Disclaimer: I do not own the Mortal Instrument. Everything recognisable belongs to Cassandra Clare
Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last few chapters!
Clary gasped painfully as she removed her leather jacket. Blood soaked through her sweater, making it adhesive against her sore skin.
Breathing heavily as she began cleaning the wound in her shoulder with a piece of cotton wool, she sat down next to the old, dark dressing table in her bedroom.
She tried to keep a calm face, but the pain was excruciating. Her stele lay on the table next to her; she had already drawn the healing rune on her scarred skin, but with the wound still bleeding heavily and rapidly there was little hope it would heal itself without being cleaned first. She picked up her stele, groaning irritated as she drew the amissio rune on her arm, slowing down the blood loss.
Clary heard the door open behind her and looked up into the mirror to see a familiar face stare at her wounded shoulder.
"Do you need any help dear?" The soft female voice spoke up behind her.
Clary turned around, wincing in pain. "No, I'll be fine Maggie." She told the former Iron Sister as she stepped closer to the hurt girl.
"What happened?" Sister Magdalena asked with a voice full of motherly love.
"It was nothing, I just underestimated my assignment. Or rather the protection he was under." Clary told her looking into the woman's flaming eyes. "But don't worry, I made sure he didn't get away alive." Clary reassured her throwing a silver ball into the hands of the ageless woman.
"Thanks to this. I could really use a few more of them; I think it's one of your more successful designs." She gave Maggie a short smile before getting up, the healing rune doing its work by now.
"I'll take that as a compliment, seeing how fastidious you are when it comes to weapons." The elder woman replied with a smile playing on her thin lips.
"Why did you come here Maggie?" Clary asked, watching as the smile left the woman's lips.
"I was sent to tell you your father wants to speak to you."
xxxx
"Anything new?" He asked in a bored voice.
"Nope," Isabelle replied, giving the white-haired boy a shrug, "but we are trying our best. It's not really easy to find information on someone when you don't know the slightest thing about them." She defended herself and dragged out a chair, nonverbally telling him to sit down. It had been a week and they hadn't found anything new on the Shadowhunter who had attacked their parents.
"You know, it wouldn't hurt to be a bit helpful." Jace told him without looking up from the papers they had stolen from his grandmother.
"I know that. But I really don't think you are approaching this the right way." Jonathan explained.
Both boys looked up and gave him the same bemused looks.
"No? What do you think would be the best way of dealing with this?" Jace asked him, his voice bubbling with irritation.
"Well, you are only looking though old papers, they won't give you any new information. Try contacting someone with the knowledge you are looking for." He decried and sat down next to the raven haired girl.
"Oh why have we not thought about that before?" Jace asked no one in particular, sarcasm in his voice. "Oh, I know. Because we know so many people who would willingly help us going against the Clave, searching for a Shadowhunter who can kill you if you get on her wrong side. Yes, there are a lot of helpful people in that category." He stared at Jonathan with annoyed eyes.
Nobody said anything for a long time, staring at one another. The air seemed to shrink and turn warmer. Isabelle opened her mouth, but seemed to be lost in thoughts as nothing came out.
Alec being the one to break the silence said quietly, "We are not going against the Clave." He told Jace, who still sat silently reading through the papers they had borrowed from the Lightwood's office.
"Whatever.." Jace shrugged and kept sure the awkwardness in the room was on a high level. He was determined to find this arcane Shadowhunter, the one who had attempted to kill his father. A flash of pale and hurt Stephen in the infirmary made Jace's blood boil from the anger building up inside him.
"I know someone who's willing to help." Jonathan said, speaking for the first time since he had started the argument between him and the others.
The three other Shadowhunters looked at him hesitant, before motioning him to explain.
Jonathan smirked, an expression which felt unnatural on the normally loving and friendly blond boy.
"Magnus Bane." He said the two words with such satisfaction the three others didn't know what he was on about.
"Are you okay John? Because we don't know Bane. Why the hell would he help us?" Jace asked him dumbfound.
Jonathan laughed in a diaphanous manner before his gaze landed questioning on the coal-black haired boy with brilliant blue eyes, who in return eschewed him turning a deep shade of pink.
"Alec?" Isabelle asked shocked, "What are you…" She trailed off looking at her brother's uncomfortable face.
His opalescent blue eyes met hers and she knew what his eyes tried to tell her.
Alec shot up, looking vexed toward Jonathan. "You had no right!" He said in a soaring voice.
"I didn't know you hadn't told anyone." He apologised and looked around the room realising the painful silence his words had brought down on them. "To be honest I didn't think I was one you would speak to before the others." He said, his voice sounding awkward at the confession.
Alec turned around looking back at his younger sister, who smiled at him, her scarred, pale skin making her red lips stand out.
It was a painful silence between the four teenagers for a few minutes; no one knew exactly what to say, and to whom. At least not until a soft chuckle could be heard from the end of the table. Three pairs of eyes zoomed towards the boy laughing.
"What are you laughing at?" Isabelle asked quite bemused.
Jace's golden eyes met her and he smirked playfully. "Nothing, I just find it amusing that Alec can find a boyfriend, before me. Or a girlfriend for that matter, come on have you looked at me?" He asked, pointing up and down his lean, muscular body.
Alec let out a breath, obviously relieved by his friends' reactions. "So can you call this High Warlock, or will we go to his place?" Jace joked looking straight at his still red faced parabatai.
xxxx
"Nice to meet you, I began to worry Alec didn't have any friends." A high voice spoke letting the four teenagers step inside his large apartment. Jace and Isabelle shared a shocked look as they explored their surroundings. It was a large room with blue and gold walls, a large blue velvet couch and a round table standing on a soft carpet. From where they stood in the room they could see at least ten doors leading to different rooms, a staircase leading to a second floor with large painting following the steps.
