Disclaimer: I do not own the Mortal Instruments series. Everything recognisable belongs to Cassandra Clare.
So, someone asked me if I'm planning on doing a sequel to Undefined Darkness, and the answer is I don't know, but I really want to do one. I just got two questions for you guys, would you read a sequel to Undefined Darkness? And if so, would you want it to be a sequel to the story or just one shots or something?
Hope you enjoy the chapter.
Escape. The word sounded fresh, beautiful and haunting to Clary's mind. Escaping.
The day had come; she would finally get away from the prison the Shadowhunters called an Institute. A safe haven for Nephilim in need of a temporary home.
For Clary, it was nothing more than a prison. A large cell forcing her to stay with the people she loathed with all of her heart, mind and soul.
But today, today she would get away. The only thing she needed to do was get hold of a stele. Her father had contacted her a few hours ago telling her about the plan.
They would break the Institute's wards down at 06:45 pm exactly. Clary would then be able to draw a portal sending her directly to the Morgenstern manor. Her only problem, or her only task was to get hold of a stele.
The spell connecting her to the Institute would not be broken even though the wards fell. She would still need the rune to be able to leave, but because there was nothing else stopping her from leaving, she wouldn't need a supervisor to connect the rune with.
Clary was immensely grateful her father and Maggie had figured all of this out, she didn't think she would be able to do it all alone.
When Clary stepped into the 'Magic Room'- it had gotten the name because Jace couldn't come up with another, saner name for the room- that evening she had only one thing on her mind.
Stele.
She needed a stele. But all steles were personalised for the bearer. The owner had one stele, and the Nephilim never took it off. A stele often became an unattached second part of ones body. Like an extra finger, or an whole arm based on it's abilities.
Even though the room had failed her more than once, she wouldn't make the mistake of not asking it for one. She didn't think she would ever be able to forgive herself for loosing her only shot at getting home.
The room looked like it always had, nothing like the library, but still large and beautiful.
Clary had always been careful not to take anything away from its original placing. With the exception being the pyxis. The box was safely tucked into her 'leaving bag'.
Clary cleared her voice before speaking, "I need a stele, do you have one?"
The room was so quiet Clary was sure one could hear a pin drop to the floor. No scratching, no thumping on drawers or papers flying in the air. Nothing.
Not until a clear, frightened voice rang behind her.
xxxx
"What are you doing here?" Clary had been mistaken, the voice wasn't afraid, it was angry.
Jocelyn stood in the doorframe looking at the younger girl with acute green eyes. Her hair was pulled into a tight, high ponytail. The red hair turning auburn in the light shining down on her.
Clary stared back at her mother in fury, "What are you doing here?" she copied her question.
"It is my room." Jocelyn answered blankly, walking towards her daughter.
"Your room?" her voice sounded shocked, and Clary mentally cursed her inability to keep a calm and emotionless voice.
"Yes," Jocelyn began, apparently she had no problems with sharing her secret room with Clary, "I created this room ten years ago to keep desired and dangerous items away from the ones unworthy of such powers."
Clary bit her lower lip, Was she speaking the truth, or was she just messing with her mind?
"How would you be able to create such a powerful room? The protection kept over this room is far beyond your abilities." Clary explained plainly.
"You would be surprised where money can get you." Jocelyn laughed. She didn't particularly sound like she was ridiculing her, but Clary wouldn't put it past Fairchild if it was a failed attempt.
"So.." Clary took a step back, searching the room with her eyes, "You what? Paid a Warlock a substantial amount of cash and he just created you a amateurish room of 'you-have-to-ask-for-it-or-fuck-you'!"
Clary detected the faintest smile on Jocelyn's lips, "I wouldn't necessarily use those particular words, but in the greater picture, yes."
"And why did I break past those protection runes you so dull-wittedly put up? Because I assume they were there to keep people out, right?" Clary laughed at her, dragging out the time.
Jocelyn took a step forward, getting closer and closer to the short, fiery redhead.
"Yes I did, and nobody else could've broken past the runes." Jocelyn explained, her voice sounded so focused, Clary dared look away from the woman, searching the left side of the room.
"And why is that?" Clary asked.
