet my gaze. His eyes looked like hollow orbs, staring back at me with a penetrating numbness that was unsettling.
"Valentine. Right in front of my eyes. He drove the blade through her chest, he nearly killed her."
Somehow Jace had kept his voice even and steady.
"What do you mean nearly?"
Jon questioned sharply,
"She's still alive, barely but alive…"
As he trailed off at the end we all turned to look down at Clary, it was unnerving to see the fiercest warrior I had ever known look so vulnerable and helpless - unnatural even.
"I'm sorry Jace… but Clary, she's… she's d-"
"Don't you dare. She's not dead, feel her pulse. It's weakening by the minute but it's still there. She's not dead."
I could tell that Jace actually believed what he was saying, and for that I pitied him.
But there was no way she was alive, blood was soaking the grass beneath her now.
Noticing our doubtful expressions Jace exclaimed,
"Feel her pulse if you don't believe me. She is there, and the more time we waste here debating it the less chance we have of keeping her that way."
A flash of irritation and anger cut through his voice, but I knew that he didn't mean to be rude. He just needed someone to lash out on, the stress was seizing him now.
Unexpectedly, Jon crouched down beside Clary and pressed two fingers to the inside of her neck, at first his face remained the same ; stone cold and hopeless.
Then a flicker erupted across his face, his eyes widening.
"How… how, how…"
He muttered to himself.
"What Jon?"
"Jace is right, she's alive. Barely, but alive."
The certainty in Jon's tone was unmistakable, and the hope in his voice spread through me.
Even though I had known this girl a few weeks at best, already she had changed my life, flipped it upside down to be precise. Yet, I knew in that moment I would do everything in my power to keep her alive - and so would the others.
{Jace's POV}
Everything happened in a blur then, Alec coaxing Clary out of my arms and into his, Jon wrapping his arm under my shoulder for support, and Izzy helping me on the other side.
"Are you able to run?"
Alec said, although he spoke it as a question I knew it was more of a demand.
In reply I nodded quickly.
Then we took off at a run, Izzy and Jon still stabilising me on either side - in all fairness I needed it.
If they had come any later I think I would have passed out from the exhaustion, though Clary was light, carrying her had made running hard work. So I was grateful to Alec for wordlessly taking charge of her, however not having her in my arms did make my hands itch slightly, but if she wasn't in mine at least she was in the arms of my parabatai.
I just had to concentrate, I couldn't black out. If I lost consciousness then it would all be over. I just had to keep moving, one foot in front of the next.
Then I saw them, like beacons of hope they captured my attention.
The Glass Towers Of Alicante.
{Stephen's POV}
The battle had been ruthless, the wounded Nephilim piling up in the Infirmary.
And the death count seemed to be ticking up and up slowly but surely, each time a mother, father, daughter, son or friend losing someone they love.
I had been grateful that Jace hadn't been in the battle, though he would have fought more ferociously than any other having him out of sight and mind eased my head slightly.
On the other hand, now the fighting was over I had the time to panic. Alec, Isabelle and Jonathan had been sent after Clary and Jace 3 hours ago. Surely they should have been back by now?
Or something had happened.
The longer my thoughts dwelled on the possibility that something had gone wrong twisted my stomach into tighter and tighter knots.
To distract myself I looked up and around the room, we were in the Accords Hall, where many Nephilim stood. Some idly chatting about the battle, others grieving tremendously - yet I knew what was playing in the back of all their minds.
Has Valentine been slaughtered?
We knew the Cup must have been destroyed as the demons who were still fighting had vanished, being bounced back to their original realm.
I was so deep in my thoughts I hadn't realised that a dramatic lull had captivated the room, followed by sudden gasps.
Whipping my head up, I saw all attention was on the doors of the hall. And the shadowhunters seemed to be parting to allow someone through to the dias where I stood, with Celine, Imogen, the Lightwoods, Jocelyn and Luke.
Bolting upright, I scanned the crowd to see what was the focus point of the eerie silence.
My chest contracted when I saw them emerge from the crowd.
Instantly my eyes landed on my son, and my legs began moving of their own accord.
{Izzy's POV}
As we staggered into the room all conversations blurred into silence, stares narrowing in on Jace being half carried by Jon and I, and Clary limp in Alec's arms.
When we approached the dias a wave of relief crashed over my body, I could see my parents overlooking Alec and I with intense worry. But I could breathe, the battle was over.
At least for me it was, Clary was still unmoving in Alec's arms - every time I looked at her it made my breath hitch.
Within seconds I felt the warm, comforting touch of my mother's hand on my arm - her touch sending shocks of calm through me.
I allowed myself to relax into her embrace, to let someone else take the weight of my body, even if it were just for a few seconds.
I had closed my eyes when her strong arms had wrapped around my shoulders, but they flew open when I heard Jace's distraught voice.
Jumping away from my mum I darted my eyes toward Jace and his father.
Alec had laid Clary down on the floor, he was kneeling next to her, attempting an amisso rune and iratze's, neither of which seemed to be working.
Stephen had moved to Jace's side, obviously relieved to see that his son was alive. Although, Jace appeared to be refusing any aid to his many wounds and bruises.
"I don't need your help, I don't want your help."
Stephen's face contorted into a twist of confusion and hurt.
"But, Ja-"
He began,
"You don't get it do you? She is dying. If we do nothing Clary will die."
Pure rage sounded through Jace's clearly agitated voice.
He then turned to his grandmother, Imogen, to speak ;
"Get me a Silent Brother. I will take her to the Infirmary. Right now Clary is the only thing that matters."
And at that Jace knelt down to scoop up Clary and began carrying her back through the crowds, who had seemingly disappeared to my eyes upon our reunion with family.
Leaving the rest of us stunned into silence, until Imogen moved to speak.
"Jace is right. Clarissa Morgenstern shall not die. Maryse, call in Brother Zachariah and Brother Enoch. My grandson will tell them what to do."
My mother nodded and left my side, following in the path Jace had made on his dramatic exit.
Now I was left alone, alone with my thoughts of worry and regret.
It had never really hit me before that Clary could actually die, she had always seemed so fearless and unbreakable that the thought of her ever dying seemed absurd.
That's the end of the penultimate chapter.
Please please review, I need to know your thoughts.
Song 28 ~ Everywhere - Fleetwood Mac