They knew the warlock must be wealthy, seeing as he probably was a thousand years old, but the place looked like a high fashioned Institute.
A smile played on Jace's lips as he walked further inside the room, shaking his head in amusement.
Magnus waved his hand and five glasses appeared filling themselves with a pink fluid. With a quick snap of his silver painted fingers and the glasses flowed in the air one for each of them.
"What is this?" Jonathan asked sceptical as he smelled the pink drink.
"Pink Gin." The warlock's voice explained, "Something I picked up in the early 1900's England. Very popular. And I can understand why." He said, sipping the pink gin.
"No thanks, we're not here to get drunk." John declined and put down the glass.
"I don't know about you John, but I wouldn't actually mind." Jace laughed and tasted the bitter drink, earning an upbraiding look from his elder friend.
After finding their seats on the blue couch and getting over some cringeworthy small talk, Alec asked the warlock, "So could you help us?"
"For you and your gang of distressed Shadowhunters, of course." Magnus smirked and got up from the couch, walking towards a tall shelf with an abundance of magical looking objects. Facing the shelf he picked up a wooden box.
He turned around, his yellow cat eyes following Alec's sapphire blue eyes. "This might help you. But it'll be quite hazardous and if you're caught, you see... Well.. Let's just hope they don't catch you with it." He smirked and placed the box on the table in front of the four bewildered teens.
xxxx
"For the love of god, father. How many times do you expect me to explain it to you?" She hissed angry towards her father. He had nagged at her the whole week, trying to find flaws in her fighting, her decisions and her manoeuvres. Reluctant to understand it was no one's fault the plan had been ruined.
"I did what I had to do, I don't think they saw how I opened a portal, and if they did, why do you care?" She looked straight into his dark eyes as she spoke. They were alone in her father's office; she would never speak to him in such manners if he was surrounded by his followers. Not even Maggie.
"Because, Clarissa, if they find out about you and what you can do, they will most likely try everything in their powers to take you away from me. And I can't risk losing you. Not again." His eyes flickered with raw emotions as he spoke, making Clary glance ashamed down at her own hands.
"I'm sorry father. I'll do better next time." She said quietly, her emerald eyes meeting his black orbs.
"I know you will." He said in sagacity.
At that she understood their conversation was well over, and she got up from her chair walking out the large doors of his office room.
xxxx
"You got to be kidding me." Jace said disappointed, "A compass." He sighed.
"It's not just a compass." Magnus explained. He pointed at the round gold compass with eight stars pointing in all directions. "This will point you to the exact place you want to go." He said turning the small hand around a few times before looking up at the four Shadowhunters.
"But if you're not interested." He said began, grabbing the compass and folding it in the velvet fabric again.
"No. We are, Jace is just being his usual dumbass self." Alec explained, giving his parabatai a teasing smirk.
"Magnus, can I ask you something?" It was Isabelle who spoke for the first time since he showed them the compass.
"Of course my dear." The warlock gave her a blandishing smile.
"If this compass can point us to the Shadowhunter, why didn't you give it to our parents when you helped them a few weeks back?"
Magnus smiled a mischievous smile at the raven haired girl, "It didn't really feel like the right time." He said and gave Alec a quick glance.
"So, how does this compass work?" Jonathan asked looking directly at the High Warlock.
"Easy, it needs your blood." He said and held out the golden compass.
"What?" Isabelle asked, her eyes widening.
"Oh, don't worry, it's just a drop. Maybe two, nothing serious." He explained, watching the girl relax.
Jace moved forward, taking the compass from the warlock. "Okay, I'll do it." He said in his usual apathetic voice.
Magnus snapped the compass back from the golden haired boy and eyed him suspiciously. "Not so fast. You're not doing it alone; I don't trust Shadowhunters like yourself, always thinks they are superior to others. You are a Herondale, right?" He smirked at Jace, who gave him a funny look, but didn't say anything.
"Fine, but we're still using my blood." Jace replied, still a bit confused by the warlock's comment.
Taking out a knife from his pocket, he made a small cut in his right palm. Blood began oozing out of the cut immediately.
"What now?" He asked Magnus, who motioned for him to hold his palm over the compass letting small drops of blood fall onto the surface of the glass.
"That's it?" Jace asked surprised.
"Yep." Magnus replied smiling at the Shadowhunters disappointed expressions.
"Now you take it, and ask for the directions you are searching for."
Jace wrapped a piece of fabric around his bleeding hand before he accepted the compass.
"What? I just ask?" He gazed questioning toward the warlock, who nodded in reply.
"Eh, point me towards the Shadowhunter that poisoned my father and killed Isaac Ashwood." Jace said hesitating, feeling stupid for talking to a compass.
But as soon as his words left his lips the compass' hand began spinning madly around. After a few minutes it died down, pointing them towards south.
"Are you sure it works?" Isabelle asked, giving the compass an uncertain gaze.
"Yes, 100 per cent positive." Magnus replied.
After a few minutes of instructions the four teens headed for the front door, leaving the warlock at the threshold. "Don't break it, if you do, I'll make sure you never see sunlight again." He threatened them as they walked away giving him a light wave as they headed in the compass' direction.
"I'm still not convinced. This seems too easy." Jonathan said, giving the others a worried look, still oblivious to how right he was.
So that's it. I hope it wasn't confusing. Sorry about the tiny cliffie. But next chapter is already in process, and will be uploaded as soon as possible.
Review and tell me what you thought. Also, I must apologize for any writing mistakes. It's 2 am, and I am really tired. Sorry.