"Blood." Jocelyn said simply, like it was the most natural thing in the world. "We share the same blood Clarissa, because even as much as you want to deny it, you are my daughter."
Clary met her green stare once again, eyes burning with hatred. "Don't you dare say that, not like that!" Clary snapped. It felt like something buried inside her broke free from a pair of metal chains. Her body shook with abhors and if she hadn't needed more time, she would've attacked her in that very moment.
If Clary had looked at Jocelyn's face with the intentions of searching for emotions, she would've seen shock and hurt rain over the older woman's face.
"I didn't mean.. I meant that because we are of the same blood, you are able to get in, something the others can't."
Clary lifted her head, "What about Jonathan?" Clary asked, keeping her voice steady and out of reach from the emotions battling in her vocal cords
Again the same unreadable smile fell over Jocelyn's face, "I made sure he wouldn't be able to get in here when he was younger, protected it in a way that only I could get in. I did never think you would come back to me-" "I didn't come back to you, you forced me here. If it was up to me, I would've been long gone, and you would never see me again." Clary struggled to keep the satisfied smirk away from her lips.
"Okay, but anyway," Jocelyn hid her hurt voice with an overly happy tone, "I made sure only a female Fairchild could get inside, and only a female Fairchild could get the information and items the room had stored."
Clary rolled her eyes irritated, "Clever." She admitted in a harsh voice.
"You really thought this through didn't you Fairchild. Too bad I'm not really one, I would've loved to dig a little deeper, see if I could find anything that could destroy you once and for all." Clary caressed the desk with her fingertips.
Jocelyn stood close enough for Clary to feel her breath brush against her face, her feelings hidden behind a fake smile.
"Oh Clary." She sounded on the verge of tears. "Oh,my Clary." A pair of twinkling green eyes buried into her own jade coloured eyes. "How could I let this happen to you?" Clary was too shocked by the woman's sudden change in emotions to respond quickly enough.
Jocelyn's palm closed around her cheek, brushing her hair out of her eyes. The touch was cold. Like a stone lying outside in the middle of a stormy winter night, or an ice cube that melted as soon as it hit warmer surface.
Clary hissed and drew back from her connection.
This was here chance. Both were stunned silent. Both distracted by the other's reactions.
Clary was the first one to recover from the incident. And she knew what she had to do.
The old grandfather clock in the room showed the time. Six. She had 45 minutes left to find a stele. And here it was. The room had showed her a stele after all.
Clary was glad she had examined the room while talking to Fairchild; she had seen a large black coloured stone. Or metal. She wasn't sure. Clary grabbed the object, its sharp edge cut into her palm, leaving a trace of blood on the blackness.
Clary swung her arm at Jocelyn. She heard the loud thump as the object connected with Jocelyn's skull.
The other Shadowhunter fell lifeless to the ground, her head slamming into the smooth wooden floor.
Clary stared wide-eyed at her. She gave herself two seconds to reflect on what she had done before she kneeled down snapping her silver twig of a stele out of her pocket.
She had forty minutes left; she would actually manage the escape.
Clary got back up on her feet, taking one last glance at her mother before walking to the door, closing it hard.
xxxx
Clary went back to her room after leaving the 'Magic Room'. Packing her back with the few items she would need. She had wrapped a piece of fabric around her hand. Her wound hadn't been big and it was nothing to worry about, but for some reason it wouldn't heal completely.
Clary had figured out the stone or metal lump had actually been demon-metal. Extremely rare in this dimension. Demon-metal was a noble metal, believed to originate in the Void. The metal appeared –like adamas– pellucid and glowing, only black instead of silver-white.
'It could be looked at as the demonic equivalent of adamas in that it creates wounds that cannot be easily healed by seraphic marks.' She remembered reading the line in a Shadowhunter's Codex.
At least that explained the bleeding.
Someone knocked on her door in a firm way. They waited. But since Clary was not planning on telling them to come inside, the person opened the door on his own accords.
"Jonathan, what a surprise." Clary muttered sarcastically.
"Yeah, good to see you too, sis." Jon replied.
"Anything in particular I can help you with?" Clary asked, her voice monotone.
"Yeah, I was wondering if you wanted to come with us on a mission?" Jonathan told her, his voice was genuine, which shocked Clary. "A what?"
"Mission. That's what we call our trips, hunting demons, killing things." Jon smiled a playful smile. Clary wondered how he would've acted towards her if he knew what she had just done.
"No thank you. I've got more important things to do than run around playing with a few lower-class demons." Clary shook her head.
"Oh, like what?" Jon asked with a shrug of his shoulders, tilting his head to the side.
"Things." Clary replied, pushing the stele she had taken from his mother further into the bed sheets.
"Well.. If you change your mind, we're not leaving until seven. It's getting dark early nowadays." He explained. The silence in the room hung in the air like a cloud of dark smoke. Smothering all their possible replies, both stared at each other for a few seconds before Jon turned around, giving Clary a half-hearted smile walking out of her room again.
By the angel that kid, that guy always had her. She hated that she struggled so much to keep her stern affair around him. She wouldn't let her guard down; he was after all a Fairchild. But there was something about his smile, his quiet laughter, and his silent pleading eyes asking her to accept him. He was nothing like her. He seemed to be kind, but still cunning. He was talented and surrounded by friends, but he still had the desire to be the best fighter he could be. Why did he have to be such a perfect child?
xxxx
Clary slammed the door behind her, she had Jocelyn's stele tucked into her pocket. She had placed one of her complicated glamour runes on her backpack, keeping it invisible even to the eyes of a Shadowhunter.
"Clarissa." A voice called out after her for the third time that day.
"Herondale." She answered angry. The older Herondale father, Stephen looked at her with an alarming gaze. "What are you up to?" he asked.
"Nothing." Clary sent him her usual glare, not wanting to give him a reason to suspect something.
"Have you seen Jocelyn? We were supposed to have a Enclave meeting." He told her, crap..
"No, no I haven't. If you've not noticed it by now, I'll be happy to inform you I do not like to associate with her or her half-breed toy of a husband."
"Don't you speak like that about your mother and Lucian. They-" Clary rolled her eyes, cutting his sentence short, "Are not really my cup of tea."
Stephen sighed, but he didn't push further on the subject. His eyes wandered to her white-strapped hand, a prickle of crimson blood had leaked through the fabric.
"What happened to your hand?" he asked, again his voice rang of suspicions.
"Again I'll give you the boring answer, nothing, or it doesn't concern you Herondale." She shot at him, pushing past the older man.
xxxx
Five minutes.
Clary felt a familiar tickle in her stomach; it was the same she had the first times her father had sent her out on her assignments. She had had so many mixed feeling back then, fear, excitement, nerves, bravado and the need to prove herself definitely shone the brightest.
Four minutes.
Clary rubbed her hands together. She sat in the library. Knowing the Enclave held a meeting. And the others, the younger Nephilim planned a mission was easing her tensed position.
She fingered the silver stele between her cold grip.
Three.
She couldn't believe she would be seeing her father again after two months away from him. See Maggie again. God, she was almost glad she would be seeing that hedgehog of a Shadowhunter, Starkweather, again.
Two.
The door clicked open. No, no, no! She did not have the time to speak with anyone else right now.
One.
"Hey Ariel." He sounded so carefree, so happy. It was a different tone; usually his voice lingered between sarcasm and a darkness that could almost compare to Clary's.
She had heard him speak in this voice before, a few times. Once in the library when she had told him about Arion, or not really told him about her, just briefly mentioned her. And then another time in the 'Magic Room'.
"Herondale." Clary said coldly, best to shut him out from the beginning, it might be easier to get rid of him.
"Heard you had better plans than hanging out with the fantastic four." Jace called out to her.
"The fantastic four?" Clary replied sarcastically.
"Yeah, sorry, I forget you lack common pop-culture education." Jace replied, "Not that it's a bad thing, most of it sucks."
"Good to know." Clary smirked. Her eyes flew to the clock on the wall. Zero. It was now or never, she had three minutes before they would loose the connection with the wards and she would've lost her only chance to get home.
Go away.. She wished she could apply a cajole rune and persuade him to go away.
"Don't you have a mission to get to?" She asked.
"Yeah I do, just wanted to make sure you don't wanna come."
"I'm sure." Clary snapped. He needed to hurry, it was only two minutes left.
"Okay, see you later Ariel!" he smiled, winking a golden eye her way.
"Sure." Clary muttered, surprised she managed to keep her voice in such a monotone manner.
He walked out and Clary drew the stele out of her pocket. First she drew half of the bonding rune on her forearm, then as quickly as she could she traced the lines of the portal on the floor.
"No I just forgot my-" Jace stopped mid-sentence. Four pair of eyes landed on the green-eyed girl, her curly red hair tangled around her face.
"C-Clary what are you doing?" Jonathan asked, but seeing the seconds tick down Clary didn't answer. She sent them a long look, before her body went spinning through the portal's iridescent misty air.
"CLARY!" All four of them yelled, springing towards the portal. But they were to late. Clary had already landed in the Morgenstern manor when Jonathan and the others reached the closing portal.
xxxx
Clary's feet hit the cold ground and she let out a relieved breath. She could smell the familiar scent of stonewalls and lit fireplaces. She knew she was home. She hadn't realised how much she'd missed home, not until this very moment.
Her eyes landed on the white-haired man. He wasn't looking at her, but she had the feeling he knew perfectly well she had entered the room.
"Good evening father." Clary felt her voice dangerously close to bursting with different emotions she was not willing to let the other people in the room hear.
She saw her father clearly. He sat on a chair at the edge of a large table. Maggie, Starkweather, Pangborn, Freeman, and at least a dozen other circle members Clary only knew by their faces.
Every muscle in Clary's body, every joint in her body froze to solid stone when she heard his voice.
"Clarissa, darling." He rose from his seat; the others sent nervous glances around the room, "It's been many moons."
"Yes, indeed," Clary smirked at him, "two months actually."
The last traces of the portal died behind her and the eyes around them that had focused on the misty colours were now looking at her.
The two of them connected their eyes, black against cold green. "Welcome back Clarissa." He said, his voice sounded low, it was only meant for her ears.
Clary nodded. She knew better than show affection when she was in a room full of people. And so did her father.
Valentine ordered the rest of them out. The meeting was over now that Clary had made her way back in one piece. No one questioned him about it.
Clary hadn't had much alone time with her father, Valentine was not one to throw family-nights on Fridays and shower her in love and endearments.
Her heart thumped loudly in her rib cage. When Valentine turned back towards her, her eyes met his ebony coloured eyes. Her heart gave another painful lurch and she inhaled deeply.
Valentine was the first to speak, "I am truly sorry," He paused, making the air around them colder, "my dear, for positioning you in such circumstances, but I am confident you understand the turn of events limited our ways of retrieving you."
He waited watching Clary with zealous eyes, "Yes father, I do."
"We should talk." It was his way of telling her he wanted information, everything she could tell him about the Nephilim and Downworlders. Clary knew he would never risk her life in any way, but he was also smart enough to see the benefits that came from the whole event.
"Of course." She retorted.
Valentine motioned for her to sit down as he found his seat at the end of the large table.
"Father," Clary began when both had seated themselves somewhat comfortably. It was astonishing, how at ease she suddenly felt. Clary could not remember the last time she had been able to relax, giving herself time to think, having a calm expression written on her face.
Valentine motioned for her to speak, "Fairchild thought I would give in, that I would switch side if they gave me enough time." Valentine did not show any sign of emotions when Clary mentioned his wife. "Did she do anything to you?" there was a small change in his voice, a concerned tone.
"Except hand me over to the Silent City, no." Clary knew it would be a bad idea to mention her father's failed rescue mission, but there was something she needed to know, something she had speculated on for the last two months.
"Your mission was not a complete waist of time, am I right?"
A twitch in her father's mouth was answer enough, "No, it was not."
Clary let her lips fall into a genuine smile, "So you did it? The plan worked?" Clary raised her voice. "I knew there was something odd about the Council when we came back, they threw out those children from the Academy and interrogated them for hours." Clary explained, "You should have told me."
"I could not, if the Council had found out you knew of the Angel Blade's whereabouts, I can only imagine they wouldn't hesitate to take extreme measures to another level."
"They are keeping it a secret from the rest of the Nephilim." Clary told him.
"Of course they are, wouldn't want their Clave to know of their fiascos." Valentine let out an angry chuckle.
"Where is it, the Mortal Sword?" Clary asked eagerly, she had know her father would try to take the blade when he entered the Silent City, how could he not, it was just hanging on the wall waiting for someone to take it.
"It is safe." Answered Valentine vaguely.
Clary did not push further, he would tell her when she needed to know.
"Clarissa, I know you must be beyond exhausted, and it pains me to ask, but could you tell me what you've learned about the Clave and their future plans."
Clary nodded, she didn't feel tired at all, being home again, safe and sound, was enough to keep her up for the rest of the week.
"Yes, but I am afraid I will disappoint you father, I've not been able to get much information out of them." Truth was, she had been too angry and stubborn to actually search for much information. "But.." Clary remembered the 'Magic room', "I found something interesting."
Her father looked up at her, "And what would that be?"
"A room. Fairchild's own private stockroom." Clary laughed, it sounded silly.
"Hmm." Her father sent her a small smirk, "And what precious possessions did my wife have to offer."
"Not much, for the most part books, but they were not the kinds you find in a normal library. And files, from the time she.. ehh, the time she was on your side, Circle papers. A few weird objects, probably not of any value." Clary explained.
"I see." He began, "did dear Jocelyn ever find out about you seeing this room?"
"No." Clary started when she remembered the encounter with Fairchild little over an hour ago. "Not until a few hours ago."
He nodded.
"You should rest Clarissa, we can go through the rest of the stay tomorrow." He dismissed her.
"Yes, father."
She rose from her chair, walking to the large door. Two torches hang on each side of it, making Clary walk slower, avoiding their flaming heat.
Suddenly, Clary turned around. "Father." She said, her voice rose just above a whisper.
"Yes my dear." His voice was soft, but at the same time cold. If one did not know him like she did, one would mistake him for being angry.
"I.. I think I killed her." Clary told him, looking directly at his face, searching for any sign of response.
"Who?"
"Fairchild." Clary replied, her voice shaking.
Valentine shielded his feeling extremely well, or else he did truly not feel anything as Clary spoke, but after a long minute, he finally said, "Go to bed Clarissa, we will talk more in the morning."
xxxx
"NOO!" The angry yell could be heard all over the Institute, "NO, DAMMIT!"
"Jon." Isabelle began, walking over to her friends. He sat on his knees right before the disappearing hole. "Jon, it's okay, she can't get away, the spell remember."
"Why would she try?" Alec asked confused. The Morgenstern girl was not stupid, if she tried to get away now, after two months of accepting her fate, something was wrong.
"I don't know." Jace replied. He had been too surprised to say anything before.
"I don't know."
Jonathan slammed his fist into the hard wooden floor, "By the angel, why the hell would she do something like that."
He tried to calm down, Isabelle was right; she would appear within seconds now. Realising this, he was back down, waiting, the three other Shadowhunters sitting down next to him.
The room was completely silent, no one let out as much as a breath.
"It's been two minutes." Isabelle said after a while. "Jace, how long did it take last time?"
"Not two minutes." Jace admitted.
"Oh god." Came from Clary's worried brother. "She left, dammit, how did she do it?" His voice sounded shaken.
They got up, one by one, and when they were about to leave, the door flew open.
"WHERE IS SHE?"
"I TOLD YOU WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TRUSTED HER!"
"HOW DID THEY BREAK THE WARDS!"
"SHUT UP!"
At least ten Shadowhunters ran inside the library's large door, all shouting angry at one another. They hadn't noticed the four younger Shadowhunters at first, not until Luke shouted at them to 'shut up'.
"The wards are down?" Isabelle asked. "How?"
None of the elder Nephilim answered, and Luke was again the one who replied, "The Circle, they managed to break them, we got the information directly from Wrangel Island a few minutes ago."
"How?" Alec repeated his sister's question.
"We don't know, they might've had someone there, working undercover." Stephen had calmed down enough to answer.
The next three words that rang in the library were not what anyone had expected, nor wanted to hear, "So she's gone." Jonathan's broken voice asked.
So, I hope you liked this little chappie. Sorry about the delay, but if you review I promise you another fast update. And don't forget to tell me what you think of a sequel.